Heart Of A Wolf - A Legolas Love Story (Under Editing)

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Pippin!"

I kneeled down, bracing as the hobbit barreled into my open arms. I laughed at the force behind the hug, my fingers tangling into his curly hair.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" he muttered into my shoulder.

"I'm glad too," I replied, pulling away to look at his face. He didn't seem to have any visible cuts and bruises, and I felt my shoulders relax at the sight.

"Have you seen Merry?" he asked, his joyous face falling away to show a worried one.

I glanced back at Legolas for a second before I shook my head. "No, we haven't. What makes you think he was here?"

Pippin held up the cloth in his right hand, and I realized that it was one of the cloaks Galadriel and Celeborn had given to us, which had been cut down to fit a hobbit.

I shifted my weight, pressing my lips together. I stood up, looking back towards Legolas. He seemed to figure out what I would say before I could even form the words and gave me a quick nod. "You go help look. We got things here."

"Thank you," I smiled, turning back to Pippin before I shifted once more. I sniffed the air a few times before deciding to head further west, gently nudging Pippin to join.

Walking seemed to clear my head from the adrenaline, and I felt the rush from the battle slowly leave my bones, leaving me weary and sore. Still, I followed Pippin, listening as he called out for his friend. Unable to join in due to the inability for wolf tongues to formulate human words, I mainly focused on scanning the bodies, smelling the air for the sweet scent of a hobbit.

I could sense Pippin was on edge. It didn't help when the garbled war cry of a dying orc filled my ears, and Pippin jumped to hide behind me to escape a hand reaching for his leg. A growl filled my throat as I prepared to protect Pippin, looking down at the bleeding creature before me. He was too weak to pose a threat, and having used the last of his energy in that pitiful attack, died on the spot.

I turned to Pippin, who remained frozen where he stood. All of a sudden, I became aware of what was surrounding us. Cries of the grieving and dying filled the air as the thick smell of metal and death covered the land. The grass was stained red with the blood from the heaps of men, orcs, and horses that were already starting to smell. All things that at one point scared me senseless but are now dulled after having seen countless battles.

I found myself admiring Pippin's bravery. He was scared, that was obvious, but he was putting that aside for the sake of his friend.

I nodded my head to him, and he attempted a smile.

Now, as we continued on, Pippin's hand rested on my shoulder, occasionally tightly grabbing onto the fur. I'd try to lead him through the safest paths, and I growled at anything that moved, sending a clear signal to not even try and harm us. Pippin slowly began to relax again, once more searching for Merry.

We wandered the battlefield through the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. The sun had gone down not that long ago, but it was already getting harder to see. I was purely relying on my sense of smell, staying alert for even the slightest scent of Merry.

I jerked my head up, stopping in my tracks.

I turned my head towards the carcass of an Oliphaunt, only a short jog away. Through the decaying smell, I recognized Merry's in there.

For that first time the entire evening, I shifted back. "Merry!" I shouted, ignoring my aching body as I bounded forward, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest with excitement. It was him! And he was alive!