Hi!

OK - so it was not so nice of me to leave off where I did ;-)

I´ve never been so, well, pressured, to write the next chapter, guess I must have done something right. Though I prefer not to be threatened... :)

Now, this chapter turned out a bit different than planned. I had planned to get them into the mill and let them find a few interesting things there, but Legolas got hurt worse than I thought (Reviews influencing my writing? Have to think about that). So I had to get him out first - also better for my health, I think.

Anyway, this is rather basic angsty stuff, I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.

Review responses:

Star Stallion: Want more? Here is more! Enjoy!!

Lyn - That must have been my poor characters at work - I´m sure they´d prefer "lounge" where "lunge" was intended :) Glad you like it, keep up your reviews.

Godzilla: Thanks - and here´s more!

Alariel: I made you think spooky thoughts?! THANK YOU!! Glad my writing has an effect... As for your idea - who knows?! I´m not giving anything away, but feel free to keep guessing!

Ertia: Ermm - that was a threat, wasn´t it?! That´s new.. I´m glad that you defend Legolas the way you do, poor elf needs some defence when I´m writing. Hope this chapter makes you happy - I really hope so - happy???

Red Tigress: Wow, thanks! So happy that you like it so much - and I hope you enjoy Legolas doing some major "hanging-in-there" in this chapter.

One more thing - I´m posting this "un-betaed" just this once (to spare Ertia and me some problems...), so bear with me if there are a few more mistakes.

Now - enjoy and don´t forget to REVIEW, please.

Alinah

Rating: PG 13

Disclaimer: So far, far away from being mine

Desperate measures

Aragorn felt time freeze around him. He stood with his back to where Legolas had been a heartbeat ago. To where the twin-howls had announced a danger far too great for the wounded elf to conquer. In front of him, the dark door beckoned him to enter his enemy´s lair, his good hand halted right above its knob. Telias clung to him, refusing to be put down, his arm´s tightly wound around the man´s neck, face buried in his shoulder. The torch flickered where Aragorn had dropped it next to his feet. Its light seemed to be every movement made, the soft hiss of its flame every sound uttered.

"Telo, ylund fir!" //Come to meet your deaths, beasts!// The elf´s shout shattered the breathless moment, its cold boldness chilling the ranger and bringing him back to his senses. Quickly, he shoved to door open and put the child down none too gently. "Stay in here and don´t come after us, no matter what happens!" Thankfully, there was understanding in the tear-streaked eyes and Telias bolted away, scuttling out of sight.

Another howl cut through the damp air, followed by an unearthly shriek, a heavy thud and a grunt of pain. Aragorn fought his impulse to turn and dash out, but desperately looked around for a weapon, mentally scolding himself for losing both the dagger and the sword he had carried.

"Dartho, Legolas, im anglenno!" //Hold on, Legolas, I´m coming!//

The fire! The hearth! Aragorn grabbed the poker, caring nothing for what pathetic a weapon it made, especially in his less-trained left hand. The steel felt reassuring nonetheless. He turned, finally facing the scene he dreaded with all his heart, and charged back outside.

The light of the torch still bravely burning on the ground was just enough for Aragorn to discern one big shape circling another which lay on its side, legs twitching in death throws. There was no immediate sight of the elf, but Aragorn could clearly see the wolflike creature tense and pounce at something hidden behind its dying comrade, snarling as it went. The ranger felt his heart speed up and he almost flew as he covered the distance to the battlefield in huge strides.

To his immense relief, the creature fell back with a sharp bark of pain. A dark liquid oozed from a deep cut to its head, but a light red also dripped from its bared fangs. It snarled and prepared to attack again, momentarily halting in surprise when the man appeared in front of its prey. Aragorn did not wait for the beast to collect itself, but swung the poker at it with a strength lent by despair and the sure knowledge that he would not receive many chances like this. He caught the creature in the head with a satisfying thud and it staggered a few paces and then toppled over sideways.

The ranger went after it, understanding that he had to avoid any distraction if he expected to live through this, but unable to keep himself from throwing a quick glance behind. As he had feared, Legolas lay half buried beneath the beast he had felled. The dagger was still clutched in his hand, dripping black, but his eyes were closed and a crimson of red was pooling beneath his head, soaking his hair.

"Albertho gwanno, Legolas, lasto anim!" //Don´t dare to die, Legolas, do you hear me!// Aragorn shouted the threat even as he turned for his foe once more, hoping against hope that it did not come too late. "Im tegi unmarth le. Dartho nev, ha ammaer le." //I´ll get you in trouble. Stay here, it [is] better for you.//

Strangely, shouting the elvish words reassured him that his friend would fight for his life. Legolas would do anything to get even for this, stubborn and proud as he was. Elbereth, let him still draw breath!

The beast had shakily regained its bearings when he reached it, but was too dizzy to avoid his next blow which caught it across the broad chest. A growl rose from deep within, red eyes fastening on the human. The stroke had been weaker than the first, Aragorn realized, and by far not strong enough to cause serious damage. Shaking its head as if to clear its thoughts, the creature tensed. The ranger saw the attack coming and ducked to his left, hoping to draw the fight further away from the fallen elf, but all plans faded into oblivion when he felt a paw catch him in the side, sending him flying.

The impact of his landing knocked all breath out his him and he gasped as he rolled over. His injured back screamed at the contact with the rough ground. His eyes frantically searched the dark for his foe, the poker firmly grasped in his good hand. It was a mixture of sheer luck and trained reflexes that saved his life when suddenly the beast appeared from behind him, going for his head. He had not expected the direction of the ferocious attack, but instinctively shoved his weapon to the side.

The sudden weight hitting the poker send a sharp pain racing up his arm, and against all intentions he let the weapon go with a scream. He rolled to the side, the movement more a reaction to the sudden pain than the consequence of a plan. Sucking in a breath, he forced his legs to obey and pushed himself up. He had to be standing if he was to stand any chance at all to dodge the next attack, his only and last chance of survival now that he was unarmed.

The next attack, however, never came. It took his mind a moment to digest the sight before him, to place what the gurgling sound meant, to understand that the beast had impaled itself by the momentum and weight of its jump. It now cringed on the ground, wildly pawing at the sharp object that stuck from its throat.

Quickly regaining his senses, Aragorn realized that this opponent posed no more threat and turned back to where Legolas lay. He reached friend´s side without remembering the run and fell to his knees next to him. His heart raced painfully, his vision swam from fatigue and pain. The elf showed no sign of life. His face was deadly pale and the dagger had slipped from his hand, his right arm clearly ripped by a bite. His chest did not seem to move.

Trembling and almost against his will, Aragorn reached out and gently placed his fingers against the bloody neck. For a breathtaking second, he felt nothing but the warm blood wetting his fingertips, but then there was the faintest movement. A beat it was not, rather a flickering, but it was enough for Aragorn to regain some strength.

"Dartho, dartho."//Hang on, hang on.// he whispered urgently, "im lheitho le, dartho." //I [will]free you, hang on.// Behind him, new growls could be heard, and he groaned in despair. He would need to be quick.

Legolas was buried beneath the fallen beast to the waist, and Aargorn was sure that he would never be able to lift or even move the creature. There was only one way to go about this, even though it went against everything he had ever learnt as a healer. He could only pray that he would not kill his friend in his attempt to save him.

Struggling to stand, he then bent down and firmly grabbed Legolas by the back of his tunic with his left hand. He levelled his feet, making sure not to slip on the blood-soaked ground, and pulled. He was relieved that on the first try he managed to move his friend a few paces already. He stepped backwards and braced himself once more, completely concentrated on the unconscious elf. He never felt the new threat coming.

A heavy body rushed into him, knocking him away from Legolas and pinning him to the ground face-down. He did not have the air to yell at the pain the weight on his back sent through him. Lights flickered in front of his eyes, and his dimly realised that he was on the verge of passing out. A long snout slowly descended into the line of his vision, then disappeared again. Hot breath touched his neck, and wet salvia dripped down on his cheek.

Then fire. Hot, searing fire right above him. Flickering light, overpowering smell of mould and decay. A shout in a high voice drifted through the night. Abruptly, the weight vanished from his back and he could breathe again. He coughed when the air filled his burning lungs, strangely grateful for the pain it caused. More light erupted around him, and he jumped in alarm when suddenly a small round vial shattered only a few feet from him, bursting into sizzling flames.

"Sorry, sorry, Master Aragorn!" Telias voice was drenched in panic. Still far from understanding his situation, Aragorn forced himself up again and looked around. In the light of a number of small fires, he could see several beast running, their strange hides smoking. Telias stood in the door of the mill, his huge eyes terrified as he took in the scene. He held a box clutched to his chest.

The ranger finally found his voice. "No more, Telias, no more! Save what is left, we may need it again!" He knew that the distraction would not last long, because none of the beasts had truly been set afire, the bodies resisting the flames somehow. But Telias´ surprising attack had bought him a few more precious moments.

He stumbled back to Legolas and resumed his efforts to pull his friend free. He had to fight back the urge to check for signs of life again, for truly, right now it did not matter. He would never leave the elf to be devoured by theses ghastly monsters. But he was not dead. He could not be. He had to live. Pulling again, then ranger was taken aback when he finally succeeded and narrowly avoided crashing to the ground.

"Master Aragorn, Master Aragorn, they are coming back!" Telias high pitched scream held little resolve, and even as he bent over to hastily pick up the elf, Aragorn could feel a misplaced missile passing a handbreadth over his head, crashing into flame behind him. "Telias, no more, no more!" The ranger felt his breath hitch when he nearly dropped the lifeless form of the elf, one arm not enough to fully support him.

Red eyes glowed at him from among the now dying fires. There was no room for delays. Dragging Legolas along with him, Aargorn raced for the mill, towards the terrified child who still clutched one of the glass orbs. "Inside, Telias, inside!" Thankfully, fear had not petrified the boy and he turned and vanished inside. With an effort, Aragorn made it across the last feet of ground without stumbling and nearly fell into the safety of the mill, kicking the door shut behind him.

Aragorn collapsed onto the floor, pulling Legolas down with him. He felt as if suddenly all his remaining strength had been sucked out of him, and for long moments all he could do was fight the darkness that crept into his vision, threatening to overwhelm him. It was a low moan that brought his senses back sharply, making him wince at the pain in his back.

Bending over the elf in his arm, Aragorn quietly spoke. "Legolas? Edro hin cin, mellon-nin." //Open your eyes, my friend.// Legolas did not follow his friend´s plea, but he moaned again, softly. Very carefully, Aragorn lowered his friend to the ground. He was dismayed at the amount of blood that now covered both himself and the elf. He would need to find the source of the bleeding quickly.

Pushing all other thoughts aside for the moment, Aragorn began to examine the elf. The bite on his arm looked ugly, but hardly bled anymore. There had to something else. The numerous cuts he had seen before didn´t make it easier to find the more serious injury, and he cursed under his breath at his lacking speed and clumsiness, restricted to using his left hand as he was.

"You just said a bad word." The tiny voice was almost inaudible. Startled, Aragorn looked up and into Telias´ frightened face. The boy sat at the wall across from the ranger, legs drawn up and hugged against his chest. His small frame trembled slightly. His eyes never left Legolas, a tear silently rolling down his cheek.

Aragorn´s heart went out to the boy. How could he have forgotten about the child like that! "I´m sorry, Telias, but I´m upset." He found a smile, hidden somewhere inside at happier times, and gave it to the boy. "You were very clever, and I need to thank you. Without you, we would not have made it at all." There was no reaction on Telias´ face, but the trembling lessened slightly.

When he found his voice again, it was a bit stronger. He lifted his finger and pointed. "You should bind that cut on his leg first", he said, almost dreamily, "it´s bleeding real bad, you know." Aragorn stopped in mid motion, following where the child pointed, and groaned at his blindness. It was less a cut than a ragged tear, bone-deep, reaching from Legolas left ankle to just below his knee. True to Telias´ word, it bled profoundly.

Aragorn ripped a piece of his tunic and pressed down hard. Legolas groaned again and tried to pull his leg away. "Dinen, mellon-nin, alrhinc." //Quiet, my friend, don´t move.// The gentle words failed to have the desired effect, but there was little the ranger could do. He kept the pressure up, hating the pain he was causing. He had Legolas´ weakened state to thank for the fact that the elf could not dislodge the single hand that held him, and finally he stopped trying in utter exhaustion.

It seemed to take forever for the bleeding to slow, and when it did, Aragorn was grateful not only for the elf´s sake. His arm felt as if it were filled with feathers, weak and light at the same time. The wound needed stitching, but the ranger had to heed his limitations. He would never be able to work properly in the state he was in. He realised he had to find a bandage now and started when he found Telias at his side, holding one out to him.

The boy looked calmer and even a bit eager. "I can help you", he said, "I have done this before." In truth, Aragorn was more than grateful and gladly accepted the child´s assistance. Silently, they worked together, not only in securely binding the leg but also in tending the various other injuries.

To the ranger´s endless relief, he found that only the leg had bled badly. Most of the other cuts very superficial, though their sheer number would slow down the elf´s healing. Upon closer inspection, he found Legolas´ hips and legs badly bruised, certainly caused by the heavy beast that had fallen on him, but there seemed to be no broken bones.

Now that the leg was bound, some colour had returned to the elf´s cheeks and Aragorn felt confidence return to him, unaware until now that he had lost it along the way. Telias brought a few blankets from somewhere, and Aragorn made Legolas as comfortable as he could. He did not have the strength to carry him to one of the beds, nor was he sure he ever wanted to enter that upstairs room again.

With the elf taken care of, an exhausted silence settled over man and boy. Both leaned against the wall in close reach of Legolas, eyes closed. Aragorn felt himself drifting, his body demanding its much needed rest, but the longer he sat still, the more his senses woke up to his surroundings. The rush of water, ever present in the room, seemed to grow louder. A feeling of unease gripped the ranger and he opened his eyes with a sigh.

There was no mistaking that this night was far from over.

TBC