Middle Earth and the Mandalorian- Crosspost

Chapter 12- A Friend Returning

Chapter 12- A Friend Returning

Jakan climbs over a massive tree root, looking around at the trees surrounding him. They've been walking through Fangorn for about an hour, searching for signs of Merry and Pippin.

Gimli notices a black substance on the leaves of a bush near him. He touches the substance and tastes it, before spitting it out and exclaiming, "Orc blood!"

"Did you really have to taste that, Gimli?" Jakan asks in slight exasperation and amusement.

"I've unfortunately come into contact with the stuff before," Gimli says. Jakan just rolls his eyes a bit.

Jakan scans the area around him, and his helmet shows a number of large, unusual tracks just up ahead. Pointing to the tracks, Jakan asks, "Aragorn, what are those?"

Aragorn walks over and takes a look at them. "These are strange tracks," he says, glancing around at more tracks in the area.

Gimli glances around as he says, "The air feels so close in here."

"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory...and anger," Legolas says.

As Legolas finishes, the Fellowship can hear a groaning around them. Then, the noise grows louder, echoing loudly. Gimli quickly raises his axe, spinning around looking for the source of the sound.

"The trees are speaking to each other," Legolas says.

Jakan sighs a bit. Honestly, at this point, such a revelation is not the weirdest thing he's seen on this world.

Aragorn looks over at Gimli and quickly says, "Gimli! Lower your axe!"

Gimli looks a little surprised and wary, and slowly and carefully lowers his axe.

"They have feelings my friend. The Elves began it. Waking up the trees. Teaching them to speak," Legolas says as he looks around at the trees.

"Talking trees. Hmm. What would trees have to talk about, hmm? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings," Gimli mutters.

"Thanks for providing me with that image, Gimli," Jakan says with an air of humor.

Legolas, no longer looking around at the trees, steps over a large root. His eyes seem to fix on something, and he calls, "Aragorn, nad no ennas!"

Aragorn hurries up behind Legolas, Jakan following close behind. "Man cenich?" Aragorn asks.

"The White Wizard approaches," Legolas says ominously, glancing sideways at Aragorn and Jakan.

Everyone freezes where they are. Jakan stares straight ahead, but his helmet's scanners are picking something up off to the right.

"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us," Aragorn says. He then grips his sword and draws it a few inches out of its scabbard, as does Boromir with his sword. Gimli grips his axes tightly. Legolas slowly fits an arrow to his bow. And Jakan's hands drift down to his blaster pistols.

"We must be quick," Aragorn says. Then, a few moments later, he whips around, drawing his sword.

A bright white light blooms on a boulder ahead of them as the Fellowship attacks. The figure in the light deflects both Legolas' arrow and Gimli's thrown axe. Aragorn and Boromir feel a searing hit in their sword hilts that make them drop them.

Jakan fires his blaster pistols several times, but the figure blocks the bolts before a wave of energy knocks him back and causes him to let go of his blasters.

Jakan gets back to his feet, looking at the light. Despite his helmet's abilities, he can't make out anything about the figure in the light.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits," the figure says matter of factly in a deep baritone voice.