The elf, Legolas greeted her. "good day. Where are you off to so alone?"
"do you know where the Black woods are?"
the man answered as he came up to them, "to the south."
Exasperated that young woman spat, "the south?! Always the south! How much more south can one go?! I've been traveling for so long now!"
The dwarf asked, "what is it you want in that dark evil forest?"
"I'm looking for a demon." She asked truthfully.
"but surely…" legolas began. "surely you Don't wantt o go there. People go there and never return!"
"I never indend on returning anywhere. Maybe it's not as bad as everyone thinks. Maybe people are like me and inted to go there because they feel that they belong."
The man, Aragorn says, "and whuy do you feel that you belong there and nowhere else?"
"I've never belonged anywhere. Not with man, not with elves…cause you know how they get…all depressed over man's short life span…"
that hit close to home with Aragorn and he moved, perturbed by the remark.
She continued, "I'm too big to belong with dwarves or hobbits. And surely too dumb to coverse with wizards!"
Legolas argued, "but demons?! Why??!!"
"frankly, I HATE the light. I HATE sunny days and I HATE happiness."
Gimili commented, "well then you surely fit in as a demon."
"I'll be a demoness!" she said proudly.
Aragorn taunted, "not unless they kill you first."
"then so be it! if I Don't belong there then I don't belong alive!! You find you knitch in life and you belong! But some of us aren't as fortunate! We are free spirits not to be bound to any set of rules for we do not believe in them! don't ask why it's just the way we are! Now f you'll excuse me…"
Legolas stoped her. "the sun will be down soon. Would you like to set camp with us?"
She got mad. "are you saying that I cannot take care of mysef because I am a woman?"
"no. not at all…"
"you're thinking it…." she growled. "I MAY BE SHORTER THAN YOU ELF BUT HEED MY WARNING! NEVER PISS ME OFF!!!" and witht hat she stormed off, drawing her dagger and crouching down to hunt her nihgt's meal.
Now alone for now, the three males conversed. Aragorn spoke first adfter she left. "my isn't she spry."
"quite… I say, I've never met a woman like her…" Legolas answered.
Gimili commented, "and I doubt we ever will again…"
As they finished setting up camp the young woman returned, a deer and rabbit in her clutches. "Oh looky what the woman caught and dragged back for those weakling men!" she teased happily, clearly releaved of her anger.
The males looked at her shocked but then helped prepare their meal. As they cut and cleaned the animals Legolas asked, "you are truly unique. What is your name?"
"Nashala."
"interesting. What peoples is that from?"
"MINE. I hated my old name so gave myself a better one. Not a sappy feminine name."
Aragorn asked, "are you more amazon that human?"
"maybe in spirit. But I doubt I have any amazon blood in me. my family are wimps. When it came down to it, I was the man of the house by nature."
Then Gimili commented, "I'd hate to meet you while you did the hunting…"
They laughed about that then set about the task of cooking their meal.
"so," Aragorn started, "what cause you to kill a rabbit as well?"
"well, "she started, "I was planning on only killing for myself when I got sensitive and decided to hunt for all. Goodness knows I know guys get hungry…and so do I."
The next morning they parted ways and Nashala found the Black woods. it was dusk and strang noises were heard and she was all alone, but none of it bugged her. She was sniffing the air when growls made her attention snap to the wolves surrounding her. They closed in and she just stood there when a cloaked figure swooped down and the woves dispersed. The figure turned to look down and Nashala. She knew that this was what she was looking for.
"I'm not scared and I am not here by mistake. You look hungry." And held her hand up to him in offering which he almost emediately took and sank his fangs into her warm flesh. Her world was a swirl of black before she collapsed from blood loss.
She awoke and noticed the comfy bed she was in. upon sitting up she saw the man who bit her. After a second he truned around to look at her. "ah. You're awake. How do you feel?"
"hungry…"
"expected. Thank you. Thank you for my first meal in five years."
"why so long?"
"we've been having a blood shortage here. No one comes anymore and we're starving."
"I know people who would love to die for your kind…"
"you mean our kind."
"you… made me like you?!"
"yes. is there a problem with that?"
"..no"
"good! Come now, let's get cleaned up for the night" he led her to a room where he started stripping. "my name is Lucious."
"eh…Nashala."
"that's a very pretty name."
"thank you." She watche dhim go behind a curtain and then the sound of running water came to her ears.
He invited, "come. You need to be cleaned. It is best to keep blood off ones skin."
She didn't know why but she obeyed and saw him looking at her, water from a spout above was pouring over him and his long black hair and down his muscular body. As they staired at each other in their bare truths his thin, clawed hand reached out and grabbed the bar of soap that was next to her.
He then turned to le the water his him in the face as he tilted his head up then down to splash over his hair. "I want to thank you for coming at this time. It might have meant the end of me. and you are a very beautiful woman. I haven't had company in too long. We the demons of the black forest live mostly solitary lives. It gets quite lonely."