Chapter 10 Battle of beasts and the Gate
The Fellowship headed down the mountain faster than they had went up and as they went the hobbits began to reminisce of the days that they spent back home during winter. Suddenly a snowball hits Aragorn in the back of the head he looks to see Aranthis whistling and looking away. "That's it!" He exclaimed and tossed a hastily made snowball at the halfblood Dunedain who ducked and let the snowball hit Legolas.
The elven prince looked shocked while Gimli gave a belly bursting laugh before he gets hit by a snowball, soon the entire Fellowship excluding Sam who was cooking their dinner joined the snowball war laughing and hitting eachother with the cold ammunition enjoying it like children.
Night soon fell over the rocky foothills of the Misty Mountains as the Fellowship finished their meal.
"Gimli what will we expect to find in Moria?" Spyro asked the dwarf who smiled at the dragons evilly.
"For you two a hundred or more axes." He answered darkly before laughing at their looks of horror.
"Just messing with ye're heads. Although it would be best if you two flew over the mountain while we enter Moria. My cousin Balin was one of the survivors of Smaug's attack on Erebor and while one of the most level headed dwarf I know, I doubt he nor any of the dwarves that went with him would stand to see you and your mate in our halls." Gimli told the two reptilian members of the Fellowship. Suddenly a howl broke the joyful mood followed by another and another. Hearing this the more experienced members of the Fellowship stood up quickly.
"Wolves and Wargs are around us." Aranthis said as he looked from left to right as black shapes darted just beyond the light of the fire soon they see the yellow eyes of the large beasts snarling at them.
"Everyone circle the fire. This is our best protection against them." Gandalf instructed while Spyro and Cynder snarled at the wargs While Aranthis snarled at them showing his sharp teeth at the beasts when suddenly the largest of the unnatural wolves steps forward and growled at Aranthis who smirked at it.
"Leave this to me my friends." Aranthis said as he keeled over in pain and snarled in agony as the Fellowship hears the sound of bones breaking and watch in horror as their friend changes:
His arms grew longer and cracked from the transformation as his nails grew longer and blackened as his teeth grew longer and sharper, his armor seemed to meld into pitch black fur as muscles rippled underneath as his lower face broke and reformed lengthening into a snout his eyes went from a cloudy grey to a fearful yellow like a full moon in a cloudfilled night.
Soon the sound of the breaking of bones stops and where once stood a man now stood a large two legged wolf, it snarls lifting it's black furred head full of sharp teeth howled towards the moon in a guttural cry shocking the Fellowship.
The Werewolf now stood on all fours and spoke to the large wolf in their secret tongue with snarls, growls and lip curls in the place of words. Suddenly the two leapt towards one another and began to scratch and bite at eachother wrestling in the muddied snow each gave wounds to the other and yet for all of it's primal strength the wolf of Sauron could not beat this new predator and was soon trapped between it's long arms and with it's large jaws ripped off the wolf's head before spitting it out of it's mouth and letting the body fall to the icy ground.
The wolves snarl at the larger werebeast before backing away as it is law within the packs returned into the shadowed lands where they came from leaving the werewolf to return to the human form of Aranthis dressed in only a loincloth.
"Blast this cold!" He muttered as he quickly got closed to the fire as the eyes of the Fellowship excluding his brother were on him. Feeling annoyed the dunedain looked to his brother. "You never told them of my werewolf transformation?" He asked as a eyebrow raised up.
Before the Dunedain could answer more wolf howls were heard and once more the Fellowship was surrounded by the servants of Sauron
"What the oblivion?" He growled as he grabbed Wuthraad and stood with his wolves charged forth only to be killed by the weapons of the Fellowship although most were killed by Legolas's arrows, Aranthis and Gimli's axes or Strider and Boromir's swords the hobbits managed to kill a few before Gandalf slammed his staff into the fire sending bolts of fire and wiping them out causing the last few to run into the shadows while the dragons lit a ring of fire around the Fellowship.
Morning soon came and the tired heroes soon found the area empty save for broken arrows and soot covered ground from the dragonfire and magic the thirteen soon packed rather quickly and left with Gandalf in the lead.
"Frodo come up here and help an old man." The oldest member of their company said to the Ringbearer who quickly got up to him.
"How's your shoulder Frodo?" Gandalf asked making casual conversation with the hobbit who looked up to him both figuretively and literally.
"It's much better now." He answered as the old wizard stopped and looked at him. "And the Ring?" He asked warily as Frodo frowned. "You feel it's power growing then don't you. I've felt it too. You must be careful now, evil will be drawn to you from outside of the Fellowship. And I fear from within." Gandalf said muttering the last part quietly as he eyed Boromir.
"Who do I trust then?" Frodo asked his friend and mentor.
"You must trust yourself and your own strength." The maiar said sagely confusing the smaller hobbit.
"What do you mean?"
"There are many powers for good or for evil. Some are greater than I am and some I have not been tested against." Gandalf said confusing the young Ringbearer more when Gimli suddenly pointed to an old ruin that ran into the mountains and beyond a murky lake. "The walls of Moria." He said reverently. As the Fellowship traversed around the rocky shore of the lake Cynder looked down towards Gimli as the dwarf occasionally stopped and tapped the mountainside with his axe.
"So what is it about Moria that makes it so wonderous to you. I mean it just sounds like another underground city?" Cynder asked as the dwarf stopped and looked at her slightly irked.
"Khazad Dum is more than another underground city She-dragon. it is the greatest city of my people founded by Durin the Deathless. It brought and received riches from all of Middle-earth and the capital of the Dwarf kingdoms." Gimli said as he marched off muttering in dwarvish.
As night fell along with Gimli's temper he soon started to tap the rocks more. "Dwarf doors are invisible." He informed his friends as Gandalf looked with him.
"Yes Gimli! Their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten." He said as he led the Feoowship.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas snidely commented earning himself a growl from the dwarf while Frodo stumbled slightly into the water causing him to look worried as he thought he heard something.
At a good sized beach the Fellowship stopped and Gandalf went towards the rock wall wiping away the dirt and muttering to himself: "Ah...let me see...Ithildin." He said finding some crystal and wiping away more dirt as the moon slowly rose in the sky. "It only shines in starlight and moonlight." He muttered as a ornate door appeared showing a tree and above the tree and inscription written in both Khazad Dwarrow and Quenyan. Gimli looks in wonder as Gandalf pointed his staff at the elvish inscription and read it. "It reads "The Doors of Durin Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter."
"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked
"Oh it's quite simple if you're a friend you speak the password and the doors will open." He told the older of the two trouble making hobbits as he pressed his staff at the center of the door and chanted in elvish: " Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen!"
Nothing happened as the Fellowship waited as Gandalf switched to dwarvish: "Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen." Once more nothing happened and the wizard grumbled into his beard as he tried more of the ancient words.
"Nothings happening." Pippin said to Legolas while Gimli muttered darkly. The night drew on as Gandalf grew more frustrated. "I once knew every spell in the tongues of elves, men, and orcs." He said.
"What are you going to do now?" Pippin asked
"Knock your head into it Peregrin Took! And if that doesn't shatter them then I'm allowed a little peace from foolish questions I will try to find the opening words." Gandalf answered irritated.
Meanwhile Aragorn and Sam were with Bill the pony relieving him of the equipment. "The Mines are no such place for a pony. Not even for one as brave as Bill." Aragorn said to Sam. "Bye-bye Bill." The hobbit said sadly as the little equine left the Fellowship from hence they came. "Don't worry he will return to Rivendell." The ranger said trying to encourage the halfling. While this was happening Aranthis was busy talking to the dragons softly so the others wouldn't hear them. "Once Gandalf opens the door you two will fly over the Misty Mountains and wait for us on the otherside. It should be a three day fly over them if those damned Stone giants aren't having one of their scuffles nearby. When we regroup on the other side We may head south towards the forest of Lorien an elvish stronghold or north to Carrock where the Eagles dwell." the Dovahkiin told his friends before he catches sight of Aragorn stopping Merry and Pippin from tossing stones into the water.
"Oh it's useless." Gandalf said as he through his staff down in irritation while Frodo walked towards the doors and read the inscription once more. "It's a riddle, Gandalf what's the elvish word for friend?" He asked the wizard as the wizard soon stood up. "Mellon." He said and as if by magic the ancient stone doors opened revealing a tunnel and signalling the Fellowship that it was time to continue.
"It may be best if Spyro and Cynder flew to the other side and wait for you there. We don't want to anger the dwarves by having entering their sacred mountain even if they are friendly dragons." Aranthis suggested and with some quick goodbyes the two reptilian members of the Fellowship took off unaware that their leaving was watched by several others nor of the dangers that would soon strike their friends.
Hidden above the mountains..
Meanwhile above the Mountains several dragons unlike those of Avalar or of Tamriel watched the thirteen walkers in anticipation.
"So Slither Fang how much gold are you betting on the Rats allowing the Death and the Purple Freak into their treasure filled city?" One a sickly greyscaled one asked a black scaled beast one with no legs nor arms.
"My gold iss on the idea that they will ssslay them all." The winged serpent said in a snake like voice while a large red drake that looked much like a Avalarian watched the group in silence.
"So Fire what shall we do once the Spirit opens the door?" A dragon shaped much like a dovah yet more serpentine asked him.
"We will report our findings to the Dragonlord and await his command." He said in a powerful voice when they saw the two along take off over the mountains.
"Sshould we kill the otherss and take the Ring to the Weak Masster?" Slither Fang asked the red drake who shook his head.
"N let's watch them run out in terror of what's inside first." He said as they heard the horrific and anger filled cry of the dwarf when suddenly a slimy appendage whipped into the door grabbing one of the pesky Barrel riders and hovered him over the water revealing an Ancient Deep One looking for it's next meal while the others soon attacked it with the stinging thorns that the lesser races called arrows and a combination of iron claws before the Barrel Rider was rescued and the ten lesser ones reentered the mine with the Deep One in it's death throes coming onto the land and tearing down the doors trapping a majority of the Fellowship inside.
(Well here's chapter 10. I am so sorry for the long wait college and life in general have been keeping me busy. I hope you will enjoy this and like always review.)