Unexpectedly turned into a cat, Kat falls into Middle-earth with the mission to prevent a death. In a feline form she can only communicate with the elf Legolas - and that he is such an attractive specimen is certainly not helpful...
A humorous (but...
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"Where's the pleasure in bein' the winner if the loser ain't alive to know they've lost?"
― Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad
29. The Seeing Stone
When the door slammed behind the defeated wizard, something rolled out from a window higher up and landed on the stair beside Gandalf, cracking the stone step in several pieces. It was a black glass globe, perhaps a decimeter in diameter, and apparently unharmed by the impact, for it bounced down the rest of the stairs and continued towards a puddle.
The rolling ball activated Kat's hunting instincts and she could not resist running after it. She saw now that there was a red fire burning within, and felt a strong desire to peer deeper into it and discover the source of that glow.
Before she could touch the thing, Pippin hurried past and took it. He turned the smooth glass over in his hands with curiosity, and Kat stood on her hind legs to try to catch a glance as well.
"Here, my lad. I'll take that." Gandalf swiftly snatched the globe from the hobbit and hid it somewhere under his robes.
With that, it was time to leave Orthanc. It had probably been Wormtongue who threw the globe, perhaps in an attempt to kill Gandalf – and his master would not be happy when he discovered that one of his treasures was gone. It was not safe to linger in case more objects were thrown out.
The remaining ents came to meet them by the broken gates. Gandalf introduced Legolas, Gimli, Kat and Aragorn to the ent-leader, who greeted each of them in turn.
Kat had to stretch her neck far to meet the gaze in Treebeard's kind, brown eyes.
"A woman in a cat's body, you say? Hrum! Don't sharpen your claws on me, I beg you."
I wouldn't dream of it, she thought, wondering if he could pick up her thoughts like an elf.
Treebeard leaned forward, squinting as if he heard her at a great distance. "Hoo! What was that, hm?"
Kat focused on her thought, thinking carefully on each word: I. Would. Never. Scratch. You. Sir.
"Good. Good. You seem like a polite little one."
Next, he turned to Legolas. "And you have come all the way from Mirkwood, my good elf? A very great forest it used to be!"
"It still is, but not so great that we who dwell there ever tire of seeing new trees." Nervously shuffling his feet, Legolas ambled closer.
Kat remained at a distance where she couldn't overhear their conversation. She knew how awkward it was to meet a celebrity, and felt certain Legolas would prefer not to have too many witnesses.
They talked for a while, and then Legolas pushed Gimli forward. When the dwarf bowed, he dropped his axe on the paved ground with a metallic clang. That clearly was a bad thing to bring before an ent, and Treebeard suspiciously glared at it, but after some soothing words from Legolas he relaxed. They parted on apparent good terms.
