Disclaimer: I own none of the characters within.
Author's Notes: Many thanks to all the people who have reviewed so far. Particularly the authors; I believe you know how vital it is to receive encouragement.
Chapter Three
The Lorien pack passed the warning onward, their voices trembling with fear.
It was heard by the Imladris pack, which joined in with the call.
It reached the ears of the Rohan pack and the Mirkwood pack at the same time.
Five packs sang of terror and destruction, as the Great Hunter was unleashed once more.
And far across the River Brandywine, it was received…
~
Merry stood alert and trembling. It was the middle of the night, the moon cresting high in the sky. All about him, the pack slept. The pups were heaped together, Bilbo and Gaffer were dozing near each other, and Sam and Rosie were in a huddle of warmth. So peaceful. And yet something was terribly wrong.
Straining his ears, the young wolf leaned into the darkness. He heard the call of warning. Could it be? Were there other packs beyond the River? Apparently so, and they were in danger.
A little nose nuzzled his foreleg, and he jumped.
It was Frodo, his big blue eyes shining eerily in the dark. Long had the pup proven his uncanny ability to sense trouble and sorrow, and tonight was no exception. He stood by Merry, mimicking the elder's alert position, and listened. He did not hear the call, but he sensed it. Something was wrong.
Not wanting to get the pup concerned, the beta scooped Frodo up by the scruff of his neck and carried him back to where Pippin slept, setting him down next to his sleep mate. The pup settled down a bit reluctantly, but was soon asleep again.
Merry trotted over to Bilbo and nudged him awake. In silence, the alpha rose and stood, listening to the wind. He could not hear the warning. Insistent, Merry loped off to investigate. Bilbo barked a note of caution, and Merry yipped back to acknowledge.
~
He reached the River Brandywine in two days. Standing on the edge, he studied the icy waters apprehensively. He'd been scarcely aware of the River's presence, seeing as no Hobbit wolf had ventured this far in years. This was a barrier he hadn't anticipated.
Throwing back his head, he called for anyone that might hear him. Again and again he howled, his unusual Hobbit wolf voice quavering pleasantly. Hobbit wolves, while not quite the singers the Elven wolves were, still had lovely voices when they sang.
And suddenly, someone howled back.
Merry's jaw clamped shut so quickly in surprise he almost bit his tongue. Someone else was out there!
And suddenly, through the mists on the other side of the bank, a massive black wolf appeared. He was tall but thin, his green eyes staring impassively at the little wolf on the opposite shore. On his back sat a large eagle.
Quite unexpectedly, the great animal plunged into the River Brandywine and swam easily across, reaching the other bank and shaking the moisture from his coat.
Merry stared up at this newcomer, hardly believing his eyes. He was the largest wolf in the Shire pack, and this male was almost double his size. Suddenly, it occurred to him that this wolf might be dangerous.
He was about to run when the black wolf reached down and affectionately nuzzled him, tail relaxed out to show that he was a friend. The little wolf nuzzled back, relieved to have found an ally and not an enemy.
The wolf was Elrond, guided by Gandalf to this forgotten bank in order to seek assistance. For only these good-natured little wolves would actually think about the betterment of the world, and not simply their own pack.
~
Elrond was welcomed into the Shire pack's territory openly. The pups raced in and out under his slender legs, and Rosie nuzzled his chest, as it was only place she could reach. Sam and Gaffer came forward and rubbed his legs respectfully, and Bilbo stood resolutely before him until he lowered his head to be rubbed. An alpha does not rub a stranger in greeting anywhere but the head, which Elrond realized after the old wolf had stared at him meaningfully for a moment.
He lounged on the flowery hill with the Hobbit wolves, joining them in their elevensies, and, shortly after, lunch. The food was plentiful here, he realized, and he wondered about telling the remaining Mirkwood wolves about it.
But presently Gandalf seized his ear in his pointed beak and shook, reminding him of why he was here in the first place. Elrond gathered the Hobbit wolves before him in a semi-circle, that all may look into his eyes and hear his voice.
-Gentle little wolves, I come to you now in a desperate hour…-
~
When Elrond finished, all was silent.
Merry left the pack and paced by himself, thinking. Not only had he recently learned that there were many other packs besides his own, he now knew that his beloved tundra was in dire peril by a Great Hunter.
Presently he returned to the pack and went immediately to Elrond's side. He rubbed alongside the larger wolf and growled softly. His actions spoke clearly:
'I will go with you. I will fight with you.'
Sam came up to Merry and repeated the gesture, signaling his desire to follow his beta.
And suddenly, Pippin and Frodo tumbled forward, each fighting over who would go first. They settled the difference by each taking a different side of Merry, rubbing him with their bodies and growling in their little voices.
Merry looked to Bilbo, who nodded sagely. He knew the pups could handle this. Pippin had iron courage within, although he could occasionally be trouble. And Frodo… there was no doubt that Frodo was meant for this Quest.
There were farewell rubs all around. Rosie came up to Sam and nuzzled him under the chin, and then ran her tongue along his neck. It was the language for 'You are my leader, and a very good one'. If wolves could blush, Sam would've turned bright red.
Merry submissively nuzzled Bilbo under the chin, acknowledging his stance as alpha. Gaffer gave each of the pups a rough lick on top of the head, sending them sprawling.
Eventually the goodbyes could be stretched out no longer. Turning towards the East, Elrond led the newly formed Pack of the Quest towards their journey.
~
It was Elrohir and Elladan that sensed them coming.
They came flying back towards the pack from a routine patrol, tongues lolling from their mouths in exhaustion.
Someone was on Imladris territory. A veritable pack of four, maybe five.
Instantly Glorfindel was on the alert. He rubbed against his pack, spreading his scent and mingling it with his own. When all had mixed together, it was a scent that distinctly said 'Imladris'. Wearing it like a banner, they raced off to meet the intruders.
Never in a thousand years had Glorfindel ever expected it to be this.
Elrond the Loner. The first shocking news was that he was not alone. But the most surprising: he was about halfway through Imladris territory, as if he were crossing it. And in all his years, he had never pulled such and unbelievable stunt.
The alpha of the Imladris pack stared long and hard at Elrond. He seemed larger now, stronger and more confident. In truth, he was larger than Glorfindel had realized, for Elrond had always moved close to the ground. And yet now he was holding himself like an alpha.
His followers numbered four; a group of wolves so small the likes of which the Imladris pack had never seen before. One among them moved like a warrior, but the others couldn't be more than pups.
Glorfindel opened his mouth to snarl and demand their reason for trespassing. And then looking in Elrond's eyes, he suddenly knew.
The ragtag bunch was going to face the Great Hunter.
Snorting, Glorfindel ordered them off his turf. But Elrond stood like a statue. Raising his hackles, the alpha advanced at this insolence, but then something even more shocking happened.
A great eagle swooped from the sky and landed neatly on Elrond's back.
He was recognized at once as Gandalf, spirit of the tundra, and then Glorfindel realized this Quest was not in folly.
Elrond walked calmly into the Imladris pack and circled off Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen into his pack. He was claiming them as his own, and the Imladris alpha was powerless to stop it.
Snarling defiantly, Elladan and Elrohir loped back to their former leader.
But Arwen stared at Elrond, who stared right back into her eyes, and she knew then that this was where she belonged. Ignoring her brothers' whimpers of protest, she went and stood behind her new alpha.
Walking past Glorfindel, Elrond's body language was simple:
'Leave us be and we will pass through your land and cause no harm.'
The Imladris pack could only watch agape as the once-cowering wolf led his growing following away and out of sight.
~ To Be Continued
