There wasn't just one trail across the High Pass but several crossing and re-crossing each other as they wound their way between the peaks. Alerted to their danger the Lady led her party off the track they'd been following onto one that climbed steeply up to a narrow col, dusted with snow, in the notch between two summits.
A shallow cave had been cut into the mountainside beneath a pointed overhang. The smooth floor, hearth built into the back wall and cache of firewood indicated it had been made by Men not nature. It was also an eminently defensible position commanding the steep, narrow trail with good solid stone to guard their backs.
As the sun vanished behind the western peaks and a cold wind smelling of snow began to blow from the east Ereinion laid and lit a fire in the hearth providing a welcome warmth and light.
The Lady Beruthiel stationed herself at the front of the shelter setting her long steel hafted arrows in neat rows point downward in the bare earth. Her head lifted as a wolf's howl warbled across the mountains. "Summoning reinforcements."
Elladan, beside her, nodded grimly. "I fear we will be facing an attack in force.
"We have definitely been recognized." Ellenion observed coolly as answering howls floated over the col.
"Wargs would not attack a party of Rangers with Mother at its head of their own free will." Ereinion said thoughtfully, coming to stand beside his twin. "Some one has constrained them to do so."
Elrohir nodded agreement. "Not their Orcish allies, some other they fear more than they fear Beruthiel."
The Lady looked at him sidelong, brows knit in a frown. "You mean Khamul at Dol Guldur?"
"Can you think of another with such influence over the beasts?"
"No." said Elladan. "And that worries me. If he has guessed what the Rangers truly are, or worse yet who leads them -"
"As your father is always telling us, we cannot hide forever." Beruthiel answered calmly and resumed lining up her arrows. "But it seems to me more likely Khamul is snatching at an opportunity to rid himself of those infamous Orc killing sons of Elrond Half-Elven."
"Let us hope so." said Elrohir.
The party, including Cemendur and Rumil, had without orders or consultation formed themselves into a wedge beneath the spear shaped overhang with Beruthiel at point, the Elven twins to her right and her sons and the Gondor Men guarding the longer left flank. Both sets of twins were armed with the short black Ranger bows, less powerful then the Lady's seven foot great bow but still effective. The howls were closer now, warbling calls and responses.
"Working up their courage." Beruthiel said, with another of her steely smiles.
"Wish I'd thought to bring some wolf spears." Rumil murmured to Cemendur.
Ereinion shook his head. "Why should you when you were taking the southern road? Besides they are too heavy and unwieldy for travel," he flashed a sudden, rueful smile, "why do you think we Rangers don't carry them even when we know we are going into Warg country?"
Dusk deepened into true night. The stars came out, flickering fitfully between wisps of the mist that gave the mountains their name. The wolfish chorus continued, fearsome and menacing but their intended prey were battle hardened veterans all and if not immune to fear well capable of mastering it.
The Men and Woman listened calmly but the horses, huddled together at the back of the shelter, were somewhat less stoic. The Ranger steeds seemed to be trying to comfort the trembling Gondor horses with soft wickers and gentle nuzzling. Cemendur caught Rumil throwing unhappy glances over his shoulder, clearly longing to go and reassure his frightened charges.
"Not now, Rumil."
"Yes, m'Lord." the Man answered unhappily.
It was a brief exchange but it caused both to miss the first seconds of the Wargs' charge. The great bow sang and the lead animal fell with a steel shaft through its brain. the Lady's second arrow ripped through the throat of another Warg to transfix the heart of a third.
The smaller Ranger bows showered the oncoming beasts with short black arrows piercing throats and eyes. Cemendur didn't see a single shaft miss its target and no Warg got within a dozen feet of the defenders. The charge soon petered out though there were still slinking shapes and hostile green eyes in the darkness beyond
"It can't be that easy." Cemendur murmured, shifting his grip upon his sword.
"No." Ereinion agreed wryly. "But what they've got in mind -" At just that moment a horse sized grey beast with burning eyes and slavering jaws dropped from the stone overhang above their heads directly in front of the Lady.
Beruthiel drove the arrow in her hand through its eye and into the brain. Then wielding her steel bow like a quarterstaff fended off two more.
Cemendur thrust his own blade into the gaping jaws of yet another Warg giving Ereinion time to cast aside his bow and draw his sword. After that all was a whirl of bright steel, dripping red maws and savage green eyes.
Driven backwards by a nearly black Warg Cemendur's right foot landed in a pool of blood and slid from under him. He fell hard, wheezing for breath he saw the Warg looming above him - then a wild neigh sounded in his ears and the great wolfish face was mashed to bloody ruin by the steel shod hooves of an attacking warhorse.
Rumil pulled him clear. "It's Culuros, m'Lord!" he shouted, "Good boy! Brave boy!"
Looking rather dazedly around Cemendur saw all seven horses had joined in the battle. The two grey Elven steeds were trampling three Wargs underfoot tearing at them with their teeth and covering Elrond's twins has they peppered the oncoming beasts with arrows. Cemendur's own chestnut, Culuros, had positioned himself in front of his master rearing up and striking at a snarling Warg, keeping it at bay.
Suddenly Rumil pushed Cemendur behind him, swinging his blade to half decapitate a second Warg trying to pull down Culuros from the side. Rumil's own white gelding charged forward to guard the warhorse's other side.
The three Ranger horses defended their masters and mistress with teeth and hooves, allowing them the space they needed to use their bows, yet even with the animals' help Cemendur's experienced commander's eye saw they were in dire straits, and likely to be overcome by sheer numbers.
A flicker of movement above the heaving sea of brindled grey pelts caught his eye as something large and winged dropped from the sky. Other winged forms joined it and the Wargs scattered howling. Within moments the trampled red-dyed mud of the col was empty of living enemies.
Cemendur heard Rumil swallow hard beside him. "M'Lord those - those are -"
"Griffons." said the Councilor flatly. "And hippogriffs. And wyverns." the two Gondor Men stared wonderingly at the assemblage of mythic beasts blinking back at them over a heap of Warg carcases. They had seen such creatures carved in stone or cast in metal decorating street and court in Minas Tirith and more recently the halls and chambers of Cristhoron but Cemendur had always assumed they were no more than a sculptor's fantasy. Yet again he'd been proven wrong.
All the half dozen or so beasts had the head and powerful wings of Eagles but combined in some with catlike bodies, complete with lashing tails and great padded paws. Others were horse-like in form but smaller, with the delicate cloven hooves of mountain goats. And two had scaled sides and clawed feet with long serpentine tails.
The largest of the griffons picked its way with catlike delicacy over the dead Wargs to dip its head in a sort of bow before the Lady Beruthiel.
She bowed back. "Elen sila lumenn omentielvo." she said, adding to the formal greeting also in Quenya, "You have our thanks, Children of Manwe, for your most timely aid."
And the creature replied, but between its harsh voice and antique dialect Cemendur was quite unable to make out its meaning. The Lady also seemed somewhat uncertain.
"Elladan, I think he just offered to show us a safe path over the pass."
"That's how I interpret it." the Half-Elf agreed.
The griffon backed several steps away, half turned and looked questioningly at the Lady.
"Clearly he wants us to follow him." said Ellenion.
"Let us do so by all means." his mother decided. "If we cannot trust the Children of the Lord of the Skies then no one can be trusted." adding to the creature in Quenya: "Lead on, my friend, we follow."