Hi guys. I'm back once again!

Time to continue with Guardians of the Middle-Earth, and this time on the path of our heroes.

My apologies if it takes so long with writing these chapters, but there's a bit many other fanfictions to be written and I go through multiple ideas of my the Guardians of the Middle-Earth story's chapters and their plots.

Enjoy reading and review.

GUARDIANS OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH
CHAPTER 6: TRAVEL TO THE MOUNTAINS.

In the next morning, The Guardians of the Middle-Earth, Evidin, Elegrant, Groff, Felenar and the hobbits Hustlin and Nicholas departed from the Town of Bree and had started their long travel towards the Misty Mountain by travelling along the Great East Road.

They had worked to get everything ready nearly the entire night nearly without any moment of sleep, so that everything was ready until the morning. That's why the hobbits Hustlin and Nicholas were quite sleepy, and thus they were allowed to sleep the rest of the night in the waggons, whose loan they had received permission from Dûnedain brothers Veradan and Maradan, as well as the permission to loan a few horses to pull them.

And with the permission to borrow their waggons and horses, both Veradan and Maradan had agreed to guide them to the Misty Mountains.

And even though Evidin did not yet told to them about their journey's real purposes nor about their meeting with the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains once they reach to the Mountains, due to in order to keep their journey's purposes in secret away from the possible spies among the people of Bree...

...but Evidin had at least revealed to them, that they're gonna separate from them to the different direction once they reach to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and that Elegrant's horse was unable to continue with them thereafter.

And after asking his fellow Dûnedain rangers to take care of Elegrant's mount until their return to Town of Bree, both Veradan and Maradan had agreed to take Elegrant's horse under of their care and protection, while Hazelmane's owner is with his companions on their journey over the Misty Mountains in the Eagles back.

They had also loaded the waggons with all those food, water and other necessary supplies like cooking utensils, which Felenar and the hobbits have been buying from the Town of Bree's stores and everything enough for them to carry on their backpacks once it is time for them to leave the waggons and horses behind and cross the Mountains in the Eagles backs.

During of the preparations, Groff had been buying for them some extra weapons.

He had been buying for the hobbits the long-bladed daggers so that they can defend themselves in the serious situation, but because of the hobbits having not yet experience wielding the daggers and knowledge of using them, Groff kept for now under his possession.

Groff had been buying also some hunting weapons, like hunting bows and arrows, if they needed to stop to hunt something for food.

And, even though Groff was one of those many dwarves in all the Middle-Earth, who favored the battle-ax as his primary weapon, Groff had nonetheless bought from in the Town of Bree visiting fellow dwarven huckster the dwarven faces resembling dwarven shield and couple of the dwarven swords with a long and narrow triangle-shaped blade.

Groff's father, who had unfortunately perished in the Battle of the Five Armies, slain by the heavily armored goblin soldier by heheading him with the large goblin scimitar, had trained his son in addition of the the ax to use the sword and to fight in the close combat with the sword and shield.

And because of that, he bought the dwarven-face shaped shield and couple of dwarven swords to honor his fallen father's efforts in training him to use the swords and just in case if he really needed them, though Groff favored more his battle-ax over the swords as his primary weapon.

And once everything was loaded to the waggon, the horses harnessed and everything seemed to be ready... the departed from the Bree.

The brothers Veradan and Maradan steered the waggons while Evidin, Felenar and Elegrant riding on the backs of from the Dûnedain brothers borrowed horses - and Elegrant was riding on the back of Hazelmane - on either side of the waggon.

Groff and the hobbits were sitting on the waggons instead on the backs of the horses, as Croff did not favor riding on the back of the large horse and the hobbits were too small to ride on their own on the backs of the horses... and yet there was not ponies right now in the Town of Bree.

Both Veradan and Maradan apologized from the hobbits this while allowing the Guardians of the Middle-Earth to borrow their horses.

And after riding out of the gates of Bree, they headed to the Great East Road.

At first once they reached to the Road, they had to follow it far to the east to get to the Mountains.

They travelled at least two days without any kind troubles on their way, until they reached to the southern end of the Weater Hills and there still standing ruined and ancient watch tower of the Weathertop, which was destroyed in the war against Angmar and since its fall, it has been remained abandoned.

And as the night was starting to fall upon of them and knowing that most of the bandits and orcs would be on the move at nighttime, they decided to stop temporarily there to let the horses rest and have some eat.

They made the temporary campfire to the feet of the hill and allowed the horses to eat some grass while they were making the changes and additions to their travel plans.

Felenar had climbed by Evidin's request to the Weathertop's ruined watch tower to keep watch, in case of any party of rogue orcs or other human bandits... or in case of the enemy's own spies, such like the birds or bats.

Even the darkness of the night did not bothered the elf's elven-eyes accurate eyesight, thanks to the bright moon, which freely shoot its beams of light through of the cloudless night sky, illuminating the whole area around of the hill... enabling her to see far, and clearly.

And to spend her time in the watch, Felenar sang a few songs in her natural elven language, allowing the peaceful night wind to take her songs words with it, and allowing the words of her song to echo in the air with the wind.

And though Felenar seemed to stand in the relaxed position, she kept all her senses in full alert, because, according to rumors of the travelers, several evil creatures and the men serving the evil - either as spies, mercenaries or mere bandits - has been spotted being wandering in the easters wilderness of Eriador, always from the Misty Mountains until the Weather Hills, within a few last months.

This is why Felenar was far from being sleepy, and that she needed to be in awake and alert in case of anythuing which seemed to be threat, and that she would warn her travel companions about the any possible danger before they would insidiously engage them.

Elegrant was meanwhile with his mount Hazelmane and watching after the other horses as they were enjoying their rest and eating the grass.

Because knowing that they would reach to the Mountains within six days, Elegrant wanted to spend most of the time with his horse until they got separated once they reach to their meeting spot with the Great Eagles.

And Veradan was keeping to them both a company.

"I heard from Evidin that you're worried about your horse. What is his name?" Veradan asked, as he calmly and respectfully approached the man of Gondor and his gondorian horse.

"His name is Hazelmane. And I've raised him from the foal like my own son." Elegrant said.

"And yes, I'm worried about his safety and well-being." Elegrant admited.

"Because our urgency to get to the meeting post with the Great Eagles and get on their back to another side of the Misty Mountains as fast as we can, the knowledge that I will soon departe from it for a while, long while, makes me nearly unable to sleep. And yet because of our urgency, we're unable to circulate through of the Cap of Rohan and out of the question that one of those giant birds would carry my horse in its claws! My horse would get hurt from their claws or get even accidentally dropped down." Elegrant explained, openly showing his concern over his horse but also trying to not insult the Great Eagles behind of their backs.

Veradan was impressed of Elegrant's love towards his horse.

"And yet you are from Gondor, though you got the same bond and love between of Rohan's riders and their horses." Veradan stated.

"Actually, my father was one of Rohirrim and my mother was from Gondor. My father teached me about the bond of love and respect between of the men of Rohan and their horses."

"And following the ways of Rohan in raising and taking care of the horses, I spend most of my life with Hazelmane, who happens to be one of the Rohan horses. He sees me as his brother and he has saved my life many times over, as well as I have." Elegrant said, patting brotherly Hazelmane to his side.

Veradan smiled at this knowledge.

With the respect and caution - knowing that the horses of Rohan rarely lets the strangers to get near of themselves - Veradan raised slowly his hand and pressed it gently against Hazelmane's neck, and gently stroke his neck.

Hazelmane did not either care of that, either due to his focus on eating the grass, or then he did not bother the stranger touching him.

Hazelmane's calm and not bothered behavior while allowing Veradan to touch and stroke him visibly ammazed Elegrant, because usually, and as Hazelmane's master and brother-figure, he's the only one from any gondorian or stranger who is able to go this close of Hazelmane and even touch him.

"That's weird, because usually Hazelmane does not allow the strangers to approach himself, and less to even touch him." Elegrant said.

However, one thing what Elegrant failed to see, was that Veradan was mumbling something while carefully, gently and with respect touching and stroking Hazelmane's neck. In fact, Veradan had silently whispered the calming elvish words to the direction of Hazelmane's right ear.

"It's not a quite wonder, Elegrant of Gondor. This is not the first time I'm either handling or standing close of the horses of Rohan, though rarely the riders of Rohan even visits in the Eriador. But when they do and stop fpor the night in the town of Bree, they always turns to me and my brother Maradan, requesting us to take care of them while they stay for the night or two. And in case of the horses of Rohan, because they rarely or not at all allow the strangers to get close of themselves, we do our best to treat them with both gentleness, humility, respect and even protective love, to earn their trust. Once we have earned their trust, they allow us to touch them with the gentle care." Veradan explained.

"But I think that I know the reason why... Hazelmane... does not consider me as a stranger and a threat." Veradan stated.

"Probably, during of my time taking care of the horses of Rohan, I must have received their scent to my clothes. And despite Hazelmane speding most of his life in Gondor instead of Rohan, he might still remember the scent of the horses of Rohan, and considers me as friend."

"Or, as the member of Dûnedain and the friends with the elves, I'm using my knowledge about the elvish language to keep the horse calmed... and usually, it's enough to gain their trust and allowing us to take care of them with the same love like the riders of Rohan shows to them." Veradan added.

Elegrant was taken aback of this ability of the men of Dûnedain as the elf-friends...

...even though he himself did not much favored the elven habits, and was a bit distrustful towards them due to their magical powers, especially now when they were heading towards the forest, where according to many stories the powerful lady Galadriel, labelled as the Elf-Witch of the enchanted elven-forest among of gondorians, lived and ruled...

...and mostly due to him belonging to the men of Gondor, where was more than just enough of those, who had become distrustful towards the elves, especially the lady Galadriel, of Lóthlorien.

Elegrant had also noticed that Felenar, who was as an wood elf from the Forest in question, sensed clearly his distrust towards her, her people and the Lady of Light of Lóthlorien, and took it as an offence.

Meanwhile...

Groff witnessed Elegrant's and Veradan's common talking about the bonds between of the man and horse, while the dwarf was sitting nearby of the campfire, as he was tasked by Evidin to watch over the sleeping hobbits next to him, as well as their travel goods through of their temporary break, while he was smoking a pipe.

Usually, Groff could care less about the horses or about taking care of them, and he would have rather just ignore everything Elegrant and Veradan were talking about and focus more to guard their travel goods and the sleeping hobbits...

...but, the dwarf's sarcastic side was too overwhelming.

"Or probably that nag considers you two as its fellow horses because you two smells as horses! Hahahahahahahaa!" Groff laughed heartily to his joke.

Both Elegrant and Veradan did not took this insult-like joke well...

...and neither did Hazelmane.

And as a small payback for the dwarf for his insulting joke, Hazelmane then recoiled one of his hind legs together, before he straightened his hind leg and kicked with it in the arch to backwards, pouring some mud from the ground and kicking it towards Groff.

The mub ball caught Groff completely off guard as the ball hit him straight in the middle of his faces.

This got both Elegrant and Veradan to laugh. Even Hazelmane neighed like with laughing tone at the mud-faced dwarf.

Even the hobbits under of their slumber, where giggling at this through they apparently did not even saw that what just happened.

With the mumbling the foul words out of his mouth, Groff wiped the mud out of his faces and from his beard with his free hand.

Though he got most of the mud off his face, his beard still had even more, and yet his traveling outfit had some muddy spots.

"Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!" From the muddy surprise angered dwarf cursed at Elegrant, Veradan and Hazelmane.

Meanwhile.

Evidin and Maradan were standing a bit away from the others, so that they could speak to each others two alone about their trabeling plans to the lower hills of the Misty Mountains and then over the mountains.

During of their talk, Evidin had revealed to Maradan their journey's real purposes and their headings, as well as their extreme urgency to get to their meeting spot with the Great Eagles and cross the Misty Mountains from above, and then reach to the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien to warn its elven people about incoming massive goblin attack from the Montains with hundred on one force. It was more safe to reveal it in the middle of nowhere than directly back in the Town of Bree full of the unfriendly ears. Evidin also revealed to Maradan about very soon incoming massive goblin invasion from the Valley of Angmar, Hills of the Ettenmoors and from the Mount Gundabad against the Free peoples of Eriador, especially against the hobbits of the Shire.

And because Maradan was good friends with the young captain of Dûnedain Halbarad, Evidin told to Maradan that once their paths departs on the lower hills of the Misty Mountains, Evidin he wanted Maradan to report about these news to Halbarad and ask him to gather all Dûnedain rangers around of the borders of Shire together and spread the word - and especially the immediate call to arms - to every human and their allies settlements, city and villages all over Eriador. Because in this case, they were gonna need all what they have against the upcoming massive darkness and invasion... even the help from Ered Luin's dwarves and the Gray Havens elves.

Maradan considered a bit everything he had heard about Evidin telling him about their journey along the Great East Road, and pass on their way the Last Bridge, the Trollshaw forest and the secret Valley of Imladris before they reach to the lower hills within six days.

"You have the long way to go, Evidin. Are you sure that you're not going to stop on Rivendell on your journey to the mountains?" Maradan asked, interested of his fellow Dûnedain ranger's journey through the eastern wilderness of Eriador, over the Misty Mountains and then head their way to the south and towards the Golden Forest of Lóthlorien.

Evidin shook his head as negative response to his long-time friend.

"No, Maradan. We will continue our journey along the Great East Road night and day. We have no time to stop nearly in anywhere on our way."

However, Maradan was silently against the entire idea to travel to the lower hill of the Misty Mountains day night.

"I understand your urgency to get in time to Lóthlorien, Evidin. But you can't travel six days without eating, resting or sleeping. The wood elves of Lóthlorien does not have use from you six as half-dead from a long and harsh journey." Maradan said, openly showing his concern for his fellow Dûnedain ranger, even though he had his from the elves learned magical powers with him.

"I appreciate your care, Maradan. But we cannot waste much time. We actually do not know where exactly that goblin army is right about now. But don't worry about beung useless as half-dead to the elves during of their upcoming darkest hour. I'm not intenting to drive my new friends to travel without food or rest the entire way, day and night, until we reach to Lóthlorien." Evidin explained.

"We only stop but just temporarily at night times, though I know the risks of stopping in middle of the wilderness at night time. The ricks such like the possible night raid of the orcs, bandits, wolves and who knows what else." Evidin said.

"And that's what I'm worried about, Evidin, and I am not talking merely about the group of bandits, either orcs/goblins or humans." Maradan said sternly.

"You know too well that the enemy has many spies in many different forms all around or among of us. And I'm not talking merely about the human spies blended among of the people around of us, like what most likely back in the Town of Bree everyday. But I'm also talking about..." Maradan said, until he was interrupted by Evidin, who continued for him.

"...the animals, such like the birds, more likely crows, bats, rats, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, weasels, wolves, deers and so on, whose minds has been blinded by the dark magic and they are then used as the spies of evil, using their innocent-like forms as the cover and their size as their advantage to spy us undetected. I'm more than just aware of that, Maradan, because thanks to my magically gained elven senses, I've been able to sense the evil dwelling in these poor creatures minds, and I've always ended up to catch them and expel the evil out of them with my magic." Evidin said.

"I know that this might sound foolish to the other people, but not to the people of Dûnedain due to us being the friends of the elves and the wizards, and having learned a thing or two about their magic and medical treatment of both the elves and wizards along with the elven language, I once caught one fox, which eyes were unnaturally dark and it acted like deranged and cornered animal, but far more likely like any orc in attempt to bite its victim in the fight. I barely managed to calm down the poor suffering animal with my elvish, so that I was able to suck the dark magic our of the poor animal, freeing its mind, and imprison the dark magic into one of my magical stones." Evidin explained.

Maradan was quite impressed that Evidin was one of the very few person among the mortal humans, to whom had been taught the magic and the magical medical treatment by the elves and even the wizard themselves.

Maradan remembered that the last time he had met Evidin, he was back then still mere mortal human ranger, who was extremely skilled in tracking, hunting, archery and swordsmanship... but without any such of elven and wizard's magical powers than right now.

Now, despite being still mortal human, Evidin was now like half-man of Dûnedain, half-elf and half-wizard due to his magical powers.

However, Maradan was still quite impressed of Evidin's explanation to magically curing with the dark witchcraft enslaved fox.

"Well, that might have been easy with the fox, but what about the rats, bats and crows? At least I know, that they're far more annoying of all the animal spies the enemy has. they are small, dark in color of their fur and feathers and well into the darkness blending. And due to that, they're nearly undetected and insidious." Maradan reminded.

"With the exception of the night times, the flock of crow spies are easily to be spotted in the day light and they cannot sneak into the houses to eavesdrop, unless the windows and doors aren't closed. But the rats are far more worse that crows, due to their small size, enabling them to fit/hide themselves into the narrow places to eavesdrop a important conversation. What do you say about that, Evidin?"

Evidin shook his head.

Evidin could not believe how pessimistic Maradan could be, even though he was older and a bit more responsible than his brother Veradan, even though Veradan also possessed the sense of responsibility, especially over the horses under his and his big brother's care.

Suddenly, there was the sound in the air, which souded like some kind of notorious squawk...

"And speaking of the animal spies." Maradan said.

Suddenly, Felenar slipped down along the hill's side to its feet, with the extreme urgency in her eyes and faces, like she had spotted something very bad coming right towards them and rushed with hurry to warn the others.

"Cwildred! Bats! Gundabad Bats incoming from the north! Swarming against the night sky like the dark thundercloud, covering the light of the moon! They will be here within five minutes!" Felenar warned with the urgent tone.

"QUICK! EVERYBODY! HIDE!" Evidin shouted.

Without wasting any second, everybody took action.

Elegrant, Veradan and Maradan started immediately to direct their horses towards the cave under if the hill, which was covered by the bushes.

Felenar rushed immediately to wake the hobbits.

However, the awakening of the hobbits produced some difficulties, because both of them were largely still sleepy...

...and from two of them, Hustlin was immediately stubbornly against waking up, claiming that he had not sleep but a one hour though the break in their journey was supposed to last three hours before continuing their journey to the mountains...

...and Nicholas was as well against the sudden waking up, but started even yet demand something to eat as the night snack.

This caused Felenar to sigh in frustration, even though she was usually calm elf, who resisted perfectly such of outbursts like the frustration, and continued with hurry trying to get the sleepy hobbits to both awake and get up.

Evidin quickly rushed to their campfire and kicked the sand to the campfire to kill the fire, and to cover any smoking spot to cover the smoke and to prevent the bats noticing even a single small cloud of smoke.

Meanwhile, Groff immediately quit smoking his pipe after hearing Felenar's warning shout and Evidin's order to hide from incoming spies...

...and helped Evidin to gather all their stuff to the waggons and after that, with the help of Veradan and Maradan, they pushed them to the cave.

After their goods, waggons and horses were safe, they retreated all into the cave and hidded themselves either deeper into the cave or under of the bushes.

However, Felenar and the hobbits were unintentionally left behind.

Waking the sleepy hobbits took time, which took from them and Felenar their opportunity to get to hide with the others.

And the bats were close... really close.

They started to swarm above of the Weathertop's ruined watchtower... leaving no time for Felenar and the hobbits to get into the cave and out of the bats eyes.

However, Felenar had saw the perfect hiding spot from the nearby bush.

"Hustlin! Nicholas! To the bush! Now!" Felenar hurriedly and with the loud whispering tone rushed the hobbits.

After seeing the threatening figures of the giant bats appearing in the bright night sky above of the ruins of the ancient watchtower, the hobbits hurriendly climbed on their feets, gathered their hobbit-made pillows and blankets and hurriend to the bush, which Felenar pointed with her finger.

The bush was half-dead and there was not enough of leaves to cover them nor Felenar from the bats eyes...

...meaning that they were like in the silver plate for the bats.

However, Felenar had the backup plan already planned to hide themselves away from the bats.

"Don't be afraid, little hobbits, I have a plan to hide us from them. Get under of me and stay quiet!" Felenar said, as her tone of voice turned from the gentle and comforting to the stren and demanding... probably Felenar knew that the silence or stealth was not these two's strongest points.

There was no need to tell to the hobbits twice, as they hurriedly crawled and then curled together beneath of the elf, as Felenar unwrapped her long cape hanging wrapped from her back and wrapped it over herself and the hobbits.

Felenar managed to wrap all of them three under of her cape, as Gundabad bats - both the regular sized ones and the regular eagle-sized ones - arrived to the scene and filled the entire air space around of the entire watchtower.

And, once wrapped over her and the hobbits, Felenar's elven cape resembled by its appearance and large sack filled with one elf and two hobbits, who did their best to stay still and not to make any sudden move.

The both hobbits under of Felenar's own body and her cape received the chills as they heard the bats sharp squeaks as they flew in a huge swarms over their hiding place in the bushes.

Felenar also forbid the hobbits from looking outside of the cape, because some of the bats, judging from the bats sharp, the various levels of the heighs of thhe squeaks and the distances from them, some of the bats, were even flying very close of the ground.

Trying to peek from under of the cape's edge would only increase the risk to be detected by the bats, even without them noticing it.

However, Felenar was the one peeked from under of her cape instead of the hobbits.

Felenar also formed from the skirt of her cape as a wide hood over her head to cover her faces from the sight, as she carefully peeked into outside to see that what was happening.

at some point she had to grab from the edges of her hood and wrap them together to cover her faces, if the bats were flying in the level of her head or too close of her faces... leaving only narrow gap between of her hood's edges... so that she was even able to see out with one of her eyes from the hide.

Some of the bats even clawed with their hind legs claws the bushes from the above, shaking off some leaves from the bushes branches while trying to find the possible people in hiding.

And the those ones in te cave.

In the dead end of the cave, Veradan and Maradan did their best to keep their horses and Hazelmane under control and silent, though the horses felt stressed and uncomfortable with the air full of the thousands of sharp squeaks of the massive swarm of bats.

Elegrant, Evidin and Groff, keeping their weapons ready, kept watch in the hide in the bushes in the cave's entrace, and they were ready to shoot down any bat, who dared to even enter to the cave... even with the risk that it could catch the attention of the entire swarm.

As a sorcerer, Evidin would not have any problem to deal with his magic the entire swarm of the bats...

...but his companions, including Felenar and the hobbits in the bushes and under of Felenar's cape, would be more than at risk. Because once their presence is spotted by the bats, they would be immediately swarming around of them, thus causin gthem to be in the fireline and making Evidin unable to use his magic to deal all the bats at once.

While carefully and silently, Evidin spotted that among of Gundabad bats was also those much bigger and even muscular yet slender black or dark-brown furred bats, whose resembled by their appearance partially humans... as they had the humanoid-like slender bodies, human-like clawed hands in their wide wings, and they had the human faces, but with many features from the faces of the vampire bat's faces, such like their blunt muzzles, black eyes and sharp fangs, in middle of two wide bat-ears.

Elegrant immediately recognized that what these filthy beasts were.

Manbats, hideous crossbreed of humans and vampire bats!

Some of them landed against the nearby tree's trunks with their claws, which without the difficulty sliced the trunk's wood like the knife the meat, leaving the extreme nasty-looking clawmarks on the trees.

Some of them even grabbed with their hind-legs claws the bushes off the ground to find anyone who was possibly hiding among the bushes and some of them, the strongest ones, were cabable to even lift the logs off the ground... to check that was anybody hiding from them beneath of the logs themselves or in the pit under of the logs.

Groff peeked from the bush to eye these bat monsters himself.

"Our enemy really knows how to create such an unspeakably ugly things." Groff whispered with the disgust.

Elegrant also peeked from the bushes to follow with his eyes the bats.

"Especially the ones with the human mind and the stubborness to believe what their own to the darkness accustomed eyes see... that there is nobody here in seen nor even hiding from them." Elegrant said.

"SHHH! Quiet you two, before you reveal ourself to them!" Evidin whispered sternly.

However, they were eventually forced to hide again as one of the flocks passed the bushes they were hiding right front of their noses...

...and during of this flock's passing their hiding spot, one of the manbats, the brown-furred, large and slender one, landed right next to the bush.

The bat monster let out the loud, deafening and extremely sharp squeak, which sent some shivers to ran along Groff's, Elegrant's, Veradan's and Maradan's backs and nearly deafened their ears.

As well as it did to Felenar and the hobbits under of Felenar's elven cape.

However the manbat's squeak seemed no have any kind of affect to Evidin... probably due to his elven magic or then it was that Evidin had used to it.

Which was partially true, because Evidin had years ago faced those manbats many times over, especially being near of the Mountains of Angmar, where those hideous bat monsters dwelled in the huge dark caves under of the evil witch-realm's mountains.

And back then, Evidin had learned much from these manbats and their hunting habits from his many encounters with these monsters.

They usually hunted at the nighttime, good for them due to their black fur, which helped them to blend into the darkness of night... and yet these bat monsters had very excellent night vision and sensitive sense of smell, which they used to locate their prey from the ground.

By following their hunting habits from the safe distance, Evidin had noticed that their loud and extreme sharp squeak was enough to paralyze their victims by fear, similiarty to Nazgúl's screaming.

And when they attack... they attack from above, under of the darkness, quickly, unexpectedly, without even a sound... and before their victim even knows, the batmen are immediately upon them, with their long fangs sunk to their necks in the deadly bite.

Suddenly... all those in the cavem faced the side effect of the bat monster's squeak.

The manbat's sharp squeak also caused almost the horses and Hazelmane in the cave to get out of Veradan's and Maradan's control...

...and each of them was about to let out the loud whinny, which threatened to reveal their presence to the bats and manbats.

The horses let out the small and a bit less than medium-hard neighs out of the fear and panic, which silently echoed in the cave's air space...

And they probably caused the some regular-sized bats within the seconds to swarm around of the cave's entrance, like they had just heard even silently echoed neighs of the horses hiding in the cave.

"By Durin's beard! Can somebody PLEASE silent those stupid nags?!" Groff snorted in annoyance that the horses were about to reveal their presence to the bats and the bat monsters.

Nearly uncontrollable situation in the backside of the cave with the horses forced Veradan and Maradan to double their efforts in order ot keep the horses calmed down and silent long enough...

...until the bats would eventually lose their ínterest of what they heard from the location of the cave's entrance, of which they did not saw, due to the large bushes and two medium-sized trees, which covered the entrance of the cave from upside with their branches filled with the green leaved, which were nearly in touching contact with the upside of the bushes.

Also Elegrant rushed out of the bush to Veradan's and Maradan's eaid to calm down the horses, especially to calm down a bit panicking Hazelmane, who was along with the other horses in the small state of panic.

"Silent them quickly! Before we're about to have the entire flock in entrace of this cave!" Evidin demanded sternly.

Veradan, Maradan and Elegrant did their best to calm down the hoprses, which were in their near panic state in the verge of being out of control.

However, after five-ten minutes, Veradan, Maradan and Elegrant finally, and quite narrowly due to the small neighs from their horses, managed to get Hazelmane and the rest of the horses back under control and calmed down... preventing them timely from revealing their presence to the bats by loudly whinning in fear and panic.

Elegrant pulled the small part of the bush out of his view to see that what was happening in the outside of the cave and the bush he was hiding with Groff.

The bat monster squeaked one more time... but this time more calmly and rather out of curiousness.

The manbat then started to sniff the air around of it.

As mentioned earlier, these bat monsters had the exellent sense of smell, especially then when they're hunting for their next prey every night.

The manbat kept sniffing the air, until it started to lick its lips with its tongue that the lots of drool dropped from the bat monster's lips, as it let out the another squeak, this time with the tone, which told to Evidin that the bat was hungry.

"Oh, no!" Evidin whispered, knowing that the manbat usually feasted with the fresh blood.

And fresh plus warm blood happened to be the only one thing how these bat monsters tracks down their prey. They were not interested of the flesh, and they usually leave dry corpses behind as soon as they have drunk all their blood out of them.

The manbat started to sniff the air even more, driven by its uncontrollable eagerness, greed and lust for blood, in order to find the source of the scent,

Knowing that the manbat will soon find them, Evidin pulled slowly his sword - which was two-handed sword, in which had númenorean-made handle, and elven-made leaf-shaped long blade - out of his scabbard ready for the fight...

...and he at the same time murmured silently something ancient and magical words, which caused two of his staff's magical gemstones - alongside with the white one - to turn into white, after which they started slightly glow ther white light.

Evidin knew these bats the most effective weakness, whuch happened to be the same weakness of the regular orcs and goblins, most of the trolls and in the darkness living giant spiders and regular vampire bats... the light.

The bright light was the greatest weakness of all those creatures, whose had been bred in the darkness.

Evidin had once used his staff's magical light to expel the whole gigantic flock of manbats, when they were about to attack him all together.

And since then, while most of the manbat had learned to avoid him with his staff, some of them still dared to try their luck to get to him with their claws and fangs... only ending up to get killed from Evidin's sword.

While Groff himself prepared his dwarven crossbow ready to fire the bolt to the bat monster's faces right after it pushes its "ugly" head into the bush.

"I hate bats! Flying winged rats, all of them! And I hate rats too!" Groff complained silently yet angrily and with disgust... until Evidin silently calmed him down.

Evidin knew that killing even one member of the flock of the manbat was the high risk to get spotted by the rest of the manbats, because it was hard to kill off the entire flock of the bats... and not to mention about the regular eagle-sized Gundabad bats and the regular-sized bats, of which was a lot more here than manbats.

However, once Evidin decided to carefully peek out of the bush, he noticed that none esle from the flocks of regular-sized bats and Gundabad's regular eagle-sized bats, and even none from this individual's own flock, didn't seem to be interested of what this one was after right now.

They had probably lost their interest - or they had all come to the conclusion that no one in present - and had decided to move on.

And only one manbat seemed to remain behind while the rest of them took off up to the sky after the rest of the flock.

The bat monster kept sniffing the air after the source of the fresh blood...

...until it started slowly but certainly to approach the bushes where Evidin and Groff were hiding.

And the bat monster increased its speed as it followed the scent of the fresh blood.

And when the bat monster was coming closer and closer, Evidin and Groff prepared to slay the monster.

"That's it. C'mon, boy. C'mon, boy. Come to Groff-papa. Come to have a tasteful bolt. C'mon youuuu... big filthy hairball!" Groff whispered out of pleasure for the chance to kill once more the evil foul things.

After following the scent to the next of the bush, the manbat remained to stand in the next to the bush...

...but though the bat monster tried to follow the scent of the fresh blood, it was somehow unable to locate the source of the scent of the fresh blood... in the form of man and dwarf hiding in the bush right next to it...

...and thus it did not pushed its head inside, like Groff had hoped, which could have facilitated his kill from the hiding, and was like about to turn to the another direction... much to the dwarf's frustration and impatience, because as an hater of the bats, especially those who served the Evil One(s), he wanted to kill that monster right now...

...even at the risk of revealing himself to it and causin gthe monster to release a load squeak to call the rest of its flock to help it...

...or to report about their presence to their evil masters.

And it was then, when one of the nervous horses in the backside of the cave, despite Elegrant's, Veradan's and Maradan's best efforts to keep the horses calm and quiet, let out the whinny, which slightly echoed in the cave's air space and floated in the air from the backside of the cave to its bush-covered entrance...

...and the horse's whinny echoed that loud that even Felenar and the hobbits under of around of them wrapped elven cape were able to hear it.

And as did the bat monster, as its head suddenly jumped up, as well as its ears after hearing the horse whinning very nearby...

...and turned its attention to the direction from where the whinny came from, and this time, the bat monster quit from using its sense of smell to track down the source of fresh blood and started instead to use its sense of hearing to locate the source of the whinny.

Groff snorted in frustration.

"Stupid nags, by Durin's beard!" Groff whispered out of deep frustration and annoyance that

And in the verge of his own impatience, and not caring about the consequences - though he was silently surprised that Evidin wasn't even trying to stop him from doing any reckless moves - the dwarf nearly jumped out of the bush to make the clear and lethal shot against the bat monster.

However, Groff knew that if he wanted to have the clear and lethal shot, he needed to get close enough to the bat mpnster to make his instantly killing shot... even though it requires accuracy and more patience, what the dwarves usually lacks.

However, having learned to use and having shot with the crossbow a numerous accurate shots, each shot's bolt ending up hit directly to their targets, Groff had become among of the few bow-weapons using dwarves one of the best dwarf-sniper among his own kind.

But despite this, Groff needed to get close enough to have the clear shot, because the manbats happened to be really and annoyingly fast enough to dodge lone arrows and bolts, but only if they were scattered and far away from the bowmen.

But in the case of the large volley of arrows fired upon them, there was not enough of time for them to dodge them all.

And so, Groff started to sneak towards not a thing suspecting bat monster, but intentionally shaking the bush's leaves on his way towards the bat monster... so that he would draw the manbat's attention from catching any kind of sounds coming from the horses in the cave to himself in the bush.

This worked... and the manbat quickly turned both its head and attention to the sound of the shaking leaves of the bush.

And once the bat monster's attention was completely in him, Groff aimed his crossbow and the bolt in it at the beast monsters faces, as it was looking directly at him, but remained unaware of the dwarf's presence.

While aiming at the bat's faces, Groff eyes them himself as well.

"You got a really ugly face, you filthy fella." Groff whispered and began to look the good opportunity to fire the bolt throiugh of the bat monster's eye.

The bat monster apparently caught with its sensitive sense of hearing the dwarf's throaty whispering voice, maybe even the bat monster even managed to located the source of Groff's whispers, and snarled at his direction...

...and when the bat monster was like it was about to lunge with all its speed and force to forward into the bush and with its fangs ahead to both bite and then suck the blood off the veins from anyone who was hiding directly in front of it, Groff prepared to release the bolt...

...and fired the bot towards the bat's faces.

Until from somewhere unexpectedly appeared the long elven arrow, which knocked Groff's crossbow's bolt off from its fly and pierced the bat monster's head instead, killing manbat instantly.

Surprised yet disappointed of, Groff came out from the bush followed with his eyes as the bat monster fell dead on his side to the ground.

And after taking the long arrow off from the bat's head and checking its leaf-shaped tip, Groff then turned to the direction from where the arrow had came from and noticed Felenar, having climbed out of her own elven cape and from the bush with the hobbits...

...and standing in the elven bowmen's or elven ranger usual firing position in the next of her and the hobbits hiding spot, with her elven bow in her hand and aimed at the direction of the manbat... telling to the dwarf that she had fired the arrow at the manbat, and knocked his own bolt off from the fly.

And, of course, Groff grew furious of that interference.

"Argh! you dumb elf! That kill was supposed to be mine!" Groff bellowed in rage at the elf.

The elf only snorted in frustration as he stood upright and walked towards the dwarf to retrieve her arrow... the hobbits following her, but staying a bit far away from the usual elven-dwarf-argument/fight.

"Keep your voice low, dwarf! Unless you do not want to call that gigantic black flock back with your loud bellowing and reveal to them our presence." Felenar scolded the angry dwarf.

"I didn't ask the help and I do not need the help. The dwarves do NOT need the help, especially from the elves!" Groff snorted.

"Well, how long you were going to wait before that thing lunges at you and snaps its jaws and fangs around of your faces? I guess that you're not aware of the fact that the manbats are much more quicker to attack than what even you are to release the bolt from your crossbow." Felenar asked, keeping her temper under control and her gentle voice down... though reluctantly ending up to get to the argument with the dwarf a bit annoyed her.

And like Felenar... Groff was far from interest of ending up to fight-like argue with the elf.

"Are you calling me slug, elf?!" Groff said with the challenging tone.

"No, I am just giving some advices to act in the situations, even though I don't know that am I just wasting my time by telling the advices to the dwarf with the extremely tigh skull... and who apparently merely thinks with his muscles rather than with his brains." Felenar said, starting to bit by nit lose her cool with the such of stubborn dwarf like Groff.

Groff was still disappointed of the elf claiming the kill which, by his opinion, was supposed to be his alone. And he was yet extremely angered that, from his point of view, the elf had even apparently called him both slug and dim-witted by the elf. So, as an response to this, instead of giving the elven arrow back to felenar, Groff took from it with both of his hands and snapped the arrow in half against his knee and threw it to the ground... in Felenar's feet, much to the elf's annoyance.

"I will not take those words kindly, elf!" Groff bellowed in rage...

...and was like he was about to reach to his ax, causing Felenar to feel like she was threatened by the dwarf's hand's movement towards the handle of his ax, to which Felenar reacted by reaching with her hands to her swords handles.

The elf and dwarf would have engage themselves to the duel, if it was not Evidin, who immediately interrupted by coming between of both of them and grabbing from both of their wrists, preventing them from reaching to their weapons handles.

"GROFF! FELENAR! ENOUGH OF THIS MADNESS!" Evidin scolded both the elf andf dwarf, who still kept their eyes filled with the flames of the dwarves and the elves old grudges locked at each others.

"Your two should be ashamed of yourself, to be like you two were just about engage each others to the duel, And just when we were carefully selected and declared as the Guardians of the Middle-Earth to defent the Middle-Earth from Evil by Gandalf! You should save your people's hate and grudge between of each others for the goblins in Lóthlorien rather than unleash them against each others in words and weapons. Gandalf would never have wanted our own members ending up to fight each others meanwhile our enemy out there is preparing for conquering both of your people's lands and destroy your peoples, and the enemy is getting with the numbers and mighty even stronger and the enemy is getting even closer of their targets and goals out there, if you waste your time by fighting each others like the enemies. And... if we're going to as our very first duty to continue our journey to our meeting spot with the Great Eagles, fly on their backs over to the other side of the Misty Mountains to get into and save Lóthlorien from to be conquered by Nasihra through of the goblin king Gorboglin's armies, I WANT/DEMAND you two to put your differences aside and somehow try to get along with each others. If you don't, then stay away from each others for a while... but don't you two dare any further to even try to rise your weapons against one another! Did I make myself clear?"

This was followed the temporary silence between of elf, man and dwarf.

Evidin looked with the scolding and demanding eye both of the elf and dwarf alternately, demanding good answer and not accepting any further hostilities nor excuses from both of them...

...while from the felenar's supposed "cheeky attitude" furious dwarf and from the Groff's ingratitude and the stubbornness frustrated elf still kept their flaming eyes locked at each others.

Eventually, Felenar was the first one of them to pull her hands away from her swords and stand back from the fight.

"Fair enough for me, Evidin." Felenar said with the gentle tone, and walked away to the direction of the hobbits, who had been watched the whole situation between of Felenar and Groff with the tense of what was going to happen.

As the wise and gentle elf full of wisdom and kindness, Felenar indeed felt ashamed of herself, though reluctant to show it in the front of the dwarf. But she was still ashamed of ending up like that to the fight with the dwarf, even though there was a chance for her just turn around and focus to much more better things to do... such like take down the camp, she guessed.

But unlike Felenar, Groff was a bit stubborn to stand down, as the dwarves usually are.

But eventually, albeit stubbornly reluctant, Groff finally submitted by pulling his own arm away from his axe's handle, but Groff also rudely pulled his own arm away from Evidin's grasp.

"Yeah, what ever. Fine with me. And that pointy-eared is lucky that she isn't a goblin. If so, I would have gladly to split her head with my ax." Groff said and walked to another direction to pack his own stuff.

"And splitting the goblin-heads with my ax is the mere reason why I agreed to join this Guardians of the Middle-Earth. Otherwise I would never step with my foot in that woodlands from where that pointy-eare is coming from." Groff added, before turning his attention completely to packing his stuff.

Evidin looked at both of them, ensuring that both of them were focusing to something else than fighting with each others, before he sighed in relief that there was at least truce, at least temporary truce for now, between these two.

"I just took the task of leading these Guardians, which should not be difficult for the one who has experiences of being leader. But now I have to keep an eye on them to watch and prevent them from going anymore against each others just like that... like some kind of parent with the little children." Evidin complained, much to his frustration...

...though he thanked his luck that he was not interested about having mate and kids, due to his out of nowhere appeared responsibilities that referred a lot the responsibilities of the wizards, such like protecting Middle-Earth from evil.

While leading the band of Dúnedain rangers, never anything like that happened in the ranks of the rangers. Because every member of nearly extinct blood of Númenor were to each others like brothers and sisters with the unbreakable bond, though they're not blood relatives with each others.

But, both Felenar and Groff happened to be the elf and dwarf... and Elegrant was more than just aware of the old distrust, grudges, hatred, and even hostility between of the elves and dwarves for millennia... having learned much about the strained relationships between of these two mighty and proud peoples while being studying the secrets of the elven and the wizards magic.

Elegrant then emerged out from the bish and walked to Evidin's side.

"I know the feeling, Evidin. I often found myself in the same trouble with my own children back in Gondor." Elegrant said.

Evidin turned to his gondorian friend with the asking look in his faces.

"Yoou have a children, Elegrant?"

Elegrant nodded positively to his Dúnedain friend.

"Son and daughter, Evian and Loaran. Evian is one of the high ranked noble knights and serves as my right-hand-man and second-in-command in Cair Andros forces, while Loaran is working with my wife, Lorah, in her father's owned inn as barmaid... maybe, probably for the reason that she was sick of her brother being even near around of her."

Evidin created the confused look at the gondorian knight.

"What do you mean?"

Elegrant cleared his throat before he started to explain.

"When those two were younger and less matured, they often ended up to fight with each others for some reason or without any reason. Probably overly boasting about being better than another in some things like household chores. Being the high-ranked soldier or barmaid were out of their arguments back them. Their fierce argument forced either my wife of me to come between of them and to prevent them from fighting each others before the situation goies from bad to worse. You trying to calm down and force to stand down one elf and one dwarf, whose peoples have very long time lasted old grudges between of each others, is not a new to me." Elegrant said.

"I'm lucky, because I have no plans about having mate nor kids. My own responsibilities referring strongly to the the wizards' life-task to such protect Middle-Earth from evil takes my full attention completely away from such of ideas." Evidin said.

Elegrant chuckled in amused of Evidin's claim and shook his head.

"Evidin, the luck has very few to do with having a mate and kids. You should know that it is not about the luck but the fate itself. There's a many unexpected upcoming events in the near-future, which may happen even if you don't see it before it's too late. Besides, it was because of fate, which brough either me or Lorah to each other and made us to marry each others. None of us asked that for ourselves, but it was planned to happen by the faith." Elegrant adviced.

But before Evidin could say anything more, Elegrant changed the subject.

"What do you say, Evidin? I think that we should get out of here and continue our way to the mountains. Thanks to that flock of bats and those two (Felenar and Groff) argument, we are more than over one hour behind from that agreed time when we were supposed to keep moving towards the meeting spot with the Great Eagles in the Misty Mountains." Elegrant both reminded and suggested.

Evidin answered to this with the nod.

"Definitely we should, Elegrant." He said.

"Everybody, pay your attention. We will continue to forge ahead along the Great East Road in our journey and with doubled efforts, day and night from now on. Because of that flock and the aftermath, we are more than over one hour behind from that agreed time when we were supposed to keep moving towards the meeting spot with the Great Eagles. so, dismantle the camp and be prepared for to keep moving through day and night towards the Misty Mountains without stopping on our way." Evidin ordered.

Knowing the reasons why they were supposed to now travel through day and night without stopping in anywhere, the Guardians of the Middle-Earth and their allies went into their given job to dismantle their camp, pack everything back together and get the waggons and the horses ready for the journey.

However...

...the small black bat flew to the direction of the north over the Guardians undetected, due to being a black-furred and small bat, flying against the dark night sky.

The bat had undetectedly eyed the Guardians of the Middle-Earth down bellow of it for a while from the cover of the darkness of night.

Originally, the bat was among of the massive flock of bats and monstrous manbats when it arrived from the north to the air space of the hill of Weathertop, using the mass of the flock to cover itself from the eyes in order to scout the area in case of anything, which would interest its master...

...and the bat had also intentionally remained behind from the rest of the flock as its attention and interest was caught by the another manbat that had landed to the feet of the hill and reminded behind of the rest of the flock for some reason.

The bat had landed on the branch of one of the many trees in the area and remained inj there, hiding under the cover and the protection of the darkness of the night, from where the bat had patiently followed with its eyes with the dark vision the manbat's action in the near of the bush in the feet of the hill.

The bat was also surprised that the manbat eventually died in the hands of the elf nearby, who had rosed out from under of the bish with two halflings... before from the bush in the feet of the hill emerged out quite angry-looking dwarf, with four men, three Dúnedain and one gondorian, with the waggons right behind of them.

Using the cover of the night, the bat had flew to aniother tree, which was standing near of the fiercely argued elf and dwarf, to between of them one of the men suddenly came and put the end to the fight telling to both of them the some reasons.

And after hearing the names, Evidin, Groff and Felenar to be mentioned, and also hearing some details of their intentions, such like...

...carefully selected and declared as the Guardians of the Middle-Earth to defent the Middle-Earth by Gandalf...

...the goblins in Lóthlorien...

...their journey to our meeting spot with the Great Eagles...

...fly on their backs over to the other side of the Misty Mountains...

...to get into and save Lóthlorien from to be conquered by Nasihra through of the goblin king Gorboglin's armies...

...made the bat realize that these were mentioned Guardians of the galaxy, who were going to cause to its masters a lot of head aches for their interferences to their plans to conquer the northern parts of Middle-Earth.

And with these news, along with the knowledge about the Guardians location and their going direction and the place where they're heading, the bat immediately took off into the air and flew out from the area, heading towards the another end of the Weather Hills.

It did not took long from the bat to reach to the another end of the Weather Hills.

And in there, in top of one of the many hills in the northern end of the Weather Hills...

...was standing the black-furred and blood-red-eyed horse with the black mane, on the back of which was sitting the same sinister- and undead-looking man from Town of Bree, who had placed his rat spy into Elegrant clothes while supposedly "accidentally" colliding with him in the main room of the inn of the Prancing Pony and who had sent with his now-dead bat messenger the message about the supposed threat of the Guardians of the Middle-Earth.

He had been followed the Guardians of the Middle-Earth for a while since they left from the Town of Bree.

Into the same hooded dark-black cape dressed man sat silently in the back of his horse and watched to the nighttime horizon in the south direction and was at the same time waiting patiently for the bat spy's return.

And once the bat arrived to its master, the man lifted his left dead-like hand out of the wide sleeve of his cape and allowed the bat to land to it.

The man gently wrapped his dead fingers around of the bat's small furry form, but the bat did not let any sound in the form of sharp panicking squeaks out of his mouth and did not do anything to get out of the man's grasp, instead, it remained relaxed and curled into the ball inside of the man's long dead-like fingers.

The sinister-looking man then lifted the bat to the level and next to his right ear to hear the news from it.

The bat in his grasp did not waste its time, but started immediately to whisper everything it had heard while spying the Guardians of the Middle-Earth at the feet of the hill and watch tower of the Weathertop.

And after five minutes of listening the bat's news...

...the man took the bat away from his ear but keot it in the level of his head and in the front of his vicious-looking faces.

"Well done, little one." The dark man said with the vicious-looking grin.

"Go now. Fly to the east. Fly ahead of the Guardians of the Middle-Earth. Go and find the goblin named Krûk and his Dire-Bird riders. They're in the lands of Rhudaur looking for these sso-called Guardians of the Middle-Earth by Gorboglin's orders. Tell to Krûk that they're heading the mountains along the Great East Road. And also tell to Krûk to arrange for so-called heroic Guardians of the Middle-Earth a good reception... by the goblin style." The figured said with the dark and sadistic tone, as he gently unwrapped his fingers from around of the bat's small into the ball curled form.

The bat squeaked with the pleasure, before it spread its wings and took of into the air, quickly disappearing to the darkness as it headed to the East.

The sinister-looking man followed with his blood-red eyes the bat, until it disappeared into the darkness, after which he turned his attention to the south, to the direction where he believed the Guards to be.

"Good-bye, Guardians..." He said, before he turned his attention to the East to the mountains.

"And enjoy your meal, goblins." The man added with the sadistic tone.

To be continued...

I hope that all of you who read this story enjoyed this chapter...

'Til the next time.