'Werewolf'

Imladris, early summer TA 3018

Raven's POV

I moved forward to stand on the edge of the cliff, looking down on Rivendell. On this ledge far above the houses of Imladris the wind was true mountain wind, blowing unhindered and strong. It was cold, and the scent of snow sometimes wafted down from the heights, mixing with the peculiar scent only mountain forests produced. The pines here were thin and high yet a little scraggly from harsh winters.

Still, this was not wolf-clan territory. Sometimes, in the long winter nights, the howling of the wolves in the plain carried down into the valley, ever so faintly. It seemed the steep walls were closing in on me then, cutting off wind, sound and scent. I wanted to answer them, if only for the sake to hear that they had heard me. It was strange comfort not to have to worry about the day's food, though. The days were long that way, and I had much time to realize just how different wolf-clan's life still was from this. No matter how often Gildor and I came back here, I always felt the same confusion I had experienced the very first days in the valley long ago.

It was early morning, and the sheer cliffs and white mountaintops above glowed. Crows flew across the valley, performing breakneck manoeuvres where the wind broke on the cliff walls. The valleys of Wolf Clan's mountains were less green than Imladris, but the cliffs there tended to be steep and bare like these. Even the colours they got in the changing light were similar.

The wolf was easy to please. He could almost feel at home here.

I came up here when I was at loose ends. I had picked inconspicuous things to do in the valley, usually tasks no one else was burning to take over. Cleaning the chimneys, stable duty, wood-chopping, those things were circled for the sake of keeping the peace. But I rather shifted horse dung three days running than to risk any duty that might force me into a lot of interaction with others. I sat down near the edge of the cliff and unwrapped the still warm bread and dried fruit I had brought from the kitchens. By now, I knew my way around enough not to get mad with boredom when Gildor was busy with some discussion of military matters. I also knew where to get food and where to eat in peace – I could find no heart to dare the great hall alone for the morning meal.

I had finished my breakfast and was dozing in the sun when Gildor´s sending made me bolt upright. Compared to the image-emotion-mind-speech on Ashi´kha-level we usually shared a worded sending like this had the feeling of someone dropping mental rocks into a quiet pond.

'Get your ass down here. They killed a werewolf' Gildor´s inflection on the last marked it as I-don't-know-what-else-to-call-that 'You should have look'

I shook the dizziness off and rushed from the ledge, wishing I could call the wolf and be down in the valley in no time. I bit down on it and leaped the fallen pines on two legs. Who knew what would happen if I called the wolf in the valley! Anyone with a little sensitivity for those energies would know. Elrond would surely know if he was using the ring then.

It was a wonder he had not yet picked on me anyway. I had felt suspicious eyes on me uncounted times before this winter. Glorfindel knew, and only loyalty to Gildor probably kept him from telling what he knew. Damn that he was not here now. We would have to deal with Elrond on our own.

I came down a narrow path at the back of the smithy and circled around the buildings to get to Gildor. There was already a small crowd in the higher courtyard in front of the stables. Gildor was looking for me, standing at the edge of the gathering. I heard the muted discussion going on but could not make out the words as it was conducted in Sindarin.

'What did you tell them?' I asked worriedly.

'Nothing so far. Let´s go to the front, you will want to see this'

I swallowed when I saw the creature. No wonder the Elves were unhappy with its appearance here. I had seen what was commonly called werewolves before. Those that were intended to ´serve´ for some time remained relatively unchanged, remained wolf in appearance. They were usually the easy ones to deal with – a spell could be broken without being a sorcerer or shaman. Nightchaser had taught me how to either break the spell that held them or drive away the spirit-thing that possessed them. If all failed, I knew how to kill the wolves.

Those that were intended for short use, as it seemed, sometimes appeared changed so much that the humans´ naming them ´monster´ was justified. They had to be dealt with much more carefully. The spirits that possessed them were strong, though their hold on their involuntary host could be wrenched away as well.

This wolf here was one of the changed. He had been practically skewered whole by a spear, and judging by the angle it had been driven in, the wolf must have taken off from a higher point than his prey. That was cat-style, and one more sign this attack had not been a wolf´s choice. Without sharp retractable claws to keep a hold on the prey it was useless to jump on it from above just to slip off to the side. A wolf preferred to keep his four feet on the ground to kill. This one had not been dead for very long and the Sindarin scout who had encountered and killed him still looked pale and quite ragged. He leaned on his short spear and listened to someone's agitated questions.

Elrond arrived about the same time as Gildor and me, with a dark look on his face. He examined the wolf briefly and turned to the scout who had killed it. I swallowed my uncertainty and moved forward to have a closer look for myself, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the glances I got from the bystanders as I knelt beside the dead wolf.

This had been a rather young wolf, three years at the most. The fur was rank and stiff and there were bare spots of skin. Changed fangs, so long they protruded from the jaws. They would aid considerably in killing but prevent the wolf from chewing. I rolled the carcass over. The fur around the neck was not the thick protecting ruff it should have been and showed marks of a chafing collar. The claws were too long to run comfortably. Add the unclean smell of sick wolf and I guessed the wolf had been cooped up in some cave or dungeon without much exercise for a long while. He was not starved, but lacked the muscles any normal wolf that ran several miles each day had.

That much was obvious to me, and, I thought, to any good hunter it should be obvious as well. The Elves standing around appeared slightly repelled by my unconcerned handling of the creature. Well, they were disgusted by orcs because some thought they had once been elves. I did not care what they had been before, but I knew that this, what they called werewolf, had started out as simple wolf. Not centuries, but a few years, maybe moons ago.

And when the host died or was killed the spirit thing was driven from it and vanished, probably back to the Shadow that had spawned or enslaved it.

Like a houseless fёa.

The thought came extremely unbidden and I shoved it away angrily. I got up slowly, not taking my eyes from the wolf. If the spirit was driven out without killing the wolf, I could force the changes back so that the wolf survived, unchanged. I had only done that together with Fingal and wondered if I alone would have the power to do the same.

But this wolf was dead, so the question was first, what had he been doing here? Elrond called a few names and dispersed the small crowd. Two hunters picked up the carcass and carried it away. Elrond turned to the remaining elves briskly.

"You two ride circuit with your groups. Faranaur, you take at least five and go up to the Rim. Meet up with the scouts there and conduct a damn good search along the Rim" The addressed ones nodded and went on their way "Gildor, you and Celebdur are our best assassins – I want you to go after the pack, see where they went, and kill what you can"

"Er-" Gildor began, but my hasty "No" interrupted him.

"No?" Elrond turned to face me. Gildor winced in sympathy. It was the sort of ´No´ that usually froze people right where they stood and made them decide they weren't going to contradict Elrond after all.

"Do you have a better idea then?" Elrond asked, dropping a doubtful ´dark elf´ at the end of his question, though it hung in the air.

I licked my lips nervously "Yes. Let me go after the pack"

Elrond blinked "You? Alone? Of course-"

I shrugged "Of course"

'Oh. I should have guessed that' "I think he's right, really" Gildor moved to stand beside me "If you say I am good, he is better"

'I suppose this is not the time to act the lover and demand that you take me with you?' he added wryly. I glanced at him but could make no reply.

"I have proof neither of that nor of his trustworthiness. I won't send someone on his own, let alone someone I do not know" Elrond said bluntly.

"I know him, Elrond, and I tell you if you want information, let Raven go. If you want wolf-skins, I don't think either Celebdur or me could still overtake the pack"

"Faranaur killed it at dawn, near the Rim" Elrond said shortly "I know how fast Faire can go"

Gildor closed his eyes for a moment, obviously weighing if it worth an argument with Elrond so I could satisfy my curiosity. I shot a look at him 'I won't bring back wolf-skins either, and you know that'

'How badly do you want this, demon-hound?'

'Bad enough'

Gildor stared at me hard 'You are here to say what the Ashi´kha are and what they want. So far you never had the courage to do so, neither has there been an appropriate time. What if it comes to that now? You know you must go all the way then'

I dropped my gaze for a moment 'Yes'

"Raven is faster" Gildor said to Elrond.

"He is on foot" Elrond frowned, looking from Gildor to me "What is it you two are not telling me?...What do you know of these creatures, Raven?" he demanded when neither of us answered "They are fast, vicious and unpredictable. One alone cannot cope with a whole pack. Should you find them, you are in trouble. Big trouble"

'He's right, you know?'

'I have no intention taking on a whole pack. One wolf could tell me what he wants to know'

"My people live in wolf territory" I said carefully "We have arranged ourselves with the wild ones. And we know how to deal with the changed ones. There are some we can take on, and some that are too strong"

"This one there" Elrond gestured vaguely "surprised Faranaur. In familiar territory. He says he had not been followed, it simply burst out of the undergrowth and went for him. He had been scouting, and did not sense it. It must have been…covered. You will be far from lands known to you"

I shrugged uncomfortably, not wanting to look up at the elf lord. "So are they. That was a forest wolf Faranaur killed. Not one of the plains or the mountains. And the changed ones can do that. I mean, the…spirits can blank themselves and the wolves out of your mind. You have to look for them by…uhm…without shields" I certainly could not tell him what a mak´a´ara was. It had taken a first-hand-experience to show that to Gildor. Neither did it seem favourable to tell Elrond I could mind-kill.

"Without shields? That would be madness if you know what spirit inhabits them"

"Not if you layer the shields. So you can always close them out again"

"You said without shields"

I winced "I do not speak your language well enough. Also, mypeople are dark elves. Our…shields work differently. Very much so. Ask Gildor"

Elrond sighed "This is neither the time nor the place to discuss differences of kind, I suppose. Your people, I take it, have a way of…repelling…these spirits, then?"

I nodded mutely.

"When can you leave?"

"Immediately"

"Very well"

Gildor caught my glance and grimaced at Elrond´s retreating back "This is on my head, Raven. I hope you are sure of yourself this time"

I turned to look at him "Yes. Thank you"

"All this for the hope to save one of the wolves? You really risk your ass"

I shrugged.

"He'll want to know how you do that"

I gave an uncommitted rumble "Faranaur said there was another. Two wolves, but he only saw it turn tail, it never joined the fight"

"What if you can't drive it out?"

"I can"

"What if-"

"Then I'll kill the wolf, as you told Elrond"

A short time later Gildor accompanied me to the final bridge that led out of the valley proper. After that, the forest began, climbing steeply up to the Rim. I was impatient to get started and to leave the valley quickly. The sooner I got out the sooner I could change.

Gildor would take my weapons back with him, and I would hide my clothes up in some tree to retrieve before I returned. Gildor knew better than I where the sentinels were stationed, but the final distance to the Rim I would have to be extra careful to avoid being spotted.

Gildor was irritated. I knew the whole disguise-action got on his nerves as much as on mine but it would not do to rouse any more suspicion yet. It was bad enough I was going after the wolf. The werewolf, to be precise. No one in Imladris was likely to forget that fact. For a while, he had thought it was a reasonable thing if I just came straight out with the truth, changed right in the Great Hall. Then they would see I was neither werewolf nor demon, but simply Ashi´kha. But then – I could be both to them, werewolf and demon. The elves´ reactions today had given us quite an idea what to expect. Maybe, maybe not. When I returned, we would have to confront Elrond with the truth.

"So…what about that…that thing?" Gildor asked when we reached the end of the bridge "You never said you had firsthand experience with these beasts as well. Orcs, I know"

I smiled wryly "Remember what I said, we think they are essentially elven fёar. And these are too strong to be destroyed, enslaved or not"

I left out the unpleasant fact that some of these spirits, when confronted with being driven from their guest creature or being destroyed even chose the latter. Though Nightchaser didn't think any fёar, Elven or not, could be destroyed by any force in Middle Earth and would ultimately return to – some place. Wherever that was.

"I know you can do weird things, demon-hound, but these are not orcs you can mind-kill, these are more"

"Gildor. I know what I´m going to do. Nightchaser has taught me. And he taught me well. I've done it before. I won't be able to kill it, but it is the same…action. It can not get me – only wolf-teeth can"

"And those are formidable ones, you have seen that this morning" he scanned my face for a long moment. "You have a wolf's mind yourself…"

"You don't know half of what Nightchaser could do. I wish he were here to explain. I am both. All Ashi´kha are. Wolf and elf. You should know that by now. And I said before, that is what makes us…" There was no equivalent in Quenya for the Ashi´kha word "The things we can drive away or destroy can force only one mind. We have…two minds. It is no matter which part these spirits assail, the other always…switches aside"

Gildor hesitated "Another choice bit of information in the puzzle. And what if it is a very powerful spirit?"

I laughed. "Then I have a problem"

Gildor snarled.

"Try it. Try to trap my mind" I said abruptly. What was I doing here, talking and talking instead of showing him what I meant?

"See for yourself. I can explain nothing. You, I should guess are more powerful than such a spirit. And I don't care if you Calaquendi think that sacrilege" I added when Gildor took a breath to contradict.

"Only the nameless shadow and his minions trap minds"

I looked at him calmly "You did that before, you can do it again"

There was a lot, I saw, Gildor could have said to that. He visibly swallowed any contradiction and instead placed his hand on my chest, reaching for my mind.

'Don't reach' I ordered 'Trap'

Gildor shifted his approach. Tried to trap first me, then the wolf. It was easy to avoid him, despite his greater power. He broke the connection and looked at me with surprise. I squeezed his shoulders briefly and stepped back "See what I mean?"

"Yes. Kind of -"

"Fine" I turned to the now dark forest. "A day or two for the wolf if Faranaur got the distance right"

No one was watching us, no one was even near. I unbuckled my sword and knife and handed them to Gildor "You think Elrond will leave you in peace yet?"

"I don't know. I won't say anything while you're gone at any rate"

I nodded "Do not worry about me, alright"

Gildor's POV

I bit my lip and watched him disappear into the trees. Then I went back to the buildings slowly, wishing for the first time I could change as Raven did and run with him.

Two anxious days passed. I found no rest and collected every tiny duty just to keep my mind from worrying. On the afternoon of the third day I was in the meadow behind the stables, righting some posts of the fence around the pen where the mortal horses were usually kept. The small herd was frisking about so I did not immediately react to the thunder of hooves behind me. Then there was a small pause in the drumming, followed by a heavy thud. I whirled, and Faire braked sharply, tearing the ground as her hooves slipped on the damp grass.

Up. Up she ordered Come with me

I dropped the hammer I was holding and obeyed without thinking, immediately fearing something had happened to Raven.

He's fine Faire cleared the fence again, ploughed through the high brushes alongside the stables and emerged in the yard. She did not slow on the cobblestones, and puzzled elves leaped out of our way. I clung to her mane and flattened myself to her neck as she crossed the bridges and tore off the path into the trees, heaving herself up the steep side. Low branches swished past, and dry needles showered over us.

'What the hell are you doing!'

You must look

'Why did Raven not call me?'

Wolf. Can't

'Since when can't he call me when he is wolf?' I demanded, but Faire made no answer. She reached a makeshift path going half uphill half along the mountain side. She gathered more speed for a moment until veering off into the thickets again and propelling herself uphill with powerful thrusts of her hind-legs.

Head down Faire ordered. I quickly ducked to the side of her neck as far as I could without slipping off and pressed my face into her mane. Branches whipped over me. Faire forged a path through dense forest, going uphill in a straight line. When I felt her slow after a while and cast about, I straightened, quickly taking in the area. Pine forest, the ground covered with brambles and low bushes. We were near the Rim already, an Faire was blowing with exhaustion. The black frantically scurried in one particularly thick patch of greenery, sniffing and scratching madly. I slipped off Faire´s back and forged towards him through the clinging brambles before Faire had fully halted. The black jerked his head up and fanned out his ruff, baring his teeth with a growl. It was an imposing gesture, one I always respected because it was purely wolf. The black slicked his fur down abruptly, and Raven, or rather the wolf, mind-spoke me.

'This. What is this?' The black returned to his scrabbling in the brambles. Satisfied I would not be attacked anymore I crouched down and pushed the excited wolf back to have a better look.

There was a milky black lump, half hidden still in the undergrowth. 'Not touch' Raven snapped. The wolf pawed at it, and I saw that it was a stone "Why not? You do"

The wolf's skittyness was contagious.

'Not feel. Try. Spell. You should'

He wants you to try a dark-spell, to see what this holds before you touch. He can't sense what you can Faire translated the wolf's near incoherent sending.

I stared at her for a moment, taken aback by the sudden clearness of her mind-speech. I had little time to wonder about that. It was ages since I had done a proper dark-spell. It was almost impossible to concentrate on the correct words. I had to repeat them twice before I had them right. I knew the spell was set, but it had no effect on whatever that object there was. The wolf had touched and stirred it without anything blowing up. I reached out and picked the stone up. It was cold and heavy, and its surface had been smoothed a bit. Now that I held it the spell seemed to gain some power. The stone emanated a feeling of hollowness, and briefly a shimmer gathered around it before fading as fast as it had been visible. I almost dropped the stone. I had forgotten the scope of the words I had used – the speaker felt whatever powers that thing he had bespoken held. And those were dark.

The spell faded. I tightened my hold on the stone and looked at the wolf. Most of his usually clean fur was dishevelled and littered with sticks and dry needles. "What happened?" I demanded of Faire and wolf alike, getting up. The black leaped aside but did not answer.

Trouble Faire had walked a few yards away, and was up to her knees in bushes. Her ears were flat to her skull Look at this. Guard

I pushed through the bushes, registering what Faire meant, but still froze in shock when I almost stepped on the body of a dead guard. The bushes were torn here, showing signs of a fight. A few feet away lay the carcass of a large greyish-brown wolf. There were odd things wrong with it – I knew what it meant before my mind acknowledged the fact. Another werewolf. Within the boundaries of Rivendell.

The black appeared at my side, a little calmer than before. I shoved the stone into my pocket and knelt, digging my hands into the wolf's ruff. I wanted to demand to know what had happened, but Raven had already lowered his shields, offering me an unguarded connection to share his memory.

Faire carried me downhill again, going as fast as she could without losing me on the steep downwards climb. The black seemed to fly downhill. He overtook us and ran ahead, scattering leaves in his speed. Faire slowed and swerved slightly towards a non-descript tree where Raven changed and retrieved his bundled up clothing with a sheepish grin. Once more, heads turned as Faire cantered across the yard and halted right in front of the main doors. I dismounted, and caught Raven as he slipped off her back and almost stumbled. He had changed in a hurry, and after a longer time as wolf that shift in perception was not pleasant. I wished I could give him a break, but the stones and all that had happened called for action. In our rooms, I scooped up my sword, knife and bow and hastily strapped them on. Raven fidgeted impatiently, but once he had dismissed the wolf, he had calmed down much quicker than I had feared he would. The stone was cold and heavy in my pocket, and I felt a sour weight in my guts. The black had killed a werewolf right under Elrond's nose. And that same werewolf had mauled a guard within Vilya´s protection. An orc had been with it, obviously laying traps, one of which Raven had sprung. The sling wire had cut through the wolf's ruff and left red marks on Raven's neck, but the black had managed to free himself and followed the fleeing orc back over the Rim. He had killed the creature there and returned to the dead guard. Raven suspected the stones worked as shields, blocked scrying, which was probably how werewolf and stone had come unmarked into the valley in the first place. The way the first wolves had attacked Faranaur without him sensing them. We would have to comb the valley for more of these, but first, Elrond had to be informed.

"What did you do when…during fёa-raika?" I said abruptly as we hastened up the stairs "You…the wolf could have slipped me. You didn't, and instead tried to blast us both into bits"

Raven stopped halfway up a long winding stair, turning to look at me a step below and therefore on eyelevel with me.

"I think, I can actually give you an answer to that now" he said slowly "And that is simple: the wolf wants to survive. Always…He sensed what you were doing was his chance to survive – it was instinct that kept him back. He did not slip you because you were saving us. I…wanted to die, and it was only my own decision fighting you. That is why you could trap me – us. The wolf refused to help me out"

"Still you had the power for that all-out strike"

Raven shrugged slightly "Of course. It was the only way out to try at that moment. Why are you asking this?" he added curiously "You are not afraid of me suddenly, are you?"

"No" I said shortly "Come on, we're in a hurry"

"You wait" Raven held me back "This can't be just about a few stupid werewolves"

I stared at him for a moment "No. This is about you. And now come" I went up the stairs.

"Khai´toh" Raven had not moved "You know what that means?"

I turned slowly at the Ashi´kha title. A word I knew, but which Raven had never used when we had practiced Ashi´kha language "Elda"

Raven shook his head slightly "That is the Common Code" He climbed the stairs to stand beside me again, seeking for words "Power. Incomprehensible. Terrible. Blinding bright. It is a word from the Starlit Dark. And that is what it means"

"And what do want to tell me with that?"

"That I can't believe you would be frightened of anything I could ever do?" Raven suggested mildly "Repelled, yes. But not frightened"

"I am not repelled" I snapped angrily "I would not be your lover otherwise, don't you think? Can't you understand, Raven?"

"No" Raven returned quietly, not responding to my anger "I am yours. I will be as long as you want me around"

I sighed and took Raven's hands after a moment "I love you dark elf. And I will be yours as long as you will cope with an unfurred wolf. But you make my skin crawl nevertheless. And I just wonder" I added "if you people know what you could do"

"We know" Raven said softly "And we know even better what we can´t do. All we want is to be left alone with the wolves. Just that"

Raven's POV

Elrond popped out of his study as we reached the landing.

"What is this commotion? Faire-"

"Palarran met another werewolf near the Rim and did not survive the encounter. Raven killed the wolf and the Orc that supposedly brought him, and we found this near" Gildor dropped the stone into Elrond's hands "Looks bad, feels bad, and works very well blanking things from scrying"

Elrond stared at him for a moment as if he thought Gildor had gone quite mad. "This reacts to the dark-spell only if you touch it at the same time, and its power fades quickly" Gildor went on "You had better rout out all the guards we have and anyone else who's suitable, give them dogs, tell them to sniff for orc-scent and watch out for slings, and search the valley. Especially the regions near the Rim we usually don't scour right through. Raven and I will go as well, north-western side, I think. And maybe Glorfindel can say more about these when he returns, I reached my limit with the spell"

Elrond shot a dark look at me as I kept in the background, then shifted his gaze back to Gildor "You're not joking"

Gildor shook his head once.

"You go ahead, fetch who you can" Elrond snapped the door shut and joined us on the return way down the stairs. In the hall, he went off to the side.

"Get Faire saddled and wait for me by the stables. I'm going to get everyone down here"

I obeyed without hesitation. Faire was in the yard still, pricking her ears expectantly when I came out "Gildor wants you saddled" I told her, focusing on her to ignore the curious glances.

Good She followed me into the stables. I collected her gear and gave her back a quick brush before saddling her. When I held up the halter for her to slip her head inside a bell started to clang.

Where's your sword?

I stared at her perplexed for a moment, realizing the blade had been the last thing I had thought about "I'm going as wolf" I said firmly "It's bound to come out anyway now"

I cinched the last straps tight and quickly divested myself of my clothing, calling the change before I could worry about the consequences.

Saves Gildor the trouble of taking a dog Faire observed dryly, giving herself a shake to settle everything in place. The bell had raised a veritable commotion outside. A short time later Gildor hurried into the stable, followed by several others who went straight for their horses.

"Raven?" he asked Faire as he mounted and she immediately turned out of the stables.

'I am here' I uncurled and leaped down from the hay where I had been lying. Gildor gave me a long hard stare, then nodded "Right. You see you don't get run over by the horses, wolf"

An admirably ordered group of guards, scouts, dogs and various armoured elves had by now gathered in the yard. Gildor exchanged several clipped sentences with whom I took for the respective leaders, and issued quick instructions who was to go where. The meaning of the rapid Sindarin orders escaped me, all the more with the wolf overlaying any not-immediate thinking. Most of the dogs were on leashes, but quite a number of hounds was loose and not happy at a wolf in their midst. They had picked on me much quicker than any elf would suspect the black. I was not prepared for any insolence from a dog right now. Gildor finished his organisation just in time to see one of the hunting dogs clash with me in a growling ball of fur and teeth.

He swore and drove Faire between us. A green-clad hunter came running and jammed the blunt end of his spear between us, pulling his dog back by the collar. Faire dug her teeth into my ruff and jerked me back. I was forced to loosen my hold on the hound's neck with a yelp and retreated to Faire´s side. I returned the hunter's puzzled stare defiantly and flared my ruff briefly. Before the elf could wonder at this most wolvish dog the various smaller groups set off, both on foot and on horseback.

"Curse you, demon beast" Gildor muttered "Come on, we are taking the northern edge, that is rocky area"

It was a considerable distance to cross. Faire kept to the forest as much as she could, but towards the narrowing end of the valley the paths were the only way to get forward. We passed a few scouts and their dogs before reaching the area Gildor had assigned to us. I did not wait for him and set off to scour the land, nose to the ground.

'We do the climbing, and you have a look at the parts you can reach' Gildor told Faire, snapping the reins off her halter so she would not snug on them. Then he followed me and turned his attention to the strip of land parallel to my line of progress. We scrambled among boulders and between brambles for several hours, working our way up from the path and towards the Rim. The valley was near self-defensive here. The last few yards until the sharp edge of the Rim consisted of vertical cliffs, brittle sandstone, which was impossible to climb. A thin, in winter and after long rains mostly impassable trail ran along the cliff's foot before joining the broader path the riding guards usually took. Our directions of searching met on the path at the foot of the cliff without incident. Deep dusk had fallen by then. Faire had gone further downwards towards the small stream falling from the cliff and running towards the Bruinen proper. She had found nothing yet either it seemed, because she had remained silent up to now. She would keep to less hazardous areas, and we turned towards the western side of this end-part of the valley. I stopped on a small ridge and lifted my muzzle, sniffing into the breeze. Orcs were suicidal in their missions, and this was the least guarded place of the Imladris border. If they wanted to sneak in, they would try here first place of all. Off the path, the forest was dense and the ground treacherous. Loose rocks and gravel were overgrown by thick grass and provided wonderful traps. Tail-end guard-duty numbered among the least favoured things in Imladris, Gildor had said - groups of two or three guards were set up here for three days before they were relieved. Tonight would have been a change of shift, but no one had intercepted us yet. To me the signals were clear and Gildor went forward apprehensively. After finding Palarran this afternoon we knew what was coming.

'Down there' I announced quietly. A steep grassy bank led to rift which served as channel after heavy rains. The floor was gravelly as a river bed, and the rocky sides mossy. We slipped and slid downwards the last few feet in a small avalanche of loose stones. The air was damp and cold here, and a strong smell of decaying leaves and less pleasant things hung in the channel. The wolf remained unimpressed and I went along the dim ravine.

'Two days' I announced, inspecting the dead body. Gildor stared at me, and I could sense him fighting down irrational disgust. I gave him a sharp, dark stare 'I have eaten things that smelled worse' I announced coldly, then lowered my nose to search the ground once more.

Gildor tamped down on the anger my remark stung up and knelt beside the corpse, keeping any kind of emotion under a tight shield "Why did Elrond not sense it? Vilya is supposed to guard this land. With her, he controls even the river. And here the rats have burrowed and killed right under our nose-"

'If noses you had' I inspected the nooks in the walls 'These stones…blend into what I can feel about this…valley. But they smell. I cannot reach this' I added. Wedged into an overgrown cranny was a second black stone. Gildor knelt beside me and pulled it out.

"Seems non-descript and dead"

When he cast the dark-spell over it, nothing happened.

'What are we going to do about him?' I glanced at the corpse.

Gildor took a deep breath "Leave him. We're not finished"

We left the ravine at its cliff-ward end. The rocks towered high and seemingly impassable above us. Gildor made for a lump at the foot of the cliff, and gave a satisfied laugh when he reached it. I came up beside him and we exchanged a grim look.

"These rats can sneak, but not climb" Gildor glanced up the steep cliff, and reached out to search the dead orc´s packs. These proved empty. We scrambled further west. By the time we reached the place where the land rose again towards the Rim night had fallen. Faire met us there, having found only traces of trampled grass and broken twigs, but nothing else. She reported the vague scent of a scout, though.

'There was the scent of another scout up there' I said to her carefully 'Is that possible?'

Faire flicked her ears forward which she had gradually flattened when hearing our news The one we scented will have reached the houses then she stated, satisfied That explains it

I had not been sure what I smelled so I had said nothing. So there must have been two guards, and one escaped.

"Not three, then?" Gildor asked. The hope that one at least had escaped seemed to mollify him for my previous silence.

'Not three' I confirmed.

The Rim?

"Yes. Eastward. The rest should be covered by Celebdur´s group. But we have at least one orc to account for still, so we'll go to the Nook first"

Gildor's POV

In the furthest western corner we found orc tracks, and the black picked up a scent. 'I meet you at the oak' he announced, and with a soft growl set off along the barely visible path, which vanished on the rocks. I let him go. If anyone was capable of tracking that orc yet, it was the black. He was not much of a climber, but the rocks were not sheer here, and he scrambled upwards determinedly. The wolf vanished from sight as he wound a way up the steep ridge.

It took Faire and me until dawn to reach the old, split oak that marked the edge of one scout-territory from the next. We had found nothing whatsoever, not even more traces. Exhausted, I flopped down at the tree's foot and stared at the pinkish-grey sky. Faire nibbled at the grass without much enthusiasm. Twigs and burrs had caught in her mane and tail, promising hard work for grooming. Silently, the black appeared beside us out of the shadows, startling us both.

"Since when are you here?" I snapped, nettled.

'Not long' the wolf sniffed around the oak and came over to me, turning round and round to flop down gracelessly beside me 'I tracked him westward. He had holed up in ruins, there. With stone. I left them both'

I nodded, satisfied, knowing the unspoken rest. For a while, we were silent, following our own thoughts. I could not decide what I was more worried about. The fact that Imladris was not as safe as we had always thought, that its inhabitants´ vigilance had lagged dangerously, or what I was going to do about the changewolf and Raven's task of looking for allies. The two hung together, and not for the better.

Palarran and Alcarion. I stuck my knuckles into my eyes. I had not known them except for names and faces, but that made not so much difference. Any warrior that had died under my command both in Gondolin and the Alliance I had known as face and name. Damn it.

The black shifted slightly and rested his head in my lap. I stared down at the wolf's broad skull. Sometimes it was hard to imagine that this really was Raven. Wolf and elf were so much alike sometimes, but also completely different. The wolf was purely wolf sometimes as well. As he had been the past hours. There was still an irrational anger in me when I thought how he had reacted in that ravine. Sometimes, he frightened me. And sometimes, he made me want to smack him. The sight of his eyes, glowing eerily in the dimness, had stayed with me. I could not reconcile the two like that, wolf and Raven. I closed my eyes wearily, wondering if I should nap here before riding down. I stroked the short, soft fur on the black's head, scratching his ears. It was no use trying to understand. I could only take it for granted.

The stones. The werewolves. It came back to that.

"How did it go? Your original werewolf mission?"

The black glanced at me without raising his head 'I found the wolf. The spirit is…gone. I hunted a few squirrels and left the wolf with them. His old pack is still near, they will return when he calls them. The pack Elrond wanted, they were gone. East. Straight. What is east?"

"The mountains" I said "Khazad dum!"

'Bless you' Raven returned sardonically. The wolf cocked his head slightly, questioningly.

"The mines" I explained "The mines of Khazad dum. Did they go into the mines?"

'I- I don't know. Not by choice, wolves wouldn't. But the pack in the plains said they crossed and vanished. So maybe – yes. Maybe they did go there. I lost their tracks near…I don't know names. There were ruins, and a stream. High cliffs'

"You were as far as the gate-stream! In two day's time?"

The wolf sat up slowly, stretching a little "I do not know gate stream. The mountains, yes. I was there'

I looked at him thoughtfully "And when you came back you ran into another werewolf? You know, what you gave me was rather jumbled, yesterday"

The black shook his head so that his ears flapped 'When I crossed Rim, there was a curious spoor, like orc. I followed, found dead guard, and sniffed right into sling. There was an orc alright, I had smelled. He hacked with…sword, and when I jerked back, he hit wire and cut. That wolf burst out of thicket – I had no time. So I killed it. The orc had run then. I followed back into plain, and killed it there'

Raven's exhaustion showed in the wolf's mind-speech and it was hard to follow. I ran my hands hard over my forehead, hoping to drive tiredness away.

"Lets go back down and report' I said, getting up and stretching "And think of a nice way to broach the Ashi´kha. Faire?"

She gave a huge yawn, showing enormous horse teeth Get up

The wolf trotted beside us as she climbed down towards the houses. A small trickle of scouts came back, too, some looking only tired, others quite grim. At least no one had found any more dead, and those not yet back were accounted for. The pinkish dawn had faded into a damp grey morning before we entered the stables, which were empty except for Asfaloth and another early return. When I finished unsaddling Faire and turned to brushing her Raven reappeared. He had called the change and retrieved his clothing from the top of the hay bales. He wordlessly refilled her manger with hay and then busied himself with fetching hot water and mixing it with mash. I held the door to Faire´s stall open for her and rubbed her head in farewell before leaving her to her meal.

"Bathhouses?"

Raven nodded.

Chapter Notes:

I know it is highly unlikely that a werewolf would actually enter the area of Vilya´s power, or at least I assume so – but then… anyway.

Faranaur: Sindarin ´day- hunter´

Celebdur: Sindarin ´dark silver´

Palarran: (Q) far-traveller

Alcarion: (Q), light-

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