The sun had barely begun her course over Middle-earth, and no shafts of light yet slanted between the branches in Mirkwood, but already there was activity within the halls of Thranduil. Legolas, son of the King, had exited his chamber and was walking purposefully towards the dining-hall of his father when he paused, hearing the approaching sound of light feet on woven floor coverings.
�Ann�m�r!� Legolas greeted the other Elf.
�You will breakfast with me before we go to meet Thalion?�
�Of course!� he replied with a smile, and the two continued on their way through the twisting, torch-lit passages.

A few moments later they came to an arched doorway cut into the silvery stone and draped with soft, billowing fabric. Legolas pushed it aside and entered the room, Ann�m�r following silently.
�Welcome, my sons,� Legolas� mother said with a gentle smile that included both of them. Legolas inclined his head towards his father and kissed Eluial on the forehead, while Ann�m�r bowed before the King and Queen. It was a ritual that had been their custom for many centuries, but still Legolas sent Ann�m�r an exasperated glance.

His friend had been considered a member of the family of the king ever since Ann�m�r�s mother had been killed in a fall when Legolas had been but eight or ten summers, and Ann�m�r little more. Legolas, certainly, counted him as the only brother he had ever had, and it had been several years before he could understand why Ann�m�r could not entirely look on Thranduil and Eluial as his own parents. Even now, he considered his foster brother�s deferential actions as both unnecessary and ridiculous, but Ann�m�r persisted. It was decades since the subject had been mentioned betweem them, but this morning Legolas felt unusually frustrated and it was only with difficulty that he refrained from commenting.

�You are going further West into the Forest today, are you not?� Eluial asked with an interrogative glance at the two younger Elves, who had seated themselves in carven chairs at either side of the table.
�Yes,� Legolas replied, helping himself to fresh bread and fruit from the heaped platters and dishes on the table and pouring water from a jug into his silver cup. �We are going to meet Thalion and check upstream on both watersides as far as the Enchanted River.�
Thranduil looked keenly at his son, and Legolas once again had the feeling--disconcerting despite its familiarity--that his father could read his thoughts.
�Is there aught amiss that you have not told me of?� Thranduil inquired amicably.
�No...� Legolas answered slowly. �No, it is a routine patrol--I wish to ensure the spawn of Ungoliant have not spread any further north or east. I am concerned about the new colony some of Erdil�s people spoke of, for they seem particularly vicious, and more intelligent than most, which makes it all the more worrying.�
The disgust and hatred was clear in his voice, for the Elves of Mirkwood detested nothing more than the spiders of the forest and hunted them without mercy, although of late the beasts had multiplied in such vast numbers that it was all the Elves could do to keep them from encroaching upon their homes. It was reason enough for a journey into the Forest, and Thranduil did not press further, nor did Legolas say any more, for his words had been truthful and there was naught else he could have told his father, save for conjecture and questions without answers.

The previous evening he had walked some distance from the palace and, listening to the sounds of birdsong and the wind in the branches, had sensed a new presence among the darkness of the woods. The trees, too, murmured in confusion and the animals were disturbed by something unknown to them �� not a malignant power such as he had first recognised centuries ago in the South of the Forest, neither was it a strong force of virtue. It was simply...there, brushing the edges of his mind. The incident had been a minor one, for the inhabitants of the Forest changed daily and Legolas had decided not to report it to his father until there was more information to convey, especially since there seemed no threat to the Elves from the strangers. In any case, his desire to discover the source of the presence he had perceived was a motive secondary to the one he had declared to Thranduil.

Eluial cast a discerning glance at her son, but said only, �The first of the Firith feasts is tonight, remember, so please attempt to return before we set out.�
They promised to do so, and the meal now being concluded, Legolas and Ann�m�r bade farewell to Thranduil and Eluial and departed. Returning to their chambers, each Elf retrieved a cloak, a bow and a quiver full of arrows, customary weapons they were rarely without. As they walked along the hallways once more, Legolas adjusted the straps that secured his quiver to his back, and reassured himself his white-hafted knife was at his belt--it had saved his life on more than one occasion and stayed with him always. On their way to the entrance of the palace, they made a detour to the great vaulted kitchens and collected from Ornendur, the chief cook, a bag containing the meal of bread, dried meat and fruit he had prepared for them.
At a word of command, the great gates of the King swung wide and the two walked swiftly through, the doors closing once more upon their heels.

Thalion, the friend they intended to meet, dwelt some distance away in a flet near the top of a large beech tree and it took several minutes to travel the distance between their homes. As they approached the area where many of the Silvan Elves lived, each could feel the penetrating gaze of the guards who watched tirelessly over the Elven habitations. This was common practice--indeed, Legolas had been the one to order an increase in the sentries some time before, but he still had to suppress a surge of anger that such precautions should be necessary. The tendency to evil might be an indelible part of Middle-earth, but millenia of strife, pain and ever-present Shadow had not yet managed to remove from the hearts of the Elves the knowledge that this was not how Il�vatar had intended Arda to be.
They had reached Thalion�s tree but he himself was not visible. Ann�m�r looked at Legolas and inquired, �Shall I whistle, or do you want to climb up?�
�Why does everyone always assume anything where climbing is involved must be my responsibility?� he mock-complained.
Ann�m�r laughed, then whistled three soft notes that carried through the still air--a long, a short and a final long, low one that rippled gently among the leaves. The response was almost immediate: far up in the spreading branches an Elf could be glimpsed springing lightly down the tree and a moment later he landed with a muffled, hollow thud on the grassy ground. He was Thalion, less tall than was common among the Elves, but immensely strong, skilled in the hunt and fiercely loyal to his friends. His father, one of the following of Oropher, had taken to wife a maid of the Silvan folk and from his mother Thalion had inherited a wariness additional to that which all the Elves of Mirkwood had gained over the years. He was some years Legolas� junior, but they had known one another since childhood and he had served under Legolas ever since the latter had been given command of the North Guard.

Thalion greeted his two friends with a smile and then asked, his expression unnaturally solemn but his eyes betraying him, �And how is Gl�nw� today?�
Legolas and Ann�m�r exchanged glances and burst into laughter, Thalion soon breaking into mirth also. Composing himself, Legolas replied, �He is not long for this side of the Sea, or so he would have us believe...none of us are deceived by him, but he still enjoys the attentions Lothiel is bestowing upon him!�
Thalion did not answer, but Ann�m�r added, �He has been telling her all kinds of tales, but none of them involve the fact it was his own fault he received those bruises!�
Gl�nw� was a younger Elf whom the others had more or less seriously referred to as �Legolas� prot�g� ever since he had taken charge of the Elf-child�s training some thousand years before. By now, of course, Gl�nw� should have been a warrior in his own right, but his mischievous ways combined with Legolas� habit of never letting him out of his sight when on an assignment led to the appearance of a greater difference in age than actually existed between Gl�nw� and the other three.
Some days earlier, Gl�nw� had proved--to Legolas, at least-- that the precaution was indeed necessary, and would be for the foreseeable future.

�He suddenly decided,� a disgusted Legolas had explained to Ann�m�r, �to go off on an expedition alone, and then had not the sense even to keep his ears open...he ended up trampled by one of the white deer, of all things!�
�They do move very quietly,� his friend had defended, while at the same time trying to control a suspicious twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Legolas had not been appeased, but by the time several days had passed the worst of his anger at Gl�nw�s irresponsibility had passed and he was able to see the humour of the situation--except when Gl�nw� was present, of course. The young Elf had decided to make the most of his minor injuries, and allowed his adoring younger sister to wait on his every need, much to the amusement of the other Elves, for Lothiel was known as a skilled healer and it was only where her brother was concerned that she appeared incapable of recognising the real insignificance of the damage done.

The three now set off, their feet barely making a sound on the fallen leaves littering the forest floor. On arriving at the river they moved along the Northern bank, eyes searching among the trees for anything out of place, ears alert to any sound. Perhaps an hour had passed when a light rain began to fall, dampening the hoods of their cloaks and making a gentle drumming as it dripped from the leaves onto the ground, while the River seemed alive with the sound of many splashing droplets. All else, however, was tranquil, almost eerily so, and even the birds seemed silenced. When they guessed--as well as they could with the sun obscured by clouds--that the time was approaching noon, they paused for a light meal. Thalion, ever more at home among the branches than on the ground, climbed several feet into a large oak while Ann�m�r settled himself on the grass at its foot and Legolas chose to seat himself on a fallen log some little distance away.
Suddenly the stillness was broken by a distant echo. Legolas� head lifted automatically and he turned to where he thought he had heard the noise.
�What is it?� Thalion asked sharply, noting the look of concentration on his friend�s face.
�I cannot be sure...it sounded to me like a voice, but...� His words trailed off, and the other two watched him intently until he spoke again.
�No, I must have been mistaken. Perhaps it was some new bird or beast--they often venture up from the South now.�
He was not certain of what his ears had discerned, but at he fixed all his concentration on the nuances of the Forest, he became increasingly certain that something strange was at work beneath the trees. If the other two were not satisfied they said nothing, and a moment or two later Thalion dropped to the ground. Ann�m�r stood, ready to continue on their way.
�Do you wish to go further upstream, or should we cross the River here?� Thalion queried, picking up his bow and tucking an apple core under the sprawling, twisted roots of the great tree.
Legolas considered for a moment. Nothing untoward had happened so far and if the spiders had managed to cross the River they would hardly have moved any greater distance North than the three Elves had already covered. In all likelihood they had in fact spread over a larger area of the forest enclosed by the two rivers and the Elven-path, in which case there would be more profit in checking that region.
�We will cross over now,� he said finally. �If we find that they have indeed extended in large numbers close to the River, we shall have to return with more archers to attack them.�
�You do not think we could dispatch them ourselves?� Thalion asked.
�I will not risk it...there have been too many deaths and near escapes. It may be only a few have travelled this far, and in that case we may be able to cope, but I do not wish to put your lives in danger--or my own.�
Ann�m�r smiled a little and remarked, �There is no point, then, in asking if we are going to assail the main settlement?�
�Absolutely none whatsoever--while I know the increase of these foul creatures must be stopped, and urgently, it will take more than three to slaughter an entire colony, and you know it!�
Thalion, beginning to uncoil a rope from about his chest, complained, �I can remember the days, Legolas, when you were the most willing of any of us to venture off in search of danger and excitement!�
Abruptly motionless, Legolas stared at his friend for a long second before replying softly, �As do I...but I can also recall what came of some of those adventures, even if you cannot.�
Thalion accepted the rebuke, but added teasingly, �I still think that all the responsibilities have made you wise and grave before your time!�
Legolas raised his eyebrows at his friend in surprise. �What has come over you? I realise that Gl�nw� is not with us, but it is not necessary for you to fill his role--one troublemaker is quite enough for me to deal with!�
Thalion merely shook his head and changed the subject, perhaps not wishing to provoke Legolas further into what the others privately termed his �serious and impressive� mood. The rope having been knotted into a loop at one end, Thalion began looking for a likely protuberance on the opposite side of the river, around which he could catch the coil.
�That stone,� Ann�m�r suggested, pointing at a mass of jutting grey rock. The others followed his gaze, Legolas looking at the stone with a dubious expression while Thalion pronounced it suitable for the purpose required.
�Providing there is some depth of rock beneath the soil and it is not just resting there, it should hold,� Legolas agreed finally, although he still looked a little uneasy. In their youth he had been the victim of more than one accident resulting in the use of an improperly made bridge of this kind, and he had never fully trusted Thalion�s skill since. The younger Elf stared at the rock for a moment, took aim and slung the rope across the water. It caught and he pulled it firm, wrenching hard to ensure that it would remain steady enough to bear the weight of an Elf. Thalion then walked back a few paces and twisted the free end of the rope about the trunk of a large pine tree, finishing with an elaborate knot before gesturing towards the slender bridge with an open palm.
�Legolas?�
With a sigh Legolas stepped forward, having discovered centuries earlier there was no purpose in attempting to avoid what Thalion saw as his duty. He placed one foot gently on the cord and finding it supported him, stepped lightly along it almost as easily as he would a path on the solid earth. Having gained the other side he sprang lightly up the bank and waited for the others to cross, strongly resisting the temptation to jerk the rope when Thalion was in mid-stream.
Ann�m�r lifted the twisted rope from the rock and with an experienced flick of his wrist Thalion loosened the knot that had secured it about the tree on the far side.
�The last time we checked the position of these beasts, they were some ten miles to the South-West,� Legolas reminded the others.
�If we move in that direction we should come across the first of them within two hours and then we will be able to see how close to the River and the path they have spread.�

Not nearly that space of time had elapsed, however, before Ann�m�r, who had been slightly ahead of the other two, stopped suddenly and raised a warning hand. Before them, each Elf was able to see the sticky threads that draped from branch to branch and, not fifty paces away, the form of a huge black spider, bloated and hideous; perched on a limb and apparently asleep. Legolas felt a wave of revulsion sweep over him, as he always did when encountering one of these creatures, for to someone who loved beauty, light and all fair things under the Sun and Moon, the sight of gorged, deformed body; twisted, jerking legs and malevolent clusters of eyes was particularly sickening.
A swift glance around them showed there to be no other spiders visible in the immediate vicinity. For some reason, this one had left the security found in numbers, and the Elves would make sure its decision would be fatal. Without turning his head and with barely even a movement of his lips, Thalion breathed, �Shall I shoot?�

From the position where his friend stood he had, Legolas realised, the clearest view of the monster, so he gave an almost imperceptible nod of assent. Silently Thalion raised the bow he had held loosely clasped in his hand and carefully withdrew a single crimson-feathered arrow from the quiver at his back. His strong fingers drew back the string, and with a musical �twang� the shaft flew from his hand, catching a leaf as it passed before embedding itself in the head of the spider. It twitched horribly and an enraged hiss escaped as it lumbered around to face the one who had dared cause such pain. Even as Thalion sent another arrow to extinguish the glare of one of the many eyes, the beast, mortally wounded, gave a final convulsive jerk and was still. The Elves looked at their fallen foe in disgust.
�Curse them!� Thalion spat out suddenly. �Creatures of Belegurth! How dare they come within ten leagues of the dwellings of the Edhil!�
His companions looked at him in surprise at this sudden outburst, for of late they had thought that his temper was becoming more controlled.
�Thalion,� Legolas said gently. �We all hate them, but shouting angry words will only bring more down upon us...and while it is better to show defiance in actions than in words, it is also preferable to be the party doing the ambushing, not one of those surrounded by enemies.�
The other nodded, looking eagerly at his friend and captain.
�Then we are going to spring an attack on them?�
Legolas shook his head reluctantly, for despite his prudent words, the child who had loved adventure was still alive somewhere deep inside him. �We will go on as we have begun: cautiously. If there are more alone and unawares, these we can kill. Awake and in greater numbers...as I have said, that is a different matter.�
Thrice more as they walked on they came across great dark brutes, Ann�m�r killing two and Legolas the last.
To the Elves who knew Mirkwood so well, there seemed an alertness in the trees that was unusual, but though Legolas knew it to be related to the foreign presence somewhere under the canopy of leaves, he said nothing to his companions when they commented upon it.

All at once, a glade opened before them, the beauty of the trees and grass destroyed by the sticky trails that crossed and re-crossed, and by the many black forms that hung from branches, dozed, or scuttled among the trunks. Legolas, Ann�m�r and Thalion exchanged glances and retreated a little way into the forest to where they could speak without alerting the spiders to their presence.
�How many did you reckon there to be?� Legolas murmured. �I made it fifty at the least.�
The others nodded agreement, looking to him for instruction.
�We cannot hope to destroy them ourselves, so I believe the best course would be to attempt to circle the area and discover how far it extends so we are able to give an accurate report to my father and have sufficient knowledge to plan an effective attack. Since there are only three of us, we shall have to keep together.�
Their plan of action determined, they moved with a rapid efficiency born of years of practice. Weaving among the trees, they maintained a distance just sufficient to keep the spiders in sight, whilst not being observed themselves. The colony ranged over a region some three-quarters of a mile in diameter, with perhaps twice as many inhabitants as Legolas� first estimate. Thalion insisted on a second circuit, several hundred paces outside the first, to enable them to find and kill any isolated creatures and in this way some fifteen more were slain.

Eventually, however, they had to accept they had done all that could be expected of three Elves against a hundred giant spiders, and as the Sun began to tip slowly towards the Western Sea they made their way to the Elven-path in order to return to the palace. As they stepped out onto the open trail, to their anger they saw some spider had ventured to stretch a length of cobweb across the path. Long ago, when the creatures first ventured North, the Elves had taught them to attempt to block the Elven-way meant death, but of late the creatures had once more begun to spin their webs across the path, and it was a regular task to keep it clear. Only an Elvish blade could harm those great rope-like strands, so Legolas drew his white knife, slicing down through the cords that sprang back from the keen edge.
This done, they began to walk swiftly towards their homes, but after only a few steps Legolas stopped short. His keen ears had picked up once more a distant sound, but more than that, the awareness of the alien beings had returned with greater intensity. It was a presence he did not recognise-neither Elf, Man nor beast, yet at the same time he had a vague recollection of familiarity: the knowledge that would reveal to him precisely what it was that trod the path behind them seemed to lie on the edge of memory, if only he could grasp it.
�Legolas?� Ann�m�r�s expression was full of concern for his friend, who had without warning drifted into a reverie. Legolas looked up sharply, and the memory was lost. He smiled briefly to reassure his companions, then set off along the path, recalling the words of Eluial that morning and knowing his father would be displeased if they remained absent any longer. The desire to turn in the opposite direction and search until he found whatever it was that caused such disturbances among the trees and within himself was resolutely ignored.