Disclaimer: I own the hideous mini-Koi, 15 bandits and JRR owns the good stuff!
A/N:
'This is thought'
This in mind speech
'This is visions'
"" This is mind to mind Far Speak ""
A/N 2: So sorry it has been so long in posting any chapters for my stories, but I had holidays, birthdays, College finals, xamas shopping and a trip to take my kids to thier dad's house. I thank you all for waiting so nicely for the next installment. Many more thanks to those that emailed me to see if I was alright and it was just the season and not the Flame Review i received on Hellfire that caused such a long delay. To the Flamer onHellfire:I hope you have a veryMerry Christmas and a much better New Year!I will have the next update for "Hellfire" up probably tomorrow late. You will be getting a few chapters becauseI am kid-free for two weeks! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season not matter which holiday you celebrate!
To my Lovely Readers and Reviewers: THANK YOU!
Indecent Propositions
The moonlight swirled through the beckoning leaves, tracing wildly dancing shadows along the forest floor. The cool breeze wafted scents to all the inhabitants that surrounded the entrance to the hidden cave that housed the young bandits, the sweet tang of pine, the deep musky earth, light fresh water, the sour decay of dying undergrowth, and the heavy thick sweat of the bandits as they lay upon the ground writhing in pain. Fury stood in the center of the pack watching their pain with a dismissive stare. She had long ago learned the pain was short lived and bore a bliss that was worth what they suffered now and much much more. The moon pulled at their very soul awakening them to the night ahead. She could see the pain was reaching a fevered pitch and as leader it was time to call forth their true forms.
Elrohir surveyed the whole situation with worried eyes. The young ones looked as if they were in deep pain, but their leader looked on with no feeling in her lavender-gray gaze. She was a primal warrior overseeing her troops and their battle readiness. A sense of anticipation and dread curled far down in the younger twin's heart as he anxiously waited whatever was to come. The feeling reminded Elrohir of the lull before a trap was sprung on the enemy. The gut wrenching knowledge that not all who fight will be accorded safe passage through their trials and those left behind would mourn regretfully the loss of warriors for too many months.
A sudden hush fell over the area and all heads turned to the bandit leader as Fury leaped up onto a large nearby rock now covered in sparkling writing that glowed white and beautiful in the moonlight. A tingle ran along the stunned twin's spine in a blaze of molten heat and spread along the rest of his body like a spider web. The bandit leader threw her head back and let out a deep baying howl that made Elrohir cringe back slightly towards Shadow. Feeling a reassuring hand on his shoulder, the twin observed the transformation that was just beginning. Once again Fury howled to the moon above, but this time she was joined by the others. One voice then two, they continued to answer the bandit leader until all of their voice mingled in a hauntingly beautiful serenade of joy.
The twin jumped sharply when Shadow started a yipping sound that carried to the others. All eyes swung in their direction, but the eyes that now watched him and Shadow were no longer civilized, but the amber eyes of their soul form. Yipping back in response, the bandits once again moved to crowd around Shadow and Elrohir in feral abandon. Rubbing against the two ellon standing stock still, the younglings began a hypnotic rumble deep from within their throats. A howl from Fury broke the mesmerizing trance the younglings spun and a shockwave of power blasted like a firestorm through the bandits.
Elrohir was amazed and awed at the display of power the leader had released among her followers. The results of the power wave, was almost instantaneous. Clothes slithered to the floor in ragged strips. Screams turned growls were torn from agonized throats, as skin exploded only to curl back in on itself. Fur sprouted where skin once showed. The colors ranged from light grey to honey blond to white to dark gray to black. Teeth sharp as razors protruded from elongated jowls and bodies dropped to all fours in pain. Arms and legs shortened and contorted as did the torsos. Soon the change would be done and the hunt would begin.
Jubilant cries echoed off the sides of the Valley's walls. Elrohir stood in a circle of thirteen wood wolves of various shapes, colors and sizes. They were a magnificent sight to behold. Their haunting voice rose as one as all eyes turned to the elleth still stationed upon the sparkling rock. "See now the great Wolven clan of Imladris! For three years, the last surviving remnants of a once flourishing tribe have called these woods home. We only wish to remain here in solitude and peace. I know of the accord being struck between you and Shadow, elf lord. Will you not help us keep the clan alive? Will you not bring to your Lord our bargain? Think on it while the moon rides high, for tomorrow I will go back and face your mirror's ire," Fury said with a strange smile and slightly amused and husky voice, "I believe Elladan will be quite upset that I am no longer chained to his bedchamber wall, where he left me! To add insult to injury I stole his shirt on making my escape! Here Shadow put this with my stuff for when I return on the morrow." Shadow got hit in the face with Elladan's black shirt as a wildly grinning and now naked Fury winked at an outraged and shocked Elrohir before vanishing happily into the woods with the pack.
They had convened in Elrond's library after the twin had shown them the remnants of the bandit's clothes mingled within the unbroken chain. It was a disquieting puzzle for all concerned. Erestor's withering gaze made the Balrog slayer squirm in his seat slightly. "Well it was just a thought," mumbled Glorfindel under the incredulous stares, "Anyway it makes just as much sense as everything else we have thought so far." Shaking his dark head in exasperation, Erestor informed the mutinous elf in a very dignified voice, "Glorfindel elves do not melt into the floor! If such a thing were possible, you should have done it centuries ago, in embarrassment, with some of the lame brained ideas you have come up with." With a slight smirk and a sniff Erestor turned from the elf who was sputtering indignantly, to the Elven lord behind the desk. Elrond just rolled his eyes and rubbed his neck in frustration. If things were not already completely out of hand, his closest advisors had to start squabbling again.
Looking towards the blazing hearth, Elrond observed his eldest son pace quietly in front of the fire like a caged great cat. Elladan was furious that the bandit had managed to escape him, but the Imladris lord knew it was the fact his last link to his twin was gone. Fear crawled through the twin's eyes battling with the rage. Every so often, Elladan would stutter to a halt and focus on somewhere or something only he could see and hear. Elrond was unsure what had happened to the bandit, but something told him that it would not be the last time the Elven lord would see her. Sighing, Elrond gazed past his son to the roaring fire. Watching the flickering flames soothed the lord's weary and worried soul and put him neatly into a semi trance state. Unbidden, a vision floated into Elrond's mind.
Orcs flowed out from the mountain stronghold the fell beasts had been hiding in. The clash of metal on metal rang loudly over the screams of rage and pain. The twins were hacking their way through the foes when a sudden rumble caused the rocks and soaked earth to give way. Elrohir jumped free of the landslide, but Elladan was not as lucky. The older twin had a deep gash on his leg making him stagger slightly, just before he was swept away with the tumbling earth. Colors began to swirl before refocusing again. Elladan's eyes were closed. His forehead was drenched in sweat and he was shivering uncontrollably. A fire was lit nearby in a small cutout made from jutting rocks. The rain pounded close enough to the fire that steam hissed when the wind changed directions.
Movement caught and held Elrond's attention. Stirring herbs into a pot of steaming water, a figure mumbled a prayer to the Valar before standing and moving to Elladan's side. The firelight illuminated the figure making Elrond gasp in horror. The figure was facing away from Elrond, but the light showed the deep scarring that ran rampant over the figure's nude back, buttocks and upper thighs. Puckered welts crossed over each other in horrific abandon while small burn marks littered the shoulders. The scars told a story of pain and torture no creature should ever have to endure. A soft sweet voice began singing, a child's lullaby in Sindarian, as the figure bent over Elladan and wiped the herbed water gently over the twin's naked skin. Placing the bowl to the side, the figure lifted the blankets covering the fevered twin and carefully slid in next to him. The figure cuddled the twin close while glancing at the ceiling. The way the figure lay was enough for Elrond to see the face of the bandit leader. A sad smile graced her lips as she tilted her head to place a gentle kiss upon Elladan's brow before reverie claimed her.
The log shifted in the hearth ripping Elrond from his vision with a soft gasp. Blinking a few times to clear his muddled thoughts, the elf lord eyed his son's concerned demeanor. "Your foresight has shown you something has it not? Is it about Elrohir? What did you see, Ada?" Elladan asked anxiously. The pleased smile and the cryptic words Elrond spoke wrinkled the twin's forehead in confusion. "It seems my son, you will definitely see more of the bandit leader then you had planned on." All in the room stared at Elrond in amazement as the elf lord sat smirking as if he had been let in on a closely guarded secret. Shaking their heads, Glorfindel and Erestor went back to bickering while Elladan resumed his pacing.
It was nearing dawn's break when the weary bandits staggered back into the cave. They had brought back with them a good amount of fresh meat to dry and cure for later. Fury followed the last bandit making sure the entrance was hidden well and no prints remained to lead a patrol to their door. Her silvery hair fell around her shoulders in a heavy veil hiding most of her back and chest from view, giving her a hint of modesty to which the elleth could care less. Having been a warrior, she was unconcerned with her nudity most of the time; it was the scars that the hair covered that made her cringe.
Only Shadow, Legolas and two other Mirkwood warriors knew of her disfigurement and Fury wanted to keep it that way. The bandit leader refused to succumb to the depression that sometimes tried to overtake her senses when she thought of that particular period of her life. Seeing Legolas' adverse reaction to her ordeal, had nearly sent Fury into the abyss of self destruction. It had taken the Mirkwood prince five hours to convince Fury to give him the knife she held to her wrists, in an attempt to end the horror that had tried to carve its way into her soul. She had lived through a terribly tragic time, barely escaped her captivity, had her body healed with only the scars remaining to mark the torturous event and she still had her dignity intact. All in all, Fury thought she had made out better then most would have after sustaining such horrendous injuries to body and soul.
A silky black shirt hitting her in the face, brought the bandit leader back to the present with a sharp snarl. Glancing up in the direction the shirt had come from, Fury saw Shadow watching her with worried eyes. He had seen the darkness that had crept into the lavender-gray depths of Fury's eyes and was powerless to offer any comfort, for the tortured gaze she turned to him, before quickly masking her feelings behind a wall of indifference. To the others, Fury looked calm and in control. To Shadow she looked haunted and surprisingly wistful.
The haunted look was one he knew well, but the look of regret and longing took him completely off guard. Her second in command wondered if the look had anything to do with the older twin she had left behind at the Last Homely House. Shadow sent a prayer to the Valar hoping Fury had not stupidly lost her heart to Elrond's oldest whelp. She deserved to find happiness after all she had been through, but he sincerely doubted the older twin wanted Fury's tender and deeply bruised soul. Now, Fury's head on a platter or mounted over the hearth's mantle in the Hall of Fire was more in line with Elladan's temperament and actions. Watching her fade back out into the night, Shadow could only hope she did not get herself killed by taunting that Valar forsaken elf lord beyond endurance.
Elrond walked Elladan back to his room so the twin might get some rest, instead of setting out in search of both the bandit leader and Elrohir. Throughout Elladan's pacing in front of the fire, the twin had intermittently heard Elrohir's voice through their twin bond. It was just before dawn, when Elrohir's voice came through loudest. 'I am fine Elladan! Worry not I have a plan and will see you soon. Try not to hurt their leader too badly for it will mess up the plan!' Elladan had jumped in shock when he heard his twin's words of reassurance. A wide smile split his features at the affirmation that his twin was still alive, well and plotting. Stopping outside the door to Elladan's chambers, the two elves heard a strange rustling noise that came from within. Reaching for the dagger at his side, Elladan nodded to his Ada to throw open the door.
