The shape-shifter himself was rested, and was tracking the eight as a wolf. He found where the Company had spent the night and sniffed the ground, learning more about his opponents as he did.
"The wizard is a great one, one who has been through fire and smoke and has survived." Forngor noted to himself. "And the Man has a smell about him that speaks of old battles won and nobility. Hmm… the dark-haired Hobbit has carried great fear and power with him, dark power. There is a gardener among the Hobbits who smells of dirt. And the other two have a love of the Hobbit-weed. The Dwarf is of stone and dust, and the Elf is of trees and forests. Very interesting." Forngor murmured to himself, pausing in his sniffing. His ears picked up what he imagined to be the cheery voices of Hobbits and he whirled from the camp and sped into the forest.
The Hobbits were indeed chattering, but very loudly as to appear closer to the shape-shifter. Forngor was off the paths, his wolf feet creating only a little sound on the earth. Soon he reached one of the paths, the one that Legolas had taken.
Forngor stalked cautiously onto the path. He knew that the Company had passed by, for he caught their scent in the air around him. His nose told him that they had been here, and his mind told him to wait. Forngor resumed his natural form as he settled back into the foliage, conserving his strength. He failed to notice the slight figure that perched in the branches of one of the trees, the greens and grays of his garb blending in well. And his dull eyes didn't notice as the figure notched an arrow to a longbow.
The Elf stood precariously in the tree, aiming for the dead glint of the shape-shifter's eyes. As silent as Elves can be, he waited, his breathing inaudible below the rustle of leaves and birdsong.
A clear whistle rang out, a good imitation of a bird, but no sound a bird would make. Before the echo of the whistle faded, an arrow hissed through the air. Forngor, somehow sensing the danger, jerked to the side and the arrow missed his head, disappearing into the brush.
Up in the tree, Legolas the Elf cursed silently and readied another arrow. Forngor slunk into the open, peering up at him. His thin gray mouth broke into a mocking smile as he saw the Elf.
"Aiming to kill, now aren't we?" Forngor remarked. "That was meant to end it all, wasn't it, Elf? One shot, right between the eyes and poor Forngor would be no more."
Legolas made no reply, only drew his bow and aimed at Forngor. He fired again, but the shape-shifter dodged and the arrow grazed his shoulder. Forngor looked at the dark blood that dripped from his shoulder and glared up at the Elf-prince.
"Will you not come down instead of shooting arrows at me from a distance? What true warrior stands in safety while attacking a helpless enemy?"
When Legolas made no move to honor Forngor's request, the shape-shifter snarled and became a troll, shaking the tree that the Elf stood in. Legolas leaped from the tree, drawing his knives and stabbing them into the troll's head as he passed. Still gripping the handles of his weapons, he used them to swing onto the troll's neck. Forngor grumbled deep in his throat and threw himself backwards, slamming Legolas into a tree and causing the Elf's knives to lose their hold in his thick skin. The Elf dropped to the ground at the foot of the tree and lay there stunned.
Forngor blinked at him as Legolas got to his feet, fired an arrow that hit the troll's face, and turned and ran into the forest.
"Run, will you? I can match your speed, for there are those who are quicker than Elves in the forest." Forngor boasted. He shrank into a wolf again and gave chase.
Forngor did not get very far, however. An axe-blade fell right in front of his nose, stopping him cold. He looked up to see Gimli in front of him.
"Good day, Master Forngor. How fares the hunting?" the Dwarf asked.
Forngor growled and turned, only to face the point of Aragorn's sword. The Ranger had come up behind him so quietly that even a wolf's ears couldn't hear.
"I believe he asked you a question, Forngor. It would be rude to deny him an answer." Aragorn said.
"You idiots! You think a Man and a Dwarf will do any more than an Elf?" Forngor said.
A clear voice that did not belong to the Dwarf or the Man answered him. "Yes, when the Man is a king and the Dwarf has killed forty-two Orcs in battle. But they stand not alone. The Elf is back."
Forngor turned again to see Legolas, standing a little ways behind Gimli. "So you thought to trap me, do you not? Drawing me out, making me change shapes rapidly to tire me. Ah yes, I see that this is what you were trying to do. Your plan would have worked, but Forngor is wise in the ways of planning. Good day, sirs." With that, Forngor became a small bird and fluttered into the sky, leaving behind a few words: "Tonight you will live, for Forngor has another village to destroy. A very large village. I believe the Elf knows of it more than the others. It is called Mirkwood."