Disclaimer: If you don't recognize something, it's mine.

A/N: Wheee! Thanks for reviewing everybody. ^^ Cookies for all! Oh, and I've made some revisions. You see, when I started writing this I had no plot whatsoever, which left me with many loose ends. I sat m'self down a few days ago and actually wrote something forming a plot! Go me! ^^

So, in case you don't want to read the previous chapter all over again for merely a new paragraph, she is no longer going to be elven in any way. Nope. No pointy ears. No extra sharp senses. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Zilch. Zip. Zero. Well, you get the idea . . . 

Oh, and I'm going to be switching this around from first to third person. What can I say? I like first person. *shrugs* I won't have to label them, though, because only Natasha's POV will ever be in first person.

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Chapter 2: Lost

I awoke with a pounding headache. Opening my bleary eyes slowly, I rubbed the sleep from them and yawned. Stretching my arms out in front of me, I squeaked in pain as a very agitated Solitude landed on my right arm.

"I don't have my arm pad on!"

As if sensing my discomfort, the great hawk, hopped onto the ground next to me and fidgeted, flustered. I cocked my head.

"What's wrong, girl?" I cooed, stroking the soft feathers.

It was then that I looked at my surroundings for the first time. The forest looked . . . darker. Not light-wise but mood-wise. It seemed more sinister, more disturbing, denser, and thicker. I glanced at the stream and gasped. It had grown in size to a good sized river and now the water was black! What kind of a stream grows that quickly? What kind of a stream had black water? What kind of a stream had water that changed color overnight?

I jumped up in alarm and winced as my head throbbed even more. I looked about me and saw to my relief that the boulders, my campfire, and my backpack were undisturbed. Hurrying over, I threw my boots on and put on my backpack. Forget exploring, I wanted to go home. This place was creepy. Maybe it was haunted. I shuddered and then instantly sneered at myself.

What's this? Getting scared?

Of course not! I wasn't scared! Just a bit . . . nervous. That's all.

Calling Solitude, I hastily jogged from the clearing back in the direction I had come from last night. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, a sudden new thought hit me. Why was it so dark? According to my watch, it was 1:00 in the afternoon. The sun should practically be at its zenith! Peering at the treetops, I could barely make out bits of sunlight through the slits in the lofty, verdant foliage.

Hours later, I was still blundering along. I had taken out my matches long ago and thanked my lucky stars that I had thought to bring so many boxes. There were strange creatures watching me from the shadows, I could see their eyes watching me, always watching me. I could tell that even Solitude was frightened as she flew closer than she normally did. When I was holding a lit match, the shadows were pushed farther away, causing the eyes, and the animals to which they were attached, to recede with them.

I still didn't know how I could have gotten lost.

Is this the same forest? The one had home was definitely not this big.

No! Don't be stupid, Nat! I mentally berated myself. Of course it's the same forest! What else would it be?

A different forest maybe?

I snorted. Right. I woke up in a dark version of the same forest. An alternate evil universe? I chuckled to myself. Just as my chuckles were subsiding, I heard a twig snap. Instantly, I stood stock still, my whole body tense. Please don't be a gigantic man-eating monster! I quickly threw my backpack onto the ground and took my knife from it.

Turning slowly to where the sound came from, I swallowed thickly.

"Show yourself!" I winced at how high-pitched and scratchy my voice sounded. Clearing my throat, I tried again. "Show yourself!"

Instantly, three men stepped from the shadows, all held bows with arrows pointed straight at my heart. I let out a loud, "Eep!" and lunged to the right, using a large tree to shield my body. Cautiously, I peaked out from the side.

One of them stepped forward, his long blonde hair falling about his shoulders. He relaxed his bow slightly and I started as he spoke, his voice low and melodious.

"Who are you and from whence do you hail? What right have you to wander the Woodland Realm? Speak quickly." He spoke with a thick British accent.

My eyes widened. Oh lord, these men were psychos! They could kill me on the spot! Gulping visibly, I answered.

"M-my name is Natasha Damon and I'm 18 years old. And my house is somewhere over there, I think," I motioned vaguely in the direction I had been traveling, "I was camping out for the night and I found this glade and drank from the stream and I woke up and the stream was bigger and black and streams aren't supposed to do that and I've been wandering for hours and I think I'm lost and I'm freaked out with all these animals around and the forest looks creepier than normal so I'm trying to find my way home and-and-and-" I cut off as I realized I was babbling and simply stood there, trembling.

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Novardo's gaze swept over the shaking girl. With her black hair and golden eyes, she was obviously not from Mirkwood. So where was she from? He cocked an eyebrow as he glanced at the tiny knife in her hand. Did she really think she could protect herself with such a toy? And what was she doing wandering around practically defenseless in the middle of the dangerous wood? How had she managed to cross the Black River?

Looking back at Lafen and Elaed, he nodded to them. They would have to take her back with them. There was no telling if she was dangerous or not, and she could be a spy. With the Shadow moving in the East and the capture of Gollum, they had to be extra careful when dealing with strange folk.

The young soldier turned back to the girl. While Lafen and Elaed circled around her, he would keep her attention.

"Tell me; are you elf, man, or half-elven?"

The girl looked at him in confusion. "Elves? Do you mean the little people with pointy ears that run around and help Santa? They're not real, buddy."

Novardo lifted his eyes heavenward and sighed. She must be mortal then. Foolish, ignorant creatures.

"They are real, my lady, for I am one." He would have added, "as are my companions" except that that would have drawn attention to them.

The girl snorted. "Hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Elf," she said in a mocking voice, and made quotation gestures with her hands, "but elves are not real. They're from fairy tales and other stories. Elves." She snorted again at the ridiculous notion. "And I suppose there's a big palace over there," she vaguely gestured to her right, "with a king and prince and somewhere far away there's a mountain with an evil dragon with a horde of stolen treasure that has captured some fair maiden which the prince will then rescue in a feat of heroic bravery and then marry the damsel-formerly-in-distress and live happily ever after?" she asked all in one breath.

Novardo raised an eyebrow. "Yes, except that the king and prince live in a cave, the dragon was slain years ago and there was no fair maiden."

Her condescending look was instantly replaced with one of fear and Novardo smirked.

Just as she was about to make a run for it, Natasha felt an arm latch onto her shoulder. With a squeak of surprise, she whirled around reflexively; tucking her arm under her assailant's, effectively locking it in place, and punched him squarely in the eye. Out of the corner of her eye, Natasha saw someone else reach for her and she ducked, kneeing her new attacker hard in the groin. Crouching down, she darted away before the first man could make a come back.

Novardo watched her run off in surprise. With her show of fear earlier, he hadn't expected her to know any type of combat. Shaking his head at the way his companions dealt with her attacks, he figured they hadn't expected it either. With a sigh, he sprinted off after her, easily reaching her within a couple of minutes. She was stumbling along at a rather slow pace, obviously unused to running through a forest.

With a small jump forward, he latched onto her elbow and jerked backwards, causing her to fly back with a squeak and fall on her rear. Her muscles tensed as she made ready to flee once again, so he flipped her over and twisted her arm, holding it upright straight above her and placing his foot lightly on the small of her back. As she struggled, the elf put a small amount of pressure on her wrist. She cried out as a lightning pain shot through her arm and stopped wiggling immediately. He leaned down and spoke near her ear.

"I don't want to hurt you but I will if you do not stop this foolish fighting. You will not win and you have no hope for escape. Come with us willingly and it will be all the better for you. What say you?"

He pressed slight pressure on her wrist and she squeaked once again. He smiled in amusement. What was she, a mouse?

"Alright. Alright! I yield! Uncle!" Natasha slapped the ground with her hand.

The elf let her up, giving her a quizzical look as she got to her feet. "Uncle?"

She rolled her eyes before slapping her hand to her forehead and waving off his question.

He bristled and grabbed her arm roughly, dragging her back to where his friends were. Judging rightly that he would catch the strange mortal without trouble, they had started setting up camp as nightfall was quickly approaching. Lafen was sitting by a good sized fire and absently poking it with a stick while Elaed was laying out their pallets and taking out an extra blanket for Natasha.

Turning to the girl, Novardo pointed to a pallet. "Sit."

She scowled at him. "And I suppose you want me to balance a treat on my nose too?"

"Of course not," he said confusedly.

She sighed and plopped down onto a pallet. "Never mind."

Shrugging, Novardo sat down next to Lafen and pocked him, smiling slyly. "Wait until I tell the others that you were bested by a mortal girl."

"I wasn't bested!" the other elf said indignantly.

Novardo looked at him innocently. "So?"

Lafen answered him with a glare and turned back to the fire, poking it viciously. Elaed looked up from a sketch he was drawing in the dirt with a stick.

"You weren't bested by a girl, but you did alert her to our presence. Imagine a warrior of your expertise making such noise!" he snorted, showing his opinion on the matter.

Lafen simply ignored him continued with his poking, a sullen expression on his face. Chuckling, Novardo turned back to the girl they had found. She was staring into the fire with a blank expression on her face. He tilted his head as he studied her. She was quite pretty, as mortals go, with her black hair and pale skin. He had never seen hair as black as hers before and knew that she would be quite a marvel when they got back to the city. Also, her large golden eyes gave a slightly eerie quality to her. Suddenly, she looked up and locked eyes with him.

"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer."

Novardo looked at her in confusion. "Take a picture? What does that mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know, with a camera?"

He simply shook his head. "Whatever it is, I don't care. You'd best get some sleep. If we start off at dawn we will probably reach the City by mid-afternoon."

Natasha gave him a questioning glance but he didn't explain further. Turning to her backpack, she opened up and began rifling through it. Immediately, all of the elves jumped up. Quickly snatched her pillow, she held it up and tossed her pack away from her.

"It's just a pillow, see?"

Wordlessly, they sat down once more and Natasha settled down as best she could on the pallet. Within a few minutes, she drifted into a fitful slumber.

***

Hehe, hot elves! Woohoo! ^^ Novardo is extra special to me. *huggles* Many of you know why. ^_- Anyhoo, Legolas comes into the story in the next chapter, for those of you who are getting impatient.