Yay! Another update!
I'm so glad I was able to post this today, though I really should be sleeping. Oh well.
As usual, I only own Chase, Hope, Hunter, Philip, and Fern.
Chapter 22: The Ring Goes South
For many long days and nights, the Fellowship traveled the wilderness, past mountains and ruins, over valleys and hills. The gray December sky soon faded away, replaced by the icy, crisp blue of January. Their journey was slow, all taking great care to hide themselves from unfriendly eyes. Gandalf led the company, Aragorn and Hope taking the rear guard. The rest of the Fellowship walked in file between, seldom speaking.
Two weeks passed since the Fellowship left Rivendell. The company of fourteen was camped on a rocky outcropping, resting from the many days of weary travel. Fern and Legolas kept watch for the camp, standing as still as stone upon a boulder. Gandalf sat beneath a ledge with Gimli, the two discussing which route to take for the rest of their journey. Frodo, Sam, Hunter, and Chase lounged around a small fire, eating and watching Boromir help Merry, and Pippin with their swordplay. Aragorn, Philip, and Hope sat below them, they too watching the lessons.
"One – two - three," Boromir called out, stepping and swinging his sword with each count. Merry, whom he was currently teaching, parried the moves, his short blade clanging against Boromir's larger one.
"Good, Merry," Philip complimented, grinning at him. "Soon you shall be an excellent swordsman…er, hobbit. Swordshobbit."
Hunter chuckled at Philip's remark, shaking her head. Hope, meanwhile, just rolled her eyes, glancing at the young Gondorian before turning her attention back to the lesson. "Move your feet," she instructed. "Use your size to your advantage."
A sudden mischievous light appeared in Merry's eyes, and quickly, he leaned over to his cousin, whispering into Pippin's ear. Pippin nodded in agreement, smiling broadly.
"FOR THE SHIRE!"
Without warning, the two hobbits launched themselves at their mentor, ducking beneath his arms and tackling him around the waist. Boromir let out a surprised cry as he fell upon the ground, but soon he was grinning, mock-wrestling with Merry and Pippin. Philip roared with laughter, jumping into the fray without hesitation.
"That's not exactly what I meant," Hope giggled, standing up. "Okay, I believe that's enou-OOF!" Her sentence was just short as Merry seized her leg and pulled, throwing her backwards. Within moments, the hobbit was also on top of her, and despite herself, Hope too was laughing madly. She could hear Aragorn chuckling from his seat, and Chase's ringing laughter echoed from atop the ledge, accompanied by Hunter's softer giggles. The sound was welcome in their ears, a bright joyous noise not often heard in these dark times.
"What's that?"
Sam's curious question cut through the air, and immediately, everyone turned their eyes to what the hobbit was pointing at. A dark patch had appeared in the south, moving quickly across the blue expanse of sky.
"Nothing," Gimli reassured the hobbit, his voice gruff. "It's just a wisp of cloud."
"It does not look like a mere cloud," said Hunter, rising to her feet.
The playful scuffle now forgotten, Boromir stood, gazing intently at the dark patch. "It is moving fast…and against the wind."
Chase focused his eyes upon the object, and before long, he could easily see what was approaching. A flock of black birds, flying at great speeds, were hurtling towards them, whirling and circling as if searching for something.
"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas cried, leaping down from the rock.
"Hide!" Aragorn barked, rushing to get the others to cover. "Hurry!"
Immediately, panic erupted in the camp. Philip hurriedly helped Aragorn and Boromir gather their weapons and bags, hiding underneath a large outcropping with the two Men. Fern curled into a small hole, soon joined by Merry and Pippin. Hunter focused on leading Bill behind a boulder large enough to hide the baggage pony, and Chase and Hope slipped into a thin crack between two boulders.
The Crebain swept over the camp, cawing madly. They were much larger than any mundane crow, their beady black eyes glittering with malice. They circled the rocks for a moment, the flapping of their wings filling the air.
Finally, the Crebain flew away, slowly but steadily disappearing back into the southern sky. Hope let out a breath she did not know she had been holding and emerged from her hiding spot beside Chase. The others too had come out of hiding, all gazing at Gandalf.
"Spies," the grey Wizard announced, his face grim. "We can no longer take this road; it is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras!"
The Fellowship followed Gandalf's gaze towards the towering mountain capped with snow. It loomed above them, menacing and ominous. Hunter visibly paled upon seeing it. She had forgotten about this part.
And she had a feeling it would not be pleasant.
~o*o*o*o~
It was during times like these when Fern was grateful for being an Elf. For three days the company had traveled up the grim flacks of Caradhras. A bitter wind swirled about them, blowing bits of ice and snow into their red, weather-beaten faces. But, being an Elf, she did not feel the cold, nor did she have to dig through the drifts of snow piling up around them. Unfortunately, this did make her the target of several snowballs from Hunter.
"Sweet Eru, would you stop already!" Fern cried as she dodged yet another snowball. "'Tis not my fault that I am an Elf!"
Hunter huffed irritably, gazing at the half-formed snowball in her hands. With a shrug, she chucked at Philip, hitting him square in the back. A broad grin spread across her face as the young Gondorian yelped, whirling around to glare at her. Her smile, however, disappeared as she saw Philip bend down and swiftly form another snowball before hurling it right at her. This soon escalated into a full-on battle between the two, icy white projectiles flying through the air as they chased each other across the ridge.
Eventually, the two collapsed, their cheeks flushed red with mirth. "You have a good arm," Philip panted, grinning like an idiot.
Hunter laughed. "Thank you, Philip. You are not that bad yourself."
~o*o*o*o~
All the cheer of the snowball fight had left them the next day as they were faced with a monstrous blizzard. The wind howled around them, tearing ferociously at their garments. Bits of ice flew into their eyes, sharper than any would have thought possible. The snowstorm wearied them immensely that even Boromir and Aragorn found it hard to continue. The hobbits were nearly bent over, lagging behind the rest. Fern was doing her best to keep the four halflings together with the group, jumping down from the top of the snow to help them keep warm. Chase had leapt down as well, swatting at the snow and aiding Hope and Aragorn's attempts to push through the walls of ice piled around them. Hunter and Philip huddled together, both shivering and wet.
The company halted suddenly as an unseen presence filled the air. The wind filled with shrill cries and howls of laughter laced with malice. Great rumblings thundered from overhead, and boulders came crashing down upon them, unmerciful and deadly.
"We cannot go further!" Boromir cried. "There is a fell voice in the air, and I cannot help but feel that these rocks were meant for us!"
"Caradhras was called the Cruel, and it has an ill name," said Gimli. "Long has it beaten many travelers off its slopes."
"Then let us turn back!" Chase shouted. He turned to see the hobbits clustered together, Merry and Frodo seeming to fall asleep on their feet. "This shall be the death of the halflings!"
Gandalf sighed. "It is no good going back while the storm holds. We shall stay here, as we have passed no place that offered more shelter than this cliff wall."
Hunter shook her head tiredly. "If this is shelter, then a shack is a palace."
Philip chuckled dryly at Hunter's remark, but he was much too weary to do much else. Without a word, the two flopped onto the cold, wet rock, curling up against the cliff face. They were soon joined by the rest of the Fellowship, nearly all soaking wet, shivering, and just downright miserable.
Fern gazed around at the others as they rested, a sense of overwhelming pity welling up inside her. She felt so helpless, unable to do much for the company but make sure all went accordingly. And even then, she felt that she was failing. Dispiritedly, she poked at the damp, sorry excuse for a fire, unsure of what to do.
Soon, the pale grey light of dawn pierced the blizzard, shining drearily down upon the Fellowship. Aragorn rose, peering out into the storm. "The snow has grown less," he said, "and the wind is quieter."
Wearily, Hope gazed out at the white expanse before her. At first, it did not seem like the snowfall had slackened, but slowly, it became more noticeable that the wind had died, and the flakes of snow were becoming fewer. The soft light of the sun crept over the mountains, and soon the storm had stopped altogether.
A dismal sight met their eyes. A shapeless white expanse of snow stretched before them, the path they had forged the previous day now lost. In some places the snow was higher than the hobbits' heads, shoved against the sides of the cliff in great drifts.
Presently, Philip asked the question that plagued everyone's mind. "So, now what?"
"We forge a new path," Aragorn announced. "Come Boromir, Philip, Hope!"
Hope wearily stood beside Philip, and despite her muscles aching in protest, she did not hesitate in joining the other three. Slowly, the foursome set out, plunging deep into the snow. Aragorn was the tallest, leading the way. Boromir followed, furiously thrusting away snow. Philip and Hope struggled the most, the drifts reaching above their heads in some points. Oftentimes a clump of snow would fall atop their heads, showering their hair with white flecks.
Legolas watched the four for a while, a strange light dancing in his eyes. "A ploughman may plough," he said, "but do we not seek the light and warmth of the Sun?" Nimbly, he sprang upon the snow, his light feet hardly making any imprint in the snow.
"Come, Chase!" Legolas cried, beckoning the younger ellon to join him. "We go to find the Sun!"
A smile upon his lips, Chase leapt up to Legolas's side, and as swift as an arrow, the two shot off across the white expanse, chasing the four black dots that were Aragorn, Hope, Boromir, and Philip.
The remainder of the Fellowship sat huddled beneath the cliff, watching silently as their companions dwindled into tiny specks in the distance. Soon, they disappeared, and all they could do was wait.
An hour passed, perhaps longer, and then at last Legolas and Chase reappeared. Aragorn, Boromir, Hope, and Philip followed behind the two Elves, trudging laboriously up the slope.
"The path has been forged," Chase called as he raced towards them, "and the sun waits upon the knees of the mountain." He leapt down from the drift, landing softly upon the ground. At this moment, Aragorn, Boromir, Philip, and Hope came around the bend, joining them. The latter two seemed immensely weary, but ever as always, Philip was grinning.
"Come," said Aragorn, gesturing to the trail. "Boromir and I shall bear the hobbits if need be."
Slowly, the company began hiking down the lane thrust through the snow. Aragorn was again in the lead, closely followed by Legolas and Boromir. Gandalf, Fern, and the hobbits here behind them, the grey wizard and elleth doing their best to shield the four from the occasional clumps of snow that fell from the surrounding drifts. Hope leaned wearily upon Chase's arm as she walked; plowing through the snow had almost completely drained her of energy. Philip was nearly as exhausted, stumbling slightly with every step. Hunter and Gimli brought up the rear, Hunter leading Bill down the narrow path.
Finally, the ground began to flatten, and soon, they reached the end of the path. The snow had lessened greatly, now only a thin layer covering the ground. But hardly had they passed this point that a rolling thunder echoed from the mountain's peak. A sea of snow charged down the slope, swiftly engulfing the Fellowship in its icy depths. Hunter violently struggled against the avalanche, bursting through the snow as the rumbling ceased. Groaning, she shook her head, trying to rid herself of the white powder covering her head. She could see Aragorn and Legolas searching through the snow for the others. Chase had yanked up Hope from the ice, Hope seeming particularly unsettled. Gimli, meanwhile, was shaking his fist at the mountain.
"Enough, enough!" the Dwarf cried. "We are leaving as soon as we may!"
Another rumble sounded from the mountaintop, almost as if Caradhras was laughing at them. But no more did the mountain lash out at them in malice, for it seemed that the sight of them retreating was enough.
The company soon pulled themselves out of the remains of the avalanche, beginning their trek down the mountain. A cold wind pushed them along as they stumbled wearily down the slope. Caradhras had defeated them.
So, in case you didn't notice, I used movie-verse for the first part, but used book-verse for the second part, where the Fellowship was on Caradhras. I hope I was able to blend them together well.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Please tell me what you think and review!