The sun was rising in the sky as Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Kopa and Vitani were resuming their Hunt. As the group ran across the lands of Rohan, Legolas stopped dead in his track as he glanced up at the sky " A red sun rises... Blood has been spilt this night…" he remarked out-loud in a worried tone. Kopa and Vitani , who were close by and had heard the Elf's remark, glanced at each other and internally hoped nothing bad happened to their captured comrades.
Some times passed and the sun was now fully up in the sky. The group of Hunters stopped in the open as Aragorn knelled down to look at the ground. Kopa looked at their Leader when suddenly he heard something. He smelled the air and tensed "We have company !"
Hearing this, Aragorn wasted no time and signaled to his comrades to hide behind the rocks which they all did without hesitation. A few seconds later, a wave of Riders appeared before the group. They were many and armed with spears, swords or axes. Vitani then noticed that a few of them carried a green flag at the tip of their spears : on the flag was a White Horse and the corner of an Orange Sun as well.
The Hunters watched as the Riders passed before them. Aragorn seemed to recognize who they were along with Legolas because the two shared an understanding look in their eyes. Then wwhen the last of the Riders passed, Isildur's heir stood up before stepping out of the cover , soon followed by the others. Except Kopa and Vitani. They chose to stay behind just in case something happen.
" Riders of Rohan ! What news from the Mark ?" Aragorn called out from his spot. Then one of the Riders, the Leader it seems, raised his spear into the air , holding it sideways. It was a signal to his men to turn around which they obeyed before heading back toward Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. "Do you think they are friend of his ?" Vitani asked her mate as she gestured to Aragorn with her nose. The Brown Maned Lion shrugged whispering "I don't know… Let's just wait and see..." The Beige Lioness nodded before looking back at the three who were surrounded by the Riders.
Zira's daughter let out a growl as she saw the Riders pointing their spears to her friends but staid silent. Kopa, who was tense at the sight of his comrades surrounded, calmed down when he saw Aragorn raising his hands , showing them they meant no harm. The two Felines watched at the 'Leader' of the Riders rode through his men toward Aragorn , Legolas and Gimli "What business does an Elf, a Man and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark ?" the man asked before adding "Speak quickly !"
Vitani didn't liked the Man's tone but internally slapped herself on the face when Gimli inquired haughtily " Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine !" Kopa , for his part, didn't retain himself as he slapped his head with his left paw "Curse Dwarves' stubbornness" he muttered to himself but loud enough for his mate to hear. The Beige Lioness muttered her agreement as her eyes were locked on the Rider Leader.
It seems the Man didn't liked the tone either Gimli's tone or what he said because he dismounted his horse after handing his spear to one of his men. Then he approached the Dwarf with a glare " I would cut off your head...Dwarf... if it stood but a little higher from the ground !" At those words, The Lions tensed just as Legolas aimed an arrow at the Rider " You would die before your stroke fell !"
Instantly, the soldiers pointed their spears at the Elf to defend their leaders. Aragorn was about to calm his comrade when a loud roar echoed a few feet away from them. Everyone turned their heads to see Kopa and Vitani stepping out of their hiding place , snarling at the Riders whose Horses started whinnying in fear at the sight of the Lions. Some of the Men looked terrified by the glares they were receiving from Vitani or how massive Kopa was.
Thankfully before anything bad could happen, Aragorn approached the two Felines before calmly inquiring "Kopa ! Vitani… Please calm down..." The Lions looked at him with incertitude but , after a moment of silence, they reluctantly relaxed . "Alright we won't attack… for now~" Vitani said the last part with toothy grin which caused some of the Riders to gulp in fear.
Kopa nudged his mate's shoulder with his muzzle and she instantly calmed down. Aragorn then looked back at the Rider Leader who looked at the Lions with a wary look on his face " I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn… This is Gimli, son of Glóin... Legolas, from the Woodland realm… and Kopa and Vitani from the Pridelands...We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king !"
The Rider listened patiently as he looked at each one Aragorn presented : his face turned from shock to sadness however " Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe..." He began to say before removing his helmet revealing long blond air "… Not even his own kin ! "
His Men seemed to calm down and some even lowered their spears. But some of them were still looking at the Lions with a bit of fear in their eyes. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over this land. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished !" The Man explained as he looked as his men who returned the look : worry.
Aragorn , Kopa and Vitani (from their spots) watched as the Man quietly added while looking at them all "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked !" Then he gave Legolas and the Lions a meaningful glare as he added "And everywhere his spies slip past our nets !"
Kopa and Vitani narrowed their eyes at the hidden insinuation while Legolas staid calm and expressionless.
" We are no spies ! We track a band of Uruk-hai westward across the plains ! They have taken two of our friends captive…." Isildur's heir explained calmly as he looked at the Rider Leader. The Man staid silent for a second before saying something that horrified them " The Uruks are destroyed…. We slaughtered them during the night !"
Kopa and Vitani had their eyes wide in shock and horror as they looked at each other "But there were two Hobbits ! did you see two Hobbits with them ?" Gimli asked the Man with worry in his voice. The question Man seemed confused until Aragorn inquired " They would be small, only children to your eyes..."
The Rider Leader seemed deep in thought but then he looked back at them " We left none alive ". The Fellowship (or what remained of it) deflated at those words and it became worse when he added "We piled the carcasses and burned them !" He was pointing at the smoke in the distance.
"Dead ?" Gimli asked blankly at the Man who looked back at him before nodding "I am sorry". Legolas putted a hand on Gimli's shoulder to comfort him , a look of sorrow on his own face. Vitani was looking at the Man with fury " How could you see two small figures among Big ones ?!"
Everyone tensed at the anger in her voice. "It was dark and all we knew that there was a pack of Uruks in the area ! You cannot blame us for what we didn't know ! I am sorry..." the Man responded as he looked at her. Zira's daughter reluctantly agreed with him and pressed her head against Kopa's Brown Mane in search of comfort.
The Man then whistled loudly " Hasufel! Arod ! " he called out and two horses approached him. The Rider grabbed their reins before handing them to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli " May these horses bear you to better fortune than the former masters…. Farewell" Then he mounted his own horse and placed his helmet back before adding "Look for your friends, but do not trust the hope. It has forsaken these lands." Then he looked back at his men before yelling loudly "We ride north !"
Aragorn and the others watched at the Riders galloped away. "Come on let's go..." Isildur's heir inquired as he mounted the Brown Horse while Legolas and Gimli mounted the White one. They had no choice but to share it even if it didn't pleased them internally. As they headed off toward where the smoke came from, they all hoped that their friends had somehow survived and weren't among the dead Uruks.
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The group rods (or ran in Kopa's and Vitani's case) toward the smoke and soon they galloped over a small hill until they spotted the pile of burned Uruks bodies in front of them. Weapons and arrows scattered around the pile as a spear was sticking out of the ground with an Uruk's head on its tip.
The Hunters looked at the scene in horror at what remained of the Creatures who captured their friends as Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn dismounted their horses. Gimli used his axe to begin searching through the carcasses for any signs of their friends while Aragorn , Legolas , Kopa and Vitani looked around for anything that could give a hint of hope that Merry and Pippin were alive.
Suddenly, the Dwarf spotted something among the burned corpses and reached out for it before pulling it out. It was one of the Hobbits' belts… Gimli turned around to show everyone what he found saying in sadness "It's one of their little belts..." Vitani looked at the belt in horror and instantly pressed her crying face against the soft mane of her mate who was saddened for the loss of their comrades.
Legolas lowered his head down in sorrow before closing his eyes and saying in Elvish "Hiro hyn hîdh ab wanath (May they find peace in death)..." Aragorn turned away before suddenly kicking at an Orc helmet. He yelled as if physically injured as he fell to his knees. "We failed them..." Gimli remarked sadly as he looked at everyone.
Vitani raised her heads before letting out a roar of sorrow as tears were flowing down her cheeks . Kopa looked at his mate sadly and was about to do the same when he caught a familiar scent "What the-" he began to say before smelling the air again. At the same time, Aragorn looked at the ground as if he saw something.
Vitani had stopped roaring to look at her mate with confusion "What is he doing ?" Legolas asked with a frown as he looked at the Brown Maned Lion who ignored him as he approached Aragorn, smelling around. The Beige Lioness decided to imitate her lover and raised her head to smell the air…. Only to open her eyes wide in shock "Merry… Pippin..." Everyone turned toward Aragorn when he said while reaching out for to move some dirt around "A Hobbit lay here, and the other… "
(Flashback : Pippin yelled in terror as he looked up at a pair of thrashing hooves bearing down on him. He rolled over, avoiding them )
"They crawled ..." Isildur's heir continued as he followed the tracks. Behind him, everyone was paying close attention. Kopa and Vitani had stopped smelling the air as they watched their comrade/Leader examining the ground. Their hopes were growing as the seconds passed.
(Flashback : Pippin crawled away as the battle around him continued to rage on. The Riders killed Saruman's lackey and didn't even noticed the Hobbit. )
" Their hands were bound..." Aragorn remarked as he still examined the tracks left by their friends.
(Flashback : Pippin found an Uruk axe while crawling away and used it to cut his bounds)
Aragorn pulled out from the dirt a rope which was surely used to bound their friends' hands. " Their bonds were cut !" The Ranger remarked and Vitani's heart was filled with hope. However, Aragorn noticed something that alarmed them a bit " They ran over here… and were followed..."
(Flashback : Pippin untied the ropes on Merry's hands freeing him as the two got up before running while being careful of where they ran. They had to avoid being killed by either the Uruks, the Orcs or the Riders (the latter would probably see them as the enemies). The two continued running when Merry felt something tugging on his belt and turned around to see it was the Orc Leader ! How was he still alive ?! The Hobbit unbuckled his belt before dashing away. The Orc looked at the belt in his hand before furiously tossing it away as he crawled after the two who entered the Forest. )
Aragorn jogged in the direction the tracks went on , he was followed by his comrades " the tracks lead away from the battle !" Isildur's heir began to say before stopping in front of the Forest Entrance " Into… Fangorn Forest..." Kopa smelled the tracks and added " Same with their smells !"
"They are alive..." Vitani whispered with relief but then she heard Gimli's comment " Fangorn! What madness drove them in there ?" Kopa glanced at the Dwarf with confusion before asking "What's wrong with this Forest ? Sure its a bit scary but its just a Forest !" "Yeah ! What is so scary with this place ?" Vitani inquired with a raise-brow as she looked at her companions.
It was Aragorn who responded " There is more to this forest than meet the eyes… We must tread carefully or… none of us will leave Fangorn alive..." The Two Lions were about to ask more questions but the Ranger stopped them by saying " We will tell you on the way ! Come on and stay close to one another..." Then he entered the Woods soon followed by the rest of the group.
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Far into Fangorn Forest, Pippin and Merry were still running deeper and deeper into the dark woods before taking cover by a tree as the duo sat down. Then they looked around to see if their pursuer was still after them "Did we lose him? I think we lost him..." Pippin said as he panted deeply.
Suddenly, a sound came from the bushes nearby which caught their attention. To their horror, it was none other than the Orc Leader who looked around until his eyes spotted them. Seeing the Creature, the Two Hobbits ran away just as the Orc started saying angrily "I'm gonna rip off your filthy little heads !"
Merry and Pippin took cover behind another tree " Come here !" The Orc yelled again , this time his voice sounded much closer. They had no choice but to ran away (again). However, they ran a few feet before stopping. They were unsure of where to go or hide "Trees! Climb a tree!" Merry inquired to his friend who rushed to the nearest tree. The two started climbing it with Pippin at the head. As he climbed, Merry stopped before looking around and sighing in relief " He's gone…"
How wrong he was.
He found himself being pulled by his legs and soon fell to the ground before the Orc Leader leaned over him. Merry tried to kick him off but this only enraged the Beast more. "Merry !" Pippin yelled in concern for his comrade. A yawn echoed from the tree Pippin was on and he turned his head to see a pair of gleaming yellow eyes blinking in the tree.
The tree in question blinked as it moved its head toward him. Surprised and shocked, Pippin lose his grip and fell. Thankfully, before he crashed on the ground, a wooden arm caught him. The Orc Leader was unaware of what was happening as his attention was fully on his victim "Let's put a maggot hole in your belly !" he snarled as he raised his sword.
Merry then saw the tree raising its right leg, knocking some dirt off it to the ground just as the Orc Leader heard some noise behind him. He stopped his action to look back out the corner of his eyes. But the second he turned his head fully to look behind him, the tree slammed its leg down crushing the Orc , killing him instantly.
"Run Merry !" Pippin shouted as he tried to escape from the tree's hand. Merry turned around to ran away but he didn't went far because the tree instantly scooped him up with its other hand. Then it lowered the two Hobbits so they could face him face-to-face (no pun intended)
Then what happened next shocked them : the tree talked ! " Little Orcs! Búrarum..." They stopped struggling as they looked up at the tree with shock " It's talking Merry. The tree is talking !" Pippin shouted in awe and fear. " Tree ?! I am no tree ! I am an Ent !" The Being said back with a hint of anger in his voice as he started walking, carrying the two in the process.
Merry seemed to know the name because he instantly said with amazement "Treeherder! A shepherd of the forest !" "Don't talk to it Merry ! Don't encourage it !" Pippin worried inquired "Treebeard some call me " the Ent, now known as Treebeard added in a grave tone.
"And whose side are you on ?" Pippin asked the Ent with fear. "Side? I am on nobody's side. Because nobody is on my side, little Orc...Nobody cares for the woods anymore..." Treebeard responded in the same tone that before. " We are not orcs ! We are Hobbits !" Merry argued with a frown, feeling a bit insulted at being compared with those disgusting creatures.
" Hobbits? Never heard of a Hobbit before. Sounds like orc mischief to me !" Treebeard angrily said the last part as he tightened his hold on the two , making them cringe and cry in pain. "They come with fire, they come with axes ! Biting, breaking, hacking, burning... Destroyers and usurpers... Curse them !" The Ent snarled as he didn't loosened his grip on the Hobbits.
"No! You don't understand ! We are Hobbits, halflings. Shirefolk !" Merry cried out in an attempt to reason the Ent but it didn't stopped Treebeard from crushing them. "Maybe you are, and maybe you aren't. The White Wizard will know !" as he said this, the Ent loosened his grip.
However, despise their relief from not being crushed by Treebeard, they became a bit scared when the Ent mentioned the White Wizard " White Wizard?" Pippin asked as he looked at the Ent worriedly. Then realization reached Merry as he understood what Treebeard meant " Saruman!" he mumbled before suddenly being dropped on the ground.
The Hobbits looked up from the ground and their eyes widened when they saw the figure standing before them. The figure had a bright white robe and long white hair. They became speechless as they looked at the Wizard , unable to say a word.
(To be continued…)