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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"Do teachers go anywhere special when they die?" said Cohen. "I don't think so," said Mr Saveloy gloomily. He wondered for a moment whether there really was a great Free Period in the sky. It didn't sound very likely. Probably there would be some marking to do."
― Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times
40. The Taming of the Shrew
A stair had no right having this many steps, or being so steep; it wasn't safe! A lawsuit waiting to happen. If they had lawsuits in Middle-earth, that was.
Kat nervously peered back at the deep abyss that was growing behind her, immediately wishing she hadn't when the usual weightless lurch appeared in her stomach. She looked upwards instead, hoping to find she was nearing the end of the climb, but no better luck there. All she could see was more steps.
As she continued the strenuous ascent, another sensation was slowly making itself known: thirst. She still had lots of lembas, but the dry waybread didn't help at all there. Where would she find water? And – this being the path to Mordor, and all that – would it even be safe to drink, if she found any?
A cat could survive without food for days, but without water she was doomed.
Oh well. It was pointless to worry about tomorrow – it would worry about itself, as usual. Trying to ignore her thirst, and push down all thoughts of dying of dehydration, Kat steadfastly continued.
/\_ ,._ ,. ( ಠ _ ಠ )
She did reach the top of the long stone ladder at last, weary and with aching muscles from the novel exercise of step-jumping, only to find that the track still went uphill. She needed a massage and a good night's sleep – not more climbing! On a more positive note, the scent of the hobbits and Gollum had become a bit stronger, which must mean she was gaining on them.
Not wasting time to rest, Kat trotted up the winding path, smoothly evading the many rocks and boulders that littered it. Thank God she was a cat! A human would have had it much harder both on the stair before, where her cat's agility and clawed paws had been really helpful, and on this uneven surface as well.
She kept close to the sheer cliff on her left, suspecting she would not at all like to examine the chasm on her right more closely. A glance in that direction indicated a vast emptiness.
Why must there be so many heights in Middle-earth? It clearly was no place for acrophobics.
The path changed again, now into a new stairway. Kat hissed at the sight. Though this one was less steep, it was painful to jump from step to step again with her aching joints, and there was a cool wind whipping her face as if the mountain wanted to hold her back. It reminded her a bit of Caradhras, minus the snow.
Oh, snow... If only there had been snow here too! That, or water. Lots, and lots of water... Sweet, fresh, wet and clear, pooling on her tongue, moisturizing her dry throat and forming gleaming droplets on her whiskers.
