I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS.
Soon we reached a steep stairway, and the tilt of the the steps were so steep, we climbed them as if we were climbing ladders. Pippin slipped, but Merry caught him and pushed against his butt, telling him to keep going. When we reached it, we saw three doorways, a giant rock at the top of the small steps to the three doors.
'Why are there so many damned stairways?' I thought. When we reached the top of stair, I heard Gandalf speak, lowly, as if to himself: 'I've no memory of this place.'
His tone held suspicion, fear, concern, and that merely made all of my senses go into high alert. We quietly spoke of camping there, and as we settled, I saw Sam take out the wrapped rabbit's meat. I looked and saw Boromir sit down in grievance, as Aragorn joined him and smoked his pipe, and Legolas stood behind them both, looking out over the caves. I looked at Aragorn who shook his head at me, and in my defeat I silently walked down the steps, sitting at enough distance no one heard me, saw me, but that I heard them and could run back to protect. I hung my head and pushed my hair back, tears falling.
"Why am I a monster?" I whispered to myself, a tear plopping down onto the stone surface of the step. I tensed as eyes were on my back, and I smoothly pushed my hair back and pulled up the leather hood I had. I glanced back to see it was Boromir glaring at me, as was Legolas. I looked back at the caves, unsure of what to do, then stood up and quietly raced back up the steps, shoved Boromir down and hissed at him with my fangs, and glared at Legolas.
"You haven't the right to judge me, Prince of Mirkwood." I spat in his direction. I looked at Aragorn who bowed his head at me and I smiled kindly. I walked up the small steps to Gandalf and sat beside him. He smoked his pipe, staring at the three doors. I sniffed the air quietly then turned and looked at Frodo, who was turning slowly to look at something. I moved swiftly to his side and looked. How did I not hear him? I glanced and noticed Legolas had not heard him either, but at least I took notice. A strange creature, with foul skin, rotting hair, it's very odor putrid, rank, damp and toxic. I covered my nose and stepped back. Frodo turned and walked with me, walking to Gandalf.
"There's something down there." Frodo whispered.
"It's Gollum." Gandalf answered, matter of factly. A look of recognition crossed frodo's face.
"Gollum." he spoke.
"He's been following us for three days." Gandalf said, nodding.
"He escaped the dungeons of Barad dur." Frodo uttered, realization crossing his face. I walked past and settled on the rock with Gandalf.
"Escaped? Or set loose?" Gandalf said. "And now the Ring has drawn him near. He will never be rid of his need for it. He hates and loves the Ring. As he hates and loves himself. Smeagol's life is a sad story." Gandalf turned and nodded, in answer to Frodo's confused and surprised eyes. "Yes, Smeagol he was once called. Before the Ring found him. Before it drove him mad."
"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Frodo said with fierceness, looking back in Gollum's direction.
"Pity?" Gandalf said, looking over at Frodo. "It is that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death, but some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them Frodo, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement." Gandalf said, shaking his head. "Even the very wise cannot see all ends. MY heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many." Gandalf said pointedly and Frodo sat at his side, grief and weary taking over his eyes once more.
'I wish the Ring had never come to me...I wish none of this had happened." Frodo spoke sadly.
"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world besides that of good or evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it, And that is an encouraging thought." Gandalf said, smiling. I nodded, remembering his words, closing my eyes and memorizing them, but the ache in my chest somehow made it hard to see such light in these days of darkness.
"Oh! It's that way." Gandalf said, looking at a doorway.
"He's remembered!" Merry spoke happily, hopping up.
"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here." he said as he stepped to the edge, pointing his crystal down the dark stairwell, and placing his hat atop his head."If in dire, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." He said. I smiled and waited as the others walked down into the darkness, but Frodo gazed at me.
"You need not loathe yourself over your eyes, Leena." he said with a kind smile. "Aragorn was right, they are much like the moon." he said, hopping down from the rock and going to Boromir who was waiting for him. I smiled a little then stood, walking to the doorway and following after. A hand grabbed my wrist, and I looked back to see Boromir sneering.
"Your eyes are that of monster, not that of a moon. The moon is pure, bright, and does not crave blood." he spat. My heart fell into my stomach.
"Yet I am still the most loyal and clear minded compared to you. You seem to forget I did not touch Legolas, I almost broke my spine in order to keep this monstrosity under control for him." I spat back and arched my back up and glared him in the eye.
"Were I a man I'd have shown more control, more courage, and more power than you have shown in your miserable, worthless life, Boromir." I growled. Another hand came for my arm and pushed me back and I saw it to be Legolas. I dropped my eyes in shame.
"Move along Boromir." Legolas said.
"Are you certain you want to hang back with this foul beast?" Boromir spat. Legolas nodded, and Boromir left. My chest tightened and tears threatened to spill as the grip on my forearm tightened and Legolas glared at me.
"Is it true, you wished to drink from my veins?" Legolas said angrily.
"I didn't wish it, I craved, but I didn't do it." I said, tears falling from my eyes but still I glared at him.
"What should stop you now?" he asked, mockingly.
"That craving began because of my lust after you, I didn't crave to devour a random person, or your entire body for that matter, I craved an essence of you." I growled, clenching my jaw.
"Essence?" he asked, his tone softening, as was his grip.
"A mark. Just like men and women wear rings upon their fingers, my bite, my mark...would signify the same." I said. His eyes widened a bit and I sighed, looking away.
"You need not worry though. That urge will soon pass, and you may choose an Elven maiden from a High Council." I said, then walked swiftly into the darkness, my silver orbs adjusting and lighting my way as I took after the group and caught up. We soon emerged from the stair and my breath left my lungs as I gazed at the view as I walked out and looked up. I slowly walked down the steps ahead of the others, knowing they did not see as I saw.
"It's beautiful." I whispered.
"Let me risk a little more light." Gandalf mumbled, and soon the others saw as I saw.
"Behold the great realm of the dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf." he said.
"There's an eye opener, make no mistake." Sam whispered. I smiled as the great towering pillars of lined down the great hall, and halls. I could only imagine the beauty of such a place. We walked forward, gazing up at the pillars the lined every which way. To the left, right, forward and back, the pillars were everywhere. My palm grazed the soft stone and flickers of the old life came to my eyes. We wandered until a pale light my eye.
"Oh!" Gimli spoke and ran to the doorway, corpses fallen at the sides of the open doors. I followed after him as he came to a stop.
"No...no.." he said, his voice weakening with grief. He sank to his knees before the large tombstone, grasping his axe in hand, his head bowed as he weeped. The others sweeped in.
"Here lies Balin, son of Hundin, Lord of Moria." Gandalf said. "He is dead then...it's as I feared." he spoke. Gimli weeped, wailed, knocking his helmet against the tombstone. Gandalf moved onto to a soldier, and brought up a dusty book, thick in binding, opening it and blowing off the pages, running his hand over them.
"We must move on, we cannot linger." Legolas said to Aragorn, who nodded in agreement.
"They have taken the bridge. And the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums...drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out…" Gandalf looked up. "They are coming."
BANG! We all looked over and saw Pippin holding Gandalf's hat bumbly, backing away from the now falling backwards corpse, to which it fell into the well, and deep into the caves, the bucket following, the chains rattling. Each rattle, bang, clang and boom sent my nerves on end til I was red with adrenaline and a need to send Pippin to the grave. A silence was in the air, and the others could not hear it...but I could.
"Fool of a took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf spat.
"Oh god.." I whispered. I could hear them waking up, their chatters, their shrieks.
Boom!
All the attention went to the well, but I was panicking. I could hear them, we wouldn't get out in time.
Boom!
Boom boom!
Boomboomboom!
Boomboomboombommboomboom!
My hands began to shake and I snarled a loud roar.
"They are coming, you idiots!" I roared. My eyes were red with anger and I cracked my neck.
"Orcs!" Legolas spat. Boromir ran to the doors, and two arrows landed not a few inches from his head. He looked at them in disgust. I came up from behind and pulled them out, stepping out of the door grabbing a forgotten bow, I fired them back to the two orcs so stupidly standing not far off. The arrows hit them into the head and they fell back dead. A roar sounded and I ran back, taking defense where Aragorn had taken his place next to Boromir, standing in front of the hobbit protectively.
"They have a cave troll." Boromir said in mocking cheerfulness. Legolas threw him an axe, one after another, as they began to bar the door shut with them. Legolas took his place next to me and I shifted my wolf, but this time, it felt different. I was larger, and I felt my fur was cooler than usual.
"An armored wolf, that's new." Pippin said behind me. A bang sounded from the door and I growled. Gimli gave his own warning.
"Let them come! There is still one dwarf left in Moria who still draws breath!" he said. Aragorn pulled his arrow back in his bow and stood on my right as Legolas was on my left. Boromir stood next to Legolas and flipped his broadsword in hand. We were all shaking with adrenaline. Spears began to break through the wood and I growled lowly, my ears laid back and my fangs growing longer. A clear hole was made in the door and Legolas loosed an arrow into it, killing the Orc. Aragorn loosed his into it, and Legolas pulled an arrow back. With a loud break, Orcs broke through and I burst into action, leaping onto them and ripping their armor off, removing their heads from their bodies. Arrows flew past and I caught some into my side and swiped at more Orcs, catching them with my fangs and throwing them to the side. Soon I could the clang of the others fighting and moved around them, slamming my now giant wolf into them and crushing them and snarling at the others. I heard Gandalf and the Hobbits yell and begin to stab at one Orc or two. I jumped onto the bodies of other Orcs, taking off one head after another, after another, hopping through the sea of bodies to leave a trail of dead ones. The chaos stilled as the thumping could be heard and I tore an Orc's body in half to see the Cave Troll approach. It broke through the doorframe and was led by a tiny Orc by a pathetic chain. It roared and Legolas loosed an arrow into it's chest. It stumbled then roared at him. I ran and shifted, roaring back, I didn't know what my form was. I roared again and lunged, taking a bite of the Troll and ripping off some of his arm. It screeched then stumbled in another direction and tried to hit Sam, who yelled then ran through the trolls legs. An Orc ran for Legolas's back and I dove, taking it down and tearing it to shreds, then diving through the mess to link my jaws through the chain attached to the Troll and pull roughly away from Sam, making it stumble back then move on to rip off another Orc's head. A yell sounded through the room and I saw Boromir crash into the wall by the force of the Troll's hammer. I didn't care if he hated me, he was a part of the group. Orcs turned and ran for him, but with promising swiftness, I dove straight for him and stood on my hind legs and snarled stomping back onto my front paws. An Orc shot into my muzzle and I swiped him aside, making sure no Orc touched the unconscious Boromir. I shifted back and jerked him awake.
"BOROMIR!" I screamed. An Orc stabbing into my side and I turned, taking the sword out of me and cutting his head off. Boromir shook himself awake and stared at me. I nodded in question and he nodded in return, standing and barreling back into battle with a great yell. I turned and saw the Troll trying to hit Sam, but given Sam's size and quickness, ended up hitting the Orcs instead.
"That idiot just made my job alot easier." I laughed. A screech sounded to my right and I stabbed the Orc in the face, kicking him backward off the blade. Two arrows went past my head as I saw the Troll come towards me and a fallen Gimli. I looked and watched as Legolas killed three Orcs in a matter of seconds, then everything seemed to slow. The Troll whipped his chains in Legolas's direction, again, then again and I was tense everywhere. The troll's chains got caught on a pillar and Legolas ran onto the chain, then standing upon the Troll and firing an arrow into it's head and jumping down. I ran up to him and wiped the Orc blood from my mouth.
"Are you ok?" I asked, concern and fear written in my eyes. He nodded.
"Frodo!" Aragorn shouted. I turned and saw the Troll peering around a pillar. Frodo must've been there. A piercing pain came up my side and I yelped. Legolas stabbed the Orc in the face with his blade and I stabbed the other coming up from behind him. Frodo's cries filled the air and I turned, seeing the Troll pick Frodo up by his feet. I stiffened in fear then watched as a group of Orc's circled me and Legolas. Almost almost all the ones that were left.
"Legolas, I want you to close your eyes." I told him. He looked at me like I was insane.
"Do it!" I snapped. He closed his eyes and I leaped onto each Orc, pulling off one limb or another, it only took a couple seconds, and I jumped right back onto the ground.
"Ok, open" I said, breathing harshly. He opened them and looked around. A cry from Frodo caught my attention once again and I watched in horror as he was trying to awaken an unconscious Aragorn. I bolted straight for him as Frodo tried to run, but was caught by the spear of the Troll, the Troll then pulled back the spear, aiming for him. Frodo was terrified. I shifted back to human and dove, slapping my palms on either side of the pillar, directly in front of Frodo. I felt my back break, my flesh tear, my blood fall from my mouth and I still I stood there, even as the Troll growled in disapproval and reached further through my body with the spear to try and kill Frodo. I smiled at the small Hobbit, wincing as the metal was still through me. My hands were shaking, my entire body was. Frodo was staring at me in shock, his eyes wide, his mouth hung open. I leaned my head forward and whispered.
"Run…" I said. He ran to Aragorn's side, who was now awake, and who now pushed him behind him. The Troll pulled back on the spear, but it was so tightly dug into my body, that when he lifted the spear, I was still attached to it. I could feel the darkness fading in, so I let go.