Whether it was night or not, the others did not know, but Belegos' instincts told him that the sun had set a while back. It was impossible to tell under the lichen-smothered boughs of Mirkwood. Day was only ever an almost imperceptible, lighter shade of darkness that passed quicker than what seemed normal. A storm had rolled overhead and it had been raining for hours. The company were sodden and miserable. The rain had soaked through their cloaks and hoods to run down their backs and collect in their boots. Belegos thought for a moment how Rainith would have fared in this weather, barefoot, if she were still with them. No doubt her feet would have been as wet as the rest of them, but the ground was littered with jagged stones and broken twigs now covered with a slippery layer of thick mud.
As he watched a drop of water fall from his hood to the floor, the hunter peered between the trees. Even his keen elven eyes could not pierce far into the distance, for the rain, falling as heavy as it was, obscured everything behind a hazy, grey screen. The noise of the drops landing on the leaves above and collecting to hit the floor drowned out the footsteps of the travellers. Belegos disliked it. Coupled with poor visibilty, he felt the noise of the rain left them vulnerable. If he could not hear the steps of his friends, how was he to discern the sounds of the orcs or wolves? His only comfort was that they too would be hidden by the rain-screen.
He looked to his sides and briefly shot a glance behind him. To his left was Estarfin, his crimson tunic now appearing black in the gloom. His great, ancient spear was slung across his back but he carried in his hand a massive shield. It looked heavy, Belegos thought. Parnard was slightly behind Belegos and to his right. He hummed to himself as he wandered along, every so often stumbling on an unnoticed root or stone. Behind Belegos walked Danel and Elloen. Elloen was the furthest back and his once vibrant robes of greens and oranges were now caked in mud. Danel strode along, her head bowed underneath her hood. She said nothing. They all said nothing.
When Belegos thought that just over an hour had passed and the rain had still not subsided, he sighed. He had not seen another living creature, fair or foul, and he wondered if he had ever experienced a more depressing walk save one, long ago or whether it was their destination that played on his mind.
He did not know how many times he had been asked by the others how they were to gain entry into the fortress. They had expected, after all this time of leading them true, for him to provide safe passage into that dreadful place and when he had told them that he had none, they frowned at him and fell silent. But this was not his quest! He had volunteered to lead them through fen and field, over mountains and across rivers but never past the walls of Dol Guldur itself. That fell to another, as he had said so before they had departed Imladris but that was a fact conveniently overlooked it seemed.
All these thoughts continued to darken Belegos' mood and he tried to turn his mind to other matters; if his bowstrings had been found by the rain, for they would be next to useless until dried out if so, or how he he wished that for once he had brought with him a cloak to wrap about his shoulders when they made their camp. The elf made a habit of only wearing cloaks for ceremonial purposes, mainly along with his Vanimar uniform. He deemed them tricky in a fight where he favoured speed and dexterity and had seen too many fall after their cloaks had obstructed their vision or had entangled a well-timed sword-stroke in the midst of a battle.
A noise like a wet thud broke Belegos' train of thought and he looked to his left to find Estarfin sprawled, face-down in the mud after having slipped on some hidden root. Even that did not bring a smile to Belegos' face. Estarfin lifted his now filthy face from the ground and wiped the dirt from his eyes and mouth, cursing as he did so. An outstretched arm appeared before him and he grabbed Belegos' gloved hand, nodding in thanks as he was pulled up onto his feet again. Estarfin, not known for his cheer, looked seething through his mud-mask and now his fine crimson raiment had been smothered in a dark brown layer of mud and dead leaves. He wiped off the excess and flashed Belegos a knowing glance which told the hunter that Estarfin was as miserable as he was.
Another hour passed and still no words had passed between the company. Finally Belegos turned to face Parnard and over the sound of the rain asked him, "How much longer are we to trudge through this mire? When are we to reach our camp?" Since they had crossed the river, Belegos was uncertain as to who was the guide, for Parnard, now back in the land of his birth, seemed to adopt the mantle with enthusiasm. A reponsibility that Belegos was more than happy to pass whist in that mood of his. It seemed however, that even Parnard's ever-present cheerful gusto had been washed away with the weather and he shot Belegos a venomous look. "Lord Belegos, as you well know we have yet to reach the great swamp, and only after we have crossed that treacherous, forsaken land may we find our camp." He told him and he seemed to take some small pleasure in doing so, then he turned to the others, "But take heart!" He continued, a look of excitement suddenly written all over his face, "For there are tales of glowing toads within the swamp that have tongues as long as a man's arm and can jump ten feet into the air! A most curious creature to live within a place after all other fauna have become black and twisted." He almost had to shout above the rain, but as far as Belegos could tell, he spoke to nobody in particular. "I myself have never seen one yet I am assured they are a most wonderous sight." Belegos had been wrong, it seemed. Even this downpour could not quell Parnard's desire for the queerest of things and it made Belegos grit his teeth in irritation. They had only been walking for a few hours and the larger, and more difficult, part of the journey was ahead of them and if the rain did not stop, things were only going to get worse.
Giant, glowing toads or not.
