He had been ambushed and even though he knew it was hopeless, the Dunadan ranger fought bravely, determined to give full account for himself before he fell to his foes' superior numbers...
One day prior, he had come upon a large clearing and had stood, surveying the carnage within, nervously. The field was strewn with the putrefying carcases of orcs, signaling a battle some days old. Aragorn's attention had immediately been caught by the fact that while a good number of the foul creatures had been felled by blade, many others appeared to have been literally ripped apart by some sort of wild beast.
He had approached cautiously, his eyes looking towards a spot where he could see a deep set of imprints on the ground. His brow had furrowed as he inspected them. Never, in all his years as a ranger, had he come upon such strange tracks and he grew alarmed as he realized that whatever the creature was that had made them, it was very large and, as evidenced by the brutal demise of the orcs, extremely dangerous. Just as Aragorn had finished that thought his eyes had alighted on something else, something that made his heart grow cold with fear.
An elven cloak. And next to it, the shredded remains of two traveling packs.
He had dropped to one knee beside the items, his mind reeling with horror and pain as he recognized the gear of his elven foster-brothers.
Gods!. It could not be!.
Aragorn had bounded to his feet then, frantically searching the clearing for any other sign of the twins. and he had found it.
Blood.
Elven blood.
His fists had clenched tightly and he would have screamed his anguish to the sky, but for the knowledge that he had to reach Imladris with the awful news of the twins' demise. For Aragorn, called Estel by the elves, thought in his grief that the brothers had been consumed by a beast.
It was that grief that had clouded his ranger's senses just enough for him to fall into his present predicament. As his sword cleaved yet another orc, he could feel his arm begining to grow ladden with wariness. It would not be long now...
But then, out of the corner of his eye, the Dunadan caught a blur of movement and suddently, the snarls of his attackers turned to screeches of terror as they, themselves, became the attacked. It was over quickly. But Aragorn had no time to feel any relief at his unexpected survival, for what his sight beheld filled him with a fear deeper than any he had ever known.
There were two of them. Two beasts.
His heart almost failed him then. But the blood of Numenorian Kings ran in his veins and so, Aragorn raised his sword once more, prepared to do what he could to avenge his fallen foster-brothers.
{ Estel! }
{ He cannot hear you, my love. You must change to speak with him. And do it now, for this brave human looks ready to attack. }
In the space of that thought, the huge ebony-maned Lyon rippled back, until the nude form of Erestor stood before the Dunadan, who nearly dropped his sword in shock.
" What is this new deviltry?!." Aragorn's cry was choked with fear and anger.
" Estel..."
" Nay! Foul beast!. I believe not this spell!."
{ Foul beast?! } Ja-zel sent to her mate, with mock indignation. { I've a good mind to swipe a paw across that insolent cub's backside! }
Keeping his lips from twitching upwards into a smile at her words, Erestor looked at the human he had known since the ranger had been brought to Imladris as a wee babe to be fostered under Elrond's protection. Here was the latest heir to the throne of Gondor. Although that fact was kept in guarded secrecy, for his line had been a persecuted one for many human generations. Here also, was the youngster Erestor had tutored years ago.
And it was the tutor who now spoke to the angered Dunadan.
" How many times have I told you pen-neth, you must learn to see with your mind and fea, as well as with your eyes."
Erestor cocked an eyebrow and suddently, Aragorn felt as if he was back inside the advisor's study, failing to grasp the full meaning of a lesson. Without relaxing his guard, the ranger allowed his senses to open up to the sight before him. Those senses told him not only that this was indeed Imladris' Chief Advisor, but also that he had nothing to fear from him, or from his very large companion. On the heels of that revelation, came the thought that if the twins had not met their end through those before him, then maybe...
" Lord Erestor! Elladan, Elrohir..."
" Fear not, Estel. They are well."
The astute advisor gave his reassurance, having surmised from those two names just how the savy ranger had come to be found in such dire straits.
" Although they would have lost their lives in the clearing you encountered," He continued " if not for Ja-zel's intervention. She bore the twins back to Imladris, were Elrohir is recovering from the wound he incurred at the end of an orc's foul blade."
As the advisor finished speaking those words, the huge beast beside him also rippled into change, becoming a beautiful, exotic-looking female.
" Aragorn, son of Arathorn, this is Ja-zel... My mate." Erestor said, giving the Dunadan a warm smile.
The ranger's face became a perfect image of utter atonishment. He did not know what shocked him most. That the huge beast was a comely female, that she was bonded to Erestor, or that the somber advisor had actually smiled. Then his shock, if possible, deepened as he took full stock of the fact that he was staring, open-mouthed, at her completely nude body. Ja-zel stared back at him, amused. Then the ranger heard a growl and his head whipped towards Erestor, who was also looking back at him, though not exactly with amusement. Aragorn's face flushed and his eyes found sudden interest in a spot upon the ground.
" Forgive my rudeness Lady. We...that is, I... It is not comonplace to see..."
" There is nothing to forgive Aragorn, son of Arathorn." Ja-zel said, kindly.
She and Erestor shared a quick smile. Then Erestor spoke.
" Come, Estel. We are camped in a very nice glenn, not too far from here. It would please us greatly to have your company this night. If you allow, I will bear you upon my back, for it would make the trip go much faster."
" Aye." Ja-zel agreed. " Though as my mate just found out, we will not be able to converse with you on the way. Our other forms do not possess the vocal chords to allow that. But we can understand your words, and so you may speak to us if you like."
Having said that, Ja-zel rippled back into Lyoness form, and waited. Aragorn brought his eyes up to look at his former tutor and his face creased into a deep smile, as the thought of riding on such a magnificent creature completely overrode his awkward embarrasment.
" I am honored by your kind offer and accept it gladly." He said.
Erestor smiled back, before he also rippled into the change. Then he laid down to make the ranger's climb onto his back easier. As he did so, Ja-zel twitched her nostrils, delicately.
{ It seems that this human's extreme discomfort over nudity might account for his appearance. He would do well to disrobe and aquaint his own nakedness to a bar of soap.. }
Erestor could not help but snort over his mate's arch comment as he rose with the, admitedly, slightly malodorous Dunadan now seated on his back. And then the Lyons were off, with their new companion, speeding back to their own campsite.
TBC...