First off, we would like to thank our Readers who stuck with us so far. But now we realized there is a serious matter we will need to deal with.

We have received a review, which raised some concern in us. Now, we know that if Hyano and Ren weren't in the chapters, we receive no reviews at all and our story lost popularity ever since we introduced new characters.

So, we were ready to answer the distress calls of our Readers.

Enjoy the revamped chapters!

Thank you for staying with us!

CA Productions

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Chapter 7 -Expecting the Unexpected

Hyano had fallen asleep.

No real surprise there. She hadn't really slept well since she got to the new world, so she was bound to pass out no matter how much she didn't trust the wraith at the moment.

She sat against the wall with her legs and arms crossed. One would think she was meditating if they didn't know any better, however the fact she moved very little even to breathe was a dead give-away to anyone who knew her well.

Ren had been up and alert for a long time now, also for a few hours he had been watching her from his position, his hooded head was turned towards her. He didn't move otherwise, just watched. Despite his warnings she still kept this devastating change and despite his command she didn't change it back. Instead she wants him to change and do something he always avoided doing.

She is weakening him, depriving him of the needed energy intentionally.

Even after long hours of meditation he wasn't able to get enough energy to get back to full power. Instead, it felt like Middle-Earth all over again. No... worse than that. After it was clear she was asleep, noting the signs, he slowly but surely stood from his position and started stalking towards her, his hand slowly reaching inside his cloak to retrieve his sword. If she doesn't listen to him and if she still keeps killing him slowly, making him to a pet to the elves and the wizard... then she is of no use to him any longer... She betrayed him... yet again. He knew he will probably destroy himself with it but at least he will not be humiliated like this. She has proven him all over again that with her by his side he cannot fulfill the duty that his Lord left him with. His last command... To conquer. And if he cannot do as his Lord wished, then he was useless...

His silent Master did not have any plans for useless creatures.

Just a single cut at the neck... That is all he needed...

The wraith might have been able to do it too, had it not been for their connection. One moment she was asleep, the next she was wide awake. She didn't even think not having to, considering the current situation and simply used a wind spell to blast him into the opposing wall. She looked at him and her eyes hardened. This was going to get worse before it got better she was sure.

"You of all people know I'm not that easy, Ren." She scolded, obviously annoyed.

The wraith shrieked in surprise as he was blasted away and met the opposite wall with a thud. He didn't move, seeing he lacked the energy at first, trying to gather it before pushing away from the wall with his sword still in his metal-covered hand. He hissed at her when she spoke.

"I don't know you anymore." He simply replied and started advancing towards her again. This wasn't a bad move either, now that he thought about it. He surely won't be able to get to her now, she will just use spells to push him back... But then again... he loses energy with each spell that hits him and because he has a hard time replenishing it, he might end up as a statue again and hopefully she will also lose energy and end up falling unconscious... then both of them will die...

Not a bad plan. He better chooses death than such humiliation of working for the wizard and the elves, becoming their pet. His Lord would punish him with death if such fate would befall him.

The istar scoffed as she stood up. Well, she guessed it was time to make Ren a very unhappy wraith.

"Oh? But you taught me everything I know." She said, then blasted him again into the wall but this time she was not done with simply that. The moment he hit it, she started another spell and the earth moved, clamping down on his hands and ankles. "Like how to forget my emotions in order to get the job done. That was all you, Ren." She said as she started towards him.

The moment the earth moved, he tried to wiggle his way free from the grasp of the magic but the Nazgul had no luck as usual. He hissed like a furious cat and shrieked as he tried to get free, pushing against the stone chains but he might maybe be a powerful creature, he still wasn't a strong one. He knew he was struggling in vain but that didn't stop him from trying. His mind kept telling him to escape instead, so he complied like a loyal dog.

"You are to use that against your enemies and not against me. But perhaps... I am your enemy now, am I not? Now set me free, this instant!" He shouted and tried to free himself once again, pushing at the stone but to no avail.

Hyano ignored him, fumbling in her pocket for a moment until she found some gum and dropped it in her mouth. One of the few things she brought from the old world. She stood in front of him, then blew a bubble, allowing it to pop before restarting the process.

"If I wasn't on your side, Ren, you would have died a long time ago. You can believe whatever you want but in the end this is happening." She said, putting her hands in her pockets currently keeping her actions emotionless. It was easier that way... Seeing him like this... It wasn't easy.

"Of course you wouldn't have killed me because then you would die." The wraith hissed and again moved to try and break the stone chains but he could not... Suddenly a wave of fury went through him and started moving more violently until his energy lasted to the point it was gone... Then he just slumped down, being held up by his stone captors. "Get out of my sight, traitor..." He finally hissed, although not as loudly. He lacked energy to do so and panted, his hooded head watching the floor silently now.

"Please. If that was the case I wouldn't be here either. I simply would have broke you from your stone prison and left you here. If you haven't noticed I haven't left yet." Hyano pointed out to him simply. She stepped back from him, allowing him that much peace. "You don't see it yet... but I haven't betrayed you... If anything has... it's your pride." She added before walking to the opposing wall and leaned against it, allowing herself to relax.

"Of course you wouldn't leave me here... otherwise you cannot have any energy..." The wraith added to her comment, not moving or looking at her, instead he made sure to not even glance at her out of accident, turning his head the opposite direction she went to. "And my pride never betrayed me. Because that is all I have as my own." He hissed and fell silent after that, thinking she wasn't even worthy of his words any longer. It is truly a shame he decided to make her to his second in command, that he trusted her, that he taught her, trained her... and all for this... That she betrays him when he truly needed her the most. He shall learn from this mistake. His pride was all that he had from the very beginning. One that he owned and no one could take from him. And now this pride would break with the humiliation he will suffer once she goes through with her plan.

The witch.

The wizard rolled her eyes. Now he was being stubborn again. Though, that was hardly new, considering who she was talking about. He was making more of this than what was really there but there was no real way to make him understand. Not now... not yet. This was something that would have to take time. There was really very little else that could be done... However... she looked up at the hole in the ceiling before walking out into the middle and with a sweep of her hand she created a field, blocking those above from seeing inside. She did not want anyone to see Ren like this. She should have thought to do that sooner but she was rather pressed for time when he was trying to attack her.

- few days later -

Hyano got up, stretching.

Three days.

It had been three days of this.

Ren had not spoken in that entire span. He hardly moved at all actually which surprised her. He was not one to stay still for long. Ever. So, this was a drastic change from the norm for him. She rubbed her neck, tilting it until she heard a crack, then got up and walked over to the stream getting herself some water and washed her face a little.

She had started something of a habit. She would get up, wash up, then sit and meditate continuing to fine-tune the connection like one would an instrument. She had little else she could do, considering the conditions. She had tried to talk to Ren more than once with no response, so eventually let that drop. No point in beating a dead horse as the humans say. There were so many dark deeds the humans did but she admired their creativity in sayings.

Ren had been like this for three days. He refused to speak to her, to look at her, to even as much as move, feeling dead to the world... like a captive animal that is forced to do its master's bidding. That she didn't see him move didn't mean he didn't, though. When she was asleep, he would always give it all a try until he felt he couldn't anymore. He was just... too weak for this. He had to realize that. But since when did it stop anyone from trying? He had a pride which was broken too many times since he was with her and now he wished nothing more but to revenge his situation. But even that seemed so far away.

His thoughts were completely blank when she awoke today. The Nazgul didn't even know why... It was just... as if he lost the will to even think... to plot or to just curse within his own mind. Then... suddenly... something in him snapped, even caused him to flinch a bit. It wasn't something one can foresee. Simply, the dark magic within him all piled up and suddenly took over him. It had nowhere to go, it wasn't flowing normally and it pooled up in his spectral form. Like a river, where beavers built a dam, making the water rise, until it overcomes the block and floods the plains with vengeance. The darkness that engulfed him in the next moment was defeating. The reason was simple. The lighter variant of the dark magic -acting as a dam- pressed back the darker one and now that the lighter was in greater mass, it started pressing on the darkness and having no way to let it out for the past few days, it simply came out all of a sudden.

The wraith suddenly hissed, then shrieked loudly, his hands forming into fists. And suddenly gaining new strength, the stone around him cracked and surprisingly... he broke free with a mighty push. But he didn't stop there... His vision sharpened with the sudden boost of energy that begged to leave and quickly sniffed for the first target that came into his sight... And being the only target, he charged at her. Without weapons... only with his gauntlets, ready to rip her apart with it with a very sharp and almost insane hiss-shriek mix.

Hyano's eyes shot open in surprise. Well, to say the least she was not expecting that. However, she didn't have time to stay awestruck as he came at her and with a sweep of her hand she slammed him back with a burst of energy. She probably should have seen this coming but to be honest she assumed that he would just stay captive until they were through with this whole endeavor.

Life was never that easy, though, it seemed.

Ren shrieked when he was blasted away and crashed against the wall with a loud thud, the loose rocks falling down, blocking her vision of him with the dust that followed. However, this time it didn't seem like it stopped the wraith, as in the next moment his dark form appeared from among the dust and charged at her once again with a sharp furious hiss, his hand ready to deliver a hard slap at her, aiming to claw her face open. He still didn't draw a weapon. This might mean two things. He simply was lazy to do so or he lost his mind to such a degree that he completely forgot about his weapons and how to use them.

Both facts caught Hyano off guard. The fact he was coming for another round and the fact he hadn't pulled out his blade yet. That was normally his weapon. No, he wanted to shred her with his own hands from the looks of it. She ducked back just in time, though, earned a slash on her cheek none the less before slamming him back again. She put up her hands, each one charging with energy. She would not be caught off guard twice. The blood ran down her cheek but she chose to ignore it... she had more important things to worry about at the moment.

As she expected, the wraith came right at her again. He didn't even seem to register the blow but went at her repeatedly like nothing happened. Despite the lights, he seemed to know exactly where she stood, which was unusual. Perhaps the lighter magic did have its effect and made him tolerate it more... or simply he didn't seem to care or oriented himself with the help of his nose and aura. He had a rather strong aura right now, which also caused some of the lights to shrink but not go out. However, this time he seemed to also be prepared for her just like she was for him. The moment he came at her and the moment she tried to blast him away again, he used the momentum of his speed to throw himself onto the ground, avoiding the blast and in the same time he lashed at her feet, attempting to trip her, so they can continue their fight to a more... even level.

The orange wizard hit the ground, the wind getting knocked out of her but she didn't stay down long, flipping back to her feet. Well, he wanted to really fight her? Fine. She would humor him. The moment she was on her feet she ran at him, using only enough magic to create blocks against his gauntlets and make her punches more forceful. She swung her fist for his chest. She didn't believe she could knock the wind out of him like he did her but she could probably send him back a step or two.

The dark creature also stood by the time she did and swung his hand at her, only to have it blocked and a punch was sent to his chest. He hissed in annoyance at the hit but otherwise he didn't register it again, instead countered it right after, sending another clawed slap towards her face, trying to disorient her so he can just tackle her and fight on the ground, get the upper hand if he can. He didn't care about the magic, neither that she was his mate... neither where he was and about the light. He just... didn't register it altogether.

His mind was gone...

He was the wraith her wizard friend had to battle so many years ago.

Hyano put her arm up, blocking the hit to her face and gritted her teeth before creating a light orb and blasting him in the hood with it. When in doubt do what works. Well what works for now. She noticed he was more tolerant of the light. Maybe he had been here long enough to get used to it. Though, honestly she didn't care enough to analyze it fully yet. She would find out later...

If there was a later.

The light orb came suddenly and still being a dark being, it made the crazed Nazgul back off and shriek in a way that signaled his suffering, being more high-pitched. It took him a little time but eventually got rid of the light, grasping for it, becoming daring before he managed to get a hold of it, then simply as if it was a ball of glass he held it in his hand and crushed it, making the light go out suddenly, all the while staring at her as if promising that this same fate will happen to her. Ren only sounded another short hiss before lunging, now throwing his weight at her, again aiming to tackle and get the upper hand. He started to slowly realize that standing up only enables her to counter him. But she surely won't have that much free room if she was to fight lying down.

Hyano glared back at the obvious threat before yelping as he finally got his wish, her balance for once slipping as they both went down. She gasped, the hard floor hitting her dead on the head but she didn't take the time to really register it. Again the thought of how the void was he so damn heavy came to mind before she started to struggle. She couldn't stay down. If she was on the ground too long she was dead and everything would have been for nothing... She was not going down that easy.

The wraith gave a triumphant hiss as they finally landed on the floor. Instantly he moved to make sure he stays on top and so would have the upper hand. His lack of firm balance however always seemed to make things more complicated than they were... But surprisingly he didn't seem to be affected by this... trait all that much. As if it wasn't him who the wizard was fighting but a monster that was laying dormant for a long time and broke free of its chains. He hissed sharply each time one of her hits landed on him but he worked to counter them. He used his gauntlets to defend himself, the sharp edges doing their job to cause her pain and make her bleed, which only made him lose his mind more. The scent of blood was so alluring, yet so disgusting. And yet... he craved more of it. He raised a hand to use his gauntlet to claw at her face or crush her skull but she moved and he missed the target, instead the Nazgul slammed his hand down onto the ground with a thud, the fingers sinking deep into the earth, which only showed the wizard that the wraith really meant it, he really was out for the kill and he is not holding back.

Hyano didn't stop to consider this. She didn't have the time. Once his gauntlet was slammed into the ground she slammed her fist into the ground as well and used the same spell she used on Moria's ceilings on the ground under them to ceil his hand there. If only for a moment, then slammed her knee into his gut as hard as was possible with only a minor amount of magic. He was out to kill. She obviously was not and it showed since she was very much holding back in her attacks. She wasn't attacking really. She was defending and subduing him as much as was possible.

If he was able to break free of her stone chains, then this wasn't a problem for him either. However Ren seemed to just forget about it and after quickly recovering from the kick, he simply used his other hand to grasp her neck in a firm hold, the sharp edges of his gauntlet digging into her skin while he squeezed, intending to choke her if he could while working on getting his other hand back, pulling on it as best as he could.

The female wizard hissed and gritted her teeth as he clutched her neck, cringing as the sharp blade-like metal dug into her skin, making it sting, while air was starting to be scarce. She gripped his cloak tightly, her mind racing before she used a fist and slammed it into the ground again, releasing his stuck hand suddenly, then slammed her foot into his chest again only this time she hit him with a burst of energy. Considering the hold he had on her neck... this was likely going to hurt her quite a bit but at this point she either had to do it or die and she was not dying yet.

The wraith shrieked when the hit landed and fell backwards, losing his balance as trademark of his person. But unfortunately for her, his grip on her neck was so strong and so tight, that he didn't let go but pulled her right with him. He fell to the ground with a thud and was stunned for a few seconds by the blow before acting again. He hissed first as if he was dazed and shook his hooded head to try and get his bearings before realizing what is going on and never letting go of her neck he tried to claw at her face or grasp her head and crush it. He wasn't in the mood to play around as it seemed.

Hyano gasped as his claws dug into her neck, making breathing hard. She gritted her teeth, gripping his wrist. She was in trouble. If she wanted to live she was going to have to stop holding back. She gritted her teeth, then the hands on his wrists both lit on fire. She didn't like the idea of lighting Ren on fire but considering the situation she was lacking many options. Besides, she didn't have to completely light him up. Just the parts of him that were currently trying to kill her.

Being the one on the bottom, the wraith couldn't dodge or get away from the fire. He shrieked in surprise when the sharp light of the fire danced so close to him. But not only that... he felt the bite of the light once again, so fought even more furiously to get her off of him. Finding new strength within desperation, Ren swung her to the side, off of him and released her neck, her skin now sporting cut marks and a nice bruise from his gauntlet. The Nazgul stood up and moved about, crashing against some rocks in order to put the fire out. Once successful, he again didn't waste time but charged right at her, clearly having not enough of the blasts and attacks. He still came back for more. And he didn't seem to give up anytime soon.

Hyano yelped as she was practically thrown into the ground so hard she bounced once. She gritted her teeth and just had enough time to think before he came again.

"Sorry, Ren." She said, then slammed her foot into the ground and a stone wall came up between them before she kicked it, sending it at him with all the force she had. She had to keep him back, to keep him at bay, at least until he calmed down. That wasn't going to be anytime soon but she wasn't thinking about this just yet.

The wraith was hit by the stone wall rather hard and stumbled backwards, watching as it neared him, cutting him off of his prey. But this won't stop the crazed Nazgul anymore either. He had a surprisingly quick thinking and quickly found the way out. He started sprinting towards the end of the wall, raking his gauntlet across the stone as it pushed him, enjoying the sound of metal clashing with stone, before finally rounding the corner and spotting the wizard. Once again completely ignoring everything, he started at her, running towards her with a hiss, ready to clash with her.

She won't get away from him so fast!

The orange istar looked at him, then slammed the ground again creating another wall and slammed it at him. However, this time she did not wait to repeat the process several times until she had created what could best be called a tomb for the wraith, or a stone circle right next to the wall to keep him away from her. She panted as she finished. That was not a spell that required a lot of magic but it did require a lot of energy and strength instead which easily wore out the body. She stepped back. She honestly wasn't sure how long she had until yet again he was at her... Hopefully long enough to at least catch her breath, though.

The wraith stopped any advance after making a round... no... two... three around the stone walls, trying to find a way out but he found nothing. He started to tire now after so many times running around the walls, then stopped somewhere, leaning against the wall for a few minutes. There was silence for that long, only the deep breaths of the wizard could be heard, before the wraith also started to take deeper breaths, his shoulders rising and falling more intensively as he tried to sense the scents in the room, until he snapped again. He shrieked like mad and eventually started pounding and clawing at the walls in an attempt to get to her before there was silence again.

Then... there were some... mysterious scratching sounds coming from his direction...

-Elsewhere-

Lilly ran through the city, heading right for Fieven's house.

Rosa had told her about the little surprise and she was very excited. Though, to be honest, she was more wanting to bother the elf about why her sister was so... well... depressed. When everyone got home, Rosa was already in bed and this morning she had only woken up long enough to tell Lilly about the surprise and how to get to Feiven's before she again retired.

Lilly didn't understand.

Despite Rosa's outburst, no one was mad. Last night had been a lot of fun. What's more, they can eat now! It had to be the elf's fault... She just wasn't sure why.

She got to his door, following what was left of her sister's scent there and knocked, trying to be careful not to knock too hard or too soft. She wasn't sure what the door was made of.

Fieven had been up for about fifteen minutes by the time Lilly knocked on his door. Not knowing who it was, he frowned and moved to stand from his chair and peeked outside. Seeing no one, he opened the door and this was when he noticed the little girl.

"Oh, hello." He greeted her, surprised, from all the thinking forgetting the 'pet' this morning. The arrangements were made yesterday night, though.

Lilly blinked up at him.

Lilly giggled and skipped into his home, looking around.

"So, what did you have for me? Rosa wouldn't tell me what. No matter how much I begged. She is almost as big a dumb dumb-head as you are." She said, crossing her arms, pouting cutely.

Fieven chuckled at her comment and shook his head at her with a smile on his face. She was just so adorable.

"She wouldn't tell you because I didn't tell her either. That is my secret until it is revealed to you." He said and reached down to stroke her hair gently before gesturing inside. "Did you have breakfast or perhaps you wish to eat here before we go?" He asked. Of course he didn't bring her possible new friend along as he wouldn't pass through his door... They will need to go to the forest for that.

"Hm? Oh. No, thank you. I ate already. Mama made sweet sap pancakes. It's my favorite." She said with a grin, bouncing on her toes. Even though they were in a whole new place, the recipe was the same and if anything it tasted even better. "Can we go now? Pleeeaaase?" She begged, tugging on his sleeve as she jumped up and down.

The ellon couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head at the surprisingly impatient herder child and closed the door behind him, stepping away from his home.

"Alright then. Come with me, I will show you." He said and slowly started to make his way away from his home, down the path and into the forest, making sure that the little girl was following him, he didn't want to lose her after all.

Their journey was silent, finding no topic to talk about until they came closer to their destination. After a while he stopped her with a hand and turned to face Lilly.

"The animal you will see will be Lord. A very proud creature. I will go and talk to him. So, please wait here, alright?" He said and quickly moved away, spending a few minutes away from her until he called her name from afar.

Lilly let her eyes wander, doing whatever she could to not wander off no matter how much she really wanted to. When her name was finally called she perked up and grinned before running up more than a little excited to see whatever this thing was that Fieven wanted to surprise her with. She loved surprises. Even though she hated to wait, it was normally always a good surprise when someone wanted to surprise the other.

The first thing that came into her view was Fieven who stood in front of her, a little ahead of the animal he was speaking about.

Well, surely this wasn't what she thought about when she talked about a 'pet'.

The animal itself was big, large, something that spent some of its time near the forests of elves, only joining them when needed. Before them stood a majestic elven elk, with antlers large and broad, some parts however were broken down by now. Its pelt was a brownish grey, giving the appearance of an older elk but even now despite its age it still held itself proud with head raised slightly, standing gracefully in front of some foliage, its ears now turning towards her as it watched her from afar with both caution and curiosity.

She knew this elk...

Fieven stopped her however from approaching it fully and crouched down to speak to her.

"I want you to meet, Lord. He is the animal I was talking about." He said and looked at the elk.

Lilly blinked at the familiar creature, then her smile grew huge and she quickly pushed passed Fieven but stopped before she got to close.

"Lord? He is wonderful! I've always wanted to see him again to thank him. Can I touch him? Can we play? Does he talk? I wonder what he thinks. Does he have any magic?" She started questioning like most children do, her mind running a mile a minute. This creature in her eyes was perfect, despite his obvious age. Lilly was honestly too young to understand such things as age anyway. Besides the fact that adults were no fun and teenagers seemed to be very complicated. She trusted this elk. He saved her and her brother before, so he cannot be mean. Or can he?

Of course, as soon as she walked closer the elk raised its head a little higher and gave out a sound of alarm, stepping back a few times, watching her now with more caution than curiosity, its ears perked fully, its eyes were fixed on her now.

"Hey, not so fast." The elf called and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder to this time prevent any sudden approaches. "One doesn't approach an elven elk like this, even if he showed some care. You see... Lord was the leader of the local herd of elven elks for countless years... But a few years ago he was defeated by a younger stag and he was chased and replaced. Ever since he was alone... coming close to the city in hopes of company. But we simply have no time to be with him every minute. So, I thought... you might want to keep him company and take care of him, be his... little herd for many years to follow. He might be old but he is very strong. For the care he will pay you back with gratitude and loyalty." Fieven explained, knowing about her tale about this elk and that venomous beast, how they battled and how Lord grew victorious. But this hardly meant anything. Lord was defending his territory of the carnivores and saving them was merely a side-effect. But the ellon hoped, that this could be used to introduce the old creature to a new family. Fieven patted her shoulder before moving closer to the elk, who seemed to be alright with his closeness. It was used to him after all.

"I am sure you have noticed that animals in Outer-Earth are a little different from the ones on Middle-Earth. Here they have more understanding of actions and don't fear showing it. While he doesn't talk and speaks with his actions, he does understand you. Well, human language is a little tough for him but he understands Sindarin without trouble. The language of elves." He explained further and faced her, now beckoning her closer a little. "These animals also have a sense of grace, honor and pride. To gain the approval of an elk, you have to prove him that you mean no harm and you respect him. What you need to do is bow. And wait for him to do the same. If he bows back, then he accepts your greeting, acknowledges it and is pleased by your presence."

Lilly blinked, listening closely to what he had to say before looking back towards the elk. Her smile softened a bit before she put her fists together in the same manner her father and brother had before they started their sparring match and then she closed her eyes and bowed to the elk.

"I would love to spend time with you, Lord. It would be so much fun and I would be very happy to make a new friend." She said with a giggle, waiting for the elk's reaction.

While Fieven stayed silent and waited, the elk watched the little girl from his position, his dark brown eyes scanning her features while his ears perked as she spoke, trying to understand but her speech was hard for him as expected. He flared his nostrils and breathed out with a huff, not moving for the next couple of seconds until he suddenly moved a leg and began to lower his head, bowing to the little girl in return, closing his eyes before standing up once again, still watching her.

"Now, you can go ahead and stroke his head. He will let you. But be careful. Once you are close, just let him approach you and make the last step. He is still a proud animal and should given the choice if he wants to back out of this or not." The elf explained and gestured for her to step forward and go towards the elven elk.

Lilly blinked and nodded, stepping up then holding her hand out to the elk to allow him to let her touch him. It was like meeting a stray dog back home... Well, without the bowing. If one wanted to see if the dog was friendly one would put their hand out. If the dog sniffed then nuzzled it, then it was alright but if it growled... well then there are a number of options and one better hopes the first one thinks of works because one only has a few seconds to do something. Despite her normally very perky demeanor she seemed very calm right now. She was naturally a very forward little girl. Sometimes she would act like a grown-up and not even realize it but she was still a child in the long run. It was just working out to her benefit that she could keep in control at the moment.

This time the elk didn't back off as she approached him but simply followed her movement with his eyes, his ear perking again now that she had his full attention. He flexed his muscles a little as she seemed to come maybe a little too close but once she slowed down and stopped, he gained some courage by this and slowly but surely stepped forward, still holding his head high with pride before lowering it, extending his neck slightly towards her hand. At first he just sniffed her hand while his eyes met hers, smelling the scent of a tree and fresh lilies, then slowly pushed his muzzle into her hand.

Lilly squealed happily, stroking his muzzle gently. He was so soft, although she could feel the ancient scars under the thin fur. She stepped up a little, using both hands to stroke his muzzle now and put her forehead to his, happy he seemed to be accepting her. At least so far. She looked at Fieven.

"Can he come home with me? Or will he be staying here?" She asked, wondering if Lord would be living nearby or if she would have to go looking for him every time she wanted to see him. That would make things harder of course but she would do it if she had to.

Fieven chuckled.

"Of course he can go with you. You will be his herd, which means you will be together from now on. Friends... Acquaintances... Family. Whichever you would like to call him." He smiled and moved up slowly to them, the elk raising his muzzle from her grasp slowly as well to look at the elf before turning his head as Fieven leaned in close, whispering something in his ear while stroking his neck. The language is foreign to the little girl, as it was Sindarin, melodic and soft, almost a song in itself, then patted the neck of the elk and backed away, the animal seeming to understand whatever he said. "Alright... Now I have to go to take care of... a few things. I will take you home if you want." He offered and started down the path where they came from.

Lilly blinked, then nodded.

"Alright. If you want." She said, then smiled up at the elk, part of her wondering if she could get on his back but she remembered Fieven said he was old and she didn't want to hurt him. She wasn't exactly light after all. She started after the elf, expected the elk to follow as well.

Indeed the elk started to follow the two of them, stepping lightly despite its obvious old age, still carrying himself proud and regally, holding his head up. After a while the ellon left and they finally stopped at the shack, Lilly's current home. He tilted his head to the side a little at the sight of it, remembering it as the living space of the istar. But it didn't smell like him anymore...

Lilly walked in and looked around, not seeing anyone besides her sister who was lying on the bed. She was dressed and relaxing, using her Ipod she had brought with her. The battery had enough charge for a day, two if she didn't overuse it but she likely would now that she had nothing to do. Lilly thought about talking to her sister but thought better of it and stepped back out.

"Well, Lord. Everyone is gone. How about we go play?" She suggested, giving him a smile, then got an idea. "Race you to the city?" She added with a grin.

All the elk did was stare at her and tilt his head, perking his ears up, listening to the words. He will need a little more time to actually start understanding more of her language. He was used to Sindarin mostly. This didn't mean he didn't understand anything. He knew there was no one as it seemed and she wanted them to do something but otherwise there was nothing else he could make out. He moved his tail and after a frown turned his head to start scratching his back with his teeth where he could reach it before getting annoyed and instead turned his head more to scratch the rest with his large antlers.

Lilly noticed this and tilted her head, then she ran up, waving for him to get down before running over to his back.

Not knowing what she planned but of course wanting to see, the elk slowly lowered himself to the ground, folding his legs to lay down and followed her with his gaze as she moved to his back and started scratching the itchy part. Instantly he closed his eyes and raised his head slightly in pure delight as the annoyance and irritating itch was relieved, slowly but surely. The skin on his back also flexed, giving her an easier time scratching. The point where the itch was gone was easy to see as his skin relaxed now. He still stayed where he was though, relaxing a little with his eyes closed. He might not be up for a race just yet...

The little girl made sure to use the tips of her fingers and not her nails, not wanting to actually scratch him by mistake.

"Better?" She asked, assuming this probably worked a lot better than his antlers and hurt his neck a whole lot less. She was willing to spoil him a bit and it showed. Not that surprising, though. Herder people naturally spoiled those that they took care of to a degree. They could be called almost over caring, really. Though, considering the situation it worked out well for them both.

"I'm glad you like it, Lord." Lilly said happily, then started to massage him, thinking there was no reason to really stop. She thought for a moment as she continued, then took a chance and pushed herself onto his back. She thought if he didn't like it he would let her know. But he was rather big. Maybe he still had that kind of strength in him.

The moment she sat onto his back, the elk opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to look at her before narrowing his eyes. Then, without warning he rolled onto his side, with enough force to make sure she rolls a little away from him with a gasp, so he doesn't end up laying on top of her, then stayed that way for a little while until finally moving into his previous position with a little struggle, thanks to his age. But he managed just fine, then stood up, shaking his fur to get rid of the dust and dirt.

Lilly sat up, shaking off a little dirt before looking up at him. She didn't think it was her weight though. He was just too prideful to have someone on his back. She blinked a few times cutely before she started laughing. To be honest, the whole thing had been fun.

"Alright, Lord. I won't do that again." She assured him with a smile.

Lord snorted in reply and his gaze softened slightly before stepping forward and pushed his muzzle closer to her face, sniffing at her again, then started to sniff her hair, liking the scent of lilies, which bloom next to the lake in the south, close to the bushes. Soon enough he started munching on her hair but not eating it. It was something all elk did as an attempt to take care of each other's fur, cleaning it and getting rid of parasites and also this way they massaged the skin, relaxing one another. Only after a few seconds he stopped though and sniffed the ground before he started eating the grass there. It was time he had his lunch.

The little girl blinked not sure what he was up to at first but then she couldn't help but start to giggle, his muzzle tickling her. She did try to hold it in but there was no helping it. When he moved away to start eating she calmed down before deciding he was right. It was about lunch time... she thought. She wasn't sure. There were no clocks here! She got up and walked inside and soon came back with a plate of leftover pancakes from breakfast. She took a seat on a boulder, her legs crossed and started eating happily.

- later -

A few hours later Rosa stepped out and blinked when she saw her sister curled up by... a very large elk. First the cat lizard thing now it's this. She smiled a bit, knowing that must be the pet Fieven told her about. She shook her head. Lilly was so spoiled yet the little girl didn't really act like most spoiled children. She looked to the elk for a moment, then stepped up a little curious about it.

The elk perked his ears when he heard the light steps of the girl and opened his eyes, sniffing the air to try and locate the creature. Only a few seconds later did he fix his eyes on the nearing Rosa and watched her silently, only briefly looking down at Lilly as if to make sure she was safely curled up against him before returning to watch her, curiously, yet cautiously, not yet knowing what to expect of her, just like with Lilly when she met him first.

Rosa noticed this and raised a brow and unlike her little sister she hesitated seemingly unsure. Her little sister was very... outgoing in comparison to herself. She looked towards Lilly, seeing how comfortable she was and looked back to the elk. He couldn't be that bad if Lilly was fast asleep by his side... right? She took another step but seeing as she did not know what to do she stopped mid way and chose to put her hand out like her sister did after she bowed seeing it as only natural.

The elk's ears perked even more if possible and with eyes widening slightly he looked at her hand before meeting her gaze again, his eyes warning her about this action. He also pulled his neck back slightly as a signal of his caution and distrust while his brown eyes moved to stare at the held out hand. He tensed up also a little but made no sound just yet. He didn't know what to think of this approach but she might be mistaken if she thinks of him less than a person or a living being. If she fails to show him any respect, then he doesn't need to either.

Rosa pulled back a little, confused and put off by this. He didn't seem hostile but he didn't seem pleased either.

Lilly woke up a little, sensing some negative energy around her. She mumbled and rubbed her eyes cutely.

"Lord... What's wrong?" She asked before seeing her sister and smiling. "Oh. Hi Rosa. You finally got out of bed." She said, happy to see the older one moving around.

Rosa gave her a slight smile. "Yes... Uh... This is your friend?" She asked, shifting her brown gaze back to the cautious elk.

"Oh, yes. This is Lord. He is a little snooty but very nice." The little girl said with a giggle.

Rosa raised a brow. Nice? She was not so sure about that.

Seeing she moved, was up and awake, Lord didn't waste time but started to move and stand slowly, then shook his fur a little before reaching behind again with his antlers to scratch his back, then looked at Rosa. Maybe he was a little distraught, a little cautious but still curious about her. Still, he held his head high in pride, his stance being regal and watched her again silently, without a sound. He didn't know what to think of her. It seemed like the two knew each other. Maybe they are friends? No... Their scent and looks are similar... Relatives perhaps?

Lilly got up, stretching and cracking her neck. It took her a moment to realize what was going on and when she did she face palmed.

"Rosa... bow." She said, waving to her.

Rosa blinked at this rather confused.

"What?" she asked but Lilly just continued to motion for her to do it. Rosa rolled her eyes thinking her sister was just being strange but did as told putting her fists together and bowing unknowingly also bowing to the elk.

The elk tilted his head to the side a little, having not expected the bow from her after this and watched her curiously. He stomped once and snorted, licking his muzzle a little, seemingly unsure, before finally moving a leg and slowly lowered his head, bending the other leg, giving a bow back before standing up and raising his gaze to the new girl, now with ears perked in curiosity. Although -just like with Lilly- there was still some caution within his features.

Rosa was caught off guard, not expecting this reaction herself.

Lilly grinned at this but didn't push her sister to do anything else. Instead she noticed her sister had a cloth on her arm and a wrapped bundle.

"You going out?" She asked, tilting her head cutely while she stared up at her older sister with big curious eyes.

Rosa raised a brow, then remembered why she came out in the first place.

"Oh, yes. The shop keeper I have been working with told me about a hot spring. She said it is relaxing... I thought it would do me some good." She said honestly. The shop keeper had said the elves use it to relax and the hunters use it to help calm the muscles after a long hunt. After the dance yesterday her body was rather sore anyway... Besides, she couldn't stay in the house all day. That was as good a place as any to go.

Lilly smiled glad her sister was going out. "Good." She said as she stroked Lord's side.

The elk tried listening in on what they said but found the language very hard to understand, so instead just perked his ears and looked around while he enjoyed the caress given to him but didn't lean into her hand, just in case his weight unbalances and he crushes her in the end. Instead he stood still and blinked, trying to recall what was being said. One word was familiar though... Spring... It was water... Not a lake but water. The hot water, wasn't it? The one where he always goes to when he gets sick or something hurts. Every animal goes there to make the pain go away and heal themselves. Maybe she was sick too? She didn't smell like that, though. Getting an idea, he snorted and suddenly started to move, going towards the forest. He wanted to go to the spring as well and sit around there a little. And of course look out for his little herd there. They surely will all enjoy its effects, so why not show them?

Lilly grinned as she saw this.

"Looks like Lord wants to go too. Do you mind?" Lilly asked, her eyes meeting her sister's, basically begging.

Rosa thought this over for a moment, then smiled a little and nodded.

"Alright. I might zone out. Just so you know." She admitted to which Lilly just waved her off.

Lilly ran into the house grabbing herself some food and a cloth like her sisters and ran out.

"Ready." she said with a grin.

Rosa giggled, nodded and turned to follow Lord. She assumed this was helpful. She didn't really know the way, she was just going to go off what she had been told and hope she reached it sooner or later.

The stag led his little herd through the forest, sometimes turning his ears back or his head to check if the girls are following him safely before returning to watch where they are going. He knew the way even with closed eyes, thanks to the many visits he made there. Now that he mad muscle aches sometimes, his visits were more frequent than when he was younger.

They trekked through the forest for about fifteen minutes until the air started to become humid and warmer. They were getting closer. The nearer they drew, the faster the elk was going, knowing their destination was close. He couldn't wait to feel the hot water against his aching legs and back. He knew he will sit there until the glowing orb on the sky reached the trees' line.

The spring was on a clearing, surrounded by lush green vegetation, some yellow flowers. The steaming water -which was hot because it came from very deep right next to a volcanic chamber- created a somewhat dense fog, which glistened in all colors of the world when the sun's rays met them. The spring's bed was dotted with stones and boulders at places, enabling people to sit on them to rest or for children to play.

Lilly and Rosa were able to keep up for the most part. Luckily, even though they had issues staying on their feet sometimes they were still rather quick. When they finally arrived Lilly squealed cutely. She quickly stripped down before running and jumping in.

Rosa facepalmed at this. Her sister was such a hyperactive child sometimes. She thought to herself, then looked over the spring. No one else was here luckily. Good. She really didn't want the extra company. It also looked like there was enough room that if Rosa wanted to she could be alone. Rosa stripped down as well, taking a moment to fold their clothes and place them where they should stay dry before stepping into the water slowly, letting her body adjust to the heat and... magic that was in the spring. It was a healing magic but she couldn't know that, not having any idea about such things but it felt nice all the same.

Of course the elk didn't need to stop to strip, so simply walked towards the hot water, only stopping and closing his eyes as Lilly ran past him, splashing some water on him while she ran. He only shook his head, though, and resumed walking. Once he was at a suitable spot where the water was sallow but yet deep enough, he slowly eased himself down and laid there, relaxing, enjoying as the hot water soothed his senses, his mind, his aching muscles and bones. And while he was there, he should as well finish chewing his food... So, giving off a weird sound as it would look like to humans, he regurgitated the grass he ate not long ago and began chewing on a part of it.

Rosa watched her sister swim around as she sat. She giggled as she finally came back around and without warning she sat on the older girl's lap. Rosa shook her head then started to untwist one of the little girl's locks and then re-twist it back into place. Since they got here none of them had much time to really tend to their hair. Rosa found this was as good a chance as any.

Lilly looked towards Lord and smiled.

"Feeling good, Lord?" She asked, not even fazed as her sister tightened her hair already very used to it by this age. Anyone else would be cringing from it. An elf... Heh, they probably wouldn't want to anyway so that wasn't much of a worry.

The elk was still chewing when Lilly spoke to him, hearing his name being said, this time understanding what little was told him and turned his head towards the girl with eyes half lidded and gave her a nod, feeling well indeed and having no worries, enjoying their stay at the hot spring, then turned his head back forward and continued chewing, now swallowing the grass before regurgitating the next batch and chewed again. After a while he suddenly stopped chewing and his ears perked up, his head moving towards north as he heard something and gave off a snort of alert, staying still completely, concentrating on the direction before finally relaxing and continuing where he left off at digesting his food, signaling that there is no danger after all.

Soon enough the distant voices of people could be heard as they drew closer. Mostly amused voices, probably having a good time. At least five people coming from the north.

None of them had a feminine voice...

- back at the cave -

Hyano slumped down to her hands and knees when she noticed her trick was effective enough. The wraith had yet to jump out of his make-shift prison and go at her again. Thank Valar. She was worn out to say the least. She listened, taking in every sound he made, frowning at the scratching. To an extent she felt like he was toying with her, reminding her that he was in fact there... waiting for the next moment to get her again. Bloody void if this wasn't a workout.

Now that she had the time she took notice of how much pain she was in. Her stomach, head... and her neck were all on fire. She pushed herself onto her rump and rubbed her neck, feeling the marks that would likely scar if left alone... She could easily heal them away if she wanted... but she wouldn't. She had learned from the orcs long ago to value the scars... as reminders of what one has done and what one should never do again in the future.

While she was thinking and trying to rate their current situation, the scratching sound got stranger every second. It started getting deeper, sometimes pausing but only for a moment each time, probably to gather strength. Soon enough, the mystery was solved when Ren revealed the true reason for the noises. At a spot in front of the wall the earth started to loosen and rise, revealing a gauntlet, then the cloak of the Nazgul as he climbed out. The desperate, mad and stubborn wraith actually dug his way out from his makeshift prison, then not even waiting a moment longer, he located her and neared her with a sharp hiss before charging.

Hyano's eyes widened as she saw this before she groaned in annoyance.

"You are being difficult." She grumbled before jumping up to her feet but instead of attacking him she dropping down and spun, creating a circle around herself with her foot. A second later the circle blew up in fire, creating a barrier around herself. If she couldn't subdue the wraith, she would block him from getting to her. She then fell to her knees again. This spell unlike the earth spell required more magic and less body. Give and take was a big part of magic. In order to keep the fire high enough to keep him from touching her, she had to keep the magic high as well. However... this also meant she couldn't move from the spot she was in.

The wraith shrieked at the sudden burst of flames, stepping back a few times at the sight of it before hissing once more and circling it. He needed to get to her... and get to her quick. As it was expected, with her tiring he also felt his own energy vanish. Because their connection didn't alter despite the change in magic and the transfer of energy still worked as mutual as ever. When he felt tired, he was the one who latched onto her magic to aid him, if she was getting tired, then she took magic from him. In this case both of them was starting to get exhausted in both body, mind and magic, so are trying to replenish it from each other's reserves. This only serves to tire them out even more.

It didn't take long for the wraith to sense it when they reached a certain limit and their bodies refused to share the reserves anymore. In answer to this he felt the fatigue all of a sudden like a hard slap in the face or a stone being put onto his shoulders, which started pulling him down and while he was circling the fire, he suddenly fell to his knees.

The darker power within him in this moment admitted defeat and released him from its grip.

Hyano watched as he fell to his knees. She slumped down, the fire going down as well however she made a point of keeping her eyes on him as she panted heavily. She wanted to be ready to set the circle ablaze again the moment she had to. Tired or not... she had no choice. The wizard let the magic she put over the top of the cave dissipate, not feeling it was needed at this point. He was no longer being kept chained down so she had no reason to keep those outside from seeing what was happening.

Besides... she was sure Gandalf already knew.

Ren made no move to get to her this time. Instead, he felt the fatigue more and more each second... and the worst thing was... He didn't even know why he felt so tired. All he remembered was the stone chains... that he felt offended, angry and betrayed... then everything went black with fury... And now here he was... kneeling on the ground, facing Hyano who seemed to be not much better off. He didn't even get the chance to ask though, since the moment he wanted to speak, he lost that tiny little energy as well which kept him up, so in the next moment he fell face-first onto the ground, now collapsing and losing his contact with the world for the fourth time in his existence.

Hyano let the fire ring go altogether as he fell. Her body felt like it was on fire, despite the ring being gone. This whole event had taken more than a little out of her body. However... she found the strength to move to him, sitting down beside him and carefully she moved his body so he was lying on his side before resting his head on her lap. She knew something like this was coming... She knew he would try to kill her but... it still hurt all the same. She looked down at him sadly before hugging his hooded head tightly.

"It will all be over soon..." She whispered softly, not sure who she was trying to reassure... The sleeping wraith or herself.

Of course, the ongoings inside didn't go unnoticed by the White wizard who was standing guard above, ready to jump in if Hyano couldn't handle it. He however knew to not meddle into affairs that weren't his to solve. She needed to prove herself and him that she can take care of herself and can take up the fight with the wraith successfully. He also knew for a while now that she will be victorious.

No, he didn't see in the future... He had faith.

That was it, dear Readers! Well, for this chapter, we mean. Not the story. -shudders- The story cannot end here!

CA Productions