Chapter 1
Pursuit
"When did you see him last?" Legolas questions Pippin, who fidgets with his nails, not looking the elf in the eye.
"I saw him yestereve, while Merry and I were gathering wood for a fire, he remained behind at the camp to cook supper. When we returned, we saw something black dart away into the darker portion of the forest. What it was, I know not, yet it had a familiar look to it. A sense of dread and malice fell over us as we caught a muffled cry from nearby. We searched and searched for Sam, but could not make it far, for our ponies had abandoned us, or had perhaps been frightened away."
"Are you certain that is all you had seen?" Legolas asks.
Pippin nods and Merry adds, "I believe I know what it was, yet, it cannot be. I chill ran down my spine as it whispered dark words that I could not catch. It reminds me of the-no I shall not say anymore."
Legolas ambles to Merry, who is hugging himself, leaning against a tree, and places his fair hands on the hobbit's shoulders. "Merry, in order to find your friend, you must tell me what you believe it was, every detail."
Merry nods and speaks hesitantly, "Well, I did not see much but something blacker than night. However, the whispers and feeling, told me otherwise. I felt frozen as if I had met some horror, the black riders."
Legolas stares at the hobbit for a moment, "That is ill news. I feared it was so, having heard rumors of an ancient horror on the way, yet it cannot be. Sauron is vanquished, defeated; the rings are all destroyed, and so are they.
Pippin shakes his head, his curly hair now in his eyes, "We could never mistake, nor forget it, even after 1,000 years. They took Frodo away from us, and now they have Sam."
"We cannot pursue him alone; we must find help," Legolas spoke quietly, taking his hands off Merry and walking back to his steed. The elf's body goes rigid as he pricks his ears. He perceives something not too far off, something to avoid at all costs. He turns to the hobbits and beckons them anxiously, "Get on my horse. We need to depart, with haste."
Both walk towards him and Merry asks, "What in the Shire is the matter?"
Before he can respond, an arrow whistles through air and strikes the tree Meriadoc had just been leaning against, inconveniently answering the question. Without another word, Legolas lifts the hobbits onto his lovely steed. By the time he swings himself onto the animal, all can hear the cries of the hideous orcs, rushing to close in on them, arrows whining through the air. Pippin wraps both arms round the elf's waist, turning his head back to see the foul creatures astride wargs, pursuing them, drawing out their swords and scimitars. Legolas abruptly turns to the right, into the denser part of the forest, as orcs cut them off, rushing up to them from the right. Suddenly, they found the horse faltering and it dropped to the ground, on its side. Legolas peered from under the animal to see an arrow imbedded in its left foreleg.
The pitiful animal rolled off him as well as the hobbits; flopping to the other side, poison frothing from its mouth. Legolas leaps up, helping the halflings to their feet, and pulling out his bow and an arrow from his quiver, he sets the arrow in it, aiming for the nearest warg. He releases it, the arrow striking the warg's head. It drops dead on the ground and the orc on it leaps off, charging the elf with blade drawn. Legolas faces two options: shoot it, or fight with knives. The orc is too close and he takes out his own white blades, clashing one against the scimitar, the other he slashes across the creature's throat. He puts the knives back and grabs another arrow, fitting it in his bow. The next warg finds a shaft in his leg and trips, his master rolling off him.
"Get behind me!" Legolas shouts to the two hobbits; they draw their little blades they had found in the barrow and rush up behind the elf, standing back to back as the orc and warg dart towards Legolas, claws and blade forward. Legolas quickly shoots the orc, but cannot reach for another arrow before the former is within reach. Merry drives his little blade in the warg's head, and yanks it out, squirting blood on his face.
"Behind you!" Merry shouts as another orc rushes up behind Legolas. The elf draws his knives again, clashing both against his assailants blade, pulling it away from the startled creature, and hews at its throat, killing the foul thing in an instant. "Pippin!" Merry screams as his cousin is being dragged away by a warg. Legolas stabs another orc before responding to Merry's cries, and darts towards the beast with rage. He slashes the warg across its face, causing it to drop the hobbit, and the orc swings his scimitar at the elf.