The next day Boramir and Aragorn argued over a map about how to get to Mordor as Legolas taught Kali how to fight with her new knives. "No, lower your arm, good." He instructed, watching her swing and stab the air with quick motions. If only we had something for her to practice on… his gaze fell on Gimli, who was sleeping at the base of a nearby tree in the shade. A mischievous smirk crossed his face as he thought of using the dwarf as a dummy; Kali had stopped her practice to look at the elf's face and devious expression. He looks like he wants to draw a Sharpe mustache on Gimli… she giggled at the thought and then froze when Legolas turned around. But he didn't tell her to keep going, instead he smiled and said, "I think that's enough practice for today, would you care to join me for a walk?"

As they walked they passed elves who either nodded or smiled gracefully at them, Kali was very grateful that they had accepted her enough not to kill her or give her strange looks. Elves hide their emotions pretty well, she glanced at Legolas, but that silly expression he wore when looking at Gimli was priceless, "What were you thinking about when you looked at Gimli earlier? Did you, I don't know, want to paint his face?"

Legolas looked at her with confusion, "Paint his face…?"

Kali laughed and waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, it's just something people from where I lived did sometimes to their friends. They would wake up with black markings all over their face!"

Legolas was again surprised, "You remember where you were from?"

Kali nodded, "Yes, I do, but sometimes I'd rather forget. But I wouldn't want to forget my father." He cocked his head to the side and looked at her,

"Your father? What is he like?" when he saw her face grow sorrowful he wondered if that was the right thing to say,

"He died when I was very little, he served in the military and he was killed in combat." She sighed sadly, remembering all the few good times she had spent with her father. The elf was stunned that she did understand his pain of losing a parent, now all he wanted to do was hold her the way she did for him the day before.

"How about your mother?" He asked, restraining himself with words.

"She died giving birth to me, I never knew her." Her voice told a tale of sadness and her head and shoulders drooped a little more. Legolas stopped walking and just held her close, wanting to help her with her sorrow, but he knew the he could not. Time is the best healer, and she needed more time to get over the loss. She was caught off guard when he suddenly held her to him, but she relaxed almost instantly and closed her eyes. His scent was so purely intoxicating now that she was very close to him; it was a miracle that she didn't bite him right then and there. Instead she just tried to ignore it, but her hunger just screamed at her to bite, and now. Legolas noticed that she was fidgeting and was about to pull back when she fainted. He caught her and wondered what he could have done.

"Aragorn!" He looked up from the map with Boramir and Gimli just to see the elf dash in with Kali unconscious in his arms. Immediately worry took over everyone in the room, the Hobbits rushed over from their spot in the corner of the room and gathered around him,

"Will she be alright?" Pippin inquired, tugging at Legolas' tunic.

Aragorn came over to them, quickly and inspected her; he took her pulse, felt for breath, and motioned for the elf to set her down on Aragorn's bed, "What happened?" And so Legolas told them of their talk about how her parents died, at that everyone grew sad. Then he got to the hug,

"And she looked so sorrowful that I… embraced her without a second thought."

Aragorn nodded and sighed, wiping his hand across his forehead. "She isn't breathing, and her heartbeat is gone…"

Pippin blanched, "Is she going to die?"

Merry slapped his cousin upside the head, "She's already dead, Pip."

Sam spoke up from next to where she lie, "She normally breaths, and I don't know about her heart, but I'm sure we should be trying to do something about it. Can we go to Lady Galadriel for help?" They stood in silence and looked at one another.

"Well it's worth a try." Frodo said for his place next to Sam, "We can't have another member of the Fellowship fall before the end."

Legolas was about to pick her up again when he noticed something, "No, she's breathing! Faintly, but it's there!" He leaned in closer to hear it, he put a hand to her chest, and he swore he could have felt a faint heart beat for a second then, she gasped and her eyes flickered open. But something that shocked them all to the core were her eyes, they were a normal brown. Then the heart beat was gone and she closed her eyes again, "No! Focus! Look at me. Kali, look." Her eyes snapped open sharply and she looked up at the many worried faces with the amber they were used to seeing,

"Get away," she ordered they all took a step back and watched her stand up shakily, then fall down. Legolas caught her just before she hit the floor again, but this time she struggled and thrashed until he let go. She panted hard as if that took a lot of effort, and then she ran out the door and into the woods. Legolas was about to follow her but was held back by Aragorn.

"Let her go, she must have a reason for all this."

Kali stumbled through the woods alone feeling drained and exhausted, she had held her breath while with Legolas so as not to breathe in his scent, and had passed out from lack of air. She fell down next to a small steam and looked down in it. She looked like a monster now; wild amber eyes, pointy fangs with drool and venom dripping off, ashy pale skin with no coloring. I haven't eaten in a while, two days right? She staggered to her feet and searched for something to devour.

Legolas, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Boramir all sent worried looks into the forest now and again. Aragorn had faith that she could defend herself if the need arose, so he wasn't worried even when Gimli mentioned that she had left her knives behind. A rustling of branches caught the elf's attention just before everyone saw Kali come out of the woods looking perfectly normal, as healthy as could be really, dragging behind her the corpse of a deer. "Hey, I brought something for you guys." She grinned and dropped it right at Gimli's feet.

Sam's eyes widened, "How did you take this thing down all by yourself? And with no weapons!"

Gimli roared in approval, "Now you're talking! Let's roast this and have it now!"

Pippin looked up at the sky, "You're right, it looks about time for third dinner, and I'm starving!"

Boramir inspected Kali carefully, "Are you alright? You fainted…"

Kali laughed and waved it aside, "Oh that's all fine by me… I was just a little hungry is all!" Boramir put the pieces together in his head; did she get the urge to bite Legolas? Boramir glanced at Legolas, who looked calm despite the sudden interest in his blood. Maybe it's him first; it could be any of us next…