"Helms Deep." Gandolfe said with disgust as he hurriedly made his way to the stable's. "They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight." People stared at the angered wizard and the strange group of companions, Aragorn followed closely beside Gandolfe while Vega was only a step or two behind while Legolas and Gimli were behind her. "How will protect them if not there king?"
"He is only doing what he thinks is best for his people. Helms deep has saved them in the past." Aragorn argued back, Vega couldn't help but agree with her brother though she agreed more with the wizard.
"There is no way out of that place, he's walking into a trap he thinks he's leading them to safety when all he'll get is a massacred." Gandolfe said petting the white coat of Shadowfax. "In three days time I'll return on the morning of the forth look to the east." He said and swung up onto the back of the horse without help, Vega couldn't help but think that no man as old as he should have been able to do such a thing. "Do not let them fall Aragorn, he will need you before this is done." He nodded to his companions before spurring the white horse out of the stable and away from Edoras. They watched him go long after even Vega's eyes could no longer see him before returning to the Golden hall to prepare for the evacuations.
"E-Excuse me." A hesitant female voice asked from behind Vega.
"Yes?" she asked, it was Eowen the king's niece.
"It is Tavega correct?" Vega gave a nod she only let people she liked call her Vega. "There is a bath prepared if you would like to wash and change before we leave in the morning."
"Thank you, I would appreciate it." The girl smiled and lead Vega to the bath. She hadn't had one since they had left Lothlórien, and the rinse off in the stream last night did not count. After carefully placing her clothes in a basket outside the changing curtain she sank into the warm depths of the water she let out a grateful sigh before she began to use the lightly scented soups and oils to clean herself. She took a scrub brush and rigorously did her hands and under her claw like nails to remove the dirt. She noticed with some curiosity that her hands had become much more calloused after running on all fours like she had over the last mouths.
Once she was thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned she climbed out of the now murky brown water that had once been clear, and glanced at her only healing wound. It was nothing but a line of new pink skin and a scab here or there. Vega always found that the healing effects of the Aphalise plant to be wonders. She glanced around and frowned, her clothes were gone as were her weapons and the only thing to were was an ugly brown potato sack that she guessed was to be a dress. She didn't like dresses at the best of times and when she picked up the ugly thing she found it to be scratchy and made her skin itch, there was no way she was going to were that. But seeing as she had nothing else to where…
Aragorn and Legolas both turned around at the same time when they felt the waves of irritation, they were also surprised to be greeted by a black leopard instead of the elf.
"What has twisted you tail this time, melon ni?" Legolas asked in a humorous voice, it seemed like ever since they arrived Vega had been irritated one way or another.
"My weapons. Were are my weapons and my cloths?" she asked and her tail lashed showing her irritation and anxiety that her weapons were gone.
"Sister please do not tell me under your fur you are wearing nothing." Aragorn said only slightly serious and smirked when Legolas blushed some, though he tried to hide it. He had obviously been thinking of something…else.
"Yes, they took my clothes and left an ugly potato sack for me to wear and I refuse to wear that thing."
"What you are referring to is commonly known as a dress." Aragon joked seeing that Legolas was still off imagining something else.
"No, the gown I wore in Lothlórien is a dress that was a potato sack." She said stubbornly. "But never mind that my weapons there gone, I couldn't find them even my bracers were gone. Have you seen them?" She asked the worry desperate in her voice. They all knew she was far from helpless even without them but they were her weapons as much a part of her as her skin and being without them was uncomfortable, especially in the times of war.
"No, I haven't why don't we see where your clothes have gotten to then after your dress we will track down your weapons, with any luck they will be in the same place." Aragorn aid then bumped into the elf to bring him back from his thoughts of his sister.
It took some time but they finally found a servant girl that pointed them in the right direction and they found her clothes hanging above hot coals to dry among many other outfits. Vega nearly jumped into the coals to grab them but Aragorn beat her to it. Pulling them carefully off the line and pilling them behind a curtain so she could change in privet. She was also glad to find them dry and still warm from the coals. Vega dressed tightening her breast band and then sliding on her black leggings, she sighed in contentment when she slipped on the silvery black long tunic that her father made for her. It hugged her body clinging to her curves and leaving her to move easily and freely, pulling on her stalking and boots she felt a bit better but was farm from happy to find neither her belts, bracers, or her weapons with her clothes. With quick fingers she braided her hair like she usually did, using three smaller braids to make one larger one. She found her cloak and her brooch and pinned it onto her shoulders before walking back out into the open, raising a questioning eyebrow when Legolas and her brother suddenly stopped whispering to each other. It was clear they weren't going to elaborate on there conversation, though it was clearly about her.
Aragorn and Legolas followed the feline all the way to the servants quarters in search of her clothes until they finally found a servant to point them in the right direction. He pulled the clothes from over the heated coals and placed them behind a changing curtain and watched Legolas watch his sister as she stalked behind it to change.
"What is on your mind my friend?"
"Nothing just thoughts of the future." The elf replied.
"Was my sister in those thoughts of the future?" the elf didn't reply and Aragorn grinned. "She cares much for you you know."
"Who Vega, she cares for all of us."
Aragorn let out an impatient sigh. "She may care about us but she deeply cares about you. I think you two would be good for each other."
Legolas gave him a look, then sighed defeated. "Aragorn she is beautiful and strong and I will admit I wish more than just friendship with her. But we are in a middle of a war it is not the time for such feelings."
"On the contrary I can think of no better time. Why are you holding back when there is a chance that you may lose t=one another, would you really to feel the regret of a 'what if' if either one of you died." Aragorn said and Legolas sighed looking away from his friends gaze and fixed it on the curtain that hid the elleth from his view. He thought about her beauty, she was strong and graceful, with her thick black hair and stunning silver gold eyes that seemed to shift and change like a tide and sparkled with humor or glint evilly with mischief or the adrenalin of battle. In her true form she looked like a delicate flower but he knew that her thorns were sharp and deadly, and she seemed to glow in the moonlight, just like her name sake. Tavega, Night Whisper who's leaves and flowers were beautiful and delicate and glowed in the moonlight while its plump berries where deadly. And her four legged form was just as beautiful and breath taking, even the fangs and claws that her true form now held he thought was beautiful though he knew it disturbed some.
Legolas took another deep breath, her was falling for her and hard. "No." he sighed finally answering Aragorn's question.
"I thought not, now that you've excepted it the hard part is going to be to get her to except that you want her even as she is, curse and all."
"That's going to be no easy task, your sister is more stubborn than a rock." Aragorn smiled and opened his mouth to say something when the whisper of fabric caught there attention. Vega a questioning eyebrow but neither man was going to enlighten her of there conversation.
"Did you not find the rest of your things?" Legolas asked.
"No, I didn't. Not even my belts are here. It took me three days to reforge that sword I am not going to lose it now." She said determinally and went to hunt down who ever had taken her weapons, both Aragorn and Legolas shared a grimace for who ever it was that had them. Neither of them wanted to be on that side of her anger especially after Vega had finally gotten Legolas back for stepping on her tail.
He still wasn't sure how she had done it. Somehow she had snuck into the males bathing pools while in Lothlórien and stolen his clothes from him. He had been stranded in the pool for hours as he had nothing to wear except a very frilly dress laid out for him. He had waited to see if someone would come to the baths and he could ask for there help but no one came. He had to wait until well into the night when he was sure no one was awake before finally subcomeing and dressing and returning to the campsite. It was just hi luck that Aragon was still awake smoking his pipe when he came around the corner, the Ranger was so shocked that he inhaled a bunch of smoke and began choking as he laughed hysterically. When he was finally able to get a breath he was wondering why Vega was looking much to please with herself. Then went back to laughing which was joined by a very pleased purr as Aragon toppled off the tree root he had been perched on with his laughs, above them was Vega in her feline form stretched out on a tree limb her tail hanging off and swinging lazily her front paws crossed primly as she gazed down at them with a satisfied look in her eye and a feline smile. That incident had Aragorn and Vega laughing for days, Aragorn would look at him and try unsuccessfully to restrain a snort of laughter at random moments Vega would just smile widely at that. Legolas just counted himself lucky that the dwarf hadn't seen him or her would never live it down.
As if Aragorn knew exactly what he was remembering he choked on laughter as he quickly went after his sister. Legolas glared and mumbled elvish swears at the two as he followed.
The three looked everywhere for her weapons of someone that knew where they might be, when finally they found them, surprise surprise, in the armory being stacked without care with all the other weapons the people of Edoras were taking to Helm's Deep. Vega's temper nearly flew out the window as she saw her beloved bow being tossed like a piece of drift wood under a stack of other weapons, and armor of all kind. Without much thought she shoved the person observing the packing out of her way and began to toss weapons out of her way.
"What the hell do you think your doing wench." A man asked her angrily and grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Vega growled under her breath turning her eyes on him in a viciously cold glare before shoving the man away from her and returning to her task. The first of her weapons she found was her bow and she pulled it out and slung it over one shoulder the next she found was one of her grieves and as she was putting it on someone ripped it from her grasp.
"Get out of here you wentch, this are for the men not for you worthless women, go back to your husband and children and know your place. Vega had had enough.
"Give it back before I lose my temper you disgusting man." She said in a low growly voice.
"What the how dare you disrespect me, you whore. Know your place woman." The man raised a hand to strike her and she caught it with ease digging her claws into his flesh and easily tossing him to the ground taking back her bracer as she did so. She placed a booted foot on the mans chest and glared at him she heard footsteps come towards her and she turned that glare on the other man who hesitated then continued thinking she was nothing but a woman. Vega growled bared her teeth at the man and hissed, the men surrounding her backed up hastily a few even grabbed weapons when they saw her fangs. She removed her foot from the downed mans chest and looked at him.
"These do not belong to you, they are my weapons and my armor and I will be taking them back. Then I want you to tell me who it was that gave them to you so I can go give them an earful." She turned back and began her search once again this time no one bothered her, she soon found her belts and was glad to see bother her sword and short sword where still attached to them. She hooked them into there proper places then began digging once more finally finding her quiver with it's harness and arrows still together and in one piece and lastly her final bracer. She put them all back in her proper place feeling much more complete now that they were all there. She joined Legolas and Aragorn who had been observing from the doorway.
"Feel better?" Aragorn asked and she took a deep breath.
"Much better, now to go find the person responsible for my things being taken away." Aragorn shook his head and slight disbelief at his sisters actions, but he also saw the small confrontation had eased quiet a bit of the stress he had seen in the tightness of her shoulders since they had gotten here.
"You do realize we are supposed to be making friends and allied among the soldiers right?" Legolas asked though a ghost of a smirk floated on his face.
"Oh they'll be fine, they wont die from a little fear." She said back.