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Chapter 9 – Following to Rivendell

Halei gasped as the curly, dark brown hair hobbit vanished. No being had the ability to do that, and she was fairly certain from her time with pippin he couldn't do that. It was then a shadow of a movement caught her eye. A cloaked man in the corner had sprung up and marched upto a table. He reached underneath it as if to grab somthing, but a passerby blocked Halei's view.

Straining to see she arched her neck to the side. But the male had gone. She looked around, curiously and sure enough, she found him. He was throwing one of pippins friends up a flight of stairs. She stood up. And looked around for pippin, he was on the floor where Frodo had fell babbling like an idiot, or at least it sounded that way for Halei had no Idea what he was saying.

She picked him up off the floor. He screamed. "Hush... you fool" Halei hissed under her breath as she put her hand over pippins face to stop him from attracting unwanted attention. At the sound of her voice his eyes went as large as a fruit bowl.

"H...H...How?" he stuttered in confusion.

Halei merely shook her head. "Your friend." She didn't know how to explain the rest to him in her language so she pointed in the direction of the stairs. Understanding he nodded. She put him down and he ran off into the midst of the crowd like a mouse in a house of rats. After watching the three of Pippins peer's follow the large cloaked male up the stairs, she too followed, only in precaution for her friend's safety. Be it normal circumstances she would have helped, but this world, she feared was not ready for such an entrance, Pippin was the exception.

She heard raised voices then nothing. She crept further and further up the wooden stairs, her claws, dug into the wood at spots, tearing slightly at the woodwork. She peered over the last step into a open room. There the cloaked man and the hobbits now sat. Looking peaceful towards one another enough. Satisfied that the encounter had not gone awry Halei, then silently and stealthily slipped away from the inn and into the night. She would watch the town from a distance she decided. She had in her mind, out stayed her welcome, and then there were also those black riders to worry about.

She found a dry spot under a large oaken tree, and there she tried to lay her worries to rest and slept. It was unnatural for her to continue to function when cold. Her kind relied on warmth for their energy, without it they were like, hobbits without food, very disagreeable. But sleep was impossible, for the darkness on her mind was still about. It was getting closer. They would be upon the town soon, but when they arrived, she would be waiting. She took from her back a longer type of pistol, her people called them rifles, and they had extremely long range. Even though it was night, she could see the vibrations and warmth of the world around her.

Pippin, Frodo, Sam and Merry all crowded around the ranger, that at first had seemed to be of hostile nature, tell them stories of the wild and beyond. They were all still shaken from the attack by the black riders, who Strider told them, had every right to be feared.

Pippin was also surprised by the appearance of Halei, it made him wonder if she stalked him wherever he went, which in his mind was slightly leaning towards the disturbing side of matters, but he doubted it. He was just thankful that she was out and about, it made him feel more secure, more secure than the ranger who sat in front of him that was for sure. He was still a mystery to them and Merry, Sam and Frodo already trusted him, somewhat.

"Master Hobbits I now must insist that you sleep in this room, for a fear it is not safe for you to be far from me, they're a few in middle earth who can hold their ground against the evil that follows you like hounds to prey."

"Is not even Bree safe?" Frodo asked in fear.

"Aye, Bree wouldn't, nor couldn't hold against them." Strider answered solemnly. "Sleep he nodded to the single bed.

One by one the Hobbits climbed into the man size bed, it accommodated all four of them easily enough. Soon exhaustion caught up with them weaving its rest upon them. As for strider, he closed his eyes, yet did not give in to nature, he was listening. Reaching out with is consciousness, felling the world around him. Evil was drawing closer.

About an hour later, during the zenith of the night, while the wind pattered the rain against the window in a constant stream, Aragon was still awake. He knew the ones who pursued the Hobbits would come. He could feel the fear that they wielded, so close now.

A thunderous crack erupted. Then another. Another. Aragon peered out the window in confusion, it was raining, but there was no lightning. Another crack filled his ears. Then the screaming began, the Nazguls were screaming and screeching in the night, yet they weren't inside the walls yet.

Frodo bolted up hearing their cries, but Aragon payed no heed, he was in deep contemplation, something was happing out there in the night, something was at the least, hurting the Nazgul, for their cries were full of woe. The lightningless thunder continued. Eventfully all the hobbits were awake. Aragon wouldn't have been surprised if the whole town wasn't awake.

Thunder. 'It sounded like a clap of thunder'. Aragons eyes widened. Anger boiled up in his chest. The thing was here. It had killed his friend. Whatever it was it was powerfull, or stupid to stand against the Nazgal.

"What are they?" Frodo's question broke Aragon from his anger fuelled thoughts. "Strider?"

"They were men once, Great kings of old, who in their greed took 9 rings from Sauron the deceiver, and every one of them falling into darkness. They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. Ever are they drawn to the One. They will never stop hunting you."

"Will they get in?" Frodo asked.

Aragon gave a thoughtful glance to the right, then looking back at the window. "No... something has fought them off for now. That thunder you heard... was not of this Middle Earth."

"What was it?"

"I do not know... but I know it is not a friend of your mine. We must make haste in the morning, Master hobbits, and make ground as quickly possible on the road. Now rest Frodo. But wake early so you have a chance to eat you fill before our journey."

Halei battered and bruised from the encounter slumped against her red hot rifles, that sizzled and the rain evaporated of its scoldering iron mass. The heat, to Halei was nothing but comfort, her scales protected her soft skin from majority of damage. Plus it also gave her energy, something she was lacking of, a dangerous thing for a lizard. She fell unconscious, her brain robbed of precious oxygen and heat. The world dispersed into nothingness. Beneath a oaken tree the exhausted warrior lay, all consciousness of the world gone. The rain continued its assault against her.

The morning came, the sun rose from over the hills. Warming the land. It wasn't till the sun was at its highest did Halei stir. She blinked, then without thinking stretched her still warming body. After she had regained most of her energy, her thinking became more clearer. She decided to check on Pippin. Still having the brown cloak she made her way to the walled town. Not risking the guard at the gate, she again climbed the wall, leaving new claw marks on the white bricks.

Entering the now quite inn, she, careful not to make too much of a noise, Halei made her way to the room she had left Pippin in. It was empty, they must have left while she was still unconscious, she concluded. They couldn't be more than a couple of hours ahead. Halei, after making one last sweep of the place to make sure they defiantly had gone left the town by the only other road. Of course she wasn't on the road, for fear of discovery, but she was close enough to follow it.

Careful in her pursuit, as not to bypass them, for she knew the slowness of the hobbit, she followed. The road eventfully became lost into the land or the land into the road, she knew not, but the way became less clear. It was only after stumbling upon an apple in the snow, that bore the scent of her friend did her path become more clear.

Hours turned to days, as she pursued her quarrel, passing ever into the thick wild of middle earth. Halei, still new to the world, sometimes looked around at her surroundings in awe, there was just so much open space, unlike the caves in which her people dwelled.

This world had so much to offer her people, and her people to it. But the knowledge of darkness, still aboard, would surly mean that the Arquin would never rise, the High Caste would never allow it, for they would never listen to her, even though she was one of them.

As she travelled behind her friend, she hunted. Careful not to use her main weapons, she resorted to claws and teeth, she would have used a sword, but she could never use one properly, she had found to her own distaste, Halei prided herself a master of weapons, yet she could barely wield a sword. This always was a a running joke amongst the Arquin armed forces, but she usually laid to rest the jesters with well aimed shots from her favoured pistols, just above their head so they could fill the displacement of air.

It was night. A starless night, they hid behind a thick veil of clouds. Varda would have been sad at the sight. Halei felt uncomfortable in the presence of this starless night. Like before, she could feel that an evil was near, yet, at the same time, so far.

An ear splitting screech filled the air, causing Halei to put her hands to her ear slits. After the dreadful cry ended its long shrill note, Halei didn't hesitate to whip out her two pistols. Aiming them into the night. Yet no black draped figure materialised out of the unnatural dark. Halei furrowed her scaly brow. They weren't near. "But that means..." a look of horror swept across her face. How could she had been so naive "Pippin!" She knew that man would be nothing but trouble, even if he did look so friendly towards them. Switching into a sprint, Halei pushed all of her energy reserves into her bowed legs. Her claws kicked up the dirt and twigs. The darkness, like before got closer.

As she ran she noticed a large hill with a structure on top, it was impressive, yet ruined. She continued to follow the cries into a forest. Her legs all but spent she had little choice but to revert to s a fast paced walk.

"Is he going to die?" Pippin asked as a tugged at Striders shirt.

"Sam, Do you know the affalas plant?" Asked Strider, all but ignoring Pippins heart felt question.

Sam who was at his masters side shock his head.

"Kingsfoil?"

"Aye, thats a weed."

Throwing a torch, which Sam was lucky to catch, Strider whispered in confidence "It may slow the poison."

Sam following Strider left Merry and Pippin to watch over a dyeing Frodo.

"Hay... Frodo..." Snuffled Pippin, as he sat down next to a non registering Frodo.

"Come on Mister Frodo you can pull through this." Merry pressured.

Frodo just stared into space as he tried to breath.

A rock hit Pippin on the Skull. "Ow... merry this is know time for fun or games, he turned to his cousin who was still looking over Frodo.

"What, games? What do you mean?"

A hiss from the undergrowth from his left, made Pippin realise who had thrown the rock. There was only one thing in middle earth that made a noise like that: Halei. Merry hadn't noticed the hiss thankfully. Slipping off unnoticed Pippin crept in the direction of Halei. Climbing under a shrub he came face to face with her. She looked tremendously unimpressed at him, but that was layered under a curtain of worry. "What happened?"

"Frodo..." He pointed "...Poisoned... Dying" A tear trickled down his cheak. Halei would go to this Frodo, to help but the other was there. Looking back at a tear streaked face Pippin. "Please... help"

How could she say no to him... putting the large cloak on she followed pippin to Frodo. Merry was most surprised when pippin came back with a cloaked figure, thinking it was a black rider till he saw it was a brown clock.

Halei bent down, careful not to reveal her face or tail, to Frodo, her lay still on the floor. His wound was bad, she could see the poison streaking out from the origin beneath his pale blue skin. Reaching into her sack, she pulled out a precious vial of the strongest medication she had. Unscrewing it she dropped a few precious drops onto the wound.

"What's he doing?" Merry objected. "Who is he?"