Author's note: terribly sorry to everyone about the last chapter. I decided I didn't like the meeting with Treebeard and have changed some things. This chapter continues the story. Hope you enjoy and thank you to everyone for being so patient.
The sound of splashing woke Natasha from a sound sleep. The forest was warmer inside than out, and here in Fireleaf's "house" it was warmer still, but not warm enough to entice her out from under her blankets, and so for many moments she listened to the splashing trying to figure out where it was coming from. There was no river or pond nearby that she could remember from last night. Though it had been rather dark when they'd finally arrived after nearly an hour of walking. On one side of her, a large outcropping of rock provided the back wall of the clearing. On the other side, farther away, a dense cluster of trees formed the other wall. The clearing was of course open to the sky, to allow the rains to fall on the clearing's occupant. There had been a place where a pool may have formed in a rainfall. A small hill-ish thing, covered in moss. There had been a great hollow in it, if she remembered rightly. Perhaps it had filled with water in the night, and this was where the splashing was coming from.
You need to wake up, Natasha, or the day will slip away from you. We still have many miles to go. And Fireleaf has his trees to tend. Kirigan's voice came in her head.
She groaned and rolled over. A loud thump shook the earth under her and startling her. For many moments, she stared up at the water droplets falling down a length of shimmering wall before her mind finally realized it was in fact Kirigan's chest, his scales gleaming in the morning sun. Following the chest up, up the long neck, she finally found his head.
You trying to catch something? the dragon chuckled, his nose sliding down to nudge her cheek affectionately, closing her hanging jaw.
"How did you get so big?" She stuttered through her shock.
I really have no idea. I found a nice warm place to swim, and came out this size. He was unbelievably pleased with himself, turning in a circle for her to admire his new greatness from all angles.
"Hoooom...someone has been into my...mmmm...entdraft. It...is good...to be able...to better see you." Fireleaf nodded in satisfaction. "Arrrre you stilllll set to continnnnuuuue with your rescuuuue?"
"We must. The power the Red One could wield through only one dragon would be enough to overwhelm Gondor. We know he has at least three, possibly more." Natasha nodded to herself.
"Weeeelll, it that is your...decision...I cannnnn not stop yoooooou. But Iiiiii would advise against it." He stood and shook his long limbs, shedding many leaves. "Whatever yooooou decide, yoooou are welcome here. Iiiii have enjoyed your company. Buuuut I must go and check on the seeeeeedlings I planted days agooooo. They will be neeeeeeding water and someone tooooo moooove their cousins heads so the suuuuun can reach them."
"Thank you Fireleaf. Perhaps we will be able to pass this way when we return." Natasha bowed to the ent and watched him amble off into the forest, quickly becoming lost among the trees. 'If we return.' She thought.
Turning to Kirigan, who was curled up in a sunbeam like one huge cat (he was even purring again). She sighed and sat down heavily on a stone.
"How am I supposed to hide you now?"
Oh well that's easily solved. Kirigan said, and slowly he shrank in on himself, until he could once again climb onto her shoulder. How else do you think we're able to go to egg? We only get bigger as we age. My goodness, can you imagine an egg as large as my grandfather, were we confined to our full size? Why he was as big as a hill. Was mistaken as one once too. That knight got the shock of his life when Grandfather woke up and found him making camp on his back. he chuckled. The growing after we've hatched that takes a long time. Once we reach our full size, we can move back and forth. In fact, I'm surprised more dragons didn't hide the way I did, or shrink down and hide in burrows until it was safe. He sighed and tucked his nose under his tail.
"Perhaps they did, dear one, but there's been no one to tell them it's safe." Natasha soothed, running her fingers gently along his back, up to his head and scratching his favorite spot.
At least, I'm fully grown now. Any dangers that present themselves can be more easily dealt with, between the two of us. And we're still safe. Still secret. At least I think we are. The one imprisoning my kin hasn't attacked us, so he most likely hasn't heard there's a free dragon wandering around. And the one who bespelled you hasn't made an attempt to reclaim you so perhaps he doesn't know of it's breaking. Now let us plan our next steps and we will continue our journey.
Natasha was breaking camp as he spoke, finally swinging the saddlebags onto Starwind's back.
"First thing to do would be to get a definite direction for your kin. We've not really focused on them since Lothlorien." Natasha started with a sigh as she settled into the crook of Kirigan's forearm.
We will have to return to the heavenly plane. Kirigan said softly. You did not like it the last time. If you will stand watch...
Tempted though she was, Natasha knew she could not let him go by himself. He had nearly left his body behind, entranced by the stars and the weightlessness of the heavenly plane. It had taken a great deal out of her to pull him back, inexperienced as she was.
"No, I must...we must do this together. I cannot let fear be my master. I won't lose concentration. And you, will not get lost."
Then let's begin. Kirigan's happy purr rumbling through her body.
Together, they descended into meditation, then soared into the heavens. To say Natasha did not like the experience last time was an understatement. She had gotten frightened of the heights they were soaring to, and had lost her concentration, plummeting back towards the earth only to be caught by Kirigan's strength of will. They had barely been able to finish what they'd gone there to do and Natasha had declared she was never returning once they'd returned to their bodies.
They reached the heavenly plane without incident this time, and floated high above the earth, even the clouds were beneath them. And above, a vast open expanse of stars. But it was not like simply being very high up. They could see other travelers in the heavenly plane, each trailing threads of a myriad of colors. Ghostlike, they wandered unseen paths.
Dreamers, Kirigan said. They will return to their bodies when they wake, never to remember their travels here. The trailing threads are their links to their bodies, and to their loved ones. Look behind us, and you will see ours.
It was a thread like these that they would be using to find the imprisoned dragons. Not only the thread from Kirigan; which went off in many directions at once, giving credence to Natasha's assertion that others still lay in hiding; but also from Natasha, as a link had been made early on when the imprisoned dragons had still had enough strength to contact her.
Gold and silver with a hint of blue, this thread ran straight down to the forest where their bodies sat, and away like an arrow through trees and over rivers, never changing course until finally, it stopped at the entrance to a cavern, in the north of the forest, just in the foot of the Misty Mountains. Isengard lay just to the west. However, try as she might, Natasha could not see into the caves.
Save your strength. You cannot see what the stars cannot. We have found where we must go. Kirigan's efforts were beginning to take their toll. The stars were calling him but he could not answer. Not yet. We should return. We have been here too long.
Silently, they floated downwards, finally reaching their bodies after what seemed like eternity. Natasha opened her bleary eyes, blinking against the sudden light. The morning had passed them by, and midday as well. The afternoon sun was just beginning it's journey to the west after resting at it's zenith, and Natasha's stomach growled loudly in protest.
Perhaps we should have fed you before we journeyed. Eyes whirling with humor, a sea of yellow and orange, Kirigan called to Starwind. The horse trotted closer, saving Natasha from having to walk on the pins and needles she currently had for legs. She pulled out of the saddlebag a leaf wrapped packet of lembas for each of them, tossing one to Kirigan as she sat back down. He snapped it out of the air and swallowed, the sound loud in the quiet of the clearing.
"The caves are awfully close to Isengard, within spitting distance even. Can we be sure Saruman doesn't have knowledge of the other dragons?"
There is always room for doubt, but I don't think Gandalf would have missed something like that. Still, it is possible that the white wizard has gained knowledge of my kin after Gandalf's escape. We will have to be careful. Saruman will have his mutated orcs patrolling his lands. It would not do to be captured and given him knowledge he might not already have.
Nodding in agreement, Natasha stood and brushed the crumbs from her tunic, grimacing at the stains several days' travel had left. Briefly, she wished for a bath, but the nearest river was nearly an hour's walk in the wrong direction. And she had no wish to get any taller, so the ent draft was out.
"We should get going. Night will be falling soon and I'd like to get at least a few miles behind us if we can."
Kirigan hummed in agreement and moved to the entrance to the clearing, two great oak trees whose upper branches had become so entwined after so many years of overlapping proximity that it was near impossible to tell where one tree started and the other stopped. Considering his larger bulk, Kirigan was able to move silently, the barest whisper was all one could hear when his tightly folded wings brushed against the leaves. Even in his full size, the ancient oak trees dwarfed him by many meters, and Natasha felt even smaller than she had standing next to him when she'd first seen him that morning.
Are you just going to stare, dear heart? Or shall we get going?
Taking Starwind's reins, she led the way out of Fireleaf's house. "You sure you still want to come with us?" her voice was low, meant only for the horse. He huffed and nuzzled her shoulder before pulling her onto their course. She mounted, still shaking her head. How the elven horses were so much more intelligent than other horses, she was not entirely sure. They all, came from the same stock after all, even interbred at times. She'd have to ask someone when they finally had time for such frivolous questions. But for now, she was grateful. Riding was by far preferable to walking.
I would have carried you. Kirigan interrupted, a wave of his affection for her flooding through her mind. As long as we weren't flying, there would be no need for a saddle. I would not have let you fall.
"Didn't we talk about you eavesdropping on my thoughts?" She grinned in spite of her words. "Well I doubt there will be much need to fly for awhile yet. The Red Sorcerer is not likely going to be riding the ones he's imprisoned. Though we should find some way to get you a saddle, if we survive this encounter."
They walked in silence, their thoughts turning to the trials ahead. There was no telling what they would find. The other dragons were still alive, they'd never have been able to find the caves if they had died, the thread would have been broken. But the Red Sorcerer? He was the unknown. Why, he could even be a she, for all they knew. They had only called him 'red' since that was what surrounded him when the Lady had tried to see in her Mirror before they had removed the tracking spell. And a sorcerer he must have been. No mere tinkerer in the magical arts could have placed such a spell and make it virtually undetectable.
Too many questions surrounded their adversary. Was he the one who had ordered her brought to Middle Earth? Why had he placed the tracking spell? How was he associated with Saruman, if at all?
Natasha hated waiting for answers. But that was all they had, while they walked. Soon, the trees all began to look the same, and had it not been for Kirigan's innate sense of direction, Natasha would have turned Starwind aside, thinking they were going in circles.
The sun set, sending the forest into darkness, and they finally stopped for the night. Natasha settled against Kirigan's warm belly, his wing covering her like a blanket, and she fell into a dreamless sleep, while Kirigan kept watch.