AU WHERE EVERYONE (EXCEPT ORCS) ARE WEREWOLVES. THEIR COAT COLOR DEPENDS ON HAIR COLOR, AND THEY HAVE A SET OF INSTICTS LIKE A WOLF AS WELL AS THEIR REGULAR THOUGHT PROCESSES. ALSO, SLASH (MALE/MALE) AND MAYBE A BIT OF INCEST IF YOU SQUINT. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS IDEA, THEN PLEASE DON'T READ IT AND COMPLAIN ABOUT IT. BUT, IF YOU DO, THEN READ ON AND ENJOY!
Pairings: Aragorn/Legolas, Merry/Pippin, Sam/Frodo, (Implied) Sauron/Boromir
Blue Harvest-by PS
Aragorn glanced up at the stars as he and the group walked; tonight was a full moon. And not just any moon, it was the Blue Harvest moon, the moon where all of the beings in Middle Earth shed their regular skins and morphed into wolf pelts. It was a special night, the time where one would be called to run with their mate and howl their joy about being part of this world.
It was not a joyous time though. The world was cruel and vile, and Aragorn was denying himself of his mate, still.
"We'll camp here," he called out to his group, looking around the green clearing in the forest that he had chosen.
The rest of the Fellowship followed his lead and nearly dumped all of their things near a pile of boulders that rested in the center.
"This is no ordinary spot," Legolas said from where he had approached beside the man, "the first Wolf Elf King came and rested here with his mate before leaving to go on the ship's to Paradise the next day. This is a haunted, yet special, place." He glanced at Aragorn, trying to hint at him, but the Man only swished his hair out of his face.
"A good place to rest then," he replied, "if it is fit for an Elf King."
Legolas tried not to feel pain as Aragorn left his side to go look for firewood…
Evening was fast approaching, as they had been walking all day, and Aragorn sat at the base of a tree off to the side of the clearing, watching the rest of his entourage make themselves comfortable before the full moon was upon them.
Boromir was still trying to teach Merry and Pippin how to swordfight, and their laughs were echoing around them as they tripped up the warrior Man.
Legolas and Gimli sat by the newly made fire together, the dwarf boasting about some battles he had previously been in, while sharpening his axe, and the elf stirring a pot of stew as Sam and Frodo kept an eye on them from above, where they sat on the rocks.
Aragorn let a small smile touch his lips.
"It seems there is much to be pleased about," the voice of Gandalf told him from his right, "with the moon rounding above us while we are in such good company."
And that soured the Man's mood; he didn't look at the wizard as he sat down next to him, his joints creaking as he kept up appearances of an old man.
"Tonight is special," the gray-haired man went on, "for it is the Blue Harvest moon."
"I know!" Aragorn snapped, despite his internal distress he did not like being cruel to others; he quickly went for his pipe to calm his nerves.
Gandalf ignored him, "it is best to heed the Moon tonight, Aragorn, for it will set the heart right and make things clearer."
Aragorn did look at him now, his light eyes steely, "I do not wish to discuss this!"
The wizard gave him a fond, yet exasperated, look. "Things still happen around us, even when we do not wish to discuss them. Remember that young warrior."
He got up again, then, standing up more quickly than any regular elderly could; leaving Aragorn to his smoking and thinking…
The Moon was upon them now, and each member of the Fellowship went their own separate way to shift into their other form.
Thankfully, they had eaten previously, so there was probably no real notion to hunt since their bellies were full of stew.
Aragorn skulked off after the others had gone their own ways; he had been checking the perimeter to make sure all was safe. Even Orcs knew it was ignorant to go out on a full moon, but some were either desperate or just plain stupid. Aragorn thought of the latter as he rid himself of his clothes in a secluded corner of the trees, folding his clothes so that they would be easier to carry back to the camp later. He slipped his jewelry into the pockets of his coat and let the change come over him.
It was a bit painful, as it always was; like when you stretched your muscles out after a long battle to discover that some of them were ripped or already pulled. A trained warrior, he ignored the pain and let the magic of the morph come over him, re-shifting bones and ligaments alike as he fell to the ground, on all fours.
When it was over, Aragorn stood, shaking himself off like he had just vacated a river; the tingle of the leftover magic making his spine ache as he trotted over to his clothes and picked them up gently with his teeth, not wanting to tear them.
When he arrived back at the camp the others were already there.
Gandalf, in his lanky, long-legged and thin form, had a long pelt of mottled gray, and was looking down at him with twinkling eyes from the top of the boulder mountain.
The Hobbits, only slightly bigger than pups, were huddled in a group, their paws twitching with their excitement to just run out into the woods. He could hardly differentiate between any of them.
Boromir stood off to the side, his shaggy hair a light brown, just like his hair; he looked twitchy and impatient to be alone.
Gimli lay down by the rocks, licking the stew pot clean, making his already large belly larger, and getting pieces of rabbit meat into his russet colored fur; he looked stubby and barrel like; Aragorn couldn't contain his snuffle of a laugh at him. But, Gimli just smirked at him, bearing sharp teeth to make sure Aragorn got the warning.
Aragorn stopped laughing at him then, not because of the threat, but because of the warmth he felt brush against his side.
He glanced over to his side to see the tall, graceful, nearly white wolf next to him. Legolas. Aragorn studied him for a moment; his ears were pointer than the others', and his eyes still shone the same color blue they did when he was in his elf form. He was beautiful.
Boromir's huff of annoyance brought him away from such thoughts and Aragorn swished his tail at the others, bringing his head up to look at the moon before he closed his eyes and howled, the sound rough and low with disuse.
Legolas joined in first, the sound haunting and beautiful, just like his voice; which prompted the others to follow.
After they had howled for what seemed like forever, Aragorn darted off into the forest, signaling for the others that it was safe, and that they could go their own way.
He heard, more than saw, the others run off; and felt the presence of another following him…
Gandalf grinned, even in this form, as he watched the others run off into the dark shadows of the woods; instead of following, he made himself more comfortable on the rocks and let the magic of the moon and night settle around him, making his nerves tingle.
Tonight would prove to be an interesting night after all…
The Hobbits stayed together for a while, until Merry let Sam and Frodo pass ahead of him; and herded Pippin off to a secluded spot.
He had known for a while, of course, that the Took was his mate, but , he had never acted on it before now. The Moon called to him, making him want to frolick with his true love, something he had never wanted to do before. After all, Merry didn't frolick.
Pippin looked a little confused, his wavy fur rustling in the slight breeze of the dense area that Merry had led him to; would they mate now, under the moon? Would Merry admit to him that they were mates, of would he prove Pippin's terrified thoughts that they were not, in all actuality, meant to be together?
Pippin tingled with the intimating silence between them, his paws dancing as he waited for the other to do something.
Merry, noticing his impatience, huffed quietly to himself and stepped forward, giving a lick across the other's muzzle, making the slightly smaller wolf freeze and stare at him in shock.
Pippin must have known this was going to happen sometime, Merry thought to himself, he had always been courting him, and trying to make the other like him, but was Pippin truly that naïve?
Apparently not.
The smaller light brown wolf stepped closer himself and gave a lingering nuzzle to Merry's thick neck fur, making to swipe a lick across his ear when he approached it.
The effect that had on the larger Hobbit wolf made him want to howl at the moon some more, but he settled for bullying the smaller male closer to a pile of secluded rocks by the corner and laying them down by it, both of them snuggling close together before the moon called at them to run…
Boromir wandered the forest alone, his thoughts of home and semi-safety coveted in his mind.
Home, back where he belonged with his people and ran perimeter checks with his brother, even on the fullest of moons.
It felt good to just be able to run without having to keep much of a guard out for enemies; he was close enough to the others to sense their presence, but not so much that he was intruding on their personal time with one another. No.
His thoughts were consumed of home and the Great Eye that watched over them with malicious intent, the way the Eye changed from its usually livid red to a sickly yellow during the full moon.
Boromir could feel it's gaze on him from even here, deep in the forest, and he did not feel content anymore.
Claws digging into the dirt as he ran, Boromir tried to get away from his feelings, and from that watchful presence…
Frodo and Sam sat together near a small brook, the sandy colored wolf lapping up some water while the other enjoyed the feeling of the cool, dewy grass on his paw pads.
Sam finished drinking and trotted back over to his mate, ever watchful and aware of him.
The nearly black wolf gave him a small grin, without baring his teeth, and Sam nudged himself closer so that they sat together, heads close so that their noses nearly touched.
The two stayed like that, in perfect harmony, watching the moon's reflection bounce and ripple off of the trickling water of the creek…
Aragorn picked his way across the muddy creek bed, not wanting to waste effort on jumping over rocks; and felt the presence of his mate behind him.
Legolas weaved gracefully over the flat stones that lined themselves across the water, simply walking across them like their slippery surfaces had no affect on him. Aragorn both marveled and felt jealous at this sight.
As the dark wolf made it across the water he waited for the smaller one, watching with careful eyes as Legolas leaped gently over to the dry dirt, coming extremely close to Aragorn in his flight.
Aragorn ignored this.
Instead, he went on through the forest, leading them deeper and further away from the rest of the Fellowship. Tonight, they would need some privacy, especially for what Aragorn had in mind.
Tonight, he would set things straight, starting with confirmation that they could truly be together without either of them feeling coerced.
Legolas followed his mate deeper into to the dark night; he would follow Aragorn anywhere, after all. But, tonight felt special, and not just because of the full moon. It felt…magical.
He watched his secret love's tail flickering in front of him, quelling the urge to nip at the appendage with a playfulness that came naturally in this form.
Instead, he simply contented himself with following some more, and avoiding smashing himself into Aragorn when the other wolf suddenly stopped.
The elf looked around the darker figure and saw a small pool which was continuously filled by small waterfalls; it made Legolas' breath catch in his throat.
Aragorn looked vaguely embarrassed and out of place as he stood off to the side, so Legolas hastily went to reassure him that it was perfect.
He gave a small lick to the dark muzzle in front of him, and buried his face into the thick brush of Aragorn's hair at the base of his neck. The scent of his mate, and the feeling of home made the elf feel safe and secure, and he let himself be content that Aragorn let him nuzzle him like this, if only for now.
Aragorn stood still, shocked, that the other was so close to him, the sweet smell of his Legolas invading his senses and making him feel as though he would never be alone again. It was a good feeling, a righteous feeling that the Man never wanted to go away.
The two stayed like that for a while longer before the Elf drew away from him, a mischievous look in his eye; the lithe figure darted away from Aragorn, his tail swishing into the darker wolf's face, a keen bark sounding from his throat.
Aragorn, understanding the simple wish to play and be free, joined the slightly smaller wolf; the two frolicking and giving chase to one another throughout the landscape of the hooded arena.
Soon, when they grew tired, they both lapped from the pool, the water fresh and clear, both of them glancing at one another from the corner of their eyes.
Aragorn, feeling a little self-conscious, crept up to the other and bullied Legolas aside to sit in the shade of a large tree; the shade hiding Aragorn's eyes from the elf, but the warmth from his pelt was good enough for now.
Legolas, feeling safe and content, curled up next to his mate and closed his eyes, his head resting lightly on his muzzle, the gratification of being so close lulling him into a steady sleep…
When Aragorn woke up from his slumber the moon had fallen from it's height in the sky, and the dawn was now swiftly approaching. Knowing that the change would end soon, and that the shift to human would be demanded from their bodies once more, Aragorn nudged his sleeping mate, ignoring the feeling of guilt as he stood swiftly when those light eyes opened.
Legolas seemed not to notice his strange behavior, or was simply ignoring it, and yawned widely, yet still gracefully, as he climbed to his feet and trotted alongside Aragorn out of their small clearing.
The rising sun made the euphoria of being with his mate melt away, leaving, once again, a cold feeling that made Aragorn feel as though he was drowning…
When they reached back to the camp the others seemed to just be arriving back too; Merry and Pippin were still snuggling close together as they gathered up their clothes; Frodo and Sam's sides would brush as they headed back into the woods again to shift back into their rightful forms; and the others were slinking back into the forest after them, save Gandalf who was smoking his pipe by the cluster of rocks while tending to a new fire.
Aragorn ignored the wizard in exchange for his clothes; he gripped them quickly in his muzzle and nearly ran back into the dense covering of the trees, grateful, once more, for their coverage…
Legolas' thoughts brewed as he rolled his human shoulders; the pain from the shift was nearly over with, but his muscles still ached as they always did after a full moon.
Last night had been perfect, and he didn't want things to go back to the way they had once been. He was tried of being ignored, he decided as he tugged on his trousers; he wanted Aragorn to pay attention to him, and him alone, like he had last night.
Legolas wanted them to romp in the green grass together without shame in their human skins; wanted to hold Aragorn's hand and be able to seek comfort with him even in the light of day, not just in the full moon's shadow.
As he rearranged his belt onto his waist, and tucked a few strands of hair behind his ears, his thoughts came to a sudden halt. Everything was suddenly clear.
He would have Aragorn for himself, even if he had to take matters into his own hands…
Gandalf sighed to himself as he let out a puff of used smoke; most things had gone as planned last night; but, some feelings were still left unresolved.
The hobbits, dwarf, and men had already returned to their campsite for a quick spot of breakfast before they packed up and left once more, but, a certain elf was still missing.
Out in the woods, Gandalf thought, he's brooding.
But, just as he thought the words the blonde woodland elf appeared, a determined look on his face as his eyes zeroed in on a certain ranger.
Gandalf sat up straighter as he tipped his hat down a little to conceal his face; it was rude to spy after all.
Legolas marched over to the campfire where they all sat and leaned down to crouch next to Aragorn; the ranger turned in surprise and was caught by Legolas' eyes and his face by the elf's slender hands.
"I would have you," the elf told his clearly, "as my mate, if you would have me."
Silence seemed to hang in the air as the Man looked at the elf, his gaze fierce, then, "be sure this is what you want," he whispered to the blonde.
Legolas almost looked offended, "I have never been more sure." Then, he leaned down and touched his lips with his mates, sealing their bond at last.
Gandalf's insides nearly untangled from the knot that they were in as the two kissed a few times more as the company cheered for them.
"Well," Gimli huffed, "this is the perfect time to celebrate, so, what are we waiting for?!"
The hobbits all jumped up and started to sing and dance, as was their nature; Merry and Pippin harmonizing while holding on to each other's hands; Frodo and Sam twisting their arms together and dancing along to the new tune. Gimli laughed at their antics fiercely while adding some ingridieints to their breakfast; Boromir smiled at the group, but his eyes were dark, making Gandalf wary.
Yes, the Moon helped with some things, but, with other matters not even the lightest of it's rays could reach.
Nevertheless, the Fellowship seemed light and merry as they laughed and ate with one another; the day was looking brighter already…
SO, GO AHEAD AND TELL ME IT WAS TERRIBLE, BECAUSE I CAN FEEL THAT IT WAS….
OH WELL…I TRIED.
PLEASE REVIEW THOUGH!