Paths That Lead Home (LotR F.F.)

Chapter 25: An Orc and His Warg

*A/N: Hey guys! So so SO sorry for not updating in such a while, but your girl just graduated!!! I've been working with clients and capstone so much this past year that my free time was essentially dedicated to crying, eating, and sleeping (not particularly in that order). But I'm done with school! And that means I'm putting all my energy into finishing this story! So enjoy the rest and thanks for sticking around and putting up with my slow butt.

Abby POV:

*10 hours earlier*

I woke up laying next to Donovan. Man, I love this horse. And to think we just met the other day.

I looked around and saw some people walking around. Soon we all will be getting up and getting back on the road to Helm's Deep. I walked over to the stream and and splashed some water in my face to help wake me up.

"Good morning." Legolas walked up beside me and began filling a canteen with water.

"Morning, Legolas." I started stretching. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded. "I did, but I feel a darkness lingering in the distance."

I frowned. "What kind of darkness?"

"I do not know," he murmured. "Keep your eyes open today."

"Will do." Across the land, my eyes landed on the mountain range far in the distance. I saw a black spec fly alongside the mountains, soaring up and down, gliding in the wind. I thought it was a bird, but I think it's a lot bigger than that.

"That looks like one of the Eagles of Manwë," Legolas awed, also staring at the speck.

"Pardon?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"They're eagles," he explained. "However, their size is much bigger than any other bird. They can carry a man if they allow it."

Ok, lets slide giant eagles right between Ring of Death and Talking and Walking Trees on the ever growing list of things that question my sanity.

Soon, the people of Edoras were up and moving. Everyone put out their little fire pits and cleaned up their camp. I stuffed the blanket I used last night into my bag then mounted Donovan. The other riders mounted their horses and soon we were back on the road. The terrain changed to rocky slopes. The mass of people narrowed into a thinner group as we walked on an even path that had piles of rocks on our left and downward slope of rocks on our right.

Donovan trotted past Aragorn who was walking beside his horse.

"In a walking mood today, old man?" I asked.

Aragorn shook his head at me, but then his face then turned somber. I had a pretty good idea what he was thinking about: Cathy's sketchbook. I felt one of my pockets of my jacket grow heavy from the weight of the sketchbook. Aragorn gave me the sketchbook to inspect for a bit. Maybe since I'm from another world, I could figure something out from the mysterious sketches.

"At least she... died...before going crazy." I shook my head. "I don't know what would have happened if she did, or what I would do."

"You would have helped her," Aragorn answered simply. "As would Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, and I."

I smiled down at him. "Thanks, Aragorn." I looked over to where Legolas was. He walked beside his horse which had Gimli in its saddle. Before we left earlier, Legolas offered for Gimli to ride his horse since it seemed more calm than the other horse Gimli rode the day before.

While Gimli sat on the horse, Legolas was looking out across the land, as if he was searching. Perhaps for that darkness he felt earlier.

I broke away from Aragorn and looked across the land on my side of the group. There wasn't another soul in sight except for the people of Edoras. The sky was partly cloudy and the sun would occasionally break through and shine down on us and bestow us its warmth. At some point, Éowyn was walking beside Aragorn and the two were talking. I was too far away to hear them, but at one point I saw Aragorn touch his necklace that Arwen gave him, but his hand hesitated and his face, for a split second, contorted into confusion.