A/N: Sorry it took so long! I currently have a mouth full of metal, sound like an orc as I try to speak round my new brace and am consuming food which is the same consistency as baby food. Apart from that I'm great! In other news I have found myself addicted to The Avengers! In particular the gorgeous Chris Evans who plays Captain America. He is also beautiful in the film "What's your number?" Sigh.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I do own Ammy, rather Ammy tells me what to do... Nor do I own Disney or any of their movies.

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


Chapter 11
Guarding


"My apologies. I have no need of Rabbit or Ring. Here, take her." Boromir sneered as he walked down the hill and dropped the quivering animal into Frodo's open waiting hands.
The man then tousled the Hobbit's hair and gave a smile to the pair. Frodo could feel Ammy trembling and pulled her tight into his chest, his hands encircling her protectively.

As the Gondorian turned and walked up the slope the Fellowship relaxed; Legolas returned his arrow to its quiver and Gimli began to use his axe to help climb the snow. Gandalf's tight grip eased on his staff and he gently stroked the familiar wood gaining comfort from its solid strength.

Aragorn let go of the hilt of his sword and placed his hands on Frodo's shoulders and leant down to speak to the Hobbit and Rabbit. Both look shell-shocked and worried.

"Steady Frodo. Nothing happened. Why don't you take the Ring from Amaterasu and put it back on?" The Ranger whispered into the Hobbit's pointed ear. As Frodo hurried to do as Aragorn had suggested the man noticed that the Hobbit was having trouble getting Ammy to relinquish her grip on the chain and Ring.

Walking round the fumbling Hobbit, Aragorn crouched and pulled Ammy from Frodo's grasp. As he held the small mammal he could feel her trembling.

"Aragorn. The Ring." Ammy squeaked as she released the Ring and curled even further in on herself. Her gold eyes were wide, her pupils tiny and the Ranger could feel her heart frantically beating.

Frodo hid the Ring back under his shirt and after patting Ammy for a few seconds the Hobbit continued on up the snowy slope, quickly catching up with Sam and Bill and beginning a conversation about the Elves or food.

Aragorn placed the wet, scared rabbit inside his jacket. Ammy huddled deeper into the folds of his clothes. As he continued up the snowy slope his body heat increased and soon Ammy's trembling abated and she could feel the warmth seeping into her bones.

"So little one. Have you calmed down enough to tell me what had you so agitated? You have never been this upset, not in all the time I have known you." Aragorn whispered.
Even though they had been quite a way behind the group the slope had gotten more treacherous and as they navigated the slippery terrain several of the group had slowed. Including Boromir.

"When Boromir was holding me, it wasn't him. Well not completely. It was as if he were possessed. His grip was getting tighter and tighter. And the Ring...it was influencing him."

Aragorn looked down at her confusedly. She clambered out from his coat and scampered up until she was lying over his shoulder. Her body was so small that it balanced perfectly on his shoulder. Ammy wriggled as she hung her front paws down. In this place she didn't have to shout/squeak to be heard. Despite the height she found as long as she didn't look straight down the distance was bearable.

"The Ring sounds as if it whispers. I noticed it before particularly in Imladris at the council. It was feeding everyone's agitation, provoking them into a more frenzied state. In Boromir's case I think it is partly his true desires magnified. The Ring encourages him to take it."

As Ammy spoke her whiskers tickled Aragorn's ear and he was forced to bring some of his hair over the appendage. He did not think it would be wise to start laughing and make the rabbit irate. After all this was a serious conversation and the Ranger thought it might offend the woman's honour if he began laughing.

"I think we should try to keep Boromir and Frodo from being alone or isolated together." Aragorn spoke softly. "Whilst I do not think Frodo would willingly give Boromir the Ring, he is smaller and has none of the speed or brute strength the Gondorian has. Boromir would easily overpower Frodo."

"Agreed. But what about the others, including yourself..." Ammy added and turned her gaze from watching the group in front of them to regard Aragorn. "Would you take the Ring? harm Frodo? If Boromir were to try and take it, it would not be because he is evil but because he wishes to protect his people. Would you take it for the same reason?"

After a few minutes silence as they navigated onto the path winding around the mountain, assisting Hobbits and tempting Bill onto the narrow outcrop Aragorn confidently spoke.

"No. I would not take the Ring from Frodo. I have no desire for its power. To the elves and myself it is a dark evil object which we do not seek. Gandalf has already resisted its power, Gimli cares only about Dwarf affairs and the protection of his people. Legolas finds it more evil than I. And I sincerely doubt it has crossed any of the Hobbits minds to take it from Frodo. They are brave and loyal, they will not take it. What of yourself?"

Ammy wrinkled her nose vehemently. A shiver ran through her body. There was no way in heaven or hell that she would be touching the Ring again. Not unless she absolutely had to.

"Never. I would not have it, touch it, smell it nor see it if I could. It makes my fur stand up. Then I would look even fluffier than I already do."
Amaterasu wriggled on Aragorn's shoulder indicating that she wanted to come down. The Ranger reached up and plucked the small mammal up by the scruff of her neck. Instinctively she went numb and limp in his grasp, her legs hanging down and her ears flopped to either side of her head. Aragorn tucked her back inside his coat and she curled further into the fabric. The warmth was making her sleepy.
"You or I should endeavour to be with Frodo. One of us at least. And we agree not to let Boromir alone with Frodo." As she finished speaking the warmth got to her and she drowsily yawned a twitched her ears over her eyes.
"Wake me up if something happens." She yawned and as she fell asleep Ammy could feel the vibrations of Aragorn chuckling.


"Wait a second! Why am I here?" Amaterasu said as she gazed at the familiar clouds that indicated she was to see Master Campfer.
"I didn't realise I could come here in the day. Then again I've never fallen asleep in the day before. At least I'm not cold and asleep. That would be bad. This Ranger gives off more heat than I thought."

Ammy snickered and flattened her fur down. Even in her dreams the fluffy hair was uncontrollable. Once she looked presentable she looked around to see if Campfer had made an appearance.

"I guess I'll look around and see if he's around. Maybe he'll know how I can change back into Tigress."

As Ammy hopped through thin wispy vapour and over other more solid clouds she kept a sharp ear out for any sounds of Campfer being otherwise engaged. She didn't particularly fancy walking in on the two lovers again. Ammy wasn't completely naive or innocent to the ways of the world but being a voyeur really wasn't her cup of tea.

"Campfer? You there?" She called out as she continued hopping. After a short time she found one of the larger roots she had tripped over on one of her first visits. Ammy knew if she followed this root it would lead to Campfer's usual resting spot. As she continued down the root she realised it was taking longer than usual to find Campfer.

"Campfer, for crying out loud! Are you here? Or am I wasting my time when I could be sleeping?"

A faint voice called out to her and Amaterasu twitched with relief. It was a soft and familiar voice and sounded like the wind blowing through a forest.

"This way Amaterasu. I'm sorry I was otherwise occupied."

Two male hands with a bark-like appearance reached down and scooped up the rabbit. Each knuckle had a swirl of wood and the top side of his hands were rough but the palm was smooth and shiny, like polished mahogany.

Despite the fact he was made of wood his hands were not particularly hard and seemed to be thrumming with heat. As Campfer lifted Ammy she felt like purring. Shame she coudn't any more.

"Salutations my small fluffy friend. How is your journey progressing?" Master Campfer spoke and held the mammal up to his face. This close up Ammy could see that his eyes were a deep green with flecks of gold and red similar to the leaves in autumn.

"Good afternoon Campfer. The journey is progressing. We have had to go over the mountain and not through the gap of Rohan. The Crebain were watching the pass and so now we or rather the Fellowship is clambering up steep slopes in the snow."

One of Campfer's fingers reached out and he began stroking Ammy's fur from the top of her head down her back. The repetitive action was soothing and Ammy closed her eyes and enjoyed the affection.

"That does not sound good. What is good however is that you have discovered a new body. I must say you make a splendid rabbit. I wonder... In what circumstances did your transformation occur? I believe some transformations in the early stages are brought on by events and heightened emotion."

Ammy opened her gold eyes and was surprised to see a pair of brilliant blue eyes with thick, long lashes peering at her from over Master Campfer's bare shoulder.

Klotho let out a squeal, grabbed Ammy from Campfer's hands and hugged the startled rabbit to her chest. Her arms went under Ammy's front legs and her bottom half was left dangling down.

"You are sooooo cute! And soft! And fluffy! I could eat you up!" The goddess had reverted to the mental age of a teenager, a far cry from the millennia old being she truly was.

"Klotho! If you wouldn't mind loosening your grip a teeny-tiny bit. I would like to breathe please." Ammy gasped out and was gratified when the goddess eased off on the hugging. Klotho refused however to relinquish Ammy and so the rabbit was forced to dangle ungracefully whilst she spoke with the tree.

"It happened before we got to the Gap of Rohan. The Crebain were searching the land and as we hid under some rocky outcrops I realised I was too big. As I was desperately begging and wishing to be smaller I was engulfed in a fiery sensation that seemed to scorch me to my very being. Then all of a sudden I was a rabbit. It is not as wonderful or as useful as being tigress. Predominantly because first Boromir and then the rest of the Fellowship wished to eat me!"

By the time Amaterasu had finished relating her tale Campfer and Klotho were both doubled over laughing. The tale was amusing and they had attempted to remain fairly composed but as the indignant squeaking voice rose in pitch on the part where she was nearly consumed, their composure crumbled and they found themselves in hysterics.

The rabbit glowered at them, or as much as a rabbit can glare, and finally they ceased.
"Do you know how I can go back to tigress? This form is only convenient for warming hands. I can't pull my own weight at the moment and this form is particularly vulnerable."

"Of course my diminutive friend. I can see how your small stature could be an issue." Campfer smiled innocently down at Ammy and the rabbit thought the tree was lucky she wasn't a tigress or he may have had a few new chips in his pristine bark. As it was a rabbit couldn't do much more than nibble on his toes...

"Right. A few rules about shifting. Number one: You have to keep calm at least the first few times when you shift between each new form.
Number two: No thinking of trying to shift to a form you haven't manifested into before, only shift to what you have been. The shifts into new forms are natural occurrences that should happen depending on the situation and/or need you have at the time.
Number three: Do not mix forms; you can only be one form at a time. Finally don't try to shift to human in the day yet. You need to stay in this form for a while during the day. It is for your own protection. In your animal forms Sauron has more trouble trying to locate you and whilst your human body is unique he is unaware yet of your arrival as a human or animal. Your animal forms are misleading. After all who would suspect an animal of being part of a long lost race?
Sauron thinks he completely annihilated your people, he's become overconfident. Hiding in plain sight in animal form is your greatest weapon; transform into a human and he will recognise the signs instantly if he gets word of you."

Ammy wrinkled her nose in confusion and stared at the tree.

"How will Sauron find me more easily in my human form? Both my forms have silvery-white hair. That's pretty obvious." Ammy asked. To her surprise it was not Campfer who answered but he looked away with a guilty expression on his face.

"Unfortunately or possibly fortunately; depending on which view you take, some of your animal traits will begin to carry over to your human form. It was a self-defence mechanism created by the Valar when they created the Ama-no-mihashira people. It was to distinguish them from the mortals and elves already inhabiting Middle Earth. Your entire race had one distinguishing feature however. This prevented them from being caught or killed whilst in animal forms. They all had gold eyes in their animal forms."

Klotho sat down on a protruding root and placed Ammy in her lap. She then continued with her explanation, an absent look on her face, as if she was watching something different whilst talking with Ammy.

"Now luckily for us none of your enemies will get close enough to see the colour of your eyes or get back to Sauron alive. And when your animal traits start to seep through to your human form if you were to be human in the day it would be like dressing up in drag and doing the hula!" The goddess finished off with a small grin on her face.

"Lion King?" Ammy looked up at the immortal with a disbelieving look on her face.

"My sisters and I decided to watch it. We're watching all the Disney's. Every one that has been made and will be made." The goddess grinned "That's the beauty of being able to see past, present and future. The ability to see to the past also enabled my sisters and I to realise that there is another reason you should remain hidden from Sauron as long as possible. We have little time for that now though so I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

"Fine, putting your obsession with Disney behind me, what do you mean exactly by 'animal traits'? Things like enhanced sight and hearing of the animal I was before?"

"Umm, more like actual physical features." Campfer spoke before Klotho could after sending the goddess a warning look. Obviously she had been close to letting something slip but Ammy decided she would ask about that at another time when becoming a larger mammal wasn't so important.
"Things like your ears, tail, nose, hands, and skin. It'll change each time you transform from a different form to human e.g. tigress to human to tigress to human the last time you transform you will have cat features but if you were to transform into a rabbit before reverting back to human then you would gain rabbit-like features."

"Great, ultimate weird here I come." Ammy moaned. "The Fellowship are gonna freak even more and possibly tease me mercilessly. Boromir will probably run away in terror!" She let out a sigh. Things were getting more and more complicated.

"Now let's get you back to tigress as I believe you have a few minutes before you're to wake." Campfer said as he looked to the goddess. Klotho placed the rabbit on a cloud and Campfer knelt down in front of Ammy.

"Close your eyes slow your breathing and relax your muscles." As Ammy followed his instructions she began to feel weightless, as if floating on a still pool of water.
"I want you to remember what it was like being feline. Body weight, muscles, fur, sight, sense of smell, hearing, everything. Once you can recall all that embrace it fully but remember you are you. A human woman inside an animal form. Your mind has to grasp this concept but not be ruled by it or you won't be able to transform fully."

She kept her breathing slow and even and recalled the sensations she had felt whilst being a strong cat. Ammy thought about how it felt to have advanced sight, smell and hearing. How each part of her body had worked, the muscles and bones flowing as she stalked through the grass, her claws silently shifting the earth as she was poised to leap.

Similar sensations to fire swamped her body but this time it didn't burn. Rather it felt welcoming and comforting. Again her muscles and bones seemed to stretch but it wasn't half as painful as the first time.
She soon stood proudly on all fours with her smaller, but no less sensitive, ears twitching and her tail lazily flicking in the air behind her.

"Thank you so much. Do I do the same to go back to rabbit?" She asked as she stretched out and popped her claws out.

"Yes. Obviously you think about rabbit memories. Now remember not to try human form in the day. It is for your safety and the transformation process is different. When the time comes I shall teach you how to remain human in the day. But for now promise me Amaterasu that you will not attempt it." Master Campfer looked at her with concern and worry etched into his face. For the first time since meeting him Ammy thought he looked old, more like centuries than a few decades. She solemnly nodded and swore not to try being human.

"Time to wake now Ammy. The Fellowship is about to be in some trouble." Klotho suddenly spoke and the clouds seemed to part, dropping Ammy through the air...


On waking Ammy discovered that she had been dropped into the snow and that there was a storm raging around the mountain they were attempting to climb.

"My apologies Lady Ama. I wasn't expecting you to suddenly transform lassie, definitely not in your sleep anyhow. You gave me quite a shock!" Gimli's voiced penetrated the harsh sound of the wind against the mountain. Rising to her paws Ammy shook her fur in order to dislodge some snow that had slipped into her ears.

"It's quite alright Gimli. Where are we now? Last I remember Aragorn was carrying me."

"Aye lass, he was. But then this foul weather sprang up and we've made little progress in the half an hour that you were asleep. Aragorn is assisting Frodo and Sam. I still say we should have gone under the mountain rather than up and over it."
As the dwarf grumbled the wind blew even harder, buffeting the tigress hard. Unsuspecting she staggered inward, colliding with Boromir who was carrying two Hobbits. The Man would have fallen had Gimli and Ammy not grabbed the back of his coat and pulled him back.

"My thanks!" He bellowed and the continued wading in the path Gandalf was making. The further they progressed the more snow seemed to build up and even Ammy began to struggle, the snow packing into her fur and freezing solid, making her fur heavier and giving her paws less mobility and grip.

As they inched forward Legolas cried out. As they turned their attention to the elf, Gandalf clambered towards the edge of the cliff face.

Ammy could hear a voice above the wind but was unable to make out what it was saying. The storm increased in ferocity and seemed as if it were trying to blast or buffet them off the face of the mountain.

Lightening struck the rock above them and snow began to fall hard down on their heads for a few seconds. Luckily it was not a large deluge and they shook it off them. Gandalf began shouting towards the sky, trying to appease the storm but it did not seem to be working.
The snow on which the wizard was standing appeared to be sliding and Ammy leapt over Boromir and grabbed the wizard's cloak. She sunk her teeth deep into the fabric and moved backwards so the fabric was taut. Gandalf continued shouting but Ammy could hear the rest of the Fellowship shouting.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Boromir bellowed as he ducked his head and raised his hands to cover Merry and Pippin's heads, offering what little protection he was able. Legolas pushed Gandalf away from the edge and in towards the rock face and Ammy looked up to see a vast amount of snow tumbling down towards them.

The sheer weight of the snow would crush them if they were unlucky or bury them. Panicking Amaterasu looked in panic to find Frodo who was near the back of their party.

'Oh god!' Ammy thought and leapt to cover Frodo, Aragorn and Sam. 'Something larger, much larger and solid. Please, please, please! I don't want to be buried alive!'

The Valar must have been watching because the acidic flames burned through her body but they lasted less than a second and Amaterasu instinctively curled round her companions.
Large talons dug into the cliff above and below the outcrop the Fellowship was stuck on, a long spiked tail wrapped around the front of the cliff and stretched a long, serpentine neck back down and joined it with the base of the tail. Placing a large head on the largest part of free snow and flung the left wing over the neck, head and tail and felt the snow buffet down onto the membrane of the wing and against the scaled frame of a lithe body.

The Fellowship had all squeezed their eyes shut and ducked their heads in anticipation of the snow crashing down on them but after realising that they were not being crushed or buried they realised that it was in fact rather warm, not the suffocating cold of ice and snow.

Boromir was the first to raise his head and he stared up in amazement. Pippin and Merry felt all the breath leave the Gondorian's body and they looked up quickly too.

"Wah!" Pippin screeched causing the rest of the group to raise their heads too. "Ammy you're...you're a...you're a-a-aaa..."

Gandalf stood from the ungraceful position he had been flung into and found himself standing right next to a large, reptilian head. Ammy's head was now about the height of a ten foot tree and the width of a small hut. The slopes and planes of her face were elegant and above her eyes and leading down the bones of her snout to her nostrils were small spikes. Her skin was smooth and beaded, as if the Valar had taken the time to place millions of pearls on her flesh. Each smooth pearl-like scale was hard as diamonds and as she breathed the ones around her nostrils seemed to shimmer in the dim light.

A sharp fang crept just over her bottom lip on each side of her mouth and there were a few curved spikes on the underside of her jaw. The spikes on the ridges of her bones and the underside of her jaw were beaded with the scales but those which protruded from the side of her head and followed the slope of her jaw line into her neck were the colour of ivory and were smooth, un-scaled and sharp at the point. Two horns were on the top of her head and they too sloped back and instead of being white, these two were silver with black tips.

Ammy's golden eyes stared at the disbelieving males and she snorted with laughter. Fire erupted from her nostrils and they gasped as white, silver and gold flames leapt into the air and vanished. The snow which Boromir and Aragorn had been wading through was quickly melting with the heat produced by Amaterasu and soon they were all beginning to wish for it back.

"Never, in all my years have I seen such a magnificent Fire-drake." Gandalf breathed out. His eyes were filled with awe and wonder. "The last Dragon in Middle Earth was the greedy Smaug who was a while ago slain. May I?"

Mithrandir reached out towards Ammy, his hand quivering. She lazily blinked her eye and moved her head from off the ground and towards the wizard, careful not to knock him. His hand stroked over her scales and up her eye ridge over the small spikes. Pippin who was also overcome with curiosity crept forward and placed his hands on the front of her snout. He followed the line of her lips until he found the one protruding fang which was pristine white. The small Hobbit was startled when Ammy curled her lips back in a smile and demonstrated her full set of pearly white, razor sharp teeth.

"You eternally surprise us Lady Ama. I'm afraid that by the time our quest ends nothing you can do will surprise me." Legolas spoke from his place by her belly where he had been examining the joint of her wing to her body.

'I think I am more surprised than any of you.'

Ammy's voice rang out but her mouth did not move. Her voice was also not as loud as they had expected it to be but rather was calmer and clearer than in her tigress, rabbit or human form. It was as if she had gained an entirely new timbre that was as ethereal as the quality of her scales.

"Amaterasu, you do realise you said that out loud." Gimli spoke up from his position by Bill the pony. Both dwarf and pony were considerably startled by the dragon. Gimli was wary because dragons were notorious for liking treasure and gold and Bill was just plain tired of being scared of the strange female which couldn't seem to decide what it wanted to be.
The pony thought the filly should choose one form and stick to it. He himself preferred the rabbit, small and unthreatening. But of course this didn't really matter as no one had asked his opinion nor could they. After all he was just the pack pony, the forgotten member of the party.

'I said it in my head.' Again Ammy's voice rang out in their heads and her lips did not move.

"Well I definitely heard that." Merry stated. "Have you tried talking out loud?"

Amaterasu opened her mouth and tried to speak but all that came out were growls and odd noises which made no logical sense to anyone.

"That made no sense to any of us. Do the talking thing in your head again." Sam spoke up. "Try saying something to all of us and then just thinking as if you were on your own."

'What exactly do you want me to say? This is all rather odd.'

"Now try thinking something that you don't want us to hear." Sam was rather excited by now and was nearly jumping up and down on the spot.

'This is getting rather ridiculous. At least Sam is excited. He has looked rather downtrodden recently.' Ammy thought and then looked inquisitively at Sam.

"Nothing! It seems if you want us to hear we can, otherwise your voice don't come out. It's as if you're talking in our heads!" The plump Hobbit exclaimed.

'Well now I propose we have a new plan of action. I can feel that the snow fall from above has stopped but I do not think we should continue. I at any rate cannot accompany you unless I shift back to tigress and I do not know if I can call the dragon back if we need it. It is a different sensation to the other forms...' Ammy's voice drifted off and she settled her large head back on the ground and regarded them steadily with one large golden eye.


A/N: There we go. Hope that was enjoyable! On another note thank you all so much! The response for the last chapter from readers and reviewers was fantastic! I never expected to have so many people reading and enjoying my random musings. 93 Favourites, 134 followers and 134 reviews! Thank you for everything and I hope you all continue to read and enjoy. As always your thoughts and opinions are valued and appreciated so don't stop reviewing!

Thanks again and please;
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