Disclaimer: I don't own, except for my OFC.

Summary: A female joins the Fellowship in their journey. The only thing is, she's not exactly human…

Author's notes: This is an AU fic, for those who missed it, told from a very unique POV, with a different storyline that explores more of the spiritual aspect of Tolkien's amazing masterpiece. Don't just read the first chapter and cry Mary Sue - the first few chapters were written quite a few years back, when characters of this type were less common, and I didn't change much from my notes. However, I've been told that my OC is still original and non-MS, and that the story is a good read, so do give it a chance. :)

Update 4th June 08: A reviewer pointed out that my OC would be Legolas' cousin. I finally noticed it too - Oropherion, which would give her the same grandfather as Legolas. Yeah, so I changed the name to avoid confusion and such. My apologies to all. Also, changed the name of her hometown because I forgot that Laketown is not near Rivendell, it's near the Lonely Mountains. It's been a while since I read 'The Hobbit', and I got mixed up. Sorry again, everyone. I took a look at some maps, but couldn't find any towns near Rivendell so I made up a name. Sorry again!

Update 23rd April 09: Have added a quote for the beginning of the fic, I know my character isn't a horse but the feeling and emotions behind the quote sets the mood.

We begin with a quote for the fic:

"The story that I want to tell you cannot be found in a book. They say that the history of the west was written from the saddle of a horse, but it's never been told from the heart of one. Not till now. I was born here, in this place that would come to be called the Old West. But, to my kind, the land was ageless. It had no beginning and no end, no boundary between earth and sky. Like the wind in the buffalo grass, we belonged here, we would always belong here. They say the mustang is the spirit of the West. Whether that west was won or lost in the end, you'll have to decide for yourself, but the story I want to tell you is true. I was there and I remember. I remember the sun, the sky, and the wind calling my name in a time when wild horses ran free. I'll never forget the sound and the feeling of running together. The hoof beats were many, but our hearts were one."

- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron movie, as narrated by Matt Damon

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Prologue

Nine companions and one pony. That was who I had been following since their departure from Rivendell this morning. They moved fast and were traveling light, taking with them only what they truly needed for a long journey. I didn't know who they were, or where they were going. All I know was that I was supposed to follow them.

Right around now, you're probably wondering why.

Well, I'll tell you: I don't know. But I do know how it all began.

This all began when an Elven noble named Saeduil Caellion fell in love with a human woman named Annie. Their relationship was frowned upon by both their families, but it was also the kind of love that people usually only ever find once in a lifetime. You know, the forever kind, the kind that goes beyond all other things and is deeper than the oceans, higher than the heavens, and more amazing that words can say.

Unfortunately, Saeduil and Annie were forced to separate, and Saeduil returned to his people, and Annie to hers. He was killed in a battle against orcs about a year or so after, and so he never found out that Annie had given birth to his daughter – namely, me.

I grew up in Tamra, the human dwelling near Rivendell. Shunned for my half-Elven heritage, I was frequently lonely, and I never had many friends. I spent most of my time reading, helping my mother with her work as the town healer, or wandering the woods near Rivendell – though I never dared to venture too close. I longed to meet my father's people, a longing inspired by the many tales my mother had told me about my father.

Instead, during my daily jaunts in the woods, I met a young human named Estel, who became my first and only friend. We spent much time together, me teaching him about humans, and he teaching me about Elves. But when it came to the time of my sixteenth birthday, our friendship ended, for my mother had decided to move to be with her mother's family in another village. So we left, a bittersweet moment that I remember to this day.

After the move, things went from bad to worse. On my twenty-first birthday, my mother succumbed to an illness and passed away. Still, that did not stop the village from throwing a celebration for me, in the hopes of cheering me up. Instead, I got on the wrong side of a wizard who was passing through town, rejecting his unwanted amorous advances. He retaliated by cursing me into the form that I'm in now, and not even the wise healer-woman of the village could turn me back, for whether knowingly or not, when he had cast his spell he had called upon a far darker power than any we had ever encountered before – the power of the Necromancer who had once ruled in Dol Guldur, near Mirkwood. Perhaps you know him by his current name – Sauron.

Tanana, our healer, tried to help me still. She stayed by my side through the years as I adjusted to living as an animal – to be specific, as a wolf, allowing me to stay in her home while at the same time teaching me the things that normal wolf pups learned as they grew, like hunting and surviving on my own in the forest. And then, one day, the vision came, and she called me to her.

"Little love, you must go to Rivendell, and join forces with the Nine Walkers. They will be setting out on a great Quest, and I can say no more except that you must go with them. And perhaps, if all goes well, you can regain your true form once again. Go to Rivendell, young one, for it there that you will find your place on the path unwinding, and perhaps also love and happiness along the way."

And so, here I am, following nine companions, and one pony. I don't know what going to happen, or where we're going, but I feel that Tanana was right. I'm meant to be here. Deep within my heart, my soul, a song is beginning, destiny calling me…and so I will follow.

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RK9.