Starved of food was one thing, but starved of company was worse.
Kali feared being alone, even if she didn't know the people she was around, she felt safer.
She climbed through the branches of the tallest tree all the way to the top.
Three days had passed since her coming here, and that was enough time to make her realize that she might not be going back to the way she was, physically or place wise, she could not find her way home or even figure out which forest she was in. She at least has pretty good idea that it was not, in fact, in Montana.
The second day in the forest she had found some of the weapons that the goblins were carrying and she used them to kill the deer she trapped. She roasted some of the meat but when she tried to eat it, she felt like throwing up. It was tasteless and nasty; she wasn't hungry again after that, except for blood, which was still disgusting to her.
She got to the top of the tree and looked around, in the distance to the north east she could see some candle light in the distance, outside of the woods. She climbed down and started walking in that direction.
She had to talk to someone, anyone, if not talk then just hear them talk.
She jumped over a small, slow-moving stream, and then looked down. In the stream her reflection glowed in the moonlight right back at her; pale skin and glowing amber eyes are what she saw.
She staggered back, she didn't ever remember being that pale, or having glowing eyes. S
he didn't have anything to hide her eyes with; she was dressed in a long-sleeved, black shirt, long, blue jeans, and boots, no sunglasses. Whatever, she could just keep her head down.
At the gate she stood in the rain waiting for someone to open the gate. Then someone bumped into her from behind; she turned around, and had to look down. Four small men looked up at her, "Oh, sorry." She said before they could point out her strange eyes. A small wooden door opened in the side of the gate and an old man looked out at them,
"What is your business here?" One of the small men shivered and stepped forward,
"We wish to seek shelter at the Prancing Pony." The gate was opened and they all were hustled in, Kali kept her head down and just followed them. One of the men, the one who spoke, kept looking back at her nervously. No one on the road paid her much attention either. She entered the Inn and was surprised to find it a lot like a Tavern, men, drunk and sober, sat on counters and laughed and talked. She felt overwhelmed for a second then decided to sit at an empty table.
"Well now, a girl in boy's clothing! I thought I'd seen it all!" exclaimed a man not too far away from where she was sitting, waving his tankard at her.
Oh, Hell… she thought morosely.
At the next table the four small men sat down and drank some ale out of flagons. She saw one of their feet and something clicked;
oh, Hobbits… Am I in Lord of the Rings? The story my Dad used to read to me before he died? No way, that only happens in badly written fanfictions.
She glanced at them again; yep, they were definitely Hobbits; large, harry feet, short, they fit the bill.
That means one of them must have the One Ring… and that means they're Frodo Baggins… And I'm in Lord of the Rings. Crap. This is not my day.
Kali stood up and walked to the bar where one of the Hobbits was drinking and talking;
"Excuse me, do you know a Frodo Baggins?" she asked, the sandy-haired Hobbit turned around,
"Sure I know a Frodo Baggins! He's right over there! In fact he's my second cousin…" he kept talking, and all the men at the bar looked over at Frodo, who looked terrified.
He ran over to pull the other Hobbit off the stool, but he tripped and fell, then vanished.
It was only the Ring! Kali mentally reminded herself not to panic as everyone around her erupted into chaos.
Only one other in the room didn't react, Aragorn.
Kali caught brief sight of him until he dissolved into the crowd and grabbed the invisible Frodo.
The other Hobbits searched frantically for their companion in the Tavern, but Kali knew that Aragorn had taken him up to one of the rooms.
She went over to one of the Hobbits and looked down at him,
"Hey, the Ranger took him upstairs."
The Hobbit nodded in thanks and the other two Hobbits ran up the Inn's stairs, one grabbed a candleholder and the other a frying pan as makeshift weapons.
Kali followed them and they came to a room with the door slightly ajar; the Hobbits burst through with their 'weapons' raised. Kali stepped in, "Calm down, you can trust him." She reassured, knowing a little of what was to play out.
Aragorn studied her carefully,
"How do you know that?"
Kali sighed and thought of a good excuse, "You are a Ranger…" she said lamely, trailing knowlage of Lord of the Rings was servery limited.
"But I could have still taken the Ring from Frodo," he said.
Kali frowned, "But you did not, and that is why they can trust you, Strider."
Please let that be his Ranger name, for all I know it could have been "Walker" or something.
Aragorn looked surprised, "How do you know me?" he asked; a more threatening tone in his voice.
Shitshitshitshitshit...
"Wait," he said, snuffing out the candles he turned to look at her.
Kali then realized her eyes must have been glowing, because the Hobbit's eyes grew big.
"I thought so; you are one of the Dead. Whose side are you on?" Aragorn queried, reaching for his weapon.
Kali silently panicked, "Right now, no one's side. But I know about the Ring, so you might want to be careful what you threaten me with. I could just go tell them… you know?" She bluffed.
Frodo paled, "You don't mean those things… do you?"
"Yeeeeeeees," She drawled, not knowing what he was talking about but playing it to her advantage.
Aragorn looked out the window apprehensively, "They are the Nazgul, the Ring Wraiths. They were once the nine men gifted with the power of the rings given to the race of men, now they are what you see, bent to serve Sauron. And bring him the Ring."
"Sounds like you need a distraction to get out of here," Kali remarked.
Aragorn nodded, "We need to get the Ring to the safest place possible, we won't tell you where we are going, but can you distract them?"
Kali nodded, eyes darting to the window, "I can distract them for a day or two maybe; my name's Kali."
The Hobbits relaxed their guard and stepped forward and introduced themselves one by one;
"My name is Pippin and this is my cousin Merry,"
"Pleasure,"
Merry said and did a silly mock-bow, very charmingly winking at the end.
"I'm Samwise Gamgee; it is very nice to meet you Kali."
Sam put out his hand for Kali to shake; she smiled a closed-lip smile so as not to show her fangs.
"My name is Frodo, Frodo Baggins."
She shook Frodo's hand as well. Then she turned to Aragorn, "Well, looks like you have got yourself a distraction."