Okay! 2nd chapter! This one should *hopefully* be better than the last! Hope you enjoy!

Gandalfs words rolled through my mind. Was it me who had wanted the object for evil? Surely not? It can't have been! I remember thinking nothing of the sort! I was… Simply trying to…

It was starting to dawn on me that my accusation hadn't been just. My excuses weren't usable. It had been me. The ring had attracted me, turned me mad. I would have murdered the halfling.

If not for Gandalf, the blood of an inoccent creature would be on my talons. I pushed the thought out of my mind, horrified of what had just transacted.

'I must apologise for my behaviour,' I said aloud, 'it was simply apalling.'

But so is the thought of apologising.

I perched atop the flat rocks, my eyes darting to and fro amongst the wilderness.

Soft footsteps came up behind me and I turned, rushing forward to meet them.

But instead if the old, grey wizard j had expected, my eyes met with the fake, soulless ones of an Orc. I stiffened as 3 swords were pointed at me.

'Well well. Looks like the bird fell into our cage,' ones gruff voice chorused. I cursed myself silently for being so… Careless.

'What's the matter? Scared?' Another sneered. I let out a low rumble from the back of my throat. If it was a fight they want, it was a fight they get. They let their guard down for a minute, wondering what the sound was. I took the moment to strike. I swiped my good wing under ones legs, tripping them and pinning them to the ground with my claws, flicking away their weapon effortlessly. The next one came for my blind side and dug its tainted metal into my wounded wing, causing me to let out a blood curling screech. I snapped at it with my razor edged beak, slicing its arm off its shoulder and knocked it aside as it gaped at its red stump.

The one pinned down took a bite out of my legs, so I silenced him with my talons ending him. I narrowed my eyes as my heart raced. Where was the 3rd? Anxiously, I peered at my surroundings and caught a black figure running into the darkness. I snorted uncomfortably. I should hit him down, but I wouldn't be fast enough without flight.

I ached badly to feel the breeze on my sticky feathers. It hadn't even been a day! Sighing, I collapsed onto the rock tiredly. My wounded wing spluttered out black tinged pus and I quivered as my vision faltered for a second.

I knew I had to find the wizard, my injury was worse than before.

I raced through the forest as fast as my legs could take me. I didn't realise I had wandered so far from the party tree!

A green door welcomed my sights as I hurriedly peered through a tiny window. My eye was bigger than it! I saw Gandalf take an envelope and hand it to Frodo, looking at me as he did so with a frown upon his brows. What was in the letter?

A glimpse of grey spurred me to my senses.

"What are you doing here?" A voice whispered. It was Bilbo, the hobbit whom I had nearly killed, I dipped my head in greeting, but he just eyed me wearily.

'I came to say sorry, master Bilbo. My behaviour was unacceptable. I understand if you can never forgive me,' I said quietly. I stole a glance at the old halfling and he smiled, looking up to me.

"You are a magnificent creature, your majesty. I shall hope to meet you again," he whispered, stroking my feathers before heading out of the gate.

'Uh.. Goodbye?' I replied, watching him go.

I returned to the overly small window and was surprised to see the wizard pinning a sandy blonde haired halfling to the table, with Frodo trying to stop him.

"How much did you hear?" He employed, eyes filled with worry.

The new hobbit said some thing about a darkness and my heart hammered against my chest.

Was that the same darkness that had consumed my thoughts?

Gandalf whispered something to the two before striding out of the hobbit hole and heading towards me.

'Vathiul! What has happened? Where did this fresh blood come from?' He asked suspiciously, staring at the glossy red covering the dried scabs on my feathers.

'Orcs…attack…poison,' I responded, feeling the need to vent everything.

'Oh shush child! You mean to say that orcs attacked and poisoned you?" He asked glancing at the black blood spilling out of my deformed wing.

I bobbed my head in a bird like manner, before shaking it to regain full control.

He placed a hand on my large beak as I bent down to receive it. He looked at me eye to eye.

'Protect this hobbit with your life, princess. He will lead you to a man called Strider. Their you will find a cure. One of the only cures in all of middle earth,' he whispered quickly. I nodded.

'If you were something smaller and frailer, you would be dead in hours. You're a strong bird, Vathiul. You should last at least a few days.'

I woke with blurry vision. Shaking my head to rid myself of the nausea, I clambered to my feet. The two hobbits were just waking and I didn't want to frighten them. I wouldn't show my self just yet. With an excited hop, I half flew over to the cover of trees. It was safe in there. My head throbbed, but my wings had scabbed up over night.

I clawed my way through the bushes towards the clear pool k had found on my arrival the day before. Wading through the shallows, I preened and groomed to my hearts content, the water turning a dirty red-black. I shook the droplets from my freckled wings and nibbled at my talons, a nasty yet addicting habit.

Seriously, the halflings were extremely slow.

Slinking through the shadows I followed them as they finally left the hill of bag end. It occurred to me how well I had taken to walking instead of flying. Sure, it was more a few half flights and useless wing flaps, or stumbling, but after 300 years of almost completely flying, I expected myself to be worse.

We made quite good progress to begin with, but to my annoyance the fat, blonde one stopped suddenly and I inwardly groaned. What now?

"One more step and, it will be the furthest away from home I've ever gone," he said bluntly.

So will every step after that! Grow up and get moving! I nearly sighed with relief as we left the area of Hobbiton and came upon fields full of large corn stalks. I took into account how easy it would be to hide, but also how hard it would be to move.

I decided against it. I didn't want to go in there. I would get caught in one spot and I couldn't fly out!

-Protect that hobbit- the Wizards words rang in my brain. No, I had to go in. Otherwise I would never fly again. I would rather die.

Shaking p, I entered the light green fields. They were not as tall as I thought, and my shoulders and up could easily be seen if I stood up straight.

'Uuhhh…' I growled, tearing my way through the wisps of yellow blocking my path.

'Were is Frodo now!' I groaned. A shrill scream caused me to perk my head up. Frodo? Oh no! Had I already forsaken the halfling I had said I would protect. Fear rushed through me as I practically sprinted, skidding 2 rows of corn behind the 2 hobbits to a stop.

Only, it wasn't only my hobbit and his companion, another 2 were standing there, pale as death. One had musty brown hair and brown eyes, the other dark brown with eyes glistening with green.

'I-it was huge Frodo! A huge bird! And it was shouting your name!' one ranted. I paused.

Crap, they had seen me.

'yeah! And it was bringing down these corn stalks like its life depended on it! With claws sharp as knives!' The other piped in.

I rolled my eyes. Swords, I silently corrected him.

'yeah right! We don't believe that for a second, Do we mister Frodo?' Sam complained. Frodo shook his head.

'I don't know sam, I have felt eyes on us our whole trip here, haven't you?' He replied to his friend, his blue eyes searching the fields around them. 2 woven bags had their contents spelled on the floor, and I realised they had been robbing this farmer.

A sharp howl broke the uneasy silence settled on the group and the brown haired hobbit eyes darted towards me.

'There is something in the bushes,' he whispered. I took a step backwards and was greeted by a menacing growl. Turning around I almost laughed. The pitiful dog thought he could protect me? Ha. I kicked it effortlessly out of the way with a grunt and turned back towards the small band of halflings.

The Yelp the dog had let out was enough to warn them of my presence once and for all, and the wind ruffling the corn pushed it out the way, causing a gap to betray the darkness of my tail feathers.

I bent down and set a piercing golden gaze their way. They paled and took a few steps back.

'We aren't alone,' was all Frodo could say.

Sam pulled him and the other hobbits, urging them into a run.

"What is that thing, mister Frodo?" He asked anxiously.

'I don't know.'

'Well whatever it is-' Sams words were cut short as they ran straight over the edge of a small cliff. Blinking slowly, I cautiously walked over to where they had fallen. I couldn't be seen again. They were alert of my presence now, I had to be more careful.