Next chapter up, things are heating up a little now. Okay so I hope you guys are liking it so far, thanks for stopping by!

Speak - Thought speak/communing to animals.

"Speak." - Elvish


It was six days to Imladris and Frodo was fading fast. I could only supply him a few drops of my blood to fight the wound, any more and my own blood would kill him. I could not carry any of the hobbits as none of them would touch me. Only Bill, the pony, would talk to me.

How are you, friend? I asked him politely as I jogged, rather slowly for my taste, alongside him.

There are dark creatures following, Rana. I do not like it. Will there be straw where we are going?

Yes, lot's of straw, and hay and apples, I can bring you whatever you wish. I promised the terrified pony.

Ah good. I like apples. I also like carrots. Carrots are my favourite. Sam gives me carrots when no one is looking. Sadly he has no more carrots, he gives me mint leaves instead, they are just as good! Will Sam come as well? The pony asked innocently as Sam pulled him quickly over a steep bank.

Yes Sam will come too, you're going to stay with the elves. The stalls will be large and cosy, warm straw, fresh hay and soothing water. I would not be surprised if they give you rub downs every day. Bill shook his mane eagerly then nuzzled Sam's hair.

I like Sam, he doesn't beat me. My heart went out to Bill and I gave him an affectionate sound before jogging on.

"Look Mr Frodo, it's Mr Bilbo's trolls!" Sam smiled desperately as Frodo slipped further and further away from them. "He's going cold! Give him more blood!" Sam begged me and I looked down at him.

"If I give him any more, my blood will be the first thing that kills him." I snorted. "Although, it would be kinder to kill him rather than leave him to the other fate."

"What other fate?" Pippin asked, worry engraved on his young innocent features.

"He is slipping into the shadow land, he will soon become a wraith like them." Aragorn answered then turned to Sam to ask about kingsfoil. I sat down next to Frodo then began to sing softly, almost inaudibly.

"Pip, can you hear that?" Merry whispered as he sat up.

"No? What's wrong?" Pippin tensed and instantly grabbed his sword hilt.

"Quiet, I'm listening."

"Listening to what? I can't hear anything." Pippin frowned, letting his sword go and staring around him wildly. Merry strained his pointy little ears until his eyes rested on me.

"It's you!"

"Well done little hobbit. You have proven you can hear." I clapped my hands sarcastically.

"Will you sing again, please? I couldn't quite hear what you were singing, it sounded beautiful." Merry begged and I narrowed my eyes.

"Wow. That almost sounded like a compliment."

"Merry, something that looks like that couldn't sing, she's ug…" Pippin cut himself up and swallowed his words, stammering to try and cover up what he was going to say.

"Ouch, that? Not so much." I muttered then stood. "Ugly. That's the word you were searching for." I told him. "Go on, say it. Ug-ly. U-g-l-y." I spelled it out for him then growled sharply. He remained silent and looked down at his feet.

"I'm sorry."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I forgot you were different." I blinked at him, stunned. No one had ever apologised to me before, never. It was quite a new experience. My pointed ears twitched and I launched myself at the hobbits. "Down!" I hissed and pulled them over to Frodo, Draping them in my cloak as someone drew closer.

The soft hoof beats were not a Nazgûl, I sniffed deeply and found the scent of an elf. "Stay here." I whispered then leaped into the bushes to hide. The elleth was beautiful, everything I had always dreamed of being when I was younger.

She had long glossy hair as dark as the night, eyes bluer than any sky I had ever seen. Lips full and pink, perfect porcelain skin and elfin features. When she spoke, it was like rich silk and honey rolling of the calm summer breeze.

"Frodo…Im Arwen, telin la thaed, lasto beth nin, tolo don na galad." I closed my eyes as my mother's mother tongue washed over me. It had been so long since I heard that language spoken by my half kin. I turned away and silently scouted the area at a hundred feet radius. When I got back, Arwen had gone.

"Strider, they are close. They will follow the she-elf but there are other things in this forest that will gladly hunt us. I suggest we get a move on." I growled simply at him and he blanched.

"They need rest."

"Then carry them." I said slowly, making sure he heard me. "We don't have time to loose."

"I can carry two maybe, I don't trust you to carry the other." Aragorn growled back at me darkly, protectively going for his blade but I simply glared at him.

"I could carry the pony, at least Bill trusts me, he thinks you lot are complete idiots at times. Except you Sam, he likes you." I added. "Now, you can either trust me and let me lead you through the fastest routes or," I took a step closer to the ranger, "We can follow you and probably get eaten by wolves or shot by bandits. Your choice." Aragorn paused then looked up as a wolf howled in the distance, soon joined by countless others.

"Alright, but if you lead us astray, I will cut your head off." He promised me darkly.

"At least you show backbone." I muttered. "Sam, up on Bill. Merry, Pippin, you're with me, Aragorn," I smirked at him, "Try to keep up." With that I tossed Sam onto Bill's back, dropping some of the unnecessary components like pots and pans to make the load lighter, then grabbed Merry and Pippin before swinging them onto my back. I ran through the trees, Bill canter happily at me side with Aragorn racing just behind us.

In the distance I heard the wolves getting closer. It was going to be a long night.

I stopped at one of my safe houses, a small cave invisible to the eye unless of course, you were an elf. I lead everyone down the small mouth on the sloping stairs until it opened out into a large space, light leaking through by the holes cut into the ceiling from time. "Rest. I'll keep watch." I told them. The hobbits instantly jumped down and curled up on their blankets, falling asleep after nursing various bruises.

I took off my cloak and lay it down on the ground to sit on, not caring about them staring at my face any longer. "You know you're not that bad once you get used to it, if you didn't have the skin and eyes and teeth maybe." Pippin said loudly then grunted as Merry hit him through the blankets.

"Beauty isn't always pretty, I've met thousands of beautiful men and women with hearts of stone and ice. At least I haven't cooked you all to eat for breakfast." I turned to look at them seriously. "Yet." They gulped then turned away.

Later on in the night, when we had a little fire going and had eaten some food, I sat up poking the flames, the hobbits all snoring peacefully.

"You are not what you seem." Aragorn said suddenly from beneath his covers. I looked up and frowned.

"I am exactly what I seem." I retorted shortly before returning to my absent minded prodding.

"You hide behind a mask which shows you to be bitter and cold. However, I have seen many evil things in this world. You can sense the Ring, however I could see in your eyes you had no desire for it. Why? Do you actually care about the hobbits?" I made a low grunt in an attempt to shake him off my case.

"No."

"Liar."

"What's it to you anyway? I'll get you all safe to Rivendell then I shall go. You will never have to see me again. End of story." I snapped at him, tossing the twig into his blanket which he shook off carelessly.

"I think you do care. You have just become so used to being called a monster, it is who you believe you are." He hit home hard.

"You're very blunt with your words, Aragorn, son of Aarathorn. You think you can hide behind this ranger façade for long? People are going to find out who you are soon." I pointed out to him bluntly as he turned over to face me. His dark eyes glowed wolfishly in the dim firelight.

"No one can escape from their fate, nor from who they truly are. I simply do not want to be that person."

"Neither do I wish to be the person I am thought to be. You think I chose to be half orc? You think my mother enjoyed her spoilage, the fact that she could never again bear children? Do you think she loved me the moment she found out I was going to live inside her? No, she wanted to kill me the moment I was delivered. However she could not bring herself to do it. She brought me up and sheltered me, tried to teach me that there was more to life than simply killing. She made me a better person. You know, when I was only six years old, I killed a boy?" Aragron sat up slightly.

"Yes. I killed him. It was on a midsummer's day, hundreds of years ago. I had only wanted to play with the other children, not understanding that I was different. The moment they saw me," I swallowed the lump in my throat. "They screamed in fear and ran, except from some of the boys who called me 'monster' and threw rocks at my face. Its how I got this scar." I pointed to the slight dent and pink scar on the side of my head.

"They beat me until the ground was stained with my black blood. I wanted them to stop. I begged and cried but they laughed and hit me until I snapped." I reached forwards and grabbed a fistful of smoke. "I grabbed the leader by the neck and shook him, roaring in his face until he screamed and dirtied his trousers, until I accidentally snapped his neck. I did not know my own strength then."

Aragorn did not look at all disgusted or shocked so I carried on. "I left him there, stumbling home to my mother. When she had heard what had happened, we moved far away from that place, deep into the mountains. She did not let me have any contact with anyone until I was sure I could control my own strength."

"She sounds like a brave elleth." Aragorn noted calmly. "As do you. I am not sure how many could cope the way you do. Although you do not have my complete trust, you do have my respect and admiration." Aragorn said then turned over to sleep. I blinked at him then looked away. That was a first. Who before had ever said they respected me? Come to think of it, no one.


I took a deep sniff through my nose then growled. "There are other men close, they smell like bandits."

"How can you tell?" Pippin asked me curiously, his hands resting on my shoulders.

"They stink of blood, rusty metal and ale." I answered curtly then leaned down to pick up a staff. My old bow had broken the other morning so I had used it for kindling a fire that night instead.

"Rana," Aragorn whispered. I looked over to him and he tossed me a knife. "Be careful." I nodded gratefully to him then set Pippin down.

"They're close but if you stick close to the bushes, they won't find us." I whispered then led the way, stopping to usher everyone through before pulling the foliage down to cover us better. My mottled skin blended better into the environment so I crouched close to the hobbits, my hand hovering in front of them to cover as much as possible.

After a couple of minutes, the bandits were so loud that it was obvious that they were there. Aragorn gave a scornful look before lowering his head again. They were foul mouthed, bad tempered and disgusting men. They swore like there was no tomorrow and threatened each other as if they were a band of drunkards, not bandit brothers.

Crack! I clenched my eyes shut as Pippin shifted then snapped a twig in half. Clumsy dolt.

"What was that?" One of them grunted.

"I dunno. Why don't you go bloody look?" Another answered, shoving another towards the bushes.

"Don't move." I hissed to everyone. I heard the hobbits all gulp. Suddenly Bill found it the appropriate moment to snort into Sam's hair.

"'ere, there's some sort'a animal in there." One of the most foul smelling men I had ever come across slurred.

"Shoot it then, might get a proper meal in there." An archer knocked an arrow and stepped closer.

"Wait here." I ordered then gave my low, feral growl. I pulled back my lips and snarled before bellowing like a wild beast, leaping from the bushes and landing on one of the men. I felt his spine crack beneath me.

I then turned and roared again, slamming my entire arm against the next nearest men, slamming two of them into the air until they fell a fair way away from us. Picking up the man beneath me I swung him around, using him as a club to slam into his fellows as they all clumsily shrieked and grabbed their weapons.

Before they could draw their swords I had whacked them with the limp body and sent them sprawling into the dust. I shoved my knife into one of them then lifted the other by his arm, his feet dangling off the ground.

"Please! I have children!" I paused, my large snarl subsiding into a little growl. I glared at him with my harsh yellow eyes.

"Look out!" Merry cried and I turned around in time to see a sword whirl through the air towards me. Before I could blink Aragorn jumped in front and clashed his sword against it, tossing it away. I tossed the guy was holding away then turned to the last few men.

There were six left.

"You take the three on the left, I take the three on the right?" I offered.

"Sounds good." Aragorn nodded then set to work, slashing his sword elegantly. I simply lowered my head and barrelled into them, roaring as I went. They all screamed then ran, a wet trail running behind them as they scattered.

"Strider!" I heard Sam's sharp call and the patter of little bare feet on the ground. I turned as I saw Aragorn disarm two opponents but the third got up from the ground and stabbed him in the back of his leg. He cried out in alarm and pain but managed to suck it down, turning to slice his head off.

I bounded over and lifted the other two, banging their heads together and breaking their skulls. I dropped them onto the floor then looked to Aragorn. He was crippled, barely able to stand as he tried to lower himself down.

"Bind it up, we need to move now." I told him as I stooped down to collect various weapons. A sword, the bow, arrows, daggers and a hammer.

"He can't walk, we have to wait for help or…something!" Sam argued but I silenced him with a look.

"I know he can't walk, that is why I'm going to carry him." I answered then lifted the man up onto my back.

"Put me down!" He demanded.

"Sorry, you're not king yet. Can't command me about." I snapped then led the way at a steady jog.


I enjoyed the last part, anyway we've learned a little more about Rana, what do you guys think of her? R+R please! Thank you for stopping by.