Disclaimer: I own none of the characters within.

Author's Notes: To all my reviewers:

EvilStorm – Well, if LOTR and wolves are the loves of your life, this fic is for you. Don't worry, I have no plans of abandoning this any time soon. :D

tigerlily – Aw, a fan! Yay! To be honest, I don't know how I do… I guess I've watched one too many wolf documentaries.

tenshiamanda – If you felt bad for everyone in the last chapter, fear not! Now we get niceness.

Finnov – I'm glad you've discovered my story, and I hope to see more reviews from you!

TK and Amarth – You guys already know what I would say to you. ;)

Everyone – Woo! Just saw a really cool documentary about wolves on TV, and I was so inspired I rushed up to write this! Anyway, I know I said we'd be getting Frodo and Sam in this chapter, but bear with me. Next time, I promise. Why am I still talking? You've all been waiting for…

Chapter Sixteen

~

            The silence that fell after the battle was awesome. Even the cries of the Naugrim faded away, leaving an eerie sense of quiet, as though the whole scene was suspended and holding its' breath.

            Weary and battle worn, Elrond walked with a peculiar lack of his usual majesty. His tail hung down behind him, and his neck was relaxed that his muzzle pointed to the ground and he hardly seemed to see where he was going. Ears pressed back, he was in a state of exhaustion none of the wolves had seen before. Since the beginning of the Quest, he had appeared to them almost immortal, impossible to reach with either gun or claw. And now he was weary, stretched to his limits by the daunting tasks he had been performing.

            The Naugrim parted silently, allowing this portrait of one weighed down by burdens to pass slowly and in agonizing silence. Trudging through their midst, Elrond hardly gave a sign of noticing them save for a twitch of his ears. Once past their ranks, he found an empty hilltop and collapsed on his side. He lie still for a moment, and then expanded his whole body as far as it would go in one long, massive stretch. And then at last, Elrond slept.

            Haldir, in the meanwhile, had struggled resolutely to his feet, and was taking shaky steps towards the other bare hill, which promised another cozy bed if only he could reach it. But with a defeated sigh, he sat down halfway there. In his injured state he just couldn't walk that far.

            A slender nose, quickly followed by a whole body, slid under him, and suddenly Haldir found himself in an awkward ride atop Eomer's back. In a burst of speed and before his cargo could fall off, the Rohan male reached the hilltop and lowered Haldir to a rest.

            There are times when even a wolf is unsure what to do. For all of his life Haldir had been taught and trained that all Numenor wolves were fools, and he himself had taken those teachings to an extreme level. And yet here was a Numenor, the same kind he had sworn to hate, helping him and performing an act of kindness that was completely unexpected.

            Haldir wagged his tail.

            On the battlefield, smoke still drifted along the earth like a great ghost, wafting among the wolves and breathing of death and gunfire. Shaking her head, Eowyn tried to snort away the scent. And in this vigorous movement, she turned and saw Aragorn and Arwen in a wolf embrace, standing closely side-by-side and facing opposite directions, and each with their head resting on the others' back. The Rohan female heaved a heartbroken sigh and trudged into the canyon.

            Defeated and rejected.

            It was Pippin alone who went racing across the battlefield, barking and howling for joy. Up and over the hill he ran, right between Aragorn and Arwen and splitting the two apart, tumbling at last to a halt at the top. Then began his dance of ecstasy, as he repeatedly nudged, licked, and otherwise cuddled his returned companion.

            Merry woofed and wagged his tail a little, trying his best to reciprocate the exuberant welcome, but too injured to do so. Sensing this, Pippin became quiet and lay down next to his friend for a nap. This lasted a grand total of eight seconds, however, before the younger pup was up on his feet and prancing around again, too happy to sit still. Giving up on trying to rest, Merry barked gleefully.

            Bounding towards each other, the brothers Elladan and Elrohir rejoiced in the fact that each was still alive. Glorfindel then joined them, and the three nuzzled and rubbed against each other. They were the last males of the Imladris pack, and they were glad to be living that day.

            Brooding in silence, Legolas eyed the fox Gimli, who had now departed his fathers' body to sit by himself. Propelled by an urge he didn't fully grasp, the wolf trotted over to the Naugrim and sat at his side. There was an uncomfortable silence, and Legolas let his eyes rove to the horizon, scanning for everything and nothing. At last, with a sigh, Gimli leaned his little body against the wolf's larger foreleg. A connection had been made.

            ~

            With one last despairing look over her shoulder at the lovers, Eowyn trotted sadly into the canyon. After a moment the cavernous walls swallowed her entirely, and she could no longer hear the other wolves outside.

            Walking in a dejected stance, she dragged her paws along the stone floor and delighted in the dismal and heavy sound they made. She was upset, and a saddened wolf will hear and feel the other saddened elements around it. Heavy steps and a heavier heart were pulling her down, and the slouch was physically apparent.

            That is, until she rounded the corner.

            There he was. A handsome young male, strong and fit. He was… sleeping? Or maybe he was watching her… Deciding to test this second theory, she woofed softly. Apparently he'd been asleep, as he abruptly sat up and stared at her with wide brown eyes. 

            Faramir trembled at the lovely young female before him. Did she have a mate? Who was she? Why did she come back here? Any thoughts or questions about the battle flew from his mind as he experienced the peculiar phenomena of…

            Love at first sight.

            Sighing deeply, he wagged his tail to be friendly. She wagged back and came closer to him, sitting down with about five feet between them. Unsure, he whined politely to ask who she was, and she repeated the question to him. Soon the two were exchanging information in the language of the wolves, through whines, whimpers, and ear signals.

            Eowyn herself was completely confused about how she should be thinking of this wolf. He was about her age, and he was very fine looking. And yet her heart was still bruised and recovering from Aragorn's unintentional blow, and against all her better instincts she made her polite excuses and exited the canyon.

            Once outside, she glanced up at the clouds and allowed a small wolf smile to sneak across her face.

            Back in the canyon, Faramir wore the same grin.

            ~

            Minutes slid by and time lost all meaning. Aragorn and Arwen had settled into a nest of fur on one hill, Merry and Pippin were in a heap of legs and tails behind them. Celeborn, Galadriel, Haldir, and curiously enough, Eomer were residing on another hilltop, while Legolas and Gimli still sat next to each other a little distance from the battlefield. Having been brought out of the canyon by Glorfindel, Faramir was dozing on a smaller crest with Eowyn watching him from a safe distance, and the three Imladris males were grouped together. On his hilltop, Elrond still slept.

            Silence reigned and not a wolf twitched a muscle. Occasionally Celeborn tilted his head, and sometimes Glorfindel would shake out his ruff. But for the most part, they were still. A light breeze had arisen, and the smoke was blown away. The breeze also brought something else. Snow.

            After three hours, the world was covered with a soft white blanket, and the corpses of battle had been buried safely. Snow began to collect on the wolves as well, and Merry and Pippin were all but lost under the powdery layer. It built up into a fine crust on Celeborn's head, and the alpha shook it off quietly. Of course, this dumped more snow on his slumbering mate, and Galadriel woofed in gentle reprimand.

            Sleep began to claim them, and they dozed on and off while the flakes continued to fall, giving everything an odd, muffled effect. Almost all were asleep when it happened.

            Bursting from his snow pile, obviously goaded on by Merry, Pippin dashed across the snow with all the enthusiasm of the puppy he was. In three bouncing strides he had reached Aragorn and Arwen all heaped in warmth. And without a second thought, he bowled right into them.

            End over the end the regal pair went, their fuzzy sleep shattered by cold puppy paws and a sudden exposure to cooler air. Yipping, Pippin danced around his 'prey' as they attempted to collect their dignity. The Lorien alphas and Glorfindel watched, raising their eyebrows, while the younger wolves surveyed the tumble with amusement.

            Rising to his feet, Aragorn did something quite unexpected. He took off at a gallop after Pippin, who spun in yelping terror and tried to flee. His short-legged pace was no match for the King, and he soon found himself hoisted aloft by his curly scruff. And moments later, he had been unceremoniously dumped headlong into a snowdrift. Royal punishment had been laid out.

            Aragorn sped away as Pippin tore after him in a ridiculous chase. And then something even more interesting happened. Bounding up one hilltop, Aragorn bopped Eomer on the head with a paw.

            Tag!

            Instantly Eomer, Eowyn, Arwen, Elladan, and Elrohir sprang into 'battle', their youthful bodies pumping as they raced around and around the hilly area, pouncing and tumbling and nipping gently. Elrohir seemed to be winning when, wham!  The younger wolves were sent sprawling as Glorfindel, Celeborn, and Galadriel bowled into the game.

            From their respective injured perches, Merry, Faramir, Legolas, and Haldir provided an enthusiastic cheering section as the game got faster and faster. Galadriel was it, no, Eomer, no, it was Arwen!

            Tag!

            Tag!

            Tag!

Eowyn attempted to tackle Celeborn, was completely surprised when he rolled onto his back, then found herself airborne, launched by his powerful hindlegs in his favorite defense move. Elladan and Elrohir ganged up on kid sister Arwen, but then Glorfindel, Galadriel, and Aragorn teamed up against them!

            Suddenly and with a loud bark, Elrond was awake. The wolves all froze, staring up at him wide-eyed. All of them, even Galadriel and Celeborn, felt for some reason like guilty puppies getting caught doing something they shouldn't.

            At last, Aragorn ascended the hill and stood looking down at Elrond, who was still lying down with his forelegs before him. After a long moment, the King of the Tundra raised a paw and brought it down with an audible 'whumph' on Elrond's head.

            Tag.

            In an explosion of movement, Elrond came rocketing down the hill and barreled into the game. With him added to the mix, the simple game of tag got kicked into a higher gear. Faster and faster they went, and then in a single motion they flew up and out of the hills and across the tundra.

            Aragorn, Elrond, and Galadriel ran neck and neck for the lead, their longs legs working in a steady rhythm. The rhythm spread to the rest of the wolves, and soon all of their feet were pounding out the drumbeat, racing ever faster and ever more united. Legs became a blur, tails rippled like flags, and heads were high and proud.

            Through running, they were strengthened and cemented, their formation becoming tighter and tighter until they were a great jigsaw puzzle of speed and power. Gliding over a long and low crest, they spotted a herd of caribou. Without a break in stride the pack split in two, ripping into the herd and scattering the mighty beasts.

            Ecstasy to a wolf is the chase. For in the chase they are free to fly, free to stretch and use the wings that no eye can see. Their bodies seemed to lengthen, and with their ears pressed back and tails streaming out behind them, their whole body appeared to be one long and unbroken burst of muscle.

            Singling off one animal, they tumbled after it, zigging and zagging around it easily. The caribou was wounded in one leg, and was no match for an adrenaline powered wolf pack. Glorfindel with his speed struck the killing blow, and the pack feasted.

            Once finished, almost every member seized a piece of flesh to bring back to the injured. Eomer stayed with the kill to guard it, and the Naugrim would be told of its' whereabouts that they might feed themselves as well.

            The trot back to the remainder of the pack was like sliding back down from the peak of a mountain. There had been a rush, and now there was quiet, and those that did not bear meat let their mouths hang open in panting grins. Their feet made hardly a sound on the fresh fallen snow.

            At last drawing back to where they had started, they brought the meat to those that were injured. The food was greeted with enthusiastic barks and woofs. Eowyn was going to give her piece of meat to Merry, but Pippin was already there. She went to give to Haldir, but Galadriel had beaten her to it. Elladan had brought food to Legolas, so the only person left to be fed was…

            Faramir.

            Walking timidly towards him, she deposited the meat before him with a shy wolf-smile. And before she could get away, he darted forward and planted a sound lick on her cheek.

            Perching on his hilltop, Elrond watched this unfold with a smile growing in his heart. Hearing a rustle of wings, he glanced around just in time to see Gandalf come swooping in to settle on his back. The eagle looked just as happy as his wolf companion. Quirking an eyebrow at the spirit of the tundra, Elrond wondered,

            -And where have you been all this time, my friend?-

            -Oh, I've been around and watching.-

            Lifting into the air, Gandalf swept back around and gave Elrond a sound thump on the head with his wing.

            Tag.

            And Gandalf flew away low over the tundra. Springing into the air, Elrond raced after him in hot pursuit.

~ To Be Continued