Disclaimer: I own none of the characters within.

Author's Notes: My dear readers, I humbly apologize for making you all wait so long. I've been sick for four days, and before that my little brothers were sick and I was taking care of them. So… I've been busy. But never fear! At last, we're back with Sam!

The second to last line of words in this chapter is lifted directly from 'The Two Towers', 'The Choices of Master Samwise'. I give Tolkien full credit.

Chapter Seventeen

~

            Cold.

            Bitterly, utterly, excruciatingly, numbingly cold.

            The simple flurry of snow that teased the Great Pack and covered them with a gentle dust was escalating into monstrous proportions in the East. Hurricane force winds, plunging temperatures, and drifts and drifts of snow dumping from the sky created a massive blizzard, the likes of which had not been seen on the tundra in decades.

            It thundered along, always Eastward, growing in strength and power like a snowball that had been tossed down a snowy hill, building and swelling to terrible immensity.

            Always growing, always moving…

            ~

            Lonely.

            Unbearably, hopelessly, agonizingly, painfully lonely.

            And desperate.

            Trudging through the snow, muzzle pressed blindly to the ground in hopes of following the trail, loyal little Sam made his way along the wall of Mordor. He was freezing cold, and his tail drug uselessly behind him, but none of that mattered.

            He had to find Frodo.

            Again, he shoved his sensitive nose into the snow, snuffling among the frigid particles in the feeble hope that the scent would be uncovered. No such luck. He'd lost the trail of the snowmobile long ago, smothered by the flakes that drifted from the sky with deceptive peace. And still he followed that hideous wall, knowing only that before the trail had vanished it had outlined the structure, and had given the appearance of continuing to do so.

            Follow the wall.

            As he stumbled on this weary path, he thought of what he had done wrong. Trust Gollum. That had been his ultimate mistake, and he had paid a bitter price for it indeed. Right from the beginning his instincts had warned against the scrawny wolf. If only he'd listened. If only Frodo had listened to him.

            But no, none of this was Frodo's fault. It was all painfully obvious that Sam alone was the cause of this, at least in his own guilt-ridden mind. The world was upside-down, and the anchor of his alpha pup was missing. All thanks to that wretched Gollum.

            Pausing, Sam leaned his exhausted body against the black expanse that kept him out of the Dark Land. He'd been walking for what seemed like days, his ears haunted by the terrified cries of Frodo upon his capture. And he, Sam, had been running in the opposite direction, leaving him alone for that one moment too long…

            Curiously, the wind began to pick up, and the snow fell harder… and still Sam moved on.

            ~

            Within an hour the blizzard had fallen on him. His little frame was buffeted mercilessly by the stinging winds, and razor-sharp fragments of ice dug into the tender skin of his face. The wind itself seemed to be howling like a lost soul, moaning in agony and bringing more pain to the Hobbit wolf that was at the mercy of the storm.

            Sam walked at the same pace as before, but he was only going half as fast. The wind worked against him in many ways. One moment it would be driving him towards the wall, even throwing him against it in sudden force, other times it came at him from the front, pummeling him backwards. Then it was behind him, shoving, and then all around him. He was confused and disoriented and in utter despair.

            Finally, when he could move forward no longer, and when his body could no longer take the stress, his legs collapsed from under him. Flinging back his head, he howled a tragic note that was snatched away by the fury of the blizzard.

            For the moment, Sam was broken.

            ~

            Wide, large ears swiveling and tail twitching, Gollum heard the note of sorrow.

            Lost also in the frozen chaos, he followed Sam to follow Master. Deep within, the tortured creature had a drive towards Frodo, desperate for the friendly attention when he himself had received so little in his life. Frodo had shattered his fragile state of anger, sending him in a whirlwind of instincts that had previously been unknown to him. Instincts like friendliness and tail wagging and nuzzling one you loved.

            Madness.

            At the moment, however, Gollum was face to face with death.

            His thin coat was not meant for frozen temperatures. Years living caged and indoors had wreaked havoc with his survival skills, and he knew almost nothing of weathering such dangers. He staggered blindly along, his keen eyesight useless in the swirling vortex of ice. Uncontrollable trembling and shivers racked his body in almost seizure scale. The wind easily toyed with his light and thin frame, turning him sometimes in complete circles.

He was terrified.

            And yet that clear note of life from Sam pierced the fog that was settling over his mind. Someone else was alive out there. Someone else would be warm.

            Tongue lolling out of his mouth in fear and exhaustion, Gollum nonetheless spurred himself in the direction of the voice he had heard.

            ~

            Poking through what seemed to be the millionth in an infinite number of snow drifts, Gollum squinted his eyes against the biting wind.

            There was another wolf.

            Trotting forward desperately, hardly able to move his aching and frozen limbs, he dragged himself close enough that he stood over his savior. This wolf seemed familiar somehow… Nostrils quivering, he bent his head and deeply inhaled the scent of the figure…

            Sam!

            Suddenly full of fear, Gollum drew back in surprise. Sam. Sam, who had last been chasing him with murder in his eyes. Sam, who no doubt blamed him for the loss of Master. Whimpering, he shuffled in place. He truthfully hadn't meant for any harm to come to the dear alpha pup. If he'd known of the danger, he'd have thrown himself into the trap. But it was done, and Sam no doubt would kill him if he knew of his presence.

            If the cold didn't kill him first.

            Teeth chattering together like machine gun fire, Gollum faced an unbearable decision. He could run off and be saved from Sam's teeth and claws, but that would almost undoubtedly result in a frozen grave. Or, he could stay here… he gazed down at the sleeping Sam and groaned.

            Sam did look warm. The thick, curly fur provided adequate shelter from the wind. And having been in the cold before, the Hobbit wolf knew the best defense. He slept curled up in a tight ball, so that his body heat stayed drawn in around him, and his tail carefully covered the bare end of his nose.

            A veritable fortress of heat.

            A wave of cold swept through Gollum, his whole body twisting under the enormous shudder. There was no other option.

            Do or die.

            Tentatively, he took a few steps closer to Sam. The Hobbit wolf slept. Satisfied, Gollum eased himself to the ground behind the other animal. Still no response. Now for the tricky part. Delicately, with agonizing slowness, he edged himself closer and closer until at last his freezing body was nestled against the warm one.

            Instantly Gollum's near-dead system was flooded with life and blessed heat. Sam was sound asleep, oblivious to his newfound companion. Sighing and watching his breath create a fog, Gollum at last allowed his eyes to close as warm sleep fuzzed his brain. His head came down with a gentle thump on Sam's back.

            And the snow covered them both.

            Unknowingly, Sam had just saved the life of the wolf he had sworn to kill.

            ~

            When dawn at last broke, Sam opened his eyes the teeniest bit to survey the surrounding area. He saw nothing but white. Lifting and shaking his head, he pierced the veil of snow that had blanketed him while he slept.

            The Dark Land was now quite the opposite. Everything was pure and innocent white, a gentle look that smoothed out the jagged hills and covered the filthy earth. Turning around, however, Sam saw that not a bit of snow had stuck to the horrible wall.

            It was in turning around that he felt something on his back that he hadn't noticed at first.

            Springing out of his nest of snow, Sam whirled to face whatever it was that was down there. Silence. After a cautious moment, he stuck his head down in the icy burrow.

            Gollum!

            Rage and adrenaline spiraled to his head and his jaw fell open. Gollum. How dare he show his face here! And right here where Sam himself had been sleeping! Then it dawned on Sam that Gollum must have slept there all night, if the snow had covered him as well.

            The jaws that had hung slack in shock tensed for a killing blow.

            In his sleep, Gollum winced, as though sensing the imminent strike.

            It never came.

            Sam gradually brought his jaws together, although every instinct in his body was screaming not to. He had thought of Frodo, and how the pup had treated this loathed animal. And how the pup would have wanted him to treat him.

            With mercy.

            And so Sam drew back his head out of the burrow, anything to get his mind off how vulnerable his sworn enemy was at that very moment. No, he had to act for Frodo, and this was what Frodo would have wanted.

            Gollum was spared.

            With renewed courage and energy, Sam took off at a breakneck speed through the snow.

            It was time to find his Master.

            ~

            When Gollum awoke hours later, he found himself alone.

            And sighed.

            ~

            The huge drifts of snow seemed to do nothing to Sam. He plunged through them, legs pumping and body working as a plow, shoveling a path along the edge of that cursed wall. Nothing could stop him now.

            It was as if sparing Gollum had given him a moment in which Frodo was at his side once more. He had felt the pup, felt his influence, felt his very presence, and that had rejuvenated him more than any sleep could have provided.

            He was an army of one.

            And if Sauron the Great Hunter himself had stepped in the way, he would have been trampled utterly.

            ~

            At last Sam slowed to a stop. Closing his eyes, he sniffed the air. He stood for a long time just inhaling and exhaling with a slow, steady rhythm, tasting the wind for any trace of his Master. Something seemed to be there… a scent? A trace?

            He sprang into motion once more.

            Hurtling around a bend in the wall, he came face to face with the second most monstrous gates he had ever seen. He barely had enough time to drop and avoid being seen by any guard.

            A second entrance! Surely it was here that Frodo had been taken! Sam's heart leapt in his chest as hope was born anew.

            This ecstasy and joy faded away after about an hour of lying on his belly waiting for the titanic gates to open. Yet they stayed firmly shut, and Sam was beginning to wonder whether he would get in at all.

            Just as he was about to leave to search for a different entrance, they opened. Quite suddenly, actually. One moment they were frozen and looming, the next they were thundering open with such force the earth shook.

            Out came four rows of five hunters, out for a patrol. They wore the same black ski masks, but lacked the red goggles of the Nazgul. No, these were just the mass-produced warriors of Sauron, constantly searching his lands for any intruders. As they passed by Sam's hiding place, he crouched and tensed.

            The gates were closing…

            Now!

            Sam threw himself from his nook and raced with blind speed towards the diminishing crack. Faster… faster…

            Boom. The bars of iron fell into place inside. Clang. The gate was shut.

            With Sam inside.

~  To Be Continued