15. 16 April, Afternoon
Afternoon of 16 April
The pungent scent of ripening meat calls to our ravenous hunger; we rush to the nearly-silent feasting-grounds.
I claim a great carcass, snarling to warn my pack-mates away. The still-fresh body lifts its feeble foreleg to slash at me with its glittering long-claw, but I crush its throat till the gurgling stops.
Mobs of night-feathered pests swoop down on my prize. I snap at one, yet drop the bony morsel in favour of the hairless and thin-skinned mound of warm flesh. I settle to devour my juicy meal.
Tonight, glutted, we will howl our gratitude to the great pale-face above.
Mournfully, I wander, seeking the beloved Rider who reared me from teat. He fell away when the enemy repulsed our charge; to my shame, I lost him in the battle-confusion.
Now, catching his scent, I gallop to him....
A mangy wolf dares to defile my Rider? I lunge — its snarl turns to squeal, cut off as its neck snaps.
Too late... my Rider breathes not.
But I must defend him from the ravening of these wretched imitations of our noble kind!
I howl my grief to the sky-vault. Then, slowly and reverently, I honour him by consuming his proud body.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
