The yearning to see Imladris, as I documented earlier, is shared by all elves. Travel through the Trollshaws, however, is altogether another matter. Whatever possessed Elrond to settle the Golodhrim there, after the evacuation of Eregion, must have more to do with its stunning scenery than its ease of navigation. Centuries have proven the location to be highly defensible, no doubt because the Enemy struggles to even find the place.
The same can not be said for the local trolls. This is their habitat, and they know the land very well, especially at night. My previous experience with trolls was south-east of Weathertop, where their breed are not hard to defeat...in the open. Friend Lynx and I would see who could take them down first, her scratches or my elements.
This evening I was hunting along side Friend Bear. Bear is not into the sport of the hunt, Bear just wants to get the job done. Trollshaw bears prefer to leave the trolls alone.
During the hunt, as I was approaching a cave with a rather large opening, I hear Bear growl.
"What is it Friend Bear?" I ask.
"Troll. We leave them alone," grunts Bear.
"But Friend Lynx and I hunt Troll, and they make excellent prey."
Bear looks at me out of the corner of his eye, "Do you know what you are doing?"
"It's Troll, we'll be fine...", I replied, while shifting my pine cones and metal filings into a more strategic spot.
Bear and I entered the cave....well, tunnel,... some might say cavern. Bear remarks, "Too big for bears."
We hear a sniffing and shuffling around the corner....I guess the troll was not used to smelling Bear,....or Elf for that matter. We hear a loud grunt and a loud pounding on the wall that clearly meant, "Guests Unwelcome!"
Bear looked at me, and I whispered, "Go!"
After my fourth or fifth ritual, I see Bear thrown into the air and almost pinning me to the wall. Bear bellows, partly in pain, and then charges back. I'm now whispering words of encouragement to keep Bear's spirits up, but it's not working fast enough. Finally the troll dies, and we press on.
After our third or fourth troll kill, with an accumulation of cuts and bruises, we turn a corner and find two trolls. Bear didn't need my instructions, we both ran to the cave entrance!
We catch our breaths, and then Bear looks at me, "Bear Cub fights losing battles, Bear Cub knows not the world. Gladnagl, you Elf Cub! Cave smells Troll, you leave alone!"
Bear was right. I learned a valuable lesson today. Lynx hides in shadows, says nothing during a fight. Elf Cub prefers Lynx as hunting partner.
