A/N: Okay, thanks toNavaer LalaithI have thought about my story. There were some things she brought to my attention and I try my best to correct them. It may take a while though because simultaneously I'm working (or rather trying to work)on the sequel. To clear one thing up beforehand, Willa is indeed from the 21st century.Navaer Lalaith told me that cattle drives are nowadays done with big ugly trucks. Well, I tried to make it workto fit this story.See if you like what I came up with.So, that said I hope those who liked my story before I edited it I hope you will still like it! Thanks for reading this! Oh and here's the missing disclaimer: I do not own anything, Tolkien does though! (Applies for all chapters, of course)

Love, Chrissie

Chapter 1 'Time Travel'

It was a very hot day and Willa wiped the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her gloved hand.

"Hot, is it?" Willa turned and saw her cousin ride up to her. She nodded and sighed.

"I don't understand why you're always taking this with you," he said motioning to the bow and quiver full of arrows on her back. Willa smiled.

"Randy, you know why. When else do I get the chance to improve but here? There's just too much to do on the ranch. Here I can shoot at will whenever we rest," she explained yet again and adjusted the small backpack which she also wore on her back.

Randy shook his head at her and laughed.

"You're just hopeless. No Cowboy ever rode around with bow and arrow. That were the Indians."

"Yes, but I am no Cowboy," she retarded, stressing the boy. Randy laughed once again but smiled at her and rode forward, leaving her alone.

Willa sighed again and looked over the herd of cattle which they had been driving to a new pasture for the past two days. It was rather a small herd, consisting 'only' of about 30 cows and calves.She had had her experiences with bigger herds and Willa had to admit it was a huge difference in just getting the cattle on a truck, which nowadays was the way to it was usually done or toreally 'move' them with only horse and menpower. Sighing she smiled. Even though this was just a 'fun drive' for the group of holiday guests she liked it a lot.

Willa, accurately Wilhelmina Mallard, had lived with her aunt and uncle ever since she could remember. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was not yet 2 years old. She had grown up with her cousin Randy and learned to love the simple but hard life of a Cowboy or rather Cowgirl. She loved Randy as she would a brother and her aunt and uncle had never yet failed to give her the loving care of a parent.

But only because she was a girl they (well, mostly her uncle) expected nothing less of her work on the ranch.

She smiled as she remembered how Randy had called her 'Willa' because he could not say her real name and how the nickname had stuck. It suited her perfectly for Willa had never been fond of her first name. And in the course of her work she silently thanked him to be known as Willa, not Wilhelmina.

A shout went through the air and Willa looked up just in time to see a calf ran from the herd, obviously frightened.

"I've got it," she yelled and knowing that enough riders were around her dashed after the calf, taking the lasso from her horn and bringing it into position to swing it. But the calf was still too far away. With a clicking sound of her tongue she told her horse to pick up the pace which he at once did.

"Good boy," she told him, panting slightly. They quickly drew nearer to the calf and Willa started to swing the lasso over her head, just as she had learned a long time ago. When she was in throwing distance she let go with her right hand and in one smooth movement quickly tied the other end around the saddle horn, holding onto it tightly. But the loop of the lasso did not fasten around the neck of the calf but around the neck of a creature Willa had never seen before. So vicious was its look that Willa, for a fraction of a second held her breath. But before it even had a chance of fathoming what had happened, Willa had mercilessly steered Frankie Boy in the other directing and the creature was swiped off of its feet and dragged behind the horse. It howled for a few seconds but soon its voice died. As Willa looked around herself she did not believe her eyes: she had ridden right to the edge of a vast field where there was a full-fledged battle. Grand horse-men in armour were everywhere slaying their enemies with sword or spear. Not knowing why Willa let go of the lasso she still held in her hand and reached for her bow and an arrow. She readied it and let the first arrow fly. It sunk into the neck of another of those vicious, ugly creatures which fell to the ground, dead.

She had only fired two more shots as it looked like the battle was over. But then a horn sounded and Willa turned to see other men coming riding on…She gasped. Elephants. But she noticed they had four long teeth, not just two and seemed to be bigger than an ordinary elephant.

"Reform the line," someone yelled. And Willa felt herself surrounded by horse-men. At another yelled command they charged and having no other choice Willa drove Frankie Boy on to go with the other horses.

No one seemed to notice her and Willa felt slightly helpless having no other weapon. She then remembered the small knife Randy had given her and her habit of taking it along on cattle drives. She leaned down low to her leg and out of a sheath pulled a six inch long knife.

"Come on, Frankie. I need your help now, okay? You need to find a safe path for both of us. I know you can do it!" Willa yelled at her horse and Frankie whined as if replying. Taking the knife between her teeth she tied the split reins together at the end and laid them about the horn. Holding the knife in the right and bow in her left hand she prepared as much as she could for the onslaught. It started quickly and Willa slashed at everything that came in her path. All she thought about was to stay alive. Once her arm was spent she easily sheathed the knife and took to the bow and arrows again.

"Shoot at the Oliphant's eyes," she heard someone yell and did so at once. She commanded Frankie to stop and together with several other horse-men she brought one of the animals to fall. She then felt pain in her right shoulder and cried out. Frankie boy turned of his own account and Willa saw one of the vicious creatures grinning evilly at her. His sword had stabbed her shoulder. Frankie snorted loudly and Willa reacted just in time to grab a hold on his mane as he rose to his hind legs. With a loud thud his hooves descended onto the creatures head which fell to the ground.

"Thank you," she whispered to her horse which pawed the ground. And then a cry pierced the air that Willa thought her ear-drums would burst. The pain in her shoulder seemed to increase and she had the feeling the cry tore at her insides. Willa collapsed forward breathing heavily. She didn't know what happened next and did not know that a few minutes later it would all be over. She whispered something inaudible and slid sideways out of the saddle. She did not notice how she hit the ground.