Hello!

I'm so sorry for the wait...I work all week, so my updates will be at weekends : ) Hope you all don't mind the wait!

I hope you enjoy this chapter...I've got an interesting Moria coming up, I promise!

Please review!

Enjoy!

Onwards...

The eyes glinted in the darkness, glowing eerily in the bushes. Legolas didn't even breathe, holding his breath to conserve energy, his learned skills keeping his stance still. His eyes narrowed as the eyes continued to stare, the coldness of the night air caressing his face with its grip. Legolas turned slightly to his right, eyes flicking towards the rest of the group, to one person in particular. Aragorn had noticed his friend stiffen, look into the bushes, but he had turned away to concentrate on the gate that Gandalf was trying to open.

But now he knew something was wrong. He padded along the rocky ground, his cold breath emitting like tendrils of mist, like a natural pipe smoke.

'Legolas?' he whispered, bending down to crouch next to his friend. The Elf didn't move a muscle, continuing to stare. His fingers still wrapped around his bow, his quivers taught against the darkness.

Aragorn turned and froze as he saw the eyes staring back at them. A low growl thundered out of the bushes, another twig cracking as a large, black paw crunched against the cold ground.

'We cannot let them reach the Hobbits.' Legolas whispered, the first words he had spoken since he had stopped their foes.

'Four of us could fight' reasoned Aragorn, knowing Boromir and Gimli would be ready for battle. 'Against five, we may just win.'

'We need to reach the Mines.'

Aragorn was about to answer when Pippin cut over him.

'Aragorn!' he yelled. 'Gandalf wants to talk to you!'

Then all hell broke loose.

Legolas barely had time to draw an arrow before a wolf was upon him, a huge, black shaggy wolf, as thick as a tree stump and as tenacious as an Orc, its yellow teeth matching its eyes and it growled, saliva dripping from its mouth. The other three scattered, Aragorn yelling and pushing forwards with his sword.

Pippin's face drained of all colour, his mouth opening into a scream which erupted from within him, making Boromir feel as if he had been drenched in coldness, the Gondorian turning a full three sixty, pulling his sword out its sheath and running forwards.

Gandalf looked into the darkness, at the three warriors fighting the wolves. If he didn't open the door they would all die; he couldn't risk harm to Frodo, to the Ring itself. The three Hobbits huddled against the stone wall, as though their weight would push through, open it. The Wizard turned back the door, whispered beneath his breath.

-x-

Boromir swung his sword in a wide arc, the black beast hurtling behind him, making him change direction rapidly, breathe heaving. Legolas pulled an arrow, letting it loose, finding its target. The wolf barely stumbled, a loud high pitched yelp was all it gave out, before it carried on charging at the Elf. Aragorn, eyes wide and shining with the adrenalin of battle, dark hair flicking backwards as he yelled at his foe, slicing sideways with his sword, cutting through flesh, tissue and bone. The felled wolf crashed to the ground, the cold stone peppering its wounds, its last breaths haggard and fast.

-x-

Frodo looked up at Gandalf, who was studying the wall he was leaning against, a deep look on his face. It was easy for the Wizard to prioritise his needs at this moment in time; the others could easily fight this battle, but they had to get into the Mines. It was imperative they got into the safety of Moria. Gimli bristled, the Dwarf staying back in case one of the wolves broke away from the pack, ready to defend the Hobbits and Gandalf if need be. He growled in anger as one of them swiped at Legolas, the Elf twisting out of reach just in time. Finally, the Dwarf could take no more. How could he stand here, at the edge of the battlefield whilst he friends fought without him? Gandalf could protect the Hobbits, and none of them were novices with swords. They could protect themselves, if only for a short while.

Grabbing his axe with a feral growl, the Dwarf charged into battle, his bronze helmet protecting him against the swipe of a paw which crashed into his head, sending him straight into the ground.

'Gimli!' Boromir shouted, plucking out his dagger and throwing it a point blank range at the black shape against the darkness, smiling savagely as a pained whimpered returned the gesture.

The wind whistled sharply against Legolas's pale skin, sending his hair billowing in ripples against the pure black fur of the wolf which had pinned him to ground. He could feel the stones and rocks beneath his back, just feet from the waters edge. Twisting his body, he gasped as a paw swiped across his shoulder, the sharp claws of its back feet cutting through the fabric of his leggings, drawing blood as the beast straddled him.

'Legolas!' yelled Aragorn, finishing off his own foe, he second of the battle. Tasting blood, the Ranger darted around Boromir, who was back to back with Gimli, a wolf each. He watched as Legolas struggled against the giant beast atop him, watched as the wolf smashed his paw into his stomach, pushing the air from the Elf's lungs.

Screaming out a feral war cry, the Ranger launched himself at the wolf as Legolas pushed with his knees, sending the creature to the ground. Far from deterred, the wolf clambered back to its feet, its colossal head turning to Aragorn.

-x-

'Come on...come on.' Muttered Merry, watching as Gandalf put a hand to the wall, closing his eyes.

'Speak friend and enter...' mumbled Frodo, fingers clenching at the Ring, its coldness seeping through him, going much further than cold gold on flesh. Sam winced and flinched away as Gimli cut through the throat of an angry wolf, sending it crashing to the ground with a whimper. The Hobbit didn't like to fight; he would do it if need be, but preferred to shy away; Mr. Frodo would need his help, how could he do that if he was dead, lying open eyed and stiff on a battlefield? He jumped as Frodo jumped up, eyes wide with realisation.

Turning to the Wizard, who had turned as though stung, the Ring-Bearer turned bright eyes to the wall.

'What's the Elvish word for 'Friend'?'

Gandalf turned back to the wall, with new eyes, a clearer gaze. 'Mellon' he rumbled, standing back as the wall cracked behind him.

-x-

Legolas lay on the ground, feeling his blood leak through a wound in his shoulder, a fresh opening of his old injury, and small puncture wounds in his legs from the beast's paws. Turning onto his side, he picked up his bow, feeling it slick with blood and dirt, getting unsteadily to his feet as he watched as Aragorn struggled to get to his feet, his own blood seeping from a large wound to his side, the wolf snarling next to him, mouth dripping with the Man's blood.

It had taken just seconds, just a bit longer than a blink of an eye, but Aragorn was struggling to stand now, his sword hanging limply by his side, completely useless now he had not the strength to lift it. Stumbling to his feet, Legolas raised his bow, wincing as pain erupted in his shoulder. He pinched his arrow against the string, blood slickened fingers almost slipping. Sending an arrow singing through the air, it hit true, piercing the eye of the wolf with a sickening sound, sending it straight to the ground, stone dead.

Legolas didn't have the time to spare to savour his victory, before he was sprinting to his friend's side, Aragorn sinking to the cold sodden ground, eyes flickering between open and closed.

'Legolas! Boromir!' The Elf turned, fingers scrabbling at the material of Aragorn's clothes.

'He did it!' Cried Merry, almost tripping over his own feet. 'Gandalf did it! We need to go, he says there might be more wolves!'

Boromir hurried to the Elf and fallen Man, helping Legolas scoop up Aragorn, carrying him between them towards the open Gateway of Moria, stumbling through into darkness.

Their blood ran cold as a loud, inhuman howl reach their ears. But there was something else, something that sounded human. A shout, a curse. Gandalf turned into the darkness, eyes wide with horror. Surely not...surely no more could come of this...surely they had suffered enough with this attack?

But his prayers were left unanswered as the world seemed to crack around them, rocks and debris falling around them, huge boulders falling to the ground, a deafening cascade of rock and stone cracking into pebbles as they hit the ground, Pippin yelling as one narrowly missed him by inches.

'Move away from the entrance!' Boromir cried, grabbing two Hobbits under his arms and throwing them forwards, Sam and Frodo landing painfully on the ground as Boromir flung Pippin and Merry next to them.

Then, all was silent. Complete darkness surrounded them, totally deafening, the tension. The rocks now blocked the entrance, only a few cracks of slightly lighter darkness seeping through. Absolute darkness pushed in on them and Aragorn broke the silence with a pained gasp.

Gandalf knelt before Aragorn, the Man whimpering through clenched teeth as the Wizard's fingers danced across damaged skin.

'We must get him to the Healer Dwarves' Gimli growled, cleaning his Axe against his trousers. 'They will heal him soon enough'

Gandalf murmured in agreement, tapping his staff into life, light erupting from the end.

Boromir's eyes widened in shock as their surrounding revealed itself.

Piles upon pile of carcasses were littered around them, stinking rotting bodies, peppered with arrows. Pippin stifled a yell of horror and eight members of the Fellowship of the Ring turned towards their leader, Gimli shocked into total silence by the sheer sight of this carnage.

Gandalf looked back at his followers, eyes dark, white beard dirtied by the toils of the trek so far.

'We do not now have a choice.' He told them grimly. Knowing with a cold icy grip around his heart that all the rumours of Moria he had heard were true. He had wished with all his wisdom that he had been wrong, as he had been so little time before.

'We must face the long dark of Moira.'

So, a little bit of hurt Aragorn and some Legolas angst coming up...I figure hurt!Legolas would get too samey, so I hope this is a nice change for you all :D

Next chapter up next week...please please review!

Thanks for reading!

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