Disclaimer: I own the Fat, Hideous, Over Fed Fish, tooo many expensive college text books and an kitty cat ranger.
A/N: 'This is thought'
""This is mind to mind Far Speak ""
Due to college, I may do frequent small chapter. I will try for longer ones! some may only be this long or longer, but never shorter. Hope you will be patient with me during this term. Thanks
To my Readers: Thank You!
To My Reviewers:
Captain Jade Sparrow: Thank you I will have a lot of fun this term. I love college! Well everyone ASSUMED she was Elfkind but in reality, her pointed ears come from Feline blood. The cat people were part of the firstborn so they are Elf equivalent and can inter mix with the Elves and Maiar and still produce children.
Celtic Cross: With college I won't be able to up date everyday but will try! Lol
Dreamsofdarkness: WELCOME! Oh Briar knows A LOT more then she is telling! She has hidden her knowledge from Galadriel. You will get a brief glimpse of her in this chapter but she will become a major player soon.
Dinantariell: Wlcome! Your words touched my heart deeply! I am so happy you like the story so well and I am thrilled that you find her funny. She unfortunately thinks like me so she can be a scatter brain when nervous. More Legolas/Fire coming up in next few chapters, and someone is stalking Haldir. Lol ENJOY!
SilverUnicorn66: YUP! Fire IS the sneaky Haldir licking kitty. Lol So she kicked his butt twice! I am glad to clear it up for you!
Crecy: More is revealed and another side of Legolas is shown. Elrond and Galadriel try to figure out a plan to help Fire and Haldir is in a bit of a mess with Fire after their fight.
Mrs.RedFisch: As always you are my Best Friend! Enjoy !
Ephona: ROFLMAO! I love your reviews makes my side hurt from laughing! Now here is a paper bag and a new chapter to stun you. Remember breath in. breath out, breath in, breath out !
Springchic5759: Hehe I always try to do the unexpected. I hope I take you by surprise again with what is revealed in this chapter!
Morwen12: I am sooooo glad you are enjoying the story. Will try to update every day but with school probably every other day sadly
To Wake a Feline
It had been four days. Legolas had fallen asleep in a chair by the ranger's bedside and Galadriel had covered him with a blanket. She smiled at the bed for she knew that Fire was reaching for conciousness and would awake within the hour. The care the elf had lavished on the ranger gave the Lady hope that the woodland prince would indeed bond with her dear friend's daughter, as she had seen as one possible future for Fire. The ranger's destiny was tied to the ring's destruction and the choice of her mate. Galadriel had seen two possible out comes in her mirror, though both were showing Fire, as the great cat, wreathed in shadows making her seem like a black panther instead of a snow leopard. First as bond mate to the Prince of Mirkwood and second as bond mate to her own dear March warden. Brushing moonlight colored hair back from Fire's pale cheek, Galadriel whispered in the ranger's ear before leaving the talan.
""Elrond, I would speak with you. "", Galadriel's soft voice broke into the Imlandris Lord's thoughts.
""I am here, My Lady, of what do you wish to discuss, "" Elrond replied.
""The young one wakes. Her mind has healed enough from the shock of discovery, but I fear that which I need to speak of may harm an already fragile mind. She needs to know of who she truly is, yet I can not help my anger towards Gandalf and his insensitivity to the issue of her heritage. He should have at least told her! "" Galadriel sighed.
""You are right he should have told the child! It is an inexcusable oversight on his part, and the wizard should have informed us about her Maiar and Feline blood. If the Dark Lord should capture her, it will go ill for all Middle Earth. The power she possesses must not fall into Sauran's hands. Can we trust that she will not walk the path of the Cat People? Is her light strong enough to choose the Forgotten Ones' goodness? "" Elrond said with a slight frown to his voice.
""Those are valid concerns and I will take them to heart when I speak with the child. She has finally woken! I will speak on this matter more thoroughly at a later time. Pray to ERU I find the right words to speak that of which she must hear. Rest well my friend, for we will need all our strength in the coming days. "" With that said, Galadriel turned and walked back to Fire's talan.
The feeling of being watched was what finally woke Legolas. He turned his head to find the ranger's green eyes lingering on him. A slow relieved smile formed on the elf's lips, and he slid from the chair and approached Fire. "You are awake! It brings joy to my heart to see you return from the land of dreams. We have all been very worried about you, little one.", he said in a low, gentle voice. Reaching out, he allowed his hand to rest lightly on her cheek, before cupping her chin and planting a tender kiss on the shocked ranger's lips. "I have missed you.", he sighed, pulling back to sit beside her. "The other's will be pleased to see you have recovered. I will go tell them in a few minutes, but first is there anything you might need?" A bemused Fire could only shake her head no and stare at the elf. "I will return soon. The others will most likely be anxious to see you awake, so be warned. If they get to be too much tell me and I will have them leave. Rest now, little one.", and with one last tender kiss, Legolas went to inform the Fellowship she was awake.
Haldir had been out on patrol for three days. After the disasterous fight with the ranger, he had taken to the border to think and plot. He had messed up gaining Fire's trust quite badly, but that could not be helped. The Lady came first in all things and Fire would eventually understand this. The ranger would forgive him, of that he had no doubt, the question was how long would she make him wait for it. He was returning to the Northern border, after a quick check talk with the West border guardians. Except one small skirmish, all had been boringly quiet.
Pondering his next move with Fire, he took no notice of the storm that brewed, until a wall of water barreled down out of the sky. Glaring up at the insulting downpour, he asked the Valar what he could have possibly done to deserve such treatment. A cave he knew was close by, so he decided to camp there until the storm let up. He was afraid the storm would last through the night so he hurriedly grabbed kindling along the way, in case a tiny campfire became necessary. His growling stomach told its own story, but Haldir ignored the rumbling and proceeded into the cave's mouth.
It was not a large cave, but was adequate for his needs. Adding part of the kindling to the center of a ring of stones already in place, he put the rest in a pile just out of reach of the fire ring. Taking off his wet cloak, he set it aside to dry, then pulled off his boots and tunic so they too could dry. Clad only in leggings and shirt, Haldir relaxed and stretched removing the kinks from his shoulders. Laying back on the dry dirt floor of the cave, Haldir crossed his arms beneath his head, hooked his ankles together and contemplated his problem with the ranger.
She was a heck of a fighter. After his temper had cooled and his groin stopped its insistant throbbing, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he admired her skills. Actually it made her even more desirable to him, for he was never one for weak females who could only bat their eyelashes and swoon. Maybe a sparring match would be a way to break the ice after he accepted her appology. It would show Fire that he believed her to be a capable fighter, yet still allow him to show her he was the superior warrior without rubbing her defeat too badly in her face. Well pleased with this magnanamous gift he was all set to give her, Haldir drifted off in a matter of minutes oblivious to the silver eyes that watched him.
Elrond woke from a sound sleep with sweat pouring off him in rivelets. The dream had been a bad one and he was still off balance from the dark thoughts crowding his mind. He had seen a large black feline with silver eyes and silver splotches along its hindquarters. The cat had let out a primal cry of rage and was heading for Legolas, who stood upon a ramppart. Legolas had an arrow ready, but it was too late to fire it. The cat leaped in the air straight for the Prince of Mirkwood with a cry so terrible it curdled the elf lord's blood. Rising, Elrond poured a glass of wine, downed it quickly, then poured a second glass which he took onto the balcony. He let the sound of the waterfalls and the soft breeze calm his spirit, while he thought of the dream's images.
One of the Cat People or was it one of the Forgotten Ones? That it was attacking Legolas, the Elven Lord figured it was most likely one of the Cat People. If the Forgotten Ones' Princess had come to Middle Earth, after it had long been assumed the race had all perished, then would it not be safe to assume that the Cat People had risen again as well. This was disturbing news indeed, and he desperately wished Gandalf had seen fit to confide in himself and Galadriel, as they were the other two Elven Ring Bearers. They could have had time to prepare a better plan to help aid the Princess of Anorak and been able to forewarn the Fellowship of who they traveled with.
The child had been unconcious for four days trapped in the darkness of her dreams. At last she had come out of her self induced sleep and could possibly shed some light on why she had been hidden away for so long. Nearly two millenium since the death of the Prince of Anorak, and the failure to save him still weighed heavy on the Imaldris Lord's mind. He hoped that Galadriel could help the girl through the difficult days ahead, as she had been part of his family for almost 12 years and was treated like a wild, younger sister by the twins. It would tear his heart out if anything should happen to her or if she turned away from the light of Eru and sided with Sauron.
Sighing, the Lord of Imlandris sipped his wine and tried to banish the weight of such heavy thoughts. Destiny would be seen to; in its own time, and there were many twists and turns it could take on that perilless journey, that neither Elf nor Man could foresee. Trust in faith and the Valar was the only way to cope in the dark times that fell upon all of Middle Earth. ERU help them if the Fellowship should fail to destroy the One Ring. Standing once more, Elrond drained his glass, set it on the table, and slipped quietly back into bed.