Aragorn's heart was worried at what they would find as him and his friends rode up the to the burning carcass. The Rohan Captain did not seem to think there friends were still alive and had not seen any of their friends. Gimily slid off the horses back and landed unsteadily on the ground with a thump, before making his way over to the burning pile and searching threw it. Aragorn and Legolas looked around for any sign but didn't find one when Gimily spoke up.
"It's one of there wee elven belts." He held the charred remains. Aragorn kicked a helmet on the ground and screamed his anguished frustration. "We have failed them." Gimli felt a deep grief, he had liked the hobbits and the feline he would have been proud to call his friend.
"A hobbit lay hear and another, here laid my sister." Aragorn said quietly looking at the ground and reading the signs. " They crawled, they were bound," he picked up a shredded length of rope and a strip of leather that was crusted with blood then moved to where the hobbits were. "There bonds were cut." He dropped the useless ropes. "Vega joined them here, they ran over here, they were followed." He stopped as the signs began to confuse him, they were clear enough he just wondered why and backtracked. "Vega cut away from them hear," then moved forward to follow the hobbits once again. "The hobbits ran right in to Fangorn. My sister though…" he traced her steps again. "She stayed in the fight. That is not like her when she had her friends to protect." A growing fear blossomed in his heart at what might have happened. "She fought, she was injured." He said finding a few spots of darkened blood and black fur. "Then she ran into Fangorn as well."
"Which do we follow, their trails lead in two separate places?" Legolas questioned out loud but another question was in his eyes as he held the pendant in his hand, it was the same fear that Aragorn held.
"We will go after the hobbit's, my sister is capable to care for herself the hobbits are not." Aragorn answered though truthfully a part of him was more concerned with his sister. But they ran after the hobbits and into the forest.
Gimily tasted something on a bush and spit out the foul taste. "Orc blood." He said absently.
"These are strange tracks." Aragorn said as he followed the ones in the ground.
"The air is so close in here." Gimily remarked gripping his ax tighter.
"This forest is old, Vey old. Full of memory and anger." Legolas said as the trees squeaked and groaned in the heavy air. "They are speaking to each other."
"Gimily, lower your ax." Aragorn warned and the dwarf complied.
"Something it up there."
"What do you see?" Aragorn asked.
"The white wizard approaches." He made a jester to the side.
"Do not let him speak he will put a spell on us." Aragorn whispered and they all readied themselves, as they turned Legolas loosed and arrow and Gimily his ax, Aragon dropped his sword as its hilt burnt his hand and shielded his eyes from the blinding white light.
"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits." The white light spoke.
"Where are they, show yourself!" Aragorn demanded and the light faded away revealing a familiar face.
"They passed this way two days ago, they met someone they did not expect to meet."
"Gandalf."
"Gandalf, yes that was what they used to call me Gandalf the Grey. I am Gandolfe the white."
"You fell.
"Through fire and water from the lowest dungeon to the highest mountain top I fought my enemy until I smote him on the mountain side. I past into shadow and memory, until I felt life in me again. I had been sent back until my task is done." He explained in his usual way and the small group broke out in gins.
"Come, one stage of your journey is over but another begins. War has come to Edoras we must ride to Rohan with all hast but first there is something that must be put right. For she has lost herself." they didn't need to ask who the she was. Gandolfe lead them a bit deeper into the forest till they came to a small clearing to which they stopped outside of. "I warn you, she is not herself, do not be frightened of her." Then lead his way into the clearing. What they saw was not there friend but of a crazed beast, Aragorn flinched his arm throbbing with memory as he had seen this once before.
Aragorn sunk to his knees a hand covering his mouth with grief. "Tavage… my sister." He breathed. There in the clearing chained to a thick trunked tree was Vega her coat was messed up with wounds, dirt and leaves. Her usually wise but playful silver gold eyes were crazed as she jerked and fought against the chain imprisoning her. Around her neck was a silver color with glowing words inscribed on it. Vega snarled viscously and thrashed against the chain so hard that she flipped over and struck the ground with such force you could hear it. Then she noticed them and snarled and hissed pacing and swiping at the air threateningly.