A/N: I hope this chapter isn't too confusing. It's a hell of a lot of talking and Ammy gets pretty angst-ridden...

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of there affiliates. I am merely borrowing it because I cannot create sustainable plots or characters.

"Talking"
'Ammy's thoughts'

Revision 30/03/12: Parts of this chapter have been edited but shouldn't effect the overall story!


Chapter 8

Dreaming


"And we're back in the weird cloudy place." Ammy said out loud as she stood up on the cloud and straightened her clothing. "At least this time I'm not a tiger nor am I naked. Now I've just got to find Master Campfer. Wonder where he is?"

She began to walk through the mist and cloud slowly, inching each foot forward so that she would feel his roots when she was getting close. Unfortunately she didn't encounter any roots but stumbled across the tree entwined with the youngest of the Three Fate Sisters.

"OH GOD! Stop!" Ammy yelled out and whirled around. Campfer was standing with the Fate's legs wrapped around his waist, their mouths engaged in actions other than talking. What made the thing disturbing wasn't the display of desire but rather the fact that Campfer's roots and branches were twisting round and entwining in quite...symbolic, ways.
"Get a room, or stop, or vanish, or I could go?" She bleated and covered her eyes trying to remove the image seared into her mind. Whilst she herself had engaged in displays of the like she had never seen a woman entangled with a tree

'Reminds me far too much of 'The Go-Between'. GCSE English, never again...' She thought.

After a few seconds the Third Fate coughed and Ammy turned around slowly, her eyes half-closed so that she could turn around quickly if necessary.

"I'm terribly sorry about that." The Third Fate said, a light red stained her skin and she fiddled with her blonde hair nervously. She looked quite similar to Legolas and if Ammy hadn't known better she could have sworn they were related.
"I needed to speak with you, about some of the details of your rebirth and your mission, information that we didn't correctly give you. And I knew Campfer was teaching you and I don't often get to see him and-"

"Let me get this straight, you're dating the tree?" Ammy asked curiously. The Fate nodded sheepishly. "Cool, who am I to quibble over things like species. Besides, you're a Goddess and he's a living tree so I doubt things like species make much difference to you."

The Third Fate nodded and smiled. Campfer upon seeing that everything was well turned and walked away, leaving the two females alone in the cloudy place.

"Anyway, I got side-tracked and forgot you were coming. I apologise. I am here tonight to instruct you as to your rebirth and the task you must complete. There were some... details, which my sisters were not very clear about. I can never control them. Then again I think the only person they listen to is Lucifer..."
There was a few minutes silence and Ammy looked around whilst the Fate stood in thought. Then the Fate gestured to the fluffy ground and they both sat, the Fate reclined on the ground and it seemed to turn into an ottoman whilst Ammy choose to kneel.

"Firstly I shall introduce myself properly. We can't have you just calling me Fate all the time, it gets rather tiresome as I'm sure you know."

'Definitely know. 'Tigress' and 'It' are two words banned from my vocabulary.' Ammy thought sourly. She had been relieved when she had worked out a way to tell her name and was even more grateful when Campfer had given her the ability to speak. It did make things less awkward.

"My sisters and I make up the Moirai, which means fate or lot, hence the title 'The Three Fates'. My eldest sister who had red hair and black eyes is called 'Atropos'. Her job is to decide how mortals shall die and it is she who ends life. In some cases however accidents happen and people die before their time. Like you.
My second sister, the one with blue hair, is 'Lachesis' and she measures people's lives and it is she who determines when they end. And my name is 'Klotho' and I spin the thread that is a person's life.
Sometimes events happen however and our plan goes awry. You were never meant to be born in the world you lived in. Earth was not meant to be your true home. Middle Earth is your ancestral home and if everything had gone to plan you would have been born here." Klotho stopped in her speech and watched the albino woman's face intently.

Ammy stared at the goddess. "My life cannot get any weirder. So you're saying I wasn't supposed to be born or to exist in Earth but in Middle Earth? Then how come I was born in that other world? And how could you make a mistake? You're Gods so aren't you meant to be omnipotent?"

Klotho sighed and began braiding her hair, the blonde strands were smooth and shiny but much shorter than Amaterasu's and so she only had to plait it into a simple braid. As she spoke she kept her eyes averted from the intense red/pink of the young woman's.

"We are bound by laws as are you humans. We could not change your fate until you had ceased in one world, the wrong world. As to how you ended up being born in the wrong world...Sauron, creator of the Ring which you seek to destroy along with your companions, created other rings; three for the elves, seven for the dwarves and nine for Men. These nine men given rings were eventually turned into the Ringwraiths, the same ones you lead into the ravine.
The Nazgul were mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their undoing. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Nazgûl were they, the Ringwraiths, the Úlairi, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death." (Taken from The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age", 346)

Ammy swallowed and shifted from her knees to sitting cross-legged next to Klothe. None of this had been in the books she had read in the books at Lord Elrond's home. At least not in this much detail.

"The nine men before they became the Nazgul, met a race of shifters known as 'Ame-no-Mihashira'. Your people. The Valar created your race to be a balance in this world. They had elves who could live forever, men who fought petty wars and dwarves who hid themselves from reality and were interested only in treasure. Your race was to be a bridge between these three races and this was successful and the Valar were pleased, they thought they had created the perfect race. But Sauron saw your people as a threat. Men, elves and dwarves alike sought out your people for advice and whilst your race was not immortal they recorded everything and had clear minds and strong hearts and were guided by both. The dark lord feared this and so when he gave the nine rings to men he instilled the idea in them that your people would destroy mankind. At this time the leaders of your race were Izanagi and Izanami. They had many children scattered across Middle Earth, your namesake included."

At this Ammy looked up in surprise.

"Oh, yes. Amaterasu was known as the sun-goddess. She also had a brother called Tsukiyomi who was the god of the moon and the ruler of night. The nine lords first found Tsukiyomi and instead of killing him they persuaded him to join them and betray your race. Tsukiyomi helped the nine Ringwraiths find members of Ame-no-mihashira and slaughter them. One of the last they found was Uke Mochi who let slip where the leaders and Amaterasu were hiding. Tsukiyomi was jealous of Amaterasu and Uke Mochi's friendship and tortured the latter before he finally killed her.
A white wolf had seen all of this and ran to tell Izanagi and Izanami. The wolf was actually Amaterasu and she was greatly angered by Tsukiyomi's betrayal and his murder of her best friend.
Once she had told her parents of his betrayal she set out with Izanami, who was pregnant, to seek sanctuary with the elves in Caras Galadhon, whilst Izanagai remained to try and destroy The Nine and his treacherous son. Izanagi was defeated by The Nine and Tsukiyomi who ambushed and murdered him. They then pursued Amaterasu and Izanami.
The sun goddess and Izanami were mere hours from the woods of Lothlorien when Izanami went into labour. She gave birth to a son but was too weak to move. She bade Amaterasu take the child and run and the sun goddess was duty bound to her mother and to her newborn brother and fled.
By now we, my sisters and I, had seen what was happening and were angered by the Valar's dismissal so we sought the power of Lucifer and we brought Amaterasu and the child Kagu-Tsuchi into the world of Earth. The year we brought them into your old world was 1807 and the slave trade had just been abolished. Amaterasu and Kagu-Tsuchi changed their names and adapted to life in England. Amaterasu spent her life raising Kagu-Tsuchi and never married however the boy went on to marry and your race was continued through the years. Whilst your bloodline was weakened when you died we were able to purify you of the human genes and return you to your original species."

By this point Ammy was almost in shock.

"Which of my parents on Earth was descended from Kagu-Tuschi?" she asked her voice almost a husky whisper.

"Your mother. Whilst Kagu-Tsuchi was male his first child was female and that continued in his descendants, his first daughter went on to have a daughter first and then her first child was female and so on and so on. Until we reached you. You showed the closest resemblance to Amaterasu and Kagu-Tsuchi. Everyone else in your bloodline has veered away from animals and nature whereas you were always interested and keen to know more.
We believe the Valar interfered after we had decided your fate, The Three Fates always visit a child three days after it is born to decide its fate, and we had predicted and made your fate which did not end with you dying in an accident."

When Klotho mentioned Ammy's death she missed the flinch that the albino gave. Ammy reached her hand round her back and rubbed at the scar in her flesh and sought to calm herself.

"As interesting as this history lesson has been, you haven't explained what I am to do in this world. Why did you bring me here if Sauron despises the Ame-no-Mihashira?" The albino woman stood and began to pace restlessly the clouds eddying around her feet and swirling in abstract and disturbed patterns.

"Klotho, what am I to do?" She shouted when the goddess refused to answer.

"I can't tell you what you are to do; I don't know what it is. Only the Valar do and they are refusing to talk to us. All I know is that if you fail in your task you will die and history will repeat itself until you get it right. You will be forced to re-enact everything from the beginning of your entry into this world until you succeed."

The newly rediscovered Ame-no-Mihashira whirled round and stared in disbelief at the golden eyed goddess.

"You're joking...You've got to be joking. There's no way I can complete a task without knowing what it is." She breathed heavily, her chest heaving as she began to panic. Klothe stared sadly at the young woman.

"I'm so sorry. If I had known, I'd have tried to stop the Valar. You have to complete your task. Sauron does not yet know of your existence. You have the upper hand and once you have mastered your other eleven forms you will be far more powerful than he could imagine. My sisters and Campfer will attempt to aid you but ultimately your actions will dictate what happens."

"This isn't fair. I won't do it. You can't make me." Ammy's voice crescendoed and Klothe stared at the normally calm woman in disbelief. The albino's eyes were bleeding into red and her hair was whipping wildly about her head, it being loose in the dream world. The dreamscape itself was fluctuating violently and the clouds were gathering in malevolent grey clusters.

"I will not do the actions the Valar demand due to their need to correct their mistakes! My children and children's children have suffered because of the blind eye turned to the actions of Sauron, my descendants and I have suffered! You will not use this child to do your actions!" By now Ammy's voice was no longer hers but a thousand, thousand voices yelling in pain.
"Release your hold on the descendant and correct your own mistakes, I Izanami-no-Mikoto command my creators to release her!"

Klotho gasped and stumbled back until she felt a body behind her. Campfer stood looking at the albino woman who was screaming with a thousand voices, sadness and despair etched into his face.

"It is as I feared." He said sorrowfully. "She is the reincarnation of Izanami." Campfer stroked Klotoe's hair gently. The goddess turned molten gold eyes on her lover seeking answers.

"She could bring Middle Earth to ruins if she chose to do so. And after the mess the Valar have made of her ancestors and her life I would not be surprised if her heart and mind succumb easily to the darker side. If the Valar do not release her from eternal servitude then we shall see history repeat itself for eons..."

The tree encircled his lover in his arms and brought the small goddess into the safety of his body. Whilst they watched Ammy's shouts grew louder and louder and her actions more and more wild until suddenly she vanished.

"She has been woken by the Hobbits in Middle Earth. We can only hope that she regains control of her body and that Izanami relinquishes her hold. Otherwise Sauron will sense her sooner and she will not be ready. Also she must put aside any bitterness she has towards the races of Middle Earth who caused her to suffer in her old world and purify her heart so that she may succeed in her task." Klothe turned and buried her face into Campfer's chest and he could feel tears soaking into his bark.

"Do not fear Klotho. I believe Ammy is nothing like Izanami who has been twisted by centuries of waiting. Izanami suffered and at the hands of one who betrayed her and her people. Ammy is a far gentler soul than Izanami ever was. Next time Ammy visits I will seek to reassure her."

The tree brushed a gentle kiss over the top of the goddess' hair and then buried his face in the golden strands.

"All will be well..."


Ammy woke with a start and threw off the Hobbits clinging to her arms as they shook her. She could feel her breath coming in short pants and gasps and stared wildly at the childlike creatures.

"Ammy, what's wrong?" Frodo asked and reached out towards her. She shrank back from his touch, crawling away from the four Hobbits. Once she was a suitable distance from them and they made no moves to come towards her, she noticed the other males. To her fragile and tumultuous mind being bombarded by the memories of those long lost, the men looked eerily similar to Tuskiyomi and she hastened to muffle a scream.

Dawn had just broken over the horizon and she felt her body ripple and her bones and muscle shift restlessly under her skin. Soon fur covered every inch of her body and she could feel her razor sharp claws pricking the dirt. The enraged tigress turned her attention back to the group of men and creatures.
One of them had known. The old one. He had known what the reincarnation had not. With a snarl the tigress sped across the distance, leapt over the heads of the small half-breeds who were not her concern and landed in front of the wizard.

"What have you got to say for yourself old man?" She snarled mockingly.

"I have nothing to say to you Izanami." Was the calm and measured reply. The other males exchanged looks of confusion and bewilderment. "You are not my concern. Ammy is my concern. Relinquish her body to her. She may be your reincarnation but she is not your tool for revenge or manipulation. She must make the choice on her own."

Snarls and growls emanated from the feline's chest and she made several moves as if to attack the wizard however she always turned back at the last moment and stalked away.

Legolas and Aragorn made to move to Gandalf's side however the wizard held out his hand gesturing for them to stop. They halted just as the animal noticed their movements. Her body tensed and then she burst over the short distance and leapt at Aragorn. The large animal hit the man hard and he wrapped his arms around her neck and they rolled over and over. They finally came to a stop several metres away from the Fellowship and the Hobbits hurried over to check on both.

The man lay on top of the tigress that remained still under him. They were both breathing heavily and there were smears of red on Ammy's white and silver fur. Once he was sure the tigress was returned to normal Aragorn relinquished his grip on her neck and rolled off the large cat. He lay on his back and stared up at the dawn-lit sky whilst Ammy remained on her front.

"Aragorn. Amaterasu. Are you hurt?" Legolas said as he knelt beside the Dunedain. The elf prince pulled the long sleeves of the man's shirt up and saw four thin slashes down the skin. Despite the wounds being thin they were bleeding and one had been torn during the tumble the pair had taken.

"Just my pride." Aragorn chuckled and held his arm out as Legolas began cleaning the wound and binding it.

"Ammy, you must get up and walk away with me. I will take you away and we can seal Izanami inside you so that she cannot escape. Campfer came and spoke with me last night and he has agreed to help. All you need to do is get up and follow me." Gandalf crouched down next to the vulnerable animal. Excruciatingly slowly, Ammy rose to her feet, her head hanging low and her eyes squeezed shut.

"That's it. Just follow me and we can prevent her from taking over your body again. Then we will continue with the Fellowship. That is what you want is it not?" The wizard walked slowly next to the white and silver creature that moved as if in agony, every muscle tense and taut, every paw placed incredibly slowly and with great precision. As he watched her head went up and down once in a brief conformation.

When the pair returned to the group Ammy was gambling around and chasing the wind, all signs of stress removed from her body and on seeing the Hobbits she darted towards them and allowed them to clamber all over her. Balance restored once more, the Fellowship continued on their quest, all members, to a certain degree, content. Save for one...


A/N: And here's Chapter 8! Again this one was pretty angsty but I promise that the next chapter will not be angsty.

Please Read and Review

Love
Ryua