Disclaimer: None of Tolkien's character belong to me :,(... *sad sniffle*, but I happily borrow them for this new fanfic ^___^

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE ELVES

Chapter Two – A threat from the Sky

The sun was beginning its slow descent towards the horizon. Night wouldn't come before a few hours, yet the troop had decided to make a halt for a moment in order to eat and rest a little before to start a more difficult part of their journey through the plains and mountains. They had traveled more miles than expected, and their advance on the forecast seemed to bring some joy to Legolas. For a moment, he almost forgot his nocturnal torments.

Considering the rapidity of their progression, they couldn't ask more effort to the hobbits without allowing them some rest. All of them, in reality, were treasuring this little break under the sun of this soft afternoon. Sometimes, scarifying some moments in order to raise the troops' spirit could be really beneficial.

Sam had just dived one more time into the pot where meat and eggs were cooking, in order to get some more provisions that he would share with Frodo. The latter, sitting near Aragorn, was looking at Merry and Pippin who were sword-trained by Boromir. Aragorn was laughing, and trying to advise the young hobbits. Boromir was also meeting difficulties to remain serious. Any trace of his greed for the ring seemed to have flown away at that moment. Legolas considered them without realizing that a soft smile had appeared on his lips. He would really have forgotten about the events of his dreams, if he hadn't caught something dark in Frodo's eyes as the young Halfling turned towards him.

In Frodo's eyes, he could read a total refusal to give up to a carefree attitude. He knew that everything was but the calm before the storm. The hobbit felt like he was responsible for all the plagues of Middle-Earth; and searching for the elf's eyes, in fear that the latter would break the actual spell by warning them of an upcoming danger. Legolas felt his heart heavy. Frodo didn't want him to warn them of a danger, but on the other hand, the hobbit knew it was an unavoidable Fate, and this was in stand-by mode for any imminent attack. Happy moments were so rare for him since his uncle had given him the One Ring, that he seemed out of place in the actual joy.

The contact between their gazes didn't last more of a second before Frodo turned again towards Boromir and the two other hobbits, and pretended he was interested in Sam's conversation; but for Legolas, this mere second was enough to wake memories almost forgotten. This adult gaze, filled with fatality, in a child face… Yes, in his dreams, the little red-haired girl had the same gaze.  Legolas viewed again the scene where she was raising her arm towards the sky to show him something – if of course this movement was addressed to him – her expression could have been 'look, this is a catastrophe I know to happen, and that I can't prevent…'. Legolas felt an unpleasant tingling on his spine and a cold sweat on his back. He looked straight forward.

In the plain that spread many miles away at his sight, no enemy or danger was visible. And yet, Legolas had the sensation he was observed, and a feeling close to fear was moving inside of him. Was it a real threat, or a simple recollection from his dream? He remembered of his morning's decision: to seek advice from the ystari. He turned to look at Gandalf. The latter was talking with Gimli, or rather: Gimli was talking to him, trying one more time to persuade their leader to pass through the mines of Moria. Legolas clenched his teeth. Why did the Valar allow that stupid dwarf to join them in this quest? Gandalf's attitude was clearly showing that himself wasn't very fond of passing through the said mines. This relieved Legolas a little. In a blink, Legolas judged that the conversation between the Ystari and the dwarf was sterile and decided to interfere. He needed to talk to Gandalf before a calamity would happen. Oh, he wasn't really pressed by time, he could wait a few minutes, or even a few hours, but he needed to know. And as the discussion between the dwarf and the ystari was leading nowhere, he would feel no guilt to arrived in the middle of it and request council to Gandalf. He wouldn't perhaps have such an occasion before long. He jumped with a feline grace from rocks to rocks to move closer to Gandalf. Gimli saw this and frowned deeply. Legolas was about to mock his expression when something caught his attention before he could ever say a word to Gandalf.

Something in the sky.

He passed by Gandalf and Gimli without stopping, much to the dwarf's joy, and leaped on the highest rock. He stopped there and focused all his senses towards the anomaly he had detected in the Great Azure. His narrowed eyes were but two thin lines, his ears on the lookout were trying to filter all sounds coming from the Fellowship. His whole being was strained in the interpretation of the anomaly.

Aragorn had been observing Legolas from times to times for the past few days. Something seemed to go wrong for the elf. He ignored if it was something terrible, but he had certainly to be serious, as Legolas had in his sleep a reaction quite rare for an elf. The ranger didn't dare questioning his friend, trying to see if it would pass naturally. He knew all too well the elf's immense pride. Legolas would negate any illness of wounds as long as he could. He would only admit it if someone like Sam would notice it, there he wouldn't have any excuse… Aragorn nibbled his pipe. Legolas' behavior wasn't really alarming… But he had decided to keep an eye open in order to prevent the actual situation to become worse. All the members of the Fellowship needed to be at their maximum… Especially with the Ring, so close to them.

Would Legolas be a victim of the Ring?, this thought flashed briefly in his mind. At the very moment he turned towards the elf, he noticed that Legolas had changed his observation post. The next moment, he glimpsed the elf, perched on his rock, in an attitude that left no doubt on the meaning: he had seen something, and apparently it wasn't an ally.

"What's wrong, Legolas?", Aragorn shouted, trying to cover the cheeping of the hobbits who had just tricked Boromir by claiming they were hurt, and had now tripped him to the ground, trying to tickle him. All of them – exception for the said hobbits, too busy with their technique of immobilization of the son of Gondor – raised their eyes towards the elf. Sam saw the anomaly in the sky. "It looks like a cloud…", he simply said.

Boromir examined it also. He didn't have the piercing sight of Legolas, but he noticed a detail, though: "a cloud that moves fast… and against the wind!". It was as if an invisible signal had moved among them. Forgotten were the moments of carefree happiness. All were recovering very fast their reflexes of hunted warriors.

Legolas' eyes widened. He had just recognized what was flying towards them at high speed. A more fearful enemy than what he had first expected.

"CREBAINS FROM DUNLAND!!!"

Aragorn reacted automatically; his ranger's overpowering any other reflexes. « HIDE!!! And kill the fire! »

And while Sam was rapidly throwing some boiling water on the fire, and that Gimli was helping Gandalf to hide behind one of the rocks, the other members of the fellowship jumped to the closest hiding place they could reach, could it be bushes or cracks between rocks.

For a few seconds, it was only the silence… As if Legolas had launched a false alert. But at the very moment Merry wanted to speak about it, and explosion of croaks and deafening cheeping was heard. Sam, raising his head, saw giant crows dark as the night hedge hopping over them 

All of them, in their hiding place, were trying to remain as still as they could in order to merge into the elements around them. The quickness of the crebains was an advantage for those birds, but couldn't allow them to see a living being unless that being was moving, or was too exposed to the sight. They seemed however to detect some smell of the camp as they flew in circle, spying with their little black eyes any trace of a potential target.

From where he was hidden, barely breathing, Sam could see the swirl of black feathers above them, and got a panicked thought for Frodo who wasn't by his side. Moving slightly, he tended his neck in order to distinguish the others, but his place under the rock was offering very little of the outside view. He was about to flatten again on the ground when he glimpsed Legolas not far from where he was, still as a statue among the bushes and gazing the birds, his body tensed. For awhile, Sam was reassured by the only presence of another from their group, but then, he realized with horror why he had been able to see Legolas: if the elf's green clothes were allowing him to hide perfectly in the dark undergrowth, his pale face and fair hair were like a spotlight in the darkness.

And if the crebains could spot the elf, the whole fellowship would be in danger…

The birds' flying over them seemed to last an eternity for each of them. But after a last circle, they all flew away as noisy as when they first came. Had they notice one or another member of the fellowship, they didn't show it for they didn't attack. But perhaps that the attack wasn't what they had been here for, Sam thought, rising slowly from the rocks, as other heads were appearing here and there. Everybody was untouched apparently. But what had just happened was going to force them to reconsider their situation.

"What was that ?! ", Merry broke the silence with a high-pitched and shaking voice, as if fearing the return of the crebains if he was making too much noise. "I never saw birds of that type!"

Gandalf leant on his stick to rise completely from his hiding spot and spoke with a low voice. "Those are not just birds. They are from the race of the crebains from Dunland and Fangorn", he nodded to Legolas to confirm his analysis and went on, "I ignore why they are so far from their territory. One could think they are feeling from something, but I'd rather opt for the fact they were sent to spy the land. Earlier, I saw some hawks flying high in the sky, and in a steady flight. Our path to the south is watched…"

He took a deep breath. Instinctively Legolas turned towards the high mountains covered of white snow at the east from where they actually were. If the path to the South couldn't be taken anymore, he was quite certain of what direction Gandalf would take next.

"We have to take the path of Caradhras mountain!", Gandalf went on, confirming Legolas' thoughts. "We'll travel by night for the time it will tae to reach the mountains, in order not to be seen! And we won't use any fire."

"Well, if that isn't a plague and a nuisance!", Pippin shouted on a half-indignant half-desperate tone. "No fire, and travel again by night! All because of a pack of crows!". He rose his eyes towards the sky with a pitiful look, "and I had hoped for a really good meal tonight…"

"Well, Peregrin Took", Gandalf started calmly, "You can go on hoping... For there will probably be unexpected feast ahead of you. For myself, I should look forward some good tobacco and a little fire to warm up my old feet, but we cannot linger on these comforts. One thing is certain, however…", he adjusted his blue hat on his head and rose his eyes towards the whiteness of the mountain, "it will get warmer the further we travel to the South

These sentences quite enigmatic, made them all silent for awhile. Each of them were  picturing the flames of Mordor and Barad-dûr and other horrors – imaginary and real – that would wait for them down there...

[To be continued]

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Yeah, I know, no trace here of the « time-traveling warriors »… But the action needs to place itself and Legolas needs to learn more about his strange dream.

I didn't talk much of the Dream in this chapter. But when he faced Frodo, Legolas understood an element from his dream à he made an evolution by himself.
Now, will he be able to talk about it to Gandalf ? And will Gandalf be able to help him ?;-)
And what is that thing that Aragorn noticed about Legolas?

More to come in next episode ;-)

Reviews, pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssseeeeeee? *___*