I've decided that I'm going to start naming my chapters instead of doing the boring "Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3…" since that doesn't make my chapters sound interesting. Enjoy this chapter!

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An hour later…

Gorluk glanced over his shoulder for the fiftieth time. Somehow thirty minutes ago, as he had been following the travelers to Moria, he began to get the feeling that someone was watching him. But not only watching, following too. Every time he heard a twig snap, or even as much as heard the trees murmur in the wind, he would instantly whip his head around- only to find that no one was there. He began to walk faster with anxiety, but not enough to run into the group. Am I going mad? He thought to himself with a growing panic. He could swear that he could feel someone staring directly at the back of his head.

He tried to get that out of his mind by trying to pay attention to where they were going. Earlier, the Wizard had found a small path that lead directly to Moria, in which a small stream trickled beside. Gorluk guessed that the small stream was the Sirannon, which he already knew was a stream that ran out from the feet of the cliffs from where the west gate stood. As far as he could tell, none of the Orcs knew exactly where the doors to the West gate were. Messengers that were sent to Moria always used the East gate to get in (or so he thought at the moment).

By noontime, they were still walking, or scrambling in Gorluk's case, over large red stones. Gorluk was beginning to feel exhausted, and his fragile heart sank for he thought that maybe the west doors to Moria were much further away then he thought. But suddenly, he heard the Dwarf cry out and point to the right. The others hurried up and looked to where the Dwarf was pointing. Gorluk looked also and saw a deep and narrow channel. Below, there was hardly a trickle of water, but right beside the small stream was a path, broken and decayed, that wove its way among the paving-stones of an ancient highroad.

"Ah! Here it is at last!" said Gandalf triumphantly. "This is where the stream ran: Sirannon, the Gate-stream, they used to call it. But what has happened to the water, I cannot guess; it used to be swift and noisy. Come! We must hurry on. We are late."

Late for what? Gorluk thought with a frown. He glanced towards the westward cliffs but couldn't find any grand doors in sight. What that meant for Gorluk, was more walking.

Hours later, Gorluk was still trudging along the narrow track. The group only stopped once to eat, and during that time Gorluk starred enviously at their food, and looked with worry at his unappetizing bread. He now only had enough food for a few days and after that he would have to hunt for himself (but of course, that was something that he never tried). But all that time, he could still feel someone watching him with a growing intensity.

Gorluk looked up at the sky and watched as the sun began to turn a bright orange. Gorluk began to feel afraid that the Wargs would come back, if they didn't reach the doors by nightfall.

Gorluk looked up ahead and saw the road take a sharp turn. This must be it! He thought hopefully. The group turned and disappeared from sight behind the tall cliff. Gorluk scampered eagerly towards the corner, and saw lots of stairs going up. He watched as the travelers began to hastily climb up the stairs. He was about to take a step forward, but he immediately stopped himself. He scanned the steps and realized that he had no bush, tree, or rock to hide behind. He would have to wait until the travelers were all the way up to avoid being seen. He looked behind him with uneasiness. By now he was certain that something or someone was following him, and he felt afraid to be left completely alone. But he had no choice. All he could do was pull out his knife and sit with his back against the cliff, and wait.

He started to feel anxious as an uncanny silence settled around him. He tried to hum a song to himself to break the stillness, but sadly, he didn't know any songs. All he could do was watch the darkness with bulging eyes with his hands rested on his knees, while on high alert.

A few panicky minutes later, Gorluk glanced back at the stairs and realized that they were already gone. Immediately, he sprinted straight towards the stairs as if someone was pursuing him. He dashed up the steps at a surprising speed, and glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was following. For a brief moment, he almost thought that he saw two red eyes, but they blinked out as soon as he saw them. That, of course, made him run faster.

As soon as he reached the top, he stopped to catch his breath. Before him, Gorluk was surprised to see a large lake, and behind it was vast and ominous cliffs that seemed impassable. Gorluk looked with relief when he caught sight of the travelers again as they stood in front of the menacing walls. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves.

"Well, here we are and all are ready," said one of the Halflings. "But where are the Doors? I can't see any sign of them."

Gorluk stayed sitting on the stairs, but he leaned forward, dying to know the answer. Maybe if they couldn't find them, they, including Gorluk, wouldn't have to go into Moria.

"Dwarf-doors are not made to be seen when shut," Gimli answered. "They are invisible, and their own masters cannot find them or open them, if their secret is forgotten."

"But this door was not made to be a secret known only to Dwarves," Gandalf added. "Unless things are altogether changed, eyes that know what to look for may discover the signs."

From a distance, Gorluk could see Gandalf look up and point at the sky. Gorluk and all the others looked and saw that a cluster of clouds were shifting away from the moon. "The moon is unveiled!", Gandalf shouted with triumph. He turned back towards the cliff wall. "Do you see anything now?"

Gorluk strained his eyes at the cliffs but couldn't see anything at first. But then, a faint glow began to appear from the wall as the moonlight touched it. As the extraordinary light became brighter, Gorluk began to see strange markings, including a carving of a tree at each side, and a star in the middle. The brighter the light became, the bigger Gorluk's eyes grew in disbelief and amazement.

"What does the writing say?" a Halfling with dark hair asked.

Gorluk could see Gandalf lean over and peer closely at the intricate script. "They do not say anything of importance to us," He finally said. "They say only: The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. And underneath small and faint is written: I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs."

"What does it mean by speak, friend, and enter? Another Halfling asked.

"That is plain enough," the Dwarf snapped. "If you are a friend, speak the password, and the doors will open, and you can enter."

"Do you know the password Gandalf?" the man with the horn asked in a worried tone.

"No!" said the Wizard.

At once almost all of the travelers groaned, but not as deafeningly as Gimli, while Gorluk sat down on the steps feeling completely crushed. It was true that Gorluk did not wish to go into Moria at first, but now he was desperate to get away from whoever was watching him.

Gandalf spoke up again, slightly annoyed this time. "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves or Men or Orcs, that was ever used for such a purpose. I can still remember ten score of them without searching in my mind. But only a few trials, I think, will be needed; and I shall not have to call on Gimli for words of the secret dwarf-tongue that they teach to none. The opening words were Elvish, like the writing on the arch: that seems certain."

Gandalf's words seemed comforting to Gorluk, and again he began to feel hope. He watched as Gandalf stepped forward and shouted something Elvish in a powerful tone.

Nothing happened.

Again, Gandalf said something differently, but he ended up with the same result. He started shouting out many different spells, sometimes rearranging the words, sometimes using different languages. As he said them, he started waving his arms in the air, yelling louder and louder in frustration. Finally, he banged his staff against the cliff multiple times, shouting "OPEN! OPEN!" until he had enough, and sat down on a rock nearby to think.

Gorluk rested his chin on the palms of his hands in boredom. This was going to take awhile…

Two hours later…

At this point, Gorluk was struggling to stay awake. The wizard had not moved or spoken for two hours while in deep thought, and the others paced back and forth with impatience. A few times Gorluk actually did doze off (for if you remember, Gorluk hadn't slept for three days), but he would force himself to wake up because he was determined to be on his guard.

Finally, the Wizard sprang to his feet. But what surprised Gorluk the most was that he was laughing! "I have it!" he cried. "Of course, of course! Absurdly simple, like most riddles when you see the answer!"

He picked up his staff from off the ground, and in a clear voice shouted, Mellon!

Immediately, the intricate carvings dimmed out, and slowly, inch by inch, two great doors appeared from the cliff and swung forward. Gorluk couldn't see what was inside, for there was nothing but blackness.

The Halflings cheered, and the others sighed with relief. Gorluk couldn't help but beam too.

But then, as Gandalf set his foot inside, several things happened.

First, Gorluk realized that the water had started moving, and a small snake-like tentacle shot out and grabbed the dark-haired Halfling by the ankle. The Halfling fell over with a cry, and slowly the tentacle started to drag him into the lake. Gorluk watched with horror as the waters of the lake began to seethe, as if it was filled with snakes. But then another Halfling ran forward shouting "Mr. Frodo! Mr. Frodo!", and started to slash the giant tentacle with a knife until it let go. But then twenty more arms shot out, and both Halflings turned around and started shouting for help.

As if by instinct, Gorluk sprang up and charged towards the lake-monster with his knife in hand. But the travelers didn't notice him, for they were already running inside through the door. Gorluk sprinted towards one of the giant arms and began to stab it aggressively. Something like a roar gurgled from underwater, and the arms began to swing violently in pain. Before he knew it, one tentacle grabbed him, and started swinging him around in the air. The other arms had banged the doors shut by accident, and one arm had let loose many boulders that crashed in front of the doors.

"AIIIIIIIIIIII!" Gorluk screamed. The tentacle that gripped him by the waist began to squeeze him tighter and tighter. "HELP! HELP!" Gorluk cried out with an effort. This is the end he thought with despair.

But then, as if someone had answered him, he heard a howl coming from the ground. The lake-monster stopped squeezing Gorluk as if he was equally confused. Gorluk glanced at the ground and for a moment thought that he saw something brown running towards the giant arm that was holding him.

Unexpectedly, the tentacle let go of Gorluk, and he fell to the ground with a thud and fell into unconsciousness.

When Gorluk woke up, he found that he was lying next to the lake and all was quiet. He was about to sit up, when he heard someone near him say, "hi."

Gorluk nearly jumped out of his own skin. He whipped his head around, and he saw standing three feet away from him was a Warg! "EEEEIIIIIK!" Gorluk screamed in terror, and sprang to his feet. He tried to run away, but he accidentally tripped into the lake and fell into the water with a splash. Gorluk sat in six inches of water, trembling with fear. He recognized that it was the young Warg, but what if he had followed him for revenge?

The young Warg stood there and watched him with interest. Finally he asked, "Why were you following them?"

That question made Gorluk confused, but he didn't answer him. So the little Warg continued, "I noticed last night that you told my pack that the strange group of travelers were under your protection. But then, the next morning, I saw that you followed them, but it seemed more like you were spying on them. Why?"

Gorluk didn't know how to answer that either. So instead, he asked "Well… Why did you follow ME?"

The little Warg looked down at his paws. "Well…" he said in a small voice. "Last night when I had tried to drag you away, you didn't kill me. Instead, you allowed me to live, so I ran away. But I didn't follow the Pack's orders. I followed you because if I came back to them, I would get in serious trouble."

A sudden pity mixed with understanding welled up within Gorluk's heart. "But what about your family?" he suddenly asked. The little Warg looked up and only shook his head in sadness. Gorluk assumed that it meant that he didn't have one. For a moment, they sat in silence. But then the Young Warg said, "I once heard by ancient law, that if someone saves a person's life, then in order to return the favor, the person must become a servant to the person who saved his life, and follow him wherever he goes."

Gorluk thought for a moment, but then he shook his head. "I didn't save your life, I SPARED your life, didn't I?"

"But the same rules can still apply," the Warg-pup insisted. "I should return the favor."

Gorluk thought harder this time. A sudden smile appeared on Gorluk's face as he said "I don't need a servant… But I DO need a companion. Maybe you could help me."

The little Warg sat up straight in excitement. "Really? I can come with you on whatever quest you're doing?"

"If you want to." Gorluk said.

The Warg-pup sprang up into the air with joy. "WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!" he howled.

"Sssssshhhh!" Gorluk said. He turned around, wondering whether or not the Travelers were still there. But then he discovered for the first time that the doors were shut, and there were rocks piled over them.

"NOOOO!" Gorluk wailed and dashed towards the doors. The Warg followed after him. Gorluk felt devastated as he tried to move some of the rocks out of the way. But something told him that those doors would never be able to open again. "How are we going to get inside?" he wailed. The Warg sniffed around until he pointed at something with his nose. "Look!"

Gorluk walked over and stood beside him and saw a small hole, three feet in diameter, that seemed to lead into some sort of pathway.

"Is that where you're meaning to go?" the Warg asked. Gorluk shrugged. "I guess that it's the only way I can get in, so yes."

They stood silently for a moment. But then Gorluk realized that he forgot to ask something to his new friend.

"What's your name?" Gorluk asked.

"Faroth," The little Warg beamed proudly. "What's yours?"

"My name is Gorluk," he replied.

And with that, Gorluk and his new friend Faroth crawled in through the hole together, and disappeared into the darkness.

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Well, looks like this is my new record for longest chapter (That's what happens when you stay up until three in the morning to finish it!) I hope that you didn't mind its length.

If you've noticed what Faroth's name means, then you are awesome. If you haven't (which is 99.9% of you guys probably) then is name is Elvish for hunter. I know that some of you are probably confused why I would give him an Elvish name, but the reason why is because I couldn't find any words or names that was from the language that Wargs use, and in the back of one of Tolkien's books, The Silmarillion, it had a complete guide to Elvish words. So giving him an Elvish name was easiest.

Give me your opinions on what should happen next!

~Tatharwen