|
Bali saw Durin run towards him, and noticed the map blow off into the foliage. He grabbed the younger dwarf by the arm. "Stay! We can't have anyone getting lost again." Then he turned his attention to his brother.
Dwalin lay on the ground, writing in pain. The others gathered around him, not sure what action to take. Bali pushed through them. "Give me room, laddies!" He quickly inspected the bite on the twitching dwarf's leg, and grimaced.
"Poisoned. Erulon, prop up his shoulders so it doesn't spread. Nerin, dig some athelas out of the bags, quickly now!" The dwarf knelt again and squeezed the skin around the bite tightly, preventing the deadly venom from spreading. Pulling out his favorite knife, the gift of Halonir the elf, Bali cut into the skin and sqeezed harder. Thankfully, Dwalin was already unconcious, and did not feel the searing pain of the sharp blade. Slowly, the poison began to run out, mixing with blood and spilling out into the sandy ground. Nerin brought the athelas, and Bali administered it to the wound; wrapping the leg with a strip of cloth.
"Keep him propped up and let him rest. Tomorrow, he will feel terrible, but should be good as new in a day or two." It was just then that Bali realized that Gortek was missing.
_______________________
Erulon stayed with Dwalin while the other dwarves hurried after Gortek's path through the forest. Kain was at the front, with Bali just behind. Suddenly, Kain stopped, apparently leaning forward and rapidly losing his balance. Bali slowed and caught him, pulling the young dwarf back. Looking down, Bali could see Gortek pullin himself up. "Rope, rope!" He yelled. But the rope was in Gortek's pack... and the pack was gone. On an instant reaction, Bali eased over the edge, slowly climbing down towards Gortek. The dwarf was barely holding on, having fallen on a steep area. Bali reached out - "The axe! Hand me your axe! Gortex, holding onto a jut with one hand, pulled out his axe and reached out to Bali.
Grabbing the axe, Bali heaved it up onto the plateau. Pulling himself back up, he called the man and elf over. "Hold my legs!" He leaned over the edge headfirst, and grasped Gortek's hand with his own. "Pull!" And pull they did.
______________________
The entire company seemed to have a newfound respect for Bali following the two incidents. Thanks to his treatment, Dwalin was completely recovered by the following day; although he would walk with a slight limp for few weeks. Any sense of distrust was gone, and Bali was now close friends with Gortek. But the company's position had not completely improved. The flies still swarmed around them, and their map was gone.
"We must press on, or these insects will be our deaths," Bali remarked. And so they pressed on, following the edge of the ravine Gortek had nearly died in eastward.
|