enough that he didn't look to be anyone overly nasty.

He said something in a language I couldn't understand at all, and now my ankle was hurting from my landing. He repeated whatever it was that he had said in the first place. Did... did he think I had not heard him the first time? It seemed to dawn on him that I couldn't understand a word he said.

He tried again, slower and I suspected in another language. The tones were different from before, although the way he spoke it was the same. Unfortunately, I still couldn't understand even the gist of what he was saying. I shifted a bit and sharp pain lanced through my left ankle, to hide it I bit down on my lip. The mancontinued speaking, pausing often, apparently trying even more languages that I couldn't understand. Eventually he stopped and sighed.

Silence stretched as he peered at me, giving me the feeling of being analyzed. Then he spoke again, and I found myself noting an almost expectant glint in his eyes. As if he was sure of me understanding him, only it turned out I still couldn't.

When he realized this he muttered something under his breath and to my surprise I understood him. And no, I will not repeat it. Suffice to say that it involved both orcs, trolls, and was quite crude. Well, at least he knew Sindarin.

After a moment he realized that I had understood him and stopped, then spoke again. "Are you hurt?"

Hurt? Whatever had given him that idea?