Disclaimer: See chapter 1, please! Basically it says I own nothing! *sniff*

Beta: Not betaed by Akedhi yet, but revised by myself. Yes, after re-reading the beta-version of chapter 5 I've been able to figure some mistakes out by myself. ;)

Additional A/N: Sorry for this rather short chapter, but updates will follow briefly! :)

Warnings: Evil cliffie ahead! *eg*

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Father and Son – Chapter 8

It was in the early morning hours when Legolas started with a little yawn as he felt something wet touching his cheek. He blinked to clear his dozy vision and looked up to see what it was. He smiled as he found himself looking straight into the bright green-brown eyes of the mother wolf. He stroked her sides with his small hands and kissed her nose.

"Good morning…" He said softly, admiring the beauty of the animal in front of him. She remained at his side for a while, but then she turned around, ran into the clearing, stopped and looked back over her shoulder at him, waiting. Legolas understood. She wanted him to come with her. He mused for a moment. He was thirsty and rather hungry again but he simply could not resist the idea to spend a few more precious moments with the wolves. He was less eager to get home now that he knew the way back and felt safer out here in the forest. It would not make such a big difference now if he would spend some more time with his new friends before finally going home, would it? His Ada would be angry with him either way. He sighed, picked up his toy bow, quiver and bag from where he had forgotten it yesterday during his play time with the cubs and followed the she-wolf.

It was a somewhat windy morning and the sun had not risen high enough yet to clear the fine mist that hung over the grass. Legolas' rather dirty clothes got slightly wet from the morning dew as he strode through the grass and a little chill ran down his spine as the wind blew through his tunic.

On the other side of the clearing some ten feet into the trees Legolas found a very small pond. He kneeled down to catch some water in the palms of his small hands and drank the clear cool liquid thirstily. The three little cubs were happily running after each other, stumbling over Legolas heel in their game and playfully dashing back into the clearing, followed by their more cautious mother. Legolas quickly washed his face and got up to run right after the wolves, when a strange sound from above startled him. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked up.

Blinking through the branches above him he saw a strange, black cloud rushing over the trees. An ugly shriek coming from that cloud made him shiver through and through and all his senses were on full alert. He could feel danger and evil with each and every fibre of his small body. His gaze followed the cloud that was heading towards the clearing …circling above it … and then crashing down! He held his breath, shocked. Oh, no, the wolves! He panicked and without second thought, rushed forward, crying some sort of alarm, but it was already too late. With horror he saw black, crow-like birds attacking the four animals.

The she-wolf stood protectively over her offspring, baring her teeth dangerously, growling, snapping, biting, but she was outnumbered by the ugly evil birds. They were advancing her from all sides now, pecking their thick, sharp beaks in her flesh, making her whimper in pain, the three cubs huddled up beneath her were trembling badly. She stumbled sideways, still trying everything to fight the attackers and protecting her children. She caught one bird, killing it instantly, then a second one, but it cost her much of her already fading energy. The birds were now pecking on her legs, bringing her down on one side, providing themselves full access to her belly and even worse for her to her cubs.

Legolas ran across the field as fast as his short legs carried him, yelling madly. He stumbled and fell several times in his frantic attempt to get to the wolves as the ground was bumpy and the high slippery grass did not help matters, either. But never did he stop shouting at the birds to get off! He finally reached the fighting scene and tried to notch one of his toy arrows, but his hands were shaking too badly, so instead he started throwing his arrows at the birds. That however did not bother them the slightest bit. He hastily moved around to recollect his arrows to try notching one once again as his silver shirt suddenly reflected a beam of sunlight that broke through the clouds. Shrieking, the birds fled into the sky, but remained circling above the wolves and the elfling, contemplating the new situation from a safer distance now.

Legolas let go of his toy bow, arrows and quiver and kneeled down next to the softly whimpering, heavily bleeding she-wolf. He stroked her face soothingly, big tears rolling down his cheeks. He whispered to her in comforting elvish words but could not help himself sobbing out loud when he saw two of the little cubs lay pecked to death next to their severely injured mother. She looked up, sensing Legolas' distress and locked eyes with him. Her glance was sad, helpless and full of pain and despair as she knew she was not going to make it and what that would mean for her remaining cub in the end. And Legolas knew that look in her eyes as he had seen it somewhere else before. And although it had only been once he would never forget it in his entire life. The trembling elfling lied down next to her, leaning his head against her neck, desperately holding her head in his arms– as if that could make her stay, as if that would keep her soul from leaving her weak, dying body.

"Don't go, please, don't leave me! Please, I get my Ada and he will make you better! Oh, Ada, please, please help me…" He sobbed out frantically, tears streaming down his sad little face, his shoulders trembling. The remaining cub cradled itself into Legolas' lap, whimpering fearfully.

The she-wolf turned her head as far as she could and gently licked Legolas' tears away. Then, with one last soundless breath and glimpse on her cub, she passed away.

It all had gone too fast and it all was quite too much for both the young elfling and the wolf cub to bear. Their natural self-protective systems failed them completely now and both of them did not realize that the evil birds where still about to attack them again.

An ear splitting shriek from above snatched Legolas from of his foggy-minded state. He knew instantly that he and his little friend still were in enormous danger. Merely running on instincts now he clutched the cub in his arms, pressed it tightly against his chest and bent his head over the small body to protect the little one from the bird's view with his own head and his long blond hair.

Then Legolas started running towards the trees on the other site of the clearing, heading homeward. The thought of finally reaching home and the protection of his Ada again pushed him forward, making him run even faster.

But it was a wide clearing and his legs were so short... There was enough time for the birds to attack again. They crashed down on the elfling, pecking him in his back, head, arms and even legs, but he did not stop once. He must be strong now or they would kill his little friend, they would kill the last cub, too. If he would stop now, in the open field… they would be lost.

Even though his small body screamed in pain, bleeding almost everywhere already, he kept on running, running, running. The adrenaline rushed through his veins and numbed the pain from his injuries. He finally reached the trees, but his hopes to get rid of the birds with the help of the trees did not come true.

The birds clung to him nevertheless. There were fewer now, as the trees did not provide enough space for all of them to attack the elfling without getting hurt themselves, but still there were too many of them and they kept on pecking Legolas.

The brave little elfling did not give up however. He was very familiar with the area now and knew every bush, every tree, every branch – and the evil monster birds did not. It helped him to get rid of them from time to time, when they were punched off of his back by a low branch he could duck. Even if it was only for a brief moment, at least he could regain some strength then. He hugged the cub tighter and ran even faster.

Suddenly he stumbled over a root and fell on his knees. He struggled back on his feet immediately but the black evil birds advanced him from all sides now, with all their force, shrieking in his sensitive ears and pecking, pecking, pecking violently in his soft flesh.

"Ada…" He cried breathlessly. "Ada, please help me!"