A/N: Before we begin, I feel the need to say this so that no one gets mad at me. You should know that I love Kaia to the ends of the earth and back again, and what she says about herself in the beginning of this upcoming conversation with Aragorn is absolutely NOT what I think of her. I think she's sensational in every sense of the word. I didn't write this thing about Kaia because that's what I think of her. I wrote it because I know that's exactly what she would say in that situation.

I promise we're all friends lmao this is how we talk about ourselves on a daily basis. You'll know what I'm talking about once you read it lol

Other than that, happy reading! :D This chapter's a fun one.

Chaos Unleashed: Part Two

Chapter Fifteen

Kaia's POV

I clenched my fists and prepared for the worst as I spotted my dark-haired friend, roughly grabbing his shoulder to stop him in his tracks as he walked past me. "Aragorn."

He turned, looking a bit surprised at my serious tone, but acknowledged me anyway. "Kaia."

"Hey, listen, can I, uh...can I talk to you for a minute?" I jerked my head to the side, motioning to a more secluded corner of this particular room in the camping complex, and he nodded before following me over. As soon as I was sure we were out of earshot, I clapped my hands together and went off. "Okay. I know this probably isn't the best time to talk about something like this, but I didn't want to say anything in front of the hobbits yesterday, and it's really kind of a pressing issue, especially with this whole 'quest of impending doom' hanging over our heads and everything..."

Aragorn's brow creased as he gave me an odd look. "Has something happened? Are you well?"

"What? Oh yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I assured him. "I just wanted to tell you something about our little group that I think you should know. Friendly hint, you know."

"Kaia."

I paused, then exhaled when he caught on to my stalling. "Fine. I'll be straightforward with you, then. Aragorn, have you recently done a head count on just who is in this 'Fellowship' of ours?"

His confusion deepened. "...No," he answered slowly. "What for?"

"Well, let's just take a moment to look that over, shall we?" I held up a fist, each finger popping out as I counted off. "You, a ranger who's been nomadic nearly his entire life, me, a useless piece of trash who shouldn't even be in this world to begin with, and three hobbits, none of whom have seen real battle once in their entire lives. Do you know how many seasoned warriors that gives us? One," I deadpanned, pointing to him. "And that's you."

He blinked. "I fail to see how this is relevant."

I sighed. "Aragorn, we're going on a journey to the most dangerous place in all of Middle-Earth. Obviously there's going to be some enemy encounters there, and at this point probably even before we get to Mordor. Hell, I wouldn't be shocked if we were ambushed the minute we stepped out of this campsite." I could tell I was losing him, so I shook my head and tried to not get off topic. "The point is we're not ready for something like that. If we set out for Mordor as we are now, we'd be dead within a week. You're the only one with any kind of fighting skill, and I doubt you'd be able to defend all four of us if we ever got into trouble."

The ranger shook his head. "I will not be alone. We are not going anywhere until the others meet up with us here. Once they arrive, both Legolas and Boromir will be able to assist me in defending you. They are well accustomed to battle, perhaps more so than I."

"Okay, but that's still really unbalanced," I said, "because Erin and Kathryn will be here, too, and for as much as I love them, God knows they wouldn't last five minutes on their own. So that leaves three of you protecting six of us. That's not going to work."

"We will be fine, Kaia, I can promise you. None of us would ever leave you unguarded for longer than a moment-"

"But that's all it would take," I interrupted. "One moment, one fucking second that one of you are forced to look away in order to defend yourselves, and BAM. Someone's dead." He didn't have a reply to that. "Look, I know this is going to sound really stupid to you, but I've been thinking about it for awhile, and..." I hesitated. "...I think we should ask some other people to come with us."

As soon as he'd processed what I'd said, I saw the disbelief in his eyes. "Kaia, no!" he said sternly. "Are you mad? This is no time to-"

"No no, just listen! Listen to me!" I saw a flash of anger in his eyes at being cut off again, but ignored it. "This could work in our favor. I don't even care who it is, as long as they've got enough skill with weapons to help protect us. It could be Eru-what's his face, for Christ's sake! They know what they're doing!"

"The purpose of this quest is, above all else, to remain hidden," he said lowly. "And no one would agree to accompany us to Mordor without explanation."

"Then we'll give them an explanation!" I cried. "I know it's not what you want to do, but think about it! We'd be so much safer that way!"

"Let me ask you this, Kaia!" he hissed, and I almost flinched at the seething anger in his tone. "What if you were to ask one person, and another should overhear you? Now there are two that know about the quest. That person tells two of his closest friends, and suddenly there are four with knowledge they should not have. Before you know it, word of a secret quest to destroy the One Ring has spread all across Middle-Earth, and then Sauron himself could discover it! That would increase our danger tenfold! Is that what you want?"

"No!" I shot back. "But I also don't want to go knocking on Sauron's front fucking door with an entire army to greet us and only three fighting men on our side! We won't stand a chance!"
Aragorn glowered at me. "Regardless of the decisions made, this is dangerous. We are all risking our lives by simply accepting the weight of our mission."

"Right! And wouldn't it help if we could lessen that weight in whatever way possible?"

"Not if doing so would jeopardize our mission's success."

I growled in frustration, and before I knew it, words were flying out of my mouth before I could stop them. "You are so goddamn thick sometimes, you know that?! Who the hell made you leader of this, anyway? You're standing up here, bossing all of us around and making us do things your way, not even accepting the idea that there might be other options!" I made a shocked face. "Because God forbid we do something Aragorn doesn't like, even if it's the obvious choice! Jesus Christ, wouldn't want that happening! He might throw a royal fucking temper tantrum!"

And oh my God, he was pissed off at that point. "You think yourself any better? You have no more authority than I! It is not your place to make decisions of your own on behalf of the others, especially since, as you so kindly said earlier, you were not ever meant to be here in the first place! You do not know this world as I do; you know nothing of the dangers that are out there! And yet you stand here making accusations towards me? I am not the one screaming profanities simply because my idea was rejected!"

I clenched my fists. That was fucking it. "Oh, I'm sorry, were you trying to argue that you're a better candidate for leading people than me? Cause last time I checked, you were slinking off to the north with your tail between your legs, running from your leadership responsibilities like a goddamn coward! There's a whole fucking kingdom out there that needed you in their darkest hour, and you decided to pussy out and just leave. So yeah, my bad," I ranted, voice dripping with bitter sarcasm. "Go ahead! Clearly you should be the one calling the shots here, with those oh-so-prestigious leadership qualities you keep pretending to have!"
At that, Aragorn froze, and I watched as the scathing glare in his eyes slowly began to fade, though I couldn't tell if it was because I'd struck a nerve or if he was just tired of arguing. He straightened, lips pressed into a grim line, jaw clenched, eyes unreadable now. And when he spoke, though his tone was still dangerously low, something in the back of my mind told me it wasn't entirely from anger. "...I will not stand here to blindly argue with you," he said quietly as he blinked, "for no good would ever come from it. However, I will remind you that upon Mithrandir's fall, the rest of the Fellowship did collectively look to me to lead them for the remainder of the journey." Suddenly, my muscles relaxed, and it felt like someone had reached inside me and snuffed my fiery bitterness that had been there a moment before. Shit. "I will be honest with you, I...I did not entirely want that responsibility, but at that time, there was no other choice. I did what had to be done." A small ball of guilt twisted in my gut, and I felt the overwhelming need to look away from him. "I care for you, Kaia, but I will not allow irrational words or actions compromise the stability of this Fellowship. If you wish to continue on with us, you will learn your place and not argue so relentlessly." His gaze was hard, but...still broken, in some way. "I value your opinion, but not when it is presented to me in a childish manner. In this day and age, we cannot afford petty arguments to cause drama. It is unnecessary tension I do not wish to deal with." Fuck. Fuuuuuck, he's right. What did I just do? Oh God, I'm an idiot. Why did I bring up the 'exiled king' bullshit? Why? I stared at him for the longest time, at a loss for words. "If you wish to discuss anything else with me at a later time, I will be in my quarters." Before I could so much as nod, he was gone, turning smoothly on his heel and walking away.

I continued to stare for the longest time, somewhat disgusted with myself as I stopped to actually think about everything I'd just said. What...what even was that?! Oh my God...I basically just called him a shitty leader to his face. And after everything he's been trying to do for us...holy shit. Oh my God I'm going to hurl myself off a cliff. Why did I say that? Why did I cross the line like that? Oh God...Oh God, what did I just do?

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I stumbled through the line of trees and slowed, relishing in the feel of fresh air on my face as I jogged along. Even though we weren't quite safe yet, I was just excited that we were alive and out of the forest and so close to being back with Kaia and the others. All that stood between us now were a couple day's worth of open plains, which stretched before us in rolling hills of dry, brown grass and dirt. My eyes scanned the new territory before us, seeing little blobs of grey rock scattered across the land as well, and I allowed myself a small smile of triumph. We're almost there.

"Kathryn!" I blinked at Boromir's shout, turning my head to the man as he ran past me. "Come, keep moving quickly! There is a storm on our tail!"

I twisted around, my spirits dampened slightly to see that there actually were several dark clouds creeping up over the wall of trees behind us. The thing was, I couldn't tell if they were actual storm clouds or just part of the evil darkness radiating from Dol Guldur. Well, I guess it doesn't matter either way. I'd want to outrun both of them.

Erin then spoke up from where she'd caught up to running beside me. "We're running from darkness to go further into it," she commented. "Look."

I looked forward again, my eyes widening slightly as I took in the sky. Everything was covered in grey clouds, not a strip of blue peeking through for us. And it wasn't the natural greyish-white you'd normally see on a cloudy day, either. These clouds were different...they were a darker grey, with maybe just the slightest tint of a rusty red to them. They looked...dead, for lack of a better word. And ahead of us was ever worse. Off in the distance, on the very edge of the horizon, it was just...black. Literally just black, all gathered together over in one spot far to the south, but slowly bleeding into the rest of the area around it. "Mordor..." I breathed.

Erin nodded. "It's spreading. They're growing stronger."

I swallowed, nerves getting the best of me again. "Do you really think we're going to be able to defeat Sauron this time?"

She didn't answer for a moment. "Might as well try, right? We've got nothing to lose." Her voice sounded optimistic enough, but when I glanced to the side, her expression was grim. I faced forward and set my focus on running again, not wanting to go any deeper with that conversation.

But now I was on edge. For every second that we ran further, my anxiety grew. It's too quiet. Why haven't any of those creatures come out of the forest yet? That bothered me a lot. That can't be it. We got out of that too easily. We kept going, though, and there wasn't so much as a whisper from the forest behind us.

After what seemed like a couple hours, Legolas stopped us so that we could catch our breath. He gestured to Erin. "The map?" She pulled it out and unfolded it for him, and his eyes flicked over it before turning to the rest of us again. "We continue on in that direction-" he pointed south "-as straight as we can. There should be nothing in our way from here to the Emyn Muil."

"Legolas, what about the Orcs?" I asked. "We haven't seen any sign of them since we left the forest."

"Perhaps we have shaken them," Boromir suggested with a smirk in the direction of the forest, now significantly smaller in the distance. "Fate may be on our side after all."

But Legolas seemed just as skeptical about it as me. "I would not hold to that assumption. In my eyes, we are not safe until we reach our destination."

Erin nodded. "I second that. But I think we can at least afford to slow our pace a tiny bit, now that we've got some distance between us and Mirkwood. I can't keep running like that forever."

Legolas thought about that for a moment before also nodding. "Fair enough. Keep a moderate pace from here on. We do not stop until nightfall. If our luck holds, we will reach the-"

As if on cue, a howl sounded from far off.

I froze, not daring to turn around as everyone else also went dead silent. "...Please tell me that was just my imagination..." But then there was another, and another, and I saw Erin's eyes widen in horror as she started to back away. I desperately tried to place the sound with an image. "Are there wolves after us?"

"Wolves?" she shook her head. "No, that is not a wolf..."

"RUN!" Legolas shouted, and suddenly it was like someone had hit the panic button all over again. We all took off at top speed, my body screaming in protest, but I ignored it anyway. I didn't have a choice. The barking and howling behind us quickly grew more and more vicious, and my heart pounded wildly with fear. They've seen us. Oh no, oh God! And we're on foot! We're doomed!

I saw Erin risk a glance over her shoulder, and the look on her face when she saw what exactly was chasing us made my insides squirm. "LEGOLAS!" she shouted. "They're getting closer!"

The elf also turned his head for a moment, panic written all over his face before locking eyes with the rest of us. "Come on! Follow me!" He veered off to the left, and we followed suit, coming up to the crest of a hill. As I started making my way down, I realized he was leading us over not one, but two hills, and two hills eventually turned into a large area with lots of rocky ground and several massive boulders and things jutting out of the earth. Soon enough, we reached the edge of an overhang, and without even hesitating Legolas jumped off of it.

What?! Has he lost his mind? "Legolas!" I cried, skidding to a stop at the edge of it. Relief washed over me to see that it wasn't actually that far of a drop at all, maybe ten feet. Below was a fairly flat area, flanked by a mess of boulders and uneven ground that sloped up on the right side, and another clump of rocks on the left that faded smoothly into the hillside connecting to the ground. It was a very large space, and Legolas stood at the base of it, reaching up for me. "Jump, Kathryn!"

Before I could think about it, I did as I was told and hopped off the ledge, where he easily caught me and set my feet on the ground, then pushed me back. "Stay flat against the wall," he instructed as Erin and Boromir also came down.

I turned, my heart leaping at the sight. The wall behind it sunk back quite a few feet, enough that whatever was chasing us might not see us hiding there. Within seconds, the four of us were smashed shoulder to shoulder, backs pressed against the rock, praying that our enemies would pass us by without noticing us. It seemed like ages we stood there, waiting, the howling getting closer and louder...

And then there was the distinctive sound of paws scratching against stone right over our heads. My heartbeat quickened, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to quiet my breathing. Oh my God. Oh my God, they're here.

We all stood absolutely still, listening to whatever it was sniffing for our scent. Then there were more paws... How many are there? And then, worst of all, voices. Three different ones, speaking to each other in a horrible, rough language that grated on my ears. They talked for several seconds, and I couldn't make out a word of what they were saying, but I'd bed good money it wasn't anything good for us. I saw Boromir place a hand on the hilt of his sword out of the corner of my eye.

Just then, one of the voices shouted something that sounded like a harsh order, and not a second later my worst fears were realized as one of the creatures began walking down the slope on our left. I struggled to keep my breathing normal as I took in the sight of the...the thing approaching us, an Orc rider sitting proudly atop its back, grinning wickedly as his beady eyes met mine. No. No! God, please! Please God, let me live!

oOo

Erin's POV

I laid a hand on Kathryn's shoulder in a feeble attempt to comfort her as I tried to swallow my own fear. When I'd first heard the howling and seen the dark, four legged shapes coming out of the forest, I'd assumed that they were all Wargs, but I was wrong. The first creature was a Warg with an Orc Rider, yes, but the one following behind it was definitely not. It was similar, dog-like with grotesquely large, sharp teeth and small yellow eyes. This beast, however, was severely hunchbacked, with a longer tail, and instead of the typical four legs, the two at its front stretched into arms that almost looked humanoid, with long, finger-like claws protruding from the paws. It stalked down the hill behind its master, and I knew it had to be one of the Wilks Legolas had warned me about before. One of Sauron's new creations, I see. The Orc said something foul in Black Speech, and I tensed, realizing our situation. Oh, shit. We're cornered.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm, and turned to see Legolas looking at me. "Do not do anything reckless. Stay with Kathryn; Boromir and I will protect you." He didn't wait for a response, stepping forward with his twin knives drawn and taking a fighting stance as Boromir stepped up beside him, sword and shield also at the ready. The Orc laughed at their heroics before digging his heels into the side of his Warg and pouncing on them.

My eyes went wide. "Get down!" I immediately grabbed Kathryn by the shoulders and shoved her to the side, both of us hitting the ground and scrambling as far away from the battle as we could. I looked up again a second later, watching as Legolas spun to the side, dodging the first attack as Boromir took a swing instead.

"Erin, what are we going to do?!" Kathryn grabbed my arm, looking terrified. "Look how many of them there are!" My face fell as I counted one other Wilk and three more Wargs, two with riders, also surrounding us. Oh God...They're outnumbered. And those Wilks are HUGE.

And then I noticed one of them, the Warg without a rider, begin creeping towards us. I locked eyes with it, slowly reaching for my two biggest daggers. "Kathryn..." I said, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible, "...I'm going to need you at my side on this one."

"Wha- Are you insane?! We can't fight those things!"

I unsheathed one and shoved it into her hands, pulling the other out for myself as I continued to stare down the animal. "We don't have a choice."

"E-Erin!"

"Kathryn, NOW!" I lunged forward, slashing down with my knife in an attempt to cut the thing right across the face, but it jerked back and away from my attack. I caught myself, moving aside just in time to avoid the thing's jaw closing on my head. Having landed on my knees, I lashed out again, this time hearing a yelp as I grazed its ankle. I got back on my feet again, stepping back once to give myself some space before swinging wide, again missing its face.

"Erin!" I heard Kathryn cry frantically from the side.

"Kathryn, I need you now!" I shouted, jumping back as it snapped at me. "I can't fight this thing on my own!"

Something in my tone must've snapped her out of it, because suddenly she stepped out and attacked the thing from the side, managing to sink her blade deep into its hide. The Warg squealed in pain, shrinking back at her blow, and I took the opportunity to run up and stab it right in between its eyes, killing it for good.

Seeing it crumple to the ground, I yanked my blade out and looked at a shell-shocked Kathryn as she also removed hers. "Oh my God..." she said quietly.

"Kathryn." She looked up at me. "We have to keep going. We can't just hide in a corner for this one."

She started to nod, but then suddenly her entire expression changed as her eyes flicked behind me. "ERIN, DUCK!" On instinct, I dropped to the ground, feeling a blade swipe through the air above my head a second later. I heard Kathryn scream in rage and snapped my head up just in time to see her completely throw herself at an Orc that had tried to catch me from behind, sticking her blade in his shoulder and sending him to the ground. As I got to my feet, she kicked him hard in the head, knocking him out.

I stared at her as she stood up again, the wildness fading from her eyes, and nodded as I glanced out to the rest. "Think you could do that again?"

Surprisingly, she just let out a breath and shook her head, smiling. "I'll try."

oOo

Legolas' POV

I spun and swung my knives in a deadly fashion, feeling them cut deeply into the back of a Warg, then stopped and lashed out again, my knife going right into its open mouth as it attempted to bite me. The beast gargled in pain as it choked on metal, then collapsed a moment later. I ripped my blade out, hearing another growl behind me, and turned this time to deal with a stray Orc that had been knocked from its steed. His blade clashed against mine, and we strained against each other for a moment until I shoved him backwards, allowing just enough of an opening for me to plunge both of them into his chest.

As his corpse also dropped lifelessly to the ground, I heard a shout from behind me, and turned to see Erin struggling to hold her own against another Warg and its rider. Kathryn was also engaged in the battle, attempting to assist Boromir in taking down one of the two Wilks that had attacked us. I saw Erin swing her knife, but narrowly miss the creature's snout, and quickly drew my bow, firing a shot into the Warg's skull just as it made to lunge at her again.

Replacing my bow, I ran up to her as she turned her head. "Thanks," she nodded.

"Not a problem," I replied, taking out my knives once more and taking my stance beside her as the final Warg and its rider set their sights on us. "Stay with me."

"I will," she said.

Just then, it pounced, and I dodged to the left as Erin went right, sticking one of my blades out and hitting it in the ear. Erin also made an attack, taking a wild swing with her short knife and nicking it in its hind leg. The beast made no sign of injury, simply circling around and jumping forward again. This time, however, I chose to focus on taking down its rider, grabbing the Orc by the arm and stabbing the flesh of the limb.

The Orc shrieked in pain, tumbling from the back of the Warg and landing on the ground. It immediately got to its feet, advancing on me faster than I expected. I blocked each of his swings, trying to force him back. I could see Erin out of the corner of my eye, the Warg starting to close in on her, and my heart raced. No!

oOo

Erin's POV

I stood firmly in my place, refusing to back down as the Warg slowly circled around towards me, Legolas having knocked the Orc from its back. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, and then let out my fiercest battle cry as I jumped forward, ready to kill the thing. Unfortunately, it moved back, leaving me swinging at nothing, and I spun with my momentum, trying to go for another hit.

This time, I caught it in the nose, and it whimpered before growling savagely at me, leaping forward with its jaw ready to close on my forearm. I jerked back just in time, his muzzle stopping inches away from my stomach, and without thinking, shot my left fist out and hit it right in the same spot again.

Bad move. Pain shot through my fist, and I gasped in pain, stumbling back. "Son of a bitch!" I swore, keeping a firm grip on my knife. I flexed my fingers once before looking up and attacking the thing again. "That hurt!" I shouted angrily as I brought my knife down on it. But again it moved out of the way, and I growled through my teeth in frustration, advancing on it. "Don't you run away from me!" I swung wildly one more time, missing.

At that moment, there was a loud roar of pain, and I turned my head just in time to see Boromir completely nailing one of the Wilks in the neck, taking it down for good. What shocked me even more, though, was that this thing had been standing on only its hind legs. Oh my God! They're even more massive that way! What even-

I was brutally yanked from my thoughts as a huge weight crashed into me, knocking me flat on my back and causing me to drop my knife. I screamed and did the first thing I could think of – shove my hands against the Warg's neck and use every ounce of strength in my body to push it away from me as it snapped, its teeth mere inches away from my face. I knew for a fact I wouldn't be able to hold the thing up for long, so I kicked with my legs hard, pushing it back just long enough for me to reach down with one hand, grab the last small dagger remaining in my belt, and jam it into the thing's neck as deep as it would go.

The Warg let out a strangled cry of pain before going limp, and I coughed as its body fell right onto me, its sheer size enough to knock the wind out of me. Tilting my head back and gasping for air, I squirmed underneath the furry corpse. Oh God, don't tell me I'm stuck. Come on, get off me!

At that moment, I heard another ferocious growl, and looked over to see the second Wilk, on all fours, snarling as it faced Legolas, who had an equally murderous look on his face. My jaw dropped – that thing was twice his size – and I strained against the weight of the dead Warg more, desperate to get out and help him. Move, you stupid thing! MOVE!

oOo

Legolas' POV

I twirled my daggers in my hands as the Wilk approached me, not waiting for it to make the first move as I quickly jumped forward, dodging its counterattack at the last second and lashing out to catch it in the side. It expected this, also swinging its body to the side and evading my blade as it snapped at me. I spun to face it again as it rounded on me, pouncing with its jaw wide open. I stepped back, swinging down as its teeth snapped shut and clubbing it in the snout with the hilt of the knife. It snarled again and shrunk back, and I took my stance again, ready for the next move.

What I did not expect at all was for it to suddenly raise up onto its hind legs completely, swinging at me with its front paws like I was a bug to be swatted away. I dodged the attack, thankfully, stumbling backwards, but could not deny that the size of the beast was intimidating. I swallowed, knowing that I was on my own for this. Kathryn and Boromir were busy facing down the last Orc and Warg that remained standing, and when last I had checked, Erin had been in a scuffle of her own with another beast. So I braced myself, gripping my knives tightly as the monster growled down at me and swung again.

oOo

Erin's POV

"Legolas!" I shouted weakly as the Wilk roared again, now standing up to its full height. I struggled under the Warg, trying with all my might to get out from under it. "Legolas!" I got my arms under the thing again, groaning as I pushed hard against the furry mass. "Come on...you stupid...dead...thing! Just move...MOVE!"

Finally, finally, with one last burst of adrenaline, I managed to slide the thing off of me, rolling to the side and pulling my feet out as I scrambled for my knife. I looked up, breathing heavily, grabbing my dagger and picking myself up off the ground as I bolted across the clearing, leaping over corpses in my way. "Legolas!" My heart leapt into my throat as the Wilk swung its massive claws at him and the elf dodged it, running right in between its legs and slashing at them with his knives. I was so close, running right up to him as he slipped out. "Legolas! Are you-"
The next thing I remember was a massive force slamming into my side, like I'd been hit by a huge baseball bat. I was knocked clean off my feet, landing hard on the rocky ground and rolling several feet away until I hit a wall. I heard someone shouting my name, and I groaned, a metallic taste filling my mouth.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

"ERIN!" I screamed, watching as the Wilk turned around, its tail hitting her and sending her through the air. I dropped my knife, having just killed the last Orc, my heart going a mile a minute. Oh God, is she moving? Shit! "ERIN!"

oOo

Erin's POV

I spit blood out of my mouth, slowly rolling over as I came to my senses. What the hell?... I lifted my head, pushing myself up to see Legolas, still standing face to face with the Wilk. He stepped forward, lunging at the beast as it dropped to all fours.

"ERIN!" My eyes flicked away from him for a fraction of a second to see someone come barreling towards me. Kathryn. I opened my mouth, about to tell her I was alright.

That was when I heard the most agonizing scream I'd ever heard to date.

Instantly, my gaze found the source of the sound, and a numbness swept over me as I saw the Wilk's jaw clamped down on Legolas' left arm, his right hand clutching one of his knives buried in the beast's side. I saw Kathryn stop in her tracks, and I suddenly found it hard to breathe. Then the Wilk swung at him with its claws just as Legolas hit the beast on the snout, loosening his arm. He screamed in pain again as the claws slashed through his side, and fell to the ground.

"LEGOLAS!" The scream ripped from my throat before I could even think about it, and I stumbled to my feet, feeling like I was running through molasses as I tried to reach him. The Wilk was coming up to him now as he laid there, unable to get up, about to be eaten alive. "NO!" I tackled the beast, wrapping my arms around its neck and yanking as hard as I possibly could. "YOU MONSTER! YOU FUCKING MONSTER, GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Boromir was at my side in an instant, also crying out in fury as he plunged his sword deep into it, finally killing the thing for good. I kicked the thing away from me, my focus instantly going to Legolas. I dropped to the ground at his side, choking on my own words. "L-Legolas...you...n-no, you can't-"

"It is all right," he whispered, shaking his head every so slightly as he winced. "I will be...fine."

I stared at him helplessly, my entire body shaking. His arm was mangled, likely broken, and four deep gashes burned a bright crimson in his side. He was bleeding badly, and I hardly noticed as Boromir pushed me aside, yelling for Kathryn to bring him materials for binding and cleaning the wounds. I couldn't bring myself to do anything, I just sat there, staring down at him as he tried his best not to cry out in pain. I didn't even realize that I was slightly injured until Kathryn started wiping around my eyebrow, chin, and knuckles later on. I could only stare. The unthinkable had finally happened.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

Almost two hours later, Legolas decided that he'd been fussed over enough and was strong enough to move on his own again. I watched from several feet away as he tried to sit up, easing Erin away as she attempted to help him. She was completely shocked, I could tell. We all were. No one had ever thought that Legolas, of all people, would get hurt like that. I looked to Boromir, who stood by my side. "...I guess he'll be okay."

The man also watched carefully as the elf hissed in pain. "I've heard of the elves' fast healing before. Hopefully it will pull him through."

I blinked, facing him fully now as Legolas tried to completely stand. "What do you mean? He'll be fine, just like you said. Just like...just like he said."

But Boromir exhaled, looking at me somberly. "In truth...I do not know."

My throat clenched. But if we lose him...No. No, that's wrong. "We are not going to lose him," I whispered as firmly as I could. Boromir said nothing. "And until he heals, you're not going anywhere. There's no way Erin and I can look after him on our own."

He sighed. "You're right, you couldn't." His gaze turned to some unseen location further south. "Gondor will have to wait for another day."

An insane amount of relief flooded over me at his words, and I hugged him tightly. "Thank you," I said softly. It was so comforting to know that we'd at least have Boromir around in case... NO! Stop it, Kathryn! Don't think like that! Nothing's going to happen to him, he'll be fine. But even as we slowly gathered our things and moved away from the carnage of the battle to set up camp for the night, I couldn't help but cast nervous glances in the elf's direction constantly. ...Please be fine.

A/N: I will probably receive some death threats for this, but...cliiiiiffhangerrrrr

Oooh, and isn't this a good one. ;) I told you this was a fun chapter. Also hey look at that chapter title wowie so original