We have been running for three days tracking the Uruk-Hai who are surprisingly easy to track when you have a dragon, magic and Aragorn. We pause for a moment on some large rocks and Aragorn presses his ear to the ground "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent. Hurry." Legolas and I follow easily picking a path across the rocks. Legolas turns his head "Come on Gimli." Gimli huffs and is complaining under his breath about all the running. Skylar swoops low "I can see them but they are still quite away."
I nod and we continue on Gimli falling behind slightly. We drop down to lower ground and I can see visible footprints in the damp ground. Aragorn picks up a green leaf "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." Legolas nods "They may yet be alive." I nod "They did not kill them like they tried to kill us but took them. They must have a reason." Aragorn nods "They are less than a day ahead of us, come."
Gimli falls down a rock and Legolas and Aragorn start running again. I smile and hand the dwarf a small bottle containing a potion that will give him strength "Drink this it'll help." he scowls and takes the bottle draining it in seconds. I run after the other two and he follows yelling "I'm wasted on cross-country. We Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances." We pause at the end of the valley we have been running in to see open land and hills.
"Rohan, Home of the Horse-lords. There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us." Legolas runs forward and stares out over the open land, Aragorn yells at him "Legolas! What do your Elf-eyes see?" "The Uruks turn northeast. They are taking the Hobbits to Isengard." I scowl "Saruman." Aragorn nods and I scowl "I am afraid he has turned dark a dark power has taken root there."
We start running again and Gimli is muttering to himself. Skylar circles overhead and dives onto something soaring back into the sky with what looks like a rabbit clutched in her jaws. We continue running for a long time until the sun begins to set. We are still running when it begins to rise again Legolas turns "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night." We pause but the sound of a horse whinnying reaches our ears and we take off again ducking behind some rocks.
The Riders of Rohan. Aragorn stands and yells "Riders of Rohan, what news from the mark?" Skylar land next to me. She swoops down and lands by my side as Legolas, Gimli and I move to stand behind Aragorn. The riders turn and quickly surround us in a tight circle pointing there spears at us. One man rides forward "What business does an Elf, a Man,a Female, a Dwarf and a Dragon have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly." He gives Skylar a wary glance.
Gimli smiles slightly "Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine." The man jumps down to the ground "I would cut off your head, Dwarf if it stood but a little higher from the ground." I place a hand on Skylar's head she moves to attack the man Don't. Legolas knocks an arrow on his bow "You would die before your stroke fell." Aragorn pushes his bow down "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm and Y/N of Asenlone and her dragon Skylar."
The man gives us all glares and Aragorn continues "We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king." the man frowns "Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," he removes his helmet "Not even his own kin." the others stop pointing their spears at us and the man continues speaking "Saurman has poisoned the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that, we are banished. The white wizard is cunning, he walks here and there, they say as an old man hooded and cloaked."
Skylar watches the man carefully as he moves and continues talking "And everywhere his spies slip past our nets." I smile "We are no spies, we track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive." the man eyes Skylar warily "The Uruks are destroyed, we killed them during the knight." Gimli scowls "But there were two Hobbits. Did you see two Hobbits with them?"
Aragorn steps forward slightly "They would be small, only children to your eyes." I move closer to Legolas feeling many pairs of eyes staring is slightly unnerving. The man shakes his head "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." I frown and Legolas places a hand on my arm. The man whistles and three horses ride forward "May these horses bear you better fortune than their former masters. Farewell."
The man rides of the others following leaving the four of us, Skylar and three horses. Gimli rides with Legolas and we head towards the pillar of smoke rising in the distance.