A/N: Thoughts will be in italics.

Chapter 20

Avalanche

It had been many days since Aragorn and Legolas had departed Imladris to begin their search for Rohan's missing countrymen and horses and still the two had found no signs of any living creatures, people, horses or Orcs. New snow was making it difficult, if not impossible to see any old tracks, but to an elf and a Ranger, who look for signs other than footprints, a path existed somewhere and if they looked hard enough they knew they would find it. Neither was willing to give up hope.

Legolas, being a wood-elf, would occasionally stop and ask his friends, the trees, if anyone or anything had recently passed by, but when Aragorn asked what they had told him, all the elf would say was that the trees had seen no one. Even from the tree tops, the far seeing eyes of the wood-elf could detect no movement. They had been following the base of the mountains for some time and had planned to continue their present course for as long as it took knowing that if they were vigilant and persistent, they would eventually find what they had long been seeking.

A noise from overhead caught their attention and elf and man both looked to the sky to see a large, black, bird-of-prey circled overhead as it called to the two below. The falcon gained altitude then suddenly stooped as if it had seen its quarry and was moving in for a kill.

"Smart bird."' thought Aragorn as he watched it approach. "Make anyone watching think you are doing nothing more than hunting. Very good."

When the falcon had almost reached the ground, it leveled out and flew shoulder level until it landed on a small boulder close to where the man and elf were standing watching its approach. The two could see a piece of parchment had been attached to the birds leg and as Legolas stroked its head, and told it what a good friend it was and how smart it was to find them like he had, Aragorn removed the message from the birds leg and began to read. The note was from Anayah and read: "If at need, think of me. And also, dear brother, beware of the snow." Puzzled, Aragorn handed the parchment to Legolas who was just as puzzled by the cryptic message, as was his human friend.

"Think of me? I wonder what she meant by that Legolas? Think of me." He frowned. "Think of her or the bird?"

"In truth, Estel, I do not know although you must admit that if something did happen to us or if we should find what we are seeking, having a link to Imladris would be extremely helpful."

Legolas knelt down in front of the black falcon and looked into its eyes.

"Just what did your Lady mean by her message my friend? Would you come to us if we called to you?"

"Of course." Was the velvety reply.

Legolas suddenly straightened and took a step or two backwards in surprise. Aragorn reached out to steady his friend.

"Legolas, what is it?"

"He answered me!"

"He answered you?"

"Why are you repeating what I have just said? Yes, he answered me. I was unaware that he would communicate with anyone but his Lady."

The two of them would have continued to discuss the value of a talking falcon indefinitely if Shakir had not put a stop it. Sensing that an enemy drew near he spread his wings in an attack posture as he tried to warn his two friends. Aragorn and Legolas both remarked that the last time they had seen him spread his wings like that was just before Orcs had attacked them when they were bringing Anayah home to Imladris.

Grabbing his bow and quickly nocking an arrow, Legolas scanned the area for signs of the danger and Aragorn drew his sword, also ready for whatever was to happen next. They did not have long to wait before a band of Orcs came rushing at them from the fringes of the forest.

Aragorn turned to Shakir. "Go!" He commanded the bird. Shakir complied and took to the air where he continued to circle over their heads.

Elf and Ranger stood side-by-side as they had done so many times before. They fought well together and were determined that this time would be no different.

Aragorn was alarmed at the presence of Orcs so close to border of Imladris as well as the fact that when the Orcs had entered the clearing, they had done so with purpose, as if they had known in advance that Aragorn and Legolas had been there.

Legolas began to fire arrow after arrow into the oncoming mass of bodies and Orc after Orc fell only to be replaced by others and when the Orcs were too close for his arrows to be effective, Legolas hung his bow over his quiver and drew his long knives.

Aragorn ducked under the blade of the first Orc then straightened, allowing the momentum of the Orc to carry it along the side of his own blade. It fell quickly, its blood staining the ground black. Turning slightly to his right, he drew the razor sharp blade of his sword in a horizontal line across the Orc's abdomen then without pause, turned to the next creature and knocking its scimitar to one side, used the momentum of his weapon to draw it across the Orc's throat. He never stopped, but moved from Orc to Orc killing every one of the creatures in his path almost without conscious thought, his warrior's instincts guiding his movements. He kept a small part of his awareness on his friend, however, and so was there to behead an Orc before it had the chance to drive its filthy weapon into Legolas's back.

Legolas paid the same courtesy to the ranger and moving so fast that the Orcs had difficulty following his swift and graceful movements, the elf wielded his deadly long knives with a precision that few beings could match. When he saw an Orc kick Aragorn's feet out from under him then stand over the Ranger with an upraised scimitar, he quickly drew a dagger from his belt. With a flick of his wrist he turned the weapon until he held it by its blade then threw it and watched with grim satisfaction as the weapon buried itself to the hilt in the back of the Orcs neck, severing its spine and killing it instantly.

The Orcs continued to pour into the clearing and the battle may have gone ill for the two friends had not the mountain itself intervened. It started with a rumble and was soon followed by loud snapping and cracking sounds, as disturbed by the noise of the battle, a sleeping giant, white, wild and murderous, woke from its slumbers and began to sweep down the mountain.

"Estel, run!" Legolas yelled as he pushed the Ranger forward then attempted to follow his own advice.

The Orcs also tried to get out of the path of the white death that roared down the mountainside towards them. Some made it while others felt the power of the avalanche as it crushed them as well as everything else in its path.

Finally, it was over and for a little while the forest was silent.

8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

The pain in his head was almost intolerable and being familiar with head wounds, Aragorn stayed still for some moments knowing better than to try to open his eyes right away. When he did finally manage to pry one eye open, he closed it quickly for the blazing whiteness of the snow around him, hammered his already injured head with a significant amount of additional pain. He groaned, and tried to touch his head with his hands only to find that he could only move his right arm and so lay still for a moment and tried to gather his thoughts as well as his strength.

The last thing he could remember was fighting a great number of Orcs but beyond that fact could recall nothing. Trying to ignore the pain he felt whenever he moved, Aragorn finally managed to touch his head with his right hand and found a wound and blood over his left temple. Then his memories came rushing back at him, memories of an avalanche and Legolas pushing him and telling him to run. He knew he had tried, but unlike the elf who could walk on top of the snow, Aragorn had found himself breaking through the crust with each step.

He had almost made it out of the path of the avalanche when it had finally caught him. Tumbling out of control down the mountainside, he could almost swear that his body had come in contact with every rock and tree still above the surface of the snow until finally, he had been thrown violently against a tree at the base of the mountain and had lost consciousness.

The Ranger tried to assess his injuries. He was already painfully aware of his head wound and since it was extremely painful to breath he knew it was also safe to assume that there were some badly bruised or broken ribs as well. There were not too many places on his body that did not hurt, but that was to be expected after what he had just gone through. His left arm, he decided after an unsuccessful attempt to move it, was pinned, and rather painfully so, between his own body and the tree.

He heard footsteps approaching where he lay and suddenly remembered Legolas.

"Legolas?" He tried to open his eyes and had just completed the difficult task when legs came into his field of vision. These legs, however, were not walking on top of the snow – these legs were big and ugly. He groaned and for another moment closed his eye for it seemed that the Orcs had found him.

TBC