This is a different take on the tenth Walker stories. All the ones I've seen, the tenth Walkers are all suited for the journey. I decided to do a different one where the Walker is a girl unsuited for the rigorous journey. (There is a twist on this. She's a were-wolf, so only in her wolf form is she suited for the journey.)
Summary: At the Council of Elrond a girl from a race that only Elrond knows she is from is chosen to represent her race in the Fellowship. Everything is great, except for one thing, she is non-athletic, unused to the rigors of the journey they are undertaking, and is a creative artist instead of a warrior. Can she prove that, though she was very very unwilling to come, she can be of use to the Fellowship?
Warm fur, little body, bigger body, snuggled against each other, slow waking, Prince, Pack Leader, Princesses, Other Pack Leader, Mother, Father, Cousins, Tutors, Aunt, Uncle, Meat, River, Woods…
Gorhiel yawned as she woke up. Today the Council will begin and then she could go home! Her tail wagged as she thought of her older brother, Narmwë, and her baby brother, Naulisil. With a smile on her face, she dressed in her clan's clothes used for diplomatic purposes. The shirt her size and made of a comfortable forest green cloth. Her leggings were a dark brown similar, but sturdier, cloth and they were her size as well. Her boots were a lighter brown. Next she turned towards her hair. She pulled it back into warrior braids, but braiding several pieces of animal pelt, with the fur on it, in with it. Next she put her war paint on, it made her look like a fierce beauty since this was not actually at war. She put on the medals, as the King had made it be during meetings, which showed her triumph in battles. There were fifteen bear-claws, twenty lynx-claws, thirty-five cat claws, seventy Barghiest ears, ten barrow-wight bones, and one-hundred wolf fangs. Those medals were in the form of jewelry, made into bracelets and necklaces. Her favorite one was this: five vials filled with the hairs from the beards of dwarves that were felled. Those were upon her belt alongside her knife gifted to her by the King upon her coming of age as was the custom.
"Miss Narmanel, the council shall be starting soon." Elrond called from behind the door.
"Thank you for informing me, Lord Elrond." Gorhiel said. She turned to her last item to put on; her cloak. It was thick and massive. On the outside, you saw nothing more that forest green cloth, but on the inside, it was all wolf-pelt. It could be reversed in the way it was worn, but it was warmer with the fur towards you. It hid her shape so well that one could not tell she was a female unless it was one of the 'things-that-go-bump-in-the-night' as the fearful mortals and immortals called her, her kindred, and her friends. Well, only a few of the races could tell, vampires and were-wolves could tell, others could not. The cloak was very useful in the cold, sneaking around, using as a blanket, and other such things, if you asked her about it. Pulling up the hood, she made her way to where the council was being held.
"You are the earliest here, I see. I expected you to be one of the last." Elrond said as Gorhiel sat down.
"I was nearly ready when you came. All I had left to put on was my cloak." Gorhiel responded. A Hobbit and a Wizard were the next to arrive. The hobbit looked at her fearfully, as the way she was sitting showed her medals of triumph. The wizard however looked at her suspiciously and Gorhiel felt nervous inside. Her people tended to keep quiet about what some would call their 'furry little problem' and told those they met that they were humans. She felt that this wizard was onto her.
"I must tend to something before this council, I shall return shortly." Elrond said as he walked towards the house. Gorhiel nodded and shifted under the wizard's scrutinizing gaze.
"My Lady may I inquire as to your name?" The wizard said at length.
"Gorhiel Narmanel," Gorhiel said as she looked at the wizard. "What do they call you?"
"I am called many things, The Grey Pilgrim, Mithrandir, Gandalf the Grey, just to name a few." The wizard responded.
"I have heard of you!" Gorhiel's eyes widened. "Your name is well known through my people. The King and the elders speak much about The Grey Pilgrim." Gandalf chuckled.
"It sounds as if you heard many great things about me by the tone of your voice." Gandalf chuckled.
"Since I was a wee lass I heard many stories of the Grey Pilgrim around the fires used at night for cooking and warmth." Gorhiel nodded. "You and the Dunedain Ranger also ridded us of the creature Gollum. A plague, we called him, for he took our little children as his meals as he searched for what he called 'his precious.' I was nearly victim, but, to Gollum's misfortune and folly, my elder brother was with me and valiantly bested the creature, but Gollum fled from us into the Dead Marshes. T'was a day of rejoicing within us, but some of our soldiers gave chase and as I was the only one who actually saw him, I was to go to identify the creature once he was found." Gorhiel said.
"But you said your brother bested him, how then were you the only one able to identify Gollum?" The Hobbit broke in suddenly. "Oh, I'm Frodo Baggins, by the way."
"Because, Frodo, he only saw his glowing eyes as it was nearly night and Gollum attacked me from the shadows." Gorhiel responded.
"It appears that your 'Dunedain ranger' has come." Gandalf said as he looked at a man sitting down a few seats away from her.
"What?" Gorhiel asked as she looked around and her eyes landed on the man.
"It appears that I have been the topic of conversation," The man raised an eyebrow.
"Not so much, Gorhiel was merely telling us about how we saved her people from the creature Gollum." Gandalf chuckled. "Though it seems that, if the way her brother reacted to Gollum when he attacked her is remotely the same as her people's reaction, they did not need saving."
"Ah, I am glad we were of help to your people, my Lady." The man smiled.
"Please, I am no Lady, I am only one of the lowers in my people. Just call me Gorhiel." Gorhiel smiled.
"I'm Strider. As I said it was a pleasure to help your people." Strider smiled.
'If you knew what we are you wouldn't say that.' she grinned.
A few hours later
"I'll take it!" Frodo jumped up and shouted. Gorhiel smiled as the Fellowship were being chosen.
"Ten companions there are, you shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Elrond said.
'But there are only Nine…. Wait…. This is supposed to represent all the races present in…the...COUNCIL! I'm part of this!' Gorhiel thought in horror. She jumped out of her seat right then as the Council was done with.
"Lord Elrond, I mean no disrespect, but I can't go on this journey!" Gorhiel said not so quietly. "I nearly died on the way here!"
"Then this is a perfect way to journey home, you will have companions to help you." Elrond said.
"There were no chances to change on the way here." Gorhiel lowered her voice; unbeknownst to her Gandalf was listening in. "What should happen if an eclipse or another such thing were to occur? I would be killed and my people hunted down."
"You take watch when those events occur or say you have gone to look ahead." Elrond said.
"I'm not sure of this." Gorhiel muttered. She walked back to her room to change to more comfortable clothes.
That night
Wind. Trees. Prey. Freedom. The Grey Pilgrim. Gorhiel stopped short of the tall Istari.
"Miss Gorhiel Narmanel, I presume?" Gandalf said. Gorhiel's ears flattened against her head and her tail was in between her legs.
"I knew there was something different about you when I saw you before the Council." Gandalf said. Gorhiel changed back to her elvish-human form quickly.
"My people haven't hurt anyone who hadn't hurt us before! We need help with the Black Army's advance! They really are driving us from our home!" Gorhiel blurted. "The King sent me to plead for aid. Rohan and Gondor think that we're bloodthirsty monsters, but we're not! Yallohtë and her people aren't either! We're just different! So my people have a wild side and Yallohtë's people have a penchant for blood, what's the big deal? Not one of Yallohtë's or my people have killed anything else than those that hurt us and woodland creatures!" Gorhiel was a nerve wreck.
"There is no need to fear me, though the others there might be cause to fear." Gandalf smiled.
"Thank you, Mister Gandalf. I am not sure how I will make it through this journey, though your promise of peace will help my nerves." Gorhiel sighed in relief.
"Are you worried that our companions will try to kill you?" Gandalf asked.
"Partly, yes, what I am worried most about is that I'm a creative artist instead of a warrior. Those trinkets I wore at the council mean nothing." Gorhiel shook her head.
"I will make sure that no harm shall come to you upon the journey. How far do you plan to journey with us?" Gandalf asked.
"The shortest distance would be Fangorn Forest and the longest, which depends on whether or not I permission from my king to continue with you, is the forest that the border between Gondor and Rohan lies within." Gorhiel replied.
"Ah, it would be far and dangerous. May I inquire as to why you have chosen those particular spots?" Gandalf nodded.
"Fangorn is where Yallohtë and her kindred live and the Border is where my kindred live." Gorhiel replied.
"By the way you make your people sound, they are a very interesting people. Perhaps you would humor an old man and tell me more about them on a walk?" Gandalf smiled.
"I will acquiesce your request." Gorhiel smiled.
So uh yeah! First chappie! Please review!
I named the male werewolves in Quenya and Gorhiel's last name is in Quenya too (if I remember right).
Yallohtë is a vampire and all the vampires are named in Qenya.
The female werewolves are named in Sindarin.