[Nogrod]

Even if the temperature fell down to minus 20 degrees during the night Nogrod was sweating all over moaning and groaning in pain not being able to sleep. Finally the shaking ceased for a moment and he managed to open his eyes a bit. He saw the worried faces of Rune and Lommy bending over him.

“I’ll warm the potion to you Cap’n… I mean if you could drink it now? Mead and herbs… makes good.” Rune asked and rose to warm the tin-mug in the fire.

“Nightmares as well Nogs? That’s what it is? You sounded terrified…” Lommy whispered to his long time Captain.

Nogrod nodded slowly and sighed trying to fully open his eyes, with little success. “And the pain… It’s like… like my whole body and soul are on fire that consumes all from the inside…” he muttered quietly. “Sorry…” He drew breath and closed his eyes to regain some power.

“What is this devilry…” Lommy whispered as he wiped Nogrod’s forehead with a warm cloth. “You’ve been like a father to me, don’t fade my friend...” he murmured quietly before Rune came with the potion. Together they lifted Nogrod’s head up and forced him to drink the potion Valier had made. He coughed long and hard trying to swallow the potion but finally at least some of it was inside him and the two rangers carefully laid him back on the ground.

“Okay then…” Nogrod began concentrating on the few words he felt he had strength to utter. “I don’t think I’ll be seeing the light of day anymore so listen carefully…”

“Don’t you dare speaking like that.” Rune protested. “We’ll get you well, we’ll carry you to Bree… We’ll walk night and day if needs be…”

Nogrod laid his hand on Rune’s arm and just hushed quietly silencing the ranger.

“I know it mates… I’m dying. That comes to everyone one time.” He paused and looked at the other ranger to the eye. “Listen now both of you. You should not go to Bree… We’re the farthest to the west of any company. You should head for the Shire; Tuckborough, Hobbitton… just think what those foul beasts could do with the hobbits…” Nogrod gathered some strength and continued. “You need to choose a new Captain for you…”

“No!” Fea had woken up and had come to see what was going on with their captain. A small tear fell down his weather-beaten cheek. “You’re the Captain, Nogrod. We’ll get you out from here, out from this foul winter. We’ll not let you down comrade... my Captain.”

Nogrod looked at Fea in anguish and shook his head, but then continued with what he had started. “And you’ll need to set up some guards during the Nights so as not to be surprised the way we were… and keep walking…”

Suddenly Nogrod’s body jerked violently and he howled with pain. Yes, he howled. He howled so eerily that the sound sent shivers to everyone’s spine. His body twisted and it looked like his skin was melting away from his body.

“What is that?!” Loslote yelled rising up.

Everyone was up now. Some tried to keep Nogrod down and still, fighting against the disgust with the melting and transforming body.

Nogrod panted heavily between the fits: “Kill me! Kill me now! That’s an order!” Then the jerking continued and he yelled in pain. “Give me the sword, for Valar’s sake, give me my sword!”

The rangers looked at each other not quite knowing what to do.

“Kill the beasts! There’s four more! Kill them!” Nogrod shouted and then swung himself up finally transforming into a gigantic werewolf as he went up.

Lommy and Rune took cover ducking the swings of the huge paws coming for them.

Inzil, Hakon and Nienna fired their arrows in concerto and they penetrated the tough wolfskin making the wolf howl.

Another set of arrows were released from the bows of Mac, Kath and Boro felling the giant.

“Quick now, it’s not the Captain anymore!” Legate yelled and ran his sword through the wolf’s chest while Roa cut the head off. The others followed the example and stabbed the beast in fury for so long it was merely a mess of bone, muscle, innards and blood.

Then it was quiet. No one dared to face the others for a while. They had killed their long-time Captain in a frenzy… and yet it was not him they had butchered.

Four more?

The first rays of the sun came from between the edge of the forest and the dark clouds hanging over them but Nogrod was not there to see the light of the day anymore.



The Living:

Fea
Nienna
Inzil
Sally
Hakon
Macalaure
Kath
Loslote
Valier
Greenie
Nerwen
Roa
Lommy
Boro
Legate
Gwath
Brinn
Rune

The Dead:

Nogrod (mod) - turned into a werewolf and butchered on N1.


It's now Day1.

It's your turn!