Disclaimer: Chicken Noodle Soup for the Demented Soul…yeah, they should
make one called that…
A/N: Hehehe…more action…especially for you Holly fans.
Time: Fire and Blood
"Rachel, could you gather some firewood?" Aragorn asked. Rachel nodded and began picking twigs and branches from the forest floor. Gimli nearly broke a limb from a tree, but Rachel smacked him on the head.
"Fangorn is ancient…the trees aren't exactly friendly, either," she said to him. He gulped, nodded and hurriedly took his armful of wood back to camp. Rachel laughed. Gimli really was funny. Dwarves.
"Rachel…" a voice called. She stopped smiling, dropped her bundle on the ground and spun, trying to locate the whisper. Deciding that it wasn't a good idea to stick around anymore, she left and headed back for camp.
The path was dark…if there even was a path. Even with her elven sight, she couldn't see more than a foot in front of her face. A branch snapped above her head and she began running. A small animal laughed…or whinnied…or something. Rachel was freaked out. She remembered why she hated Fangorn in the books. It was too strange for even her.
She ran into something warm and was knocked backwards. It too fell.
"Rachel?" Legolas' voice called.
"Legolas?" Rachel's voice replied. They stood…Legolas had no idea how glad the woman was to see him.
"Something wrong? Where were you?" he asked her. He could barely see her. She seemed out of breath. Had she been running?
"I'm okay. I just got lost. Umm…where's camp?" she inquired. Legolas pointed to his left.
"There."
"Sorry, but I can't see worth shit right now," Rachel confessed. Legolas collected himself and took her hand. It was the only thing he could think of to do at the time…well, not the only thing. The logical thing…the right thing.
"This way," he said, pulling her towards the faint gleam of firelight. Of course…Rachel wasn't completely an elven lady yet. Even Legolas had a hard time seeing the others. Fangorn was definitely a dark place.
"Where did you go?" Aragorn asked Rachel. He seemed pissed. How long had she been gone?
"You've been missing for nearly two hours!" Gimli shouted at her. He stood and pointed a finger at her chest. Rachel laughed. That was impossible!
"Whatever you say, Father. I'll try to be back by curfew next time," Rachel teased. Gimli crossed his arms and nodded his head once before sitting back down on the ground. Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes. Aragorn smiled, relieved.
"Sit. Dinner is served," Aragorn said. He pulled some elven bread, Lembas, from his pack. Rachel pulled out Holly's chocolate bar. She would certainly kill her for it, but who cares? This is something Rachel hadn't tasted in probably over a year…she didn't like chocolate very much, but it was definitely an energy booster. The others stared at it.
"What is it you eat?" Legolas asked. He took a small bite of his bread and Rachel opened the Hershey's bar. Legolas could smell it.
"Chocolate," Rachel said sourly. It didn't taste any better than when she left home. Yuck. She put it down beside her and Gimli looked at her strangely.
"I've never tasted chocolate before," he contemplated. Rachel handed it to him.
"Be my guest," she told him. He took it and popped a piece in his mouth gingerly.
"This is delicious! How could you not love this?" Gimli exclaimed.
Rachel and Aragorn laughed. Legolas smiled.
"I only like natural foods, Gimli. That's processed and I think it tastes disgusting."
Gimli shrugged. He had no clue what she was talking about and decided not to care. Rachel exchanged her chocolate, actually Holly's, for Gimli's Lembas and enjoyed that much more. Gimli, who was very happy, decided to tell a story or two.
"I've heard that a man in a cloak roams these plains! Is that true, Aragorn?"
"There are rumors. Some say it is Saruman who does this, but all they are are stories, Gimli," the ranger informed them. Gimli sat back and relaxed.
Rachel, however, was getting prepared. Saruman should show up at any moment…
"What are you doing, Rachel?" Aragorn said, looking at her strangely. She was pacing back and forth, looking to her right.
"Waiting…"
Nobody said anything. When Rachel said so, it probably was so. The others nearly held their breath. Whatever she was waiting for, it made her anxious and afraid. You could almost smell the fear.
Rachel was worried. What if the bastard didn't show up? That would be a bad thing.
A figure appeared directly in front of Rachel, as if challenging her guns. She shot it in the forehead, but it did nothing. A hallucination. Well, she wasn't going to waste bullets on that. The others were yelling and shouting at her to stay back. She couldn't hear them…Holly was at the figure's feet. She wasn't moving either.
Rachel dropped her guns and ran forward in an attempt to kill Saruman. She knew that was him…He was testing her. Raising her fist, she lunged at him, but something grabbed her around the middle right before the wizard and Holly disappeared in a blinding flash of light.
"No…" Rachel whispered. She searched the wood around her, but saw no sign of Saruman or Holly. She struggled against her captor and ended up elbowing him in the chin. She didn't care if it was Aragorn or Legolas (Gimli was too short), she would hurt them severely if they did that ever again. They let her fall forward and her hands landed in something warm and wet. Her hands were shaking horribly.
"Oh my God," she said to herself. Grabbing a gun from the ground, she began pumping bullets into the forest. Legolas pulled the gun away when it ran out of bullets. He felt the grip…it was wet. Bringing it into the firelight, everyone gasped.
"Blood…"
A/N: Good enough for you people?!
A/N: Hehehe…more action…especially for you Holly fans.
Time: Fire and Blood
"Rachel, could you gather some firewood?" Aragorn asked. Rachel nodded and began picking twigs and branches from the forest floor. Gimli nearly broke a limb from a tree, but Rachel smacked him on the head.
"Fangorn is ancient…the trees aren't exactly friendly, either," she said to him. He gulped, nodded and hurriedly took his armful of wood back to camp. Rachel laughed. Gimli really was funny. Dwarves.
"Rachel…" a voice called. She stopped smiling, dropped her bundle on the ground and spun, trying to locate the whisper. Deciding that it wasn't a good idea to stick around anymore, she left and headed back for camp.
The path was dark…if there even was a path. Even with her elven sight, she couldn't see more than a foot in front of her face. A branch snapped above her head and she began running. A small animal laughed…or whinnied…or something. Rachel was freaked out. She remembered why she hated Fangorn in the books. It was too strange for even her.
She ran into something warm and was knocked backwards. It too fell.
"Rachel?" Legolas' voice called.
"Legolas?" Rachel's voice replied. They stood…Legolas had no idea how glad the woman was to see him.
"Something wrong? Where were you?" he asked her. He could barely see her. She seemed out of breath. Had she been running?
"I'm okay. I just got lost. Umm…where's camp?" she inquired. Legolas pointed to his left.
"There."
"Sorry, but I can't see worth shit right now," Rachel confessed. Legolas collected himself and took her hand. It was the only thing he could think of to do at the time…well, not the only thing. The logical thing…the right thing.
"This way," he said, pulling her towards the faint gleam of firelight. Of course…Rachel wasn't completely an elven lady yet. Even Legolas had a hard time seeing the others. Fangorn was definitely a dark place.
"Where did you go?" Aragorn asked Rachel. He seemed pissed. How long had she been gone?
"You've been missing for nearly two hours!" Gimli shouted at her. He stood and pointed a finger at her chest. Rachel laughed. That was impossible!
"Whatever you say, Father. I'll try to be back by curfew next time," Rachel teased. Gimli crossed his arms and nodded his head once before sitting back down on the ground. Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes. Aragorn smiled, relieved.
"Sit. Dinner is served," Aragorn said. He pulled some elven bread, Lembas, from his pack. Rachel pulled out Holly's chocolate bar. She would certainly kill her for it, but who cares? This is something Rachel hadn't tasted in probably over a year…she didn't like chocolate very much, but it was definitely an energy booster. The others stared at it.
"What is it you eat?" Legolas asked. He took a small bite of his bread and Rachel opened the Hershey's bar. Legolas could smell it.
"Chocolate," Rachel said sourly. It didn't taste any better than when she left home. Yuck. She put it down beside her and Gimli looked at her strangely.
"I've never tasted chocolate before," he contemplated. Rachel handed it to him.
"Be my guest," she told him. He took it and popped a piece in his mouth gingerly.
"This is delicious! How could you not love this?" Gimli exclaimed.
Rachel and Aragorn laughed. Legolas smiled.
"I only like natural foods, Gimli. That's processed and I think it tastes disgusting."
Gimli shrugged. He had no clue what she was talking about and decided not to care. Rachel exchanged her chocolate, actually Holly's, for Gimli's Lembas and enjoyed that much more. Gimli, who was very happy, decided to tell a story or two.
"I've heard that a man in a cloak roams these plains! Is that true, Aragorn?"
"There are rumors. Some say it is Saruman who does this, but all they are are stories, Gimli," the ranger informed them. Gimli sat back and relaxed.
Rachel, however, was getting prepared. Saruman should show up at any moment…
"What are you doing, Rachel?" Aragorn said, looking at her strangely. She was pacing back and forth, looking to her right.
"Waiting…"
Nobody said anything. When Rachel said so, it probably was so. The others nearly held their breath. Whatever she was waiting for, it made her anxious and afraid. You could almost smell the fear.
Rachel was worried. What if the bastard didn't show up? That would be a bad thing.
A figure appeared directly in front of Rachel, as if challenging her guns. She shot it in the forehead, but it did nothing. A hallucination. Well, she wasn't going to waste bullets on that. The others were yelling and shouting at her to stay back. She couldn't hear them…Holly was at the figure's feet. She wasn't moving either.
Rachel dropped her guns and ran forward in an attempt to kill Saruman. She knew that was him…He was testing her. Raising her fist, she lunged at him, but something grabbed her around the middle right before the wizard and Holly disappeared in a blinding flash of light.
"No…" Rachel whispered. She searched the wood around her, but saw no sign of Saruman or Holly. She struggled against her captor and ended up elbowing him in the chin. She didn't care if it was Aragorn or Legolas (Gimli was too short), she would hurt them severely if they did that ever again. They let her fall forward and her hands landed in something warm and wet. Her hands were shaking horribly.
"Oh my God," she said to herself. Grabbing a gun from the ground, she began pumping bullets into the forest. Legolas pulled the gun away when it ran out of bullets. He felt the grip…it was wet. Bringing it into the firelight, everyone gasped.
"Blood…"
A/N: Good enough for you people?!