57: A Walk in the Woods

When Alex and Derek calmed down, Glorfindel explained the song reference to Finrod and the others without going into any details about it, and then suggested that Alex and Derek spend time with Findalaurë, Calandil and Elennen. "You can take a hike and show one another what you know."

"Which isn’t much," Alex said. "I wish we’d thought to bring the guidebook with us to help identify plants and all, but I didn’t think we’d actually be staying out in the wilderness this long."

"Was there a particular place you were thinking of us going to?" Derek asked.

"You see that mountain peak?" Glorfindel asked, pointing to the northwest.

"You want us to go there?" Derek asked.

"No, but that’s your guide," Glorfindel said. "If you cross the road and walk through that field, keeping that peak directly before you, you may find something worth looking at."

Alex and Derek exchanged puzzled looks, then shrugged almost as one. "Well, I guess," Alex said somewhat reluctantly. "I could use the exercise. This cold is making me feel stiff."

"It is cold for you?" Findalaurë asked, wrinkling his brow, as if the concept of ‘cold’ was alien to him.

"Hello! Snow. Yes, it’s cold," Alex said in disbelief. "Why do you think we’re huddling around this pitiful little fire?"

"It’s not pitiful," Glorfindel said.

"Yeah, well. I could make it better, certainly bigger," Alex said with a sniff.

"We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves," Glorfindel said, looking more amused than affronted.

"Whatever," Alex said, rising, wincing in pain from the bone bruises which he still suffered. His chest felt constricted and he found it hard to take in deep breaths.

"Thou’rt still in pain," Laurendil said, frowning.

"Well, that’s what happens when you’re caught in an avalanche," Alex said somewhat bitterly. "I still can’t believe I was that stupid not to look where I was going. I was so intent on finding the trail, I just wasn’t paying attention."

"That you are alive and relatively whole is all that matters now," Glorfindel said in all seriousness, "and for that I am grateful, as you should be."

"Oh, no worries on that score," Alex said fervently. "Okay, so if we keep our eyes on the mountain we’re supposed to find something worth looking at, huh? Derek, you’re in charge of keeping us on the straight and narrow, I’ll look out for any obstacles so we don’t all fall into a ditch or something and break our necks. You want to grab the canteens and make sure they’re filled while I see about packing some supplies?"

"Sure, no problem," Derek said, rising and heading for the pile of camp supplies.

"And what of us?" Findalaurë asked.

"You can get rid of those swords," Alex said in a no-nonsense voice, speaking as an adult to a child. "I will not have you endangering us with those weapons."

"We are warriors," Calandil protested. "We do not surrender our swords to any."

"Did I say anything about surrendering?" Alex retorted. "Lord above. I really am not in the mood to deal with this."

He stalked off, muttering imprecations as he went to his car, fishing out his keys and opening the trunk. He rooted about for a bit, shifting some of the items to get to his secret stash of weapons. Removing his jacket, he strapped on a shoulder holster, drew out a .45 automatic and, checking the clip and making sure the safety was on, shoved the gun inside the holster, then grabbed a small backpack before closing the trunk and returning to the fire, putting his jacket back on.

"Why the gun?" Glorfindel asked.

"To shoot anyone who asks stupid questions," Alex retorted.

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow while the other Elves looked on in bemusement.

"Thou demandest that we leave our swords behind, yet thou dost bring that strange weapon with thee," Findalaurë said accusingly.

"We’re in the middle of the Alaska wilderness," Derek answered before Alex could, having returned to the fire carrying three canteens. "There are grizzlies out here. Swords will be no good against them, but a gun may scare them off."

"And what are these grizzlies?" Finrod asked.

"Very large bears with bad tempers," Alex said as he threw some food into the pack, along with a flashlight. "And here’s another word of advice: never run from a bear. Now, how far do we have to go and will we be back before dark?"

"It’s not more than five miles," Glorfindel said, "so you should have plenty of daylight."

"Okay, let’s go then," Alex said, shrugging the backpack onto his shoulders.

The three younger Elves removed their swords with a great deal of reluctance with Finrod promising that he would keep an eye on them, much to the amusement of the Mortals and the other older Elves. Elennen also handed his bow and a quiver of arrows over to Valandur, who promised to keep them safe for him. Then, the five of them headed off. The four older Elves watched them cross the road and enter the field on the other side, observing how the two Mortals led with the three ellyn trailing and there was plenty of space between the two groups.

Finrod sighed as he turned to Glorfindel. "I hope they become friends," he said. "My son doth need a friend among the Mortals, though he knoweth it not."

"Well, if they don’t end up killing each other, I’m sure things will work out," Glorfindel said with a grin. "So, why don’t you throw those pretty toys those children have been toting around inside the tent and then we can go on our own exploration."

"I’ll bank the fire," Laurendil volunteered and five minutes later the camp was deserted.

****

Alex turned to see if the three Elves were following them and poked Derek in the ribs to get his attention. "Look," he said as he stopped. Derek turned around and whistled low.

"Neat trick," he said. "Do they do that so they don’t get their feet wet?"

Alex shrugged. By now the three ellyn had come closer. Findalaurë gave them a haughty look. "What do ye stare at, Mortals? Have ye not seen Elves walk on snow before?"

"I’d be more interested to see you try to walk on water," Alex said with a diffident shrug, not about to let the Elves know how freaked he was feeling at the moment. "You’d better learn to leave footprints or you’re going to have a hard time blending in."

The three ellyn exchanged puzzled looks. "How can we do that? To leave no trace of our passage comes naturally to us. It is as automatic as breathing."

"Then you need to be more conscious of it," Derek said. "Here, try this." He lifted his right foot an inch or two and then with exaggerated motion, planted it firmly on the ground, then did the same with his other foot. "See? If you think about it, you can do it."

"It is a very clumsy way to walk," Findalaurë said with a sniff, "but I should not wonder that Mortals are incapable of walking lightly."

"Well, excuse us for breathing," Alex retorted. "C’mon. We’re burning daylight and I want to be back at camp before it gets dark." He turned and stalked off with Derek right behind him; the three Elves hesitated for a moment and then followed, all three of them with dark expressions on their faces.

Just beyond the field, the land began to rise and they entered some woods. In spite of the trees, Derek was still able to spot the mountain, or rather its peak, so they were able to stay on course. The two Mortals had to force their way through the underbrush but the Elves appeared to suffer less difficulty, the three of them smirking at Alex untangling himself from a bramble. Neither Alex nor Derek said a word and refused to acknowledge the Elves as they struggled through the woods.

At one point, they were forced to take a slight detour around several fallen trees that blocked their way and it took Derek a few minutes to sight the peak again and regain their course. "I hope it’s not too much further, whatever it is," Alex muttered. "My chest hurts from breathing."

"We can rest, if you like," Derek suggested but Alex just shook his head, determined not to give the Elves any further ammunition to use against them, though he did take a long drink from one of the canteens.

"I’m fine," he said. "I’ll just take it slow. Loren said five miles and I think we’ve gone almost that far so hopefully our destination is straight ahead."

His prediction held true and another half an hour saw them climbing another hill and then finding themselves staring down into a secluded valley where a miniature waterfall danced merrily down a rocky slope opposite from where they were, filling a small pool.

"It’s beautiful," Derek whispered and Alex nodded, turning to see the Elves approaching.

"Looks as if we’ve arrived," he said. "Why don’t we go down and explore for a while?"

The three ellyn looked down into the valley and actually smiled, their eyes dancing with delight at what they saw. "Yes. We would like that very much," Findalaurë said and then the five of them were making their way down into the valley and this time, it was the Elves who took the lead.

The downslope was easy, but Alex walked warily and Derek stayed by his side while the three ellyn ranged ahead, speaking in Quenya together, pointing features out to one another. The waterfall, they saw was only a few feet higher than themselves and plunged into a small pool about ten feet across. There was no outlet so they assumed that the water flowed underground else the valley would’ve been flooded long before. Alex bent down to test the water.

"Cold but not freezing," he said. "Let’s fill the canteens."

"Do you think it’s safe enough?" Derek asked dubiously.

"Yeah, this water is pretty pure," Alex answered. "Fill it from the falls rather than from the pool." As they were doing that, Alex looked around for the Elves. "Now where did they go?" he asked, frowning, for there was no sign of them.

"The valley’s not that large," Derek said as he stoppered the last canteen. "They’re probably checking out the woods. Let them alone. I’m feeling hungry. Why don’t we find a place to sit and eat while the three amigos are busy hugging the trees."

Alex grinned and agreed. They moved away from the waterfall to where one of the pine trees that populated the valley had fallen and settled themselves. Alex pulled off his backpack and began unloading some fruit and energy bars for them to munch on.

"It’s a pretty place," Alex commented. "I wonder how Loren knew of it."

"He’s been here for two years," Derek said. "He’s probably done a lot of exploring of the area when he’s not been working."

Alex glanced up at the sky. "It’s getting late and I don’t like the look of those clouds. We better round up the kids and head back. I don’t want to be caught out after dark or if it starts snowing again."

"We should think of real names for them," Derek said. "Elennen can be Alan; that’s easy enough. What about Cal for Calandil? It can be short for Calvin, which is a pretty stupid name but whatever."

"And Findalaurë? What name should we give him?" Alex asked.

"Besides Moe?" Derek asked with a grin and Alex laughed. "I guess Larry would do, though he strikes me more as a Lawrence, very serious about everything."

"Well, we’ll have to discuss it with Loren and the others," Alex said. "They will have to come up with appropriate names for everyone. That should be fun. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it." He looked around and put his hands on either side of his mouth and called out, "Hey, it’s time to go. Alan, Cal, Larry, c’mon, we’re leaving."

"Tolo, Edhil, bedim," Derek shouted, his voice echoing through the valley.

"Damn! Where did they go?" Alex groused. "I am not in the mood for this."

"Should we just leave them?"

"Oh, I am so tempted," Alex said, "but Loren would have our heads and then Finrod would use what’s left for target practice should anything happen to sonny-boy. Look, you take that side of the valley and I’ll take this. Make your way to where we came down and hopefully one of us will find them."

They split up with Alex moving to his left, entering the woods that bordered the valley, calling out every once in a while, then pausing to listen, hoping to hear something, anything, but there was nothing and the trees deadened any sound, so that even the music of the waterfall was muted. Under the trees it was even darker than in the valley and the gloom deepened as clouds began to pile up. Alex trudged through the woods, but staying in the lower reaches rather than attempting to climb out of the valley. It took him close to fifteen minutes to reach where they had entered the valley with no sign of the Elves anywhere. Derek showed up a minute or two later, shaking his head.

"It’s like they just got swallowed up or something," he said. "I found no trace of them. What do you want to do now?"

Alex thought for a moment, forcing his anger down so he could think clearly. Making a decision, he doffed the backpack and opened it, retrieving the flashlight. "You’re in better shape than I am, so I want you to hightail it to the camp and tell Loren. I’ll stay here and wait. Maybe wherever those idiots have gone, they’ll return."

"You sure?" Derek asked.

Alex nodded. "I’ve got my gun. Where did I put those matches? Oh, here, in my pocket. I’ll gather some deadwood and build a fire. That may attract them. At any rate, it’ll help keep me warm. Those clouds look menacing and the temperature’s dropped."

"This valley is sheltered but even so it’s going to get cold."

"So the sooner you’re off the sooner you’re back," Alex said, handing him two of the canteens. "Don’t stop to smell the roses."

"No fear of that," Derek said with a scowl. "And if they do show up in the meantime, save some choice pieces for me to skewer."

Alex grinned. "You’d better get going."

Derek nodded and headed uphill, soon lost from sight. Alex sighed, muttered several choice expletives as he set about gathering kindling and moving back into the valley to find a suitable place to make a fire, all the while keeping a wary eye on the snow-laden clouds covering the sky above him.

****

"They should have been back by now," Glorfindel said with a scowl as he observed the camp. He, Finrod, Laurendil and Valandur had returned along with the other Elves of Wiseman to find the camp empty. The other Valinórean Elves were still in the woods and would not likely return until the next day in spite of the encroaching darkness and storm.

"Could they have suffered an ill?" Finrod asked worriedly.

"There is nothing that could have harmed them," Glorfindel assured him.

"These grizzlies of which thou hast spoken...."

"Are nowhere near here, certainly not in the valley to which I sent them, for there is nothing in the valley to attract any bear. Most are too busy right now finding dens in which to hibernate. Alex took his gun only as a precaution. This is the wilderness, after all. No, they should have had a pleasant jaunt to the valley, stayed long enough to admire the little waterfall and then headed back."

"Obviously, something has happened to delay them," Vorondur said with a thin smile.

"I’m going after them," Glorfindel said. "I don’t like the look of those clouds and Alex is still recovering from his ordeal. He shouldn’t be subjected to another storm."

"I will go with thee, my brother," Finrod said.

"I will go as well," Laurendil said. "I wish to see this valley for myself."

"As would I," Valandur said.

"The rest of us will stay and build up the fire and have supper ready for when you return," Vorondur said and Glorfindel nodded in agreement.

"Come," he said, "grab some blankets and a thermos. Your children will not be cold, but Alex and Derek will be."

Five minutes later, they were on their way.

****

Alex snarled an oath as the fire went out for the third time. The wind had picked up as the clouds massed overhead, swooping down into the valley and snuffing out the little flame before Alex could get it going large enough. There was very little in the way of shelter and he could not safely build the fire under the trees. And now it was beginning to snow. He glanced up at the large white flakes spiraling down, touching his eyelids and landing on his nose.

Muttering another oath, he whipped out his gun, undid the safety, and aimed it at the waterfall, the sound of the shot echoing eerily back and forth. He fired a second shot, then stood listening, hoping that the sound of gunfire would draw the stupid Elves back to the valley from wherever they had disappeared to, but after several tense moments, when nothing moved, he thrust the gun back in its holster, zipped up his jacket, pushed his hat firmly down around his ears then headed towards the nearest trees, hoping they would provide him with some kind of shelter from the wind.

Under the pines, the wind lessened and the snowfall was not as evident, but it was still cold and the temperature was dropping. He noticed some trees had fallen, perhaps in a past storm, not far from where the woods and valley met and after much effort, sweating and panting and having to stop frequently to catch his breath, he managed to break off some of the branches still covered with pine needles and made a kind of lean-to, using the branches as a roof while he huddled between two of the larger fallen trees, his arms around his knees, hugging himself against the cold, watching the valley fill with snow.

He tried to amuse himself by inventing sentences in Sindarin, practicing his conjugations.

"Degin in Edhil... Edhengin in Edhil...Degithan in Edhil... In Edhil degithar nin... Aníron an ndaged neled Edhil....Dógiel in Edhil, linnen...."

And all the while, the snow kept falling.

****

The four Elves met Derek about two miles from the valley. The Mortal was trudging slowly, his flashlight lit, heading at an oblique angle from them. Had he continued in the same direction, he would’ve missed the camp entirely.

"Easy, Derek," Glorfindel said as he reached the young Man, gently removing the flashlight from his hands even as Laurendil was throwing a wool blanket around his shoulders and Valandur was handing him a cup of hot coffee from the thermos.

"I c-c-couldn’t see the mountain," Derek stuttered, shivering from the cold. "I was afraid I was g-g-going in circles."

"Where are Alex and the others?" Glorfindel demanded.

"I l-left Alex in th-th-the valley," Derek replied. "He was fine. I d-don’t know about the ellyn. One minute they were beside us adm-m-miring the falls, next minute, they were gone. We called but they never answered, then we sc-scoured the woods on either side and still no trace. Alex sent me for help."

All four Elves looked grim and Finrod’s eyes shown with a fell light that shook Derek more than the cold and he whimpered slightly. The sound, whisper soft as it was, brought the Elves out of themselves and they concentrated on Derek, assuring themselves that he suffered little more than cold.

"Are you all right to come with us or do you want one of us to take you back to camp?" Glorfindel asked, rubbing the Mortal’s arms to warm him up.

"No. I want to get back to Alex," Derek said, "and then I want to slowly kill those brats of yours if we ever find them."

"And thou hast our permission to do so, once we’ve done our own slow killing," Finrod said with faint humor and both Valandur and Laurendil nodded in agreement.

"Let’s go then," Glorfindel said, taking Derek’s arm.

****

Alex, what are you doing sitting in the snow, son?

Alex looked up to see Amroth standing over him, apparently unfazed by the snow falling heavily about him.

"I’m waiting for Derek," he said, or thought he did. It was hard to concentrate and he was feeling sleepy. Somewhere in the back of his mind alarms were going off but he couldn’t seem to find the strength to respond to them.

You need to get up, son. It is too cold for you to sit there.

"Don’ wanna," Alex protested dreamily. "Wanna wait for Derek."

Derek won’t be able to find you here, though. Best to go to the waterfall. He’ll find you there easily enough.

"Waterfall?" Alex asked, frowning.

Yes, son, the waterfall. Come now, stand up. That’s it. You can do it. Make me proud, son.

Amroth’s image shifted and blurred as Alex tried to get to his feet, yelping at the sudden pain of movement as circulation was slowly re-established in his lower extremities. He had to grip the trunks of the trees and climb out of the hollow between them, then stood there stupidly, not sure what to do next.

This way, Alex.

Alex turned his head slightly to see Amroth gesturing to him and shuffled forward, swaying dizzily. He couldn’t really feel his feet or any other part of his body and had to look down every once in a while to see if he was even moving. Amroth’s image stayed ahead of him, backing up, never looking behind him, yet seeming to know just where to go to give Alex the smoothest way. Curiously, the Elf left no footprints. Alex thought that was interesting in a dull sort of way. He had to stop frequently, trying to get his breath, rubbing the snow out of his eyes.

You are doing just fine, child. Only a few more feet to go. See? The waterfall is just there.

"Derek?"

Is coming and with help. Soon you will be back in camp. Just keep moving, Alex. That’s it. Don’t stop. It is too dangerous for you to stop.

Alex nodded, knowing the truth of that, though one part of him did not care and all he really wanted to do was lie down and sleep, but he trudged on, stumbling a bit over the uneven ground. The waterfall was just before him and he stared at it with little interest wishing Derek would come so he could sleep. He turned to see where Amroth had gone to, but there was no sign of the Elf.

He was alone again and the thought of it sent him to his knees as he wept frozen tears.

****

"Alex! Alex! It’s alright, mate. We’ve got you."

Alex blinked open eyes that were half-frozen from tears and the snow to see Derek hovering over him. "D-d-erek?" he stammered.

"Yes, mate, and Glorfindel and Finrod are here as well."

Even as Derek mentioned their names, their faces came into view. Finrod was pouring something out of a thermos, encouraging Alex to drink while Glorfindel wrapped him in blankets handed to him by Laurendil who was standing over them. He could also see Valandur, who stood looking about, calling in Quenya, his tone one of anger.

"They’re here; I can sense them," he said, shaking his head.

"Where?" Derek demanded. "We looked everywhere for them."

"They were hiding from you," Finrod said. "It is plain to me what they were about. There will be words between us for their thoughtlessness."

"Here they come," Valandur said with a look of grim satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Alex was feeling more awake and his memory was returning. "Where’s Amroth?" he asked.

Derek gave him a puzzled look. "Back in Wiseman, of course."

"No. He was here. He c-c-called me son and s-s-said he was proud of me. He t-told me to come back to the waterfall. I was sleepy but he wouldn’t let me sleep. He has to be here. Where is he?" He was becoming agitated and close to panic.

"Alex," Glorfindel said soothingly. "Amroth isn’t here, he never was. It was your imagination. Your brain was supplying you with an image to help get you to move. It is a good thing for I do not know if we would have found you in time otherwise. Now enough. Laurendil is going to put you in healing sleep and when you wake up again we’ll be back in camp."

Before Alex could protest, Laurendil was kneeling beside him, having taken Glorfindel’s place, laying a hand on Alex’s forehead and softly crooning something he did not understand. In minutes, he was fast asleep.

****

Words are Sindarin:

Tolo, Edhil, bedim: ‘Come, Elves, we go’.

Degin in Edhil... Edhengin in Edhil... Degithan in Edhil... In Edhil degithar nin... Aníron an ndaged neled Edhil...Dógiel in Edhil, linnen: ‘I slay the Elves... I slew the Elves...I will slay the Elves... The Elves will slay me... I wish to slay three Elves....Having slain the Elves, I sang....’.