Giving Chase {Lord of the Rings Crossover: Book One}

Chapter Twenty-Three

Adrenaline can affect you in two ways, you either run or you fight. It's known as the fight or flight instinct, what many don't tell you is that there is a third option.

Freeze, as every fibre in your body is telling you to move and react it also betrays you and simply does nothing at all. Calypso's mother had once referred to it as the 'immortal maybe,' a phrase which had frustrated Calypso greatly as a cub. She never had trouble making up her mind before so why would it be any different? Her youthful innocence had once wondered.

Now however as an adult she understood what her mother meant. She wasn't talking about a decision which needed to be made, she was referring to what came as a result of which-ever decision you did make. Forever wondering what would have happened if you had reacted differently or at all, as a predator Calypso had learnt long ago to never dwell on something unless you wish to learn from it, showing weaknesses in a land you're unfamiliar with was a sure way to end up dead. Yet as Calypso stood frozen in place watching Aragorn rush over to Frodo as he slowly slumped unnaturally to the floor, she couldn't help but wonder.

Maybe if I was watching I could have saved him.

A sinking feeling of heart prickling dread and horror washes over the feline. 'Maybe if I was faster' she thought, 'I could have taken the blow.' An overwhelming sensation of guilt filled the cheetah to the point of bursting as the young hobbit lay lifeless upon the floor.

Aragorn kneels down next to the hobbit, heaving him over from his front to his back. Frodo lay still as the dead before suddenly coughing violently gasping at the air. "He's alive!" Sam cried out as Frodo chokes, gulping down lung full, after lung full of sweet air. "I'm alright," he softly utters between weaves. "I'm not hurt," he declared, waving off their concerns.

"You should be dead," Aragorn stated in disbelief, "that spear would have skewered a wild boar!" he continued as his wild eyes scanned over Frodo searching for any sign of injury. "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye."

Calypso watched with curious wonder as the pup opened the first few buttons of his shirt to reveal a vest of glistening Mithril, the felines golden eyes looked for any sign of injury, any scent of his blood but the trolls spear hadn't even left a mark on the armour, the large slit in the shirts breast being the only evidence of the attack. Her pup was unharmed, he was alright. "Mithril!" Gimli cries out, "you are full of surprises Master Baggins."

With a sigh of relief the cheetah hung her head down towards the floor, allowing the once cold feeling of dread to run down into her paws escaping out into the putrid mix of black goblin and orc blood which pooled beneath her claws. The feline stared down at her grim blood covered reflection, her once golden spotted fur was now coated in the same thick oily blood. For a moment she lost herself in her own beastly gaze listening to the sounds of the deep. Slowly,  her eyes turned upwards towards the broken doorway into the darkness beyond, "can you hear that?" Calypso questioned cutting down the conversation.

The fellowship fell into silence, a faint echoing boom was heard in the deep growing louder and louder, the shockwaves rippling through the inky pools of blood as it grew closer. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM the sound of drums rang out. "Their coming-" Calypso continued, "we must leave," "to the bridge of Khazad-dum."

Gandalf leads the fellowship out of Balin's tomb back into the huge chamber of Dwarrowdelf, together the fellowship hurry towards a distant door faintly lit by the light of Gandalf's staff. All around them dark shadows creep in as the Orcs swarm. The clashing of armour and the pounding of heavy feet filled Calypso ears until her head felt like bursting,  glancing around feverishly she watched as thousands of Orcs chased them, climbing out of cracks in the floor, crawling in from the roof above and scuttling down the great pillars behind them like cockroaches.