Soon the story will begin towards the actual point of getting the Ring to the Shire where it needs to go, and after that the story will follow the canon of Lord of the Rings much more, though obviously most of you have already guessed most, if not the entire party that will be taking the Ring to Mordor. It will be a little odd, but this is a very fun story to write so I hope you're enjoying it too!

Chapter Five: In Which a Certain Elf Trains His Wolves

Legolas realized very quickly that training the two wolves he had chosen to be his partners to be as gentle as Hunter and Sky required more patience and time than he thought he possessed. But he was a very patient elf, and soon they were progressing at a fast enough pace.

The first thing the had to do was learn to know each other's walk. The wolves had to learn to recognize Legolas' dance like, and yet regal step, and he had to learn the difference between Crystal's happy gait and Zero's careful tread. It took a lot of trial and error between the three of them, but they managed to get it down after a while. Legolas knew it would need more practice.

Leoglas then had to learn to tell the difference between the howls of the two wolves, and the difference between the two from other wolves. This was very hard at first, because Hunter forbid him seeking them out in his mind to discover who had howled, because they wouldn't always be close enough to check. After days of listening to the wolves howling outside, and annoying nearly everyone within the city with the noise, he finally got the sound down. Crystal's howl softer, more motherly in nature, while Zero's was very loud, like that of the hunting wolf. Of course, there were many howls that he then had to learn; A howl of warning, fear, anger, a hunting call, a promise of safety, and a very lonely call that was used to call for the location of the others and let them know that they were near. Many other emotions could be heard as well through those calls.

Next they had to go out together and learn how to fight with one another. Legolas was often called on to go out and go through training exercises with the younger elves, to teach them to survive in these unforgiving woods. Legolas not only had to teach the younger elves, but also the two wolves at his side, which put more strain on his patience than he remembered. One of the most frightening times for the young wolves was when a small pack of Orcs had attacked, and fearing the blades, the wolves had been unwilling to fight the Orcs and had lost sight of Legolas in the battle. Fearing for him they had run to find him, only to find that besides a few minor cuts and bruises he was fine. After that he spent a lot of time teaching them how to dodge the blades to attack and not be fearful of the weapons of their enemy, and they learned very well. When one of the giant spiders that haunted these woods appeared the wolves did not try and hide as they would normally do, thinking they had no defense against the creature, but they fought it, learning from the elf's quick feet. Their natural speed and endurance made them fierce competitors, and their natural stubbornness made many of their enemies back down before them. They grew quickly to feel a connection with the elf, and they guarded him just as surely as if he was one of their pack. He too grew fond of the wolves, and their bond grew.

Under the guidance of Hunter and Sky, the pair of wolves grew well. And sensing the need for it, Thranduil began also to teach Legolas of many things outside of their borders, drilling it into him until he was sure that he could remember, and remember well. Legolas was a patient learner, and though his wolves weren't so patient, they got on well enough.

Among these lessons came other mental tasks. They soon began to grow used to having the other's mind so close to their own, sharing emotions across their mental link, and speaking with each other. Their minds were not so foreign anymore. They soon also learned to listen to the others while they moved, without having to lose concentration on their own task at hand. They even grew used to feeling when one of them stepped outside of the boundaries of their mental link and they felt alone for a while. The link was growing stronger by the day.

It was evident in the way all of them moved, often closer to being one unit than three. They were becoming more and more fond of each other, and careful in each other's presence. So they did not notice how much fast the time seemed to fly by. They were too intent on the lessons that could one day save their lives.

Legolas learned that the wolves would listen to him, though still speak their own mind, because they were friends after all. He often listened to what they had to say, and he felt honored to share in their wild spirit, while at the same time they felt honored by his trust in him and the wisdom that he would share with him. It was during these times that Legolas paused to figure out how long he had spent with the wolves. Nearly a year now, and he was both surprised at how fast they were learning, and at how much time had passed. There was still no sign of Gandalf, and his father and Elrond seemed very distracted by things they had learned of. Those from the house of Elrond had yet to leave these woods, and it began to make Legolas a little nervous.

The hardest part though was getting the wolves to be gentler. They were not keen on the idea at all. They didn't want to be seen as dogs. But Hunter kept insisting that they do this, so eventually the agreed to give it a shot. After a few initial growls and snarls, Crystal got the hang of it quickly, and admitted later to Legolas that she enjoyed the contact of hands running along her fur. She did not wag her tail and pant like a dog though with anyone but Legolas, because he understood her like any other. Though she let people pet her and became very gentle of mouth. Anyone that Legolas liked she investigated, and if they passed her test she would like them as well.

Zero on the other hand, was not so easily gentled. He allowed Legolas to pet him, but no others. He was ashamed to be thought of as a dog, and he bit at anyone that tried to pet him. Legolas patiently kept trying to coax him to let people pet him, but the wolf simply would not cooperate. After one time though, when he gave Tauriel a rather nasty bite on her arm, Legolas had finally had enough of this little game of his. He did not yell, though he became angry, and he did not hit the wolf. But the elf's anger and disappointment in him was more of a blow than anything else. The wolf repeatedly apologized to him until at last the elf didn't have it in his heart to be angry with him anymore. After that the wolf tried very hard to please the elf in whatever way he could, and eventually he calmed and became gentle as well, admitting that he didn't mind being petted at times. Tauriel forgave him too after they met next, for he had acted very tame.

Hunter and Sky had talked long with Thranduil and Elrond, but at last they seemed very pleased with the progress of the three of them. They knew that Legolas listened very well, and Zero and Crystal seemed to be willing to learn. So they were satisfied knowing that Legolas and his partners would be ready for the time when this darkness came and they would be faced with this difficult task. They of course, would still need much more practice, but they were well enough off that they would be fine in their journey.

Now Legolas was resting in the royal chambers with a book filled with the beautiful elvish scripts, reading it and relaxing from the training he had received. His back was against a huge tree that grew up from the center of the chamber. This room was more of a library, but his father rarely came in here from the painful memories of his mother roaming the halls, and few people would bother the prince. Zero was laying with his warm flank against Legolas' leg, resting but watching the door. Crystal was resting with her head in Legolas' lap, her eyes closed as he absently stroked her face gently over her eye. She made contented growling noises every now and then.

Legolas felt from Zero's mind as he noticed someone enter the room, though he didn't know the name that went with the face yet. Legolas however recognized the man's step. He didn't look up at him, though he did call him over.

"Why do you wait there?" Legolas asked. "I do not care if you come to join me Aragorn."

The man smiled a little. Elves always had a very good sense of when others came near. Aragorn paused a moment and glanced at the wolves, but neither seemed very interested in him. He walked over and sat down beside Zero, looking over at the book Legolas had. He plucked it fearlessly from the elf's hands and looked it over. He looked up.

"We'll be heading home soon," Aragorn told the elf.

"I heard," Legolas said. "And I wish you luck. We will all need it." The man looked at the elf a moment, and then sighed, looking up towards the ceiling.

"All this is so crazy," he said at last. "Will you tell me at least what will happen?"

"I don't know much," the elf sighed. "But I do know that you will travel with me to Mordor, though I do not know the others but Gandalf. Two men, one wizard, one dwarf, one elf, and four hobbits was the number. Nine companions. We must be ready, and soon many people will gather in Rivendell so that we may one day leave on this quest. We cannot put it off much longer."

"We will be prepared," Aragorn promised.

"Then I will again wish you luck Estel," the elf said. "And I pray our task does not fail."

For a moment the man simply watched the elf, then he sighed and stood, leaving to return to his foster father. The two wolves looked up at the elf, and they could feel that his mind was deeply troubled. But they said nothing and laid their heads down again. They wouldn't bother the elf now. Legolas sighed, making up his mind to go soon and talk to the one creature that understood his nervousness as well as he did: the dragon in Erebor.

Another random chapter down? Lol. Sorry for any misspelled words. Anyway, leave a comment below if you liked it. It helps a lot. And thanks to the person who reviewed, I will continue this story when I am inspired to create more random things to go into it. So thanks, and I'll post more when I have the chance.