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Old 04-26-2007, 12:16 PM   #759
Nogrod
Flame of the Ainulindalë
 
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Wearing rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves in a field behaving as the wind behaves
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Stigend and Leof (and Garstan)

Stigend unmounted by Thornden’s orders. He took the shorter spear to his left hand and the longer one to his right. He patted Snowstreak to her neck as tenderly as he could with all the excitement and pulled the reins over her head. “Keep cool my love, keep cool...” he whispered to her more to assure himself than her.

Stigend felt insecure as they walked forth towards the grassy hill in front of them. Can these people fight? Thornden probably can... He realised how little did he know of his fellows that were advancing this grassy mound. Well, he did know them by names surely but he had still spent most of the time in the Mead Hall with his family or then with Garstan and their work. He knew Náin also and relied on his stounchness but the dwarf was trailing long behind him as Stigend tried to stay along the level of Thornden. We’re spreading too wide.. now where’s Garstan?.

Knowing someone by name was not much when you were possibly walking to a fight. Stigend was missing the straighforward calls of the officers at the men-of-war –camps. There was a certain order there and when they had to actually fight the two times he had been involved everything had been orderly and clear and he had known what was demanded of him. Now he was much more insecure. Thornden had just called them to spread and advance... Stigend was getting worried about the distances they were making to each other. It was not the way he had been taught.

Thornden was attacked first.Stigend’s body stiffened as hew realised it was an ambush they were walking into. Just as he was about to rush to the aid of Thornden he heard noises from all around him. Then there was a call of help to his left.

“Leof!” Stigend cried as he recognised the voice to his left. He turned and started running to the direction of the call. Leof! You’re so young you shouldn’t be here in the first place! I won’t let them harm you! Just hold on! I’m coming! Stigend was overwhelmed with his thoughts. Fatherly instinct they were? Possibly... no doubt the image of Cnebba flashed in his mind as he thought of Leof.

After a short sprint Stigend thought he had an idea where the cry had came from. Happily the grass were swinging to and fro at the point near enough the one he had been targeting. So there they were. He rushed forwards throwing in everything he could. He changed the spears in his hands while he ran. There was no use of the throwing-spear here.

And he caught them. The outlaw was on top of Leof and they struggled. Leof was just barely pushing the knife of the outlaw from the wrist to stay away from his throat. It looked really bad indeed. But everything that followed happened fast then.

Stigend dropped the longer spear to the ground two paces away from the struggling pair. With the next he secured a two hand grip from the shorter spear and with the last bounce he bellowed as mightily and loud as he could.

The outlaw had time enough only to turn his head to face Stigend as the spear ran through his body. It went in from the shoulder and through out to his other side. The spear hit the ground and yanked Stigend who was still holding it savagely to the side. You were to drop it...!

Stigend was immediately back on track and turned around to face Leof on all fours. Simultaneously he was trying to swerwe the spear from the still trembling outlaw.

“You’re alright Leof?” He asked, panting after he had freed his spear from the body of the outlaw.

“Mmhh... I guess I am...” Leof managed to answer, gurgling the blood of the outlaw from his mouth.

Stigend looked at him worriedly at first but then nodded as he could see no open wound on him. He crawled over Leof and picked his longer spear from the ground. Then he turned back to him.

“Promise me you will stay behind! And take this brute’s knife, it’s far better than yours!”

Leof nodded with confusion while Stigend was already standing up straight. Leof saw Stigend to take a quick look around and then he heard him shout out aloud.

“Come together! Closer to each other!”. With that he ran away from Leof.

At the moment Stigend started towards the middle of the Mead Hall men he saw a man emerging from behind Garstan whom he had just spotted from between the grasses.

“Garstan! Your back!” he shouted and at the same time threw his spear. The outlaw was too far for him to reach and the spear seemed to fall some yards too short. But the outlaw yelled in pain. It had seemingly hit him into his leg. But with the force of the sudden effort Stigend fell down himself. He heard oncoming noises of feet approaching and went to his knife.



---***---



Garmund, Cnebba and lord Eodwine

”Master Eodwine!” both of the boys yelled in unison when Eodwine fell upon the brute. The fight was quickly over but the sight of lord Eodwine hitting the brute’s head first with his fists and then just banging it to the ground sent shivers to both of the little boys. All the blood around... the way the brute’s body stopped responding... They were petrified.

Eodwine looked them anxiously over the numb body of the outlaw, panting heavily.

“Rilef is in there...” Garmund managed to utter at last. Cnebba was pointing inside the doorway as well.

“It’s good to see my good friends armed and by my side” lord Eodwine said warmly amidst the panting. He drew breath to calm himself.

“But from now on you two should stick to the pebbles... Do you both have them?”

Garmund hesitated with the shearing knife still in his right hand but Cnebba produced two pebbles from his pocket and laid them to Garmund’s free hand. The two boys glanced at each other and then turned back to face lord Eodwine. They nodded to him in concerto.

“Now, promise me not to try any heroics. You’ll come five paces after me the nearest, you understand?” Eodwine queried seriously, not waiting for an answer.

“You can help with your pebbles if there’s a need, but otherwise you just stay behind. That understood?”

The two boys nodded.

"And if something bad happens you two get deep in the thickest brush until all's clear, then try to get some help. Do you understand?”

The two boys nodded again

Last edited by Nogrod; 04-29-2007 at 04:07 PM.
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