The Fellowship: Part XIX
by Kris
-----

Amaurëa glanced up at Kristiel, as she padded silently alongside the half-elf. She didn't think that she had ever seen Kristiel this way before. She wasn't just lost in thought, like she had been on a few occasions since the panther had joined the quest. She was lost in thought, worried, and scared. Amaurëa couldn't recall the last time she had seen Kristiel scared. Few things scared the half-elf.

While it didn't show on the outside, Amaurëa could still sense Kristiel's fear. And she didn't like it. Just as Kristiel was protective of those close to her, so was she. Whoever or whatever had the half-elf scared was going to find themselves on the receiving end of her claws.

Speaking of her claws, Amaurëa really wanted to sink them into the human called Boromir. She didn't like him, hadn't liked him upon first seeing him. There was something about him that made her fur ruffle.

Now, the other members of the group, Amaurëa liked. There was the Elf walking behind Kristiel's grandfather up ahead. He didn't hold a grudge over how they first met. She hadn't known that the branch, that she had been perched upon, wouldn't hold her weight. She certainly hadn't meant for the branch to fall on…

What had Kristiel said his name was? Oh, yes. Legolas. Amaurëa hadn't meant for the branch to fall on Legolas, along with herself. However, he had been most understanding about it all, despite the bump the branch had caused when it had landed on the Elf. But, Kristiel had healed Legolas, and everything was fine now.

The four Hobbits had been wary of Amaurëa, at first, which was expected, as she was nearly as tall as they were. They had quickly gotten over their fear, though, and now thought of her as their new best friend. The one hobbit, Pippin, wanted to make Amaurëa an honorary Hobbit. She was still thinking the proposition over.

The Dwarf, Gimli, was coming around to her being with the group. Every morning, Amaurëa woke him up by flicking her tail on his face, right across his nose. Then, once he was awake, she would put on her best "Aren't I Adorable, Even Though I'm Fully Capable of Ripping You to Shreds If You Make Me Angry?" and "Aren't You Going to Pet Me Because I'm Adorable?" looks.

Gimli had actually petted her this morning. Of course, it was when no one was looking, but that was all right. The fact that he had pet her was the only thing that mattered.

Then, lastly, there was Aragorn and Gandalf. Amaurëa knew the former from her visits to Rivendell with Kristiel. She sensed that he was sad, and she figured that it was because he was separated from his mate. She knew that if she were him, she'd feel sad, too. She knew the latter, because he was the one who had given her to Kristiel, as a birthday gift. It had been Gandalf who had helped link Amaurëa with Kristiel, so that they could communicate silently with each other through thought.

Amaurëa was brought from her musings, when she sensed the group stopping. She looked around at the area they were in. It was mostly open, with few trees in sight. They had stopped next to a small stand of them. As the sun was beginning to set, Amaurëa knew that this was where the group would be stopping for the night. She saw Kristiel wander off, but she wasn't worried, because she also saw Legolas going off in the opposite direction. They were just going to scout the area.

Amaurëa padded over to where the four hobbits were building a fire and making supper. She took up post close by, yet not so they knew that she was guarding them. Kristiel and Legolas soon returned, reporting what they had seen, or, rather, had not seen, to Aragorn. Amaurëa also heard Kristiel apologize to Aragorn, for her behavior earlier that day. Aragorn accepted the apology, but only after he and Kristiel had argued over whether or not there was anything to apologize for. Kristiel had finally convinced him to just accept her apology, even if it wasn't called for.

Amaurëa was happy that the two of them had made up, as she didn't like seeing any of her friends unhappy, and that all was right in her world, once again.

| Part XX |
| Index |