Disclaimers: See the Preface to Book Three for more information. Thanks goes to REMdream for beta reading this chapter.

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Here we are. We're back with Gizzard, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir. This should get interesting. :)

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Chapter Six:

The Tonkinese Cat

Gizzard stood in the same spot for the next hour. He couldn't stand it. Clockwise wouldn't have dared to run off on a horse. That's preposterous. Of course he wouldn't do a thing like that. Well, then where did he fly off to? The forest? Fangorn Forest? He turned his gaze to the woods now, dark as they were. He gulped unable to contain himself.

Fangorn Forest. He'd only been inside those woods twice in his life and feared going back in there. The place was ancient, but held a great mystery, almost like he wasn't allowed to discover it. Did he have to go in there? Well, Aragorn was the tracker and the tracks led straight into that forest. Perfect. He didn't want to go in there. Why did Aragorn drag him all this way, just to make him face his fears all over again?

"Oh!" he groaned. "Why is it always me?"

"You comin'?" Thrush asked, flying ahead. "Come on! It'll be great. A first real adventure for the both of us."

He grunted, "I've done my fair share of venturing and I'll tell you: it ain't pretty."

"But you don't know what lurks inside those woods." the bluebird added, curious and perching on the black cat's shoulder.

"Well, we won't know until we go in there. Oh great." He huffed. This was the last thing he wanted to do, but the Four Hunters were on the move. "Here we go." He made his way into the woods, with a confused and concerned Thrush just behind him, chatting nonstop.

"Gizzard, we've been in these woods before, haven't we? What are the odds that orcs won't follow us in there? And when's dinner? I could use with a few apple seeds or maybe an apple stew." Thrush rushed through his speech. "Gizzard, do you think we'll find any fair maidens in these woods?"

Gizzard laughed at that. "Thrush, the only girl I love, my feline friend, is back at Rivendell. No. I doubt we'll seek out any maidens here."

"But Gizzard, I thought maybe we could—" he was shushed by the black cat.

"Quiet you! These woods aren't for the faint hearted," Gizzard said, taking the lead and catching up fast to Boromir, Legolas and Gimli. He looked up at the elf, asking him, "What news?"

"These woods are ancient," Legolas reminisced softly. "It would be unwise to aim at them, my friend." He walked on without another word.

"Of course," Gizzard grumbled. "Trust an elf to say much of anything. Oh!" He remembered his place. Of course, he wanted to trust elves… oh, now he was making a bigger fool out of himself. Either way, he continued following the Four Hunters and Thrush… of course he was following them. He grinned with eager satisfaction. What could possibly go wrong?

"Whoa!" he cried as a bright light breached the area in front of him. No! It was the white wizard and a cat. A rather proud and ancient cat, ready to strike them on sight. He charged without warning, ignoring Thrush's cries, in an effort to tackle the cat. No! The wizard got ahead of him and pushed him back with his staff. "How did you – how did you do that?" He asked, recovering greatly.

"I will not make the same mistake as happened to that bird. Clockwise is his name," the wizard said directly.

"How do you know Clockwise?" Gizzard asked, concerned.

The cat standing next to the wizard spoke in turn. "We know many things, young cat. And I know you've been seeking him. Clockwise speaks fondly of you, my friend."

"We are not friends!" Gizzard snapped, charging a little forward and hissing at him. "Who are you both?!"

At Aragorn's command, the wizard in the white robes revealed himself. His beard and hair were silver and his face was ancient, but wise. Upon seeing him, with his new white staff, Gizzard had a hunch who he was, but became cautious. It was Gandalf, back from the dead. And the cat standing next to him, also moving into the light, was a Tonkinese with cream colored fur mixed in with dark spots. The largest dark patch of fur rested on his face, where his blue eyes shone brightly. Gizzard had another hunch, but it couldn't be true.

"You," Gizzard spoke in turn to the Tonkinese cat. "You're the cat everyone's been talking about: the Tonkinese cat."

"I am Hakim," the Tonkinese cat said, moving away from the rock, even as Gandalf spoke to the Four Hunters. "I was with Gandalf when he fell at Zirakzigil. I have been around long before Arda was thought of. Back then, it was Beleriand. Much has changed since then." He inhaled, before continuing his tale. "You see, my life started with a bit of time travel. You see, I was around in the time of Camelot, in England, working with the man named Raulin Clarke. He granted me the power to speak, thanks to Merlin. Then a time travel spell jutted me straight to Egypt. Ever since then, one book brought me to Middle-earth. I had heard of Middle-earth back in the time of Merlin and my old master. My only master. I am free of masters, except one and he governs this world and all its goodness. I would tell more and go in depth, but I trust you have your own story to tell."

"How are you alive?" Gizzard asked him, concerned and amazed. "I mean, you should be dead."

Hakim grinned. "You see, that is the gift I was given. But you see, now that Gandalf is alive again, I'm afraid my time is coming to an end. I will have to leave Middle-earth, as will you and many other animals and objects that do not belong in this world. I am only alive until the world is changed and Sauron defeated. But I have seen centuries of this world. The Istari are the ones helping me stay alive. But now I need your help and Thrush's. For you see, we are brothers. The three brothers, if we count either yourself and your brother, me as well, and any cat that belongs to this brotherhood to talking cats. A name that was thought up long before you got here."

"I came here due to a book," Gizzard answered. "My time is here, in this world."

"You are bound by the book," Hakim spoke in turn. "The book answered your call when you yearned for a better place. This world is your homeland, true, but you are not from here. As I am not from this world. When everything's right in Safe Haven and the rest of the worlds, we will be transported there, where we will have to part ways. Your brother will need some serious recovery, should he remain alive. I fear the Ring may have done him more harm than good."

"You know of my brother, Mortar?" Gizzard asked, concerned.

"I know of your brother and of you, Ester," Hakim said, grinning. "I know many things for I am a wise cat. And what Gandalf says is true about the wise, but does that mean we are also blinded by things we cannot see? A lot of deep questions there are." He turned to Thrush now. "So, tell me, what dealings have we in Rohan?" He grinned again, turning to Gizzard, "You see. I know the language of these people. The Common Tongue. You're from the Modern era and so the way you speak is different from these people."

"But how—"

"Come on! We must hurry if we're to catch up to your friends!" Hakim cried, bounding forward through the woods.

Gizzard sighed. Should he really put his faith in a cat, such as Hakim? What if the cat led him into dangers untold? He didn't know. All he knew was to follow him, straight back to the edge of the forest. To his surprise, there were the horses again and one white horse. A Maeras as Gandalf and Legolas put it. A smile reached his face.

"This is the horse you're taking?" Gizzard asked Gandalf.

"Would you prefer to run?" Gandalf asked in turn. "I'm taking Hakim. Aragorn, you're likely to take Gizzard with you."

"What about me?" Thrush asked, curious.

"You can fly," Gandalf answered, modest.

Hakim waved him over, the second he was on the horse. "Come on, Thrush. I'll hold onto you. Even us talking cats must learn to trust talking birds, not just use our instincts."

"I would have eaten him, if given the chance and if he wasn't a talking bird," Gizzard admitted, point blank.

"I figured you would," Thrush said, serious and unsurprised.

"Ready," Gandalf asked the travelers. "Right then. Onto to Edoras."

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Thanks for reading. :)