Just after the rocks blocked the doors, the Fellowship was taking deep breaths which were the only sounds who could hear right now in the darkness as well as gasps. " We don't have much choice now..." Gandalf's voice rezoned as light appeared from the top of his staff. The Hobbits had frightened look on their faces while some shared concerned glanced to each other. Kopa and Vitani were among them : they didn't know why but… this place was a bit too creepy to their liking.
" We must face the long dark of Moria... Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs, in the deep places of the world..." The Grey Wizard warned them as he took a few steps forward before adding " Quietly now ! It's a four-day journey to the other side ! Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed..."
Peregrin Took then gasped in surprise which caused everyone to look at him "Pippin what's going on ?" Merry, his friend, asked him with concern " Kopa… Vitani… Their eyes are glowing !"
Frowning in confusion, the Hobbits along with Legolas , Boromir and Gimli looked at the Lions… and they became surprised when they saw that Pippin were right ! " What sorcery is this ?! " Boromir shouted in fright as he backed away. The two felines , in response, chuckled in amusement "You have many things to learn from our kind guys" Kopa said in amusement which caused his mate to nod in agreement.
"Lions have night-vision… They could see better in the dark than us… " Gandalf explained to the stunned group whose eyes were wide at the revelations. Kopa then broke the silence by saying "Me and Tani will watch out for whatever-hide in those Mines..." The moment he finished talking, the Brown-Maned Lion received a punch on the shoulder which caused him to hiss " Ow ! Jeez what was that for ?!" he quietly asked Vitani who looked at him sternly.
"Don't call me by this nickname again or I will punch more that your shoulder !" She hissed back before walking away. Kopa grunted in both amusement and annoyance before going after her and Gandalf who was ahead. Soon, Aragorn , Boromir, Legolas and Gimli followed the trio along with the Hobbits who were whispering " We agree to never call her Tani ?" Merry asked everyone quietly "Agree" they responded back with a nod, still walking in the darkness.
/
3 days later have passed and nothing bad happened so far. Kopa and Vitani acted as bodyguards for the rest of the group as their vision was keener in the dark that the others. The Fellowship right now were climbing another flight of stairs to a crossoroads in the Mine : before them, were tree doorways.
Gandalf glanced back and forth from the first door to the last muttering loudly " I have no memory of this place..." Vitani groaned as she used a paw to massage her head. Time was precious and the last thing they wanted was either to get lost or encountering Goblins. The Fellowship all sat below a peak of rough stone , the same one Gandalf sat one as looked at the doors , thinking about which of them was the right one to follow.
"Are we lost ?" Pippin asked his friend Merry who responded "No" " I think we are..." The annoying Hobbit muttered loudly before Sam hissed " Shhhh ! Gandalf's thinking !". Pippin staid silent for a moment before looking back at Meriadoc " Merry ?" "What ?" " I'm hungry..."
Kopa was sitting near them and muttered softy "You're not the only one...". Meanwhile, Vitani sniffed the air from her place and cringed her face in disgust before putting her paw on her muzzle " Ewwww what is that smell ?!"she asked in a nasal voice as she looked away. Blinking in confusion, Kopa sniffed the air as well ...before covering his own nose with an expression of disgust on his face " What's that stench ?!"
The rest of the Fellowship, aside of Gandalf, looked at the two Lions with confusion until Sam asked "Are you alright ?" The two Felines didn't responded as they still covered their noses with their paws. Gandalf was the one who responded without looking at them " Their enhanced smelling senses must have detected something awful down there..."
"What does it smelt like ?" Pippin stupidly asked " It smells like rotten meat !" Vitani responded as her face cringed in disgust while her mate added " Or like someone who NEVER took a bath !" "In a place like this… It could be many things..." Aragorn inquired as he shared a glance with Legolas and Gimli. While the others were talking, Frodo looked down into the cavern and then, noticed a small figure leaping from one stone to another . Startled by this , he walked over to where Gandalf was, the Wizard still focused on the doors before him.
" There's something down there ! " The Hobbit announced to the Wizard who responded in an unsurprised tone " Its Gollum...He's been following us for three days…" "He escaped the dungeons of Barad-Dûr!" Frodo inquired in surprise which caused Gandalf to glance at him "Escaped? Or was set loose?"
After a short silence, the Grey Wizard added calmly despise the actual situation " And now the Ring had drawn him here... He will never be rid of his need for it… He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself... Sméagol's life is a sad story… Yes, Sméagol he was once called…. before the Ring found him… before it drove him mad..."
" It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance!" Frodo hissed as he looked at where he last saw Gollum. At those words, Gandalf sharply looked at the Ring-Bearer " Pity ? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?" Not having an answer for this question , the Hobbit staid silent. " Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise can not see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill…before this is over ! The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many..."
When the Wizard finished talking, Frodo sat by his side looking sad and depressed " I wish the Ring had never come to me... I wish none of this had happened..." " So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought !" Gandalf said a wise tone before looking toward one of the doors "Oh ! Its that way !"
At those words, Merry shouted in relief " He remembered !" Hearing this, the rest of the Fellowship got up before following the Wizard as he putted on his hat and started to go down a dark stairway " No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here..." Gandalf responded as he putted a hand on Merry's shoulder " If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose !"
" As long as we are as FAR away of this awful STENCH !" Vitani hissed in disgust as she uncovered her head to follow her comrades. "I can't agree more on this !" Kopa said in agreement which caused the entire group to snicker in amusement as they were glad to not have the same smell-sense than their feline comrades.
/
The Fellowship soon entered a large and more open space with broken columns laying tumbled across the floor " Let me risk a little more light..." Gandalf proposed to his comrades as his staff suddenly brightened harder , illuminating a giant stone hall with tall pillars and arched ceilings. This spectacle caused many members of the group to gasp in amazement as their mouths dropped at what they saw "Behold: the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf !" Gandalf said loudly as the Fellowship found themselves in a grandiose hall lined with tall rock-pillars along with arched ceilings. It was all as far as their eyes could see.
" Now there's an eye opener and no mistake" Sam Gamgee remarked in amazement as he looked around. Kopa and Vitani , who were standing at each side of the group, were equally looking around in pure amazement. "How long did it take to built this ?" The Beige Lioness asked out-loud. "I don't know but its a stunning sight !" her mate responded softy. The Fellowship walked forward through the hall, peering around a column until they stopped when Gimli let out a gasp before running toward a chamber shined by a ray of light.
"Gimli !" Gandalf called after the Dwarf who ignored the Wizard as he entered the chamber. Soon they all heard him sobbing "No ! No...no..." The Fellowship ,concerned for their friend, entered the chamber and made a shocking discovery : around them laid dead bodies , Dwarves' and some Orcs , along with scattered weapons . Their comrade was kneeling before a crypt in the center of the room as a shaft of light illuminated it.
Gandalf approached the tomb before glancing at its surface while Boromir placed a gloved hand on Gimli's shoulder in a sign on comfort. " 'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.' He is dead then... It's as I feared..." The Grey Wizard said as he translated the runes on the stone. Gimli wailed in sorrow as he sobbed before the tomb of his fallen cousin.
Kopa and Vitani shared a sad glance before approaching their heart-broken comrade " We are sorry for your loss Gimli..." The Red-Barbed Dwarf looked at them tearfully before nodding in acceptance "Thank you lads..." then he looked back at the tomb before chanting softy "Kilmin malur ni zaram kalil ra narag. Kheled-zâram… Balin tazlifi..."
As the rest of the Fellowship stood around with a saddened look on their faces ,Gandalf gave his staff and hat to Pippin before bending down to take a large and battered book from a dead Dwarf's hands. He opened it silently before cleaning the dirt from its pages.
" We must move on, we cannot linger!" Legolas inquired hurriedly to Aragorn who nodded in agreement" 'They have taken the bridge… and the second hall.'...'We have barred the gates… but cannot hold them for long.' " Gandalf began to read through what remained of the book he picked up . Gimli , meanwhile, had stopped sobbing and was staring at the Wizard with a blank expression while the rest of the group listened as Gandalf kept reading the pages.
"The ground shakes… Drums… drums… in the deep." At those words , everyone looked around uncomfortably as a feeling of uneasiness surrounded them. Pippin, at the same time, was backing away while still holding the Wizard's hat and staff. " 'We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark'…'We cannot get out…' " Then Gandalf paused as he looked up at everyone who were still silent before adding with an uncomfortable look on his face" 'They are coming!' " Those three words sent chills down everyone spines and all staid silent.
But sadly, the say silence was stopped by a resonating crash and everyone looked over at Pippin who was the one who caused this noise. The Hobbit looked at the Wizard with a guilty look on his face as he stood next to a dead corpse. Soon the dead body in question slipped into a well , dragging along a chain and bucket. Loud noise echoed from one hall to another far below . At each wave of noise, Pippin winced until it stopped. Silence followed for a moment.
The Fellowship didn't make a sound nor breathed for a moment. All of them were looking around, seeing if the noises caused a stir but after a few minutes, they relaxed as nothing happened.
Kopa and Vitani sighed deeply in relief as they relaxed their tensed forms. The Grey Wizard slammed the book before facing Pippin with anger " Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf hissed at the clumsy Hobbit as he took back his hat and staff. As the old man turned around, Pippin stood still ,awkwardly.
Vitani looked at the Hobbit with a sad frown : it was not entirely his fault if he was clumsy after all. But before she could approach Pippin to comfort him , they heard something that froze them in place : Drums. Gandalf slowly turned back, and Pippin did the same as the two stared down into the well.
"Frodo..." Sam's voice caught Vitani and Kopa's attention as they turned their heads to look at Sam whose eyes were locked on Frodo's sword. The lame glowed as it turned blue in color. Soon the sound of screeches were heard , growing closer and closer to the group " Orcs !" Legolas shouted and Boromir rushed toward the doors to take a look. Suddenly, two arrows hissed into the door near his face . Aragorn instantly dropped his torch before running to Boromir , shouting to the Hobbits " Get back! You stay close to Gandalf , Vitani and Kopa !"
Isildur's heir helped Boromir to close the door and the second they were shut , a bellow was heard from outside. " They have a cave troll..." Boromir said in a sarcastic relief tone . Legolas tossed some weapons to the two Men to blockade the doors. When it was done, Aragorn and Boromir backed away before drawing out their weapons. Gandalf threw his hat away before pulling out his sword with a "Yah !" The Hobbits had pulled out their own swords while Kopa and Vitani stood before them protectively. Both of them were looking at the doors with barred teeth as they unsheathed their claws. They were ready to fight !
Gimli , for his part, leaped on top of Balin's tomb before brandishing his axe " Aaaaarrrrh ! Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" he snarled in anger as he seemed determinate to avenge his fellow Dwarves' death. Soon the wooden doors began to break as weapons crashed against it. Legolas and Aragorn stood poised, ready to shoot as they aimed their bows. The first clear gap was gashed in the door and the Blond Elf shot his arrow which earned a shrill cry from the other side of the doors . Legolas notched an arrow to his bow as Aragorn shot another.
Suddenly, the Creatures broke through the doors and the battle begun. A wave of armor-clad Orcs charged towards the Fellowship, who engage the fight . Aragorn and Legolas pierced Orcs with their arrows while Boromir smashed another with his sword. Gimli catches one in the stomach while standing on his cousin's tomb.
With a roar, Kopa and Vitani pounced on their enemies , tearing their flesh with their sharp claws. Then, Gandalf launched himself into the fray with a battle cry and the Hobbits followed soon after.
Orcs came coming in the chambers like a wave on the beach but the Fellowship fought bravely.
Kopa was fighting not too far from Aragorn who just beheaded his opponent. The Brown Maned Lion was snapping the neck of an Orc when he felt something crashing against his side. He turned his head with a growl and saw it was another Orc with a broken sword in his disgusting hand.
The Beast's weapon broke the second it touched his side. The Orc looked back and forth between his lame and the angry Lion before having his neck slashed by Kopa's claws. Huffing in satisfaction, the Brown Maned Lion looked over at Vitani who just pinned down an Orc before using her fangs to behead it. Knowing that she didn't needed his help, he looked at the Hobbits as they defended themselves.
For people who never fought before, they were doing great. With a proud smile, he saw an Orc charging by the corner of his eye and pounced on it. Suddenly, a loud roar caused everyone to stop as a cave troll smashed through the doorway as chains were leading from his wrists to an Orc's hand. Quickly, Legolas shot the large Beast's shoulder which earned a growl from the Troll as he clapped a large hand on his wound.
Sam stared at the new foe , frozen in place , as the troll swung his mace down at the Hobbit. As fast as wind, he dove under the troll's legs and crawled away as the large Foe turned around , and sighted him again. Cornered, Sam cringed.
However, when the Cave Troll raised his arm to strike , he suddenly fell back. Why ? Because Aragorn and Boromir were pulling on its chains. The Troll twisted its arm and sent Boromir flying across the room. The Gondorian landed in a recess of the wall, dazed. Just above him was an Orc , ready to strike.
Across the room, Aragorn slung his blade into the Orc's neck, and, still dazed, Boromir got up before looking at Aragorn who nodded at him.
Suddenly, an Orc charged at Insildur's heir from behind and was almost at him when Kopa came out of nowhere , pinning it down before slashing his neck with his claws. Aragorn looked at the Brown maned Lion with a smile "Thank you" "You will thank me later ! First we must get rid of this dawn Troll !" Kopa responded back as his head looked at the massive Beast who had smashed his mace against Balin's tomb as he tried to kill Gimli.
While Merry and Pippin pushed Frodo behind a pillar, Gimli hacked at an Orc as the troll swung its mace at him but the Dwarf ducked , and the monster strike a goblin instead, and then another. From a corner , Legolas shot two arrows into the Troll, causing it to reel back with a cry of pain.
Vitani was fighting near Gandalf who just knocked an Orc with his staff. The Beige Lioness was on the war path and she silently thanked Zira for her trainings. Kopa, for his part, was fighting side by side with Aragorn and Boromir and the trio slaughtered all Orcs and Goblins who dared to approach them.
Meanwhile, the Troll swung his chain above his head before swinging it at the Elf who easily dodged it. Miraculously, the chain wrapped around a pillar and Legolas ran along it before jumping on the large Beast's shoulders. He armed his bow before shooting an arrow straight in the back of the Troll's head . Then he jumped off as the Large Creature cringed and stumbled.
At the same time, Sam Gangee was hitting an Orc with a frying pan " I think I'm getting the hang of this !" he said proudly to himself before turning around and hitting another foe. Kopa was killing another Orc when he heard Aragorn yelling "Frodo !".
Swiftly, the Brown Maned Lion turned his head and saw that in fact , the Troll was seeking for the Ring-Bearer who was hiding behind a pillar.
As Aragorn and Kopa were fighting their way to Frodo, the Ring-Bearer dodged around the pillar as the troll peered around it. Not being able to see him, the Beast peered around the other side, causing Frodo to dodge out of its vision. The Troll disappeared again which caused Frodo to carefully looks around the pillar before taking a deep breath.
Suddenly, without warning, the Troll blasted around the pillar, bellowing in Frodo's face. The Hobbit stumbled and fell in a corner before the troll grabbed him. Then it lifted the unfortunate Hobbit before dragging him off of the edge of a recess. "Aragorn? Aragorn!" Frodo yelled loudly in distress and an exhausted Strider looked up at him " Frodo !"
Kopa , who saw his comrade in danger, wanted to rush there and help but many Orcs jumped on his back forcing him to look away from the Troll. In desperation, Frodo slashed the troll's hand with his sword, Sting which caused the Beast to drop him to the ground before twisting his injured hand and staring at it. Frodo laid on the floor as the Troll raised its mace but Aragorn leaped down into the recess "Yah !"
He grabbed a spear from the floor and stabbed the Troll with it. It didn't penetrate its flesh, but it held the Beast at bay while Merry and Pippin were throwing stones at it. Suddenly, the Troll swung his arm down and hit Aragorn hard , sending him flying across the room before collapsing onto the floor. Hurriedly, Frodo raced after him before trying to rouse him, but Aragorn was too stunned to move.
The Ring-Bearer turned around to run but the troll blocked his path with its spear, throwing him back. Then, the large Beast took aim and stabbed Frodo straight in the chest. Vitani was killing a Goblin when she heard Frodo's wail of pain and turned her head to see the Hobbit with spear in his chest. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO !" The Beige Lioness roared in anger and horror which caused everyone to look at Frodo with shock. A long silence echoed until Merry and Pippin leaped on the Beast with a battle cry while stabbing him mercilessly while Gandalf stood there with a stunned look on his face. The Ring-Bearer slumped on the ground with the spear still sticking on his chest.
At the same time, Sam looked at his friend with shock "Frodo ? Frodo !" then he bravely rushed toward him. Broken from their shocked trance, Aragorn, Boromir, Kopa and Gandalf fought madly to reach the Hobbit, killing the remaining Orcs. Vitani was furious as she showed NO MERCY to any Orcs who dared to be in her path.
Meanwhile, the Troll flailed its head and grabbed Merry, swinging him around before throwing him to the ground. Gandalf and Gimli took turns stabbing the troll and dodging out his attacks while Legolas aimed his arrow , waiting. With Pippin stabbing it in the head, the Troll opened its mouth as if it wanted to eat the Hobbut but then Legolas shot his arrow straight into the brain through its mouth.
The Troll stopped fighting as its hand fumbled towards its mouth where the arrow was . It stared upward with a shocked expression before collapsing on the ground with a long pained moan, throwing Pippin down in the process. There was a dead silence as Kopa and Vitani killed the last of their enemies.
Gandalf suddenly rushed toward Frodo as does Aragorn and the Lions. Sam slowly approached with a pained expression as he looked at Frodo's body. "Oh no !" Aragorn muttered as he rolled the Ring-Bearer's body over. The gesture caused the Hobbit to gasp for breath "He's alive !" Sam said in happiness as he looked at everyone. Gandalf sighed in relief at those words as does Kopa and Vitani.
Frodo opened his blue eyes to gaze at everyone with astonishment "I'm all right...I'm not hurt..." he muttered in surprise as he putted a hand where the spear stabbed him before Aragorn said in disbelief despise his relief " You should be dead! That spear would have skewered a wild boar !" " I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye !" Gandalf said with a smile as he looked at Bilbo's nephew.
Frodo then opened his vest , revealing a strange shirt which glimmered under the light " Mithril! You are full of surprises, Master Baggins !" Gimli remarked with amazement which caused some to nod in agreement. Vitani then approached the Hobbit before giving him a dead glare "Don't you dare scare us like that again am I clear ?" she hissed angrily which caused the Hobbit to recoil in fear mumbling "Yes ma'am"
Then her face softened as she used a paw to ruffle his hair affectionately " Glad you're still alive little one !" The others smiled at the scene before them. " Yeah we would have missed you if you were !" Kopa inquired with a soft smile as he looked at the Ring-Bearer with a friendly expression. Suddenly, the touching moment was broken by the screeches of Orcs coming from the distance. Gandalf then lost his smile as he said hurriedly " To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!"
(To be continued…)