Disclaimer: I do not own any of this and am not making any profit with it...
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Hey there, a few author´s notes first:
This piece was inspired bythe movie The Return of the King.
Have you ever noticed the dog that is being lead through Meduseld while Pippin´s nightly adventure with the Palantír and its consequences are being discussed? I found myself thinking about that dog and then dogs in Rohan in general, so I´ve finally come up with this.
It´s just a short one and complete, but I might add some more, as I have some ideas and have already scribbled them down. I´d therefore appreciate to know what to think (hint, hint), so please read and review (ah, the magic word...)!
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Furthermore, this is for Shirebound´s Scamp, a great little character. If you haven´t read about her yet, you´re really missing out on something...
And now, enjoy!
Maj
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Something In Common
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Aragorn silently got up and left the sleeping quarters.
His body felt stiff, as he could still feel the aftermath of the battle.
Although Helm´s Deep had cost him a lot of strength, he was unable to truly rest now. Whenever he slept, it was only a light slumber, leaving him wearier than before.
His mind was too occupied with a myriad of thoughts, leaving him uneasy.
He found himself constantly pondering about the Palantír, but when he lay down and closed his eyes, it was Arwen whom he saw, which was painful. He missed her so intensely that it felt like an incessant tugging at his soul.
He also thought about Frodo a lot, and it worried him greatly that no one had had any news of him.
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He had just woken because of someone´s loud snoring, and had decided to get some air, as sleep had abandoned him anyway.
.
The air outside was cold, but Aragorn did not heed it: the sky was overwhelmingly clear and full of stars.
He sat down on the stairs and wrapped his arms around his knees; it was such a night that showed him how small he was, how lost in the middle of struggles that seemed utterly insignificant now that he was looking at the vast expanse of unperturbed beauty above him.
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He had been sitting there for quite a while when he saw a movement further down; a shadow had appeared between the houses, approaching the stairs.
Aragorn squinted his eyes to have a closer look, not being able to prevent his heart from beating rapidly all of a sudden. In these times of war, everything seemed to alert him.
.
He relaxed when he identified the shadow as a dog.
A rather large one at that, coming up the stairs now. It came to a halt a few feet away and looked at Aragorn, its eyes large and soulful.
He saw that it was a wolfhound, a beautiful, if slightly tousled animal.
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Aragorn stretched out one arm in an inviting gesture, and the dog, after another moment´s hesitation, drew nearer to sniff at the man´s hand.
Its cold nose touched Aragorn´s fingers, then it came even closer, obviously having decided that this new acquaintance was agreeable, and sat down next to him.
.
Aragorn gingerly stroked the animal´s fur; the dog was pleasantly warm to the touch, and the man now noticed how cold his fingers were.
He wondered why the dog was about alone in the middle of the night; he did not recall seeing it before.
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The dog now turned its head and looked at Aragorn again; huddling against the man´s touch, it then gave a small whimper.
The evident sadness in this sound touched the Ranger´s heart, and he thought he understood: the animal was alone, and it might very well have lost its owner at Helm´s Deep.
.
Taking pity, Aragorn continued to stroke the dog, quietly humming an ancient elvish melody to calm both the animal and himself.
He knew exactly how the poor fellow felt.
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The End
(at least for the time being...)
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