Chapter Eight (Escape)

"How far do you think they have yet to go?" Thandir questioned his captain as he thought about his fellow Rangers. It was a shame in his opinion that they'd had the bad luck to not have the Lord of Imladris' sons hadn't been nearer. They would have gladly taken care of the warg. It was well known that they had a deep seated objection to anything that had to do with Sauron and his ilk.

The older man was quiet for a moment before replying, "I'm sure that Ohtar is making the trip as quickly and painlessly as he can for him. They do have our horses as well as their own," he reminded.

While the horses would need rests, they could still walk after they had need to slow their mounts for awhile. All four horses had been healthy and used to the wilds and the terrain the Rangers would roam. Their associates would make good time with the paces the horses could hold.

Now that their young companion had fallen asleep, the two Rangers felt as if they could be more free with their words. Nathor had found it amusing despite how he felt about the boy that he'd yet to release the bow even in sleep. It lay in his lap, hands curled around either side of the grip much to Thandir's dismay. When the man had made a move as if he was going to try and retrieve the bow, Nathor grabbed his arm and shook his head. "Allow him to keep it for now."

"What if I have need of it?"

"You think the boy values his life so little? If it comes to it, I'm certain he will relinquish the bow to your possession."

Thandir's expression was one of disgruntlement and doubt. He did however settle back down and decided to ask, "What will we do when the warg comes back?"

"That will depend on it and the boy," came the measured answer. Neither man believed that the warg or its master would allow Harry to be bound again, not like it had held him this last time. Nathor had been surprised when the boy hadn't just taken off with the creature once again but had instead sent it away. It seemed the boy planned on upholding his word.

When it came time to wake their unwanted companion, Thandir was lucky to end up with a welt instead of a cut on his face. The Ranger had gone to wake the boy who apparently was already on the verge of waking and reacted when he perceived a threat to his person. The bow he'd been holding was brought up hitting the man in the face. Harry hadn't paused as he'd scuttled backwards still clutching the bow as he got to his feet and completely woke up to stare a bit wide eyed. As the Ranger lunged at him he was halted by his captain's sharp reprimand, "Thandir!"

The man glared at Harry in growing dislike as he aborted his grab for the boy. Harry's heart which had sped up from the jolt of adrenaline from his startle begun to return to it's usual rhythm. He watched warily as the Rangers pulled out some food and Nathor gestured for him to join them while they ate a cold breakfast. Harry took the provisions offered but sat well away from the men and noted that he needed to refill his waterskin soon.

Harry kept quiet as they walked wondering what Padfoot was doing. If he'd been able to find a way across the mountain or if he headed south. Whichever it was, he hoped that his furry friend had been able to hunt and get a decent meal. Knowing it had only been yesterday and that he would likely have to give the wolf at least another day before he came back didn't stop the boy's eyes wandering hoping to catch sight of him. So lost in his thoughts and used to just heading to a rock or tree, he was brought up short when he was brought out of his musing by Nathor's curious, "What are you doing?"

"I have to go," Harry stated as if that was obvious.

"You're going back on your word already?" Thandir asked in such a tone that made it obvious he was hoping for such a thing to be true.

Nathor gave his subordinate a disapproving glance while the boy's expression was a mix of annoyance and anger that clenched his jaw to keep from snapping a retort back at the Ranger. Voicing his pressing need he shouted, "I have to piss!"

Without waiting for a reaction or reply, Harry angrily continued on his way to where he'd planned on relieving himself. There wasn't much cover so he knew that the younger Ranger had followed him which really annoyed the boy. He wasn't sure if the man was holding a grudge for being hit with his bow or if he really thought Harry was going to try and run away even though there wasn't anywhere to hide. Whichever the case was, the boy wished the Ranger would give him some space. When Harry was still standing there glaring at back at him, the man demanded, "Can you hurry up?"

"I can't with you watching me." came the belligerent retort. Harry hadn't even been able to go with Padfoot watching which the wolf knew and found amusement in the boy's discomfort but would always sit with his back to him.

"Leave off the boy and let him relieve himself in peace." Nathor commanded much to the younger man's consternation.

Harry didn't need prompting to continue where he'd been going. He had been tempted to take the opportunity to flee, but he really didn't have anywhere he could escape. It would have to wait until Padfoot return. The rest of the day went much like the one before save that Thandir walked behind at the rear, the younger Ranger hadn't wanted the boy at his back. He was still of the belief that Harry would run away as soon as he could without constant supervision. It caused the boy's hair on the back of his neck to raise whenever the man glared at him. It wasn't as if Harry wanted the man at his back either but there was nothing he could say in protest.

When they stopped for the night Nathor had wanted to begin anew to question their captive as he was still unsatisfied with what few answers he'd gotten before they had been interrupted by the boar's appearance. He had waited until they had eaten and the boy was huddled under his poorly made deer skin cloak. Having already had a look through the boy's satchel he knew the boy didn't have a tunic nor spare clothing of any kind.

"Harry." When the boy gave him his full attention rather than partial, Nathor wondered, "When did you and the," a harsh look and a curled lip from the boy had him change what he had been about to say, "Padfoot become acquainted?"

A shrug was the insufficient answer he'd received. Not removing his gaze from him, he tried again. "I would think that your parents or minder had the warg from a young age to have him so loyal to you." He'd heard of a family whose children had brought home a warg pup thinking it to be a puppy. He couldn't remember how that story ended but wondered if that was what had happened to Harry. Thandir was of the notion that the warg had killed the boy's parents but he was too young to remember. Nathor had tried to tell his subordinate that if that were true, the warg would have hardly stopped at the boy's parents. Whatever the case was the boy only pressed his lips together in clear anger. It seemed that he had gathered that Nathor would keep pressing until he gave a verbal response.

"Padfoot's always been with me! We've always been together."

"What stayed the Drúedain from striking him down?" That had been part of the boy's story that he had been very curious about.

Again Harry shrugged but there was an expression of bemusement on his face before it changed to one to accommodate a smirk. "They realized that he wouldn't hurt them if they didn't harm us." It was clear on his tone that he meant 'Unlike you.'

"And they let you leave with just a pair of breeches still during the throes of the cold season?"

"I don't know how to weave myself a pair out of the grass and vines." They had been very comfortable but Harry wouldn't have been reproduce them if he'd tried. Pointing at the leather pair he was wearing that had come from one of Padfoot's kills, he stated, "These were for folk like you."

"They didn't wear any kind of proper clothing?"

Both Harry and Nathor turned an annoyed glare at the younger Ranger before Thandir shrank back realizing his captain wasn't too pleased with him interrupting his progress of getting the boy to talk. Returning his gaze to the boy, Nathor saw that Harry was once again eyeing him suspiciously and had retreated both physically and every other way. Sighing, the man stood and took out a spare tunic of his own pack before he walked the few paces to Harry who scrambled to his feet unsure of what he was going to do. All Nathor did though was hold out the tunic. "If you insist on not being close to the fire, I don't want you to get sick before we can get to where we're going."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Harry frowned but took the proffered piece of clothing. He waited until the Ranger sat back down on his side of the fire before he shed the deerskin. Pulling on the worn and patched tunic, he pulled at the sleeve so his hand was free to grasp his knife. A glance and a heavy sigh confirmed that the man knew and signaled his permission for Harry to mutilate it. Using the knife he cut away first at the excess material of the sleeves to just before his wrists to keep the edges from brushing against the raw skin there. He cut them into strips which he was going to braid into a belt after he was finished cutting the material mid thigh to make it a proper tunic size for himself.

"Give that piece here," Nathor stated gesturing to what had been the bottom half of his spare tunic. Shrugging, the boy handed it over having either no need for it or didn't know that he could use it for anything else. While Harry braided the strips he had into a belt, Nathor had taken out his sowing kit and began to sew the scrap which he was going to reattach to the tunic as a hood if the boy would allow him to. It would give him some protection from the elements. They had been lucky to have missed the rains so far but he didn't believe that would last for very much longer.

Harry had returned the tunic to the Ranger for him to put the hood on which he watched with interest. "You carry sewing material?"

The man's lips quirked into a small smile. "Of course we do. How else should I repair my clothing if they get a rip or tear in them?" He gave a shake of his head at Harry's careless shrug. "Here." He gave the shirt back and watched as it was quickly donned along with the belt about his waist.

"Well, he looks halfway decent now," Thandir stated and Nathor had to agree. Without the warg and in proper attire he only look semi wild. That was until the boy decided to pull his cloak back on which both men knew wouldn't last very long as it hadn't been treated and showed that Harry had only the vaguest of ideas of how to make one. "How can he stand the stench?"

Nathor shook his head and glanced back to where their captive had made himself at home once again across from the fire with the bow in his hands. "I would think he was used to it. He does keep company with a warg."

"Fair point."

Sighing, Nathor knew that he'd not be able to get anymore answers out of the boy tonight. It was clear that Harry was settling himself in to sleep and hadn't been keen on talking anymore after Thandir had insulted the Drúedain. He would just have to try again tomorrow.

Padfoot had little trouble on the mountain and it wasn't until he'd left that he had to track to where he could smell old traces of himself and Harry. Once he caught the scent he made for where he'd last left his boy in the company of the Rangers. It took him a bit longer than he'd wanted to as he'd slowed down in order to ensure that he wouldn't head in the wrong direction. The men had headed one way but there was no telling if they had backtracked or changed directions in order to try and throw not only Padfoot off the trail but any prey that might have been following. When he'd come upon where they had slew the boar he could smell that other predators had traipsed through but none seemed to be go the same direction as the Rangers and Harry's trail.

Eagerness gave the wolf a fresh bout of energy as he trotted following the scent of his boy. As the smells got fresher Padfoot's caution warred with his eagerness to be reunited. When he'd come in site of the three as they walked, the wolf was confused as his gaze went over the three. Dropping to his belly, he shuffled so that he was mostly hidden and tried to puzzle out what was wrong. Focusing on the shortest he saw that it was Harry when the boy turned to look over his shoulder wistfully, scanning the area before sighing and facing forward again. Standing, he trotted out into the open and padded along with the canine form of laughter to see how long it would take the humans to realize they had company.

It didn't take long apparently because the captain had spun arrow knocked in his bow and trained on Padfoot as soon as he sighted him. The other had pulled his sword after Harry had flatly refused to give him his bow back. Padfoot gave a warning growl at the weapon aimed towards him.

"Don't!" Harry shouted at the Ranger while hitting him in the stomach with the bow he held in his hands and running towards Padfoot.

Padfoot's growl deepened when the younger Ranger tried to grab Harry and the boy bit into the man's hand savagely causing him to let go. By that time Nathor had lowered his bow and put it away while Thandir was swearing towards the boy.

Harry ran to Padfoot and didn't care that he slammed himself into the wolf as he clutched at him, face buried in his fur. "I missed you!"

Padfoot huffed then while still keeping his wary gaze on the men, inhaled the boy's scent and snorted at the unfamiliar scents embedded in the shirt the boy now wore. Mixed with Harry's scent was the man's which the wolf didn't like. The only consolation was that the scent would fade away in time replaced with more pleasant smells like grass, the wind, and the scent of rabbits or stag.

With the return of Padfoot, Harry's countenance was very much lifted and he stayed by the wolf's side. The men reeked of wariness which kept Padfoot's own senses alert. He wanted to take his boy and run but knew the best time would be to wait until night fell and he had the advantage. When it was, Padfoot had ensured that neither he nor his boy were too close to the heat of the fire which Harry was all too happy to comply with now that he had his heat source in the form of the wolf. He kept his gaze on the men as he lowered his head on his front paw with Harry leaning against his flank.

As if they could sense what Padfoot had planned the men slept in rotation. It was while Harry had gone to relieve himself that the wolf acted. Padfoot ran out of camp snatched the boy's new shirt between his teeth giving a tug before letting go. Complying, the boy immediately grabbed the wolf's fur and hauled himself up as he had many times before and flattened himself against Padfoot's back, knees gripping tightly. As the wolf raced away he could hear shouting and Harry flung the Ranger's bow as far as he could before ensuring that both hands were fisted in the black fur. "Go as fast as you can, Padfoot!"

The wolf needed no encouragement as he raced along the path he'd traveled earlier back to the mountain much quicker than he usually did with Harry astride him. By the whoops of joy and laughter coming from his boy, Harry was relishing the freedom as well. Harry was indeed enjoying their flight. The sensation of wind buffeting him causing him to shut his eyes to keep them from stinging was familiar. The smile never left his face even when the wolf slowed down to catch his breath near the base of the mountain. Blinking, he turned to look back the way they came then back up at the mountain. "Wow. You are really fast, Padfoot." He hadn't known that the wolf could travel that far so quickly. Giggles escaped him when he imagined the Rangers' faces when they weren't able to catch up to them or catch them unawares.

Without dismounting, Harry glanced up at the mountain and couldn't help but shudder recalling his last trip up it. Licking his lips he shifted nervously before he wondered, "Think your path will get us both up there without me having to get down?"

Hearing an affirmative noise caused the boy to relax and drop his head back onto Padfoot's. "Thank you." Trusting completely in his furry companion, Harry didn't look as Padfoot took to the mountain as sure footed as he had been last time. This time it was different though as he ran with Harry clutching on for dear life, head buried in the nape of the wolf's neck. He didn't' really want to see how fast Padfoot was going as he seemed to scale the rocks in record time. It wasn't until the wolf slowed down that Harry started really paying attention. His ears picked up the sound of steel striking steel and flesh that caused him to sit up sharply. Down below he could see a group of people fighting the nasty mountain creatures. "Not again," he groaned.

A.N. - I apologize. There have been many reasons for my absence including nearly succumbing and relapsing into my addiction, family stuff, and a medical scare. Just the other week I ended up with a nasty bout of food poisoning causing me to strain/pull an abdominal muscle. Fun time ROFL. You all have been so wonderful though and I appreciate your (in)patience with my lack of updating. You guys are awesome!