Chapter 3

"A morgul blade." The ranger said, and Rin watched as the dagger disintegrated. "This is beyond my skills, he needs Elvish medicine." Strider lifted Frodo and stood up.

The Hobbits quickly scrambled to pick up the campsite and soon they began to travel again.

Elves.

Rin had, of course, heard of elves. It was a bit hard not to, when you were constantly asked if you were one when you forgot to hide your ears. They really had only grown to be more like his more demonic side as he got older.

Speaking of, his bandana had fallen off when he tumbled down the hill with that demon, and as soon as he had realized that he had pulled on his hood, which would hopefully be enough to hide the feature.

Rin attempted to sink to the back of the small party, but Strider shot him a Look, and he shrunk back.

"We will speak of your weapon later."

'Time to start thinking of excuses! Maybe by the time he asks you, you might actually have thought of something!' Kuro smirked at him.

'Oi!'

They traveled on, stopping briefly only when the Hobbits could go no further. Rin watched as Frodo worsened by the hour, but Shiemi was the healer that he knew, and even if he could have remembered medicinal plants from her, they most likely wouldn't have existed in this world.

-ooooooooooooooooooooo-

Frodo was cold in Rin's arms, trembling as the demon took a turn carrying the Hobbit. Rin was attempting to warm him up, using a version of his flame that would just produce heat, but the Hobbit switched between fever and chills so quickly that he thought he might be doing more harm than good.

They came out into a clearing and Rin's eyes widened at the sight before him. There were three huge stone statues.

He saw the other Hobbits looking pretty dead on their feet, (Albeit, very large feet.) and slowly set Frodo down, as Sam came over with a torch.

"Look Mr. Frodo, it's the trolls from Mr. Bilbo's story." The ill hobbit seemed to only worsen. "He's burning up!" Sam cried, and Rin backed away quickly.

Oh, jeez, I hope that wasn't me.

Strider came over. "He's fading." The ranger stated as he looked over the Hobbit.

'Eeeeeep! That sounds bad!'

"What's that mean?" Rin asked.

"Becoming one of them." He stood. "Sam, do you know of the Athelas plant?"

"Athelas?"

"King's Foil." The Hobbit nodded when the Ranger clarified. "It may help to slow the poison."

Go with them Kuro. So you can offer protection.

The cat nodded, and he translated what he said for Strider who agreed, and the three went off to search.

One of the Hobbits, Merry maybe? Glanced at Rin with some suspicion in his eyes.

"How did you destroy the riders?"

Crap, ummm…

"My sword is magic." That works, right? Magic exists. Hopefully.

He crossed his fingers behind his back.

Both the hobbits looked at him with wide eyes. Pippin spoke next. "Really?"

He nodded solemnly. They both looked like they wanted to speak more, but Strider, Sam, and Kuro returned, and Rin blew out a silent breath of relief.

Rin approached the Ranger when they had finished applying the medicinal herb.

"Is he going to make it all the way?"

The ranger looked at him, then slowly shook his head no slightly. Rin narrowed his eyes.

This was his job, after all, to help people from demons. He hadn't lost his conviction, even if there was no Satan to destroy.

'Rin, we can help!!!'

'Wait, what?'

"Yeah! I'll carry him with you. Then we will get there sooner."

Rin gaped at his cat, who apparently liked to remind him constantly that he was better at planning than him.

"How far do we have to go to be safe from the demons following us?"

The ranger gave him a strange look, most likely because of his word choice, but nonetheless answered. "Once we pass the river, we will be safe, protected by their power."

Rin glanced around, then without a second thought jumped up to quickly climb the tallest tree in sight. He was soon perched at the top, and then, once he found the location of what he thought might be the river jumped back down.

Strider was watching him with wide eyes at the show of speed, but Rin ignored it and asked, "So, theoretically, if I could get him there in an hour and a half or so..."

The ranger looked at him, thinking something that Rin most definitely could not read. "Then it would be wise to do so."

Rin nodded and scooped up the sick Hobbit, before turning to the group. "Okay, just don't like faint or something, okay. Also, please remember I am still totally on your side."

'Now, Kuro.'

The cat nodded and jumped to a clearer spot. Then swoosh, and he grew to his larger form, and Rin leapt on, ignoring the shocked expressions of the Hobbits and wide eyes of the ranger.

'Go Kuro!' And they were off, jumping high and landing in any clearing they could find.

Far behind them, one of the Riders turned back, with a new message to give to their lord.

-ooooooooooooooooooooooo-

After nearly two hours of the (not particularly comfortable) travel on cat back, they reached the river he had seen before. They saw a figure on a horse, seemingly preparing for travel.

He waved to them, and held up Frodo, who's condition was far worse than it had been before.

The figure rushed towards them and -

Wow she was so pretty. And was she… glowing?

Thank every deity in the universe that Shima isn't here.

She took Frodo from him, holding a wrist to the Hobbit's forehead. "This is the ring-bearer, is he not?" She addressed Rin, apparently not at all thrown by the fact that he was sitting on a giant cat.

"Umm, that's Frodo, uhh, I don't know his last name."

She looked at him curiously, but shook it off quickly.

Absolutely unfazed.

'You should ask for lessons.'

"Umm, I should probably go back to help Strider in the others, so..."

'Hah, you're so awkward.'

'Shaddup!'

The elf nodded and stirred her horse into a gallop, and Kuro leapt away back in the other direction.

'Jeez, I hope not all elves are like that.'

-ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-

'All elves were like that.'

'By the Valar (a curse he had picked up from the Inn) how was I ever confused with an elf.'

They all were beautiful. And they glowed.

Not a huge amount, but it was definitely noticeable, especially with his heightened senses.

Which, by the way, was another thing he shared with the immortal species.

'Put your new bandana on, Rin.'

He sighed and tied the fabric around his head, which he had asked for soon after he, Strider, and the Hobbits had arrived at Rivendell.

He walked out of the room he had been given, into the halls of the place he was staying.

Way more impressive than True Cross Academy.

"It is an impressive sight, is it not?"

Rin did not jump.

He turned around to see an older man chuckling at him. He was dressed in layers of old gray robes, and held a staff in his right hand.

Kuro meowed (read: laughed) at him.

-ooooooooooooooooooooo-

Gandalf was troubled by the young man in front of him. Both he and Elrond could sense a foreign type of power inside him. The cat sidhe, which Aragorn had told him about, was also troubling. He had never heard of such a creature before, although he could have sworn he just heard it laughing at the blue-haired (again, most unusual) enigma.

"E-ehhh, yeah, it is." The male, Rin, rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hmmmm, yes, the architecture of elves has always been a favourite of mine." The Istari agreed.

The boy seemed to decide that it was time to change the subject.

"Uummm, how is Frodo? I don't know where he is."

Gandalf nodded. "He is recovering, although he was near death when he arrived. Had you not brought him, it would be hard to say if he would have survived the journey."

Rin nodded, and Gandalf moved to make his leave.

"Wait!" He turned back to see that the young man had taken a step towards him, hand outstretched.

"Are you a wizard?"

Gandalf chuckled. "Indeed I am." He left without more disruption.

There was much to think about.

-ooooooooooooooooooo-

Rin gaped at the old man as he left.

A wizard.

"That's so cooool!!!" Kuro shrieked.

-ooooooooooooooooo-