Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN LOTR! There, is that good enough!

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! I also appologize for the (in my opinion) not-so-hot job I did on this chapter. It DOES get better than this, I swear! I know that's it's a horrible thing to ask, but bear with me! These next few posts are just some of those bits that need to be written, but aren't that good. Hope you understand. Let me put it this way: from Lothlorien on, it gets very interesting...

South to Danger

Jaden wiggled her toes, at least, she thought that she wiggled them, it wasn't like she could feel them anymore. Tolkien had done some major understating when it came to the harsh nipping of the wind. Every time they passed by a lake or stream, Jaden was astonished that it wasn't frozen yet, actually, she was surprised her blood hadn't frozen yet. It had probably been technically colder than this back in the 'real world' but back then she had always been able to just run inside where the wonderful heater had kept the entire house at a nice, insanely hot temperature. Even when she went outside she had layers upon layers that she wore as she ran from the house to the bus and from the bus to the school. Now, she only had a single layer and a cloak. She had learned something about cloaks: while they might look awesome and be ok for mildly cool temperatures, they were nowhere near a match for a stiff wind.

Sleeping arrangements were set up by mere chance. If you were with friends, that was wonderful, you got to cuddle up in a group huddle at night to keep warm. If not, you were pretty much left to keep yourself warm unless one of the established cliches was feeling generous that evening and let you join their heating huddle. This generally happened when the wind was especially bad or the air grew swiftly colder as soon as the sun ran off. The Hobbits had a huddle, and the four friends had a huddle, the others were all the tough guys who pretty much would never consent to needing help unless they were on death's doorstep, some of them not even then. So the huddles were pretty much left on their own. And Jaden always found herself looking forward to the night when she could at least attempt to get somewhere in the vicinity of 'warmth' even if she didn't actually achieve true warmth in itself.

The long walks that she had been dreading were actually not so bad. The views that she saw during the endless treks were stunning to say the least. And her friends were just as bored as she was and were more than willing to talk as they walked so long as Gandalf wasn't yelling at them. Merry and Pippin were also wonderful company, one of them was nearly always tagging along beside her. Leigh and Maylin had picked up on the evident crushes of the young Hobbits, and they often used the subject for a conversation topic. On a serious note, they had taken her aside one evening and warned her to tread carefully with them, a Took or Brandybuck with a broken heart would be a major depressant for the entire Fellowship.

Those two weren't the only two to have noticed the infatuations of Merry and Pippin. Gandalf often turned to her with a twinkle in his eye on one of the rare occasions that one of the Halflings wasn't with her and, of course, Frodo and Sam found the entire scenario endlessly funny.

Gradually, the mood of the Fellowship darkened, some with the fear of the unknown future, and some for the fear of the evil the knew was to come upon them soon. All, however, were oppressed by the bleak cold and grey of their surroundings. Leigh had always found winter and the months just ahead of it to turn the colors of nature into a muted, grey-tinted hue that put a dampener on the spirit, but this was unnatural. The lack of any creatures making noise in the night put everyone on edge, consciously or unconsciously. It seemed to some that Middle Earth was dying here, that the very life had slipped away from it somehow, and now all that was left was dry death in the form of yellow grasses between the twisted trees and bare rocks. Poor Sam, it was a gardener's worst nightmare.

Maylin was asleep the time that the crebain came, but as soon as she awoke, she could see what had happened by the looks on the faces of Sam and Aragorn. In the movie, the huge crows had always made part of her laugh and part of her shiver. It seemed so funny that these big guys with all of these weapons and such were so terrified of a pack of crows! But of course, there was something about them that seemed... not quite right, threatening. She wasn't laughing now. She was very glad that she had been asleep when they came, she had no desire to see more evil than she absolutely had to, and there would be more than enough of that yet to come.

Jack had been awake when the birds flew over. All of them had known that it was to happen that day, and during what watch, so the walk leading to that evening's camp had been far quieter than usual. It was so easy to strike up happy conversations when you knew you were safe, but as soon as the evil in the world showed its ugly face, words seemed to die before they could pass through anyone's lips. The poor Hobbits had been running around asking if they were all sick with something, and even Aragorn had frowned and checked to see if they had temperatures. Only Gandalf had guessed the cause of their mood correctly, a dark thought of the future weighed on their hearts and minds. When the birds had passed, Jack had held his breath in fear that they might see the rise and fall caused by the exchange of air. Even after they had passed by, he had stayed perfectly still, terrified that one might look over its shoulder and see him twitch. Never had he lain so still as he did then. Maylin had been forced to shake him roughly by the shoulder to get him to move from his bed roll when the others got up.

Other thoughts burdened Leigh's mind while thoughts of the crebain filled her companions'. A great weight had settled on her shoulders with the knowledge that she and her friends now actually had to protect Middle Earth. It wasn't like they were just ordinary members of the Fellowship, they had come to save Rivendell from being razed in search of them. Anywhere they went they would be hunted nearly as much as Frodo and the Ring. It would be so easy to accidentally let something slip out, something that would change the story and let Sauron win the War of the Ring. Why had the Valar let them through when they were such a danger to the world they so loved? There were so many what-ifs and maybes that Leigh occasionally found herself having trouble focusing on what she was doing. Her life was worry. Worry about what they had already done, they had made the Fellowship thirteen, the unlucky number, worry about what she was doing, was the conversation she was having in any way threatening to the survival of Middle Earth? And constant worry about the future, what if they were captured, what if they died, what if they chose to go with the wrong group? What if, what if...

The day after the oversized crows flew over, Gandalf gently took Leigh's arm and led her away from the camp. His face was creased with a deep, worried frown and his eyes were fixed on Leigh's.

"I am concerned for you, Leigh," he said.

"I do not mean to worry you," Leigh said quickly. "I'll pick up my pace, or whatever it is that's slowing down the Fellowship..."

"Leigh," he replied softly. "It has nothing to do with anything like that."

"Then why did you want to see me?" she asked.

"You are worrying too much."

"Gandalf, it's not..."

"You have to learn to trust yourself," Gandalf continued. "Could something bad happen? Yes, it could, but that doesn't mean that you could stop it by worrying about it. Since you already know much of what will happen on this quest, you seem to think that you have to be prepared for everything even things that you couldn't possibly know that concern yourself."

"I can't help it," Leigh moaned.

"Yes, you can," Gandalf insisted. "Trust that the Valar knew what they were doing by sending you here, trust that your friends are just as capable at protecting themselves as you are, and most importantly, trust yourself. Would you ever even think about letting someone know how this story ends?"

"No... except I worry about that."

"Exactly," Gandalf encouraged. "You know you wouldn't, but you still worry about the possibility anyway."

"Thank you, Gandalf," Leigh smiled.

"You are most welcome," Gandalf replied. "You were beginning to make me worry."

"I will try to make sure that your only worries about me are what mischief I'm getting into with Jay and Maylin," she laughed.

"And that is enough worry," Gnadalf retorted.

After that, Leigh didn't have much opportunity to speak with Gandalf again. As they began to climb up into the mountains, everyone's attention seemed to be devoted to creating enough heat to survive. If conversation had lagged before, it flopped over and died now. It was eternally cold and the wind seemed to laugh at their attempts to get warm without a fire. Really, it probably wouldn't have been a good idea to light a fire anyway, Jack thought. The wind would have greatly increased the chances of a wild fire, and there was plenty around that could burn. The cruel wind seemed to have blown the very moisture from the leaves in their present surroundings.

"Is it just me?" Jaden asked Maylin. "Or does it seem that the farther we go, the bleaker everything looks and feels?"

"It isn't just you," Maylin replied over the wind's screams. "It's like the cold and wind murdered the land here."

"You do have such a pretty way of putting things," Leigh shouted from behind them.

"Well, if you can think of something pleasant to say about this land," Maylin called back. "Be sure to share it with us!"

Slowly, the four began to realize that they were being separated. Merry and Pippin seemed to hustle Jaden away with them to be with the Hobbits and Jack tended to go along with them, Maylin was becoming very Elf-like and walking a short ways off from the others, and Leigh tended to join in with the 'leader' group of Aragorn, Gandalf and Boromir. Soon, the only time that the four found that they were spending together much was when they slept in their huddle. After a while, the four began slipping from their groups and making jests at each other.

"You're so far away!" Jack would mock whenever Maylin swooped in closer.

"It is your smell that scares me off!" she would reply.

As Jack worked on freeing himself from a bad-tempered bush, Leigh would walk by and ask calmly, "So... how goes the war?"

Jaden didn't always say something. You knew she was thinking of you though when something hit the back of your head and you turned to see her grinning a ways behind you. Pinecones were her favorite, but when they weren't around, clods of earth or a ball of leaves and grass did nicely.

For the short time that their antics lasted, smiles seemed to come easier to the other members of the Fellowship. It was easy to overhear the comments that the four gave each other in passing, and, on occasion, one of Jaden's missiles would miss the chosen target and whack into someone else's head or back. The Hobbits actually giggled a few times when Jack would get nailed by a sailing clod of muddy earth, or when one of their own would be hit instead.

Soon though, the happy atmosphere that defied the cold wound down and everyone bent their backs to continue up the ever-steepening mountainside. The only whimsical thought that entered anyone's head after a while was a passing thought in Jaden's mind that it was a shame that there was too much flying snow to see a proper target for a snowball.

Maylin began to grow concerned for her friends, while she was an Elf and wasn't as susceptible to the wind and snow, her companions were. After a while, Legolas began to notice her deepening frown and made his way over to her.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Not with me," she smiled. "But I'm kinda worried about my friends. They aren't used to this kind of cold, none of us are, but I'm an Elf, and they're not so... I'm just a little concerned is all."

"As am I," Legolas nodded. "None of the mortals can survive such cold for long, especially not the Hobbits, or ones so young as your friends."

"I wish that there was something we could do..." she trailed off. "Wait! I just thought of something!" With that, she left Legolas and trotted down the hill towards the shivering Jack. "Hey! Jack!" He looked up at her through snow-filled lashes. "Take this!" She handed him her cloak.

"Maylin!" he protested. "You need that!"

"As if you could forget! I'm an Elf! I don't need it!" she reminded him. "Now please put it one before you freeze." Jack slowly pulled it on over his own cloak and nodded his thanks.

"Good going," Leigh commented as she walked up. "He's the youngest, you chose well."

"I wish I had something for all of you," Maylin sighed.

"If you carried that many cloaks," Leigh laughed. "We'd have to throw you on Bill and haul you up the mountain."

"Good point," Maylin consented. "But there's no harm in wishing."

"Wish away," Leigh replied as she continued upward. "While you're wishing, wish me up some gloves! I forgot to pack some!"

The shelter of the cliff-wall was greatly appreciated by the Hobbits and the four friends. Despite Sam's comment, Leigh was far too tired and cold to even think about how clumsy their 'shelter' was. "At least we have a wall," she'd mumbled afer his remark about one wall and no roof making a house. Sam had looked at her with concern, and Leigh had managed a weak smile of reassurance that she was fine.

In truth, she wasn't. Jaden and Jack had been surrounded by Hobbits all day, which helped circulated heat between them, and Jack also had Maylin's cloak in addition to his own. Leigh had neither of those helps, she lacked an extra cloak, and the men weren't the type to huddle as they walked. The fear of frostbite had kept her hands wedged under her arms as much as possible all day long, and she feared for her toes.

'Everyone's cold,' she thought to herself sharply. 'Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you're no worse off than the others, the Hobbits are in a worse condition than you are.'

Her body was curled up against the cliff face as much as was possible while standing. She spotted Frodo beginning to go to sleep in a drift. She struggled to try and move toward him to wake him, but Boromir beat her to it, and she could barely move anyway. With a sigh, she fell back against the rock wall that soared on above her. The flask containing the miruvor was passed around, and Leigh found herself having trouble lifting it to her mouth. Jaden, who was stuck a few yards away, noticed and yelled over the wind to Aragorn, who was standing nearby, "Leigh's not in good shape, Aragorn! I don't think that she can even get that flask to her mouth without help!" Aragorn turned to see and a deep frown settled over his face.

"I'll help," Boromir said swiftly, fighting his way over to the shivering girl.

"I'm alright," Leigh stuttered as she spotted him approaching her.

"If you were alright, my lady," he replied. "You wouldn't be having trouble with that flask." He cupped her hands in his and raised them with the flask to her mouth. She took a small sip and then handed (or rather let it fall) to Sam who was standing beside her with a concerned look on his face. Leigh thought that she could actually feel her toes for a minute as the wonderful drink surged through her. Boromir didn't leave her side, but pulled his cloak around them both to keep warm.

"I'm not dead yet," Leigh pointed out in a stubborn defiance.

"Not yet," Boromir agreed. "But if you don't get warmer, you will be soon." Leigh allowed him to extend his cloak around her, and she found that she was deeply grateful for his offer. The snow kept coming at them, and Leigh began to grow concerned for the Hobbits beside her. Boromir caught her looking at them and suggested a fire to Gandalf.

Jack began to grow frustrated with the wet wood that refused to light so stubbornly. He wanted to help his friends, he didn't get the chance to be in the leading position very often, but he wanted to prove his worth now. As the minutes slid by and now of them could get the flames going, Gandalf strode forward, picked up one of the pieces of wood, and cried out, "Naur an edraith ammen!" And suddenly the fire that they had tried to coax to life for so long leaped up in green and blue. Jaden actually cheered. Boromir brought Leigh forward as the others circled the happy little flames and drew her close both to him and the fire.

"I think that the fire should keep me warm enough, Boromir," Leigh smiled.

"With your stubbornness," he replied., "I can never be sure if you are telling the truth when it comes to how you are fairing. For the time being, I think it best if you stay with me."

The other three friends exchanged glances at Boromir's statement and a few smiles as well.

When the wind and snow finally died, discussion of how to get back down the mountain flared. As the 'original' members of the Fellowship had a serious discussion, the four friends began debating among themselves alternate ways to get back down.

"I think it would be fun to ski," Jaden said.

"Sledding would be the best way, with all of the supplies," Jack pointed out.

"True," Jaden agreed. "But I don't think that Bill would be willing to get on one."

"And you think that he'd get on skis?" Leigh giggled.

"We could go down penguin style," Maylin joked. "You know, lying flat on our bellies and sliding down..."

"I'm not gonna even comment on that one," Leigh hooted.

"I would suggest that we carry down the four ladies," Gandalf called out loud enough for them to hear. "But I have a hunch that they wouldn't permit it."

"Got that right!" Jaden shouted back. All of the men laughed.

"We each have two good legs and we're not Hobbits," Leigh added.

"And I can just walk on top of the snow anyway," Maylin grinned. Then the first snowball was thrown.

Merry and Pippin squealed with delight and began making rather amateur snowballs and piling them up as if preparing for a war. As soon as the Men had left, the war broke loose. Gandalf muttered angrily and took shelter out of the way slightly down the path the Men had made. Jade was the first to be hit by one of the weak snowballs and she actually scolded them about not making it correctly, she then took the next couple minutes to show them how it was done. This in no way hindered the others from enjoying themselves. Jack, Maylin and Leigh found themselves pitted against a ruthless Sam along with Frodo. Then Jules and the other two Hobbits added a third side to the battle and soon they were all flinging around as much snow as they storm had. Once, a very annoyed Gimli threw a snowball at Merry's head when one of the Hobbit's missiles hit the civilian. After that, they all heard the deep, hearty laugh, and Jack looked up over the drift he was hiding behind to see Gandalf chuckling at their foolishness before he was nailed by a well thrown snowball.

"Here we are," Maylin laughed, "in the middle of this dangerous situation and we're having a snowball fight!"

"Maybe we're here for comic relief until Gimli lightens up," Leigh suggested as powdery ball of whiteness exploded against the wall of the cliff. "That was close."

"Children!" a loud voice interrupted. All of the guilty parties peeked up over their defenses and saw Aragorn standing there with Boromir just behind him.

"He started it!" Merry cried as he pointed to Jack.

"Hey," Jack defended. "I just threw one snowball at Maylin for being a bragger."

"So you gave us the idea," Pippin replied.

"I believe that the mood has lightened considerably due to our young friends," Legolas said to Aragorn.

"And it was deeply needed," Gandalf added. "But now that the burrowers have returned, we must continue with our quest. Did you get through?"

"Yes," Aragorn smiled. As he relayed the story of how he and Boromir had plowed through the endless snow, the snow-fighters stood and brushed themselves off and shook hands with their opponents in a gesture of at least temporary peace.

"Come," Gandalf announced. "We must go now, there is some distance to go before the day ends."

And much distance they did indeed cover. Jaden began wondering how on earth she could have gotten so much snow in her boots. By midmorning, it had melted around her feet and she felt like she was walking through a bog with every step she took. Everyone else felt more or less the same, wet clothes, sopping boots, and numbed fingers made for exhausted hikers. By the time Gandalf called a halt several of the companions were more than happy to flop on the ground and try to go to sleep right then and there. Even Maylin found herself having difficulty getting the camp set up and rousing her friends who had flopped.

Her hands faltered as she began setting out rations on a convenient flat stone by her elbow. As she slipped her hands into the pack once again, and pulled them out trembling with a load of dried food two perfectly smooth hands enclosed hers. She looked up in surprise to meet two clear blue eyes looking into hers.

"You are tired," Legolas said gently. "Go and rest, I can handle this."

"I'm sure you're tired too," Maylin protested, shaking her head.

"Even though we are both Elves," Legolas replied, "I have lived far longer than you and have much more experience with long days of travel. You have not. Now go and rest, Maylin."

Mutely, she nodded, rose, and tottered over to where Jack was still stubbornly sleeping, despite Leigh's vain attempts to rouse him. When she saw Maylin approaching, she openly moaned and muttered, "Is everyone going to sleep? C'mon! This is very unFellowship-like of you!"

"I have orders," Maylin shrugged. "And right now I am more than happy to follow them."

"Who gave you orders to sleep?" Leigh sighed.

"Legolas."

"You have no idea how lucky you are," Leigh rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes I do," Maylin smirked as she rested her head on a patch of grass.

Leigh threw her arms up in the air and stomped off to find something useful to do. In the end she found herself helping Jaden and the Hobbits setting out the bedrolls and unloading Bill the pony with Sam.

"You had us worried up on the mountain," Sam told her.

"Believe me when I say that it was completely unintentional," Leigh laughed.

"I think you might have died if Lord Boromir hadn't helped you like he did," Sam informed her.

"You think so, do you?" Leigh said, trying to avoid the topic.

Jaden fell on her knees next to Jack and roughly shook him by the shoulders. "Wake up, pretty boy!" she yelled. "The beauty sleep is over!"

"Five more minutes," Jack said to the dirt.

"No, no more minutes!"

"C'mon, lad!" Gimli added. "Stop leaving all the work to the lady-folk!"

"Not very chivalrous," Leigh grined, "is he?"

"Did you hear that, Jack?" Jaden asked. "Leigh just said something mean about you."

"But it was the truth, wasn't it, Jack?" Leigh giggled.

"Of course," Jack answered, obviously not with it. Jaden and Leigh exchanged grinning glances.

"Oh, Merry and Pippin!" Jaden called. "Come here! Leigh and I are going to show you a game."

"A game!" Merry bubbled. "What kind of game?"

"Watch and learn," Leigh replied sagely. She bent over Jack and asked, "Oh, Jack? Where did the dog go?"

"Into the rabbit hole," Jack murmured. His tormenters bent double in stifled giggles.

"Where are we going tomorrow?" Jaden asked.

"Through the horse."

"Jack," Pippin ventured, "What color is the sky?"

"Yellow with pink dots."

"What on earth are you doing?" Gandalf asked the teasing comrades as he strode over to investigate.

"Watching the cow."

The observers broke into all-out hysterical laughter that jerked Jack out of his semiconscious state.

"W-what?" he stammered. Then he spotted the red faced girls and Hobbits around him and he began to put two and two together. "Oh, no," he gasped, "you didn't!"

"We did!" Jaden hooted. "Don't be mad, we all needed a good laugh, and you deserved it for copping out of work anyway."

"I don't think I'll ever take a nap again in my life unless I'm in a locked room," Jack groaned.

"That might be wise," Gandalf agreed. "With those two women on the loose, you never know what might happen."

After that, the mood once again mellowed and the debate over Moria sprang to life. Leigh kept a close eye on her friends to make sure that they didn't stray from the camp, she knew very well what was about to happen that night, and it would be safer if everyone stayed together. She had always loved seeing wolves in zoos back home, but she had never, ever wanted to meet a wild one, especially a wild one that was at least semi-intelligent that was set on killing her.

As the wind began to moan, the four kept their ears pricked for the murderous wail of the wolves. By the time Aragorn sprang up and called out the warning the group of outsiders had been listening to the wild wails of the wolves for about a minute. It was amazing how quickly they all moved camp. Jack swiftly built a fire and the girls scuttled about as far as was safe in desperate search of fuel for the flames that Jack was kindling. Without the wood, the fire would be a short lived defense against the approaching wolves.

"Leigh," Maylin whispered. "Aren't the wolves that are coming actually... werewolves?"

"Tolkien hinted at that," Leigh agreed as she flung down her load next to the swaying flames. "I'm pretty sure that ngaurhoth means 'werewolves.' So, yeah, that's probably what they are."

"I have goose bumps."

"So do I," Leigh whispered in reply. "Stay close to the fire and have your sword ready."

"Oh don't worry," Maylin snorted, "I will."

Jaden found that she was having trouble sleeping. At least the others could dose, but she was incapable of even that. Well... Tolkien had said that they dosed... but her friends probably weren't sleeping a wink either. Slowly, reverently, Jaden pulled out the journal Bilbo had given her and a quill. Quills had always fascinated her, the scratching sound they made when you wrote with them was so reassuring and unique. She uncapped her small bottle of ink, opened the journal, dipped the quill, and began to write.

After only such a short amount of time, we have come through so much together that I feel unbelievable close to my three friends who were kidnaped with me. So far, we have hidden from monstrous crows that were sent as spies to seek us out, battled the harsh winds and snow of the Misty Mountains, nearly frozen to death, and now wait with sweaty palms for the attack of a pack of wolves that I think are actually werewolves, if I remember correctly.

I believe that there are at least two relationships that involve my friends that may just become more than friendship, one of them is well on its way. Boromir saved Leigh from freezing to death on the mountain and shared his cloak with her even after a fire had been lit (finally). Hopefully, I will be able to write more about this budding romance as it grows. My greatest fear is for what it might mean in the future. I know what Boromir is going to do, and I'm concerned about what Leigh's going to do. She's very stubborn but I don't think she'd go as far as to alter the story so severely. Something like that could change everything. Then again, they say that love changes everything, so I honestly don't know. There seems to be a lovely little bit of friendliness between Legolas, the prince of Mirkwood, and our own dear Maylin. Now THAT would be interesting.

I'm enjoying this, it's fun writing about little things I see around me. But right now, I had better get some sleep. The wolves will be here soon.

Leigh rested quietly next to Maylin. She knew that neither of them were sleeping, but someone would probably yell at them if they got up and tried to do something. The sword the Elves had given her in Rivendell was sitting impatiently in its sheath by her side, made anxious by her restless hand that was lying on its hilt. When the wolves came, she'd be ready.

A howl split the uneasy silence of the camp and Leigh sprang to her feet along with her companions. The great, dark wolf was standing far too near for comfort. Why hadn't she settled them farther away from the break in the circle? Blast! That thing was close enough that she could see the nasty expressions that passed over its wolfish face. Gandalf stepped forward and warned the beast what fate would befall it should it try to attack inside the ring. It paid no heed. With a massive snarl, it leapt forward toward them and the four friends took an involuntary leap backward. Legolas's arrow shot through the darkness and pierced the foul thing's throat.

"Here we go," Leigh whispered under her breath. In a few hours the pack would attack, and then they would receive the true test of how well they had learned sword craft.

A/N: I am afraid that this is the end of this chapter! Can't wait to finish the next one! Please be kind and hit the pretty little review button!