The wind tugged at the flames of the campfire, making them dance and cast shifting shadows behind the men sat around it. They were tightly wrapped in their cloaks and their faces hidden under hoods; despite the temperate weather, the unusually chilly wind made it feel like winter was coming. On the outskirts of the illuminated area, in the near darkness, stood horses. They looked around constantly, unnerved by something but maintaining the calm and discipline their masters required of them.
The men watched the campfire from under their hoods, some were talking amongst themselves; small talk, mostly about home and family. The patrol had been riding for almost a week now, from Edoras and due west, towards the Isen. Soon they would turn back and see their families again.
Eordric did not talk, he had nothing to talk about, no family he wanted to see, no home he missed. He sat silently by the fire, whittling something not yet decided with a small knife. He did anything to avoid hearing the others talk, their loving families and happy homes distracted them from their duties, something he considered a terrible crime.
"What is with the weather tonight?" The man who sat down next to Eordric quickly pulled his cloak around him. He was older than Eordric and it showed, his features were rugged and his voice rough. When he received no reply, he turned to the fire. "We are heading back home tomorrow, your mother will be pleased to see you safe." Eordric stopped his whittling and turned his head towards the older man. "Theydras, I'm trying to concentrate here."
Theydras glanced at the piece of wood in his hand. "Oh yes, a fine.. what is that supposed to be?" Eordric looked at his creation for a few seconds before putting it in his pack along with the knife. "It will be what it wants to be, I have no goals for it. I'm just passing time." Theydras nodded. "Fair enough. By the way, have you talked to that stranger we picked up today?"
They both turned their heads to look at the black haired man on the other side of the campfire, everything about him stated that he was not from Rohan. He had intercepted the patrol earlier in the day and requested to speak with the captain. They spoke alone and afterwards it was announced that he was travelling with them to the Isen. He hadn't said a word since, and the captain did not shed any light on the subject either. Eordric wasn't really interested, once they reached the Isen, the man would leave and the patrol would return east.
"No. As far as I know, he hasn't said a word to anyone." Theydras nodded, his eyes still fixated on the mysterious stranger. Eordric laid back, his head resting on his pack. He needed rest for the next day's ride. As he closed his eyes, he felt a breeze pass by his head accompanied by a sharp sound. A scream, then more screams, the campsite came alive. They were under attack.
Eordric opened his eyes and rushed to his feet, grabbing his spear and shield from his saddle. Arrows came irregularly from the darkness, there were no volleys. Beastly sounds surrounded the campsite, these were no Dunlendings, these were Orcs.
Eordric barely stopped an arrow with his shield, making it glance away and back into the darkness. Erwan, the patrol captain, was shouting orders as the first Orcs charged into the illuminated camp. Eordric raised his spear and shield and prepared to meet the charge. The arrows stopped at the same time as the first dark beast reached the proud Rohirrim, swinging a terrible crooked sword in a wide arch. The blow landed heavily on a round shield, making the man behind it fall backwards on the ground while the Orc was pierced by two spears.
Eordric pulled his spear out of the beast, as did Theydras, and put his shield up as another Orc raised his sword to strike. Moving to the side when the sword struck, he made the Orc lose balance and it stumbled forward into the fire, embers flying into the grass, the ensuing small fires pushing the darkness away slightly. Eordric paid no heed to the burning and flailing Orc, his attention was directed at the mysterious stranger.
The man moved with confidence, wielding a two-handed sword of very fine quality. The blade glistened in the light from the fire, the beast blood on it creating a morbidly beautiful display. Whoever the man was, he could fight, and that was all Eordric needed to know at that point. The battle continued, and at first seemed to go well, but then someone shouted that the captain was wounded. Eordric and a few others made their way towards Erwan's location, fighting off Orcs as they went.
Theydras was keeping Erwan upright, the captain was alive but barely concious, his wounds were apparent and serious. "We need to retreat, more Orcs are coming!" Theydras' voice was commanding, it was hard not to do what he said right away, no questions asked. "We're beating them, if we flee we will only lose more men when they pursue!" Eordric didn't mean to sound as hostile as he did, but he did not enjoy losing, and even less fleeing.
"Look around you, they took us by surprise, probably took out our scouts as well. There is no victory to be had here!" Theydras put the captain on his horse and mounted it with one swift move, the other men did the same. Eordric swore under his breath before mounting his horse and following the rest of the patrol in full retreat.
