The Enraldi

Chapter 3 Sentin Forest

A/N: Just a warning, this chapter does get rather graphic in a gory way towards the end. Proceed with caution.

 Tassle had hidden himself under a fallen tree, and watched as the Enraldi had rammed itself into the tree and passed out cold. He could feel the moisture from the ground seeping into his pants, getting his knee wet. He stood and walked over to the unconscious Enraldi, the eye on its left cheek turning to stare at him. "Don't you stare at me demon. He's mine now," Tassle yelled! He watched as the body shrunk, the hair and horns disappearing back inside of its body. The eye slowly faded back into a gray marking on The Enraldi's cheek.

He pulled a dagger out from its hiding place in his sleeve with his one good arm and knelt over the unconscious Enraldi, pressing the dagger against its throat. He should kill it. His wife Marie and his two children, Daniel and Astelle were more then likely going to be dead soon. His brother had said to much. The Enraldi was evil. He deserved to die. He needed to die. He pressed the dagger more tightly against the Enraldi's neck, ready to take its life. But the others had been planning on capturing an Enraldi. He had one here. They would want him. Tassle put the dagger back in its sheathe and knelt on the ground beside the Enraldi, his face resting in his hands as he cried.

The crack of a twig behind him made him jump up, reaching for his dagger.He looked up into the eyes of Durin. His eyes widened and he let his arm fall back to his side. "Durin, my children, my wife. They have them prisoner. Seth... he's dead. The Enraldi, you can have him. Just help me save my family." A tear slowly fell down Tassle's devastated face as he stared into Durin's eyes. Durin stepped forward and placed his arms around Tassle, pulling him in against him gently.

"Help me get The Enraldi back to Bistrolle, and I promise you we will do everything in our power for your family. I'm sorry about Seth, he was a good man." Durin said gently, but Tassle could feel Durin tremble. Seth was Durin's best friend.

Tassle pulled back and said, "well then lets get moving. The Enraldi will be out for at least another couple of hours, and we had better get to Bistrolle before he awakes." A renewed sense of hope had entered him upon seeing Durin, and he was ready to do whatever it took to save his family. With Durin's help there was a real chance of being able to save them.

Durin nodded and bent down, pulling The Enraldi up he said, "you will have to help me carry him. Use your good arm and we'll carry him on our shoulders." They picked up The Enraldi wrapping its arms around there shoulders and walked deeper into the forest. The trees seemed to grow closer as they went further in, the world slowly darkening around them. The Enraldi's feet dragged across the ground, leaving small marks in the damp floor of the forest.

Tassle's renewed energy had slowly leaked out of him with each step. This monster was heavy. And each passing moment decreased the chances of him ever seeing his family again. That was the only thought that kept him going. He had to hurry. Before he new it the forest started to open again, and the light seemed to glow brighter. They had found the trail and were walking up it, making their journey much easier. They crested the top of the trail and Bistrolle was finally in view.

Surrounding Bistrolle was a wall made of logs, it was easily three times Tassle's height. The trail led to the open gate, it almost looked like a large wooden raft. Ropes that were tied to a post were holding it open. The gate could fall shut in an instant, making the weakest point nearly as impenetrable as the rest of the walls. The treeline of the forest surrounding the walls had been opened up to nearly 30 feet away. 

They walked through the gate, dragging their load along with them. "Let's drop him into the pit and then go see Ayamesh." Durin said as they walked through the village. The road way was surrounded by homes, and led up to the town hall, an ancient looking stone building that had used to be a church. A crowd began to follow them as they walked towards the town hall. A woman wearing close knit leather clothing with a strung bow and quiver that hung on her back stepped forward and began walking beside them.