Hi guys!

We are in the third part of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and many things have happened so making a recapitulation would be too long, especially when a new character who has a close relationship with Kitty's past will make his appearance. What will the good guys think of him?

Ah! And let's not forget Avalanche who goes in search of the two hobbits.

As always, I want to thank Steve993 for his reviews that have always been a great help and a compass for this story, as well as to invite other readers to review this story.

Chapter 36: Lockheed

No sooner had Aragorn spotted the beacons than announced that Minas Tirith was calling for help, when he ran to give notice to the king. It is worth mentioning that, at first, Théoden had not wanted to go to the aid of Gondor because in the past they had abandoned them, but the king was also a man of honor and knew what was at stake so he finally decided to go to the aid of 'The White City'. Rohan's army was promptly enlisted, and all the soldiers from every corner of the kingdom of the Lord of the Horses had been called. For his part, Merry who had been thoughtful about what would happen to Pippin, decided to take up arms and join the army by offering his services to Théoden. The king was moved to see that a little hobbit who had no knowledge how to wield a sword, had a heart so large and noble to want to be part of the battle lines, so he accepted. This fact greatly pleased Merry, who immediately, with Éowyn's help, obtained a small armor and a sword.

Legolas rode beside Gimli.

The dwarf, though slightly grumpy, was also very sociable. He had formed a close friendship with the members of the Fellowship, including Legolas even though he was an elf. So, it was shown in this way that the war against the Dark Lord could unify all the races of Middle-Earth. Usually elf and dwarf would talk, but at that moment the first was thoughtful because a young woman with long chestnut hair, pink skin, hazel eyes, coming from another realm, descendant from the two Blue Wizards and with a unique ability occupied his mind.

Kitty. Kitty. What would Kitty be? What was his beloved Kitty doing at that moment? Was she with Gandalf and Pippin? How would Lord Dénethor have received her? Even that Kitty had in her possession the ring Boromir gave her, Legolas could not help wondering if Lord Dénethor would have received her well. For the sake of the Steward of Gondor, it was better for him to do so, for if he had not ... he would have to deal with the elf.

What would his beloved Kitty be doing? Was she thinking of him as he thought about her all the time? There was no time when Legolas did not think of her because the bond his Fëa had created by clinging to her was so strong that the elf could well sense, however great the distance between the two kingdoms, the emotions of his beloved Kitty. And through this bond he had sensed that the young woman was sad, worried and anxious. What was it that would have her like this? Was it because of what had happened to her as a result of her little chat with Sauron? Was it because being in the city of Minas Tirith reminded her of Boromir?

Those options seemed to be fairly consistent, so Legolas wanted to be as soon as possible next to his Kitty and make sure that she was well, safe and sound, that the spell Gandalf had given her had been useful and that she was already totally fine. He wanted to be with her because he longed to tell her that his Fëa belonged to her and that he loved her. Just the sight of her beautiful face with strong features that showed a strong temper would be enough.

"Hey! Elf! "Suddenly said a voice with a strong Scottish accent that pulled him out of his thoughts" be careful! "

Legolas shook his head slightly and saw that his horse was walking so close to Gimli's that he was about to throw the dwarf. His pointy ears flushed as he took the bridle of his horse again and walked him back to a convenient distance. Gimli chuckled.

"Forgive me," said the elf while the tip of his ears flushed, "I was distracted for a moment"

"No doubt," answered the dwarf, "who is not going to distract himself when he has in his mind the lady of his thoughts?"

Legolas blushed even more so that the tips of his ears were red. How had the dwarf guessed that he was thinking of Kitty? Seeing this, Gimli turned to chuckle.

"Come on, elf, it's not that hard to figure it out!" He said with a little smile. "After all who knows for how a long time you had been with a hand touching the pendant of the necklace that the lass gave you as a lucky charm"

This time, Legolas's cheeks flushed too. He had not realized that he had carried one hand all the time touching the crystal swan's pendant and the other the horse's bridle. That is why he had not even noticed when his horse had deviated to the point of almost colliding with Gimli's.

"Do not worry about the lass" said after a while the dwarf "she'll be fine"

"Even after what happened to her when the Dark Lord tortured her?" Asked the eager elf

Gimli cursed under his breath.

"It's true," he murmured, "what on earth was the lass thinking when she responded like that?" He paused. "Gandalf is with her, he will not allow anything to happen to him. Also, you see that he put a spell or who knows what, but the thing is that it worked and prevented something bad from happening to the lass "

"What if it does not get enough?" He asked anxiously.

"You have to have faith, elf. Gandalf is going to stop anything like that from happening to her. On the other hand, it is better for you to look at what you are going to do in the battle. Remember that you have to tell the lass that you love her, not to mention that she will ask you for her necklace back and you better give it to her in good state, because I would not want to be in your place if you did not, you see the lass has her temper "

Legolas smiled at the tone of his dwarf friend. It was true, he had to pay attention to what was in front of him so that he was alive and could tell her what 'le melin' meant.

The whole city was in chaos.

Having returned to talk to his father, Faramir had decided to go and fight against the huge army of orcs and try to take Osgiliath back. His father, Lord Dénethor, had not been interested in the fate of his youngest son. He had never esteemed or appreciated him as he should have done, even though Faramir was a man of gifts and great worth not counting how handsome he was and his kind temper. He had done nothing to stop him; indeed, he had sat down to eat peacefully and had ordered Pippin to sing to him for his solace, while his son was beating to death with a superior enemy in number and superior in power because… who could fight against the Nâzgul, and even less against the King of Angmar?

From afar she saw the terrible and uneven battle between the small army of men and the enormous orcs, both to gain power over the city of Osgiliath.

Kitty had climbed to the top of the castle.

When she had learned that Faramir was at the head of that army that orcs were destroying mercilessly, she had become angry. What was Faramir thinking as he went headlong into that battle that had already been lost before it began? But, at the same time, she understood and even felt sorry for Steward's brave son. She had also resented the rejection of her parents once they knew of her mutant ability, especially from her father who had wanted to use her for his own purposes. It was therefore understandable the decision that Faramir had taken, although that did not mean that it was not a fool one.

She wished the reinforcements soon arrived! She wished Rohan's army could already be seen in the distance! But it was not to be expected that they would be ready to arrive as there were several days' journey from Edoras to Minas Tirith. She just hoped the city would hold out all that time.

Kitty was accustomed to fight and to be seen in the midst of dangers and battles in which everything seemed lost and never lost hope, but now when the Nâzgul approached and that among them came the infamous Witch King ... things changed a 'little bit'.

If only King Théoden should appear with his army! If only she could see her friends! If only she could see Legolas! Yes, Kitty longed to see Legolas again because she wanted to know what 'le melin' meant, because she wanted him to give her back her necklace the same way she had given him, because she wanted to see his smile again and hear his voice, because she wanted to have him by her side and feel accompanied, understood, safe and loved, because she simply wanted to see him because she loved him. But ... she would have to wait. Maybe even before they could see and speak to each other they had to fight on the battlefield ...

And speaking of fighting on the battlefield ... she had to change clothes because with that beautiful, but cramped and useless dress could not move with the ease and speed required for the occasion.

She walked a couple of steps away from the balcony where she had been standing when suddenly, without even realizing it, she passed through the floor of the level where she was and fell to the next below with a gasp of terror.

Kitty opened her eyes as she took a deep breath. Apparently, the spell that had been put on her Gandalf was no longer working at all. Kitty shivered. Dying that way was not the most enjoyable, moreover, dying was not pleasant. There had been a time when she had longed for death, but no longer, now there was a mission to fulfill, something to fight for, there was someone in her life whom she loved wholeheartedly ... she could not, did not want to die in any way and less still dying for fading.

"Are you alright, Kitty?" Asked a voice.

Kitty turned and saw that Pippin was at her side, the surprise and confusion portrayed on his face. The mutant barely nodded and tried to get up. Seeing this the hobbit immediately offered his hand. But she did not quite get up when this time only part of her entered the phasing state and the hand that was holding Pippin's passed through him.

"What's wrong Kitty?" Asked the surprised hobbit "I'm not going to hurt you"

"No ... no ... I do not do it on purpose Pippin" said Kitty stammering as a cold sweat flooded her forehead "it seems that the spell that used Gandalf is losing its effect or no longer works or I do not know what is happening, but the case is that I am once again entering state of phasing "

At this, Pippin paled.

"Then try to stay here, I'm going for Gandalf," he said. And then he ran off as fast as his short legs.

"Do you feel better, Kitty?" Gandalf asked.

She nodded hesitantly.

"I think for the moment it has stopped again" she said after a few moments

Pippin had sought Gandalf all over the castle and had found him sitting in an empty courtyard, pensive in the face of the terrible situation that was unfolding at the time, and all because of Lord Dénethor's madness.

As soon as he heard what was happening, the wizard had run behind the hobbit to help Kitty and had put the same spell back to reinforce it and thus preventing Kitty from ending up fading.

"Will she be alright, Gandalf?" Pippin asked.

The wizard shook his head thoughtfully.

"Will not the spell work anymore?" Scared Kitty asked.

"It will work, but I do not know for how long"

"Then use a more powerful one! You are an Ishtari! And let's just say that now that you're Gandalf 'The White' you've gained something like superpowers, have not you? "

"Kitty, I would, but it would not do any good anyway"

"But why?"

"Because your state is continuous. You are in a continuous state of phasing, the spell is good for a while. You need someone to give you energy so that it complements and ends up recovering you completely. Otherwise, it will end up happening that no spell will take effect and you will end up fading "

Kitty could not help but curse under her breath.

"What about Legolas?" Pippin said. "He's an elf, and the elves are powerful and stronger than we are, are not they? Besides, he loves her, so he can help her "

Gandalf shook his head.

"It is true that the elves are stronger than the rest of the Middle-Earth races as it is also true that Legolas loves her, but in this case, that is not what is needed"

"So?"

"It takes someone who is certainly very attached to her, who loves her very much and has a special bond with her; But not only that, it is also necessary that this person has something in common with her, such as that it is of the same nature or that they are of the same realm "

Rohan's army had stopped at Dunharrow. In that place, they would wait for the rest of the soldiers who were missing and the next day they would leave directly for Minas Tirith.

Aragorn and Gimli had gone to look for food, while Legolas, before going with them, had decided to spend a moment with his horse whom he had noticed to be stressed and uneasy. And there was reason, they were near a road that led to a dark and hazy mountain, 'The Road to the Dimholt' was as it was known.

Legolas loved his horse very much and wanted it to be calm before the march continued, and he as an elf did not need the food ... at least not as much as his two friends needed it. So, he took his time caressing and whispering to his horse. But all of a sudden, he was the one who was not restless or stressed but anguished.

He had sensed that Kitty was in danger. Was she fighting orcs? Was she to be tortured for being a mutant? What danger would she be running? Oh Válar! What danger was the one who was stalking the life of his beloved? Suddenly, as if someone had whispered in his ear, the answer came immediately: Kitty was in serious danger because the spell Gandalf used with her was losing strength. At this, Legolas paled. How to save his Kitty from such danger? How? If Gandalf could not, who could save her? Maybe not even Lady Galadriel! If only Lord Elrond were there! The Elf lord was known as an excellent healer, perhaps he was the best throughout Middle-Earth. If only Lord Elrond were with them! But he did not have to wait for such a miracle to happen, especially since Kitty was not even with them. Legolas was even more distressed. What if he could not see her again? What would happen if she faded before they could see each other again? He did not even want to think about it ... because the answer was obvious: he too would fade because his Fëa would fade with her. Perhaps he had not given it up to tell her that he loved her, but he had attached himself to her in an unbreakable bond so if she died surely, he would too. What to do, what to do? The only recourse he had was to pray to the Válar and Erú with all his elf heart to protect and prevent something terrible from happening to Kitty. And if there was any way he could give her strength by means of that bond that united his Fëa with her, he would-even for a moment.

"Look, Gandalf! Look! "Pippin suddenly exclaimed," the spell is working again! "

The wizard raised a surprised eyebrow. He had used a stronger spell in Kitty to make sure that the time that lasted was as long as possible, especially if it was taken into account that Minas Tirith was about to be besieged and would not have any help, not for the moment because to know how long it would take to the army of Rohan to arrive.

"How did you do it?" Asked the amazed hobbit.

"I did not do it" replied Gandalf chuckling

"Why are you laughing?" Kitty asked without understanding, though not that much more relieved

"Because a certain elf has sensed that you were in danger and through his bond that his Fëa created with you has sensed it but also has known what was happening to you and given you energy to strengthen the spell that I have put you"

Pippin and Kitty stared at him in disbelief.

"What do you mean Gandalf?" Asked the hobbit.

"This is who knows what number of times I've heard that Legolas can sense me and no one has told me what that means!" Said Kitty

Gandalf smiled enigmatically.

"That, my dear child, you will have to ask Legolas," he said.

In response, Kitty frowned, folded her arms and scoffed.

Aragorn awoke with a shout drawing his knife. He had dreamed with his beloved Arwen who was lying in a bed while he had heard her voice saying that she had chosen a mortal life and wished to see him at least one more time. But it wasn't that that made him awoke in such way. It had been the fact that he had seen very vividly in his dream that the pendant of the Evenstar, the pendant that his beloved Arwen had given to him fell and shattered in thousands of pieces. That was the most terrible part of the dream, the part that made him shout in his sleep and awake so upset.

A voice made him turn sharply.

"Sir? King Théoden awaits you, my lord" said a soldier who was standing in the doorway of the tent

Aragorn nodded, stood up and walked to the king's tent still troubled by the night's vision.

When he entered, he found Théoden standing next to a seated cloaked figure. Before Aragorn could open his mouth for asking what was going on, the king said,

"I take my leave" And without further ado, he left.

Once they were alone, the cloaked figure slowly approached to Aragorn and lifted his hood. At seeing who was, the Ranger was surprised and immediately bowed.

"My lord, Elrond" he said

Lord Elrond looked at Aragorn and noticed that he still wore the pendant of the Evenstar.

"I come on behalf of one whom I love" he began to say "Arwen is dying. She will not long survive the evil that now spreads from Mordor. The light of the Evenstar is failing as Sauron's power grows, her strength wanes. Arwen's life is now tied to the fate of the One Ring. The shadow is upon us, Aragorn. The end has come"

"It will not be our end but His" answered calmly Aragorn

"You ride to war but not to victory" said Lord Elrond with gloomy voice "Sauron's armies march on Minas Tirith, as you know, but in secret He sends another force which will attack from the river. A fleet of Corsair ships sails from the South. They'll be in the city in two days" He paused "you're outnumbered, Aragorn. You need more men"

"There are none" answered Aragorn with muffled voice

The news wasn't good, actually they're terrible. It was just liked to know that the battle was already lost even before beginning. And now… he was with all these men who had faith in him and now he knew that they're going to their certain death!

"There are those who dwell in the mountain" suggested Elrond

At hearing this Aragorn lifted his head sharply. It couldn't be true what the Elf lord was suggesting him!

"Murderers! Traitors!" he exclaimed "you would call upon them to fight? They believe in nothing! They answer to no one!"

"They will answer to the King of Gondor" answered Lord Elrond determinately

Before Aragorn's astonished eyes, he revealed a sword that the Ranger immediately recognized.

"Andúril… Flame of the West. Forged from the shards of Narsil" said the Elf lord giving the weapon to Aragorn who studied it closely.

"Sauron will not have forgotten the Sword of Elendil" he said in low voice more to himself than to Lord Elrond "the blade that was broken shall return to Minas Tirith" he added after drawing it and looked closely the blade.

"The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth. Put aside the ranger! Become who you were born to be! Take the Dimholt Road!" encouraged him Lord Elrond

Aragorn looked at him uncertain. All his life he had been a Ranger and he had loved that life, he preferred live in the shadows than sitting in a shining throne; he was a man who didn't like the wealth or be admired by everyone; he was a man of simple tastes and liked to enjoy the little pleasures that he could find in the nature; he never had wanted to be king, he always had rejected the idea and the only reason for what he purchased it in some way was the fact that Lord Elrond had said that the only way he would accept and allow Arwen to marry with him was that Aragorn would be king, the king he had born to be.

"I gave hope to the Dúnedain" he added softly

"I have kept no hope for myself" answered sadly Aragorn

After Lord Elrond had left, Aragorn stayed still some minutes more pondering in what to do.

He didn't like the fact that he was the last of Isildur's heir and therefore the right King of Gondor. He didn't like the idea of stop being a Ranger of Dúnedain and instead live in a beautiful castle ruling an entire kingdom, he had always thought that he hadn't born for such a task. But behold that Fate or the Válar or Life or whoever had decided to change his future and now he was in this crossroads.

He had loved Arwen since the very first moment he had met her and his love didn't have diminished in all those years even if for moments seemed that he would never see her again or she wouldn't return his affections. Lord Elrond had asked him to end his relationship with Arwen so she could leave for Válinor but it had turned out that she had chosen him, a simple Ranger, instead for an immortal life in such place like Válinor. No, he couldn't let the sacrifice of his beloved would be in vain. It was true that he preferred the simple life of a Ranger but he loved Arwen with all his heart and so, he would change whatever it was necessary and would fight whoever to be with her again. So, after taking the sword Andúril, he took his horse and approached to the Road of the Dimholt alone.

"Just where do you think you're off to?" asked a voice with a strong Scottish accent

Aragorn turned and saw Gimli looking at him suspiciously.

"Not this time. This time you must stay, Gimli" he said

"Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of dwarves?" said a pleasant male voice behind him

Dwarf and Ranger turned and saw Legolas who was coming with his horse ready for a long ride.

"Might as well accept it" added Gimli "we're going with you laddie"

Aragorn couldn't help but smile touched. He certainly had found true friends in that elf and dwarf.

The three mounted and started off on the Dimholt Road.

"What kind of army would linger in such a place?" was wondering Gimli looking at his surroundings. There was a reason for why to think about it because they were riding along a barren mountain path, no living being was seen or so it seemed because Legolas had sensed that someone had been following them for a couple of hours, though he wasn't sure. It was like the presence was there and the next moment had gone.

"One that is cursed" answered Aragorn

"Cursed?" repeated Gimli

"Long ago the Men of the Mountain swore an oath to the last king of Gondor, to come to his aid, to fight" started to explain Legolas "but when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled, vanishing into the darkness of the mountain and so, Isildur cursed them: never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge" He paused as he looked to his surroundings. He had felt that strange presence again for a moment "who shall call them from the grey twilight? The forgotten people. The heir of him to whom the oath they swore" he continued "from the north shall he come. Need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead" he ended the prophecy.

In that moment, they arrived and dismounted. The entrance was adorned with skulls and an air of mystery, magic but also curse, pain and evil impregned the place.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stole away" mumbled Gimli. The dwarf wasn't exactly at ease. The place was creepy and the prophecy as well as the story that Legolas had told wasn't the most pleasant one. It was the perfect place where to find a cursed army.

The elf approached to the entrance and he saw some hieroglyphics. He frowned, the language was very ancient and the scripture in the stone was worn by the pass of the time for it was difficult to read.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who were dead and the dead keep it. The way is shut" he read after a little hesitation

As if he had invoked a strange force, a strange wind and weird creepy noises that could chill to anyone were heard from the inside of the cave. Though they didn't last but a couple of seconds, that was enough for scaring in such way the horses that they fled leaving to their three riders alone surprised. But their surprise didn't last too long because almost immediately after, they heard a strange kind of howl of an unknown beast.

"What was that?" asked immediately Gimli prepared with his axe

The answer was Legolas who had already armed his famous bow and shot an arrow against a small winged creature that were going directly against them with such speed that not even the elf could see exactly what was but a blurred spot that again howled and roared and immediately spat fire.

"Dragon!" exclaimed Aragorn astonished

There was reason for the astonishment of Aragorn. Dragons hadn't been seen in long centuries, the last one had been Smaug and it had been slayed around 50 years ago, not to mention that dragons were enormous and this one which obviously was a dragon because it spat fire and was winged was as much as a big cat.

No one of them had been able to see exactly what kind of dragon was that, in case it would be a dragon, if it was a baby dragon or if it was a new type of creature undiscovered until now in Middle-Earth.

Ranger, elf and dwarf tried to beat their little attacker but they couldn't because it was too fast, not even Legolas' arrows managed to hit it.

The elf was going to keep attacking the small strange being that were attacking when suddenly thanks to his bond with Kitty, he noticed that their strange and unknown attacker had some resemblance in its movements like Kitty when she fought. A reckless suspicion came to his mind. Could it be…? But how? How would it be possible? In that moment, he noticed that Gimli was going to wound the small attacker with his axe. The elf ran and stopped the dwarf.

"What are ye doing, elf?!" said angrily the dwarf

Legolas didn't answer, he just lowed his bow and stood between his friends and their small attacker. At their unprecedent astonishment they saw a… small dragon.

"By Aulë!" Gimli exclaimed in astonishment.

Aragorn was no less astonished. How could a dragon still live, and even more so of that kind?

And there was reason why the three were astonished because the dragons were known to be colossal beings, but this dragon was as big as a big big cat, but no more. His scaly skin was purple, four legs with large claws, long and strong tail, two horns on his head, long pointed snout, two wings and yellow eyes with narrow black pupils that resembled the eyes of a reptile.

The 'little' dragon stood for a few moments watching them, but his surprise did not last long because with a howl, he returned to the charge against the newcomers. But Legolas intervened before the dragon again spit fire or attack, and though in a slightly hesitant voice he said:

"Lockheed?"

Hearing the name, the dragon stopped dead and stared at the elf who slowly lowered his bow, thus demonstrating that his intention was peaceful before taking a few hesitant steps toward him.

"You're Lockheed, are not you?" He asked with a slight smile.

"Do you know this ... this thing?" Asked Gimli in astonishment.

"It's not a thing, Gimli," answered Legolas without losing sight of the so-called Lockheed "is a dragon from another world of Kitty's realm and his name is Lockheed"

With that said, he took a few more steps slowly towards the dragon who looked suspicious, just as he did not lose sight of the Ranger and the dwarf.

"And how do you know him?" Aragorn asked.

"Because Kitty told me about him," said the elf, extending a hand slowly to the dragon. "Lockheed lived in another world, far from where Kitty lived. In one of her adventures with the X-Men she met him and became friends so close that Lockheed created a telepathic bond with her. Lockheed, Professor Charles Xavier and Logan were her three best friends, "he added as the so-called Lockheed sniffed the elf's extended hand

"A tele-bond ... what?" Gimli asked without finishing exactly for an understanding.

"I'm not really sure what that is, but I think it's something like the bond we, elves, created with someone very close and dear to us," Legolas replied, smiling as the Lockheed licked his hand to know him "well met Lockheed " he added

No sooner had he said this when, without warning, the dragon fell on Legolas, throwing him to the ground. Aragorn and Gimli immediately approached with their arms ready to defend and to save his friend even if it were necessary to kill the so-called Lockheed, but great was their surprise when they saw that Legolas was rising laughing. His laughter was so joyful and he showed such amusement that Aragorn himself was surprised because he had never seen his friend of so many years laughing like that more than with ... Kitty.

Ranger and dwarf looked at them as if seeing visions as the dragon was sitting on Legolas' shoulder and licking him affectionately and lounging himself to him as a cat would do while making a strange sound that could be considered a kind of purr.

"This is not exactly ... normal, is it laddie?" Gimli asked Aragorn who barely shook his head because he did not understand exactly what was happening.

"It seems to me ... Lockheed realized that Legolas and Kitty have a very close bond. Look how he sniffs the necklace Kitty gave him "said after a moment" and if ... Lockheed was so attached to Kitty then he has to know what that necklace means to her "

"It seems that the lucky charm that the lass gave the elf was also useful for us"

Aragorn nodded without a word, then approached the elf and the dragon.

"Legolas, do you have any idea how he came? Can we trust him? "He asked.

The elf shook his head as he stroked Lockheed's head.

"No," he said, "but I can assure you that we can trust him. Aragorn, holding Lockheed to the side I sense Kitty's presence even stronger. It must be for the bond ... telepathic bond that Kitty told me that they had, "Legolas added with bright eyes at the thought of his beloved Kitty" he can help us "

Aragorn looked at him hesitantly and then at the dragon who looked at him, not challengingly, not mockingly, just held his gaze.

"We do not have time to lose," Aragorn said. "You say he was Kitty's best friend?"

Legolas nodded.

"So, if he dares come with us, that's fine," he said, looking at Lockheed "let's go"

He stopped for a moment before the entrance of the dark cave. It was really to give chills to anyone, but Aragorn gathered all his courage, went through his beloved Arwen and had Andúril in his hand, with him went his most loyal friends, there was no time to lose nor was it time to go back

"I'm not afraid of Death," he said resolutely.

He turned sharply when he felt someone pushing him in the back. It was Lockheed who had a large dry branch in his snout. He made a gesture that took it while snorted. As soon as Aragorn took it, Lockheed spat fire so that they had a torch that reasonably illuminated the road. Aragorn smiled. Yes, that dragon named Lockheed was a worthy friend of Kitty, with strong temper, but of good heart and brave.

Avalanche had tracked the two hobbits and Gollum with the aid of the map that had been obtained in Osgiliath. The mutant did not know the place, but he had a fairly broad knowledge of Middle-Earth Geography and had already realized that Gollum intended to betray the two hobbits by taking them directly to the Shelob's lair. Realizing this, the mutant had muttered inwardly annoyed. He did not like the idea of having to go to deal with Shelob all to get that damn One Ring, but it was necessary that the two hobbits managed to get as close as possible to Barad-Dûr as soon as possible.

A vibration in the ground made him turn. Two great beasts were hurrying toward him. Who would it be? Immediately he hid, ready to ambush whoever was thinking of attacking him.

Just when he felt the vibration a couple of steps away from him. He made use of mutant ability and caused the earth to open in a gap through which the two beasts fell. The mutant approached, ready to kill those whom they had fallen into their trap, but was astonished to see that they were two Wargs with their respective riders.

"What are you doing here?" He asked harshly them without getting them out of the hole.

"My lord," said the two orcs leaning grotesquely, "we bring an urgent message from Lord Sauron"

Avalanche raised an eyebrow and stared at them. Obviously, he did not think to get them out, which the orcs realized and decided to give their message as best as possible. The fame of both, he and Marrow, was fearsome among all the Dark Lord's hosts, their mutant power, and their ability to battle had made them feared and respected even by the King of Angmar himself.

"What does Sauron say?" Asked the mutant.

"That it is necessary that, my lord, get the One Ring as soon as possible because the enemies of the Dark Lord are gaining strength" said one

"They have succeeded in defeating a large army of uruk-hai in Helm's Deep and also Saruman and have taken Isengard" added the other

Upon hearing this, Avalanche frowned. If Saruman had fallen ... then where was Marrow? Because Marrow would had not stayed to help the traitor wizard, but would have helped to make his fall faster, she might even have helped those fools and hated Kitty defeat him. But where was Marrow?

"What happened to Marrow?" He asked.

The two orcs looked at each other. They were sure that the news would not please Avalanche, but it was better to give it than to face the wrath of the Dark Lord and that of the mutant if he knew that they had hidden the truth.

"Lady Marrow is dead" said one

Hearing this, Avalanche was astonished, but at last a threatening light shone in his eyes.

"Who killed her?" He asked.

"The mutant named Shadowcat" replied the other

"Fucked Kitty!" Cried Avalanche in such a way that the two orcs looked at each other terrified "I'm going to kill you in such a way that you desire will never have been born ... yes, motherfucker, I'm going to kill you and all your pathetic friends!"

"That is why Lord Sauron has sent to tell you, my lord, that it is necessary that the One Ring be obtained as soon as possible to avenge Marrow and kill the so-called Shadowcat" said an orc trying to calm him

Avalanche looked at them. Give the One Ring to Sauron? Never! The fucked Dark Lord of Mordor had done nothing but bring trouble to him and Marrow. He had never been able to help them, he was content to wait for everything to be done by other pathetic beings while he waited for the grand prize quietly in the tower of Barad-Dûr. True was that he could not move now because he was incarnated in a great Eye of Fire, but that did not mean he could not do more for both mutants who had helped him and the fucked Saruman. And why had they helped them? So they were not able to make good team with the two mutants! Rather, they had fallen! Yes, because Avalanche had realized that Sauron was not going to be able to defeat those enemies who so fiercely fought against him.

No, he was not going to give the One Ring, on the contrary ... he would help those stupid and useless halflings to destroy it. Sauron was not worthy to be in power, nor was it convenient because he would surely get rid of Avalanche at the first opportunity, but that ... that would not happen because he, Avalanche, would get rid of Sauron first.

"Does anyone else know about this?" He asked, "has Sauron sent anyone else besides you?"

"No, my lord," answered both orcs

"Perfect," said Avalanche. And with a simple movement of his hand and making use of his mutant skill, he closed the earth before the terrified orcs who ended up crushed in the blink of an eye with their Wargs.

Avalanche turned to the path where the hobbits had been taken and stood for a while thoughtful.

"Well ... I will help the halflings, but before ... I will have to talk to a certain person to do me a very special and personal favor" he said at least. And continued his path

What Kitty has feared most has become a reality. Who does Avalanche talk to? And how will he help Frodo and Sam?

And a new character enters the story: Lockheed. What will be his role in the middle of this war?

Waiting for your reviews, guys!