Beauty and the Warg

Chapter Eight: The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. I've been pretty busy lately. But I've almost finished this story, so updates will be more regular. Thanks for all your support, it means so much to me!

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The first ship to reach the Pelennor Fields was the ship containing the Three Hunters and Wendy. Not for the first time nor the last Wendy wondered why she couldn't have been stuck in the body of a bird or perhaps an insect. At least something smaller and harder to target than a Warg.

The sight of the great black ships of the Corsairs struck fear into the heart of every Man who was putting his life on the line to protect the White City. A leer spread across the grotesque faces of the enemies. The believed victory was within their grasp. But suddenly a great banner was unfurled. On it was stitched the emblem of the White Tree of Gondor and the Seven Stars and Crown of Elendil, shining white upon the black background. It was then that the protectors of Gondor took heart, knowing that help had arrived in the guise of enemies.

"Do not fear, Lady Draugwen. I will not let you fall to Sauron's beastly servants," Legolas promised, his soft voice like a cool drink of water after trekking the desert.

"Stick with me, Lady Draugwen, and no harm shall come to ye," vowed Gimli, his thick beard mingling with the fur on her neck. In the absence of Arod, both Elf and Dwarf were preparing to ride Wendy into battle.

Aragorn exited the ship first. He was followed by the Dead Warriors, materializing out of nowhere to fulfill their oath and finally have peace. Wendy stood trembling with nervousness, as well as some excitement, while she waited for Legolas to give her a sign that it was time. When Gimli shifted slightly, accidentally pressing his leg more firmly to her side, she mistakenly thought he meant for her to go.

So go she did; over the side of the ship and face-first into the sand at the edge of the river. In an instant she was on her feet again and charging forward, blind with fear and filled with rage toward the Enemy. She blinked furiously to clear the sand from her eyes and spat in all directions to clear the filth from her mouth.

Everything was noisy and chaotic. Wendy could no longer discern friend from foe, all she saw were shiny, pointy weapons all around her, threatening her safety as well as the two people she cared for above anyone else who were currently perched on her back. She heard the screams of people in pain and the shrill, frightened calls of wounded horses. Oliphaunts bugled and men let out war-calls. Everything sounded coarse and crude. Her ears hurt and her heart was pounding painfully in her chest.

As Wendy darted deftly between warriors, she heard the twang of Legolas' bow as it loosed arrows with deadly accuracy. Gimli's axe took out foes with a sickening thunk, usually followed by a short-lived yell. Wendy's senses slowly returned to her and she quickly learned to tell the difference between an Enemy and a friend. Whenever an Enemy came too close to her, her sharp claws would knock him to the ground. If an Enemy came exceptionally close, her jaws would open wide and then shut with a lightning-fast snap, catching the Enemy unaware.

Then came the Oliphaunts. Like elephants they were in appearance, but big enough to hold a house on their back. Their feet crushed Enemy and friend alike, often twenty or thirty at once. As interesting as they were to look at, Wendy had no desire to see any of them up close. But Legolas, who sat in front of Gimli so he could direct her, urged her forward so on she went.

Wendy had been galloping along for a minute or two, biting and clawing as she went, when she suddenly realized that the load on her back was a little lighter. Craning her neck, she saw that only Gimli remained on her back. Horror spread through her as she turned back in the direction they had come from. She frantically scanned the fallen warriors, looking for a glimpse of golden hair and fair skin.

"Lady Draugwen! It is not the ground you should be searching, but the skies!" Gimli shouted in her ear as his axe sank itself into another Enemy. Confused, Wendy raised her eyes to the sky. There was some commotion occurring on the back of one Oliphaunt and, upon looking closer, Wendy saw a lithe figure with a crown of golden hair expertly maneuvering along the moving beast, sending arrows flying as he went.

Satisfied, Wendy continued with Gimli as her guide. The two moved as one, taking out swarms of Enemies at once. (Okay, not swarms, but Wendy thought a little exaggeration was acceptable, seeing as it was her first battle.)

Time no longer had meaning. The sky was covered by thick gray clouds that no sunlight could pass through. It was impossible to tell whether it was midnight or noon. Adrenaline proved to be an excellent performance enhancer, but it didn't last forever. As that first burst of energy wore off, Wendy found herself tiring quickly. Her feet were not moving as quickly and her jaws did not snap with the same oomph as they first did. Gimli's words of encouragement reached her ears as if through a fog and her eyesight was becoming bleary. All she saw, all around her, was blood and suffering and evil. Her heart was heavy, and that weight translated to her feet.

An Oliphaunt's foot came dangerously close to Wendy and Gimli, giving her one shot of fear with she used to help her bolt ahead of the Oliphaunt. But the feet were not the only danger. On top of the Oliphaunt were the deadly Haradrim archers. While Wendy was concentrating on taking down one ghastly Enemy, a Haradrim sent an arrow right at the Dwarf he spotted on the ground. Gimli twisted around to reach an Enemy warrior an instant before the arrow would have lodged itself in his back. Instead, the arrow went into the thick hide that covered Wendy's back.

All Wendy was aware of was a searing pain that started in her back and spread along her spine and eventually to every part of her body. She stumbled and fell, landing on the sword of a warrior who had fallen only a second before. Gimli rolled off and landed in a heap next to her.

Meanwhile, the Oliphaunt Legolas had hitched a ride on had just taken its last breath, arrows sticking from it as though it was some sort of pincushion. Legolas landed nimbly on his feet in front of the great carcass, bow still in hand. His eyes scanned the fields quickly before coming to rest on a large, hairy body a few hundred feet ahead of him. Next to it lay a short, bearded, axe-wielding warrior. Fear gripped the Elf.

Somehow his feet managed to guide him to Wendy and Gimli. He fell to his knees, ignoring all else but his dear fallen friends. Gimli, bruised but otherwise unwounded, crawled to Wendy's other side. He laid one hand on her back. It was covered by a pale, slender hand. Gimli and Legolas shared a look of deep mourning. Legolas squeezed his friend's hand.

"It is not safe to linger. We must go on," Legolas said. Gimli nodded, getting reluctantly to his feet. He turned away before he had the chance to change his mind and charged, reenergized and filled with rage at the injustice done to his dear friend Draugwen. Legolas also rose and whispered, "No i Melain na le," before rejoining the battle. May the Valar be with you

Through eyes glazed over pain, Wendy watched Gimli and Legolas walk away, feeling her heart ache as loneliness consumed her. Just before her eyes closed, Gimli's head turned to look at her and their eyes met for the briefest of instants. Then everything went black.

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Don't you just love cliffhangers? I know I do.

Review Replies:

elvesmagic010: *claps* Nice review! I'm glad you liked that little twist. I wasn't sure how people were going to react to that. Thanks for reviewing!

MP3girl4eva: That's okay, better late than never. Thank you for reviewing!

Elrohir lover: I'm glad you're enjoying it! One question: How do you ever decide between Elladan and Elrohir? I mean, why do you love Elrohir but not Elladan? Okay sorry I'm just weird.

Empress Guinevere Sparrow: Well, you were right, the next chapter (this chapter) was the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. I hope you liked it. Thank you for reviewing!

Almost Funny: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you think my characters are consistent, I try to work on that.

Scifiphantisigurl911: I'm glad it made you laugh! Legolas is acting pretty overprotective, isn't he? I suppose it's that warrior nature; fiercely loyal to his friends, just plain fierce towards foes.

Silver-Fangz: Yes indeedy, I sure did update. : - P Hope you liked it.

The molecular lady: I'm glad you like it!

Orlandopsycho010: Wow, you have a lot in common with Wendy! It's like I'm writing a story about you! Except you weren't transported into Middle-earth and you didn't get stuck in the body of a Warg and you didn't fall in love with a certain warrior. lol, anyway, thanks for reviewing!

Tiger: I'm glad to hear you weren't injured when you ran into the fake sunset. I think sign language would be a little difficult for Wendy, seeing as she has paws, not hands. I think fingers are rather important for learning sign language. But it's a good idea! Thank you for reviewing!

Maria2004: I'm glad you liked that chapter so much! The phone thing was supposed to be a little strange, just a little random thing to lighten the mood before the big battle. You'll see very soon why Gimli is being so nice to Wendy. : - ) thanks for the review!

Tinánia Legolinde: Thanks for taking the time to leave me a review! I really appreciate it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Shanelover1: Thank you for your kind words! I'm really glad that you like my story!