Wild Monster

by Matthew Harrington

  Far from that. But even this change was something great for the wizard.

  Ren's behavior also changed from the excruciatingly selfish, aggressive, impatient and prideful Nazgul to a less excruciatingly selfish, aggressive, impatient and prideful Nazgul. Hyano noticed him taking his imprisonment a bit better, since he no longer looked for a way out desperately. He seemed to realize, that he was powerless in this situation and now patiently waited for the day to come when they could be put to the test. Well, as much as he could be. Which required him to gulp down his pride, work on his impatience and became more bearable. He tolerated more than he originally would, thought less of his pride, had far cleaner thinking abilities and could tolerate light to a greater extent and the miracle: he could see in the light properly! Not as greatly yet as in the darkness but it was something. It was an improvement. An improvement that actually worked in his favor as far as Ren was concerned.

  If this was enough or not... this was for those in charge to judge.

  Not soon after, the rocks moved again but this time not just briefly. There were some tapping noises coming from the outside as if someone touched the rocks, which in return slid partially up and some downwards, revealing a tall figure, who soon after stepped inside, his staff held firmly in his hand, his blue eyes focusing on the two still figures on the ground as if expecting something and being prepared for any surprises that might come. He watched as the Nazgul awoke with a small jerk and raised his gaze to meet his with his invisible one, which was accompanied by a faint hiss but after a good minute of the staring contest the wraith slowly but surely lowered his gaze, finding no interest to fight and showing a small sign of submission, he presumed. Submission, because he decided to tolerate him instead of threatening him, seeing he had no real chance in battle against him. They already had a fight many years ago when they both found out what the other was capable of.

  While Ren was not the best when it came to sword fighting, he was not someone to be underestimated either. Gandalf noticed -from the times he encountered him- that this particular wraith was one of the most dangerous. What made him think this? Ren was capable to recover a lot faster from hits and although he wasn't an excellent swordsman, he was able to handle a lot of weapons. If he lost his sword, he could grab basically any weapon that was around and continue the battle. Maces, axes, spears... he could even handle the bow if he wanted. He did not excel in anything but he had variety. Still, with all this, he was no match to the White wizard. Magic was one weak spot in the many he possessed. Although with Hyano's loyalty, he could probably put up a fight but in way could they match him. They know this as well.

  Gandalf was aware of that.

  The illusion of submission hurt the still present pride of Ren... but he knew it was necessary if he wanted to get out of his new prison, his mind concluded. He had no interest in fighting or threatening him but that did not mean he was content with his presence or that he respected him. If anything, that wizard should be glad he does not show him what he could do. What made him wonder for a moment was what he was doing in this cave but it soon dawned on him.

  Today was the day? It seemed like he lost his sense of the time...

  Just like all those years ago...

  Hyano mumbled lightly before opening her eyes and looked over towards the new source of light in the cave. She blinked as she saw Gandalf and could not help but smile at him. He had been watching over her, she knew that but seeing him with her own eyes was still something else. She was glad to see him. She was also curious about the ongoings in this world, especially she wished to know how the family was doing. She had so many questions but considering what day it seemed to be... she will need to hold onto them for a little while. The orange wizard looked up into Ren's hood and smiled up at him as well, even if he did not appreciate this. She probably should have kept track of the days during their time here, however she had been rather busy with other things for a time, so her count would have been off anyway. She stretched, then jumped out of his lap.

  Now... the day of judgment arrived. Honestly, Hyano was not nervous about it one bit. The fact that they made any kind of progress and any change actually happened was surprising enough. It proved her point somewhat that he could fit in if they gave it all a chance. Although, the last word will be said by Gandalf himself. If he finds this progress enough for their freedom? Well, it was up to him.

  She did all she could. Whatever happened, she will accept it with the same dedication she had for both Ren and the White wizard.

  "Finally going to let us out now, Gandalf?" She said in a joking manner, before turning back towards Ren and waving for him to stand up too and follow her to the entrance of the cave but stopped halfway, already predicting that the White wizard will not let them out just so. They weren't as far as she had hoped, however they were a lot farther than she really thought they would get. She honestly thought they both would be dead by now but he proved her wrong.

  While the wraith slowly stood with a sigh, the White wizard turned towards Hyano with a smile, clearly glad that she was still alive and in one piece. Many times he thought she might not make it, having felt the auras and the imprint of magic in the air. Though, there were signs of a fight inside the cave, now that he looked it over, rocks have been moved, claw marks here and there littered the wall... just like her face. Even if it was a faint mark by now, seeing it healed, one could clearly make out the mark he gave her at their fight. Before he said anything, Gandalf reached out and embraced her with one arm, glad to see her alive and well. Glad that she didn't change in this time closed in with the wraith. And most importantly... She was smiling. It wasn't fake but a genuine one and he was glad for it. Although he was glad about this, the one he had to judge was not her. It was Ren.

  "It will depend on the progress..." He trailed off, raising a white eyebrow, before averting his gaze from her to look at the Nazgul, who was by now standing, although not moving anywhere, just watching them silently. The dark creature didn't yet attack. He had to see any hostile behavior ever since he came in other than the staring contest they had upon his entry. So in order to test that, he released Hyano and walked over to Ren. He started looking him over and carefully, slowly circled him, tasting his aura and waiting for him to snap. Wraiths usually didn't tolerate the White wizard -or any wizard for that matter- for too long but he didn't yet move, instead just watched him, staying in one position. He was aware that this change in behavior could be acting but he could not be sure just yet. His aura was clearly lighter somewhat, aggression was mild, the tolerance acceptable. He seemed to tolerate him and did not shrink back from the light of the torches at all, neither from the sunlight that came in from above.

  So... There might be something...

  Ren had been sizing up the wizard as much as it did him. He did not take his invisible gaze off of him and followed his movement with his hooded head, keeping his stance firm and straight as he circled him, while he kept his senses all trained on him. If he attempted anything, he would be not afraid to lash out and fight him, even without any weapons if needed. He did not like his judging gaze and found his presence too intruding, irritating. While the wizard tasted his aura, he did the same and noticed that his power did not change. It tasted the same way it did so many years ago. Disgusting... as usual. The wraith hissed faintly, giving voice to his displeasure with him.

  Hyano watched this for a moment before putting her hands in her pockets. She could tell what both of them were doing, although with different goals. Gandalf was clearly attempting to provoke him by his mere presence. Wraiths would normally attack him by now. They despised wizards, especially the White one with a passion. She tried to read his expressions but he was a master of surprises... He knew how to keep everything hidden and only revealed what he felt and thought whenever he deemed it worthy. Even she was clueless about that most of the time. Ren, on the other hand, did all he could to not snap. She was surprised he didn't try to threaten him and did not use body language to
express his dominance, like he did around others. Normally, he would raise his head, hiss constantly, would try to look taller and bigger than he was. As if that would work with anything else than a human, an orc or another wraith. A wizard would need a bit more than that to be intimidated. Perhaps he suspected this, hence why he did not do his usual series of actions. Or maybe he was so desperate to get out? No. She knew him well enough. Not even desperation would make him bow to the wizard. She was sure his only reasoning was that he was not interested in a fight at the moment. She honestly did not know what to think about this. The only thing she knew was that this surely was not the best manner to test him out.

  "Gandalf. While you might be testing him, a better test might be the one of respect. Why don't you offer a bow or something? Something that shows equal respect." She suggested, thinking that might bring this little staring contest to the end. It was amusing to watch, really but this will not help either of them. She could tell that already. They were doing nothing else than sizing one another up, which could be potentially misunderstood by Ren. Although, she could not see inside the head of the mischievous wizard... Maybe he knew exactly what he was doing... Maybe she just did not see it...

  "I do not expect him to have changed all too much on that department." Gandalf admitted. If anything, he did not expect any change at all. His appearance for one did not show any alteration but his behavior was worth testing. Respect? The Nazgul will never show any respect towards him and the White wizard also thought it would be wrong to attempt. He would end up showing respect he did not have for the wraith. He was no liar. "I am looking for small things..."

  Hyano raised an eyebrow at this. He seemed to know about the small steps they were able to take forward but this did not mean he could not bring the tests further. Just staring at one another will not give him any ideas about their progress. In order to do that, they will need to start to be something else than mortal enemies. This was what she was trying to achieve.

  "You should talk to him." She suggested with a shrug and just stood there, relaxed. As things looked, Gandalf did not seem too worried or disappointed, so there must be something good that he saw. She just hoped that the prideful friend of hers will keep tolerating a little longer and will not mess up their chances. They talked about this but he tended to... want everything his own way in the end. "You would be surprised how colorful thoughts he has. All you need to do is discover..."

  "Oh, I can imagine what colorful thoughts that would be." The White wizard chuckled and shook his head as he stopped his walk and faced the creature of darkness in front of him. Tension was clear in its stance. The wraith did not trust him and probably had indeed a lot of colorful thoughts about how to murder him on the spot. Honestly, it would be entertaining to listen to it but that would not help their situation, now would it?

  Ren had been patient. He truly was. At least, this was what his thoughts told him. But the judging and scrutinizing gaze of his was bringing up alarm flags in his mind. He was clearly sizing him up. His body language and stance told him he was challenging him. It was hard to manage his growing irritation with this. He did not care about what the wizard thought of him. He did not care about some tests and what he was trying to accomplish. All he wanted was to escape this prison, to know that he could roam wherever he wished to go... as he was supposed to in this new world. This wizard will not stop him. In the end, the wraith hissed at the White wizard and shifted his invisible gaze away from him, his hooded head moving to stare towards the entrance of this cave instead.

  'Are you doing alright?' Hyano asked, shifting to Black Speech like it was nothing. She had found that jumping from one language to the other wasn't really that hard, though sometimes she did get her words mixed up. Using the Black Speech word for 'light' instead of the language of man's for example. She found she had done that several times when she really thought about it but she had hardly noticed.

  "Do not use Black Speech, Hyano." Gandalf warned as he finally turned towards her, having heard the question. The problem wasn't the understanding, as he could make out what she said... The problem was with the speech itself. "It is not the way to talk in this world. That speech needs to be forgotten. It went down with the other traces of the Dark Lord." He said as he walked closer to her, stopping in front of the young wizard. "The elves also would find it inappropriate if you used that tongue. The ones who knew on Middle-Earth would panic because it is the sign of the Lord's presence and his minion's loyalty to him." As it was the speech of darkness, this world should not hear such words; at least this is what many believed in. It was forbidden to speak in Black Speech, even utter a word. Though, it was hard to not say a word or two in it... There were a few in the language of men that came from that speech, mingling with their own. For example the way they call the Ringwraiths. Nazgul is a shorter expression. One of the many examples. "And if respect truly means anything to him, we shall see. For now I do not trust him and would like to live with the healthy doubt for the project. Only time will tell if he truly changed or not. Until then... he will be your responsibility and the elves will keep a very close eye on him." He nodded, then gestured towards the exit which was now freed from the rocks. One couldn't blame him for being so cautious. This was a too fragile and new world. They didn't need a wraith going loose.

  "The Council is waiting."

  Hyano was a little caught off guard by this. She looked towards Ren, wondering if he understood any of that but was sure he didn't. He hadn't been forced to use the tongue of man in quite some time so he likely forgot a majority of it. She waved for him to follow her as they stepped out of the cave.

  "Gandalf he doesn't know any other languages. It will take time for him to learn the language of man again. Exactly how else are you planning on me to speak to him if not in his own tongue?" She questioned honestly. She could understand not using it in front of the elves but the reality was... in order to talk to Ren she really had to use the language. She could start teaching him the language of man again but it would be easier to convey each word's meaning if she could translate it into Black Speech rather than have him guess at it. She could still remember how comical and complicated it was back then in her old shack. While it was truly entertaining... she rather had it easier now.

  "Teach him." Was all Gandalf said, then made his way outside, leading them out of the cavern system, which was still guarded by a few elves, all had their weapons sheathed but it was clear that they were tense, not trusting the creature just yet. It was just natural. They knew his kind and trust was the last thing they want to put in him. He will have a lot of proving to do... "If he truly wishes to be a part of this society with time, he will need to forget who he was and start living a new life. A new life means changes. He will have to accept that. I will make sure to ask for patience in your case but there has to be progress soon." He told her, turning slightly to look at her, knowing very well that he was asking the impossible. The nature of a wraith like him cannot be changed, no matter how much time they give for it. It was like asking an elf to worship the Dark Lord. The same way will a wraith find troubles in abandoning his memory. The darkness itself was holding him back, the very essence of his being. But still... He gave Hyano that much chance to prove this law of magic otherwise.

  They finally made it out of the caverns. The sun was up by now but it was still morning, so it did not yet reach the highest peak. In the mean time, the Nazgul followed after the two, staying silent, of course not understanding much of what was said, so simply gave up on trying, instead he felt the rush of freedom as they finally left the cave itself. He had to hold himself back from running towards the exit, forming his hands into fists, stepping slowly after the two wizards. However, as soon as they reached the very exit to the cavern system itself, Ren stopped in front of it, hesitating for a moment. He shrunk back for a moment, either because it still irritated him or because of the past and the memory of it having a bad effect on him. One was for sure. He despised being defenseless. And whil
e he could see in light now somewhat... it was still scarce. He will have to use his sense of smell and aura to 'see', to watch where he was going...

  Hyano listened but knew there was going to be a lot of work needed that would have to be done away from the sight of the elves. She shook her head and noticed the elves for the first time. ven these parts of the cave was guarded. No surprise, really. They were that way before. Ren could be a full-blown human right now and they would likely still act this way. She felt a jump in her energy for a moment that made her sigh as she was hit by the sun. The cave had an opening in the top, yes, but in the end that was only a limited source of direct sunlight. Only during the hours that it was above them was it any good, though, she did enjoy those hours. The moment only lasted a few seconds before her strength changed again duo to Ren stopping. She looked back and noticed what no one else likely would. His hesitation. She smiled a bit before stepping back and holding her hand out to him. "It's alright." She assured, using some of the few words she thought he might still know.

  The wraith looked at her, seemingly unsure, just staring, then looked down to see where the shadows ended and where the light began. The memory of the irritating sensation was still clear in his mind and no matter what would happen, his first reaction would be hesitation. He looked at her hand, then around, as if trying to check if it was safe before finally moving and slowly extended his hand to grasp hers, then took a step forward out into the light after two weeks of getting used to the dim light and the dancing fire of the torches. He shuddered when the light touched his spectral body under the cloak but he didn't take it as badly as he did the two weeks ago. After a few seconds of adjusting, Ren started to see shapes once again, the blinding white light now giving way to the shape of Hyano, the faint green color of the grass and the orange tint of the wizard's clothing. He shook his head briefly at the unusual ability, before stepping forward again, following the two wordlessly. He didn't want to speak right now. He didn't trust the wizard yet and knew that talking might end in a verbal debate.