Sailing Away RPG

[Primrose Bolger]

All thoughts of getting the best of the deal with Sondo flew from Sassy’s mind.

They looked like giants to her. Following after Sondo despite his telling her to go back to the others with his message, she’d only had a quick peek before Sondo sent her off again, and already her imagination had them tall as the trolls her Granny had told her stories of. Not bedtime stories, which would have scared her half to death – her and Granny both! No, these tales had always been told in the bright sun, while they shelled peas or fixed the snap beans. It was sunny now, but still Sassy shivered at the images of those tall, rough looking creatures.

She ran as quickly as her little legs would carry her back to where the others were talking and joking and laughing. ‘Shhh!’ she whispered, as loudly as she dared. They looked at her, some with dismissal in their faces. But before any could say, ‘Oh, it’s only Sassy . . .’ she motioned for them to gather near her.

In a low voice and as hurriedly as she could manage, she told them what Sondo had spied. He’d be back soon him she told them to let them know what to do, but until then he wanted them just to keep very quiet.

-o-o-o-

In short time, Sondo had returned and laid out his plan to the others. Sassy could see the boys nodding their heads. And then some began to speak up with additional ideas. But Sassy was scared. She was not as big as any of the boys. The giants would probably boil her up for stew with taters and carrots! Her imagination ran away with her completely and she began to panic.

Edging away from the boys and Sondo, she hurried to a little place she’d noted earlier. Two thick bushes grew near a small boulder. She was just small enough to wriggle in beneath the tangle of roots and thick limbs. Through the thick leaves she could just barely see out, enough to know when to close her eyes and quiet her breathing if one of the Big Folk got near. Sassy settled her back against the rock. She drew her knees tight up against her chest, her arms wrapped round them. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears and she hoped the giants wouldn’t hear it.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Bingo sat off on his own a considerable distance from the rest of the group watching as his friends merrily put forward ideas for squelching the Big Folk. One lad boasted that he was a sure match for any big bully and would be glad to offer himself as bait. Bingo wondered if he really believed that or just wanted to impress the others. For the first time since the fight with Falco, Sondo looked happy and confident, revelling in the possibility of pulling off a trick that would humiliate the stupid lugs and guarantee his own position as leader. For most of the hobbits, their return to Buckland no longer seemed a dull and hungry trek northward, but part of a real adventure.

Unfortunately, Bingo was not so happy. He did not want to be thought of as a coward, and he liked the idea of finding some food, but he was also worried about what might happen. Since his own mother hailed from Bree, he had had dealings with the Big Folk, unlike the other hobbits in their group. Even as a youngster, Bingo had journeyed to his grandparents and had visited a number of their larger neighbors. He had liked some of these Big Folk and disliked others, really not too different from how he felt about some hobbits he knew. But he would never think of a big person as automatically stupid. Bingo had met a dumb Man or two, but he had also encountered some very clever fellows, both good and bad, whom he would not care to anger.

Influencing his feelings was the stark fact that ruffians had killed his parents. All his parents’ sharp wits and speed hadn’t prevented them from being slain on the road back from Bree to Brandy Hall. And the kind of Big Folk that Sondo was describing sounded just like the bad ‘uns who had accosted his parents on their journey home. Bingo wanted nothing to do with such miserable and threatening fellows. Immediate flight seemed like the better choice. Perhaps they could shrink into the thick bushes and nettles where the Men’s horses would be hard pressed to follow. He wondered what Reggie was thinking, but his brother had been quite small when their parents had been killed. Maybe he saw it differently and was not so afraid.

Bingo knew he should raise his voice and say something to Sondo, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The others would probably laugh and call him a coward. Overwhelmed with his inability to do anything helpful, Bingo restlessly sprang up, tromped further away, and plopped down in frustration on a small protruding boulder. Suddenly, he felt a tiny tapping on his foot. Squatting down and peering between the bushes, he caught a glimpse of two frightened eyes staring out at him. He bent down lower and looked inside. There was Sassy curled up like a badger inside a hedge. Even this close, he could barely see her.

“Sassy, is that you? It’s Bingo. Me….. Not one of the bad ‘uns. Stick your head out and talk. I don’t like this any better than you. My ma and da were killed by ugly folk like these, and I don’t relish fighting them. I don’t mean to cause trouble. I’m sure Sondo is doing his best. But I’m mighty afraid we’re about to make a very big mistake….”

[Primrose Bolger]

‘Bingo?’ she whispered. ‘Are the Big Folk near our camp yet?’ When he shook his head no, Sassy poked her face out just a bit. ‘They’ll be here real soon,’ she said, her eyes wide. ‘You better hide, too. Those fellows are awfully big!’

When Bingo made no move to crawl in with her, Sassy peeked out her whole head and took a look about. Seeing no giants lurking in the vicinity, she inched out and sat huddled near Bingo. ‘Sondo thinks he can trick them, you know,’ she continued. ‘But I saw them! They’re lots of them and they’re so big.’ She sidled up very close to him. ‘Do you suppose they have fangs?’ she whispered, shivering.

**********************

Child's post:

Despite his worry, Bingo could not help but smile at Sassy's image of the Big Folk. "Well, they're bad," he agreed, "but not as bad as that. No fangs or horns or anything odd. Just a bigger version of a hobbit. They can be strong but often they're slower than we are. We do have soemthing else going in our favor. Sometimes, when the Big Folk see us, they get so wrapped up thinking how big they are that they can get careless and let down their guard. Let's hope that's so, and that your brother's plan will fool them."

As Bingo talked, he actually felt a bit more optomistic. Perhaps Sondo was right about these srangers and the chances of taking them in with a ruse. "Anyways," he added, "I don't think either of us want to let your brother down. Let's go have a look and see if we can help."

[Firefoot]

Though outwardly maintaining some semblance of seriousness, inwardly Sondo was absolutely thrilled, and it shone through a bit. After having listened closely to their bold statements and latching on to their enthusiasm, he had explained his plan and now they were more than willing to go along with it! Yes, this was the type of situation he knew best.

“Okay,” said Sondo, “I’ll need someone to go with me to take some of the Big Folk’s supplies.” He looked around for volunteers.

“I’ll go with you,” someone piped up. Sondo looked; it was Rory. The promise of a real adventure seemed to have perked him up a bit

“And me,” said another, only an instant following. This time Marroc had spoken. Sondo nodded. “That’s settled then: Rory and Marroc will go with me.” Marroc was trusty enough, but Rory would not have been his first choice for a companion - ever since the day they had split Sondo had gotten the impression that Rory did not trust him fully. He had followed along, though, so Sondo didn’t push it. For now, Rory seemed as eager as the rest of them for this escapade to begin. Except, noted Sondo, Bingo, who seemed less than thrilled with his plan, yet thankfully said no word of dispute, or Sassy, who was just plain scared, but what was to be expected of a girl anyway?

“The rest of you, then,” continued Sondo, “will stay up here and wait for the Big Folk to come over here. You can spread out a bit first, and hide; make them have to look around before anything actually happens. It will just give Rory, Marroc, and me more time. Remember, they’re looking to capture us, no more. Once we’re done, you all will know; we’ll do something to make the Big Folk go back to their camp or something. Then we’ll have to get out of here, and quick. Just like at home when we don’t want to get caught. All right?” There were nods and cries of agreement.

“Good. Come on, Rory, Marroc, let’s get going.” With a jaunty wave to the rest of them, he set out toward the hill with his companions. He held a finger to his lips for Rory and Marroc to stay quiet; the Big Folk could not know of their approach. He led them up to the base of the hill, then stopped.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” he whispered. “We’ll split up; that way if they see one of us, they won’t know we’re all three there. Marroc and Rory, you go around that side-” He pointed to the north end of the hill - “and conceal yourselves as best you can. I think there’s a tree that one of you can use. I’ll go around the other end. I don’t know which way the Big Folk will come over, so make sure they can’t see you, even if it means you have to go a little way away. Just make sure you’re within fairly easy distance of their camp, and can see it. If they leave a man to guard their stuff, well, I guess our best option will be to knock him out with a few well aimed stones. Once they’re gone, we have a few things that need doing. We only take as many supplies as we need and as we can carry. Hopefully there’ll be some smaller packs that we can use, but all I saw was saddlebags. We’ll also cut their horses lose, so they can’t follow us. And we’ll have to figure out some kind of signal to the rest of them. It needs to be pretty fast, too: get in, get what we need, get out. Got it?” They nodded to show that they did and broke off.

Sondo hurried off to his end of the hill and cast about for someplace to hide. He wished for a sparse forest, or even just some undergrowth. But the place was pretty barren. A tree grew off a little way to his right, but he would have to cross about fifteen feet of empty ground to get there, risking being seen. He was risking being spotted as it was, though, exposed against the side of the hill, and so decided it was worth it. The Big Folk seemed concerned about little else beside themselves; they seemed to have finished their lunch and were digging into their saddlebags. He waited until all their backs were more or less turned, and spanned the distance to the tree quickly. He squeezed himself up against the trunk, which was barely wide enough to hide him. He peeked around; they hadn’t seen him. The men spoke together for a few moments, and then four of them took off toward the hobbits, leaving a single guard as Sondo had expected. They carried ropes, and seemingly no more dangerous a weapon than knives. He hoped the others were ready. The time had come.

[Kitanna]

As soon as Sondo's plan was revealed Marroc knew he wanted, no he had to help. He hadn't been very good with the raft, he was not a very good hunter, but stealing he could do. He was used to sneaking into the kitchen and stealing bread or cheese from his mother. Of course stealing from the big folk would be different, but Marroc could move swiftly and softly. He was confident in himself and Rory that they could get away with plenty of food.

He eagerly followed behind Sondo and Rory toward the big folk's camp. He listened intently to Sondo's plan. Marroc nodded in agreement to all the other hobbit lad said. He was about to burst with excitement.

The three split off. Rory had plans of sneaking in from the back of the camp and Marroc would go in from the side.

Marroc crouched low to the ground and watched the big folk in their camp. He smiled to himself as he saw most of the men heading down toward his friends. They had left one guard at the camp. The young hobbit's heart beat so hard in his chest he thought the guard would surely hear it.

He waited a few moments before creeping out of his hiding place. Just like stealing bread or cheese, he told himself. He could see Rory creeping toward the camp as well. They caught each others eyes and nodded to one another.

The guard was keeping his back to their supplies. He seemed to be looking off toward where his friends had gone. Probably wishing he had gone, Marroc smirked. He had reached the saddlebags. He looked up, the guard's attentions was drawn away from the hobbit. Marroc turned his attention away from the guard for a moment.

Marroc slowly reached his hand into one of the bags. He was so quiet, he surprised himself. The guard moved, he looked like he might turn. Then a small rock hit the guard on the side of the head. He huffed and grumbled and headed in the direction it had come. Another larger rock came flying out and hit him in the temple. He landed with a thud in the dirt. Marroc smiled, obviously the work of Sondo.

Rory had joined Marroc and the two began to rifle through the bags.

[Boromir88]

Sondo barely had fininshed his plan when Rory piped up "I'll go with you." Rory felt lonely, and sort of forgotten, the last several days. He wondered if he shouldn't have openly told Sondo his problems with him. He looked into all the hobbits' eyes, wondering if they mistrusted him. Finally something I can do to help, something I'm good at. We've been starving, and I've done nothing except be another person to feed. What could I have done? I've never hunted before. Finally something I'm good at, he thought. This should be easy, it'll be like back at home again. It'll be like borrowing things from my sister. Rory grinned, but what he didn't realize was the possible dangers. Once Rory had a plan of being up to no good, he often ignored the possible consequences; getting himself into trouble.

Marroc came with Sondo and Rory, they set off, and soon halted, where Sondo laid out the plan. Rory nodding his head in enthusiasm, agreeing splitting up was the best way.

They split up Sondo to one side, Rory and Marroc to the other. Rory then told Marroc he was going around the back, and that way they can hopefully trap him. He began to sneak quietly around the side of the hill, until he saw the back of the guard. He nodded to Marroc and Sondo who we both in position. Marroc was such a sneaky lad, he got right in behind him, Rory looked on with excitement.

Then a moment of terror hit Rory, it looked like the guard was going to spot Marroc. The guard began to look around. Rory jumped up, to get Marroc out of there, when a clonk was heard. The guard whipped around to Sondo's side, when another rock came flying in, cracking him in the head, and knocking him out.

Sondo sprang up, alongside Marroc, with Rory. "I suspect he's going to be out for a while and with quite a headache." Rory chuckled. He was glad to see the brute unconscious. "That was a mighty hit Sondo, pal."

[Crystal Heart]

Sam wasn't sure he exactly wanted to steal from the Big Folks. They were so much more powerful then he was, but he wanted to be a hero.

"I will come with you as well if you need me of course," Sam piped up. No one answered him and he believed that it would just be better if he stayed with the rest of the group. Especially Sassy, not that he didn't believe that she couldn't take care of herself, but she was the only girl on this journey and she would be extra vulnerable to the Big Folk. He only hoped that they wouldn't find her. He didn't want to have to hurt anyone, hobbit or Big Folk alike.

[Primrose Bolger]

There were four of them . . . and the closer they got, the bigger they loomed. The light was behind them as they drew close to the makeshift camp, faceless with the sun at their backs. It threw their jagged shadows before them . . . reaching out like dark wraiths . . .

Sassy’s knees shook as she watched them run with their coils of rope hung over their shoulders, their fists balled as they hastened toward the Hobbits. At their belts hung knives, she noted and two of them had large sacks looped through their belts, also. She had her little sling in her left hand and with her right hand she scrabbled through her vest pockets for what few stones she had left.

There was really no plan for those left in camp. As far as she could figure out they were just supposed to annoy the Big Folk, make them keep their attention on the Hobbits in the camp and off the three who were stealing supplies. Her own little plan, thrown together after Bingo ran off, was to jump up from behind the little rocky outcropping at the edge of the camp. Sling a few rocks at the men, then dodge away as fast as she could to somewhere they couldn’t reach her. She wouldn’t let any of them get too close . . . she was a good enough shot she could do that . . .

Two of them had run past her chasing some of her companions before she worked up the courage to put her plan in action. She scrabbled to the top of her rock and swung her loaded sling round and round, taking aim she let fly two rocks, one after another, hitting the man running past her now in the leg and in the arm.

‘I should run now,’ she thought to herself, seeing the stones had hit their mark. But he had growled and turned toward her. She could see his face, glaring at her. Sassy froze, a rabbit caught in a sudden light from a hunter’s lantern. A sudden gasp brought her to herself; she fell from her perch and scrabbled wildly to get to her feet and run . . . just run . . .

Just run! she screamed to herself.

The man she’d hit with her stones was not quick enough to catch up with her. She was going to get away. Hope gave wings to her feet as she flew from him.

But the last of the Big Folk, the one she hadn’t focused on, had seen her, too. And he angled toward her as she fled, his long legs running more rapidly than her little ones. He knocked her down, cuffing her on the side of the head hard with his coil of rope. Sassy fell and he grabbed her up roughly by her collar and stuffed her into his burlap sack. Stars and darkness swam in her head from the blow and the fall as he slung the bag over his back.

‘Got one of the little runts!’ she heard a gruff voice say before darkness took her . . .

[Child of the 7th Age]

Bingo watched in horror as the ruffian snatched up Sassy and stuffed her inside the bag, heaving it over his shoulder. All Bingo could see in his mind's eye was the sad picture of his parents brought low by the nasties who had attacked them on the road. Whatever happened, he wasn't going to let them do that to Sassy. A tiny seed of rage was planted and suddenly exploded inside the usually quiet hobbit.

He lunged down and picked up a pointed branch that was as heavy as a cudgel, brandishing it menacingly in front of him and running pell-mell towards the ruffian who was trying to kidnap Sassy. At the same time he let out a stupendous roar, "Reggie, anybody, come quick. The rascal's got Sassy. We need to get her back."

Bingo came crashing into the ruffian and whacked both his legs with the stick. The rascal had not been expecting any serious resistence and stumbled, sending the bag flying to the other end of the grove where it landed on top of a treestump with a thump. Bingo could see that Sassy was still squirming and sqawling inside. Bingo turned around and lunged for the sack intending to untie it and let Sassy out.

Suddenly from behind, another of the no-goods came sprinting forward and collided with him, propelling him to his knees. The fellow raised up his knife above Bingo's head and, with a wide sweep of his arm, began to bring the blade down with great force. Unable to break free, Bingo closed his eyes and, in sheer terror, waited for the blow to fall.

[Encaitare]

Reggie had not known what to do in the face of the ruffians -- what could they possibly want with a few young hobbits? They looked so tall and strong, and in their presence he was frozen. But with Bingo's cry for help returned his wits, and he scrambled in the direction of the call whilst trying to remain out of sight. He looked worriedly around, hoping he would see Falco or anyone else who might be able to help, but no one was to be found.

As he ran, he saw a figure appear over the top of a large rock -- one of the Big Folk. Bingo had just hit him, and the Man stumbled in surprise. Reggie mentally cheered for his big brother. An instant later, though, another Man was right on top of Bingo. Reggie quickly stooped to find a stone to throw, grabbing the first on he laid eyes on. It was not an ideal stone, but it would have to do, for the Man had pulled out his knife.

Popping up from behind the rock, he threw the stone as hard as he could at the Man who was threatening his brother. The irregularity of the rick meant that it would not knock anyone out, but the shape worked in their favor: a sharp point on it cut the Man's temple. He froze in mid-strike and cried out, slapping a hand to the small wound. Reggie ducked back down again, and though he was relieved that Bingo had escaped certain death for the present, now the Big Folk were heading towards him, following the direction of the stone's throw...

[Firefoot]

Sondo shook his head with a sigh at the motionless figure on the ground. Big Folk, he decided, are awfully easy targets. Much easier than squirrels, or birds, or even Sassy. The last brought a reminiscent smile to his face. So far, the Big Folk were proving everything that he had assumed true: they were slow, unobservant (Marroc had snuck in right under his nose!), and apparently stupid (he had turned right toward the rock throw without a thought of defense!). He had no time to dwell on it, though; already he was hearing some shouts from the other side. They needed to get out of there quickly.

He went to join Marroc and Rory who were methodically sorting through the supplies in one of the saddlebags. They were finding some food, thankfully, as well as other amenities. At least the Big Folk were smart enough to bring along proper supplies.

Rory was chuckling. "That was a mighty hit, Sondo pal."

Sondo cocked his head. "It was an easy shot." He glanced down at the supplies. "Have we got anything to carry this stuff in?" Sondo asked the two.

Marroc shook his head no. "These saddlebags would be very unwieldly to carry around, and the men don't carry packs." Sondo frowned thoughtfully. He was good at improvising, and an idea came to him shortly. Marroc and Rory waited expectantly.

"They have some blankets, right?" he asked. "We can tie the stuff up in those. That should be easy enough to carry away from here." He helped them unfold a couple of blankets small enough for hobbits to carry, and then they started heaping supplies onto them. Sondo dragged another of the saddlebags over.

"Take what you can out of this," he said, "and then tie 'em up. We need to be finishing up here, before our friends can get into any trouble over there. I'm going to go try to free their horses."

He left Rory and Marroc to their work and slowly approached the seemingly monstrous beasts. Their hooves looked quite capable of crushing him. The nearest one, a tall bay, snorted uneasily and lifted its front feet up a few inches. Sondo hesitated. He wasn't afraid. Of course not. He took out his short knife and took a step closer. Then he realized that their reins, which had been tied to the branch of a tree, were out of his reach.

"Hey, I'm going to need some help," he called to Marroc and Rory. The tension seemed to have spread to all of the horses. They did not look comfortable around Sondo at all; the feeling was mutual. Sondo could ride a pony well enough, but that was about as far as his connection to animals went. He hoped one of them wasn't about to kick him or anything. He swallowed his discomfort and continued, "Could one of you give me a leg up? They're tied out of reach."

[Crystal Heart]

Sam was hiding, something that he knew was completely cowardly when his friends were near death at this moment. He watched from his position behind a tree as one of the men started for Reggie. Sam swallowed his fear, took a deep breath, and lunged from his hiding place screaming at the top of his lungs. He ran towards the man, not really knowing what he would do, but only thinking to save Reggie and the others from their fates.

He ran towards the man and smashed into his leg, biting down hard. The man let out a howl and grabbed the back of his shirt, trying to pull him off. Sam pushed his teeth together harder. The man smashed his head, successfuly sending Sam's mind into a tail spin. Dizzy, but determined Sam started swinging with all his might. He could feel his fists connecting with the man's legs. He was again grabbed by the back of his shirt and lifted up. Sam's eyes soon looked into the man's eyes.

"Why you little..." the man gruffed out. Sam spit quickly and punched in nose. The man didn't let go. Sam hit him harder, in the temples in a vain attempt to escape. His mind suddenly remembered the rock that he had found while he had been walking. It was not a large rock, but a rock all the same. He pulled it out and smashed it against the man's temple with all his might. The man's hand slacked and Sam fell to the ground with a hard thud.

Even though Sam could no longer breath, he jumped up and watched as the man toppled upon the ground. Sam gasped a jagged breath and jumped on top of the man, readying to continue his battle, but found that the man was unconscious. Sam jumped off and looked around.

Finally, Sam spied the bag that they had put Sassy in. It lay upon the ground where the man had dropped it. He ran over and opened it hastily, praying silently that the young girl was still alive. He pulled her out and studied her face.

"Sassy? Are you alive? Please please please be alive!"

[Kitanna]

"Could you give me a leg up?" Sondo called to Rory and Marroc.

"I'll help him, Rory, you keep packing supplies." Marroc got to his feet and hurried over to Sondo.

The horses were tense and snorted nervously as Sondo and Marroc came closer. Seperately the hobbits were far too short to dare to untie the animals, but if Sondo climbed onto Marroc's shoulders he might be able to reach. "Come on, Sondo. If you sit on my shoulders you'll be able to reach the ropes."

Marroc bent over slightly so Sondo could climb onto his back. "Move forward slowly, Marroc." Sondo said, once he was on Marroc's shoulders.

Marroc took a few small steps at first. When he was confident in his ability to carry Sondo he moved a little faster. Sondo reached out and began to untie the first horse's reigns. Marroc was surprisingly steady with the other hobbit's weight on his shoulders.

The first four horses were relatively easy to untie. But when it came time to untie the last horse they heard the growls. Marroc recognized it as a wolf's and he forgot that Sondo was still counting on him. Marroc lost his footing and hit the ground with thud. Sondo landed hard next to him.

[Primrose Bolger]

Sassy was dazed from the blow to her head when the sack had gone flying from the man’s hands and landed hard against the tree stump. She heard someone calling her name, but it seemed from some far off place. And then the light flooded into her eyes as the dark sack was opened. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light, somewhat. There was a blurry Hobbit’s face looming over her and when she turned her head, the Big Folk were still near.

Head ringing, her vision still quite blurry, Sassy pushed away at whoever was kneeling over her. She whimpered, then forced the sound to stillness, not wanting to attract the attention of the Men. Sassy rolled over and got slowly to her knees then to her feet. At a wobbly run, she took off for the shelter of what trees were near.

Safe, behind a fate tree trunk, she sunk to her knees, her head reeling from the blow and the run. Quietly as she could, she leaned over and threw up.

[Firefoot]

The sounds of fighting, not too far distant, reached the ears of a wolf pack. They had tracked the short two-leggeds this far in hopes of being led to an area of more plentiful game. Two-leggeds did not make good meat, unless and the wolves did not eat them unless no other choices were available. The wolves were reaching that point now; usually by this late in spring the effects of winter had been entirely erased, but not this year. Game had been scarce, and the gaunt wolves were hungry.

But fighting: who was fighting their short two-leggeds? It was a matter of concern for the wolves, and bore checking out. The alpha male, a rangy wolf with tan fur, rose from his relaxed position with a growl and a few yips. Come. We find what happens. The rest of the small pack, numbering six in total, loped after their leader. As they approached, they crept up a low rise on their bellies to observe the scene below them.

The wolves were quick to grasp the situation; once they did, hackles were not slow in raising and low growls escaped their throats. These short two-leggeds were their quarry, part of their territory, and their fates would ultimately be decided by them. The alpha male’s growl changed pitch: these two-leggeds go too far. They must pay.

With a snarl, he sprung from his crouched position toward the fight, about a hundred yards distant. The other five leapt after him. Instantly the focus of the fight switched from short two-leggeds against big two-leggeds to two-leggeds against wolves. One of the short ones flung a stone at him, which connected solidly with his muzzle. While it was not enough to inflict real damage, it still hurt, and infuriated the leader wolf. He forgot for a moment that he did not intend to hurt the short two-leggeds and attacked the one who had thrown the stone. His miscalculated his victim’s reaction, however, so instead of taking a solid chunk out of the two-legged’s face he only gashed its arm, albeit deeply. Ah, but it was good to taste blood again!

Now, however, the two-leggeds had recovered from their initial shock being attacked, and they had taken out their bright steel weapons. He felt one cut across his side and snarled in pain, turning on his attacker. You will pay, two-legged. You will pay.

~*~*~*~

Sondo

With Marroc’s help, Sondo had managed to cut free all the horses save the last when the first snarls were heard. The horses had not gone far once free, but now, hearing the wolves, they fled in a blind panic. The last horse, finding itself held captive, reared against the restraining reins with a frightened whinny. Marroc forgot for a bare moment that only he was holding Sondo up, backed away instinctively from the dangerous hooves, and lost his balance, causing Sondo to fall hard. He put his hands out in front to break the fall and the moment he hit the ground he regretted it. Pain seared up his left forearm from his wrist. He had no doubt that it was sprained, at the least.

He had no choice but to ignore it for now, though. He sprang to his feet. “Forget about the last horse,” he said, keeping away from the panicked animal. “We’ve been too long; we need to take what we have and go. It sounds like they’re in trouble.” Sondo wondered if it was the wolves he had heard some nights. A shivver ran up his spine. That could get bloody.

Rory hefted the smaller of the two loads up on his back while Sondo, careful of his wrist, helped Marroc with the more unwieldly one. They went as fast as they could carrying the stolen supplies and dropped them off around the side of the hill where Marroc had hidden earlier as they comprehended the horrific sight before them. Quick as a blink, Sondo stooped, picked up a stone, and hurled it at the nearest wolf's head.

"Come on!" he urged the other two. "We need to get them away from here, and leave the wolves and Big Folk to each other."

[Crystal Heart]

Sam was quite offended by the fact that Sassy had pushed him away, but he figured that she didn't realize who he was. He watched as she got up and proceeded to throw up. His heart broke at the sight, but he was unsure of what to do. This journey had changed his heart and his want to be better instead of horrible, which of course was all great and good, but it didn't help him now. His past was filled with horrible behavior and now that he had changed he had no idea how to comfort anyone.

He walked over to her and placed his hand upon her back, grabbing her hair and holding it up and out of her way as she threw up the contents that had been inside her stomach moments before. He looked up and that's when he saw them, the most dreaded thing in the entire world; wolves.

Sam pulled Sassy down to the ground and pinned her. He placed his hand on her mouth and gave her a sharp look.

"Don't say anything," he whispered dangeriously.

[Nurumaiel]

Falco crouched behind the tall rock, breathing as softly as he could and listening to the noises. His previous good feelings at the warm welcomes given to him were now replaced, at least partially, by a feeling of resentment that nobody had paid much attention to him when they made their plans concerning the Big Folk. He was not so foolish as to think they should keep on welcoming him back when danger was near, but he did not like the fact that they had forgotten, or maybe even never realised, that his legs were in no condition to be doing much running and hiding. When the others had all scattered about, he had limped painfully about, looking for somewhere he might hide, as he knew it would be useless to try to help them, unless he wanted to get himself killed and risk the lives of his friends. He had found the rock, and ducked behind it, but wondered nervously what would happen if one of the Big Folk came around it and saw him.

He had heard the strange snarling, and it had not taken him long to realise that there were wolves about. His position behind the rock, he realised, was now useless. Wouldn't they smell him out? He had to find a place where he could be hidden from the Big Folk, but out of reach of the wolves. He began to feel, for the first time on their adventure, frightened. It was not the thought of wolves and Big Folk that frightened him, though that thought was slightly disturbing. Falco was a bold, and slightly reckless lad. But it was the thought that there were wolves and Big Folk about, and that he could not run from them, that struck a chill of fear into his heart.

He heard the tread of feet on the other side of the rock, and realised right away that it was not the light skip of hobbit feet, nor the clumsy stamping of the Big Folk, but the stealthy, pattering tread of a wolf. He had previously consider making his way to a tree and pulling himself up onto it, but that was now out of the question. He looked desperately around, and at last up, and saw the top of the rock he hid underneath. He got softly to his feet, and studied the rock face. It was not sheer, but it was steep enough that a wolf might not be able to follow him up... and steep enough to provide a challenge to climb it, as his legs were sore and aching, and his whole body was rather faint and limp.

Nevertheless, he must climb it for his life, and climb it he would. He found a foothold, a ledge to grasp, and he began to slowly pull himself up. His weak arms rebelled against the strain put on them, his feet against the climbing, but he ignored them. He could hear the panting of the wolf now, and was assured that it was growing closer. For a moment he was tempted to scramble wildly up, despite that he might slip and fall and lose himself altogether, but he recalled something his older brother had told him once and it steadied him. Wolves, he had said, weren't the kind of fellows who ran about eating up little hobbits just for the fun of it. They were rather shy of people, and wouldn't want to go attack and eat one unless they were terribly hungry. Falco drew a little, quiet breath, and continued his steady pace up the rock.

Over the edge and onto the surface he climbed, and looked down. A wolf passed softly by him, lifted its head to look up at him intently for a moment, and then, after that pause, tread on. Falco drew a very deep breath, not caring how loud it was, and began to move towards the center of the rock. He had finished the escaping bit. Now he must hide.

[Kitanna]

“Forget about the last horse. We’ve been too long; we need to take what we have and go. It sounds like they’re in trouble.” Sondo and Marroc were backing away from the horse. The others had fled in their blind fear. Marroc didn't blame them.

Rory had two small packs and Marroc another one. They ran back to camp. It was a scene of chaos. Wolves snapping at the big folk and the hobbits. Sondo grabbed a rock and hurled it at a wolf.

Marroc followed his lead and hit one square on the jaw. The angered wolf turned to him and snarled. Marroc picked up another rock. This time the beast was ready. He snarled at Marroc. The young hobbit was too frightened to move. The wolf lunged at Marroc, Marroc moved aside quickly, but still the wolf caught his leg. As the wolf landed Marroc swung the bag he was carrying and knocked the wolf off balance.

"Come on!" Sondo called, trying to round up the hobbits. Marroc took a moment and inspected his cut. Nothing serious, not even all that deep. Well, that's a relief, he thought as he went after Sondo.

[Primrose Bolger]

Sassy was not about to be held down by some boy, friend or no. First the Big Folk; now wolves . . . now Sam acting . . . acting . . . stupid! She tried yelling out at him that they needed to run . . . run fast . . . and hide. But Sam’s hand was clamped down on her mouth and all that came out was some muffled grunting. Sassy opened her mouth a bit and clamped onto Sam’s hand with her teeth. Not too hard, but just enough for him to let out a squeal of pain. He drew back a little and she pushed away at him with her arms, scrambling out from beneath him.

‘Run!’ she screamed, taking off in an opposite direction from where the wolves and Big Folk were clustered. Sassy ran deeper into trees at the edge of their campsite, heedless of whether anyone else was going the same way. Her imagination kept pace with her. At her heels she could hear a wolf. She was sure of it. A huge beast . . . no, beyond huge . . . gigantic. The wind that stirred her curls as she ran seemed like the creature’s breath drawing nearer and nearer.

If anyone called to her, she did not hear them. Fear ruled her thoughts as her little arms pumped wildly, as her feet flew over the dirt striving to get away. At last, when her breath had grown ragged and her legs heavy with weariness, Sassy spied a tree. A lucky tree, she thought, reaching its welcoming trunk.

The branches grew low enough for her to clamber up onto them and make her way quite high up. She hunkered down in the angle of one of the upper branches and the trunk, and closed her eyes tight for a moment telling herself she was safe. She opened her eyes after a while and looked about her, her ears wide for any sounds. But there were none, only the sound of the breeze in the branches. With a sigh, she lay down on the broad limb. Her eyes grew weary after a short while and shut of their own accord . . .

[Child of the 7th Age]

Bingo peered out from between the branches of his leafy bower; the ground was far below but he had a good vantage point and could see everything that was happening. He had a distant glimpse of Sassy who had raced over to a tree well back from where the action was occurring. He could not tell for sure, but she was slumped over the limb in such a relaxed fashion that he guessed she was asleep. Bingo could hardly suppress a chuckle. Sassy was small and young but she must have iron nerves! He could not imagine falling asleep with the fear that the wolves might uncover their hiding spots.

His own heart thumped wildly against his chest. For the most part, his own companions had scattered and had managed to find safe places to hide: some in trees and others in rocks or climbing up jagged slopes. "The Big Folk, however, for the most part were trying to fight. A number of them were getting the short end of the stick. It seemed to Bingo that they would have been better off trying to flee or take cover. The fact they hadn't done that probably meant Big Folk could be incredibly stubborn and too proud for their own good.

One of the wolf pack had fallen, but a number of the others still fought on darting in and out between the sharp swinging blades. One of the Men had been hurt. Instantly the pack converged on him, tearing at his legs and lunging forward to attack his face and body. In a moment the Man was down. Bingo clung tightly to his branch and wondered how long they would have to wait until the pack went away and he and the others could come out of their hiding places.

For a moment during the fighting he had actually forgotten he was ravenously hungry. Now the gnawing sensation in his stomach had returned. In desperation he even began to wonder what roast wolf would taste like. If the rest of the pack ate their full of man flesh and then ran off, and it was safe to build a fire, he vowed to try a meal of grilled wolf-on-a-stick.

[Encaitare]

He had thought he was done for when the Man started approaching his hiding place, but the wolves proved ample distraction.

That sure was lucky, Reggie found himself thinking, before fully realizing that his situation had just gone from bad to worse. Or maybe not.

He dared not move from his hiding-spot, not wanting to attract the attention of the wolves, in case they thought a nice little hobbit would make a tasty and easy meal. Briefly he wondered whether it would be worse to die of starvation in the woods, or torn to bits by the ravenous creatures. Just stay calm, Reggie, be calm. They'll go away. Keep your head.

Curled up behind the rock, he could not see anything. But he could still hear, and that was more than enough. The snarling of the wolves, the shouts of the Big Folk... a Man's death-cry as he went down. Reggie squeezed his eyes shut tight and wished that he could do the same with his ears.

[Firefoot]

As the wolves turned on the Big Folk, Sondo backed off, Rory and Marroc with him. The rest of the hobbits had scattered. No more did he heed the conflicting groups, and turned instead to his friends.

“Can you two carry the supplies we took by yourselves?” he asked. They nodded. “Okay. Can you take them to that stand of trees?” He pointed to a small thicket about a half mile distant, the way to which was largely hidden from the Big Folk and wolves. “We need to gather together and get out of here, but everyone has scattered. I’m going to try to round them up and send them your way.” They agreed to this plan and struck off toward where they had left the bundles. Sondo took off at a jog in the direction he had seen his sister fleeing. He wasn’t sure how much time he had; already a wolf and one of the Big Folk had been killed, and he did not want to be there when one side prevailed.

He found Sam before he found Sassy. He was hiding out in the midst of a few trees, clearly debating whether to stay there or not.

“Sam?” called Sondo softly.

“Sondo! Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked.

Sondo nodded, not really paying attention to the question. “Look, Sam, do you know where Sassy headed?” He knew that the two had formed something of a friendship.

“She bolted off that way,” said Sam, pointing. “I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Sondo waved his hand. “Okay, fine. Would you go after her? I’m trying to gather up the hobbits. There’s a stand of trees a little way from here, over that way-” he gestured, “Take Sassy and anyone else you see and go there. Rory and Marroc will be heading that way, too; you should be able to find them. And try to avoid the notice of the Big Folk and the wolves, okay? I don’t want them on our tail.”

“Sure, Sondo,” said Sam. The two parted, and Sondo headed off around the perimeter of the fight, not knowing where to look next. The landscape had looked quite barren before; now, however, he realized that hiding spots were actually quite abundant if looked for. It was by pure chance that he stumbled upon Reggie’s hiding spot. Their conversation was brief; Sondo directed him toward the trees and asked if he had seen Bingo or Falco.

“Not for a while,” Reggie answered. “Falco not since before the Big Folk came over here, and Bingo since the wolves came. Do you want help finding them?”

“Just check trees and other likely spots as you go. The sooner we’re all together the better,” answered Sondo.

“All right.”

Sondo continued his search. He was more concerned about Falco than Bingo; Reggie had at least seen Bingo lately, and he couldn’t have gone far. Sam and Sassy might have even seen him. But Falco; he hadn’t been seen for a while, and he hadn’t looked so good when he came back to the group: limping, and tired-looking.

Before looking for Falco, though, he turned an eye toward the battle. Another of the Big Folk was down, leaving only two of them against five wolves, some of them injured. Sondo had little doubt as to the victor of the battle, and he figured the end wouldn’t be long in coming. The Big Folk saw the same thing, apparently, and gave up the fight, running toward their camp. The wolves were in fast pursuit, and Sondo knew the Big Folk did not stand a chance now - the wolves would be a great deal faster, and more agile to boot.

Hastening on, he spotted a tall rock that looked to be a likely hiding spot. He looked around behind it, saw nothing, and was startled by a voice from above, “I’m up here, Sondo.” Sure enough, Falco had managed to make it to the top of the tall rock, or at least some kind of ledge since he couldn’t be seen from the other side.

“Can you get down?” Sondo asked. He remembered now his throbbing wrist, forgotten in the urgency of his mission, and knew that there would be no way he could climb up to help Falco.

“Yes,” answered Falco. He started down, and though he tried to hide it, Sondo saw the difficulty the other lad was having. Falco was in much worse shape than Sondo had realized before. When he was about two feet up from the ground he dropped the rest of the way, whether by design or accident Sondo wasn’t sure. Whichever it was, it seemed to pain Falco to land so heavily on his feet.

“Our meeting place is about a half mile from here,” Sondo explained, tactfully ignoring Falco’s weaknesses. You’re the last one I had to find.” He bit his tongue at the small lie and hoped Bingo had been found by one of the others. “Come on.” He didn’t want to offer help to Falco, knowing Falco was proud that way, but he would gladly give it. Even though he had asked Sassy to keep an eye on him, he had (mostly) forgiven Falco by now, and wouldn’t mind counting Falco among his friends again.

He took a step in the direction of the tree stand. “Coming?”

[Nurumaiel]

Falco bit his lip and hesitated for a brief moment. Of course he was coming. He wouldn't stay behind where wolves and Big Folk could find him. But did he want to go? That was the reason for his pause. It was humiliating to be found hiding on top of a rock, when the others had been running here and there, trying to help. He had had no choice; his sore and achings legs would not have been any help to the others. But it was humiliating, and doubly so because it had been Sondo who had found him. Sondo who still thought ill of him.

And then there were his legs. Whether he wanted to go or not, whether he had to go or not, could his legs support him? Half a mile... half an agonising mile. How could he manage it? How could he think of managing it? He was shaking, and not from the fear of the wolves. His whole frame was trembling, on the verge of collapse. How could he go half a mile to the meeting place? And when they reached the meeting place, what then? They would go on, of course. How could he go on?

"Coming?" said Sondo again, but his tone was not an annoyed, impatient tone. There was a faint smile on his face, which, in the days before their adventures when they had schemed about some prank, would have instantly been called encouraging, by Falco at least. But now he thought of it as nothing but mocking.

He's laughing at me! Falco thought, with a start of resentment. He thinks it is positively ridiculous that I was hiding when everyone else was in the thick of danger, and he's thinking of how he can tease me about it later. And he thinks I'm scared now. He thinks I'd rather stay safely up on my rock. He's laughing at me!

That was not to be borne. Falco threw back his head and began to totter forward weakly, struggling hard not to totter, or at the very least not to totter weakly.

"Yes," he said. "I'm coming."

[Firefoot]

Sondo nodded, inwardly skeptical. Did Falco really think he might make it all the way there without help? Too proud for his own good, he decided, rather hypocritically. In fact, as he led the way toward their arranged meeting place, Sondo became irked. Why wouldn’t Falco just admit that he was tired and his legs were in terrible condition? Sondo would have been more than willing to aid Falco, help support him; but no, Falco had to determinedly go on by himself. And go slowly. Sondo wondered how long it would be before Falco could keep up with a regular pace - if they had to go this rate all the time, they would never get home. Then again, this was Falco he was thinking about; of course Falco would have to be difficult. He always had been.

Guilt pricked at the back of Sondo’s mind. Maybe you haven’t forgiven Falco as much as you thought, his conscience nagged. You’re being more than a little unfair. Weren’t you just thinking that Falco was your friend, after all?

They’re valid concerns Sondo protested weakly. However, his conscience won out. They had walked perhaps a third of the distance when it became obvious to Sondo that Falco had absolutely no intention of asking for help, whether he needed it or not. He stopped and turned to face Falco.

“Look, Falco,” he said sighing. “No offense, but it’s pretty clear that you’re having a hard time. We were friends, once, and we could be still. Do you want some help? There’s still quite a way to the meeting place.”

[Firefoot]

Snarling, the pack tore after the two remaining tall two-leggeds. They gave a bit of a chase, not because it was necessary but more for a bit of sport before the kill. Finally, the lead male could stand it no longer, and growling to the others this one’s mine, he sprung upon the slower of the two, the one that had killed his mate. The two-legged stumbled as the wolf hit his back. Sharp teeth gleaming, his powerful jaws closed around the man’s neck, severing the spinal cord. The man fell limp, instantly dead. The rest of the pack had taken on the final two-legged, bringing it down without difficulty.

The kills were left lying; wolves did not eat two-leggeds. The alpha male now regretted having anything to do with the short ones; they were the ones who had brung this grief upon them. The wolves trotted silently behind him as he approached his fallen mate. He sniffed her hopefully, but there was no life in her. He let out a long, mournful howl. He was joined by the remaining four wolves in the pack, their voices mingling into a single harmonious song.

Finally, the howls drifted off. Come decided the wolf. These two-leggeds have caused us naught but grief, and they approach the Forest Where No One Dwells. We leave; we hunt the bearers of the two-leggeds. Four were freed. The other broke loose only recently. We hunt.

The song of the wolves changed; their mouths salivated, eager for the fresh meat of horse. The lead wolf set the pace, the loping, tireless gait of hunting wolves. Soon, the only sign that remained of them were five dead men and a fallen wolf.

[Child of the 7th Age]

As the sound of the wolves receded in the distance, Bingo climbed down from the tree and walked slowly over to the clearing in the woods where the dead bodies of the Men and the wolf still lay. Several of his companions were also coming out of their hiding places. Bingo's first thought had been to skin the carcass of the wolf and use the meat to feed them before starting on the trail again. But looking at the carnage strewn over the ground, he found it difficult to kneel down and use one of the Big Folk's knife on the animal carcass.

He had no great love for the ruffians, especially after what had happened to his own parents. Yet there was something immeasurably sad about the bloody and torn bodies that lay motionless on the forest floor. "What should we do?" he whispered, addressing anyone who stood nearby. "I think Sondo wants us to troop down to that thicket in the distance. But surely we just can't leave this." Something inside his head told Bingo that was wrong. "Can we burn the body or heap up some stones? If it's safe to do so, burning the bodies would be the fastest......"

[Encaitare]

The sounds of the fight had only continued to grow more severe as Reggie looked for the others -- then a dreadful silence fell. A chilling howl came from the clearing and raised the hair on the back of the lad's neck, and at last it seemed that it was over. He could not seem to find any of his companions despite his careful looking. He chanced calling their names, but still no response came, and so he decided to turn back.

As he entered the clearing, Bingo glanced up at him and the others who were straggling in. He was looking at the dead bodies with a startling sorrow. Reggie slowly approached, transfixed and oddly fascinated.

"Can we burn the body or heap up some stones?" Bingo said. "If it's safe to do so, burning the bodies would be the fastest."

Reggie kneeled by one of the fallen Big Folk and stared. "I guess maybe we could. We couldn't let the fire get out of control, though... 'cause I don't think we could carry enough stones."

Something winking on the ground next to the dead man caught his eye. Closer inspection revealed that it was a small coin, not worth much but not undesireable either. It appeared to have fallen out of the man's pocket. Figuring that the man wasn't going to miss anything of his, Reggie began rummaging through the other pockets. He found several more coins, a good length of string, and some trinkets: two blue beads, a little carven figure of a fox, and what seemed to be a spare buckle of some sort. All this he put into his own pocket, and moved on to the next one, feeling like some kind of scavenger, but hoping nonetheless to find something useful. After all, stealing from dead men was no worse than stealing from live ones.

All in all, what he obtained was mostly unremarkable. A key, a little metal file, a pair of gloves which were far too big for hobbits' hands -- just the simple sorts of things that people were likely to keep in their pockets for one reason or another. But he took all that he found anyway, showing his findings to the others.

"You never know what you might need," he said, shrugging. "They've got knives... d'you think we ought to take those too, instead of leaving them out where other ruffians can find them?"

[Primrose Bolger]

Sassy rose groggily from the limb she clung to. The receding sounds of the wolves in pursuit of new prey had finally pierced her weariness. She squinted, looking toward where she’d run from. It looked clear now, she thought, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes. Perhaps if she went back, the others would be there, too.

Scooting near the tree’s trunk, she hoisted her far leg over and, carefully as she could, made her way down to the ground. She missed a couple of footholds, scraping herself on the face and arms as she struggled for purchase on the rough tree bark.

Things look different now that she was down on the ground. She felt a little turned around now that she didn’t have the vantage point of being high up in the tree. Sassy rubbed her cheek where she’d bruised it and pushed back her straggle of dirty curls. Just a little ways away she could hear the sound of some little stream. It reminded her that she was thirsty . . . really thirsty from her long run. Her face brightened a bit at the thought of a drink. And besides, she thought, she could gather some of the little river stones she liked for her slingshot.

She set off, walking quietly as she could, toward the sound of the rushing water . . .

[Nurumaiel]

Falco averted his eyes from Sondo and considered. It would be practical to accept the offer. They were taking some time to reach the meeting place, and besides the general inconvenience, there was the personal inconvenience to Falco, having to hobble along on his pained feet. But how could he possibly consent to let Sondo, the one boy who had been mean to him at his return to the camp, help him?

He lifted up his shoulders and let them drop again in a gesture of indifference, and began to walk forward again. His gesture signified that Sondo could help if he wanted to, which, Falco thought, was another way of saying 'yes' without humbling yourself too much.

[Firefoot]

Oh, for goodness' sake, thought Sondo, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. Falco might as well just say it: he needed help. Nevertheless, he offered Falco his shoulder and said, "Here; you can lean on me." Falco nodded as if indifferent, but Sondo could see the relief in the other lad.

With Sondo helping to support Falco, they were able to walk a bit quicker. Neither of them said a whole lot, concentrating more on the task at hand. Sondo did not mind helping Falco - he had offered, after all - but he was at least a little annoyed by Falco's pride. Never had he apologized since returning to their camp, and now he barely responded to the offer of help, much less friendship. And until he did any of those, Sondo could not fully trust him. He wasn't even fully convinced that Falco really wanted to join the group again.

When they finally reached the trees, Rory and Marroc were waiting, organizing the supplies taken from the Big Folk. Falco sunk down against a tree trunk. Sondo wondered why it was taking the others so long; he thought that Falco and himself had taken quite some time as it was. He let the others know what he was doing and wandered out to take a look, and saw that Sam and Sassy were approaching, while Reggie and Bingo were still back by the battleground, standing near one of the dead Big Folk. Sondo was too far away to tell much more than that. He wasn't in a hurry, since he figured they wouldn't be getting much farther that day, even if it was only mid-afternoon. Falco clearly needed to rest, and it had been an exciting day for all of them, to say the least. They could build a fire and have a real supper tonight, a celebration of sorts. So he headed back to the other three, figuring they'd get there when they got there.

"Let's get a fire going and cook up a meal," he suggested. "We're not going to go any farther today." Rory got up to help him gather wood while Marroc continued to go through their newly-acquired food. Soon a merry fire was crackling. They speared strips of meat on sharp sticks and began to roast them over the fire. Sondo's mouth began to water as the scent of cooking meat filled the air. They would be eating well from now on.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Bingo had concurred with his brother's suggestion that the two of them gather up the knives and other weapons that the ruffians had been carrying. With the hobbits having lost much of the gear that they had originally brought from Buckland, they could use every replacement that they could find. The two of them had gone around together and systematically collected what was still left on the bodies: an assortment of knives of varying sizes, but also several long swords that were too long and bulky to do either of them or their companions any good.

Bingo had taken one of the smaller knives as his own. He was not thinking so much of using it in a fight, but it would come in handy for gutting fish or small animals, or performing other chores. His brother chose another for himself, and then the two of them walked back towards the grove where Sondo was gathering the rest of the group. A bright fire was lit and, even from this distance, Bingo caught a good whiff of food cooking. At least they would eat well for the first time in days!

[Primrose Bolger]

Sassy makes her way back to the group

Her pockets were full of stones; they hung heavily against her legs, banging rhythmically against her thighs as she walked along. It was good that her pockets were full, but her tummy, on the other hand, was quite empty. Sassy dug deep into the pockets of her vest and searched through her tattered little pack . . . nothing . . .

‘I wonder if the others found any food,’ she sighed, stopping to try and get her bearings. Her little hands were on her hips as she turned in a circle trying to decide where she was and where the others were. She spied a fairly tall rocky outcropping a little ways away from her. Climbing up to the top of it she squinted into the distance until she saw the smoke rising from a campfire. It must be Sondo and the others, she thought, but even if it weren’t them she was going to go there. She would find some way to get some food, even if she had to beg or steal.

It was growing dark by the time Sassy reached the source of the fire. Sassy snuck up quietly and crouched down behind a clump of bushes a little ways away. She could hear hear the voices of people talking to each other . . . and she knew them! It was her companions. Sassy stood up, taking a close look at the group. There didn’t see to be any of the Big Folk about. With a quiet sigh of relief she made her way to the edge of the group as they sat about, eating.

Without a word or nod to anyone, Sassy took a chunk of bread from one of the dishes and a thick slice of smoked pork from another. She sat by herself, her eyes looking warily into the shadows. She was tired and on edge, not just from the events of the day, but of this whole ‘adventure’. She didn’t know if she could stand anymore surprises.

[Firefoot]

As each hobbit trickled into their camp, each helped himself (or herself) to the biscuits, dried fruit, and roasted meat. For the first time since the raft had crashed, they were able to eat until they were full, and everyone was finally able to sit back contentedly. It was at this point when Bingo voiced his opinion that something ought to be done with the Big Folk’s bodies.

Sondo nodded thoughtfully. Even if they were ruffians, it really wasn’t right to just leave their bodies to rot. “I think we should be able to burn them,” he agreed. The others nodded or voiced their agreement. “We better hurry, though,” he added, glancing toward the westering sun. “It will be dark soon.” So they set out to gather the bodies together so that they could be burned, bringing with them a burning branch from their campfire so they would not have to light another fire. Sondo realized that Falco would not be able to help. He stayed behind a moment and told Falco, “It’s all right if you stay here; I understand. You can watch the fire or something. If you want, you could get an inventory of what supplies we have.” They he hurried off after the others before Falco could respond.

The hobbits had already started to move the two Big Folk closest to their camp together. The men were quite large and heavy, and several hobbits were needed just to drag one.

“You know, those other three Big Folk are laying way over there,” observed Reggie. “It might be easier if we were to burn them in two piles, rather than drag those three all the way over here.”

“The fires would be smaller, too,” someone chipped in. The proposition made sense, and so it was decided that they would build two smaller fires. Soon they had piled the Big Folk accordingly, and it was time to light the fires. Certainly it was nothing fancy; Sondo figured they were doing enough in burning the bodies, and that they didn’t need to give them a real funeral. To make sure the fires did not get out of control, the hobbits kept their eyes on them, but from a distance as the smell of burning flesh and cloth was hardly pleasant.

The short trek back to camp was mostly quiet. The sun had set, leaving the world in a dim twilight. Once they returned, some stayed up and talked for a while, but slowly they all turned in for the night. It had been a long day for all of them.

~*~*~*~

Sondo awoke the next morning just as the sun’s first rays crested the horizon. He didn’t get up right away, but laid in place for a while listening to the birds sing and watching the sky slowly turning bluer. When he heard some of the others rustling around a bit, he rose and prodded at the fire with a stick. It hadn’t gone out, but only a few hot embers remained. He figured they could eat what meat they had left over from last night, so they wouldn’t need to use the fire again this morning. He did nothing to revive the fire and joined a few of the others who were digging some breakfast out of the packs. They ate a good meal, though they didn’t stuff themselves again as they had last night. The food still had to last until they got home, so it was back to travel rations.

Once everyone was up and had eaten, they had to figure out how they were going to carry their new supplies. There were very few packs among them, but those they stuffed and agreed to switch off carrying them. The rest of the supplies were folded up inside the blankets again and rigged up so that one person could carry each with reasonable ease. Then they were ready to set out.

Fortunately, Falco’s legs were feeling better this morning, as near as Sondo could tell. He had asked, and Falco had shrugged and made a noncommital sound. “Well, if you’re getting tired again, say something,” Sondo had replied and left it at that. Falco’s attitude was irking him again, and he paid little more attention to the other lad.

They had barely been walking for an hour when a dark line appeared across the horizon. As they drew closer, they realized that there could be no doubt: this was the Old Forest. This revelation was met with varying reactions. On one hand, it meant they were getting close to home. However... the Old Forest was a bad place. Sondo had heard stories, many of which he doubted were true, but the stories had to come from somewhere. Something was wrong with those trees, and nothing else lived there. Yes, the Old Forest was a dark place, and, stories being true or not, Sondo feared the place like he feared little else.

“Well, I guess we start heading more west, now,” mentioned Sondo during their lunch break. “Right now we’re just heading straight for the forest. Maybe we’ll even find the Brandywine again.” So after lunch they traded off packs and set off toward the northwest. Sondo intentionally set a slower pace than what they had been travelling in former days for Falco, who still had not complained but seemed to be getting more worn out again. Sondo soon forgot about Falco, however, as he noticed a slight change in the landscape. It was subtle, but the farther north they got the odder the shift seemed to him. It was almost as if the land was shaped so that it would be easier to go due north. Sondo tried to throw it off as the Forest playing tricks on his mind, but instead he became more and more convinced. For example, the slight rise and fall of the land was such that the land seemed almost furrowed, like a giant rake had been run over the earth. It was not enough to inhibit their travel, really, but confused him nonetheless.

He decided it was too much to ignore when they finally crossed what was tall enough to be considered a low hill. He glanced back at the hobbits, his gaze landing on Bingo. Bingo had always seemed fair knowledgeable about the land and such, and Sondo didn’t think he would call him crazy either. He dropped back and fell into step with Bingo.

He asked softly, “Bingo, does there seem to be anything... strange about the land around here to you?”

[Child of the 7th Age]

“Strange?” Bingo’s voice trailed off as he echoed the central query that Sondo had put to him. “ I’d say there are plenty of strange things about this place. I don’t know if it’s the trees or the land but something is pushing us northward. It’s almost as if we were a herd of sheep, with a herder that’s prodding and pulling us exactly where he wants to go. To be truthful, I don’t like this place. I’d rather veer west and walk down by the river, but there doesn’t seem to be a way of doing that.”

In the last few minutes of their trek, the trees bordering the path had gotten taller and more dense. Bingo wasn’t sure if they were actually in the Old Forest or still on the outskirts. The trunks of the trees looming over them were of varying sizes and shapes; some even had branches hanging low over the trail that seemed to thrust out a limb directly in the path of the unwary traveler. Bingo suddenly remembered stories he’d heard about the Old Forest and how it had goblins and trees that attacked the unsuspecting. He’d never believe any of those till now.

At the very moment when Bingo was thinking how much he disliked being in the forest, a large tree root jutted upward from nowhere and sent him sprawling on the ground, much to his embarrassment and discomfort. Sondo reached out a hand to help pull him up. Once he regained his footing, Bingo noted with a sigh, “Wherever and whatever this place is, I think we’d better hurry along and find a way out. I wouldn’t want to be here after nightfall.” Bingo glanced at his companions and wondered how they were feeling about all this. At least there hadn’t been too much grumbling so far. But he thought he saw shadows of unease mirrored on several of their faces, and Falco looked to be especially tired and wary.

[Primrose Bolger]

Walking along in the Old Forest . . .

‘Out of the frying pan, into the fire . . .’ Sassy could just hear her Gammer saying that old saw. And now Sassy understood it. The wolves and Big Folk had gone away, one way or the other. But these trees . . . they crowded in on her with their dark branches and shadowed trunks. The possibility of getting away from the thick closeness that closed in around them seemed to diminish with each step the group took on the mouldering dried leaves that covered the forest floor.

‘I am never going on another adventure again,’ she muttered. ‘I’m never even going to think about going on another one . . . ever!’

And what were these boys and her brother thinking? Seems they didn’t care a bit about the fact that they’d almost been killed by wolves and gosh knows what by the Big Folk ruffians. How could they shrug that off, she wondered.

Worse yet, she had seen some of them take things from the dead men. Stories from her Gammer about those dead men of old in their mossy green barrows on those Downs somewhere made her shiver. What if those Big Folk that just died came after their things . . . reached out for them in the night with the bony fingers of their fleshless hands? Her stomach lurched, and she swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. She wouldn’t throw up again. Probably just get a laugh from some of the boys and a disgusted look from her brother.

She looked round at the others in a sly manner as they tramped along; sliding her eyes from figure to figure. The light from above barely filtered through the thick branches of the trees. It cast a gloomy pall on the group, sliding in pale, murky bars over the moving Hobbits. Sometimes she could see one of the boys or another as the light heightened their features . . . but their eyes, if they turned her way, were always deep pools of shadow . . . and sometimes they seemed to slide into the shadows altogether where the light did not penetrate. Sometimes her imagination got the better of her and she wondered if she had fallen into one of the scary old stories her Gammer had told at night near the little fire in the kitchen.

And save for their footsteps, it was so very quiet. Oppressively so . . . Sassy was frightened to the bone.

‘Shhh!’ she told herself, clenching her jaw together to stop her teeth from chattering. ‘Just watch out for yourself, Sassafras,’ she thought firmly. ‘Keep your eyes on what’s about you and step along.’ If she didn’t feel brave, she could at least look it.

‘And watch out for the goblins,’ she murmured to herself, drawing her now raggedy cloak about her, her eyes darting round her as she tramped on.

And old piece of verse from one of Gammer’s tales rattled in her little head as her toes crunched through the dried leaves; a little story of a little girl who didn’t care what others thought and always did what she wanted . . . and then just when she wasn’t looking out . . .

They was two great Black Things
a-standin’ by her side,
An’ they snatched her through the ceilin’
‘fore she knowed what she’s about!

An’ the Gobble-uns’ll git YOU

Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!


---------

verse courtesy of James Whitcome Riley - "Little Orphan Annie"

[Boromir88]

Eventhough Sondo had addressed the question to Bingo, Rory felt he needed to chime in as well. "Strange!" exclaimed Rory, "why of course there's something strange about these parts. Can't you tell? I've heard talk that Master Merry, and them, met queer happenings in these woods. And what about Old Maggot? He's-"

Before Rory could finish someone interupted, "Oh stop it Rory. There is definately something queer about these woods, but Maggot is an old fool even queerer for living in near 'em."

"Enough squabbling you two," Sondo said sternly, but not angrily, "We must continue, atleast for a little longer."

Rory walked along near the front, a new strength was in him. He was usually the one lagging behind, but now with nice biscuits in his stomach, and a good sleep he felt invigorated.

Rory looked at Sondo who was leading the way. He didn't like how Sondo sent him and Marroc back to the supplies. He wanted to help Sondo and also get a taste of the action. He was forced to sit and pace, while the wolves were about, and everyone else was in danger. I suppose someone needed to stay back when the others returned, and there was no sense of running around alone with wolves about, but why couldn't I help? He might as well just told me what my pa used to say when he went out, "Who's goin' to look after your Ma if you come with me?" Ma could have looked out for herself, and Marroc could have too, so why couldn't I help? What Rory didn't understand was that Sondo was actually protecting him.

[Firefoot]

Sondo bit his lower lip. Bingo's (invited) and Rory's (uninvited) comments had confirmed his suspicions. There were more forces at work here than simply eight hobbits trying to return home. Something about the very nature of the landscape was against them, driving them on against their will deeper into the forest. The shallow dips they had encountered earlier were becoming ravines, and they were getting harder and harder to climb out of. The hobbits were getting edgy, too, as Rory's scuffle had proven. He glanced around and saw Rory looking at him queerly. Sondo flashed a grin, though it felt weak under the oppressive mood of the forest.

Presently another ravine appeared in front of them as if out of nowhere, the deepest and steepest one they had yet encountered. The opposite side appeared undercut, and Sondo doubted they would be able to climb out the other side.

"I don't think we should try to climb through this one just yet," he said. "Let's try following it south. Maybe it will get shallower." Sondo thought it was south, anyway. He was starting to get turned around. They had gone barely ten yards, however, when it was almost as if the dirt underneath their feet began to crumble away. Feeling himself falling, he scrambled to get his footing. Someone behind him tripped, though, and knocked Sondo over. The ground yawned open in front of him, and he felt himself falling head first as the bottom of the ravine rushed up to greet him. He found himself accompanied by about half their troupe. He could not see over the edge, but all seemed to have settled out.

"What happened?" someone asked behind him. No one had a clear answer, and everyone's tale differed slightly. The only consistency was ending up on the ground, whether in the crag or on top. Sondo looked up hopelessly. No way were they going to be able to climb back up; both sides were slick and undercut, and at least two feet over his head.

"I don't like this," he muttered. The sun was sinking low, and like Bingo he had no desire to be caught in this place at night. Already the Forest was growing more sinister.

"Didn't we have a rope left over from the raft?" he asked. Everyone dug into the supplies, and one skinny rope, perhaps ten feet long, was turned up. An end was let down, and Sondo grabbed ahold. "I'm the lightest," he said, "and I'm not sure this will support me. Try to pull me up, and I'll brace against the sides." He felt the slack go tight, and he was slowly pulled upward. He was about to grasp the edge of the ravine and hoist himself up when someone shouted and the rope slackened again. Sondo fell back to the bottom, and Rory came right behind. "That tree root tripped me!" he complained.

"There goes that plan," sighed Sondo. "The rest of you, stay away from the edge so you don't fall in, too. It looks like we're going to have to follow this ravine after all; the southward way looks impassable." He hesitated, noting the growing shadows. "And everyone? It looks like we're going to be spending the night here. Be on your guard. This place... I'd bet anything that it's far more dangerous to us than those Big Folk ever were."

[Primrose Bolger]

Had her throat not been so dry from lack of water and from hurrying along at breakneck speed on her short little legs, Sassy would have squeaked at what she was hearing. ‘It looks like we're going to be spending the night here. Be on your guard!’ she heard her brother say.’ The shadows of the trunks and limbs grew thicker and thicker. ‘This place... I'd bet anything that it's far more dangerous to us than those Big Folk ever were.’

Sassy made herself as small as she could, pulling her cloak tightly about her. She didn’t want to be touched by those shadows; she didn’t want to spend a dark night here beneath these bad, spiteful trees. With no wind to stir them, a scattering of dry leaves came pattering down on her head. She brushed them quickly from her, casting a mean look up toward the hovering branches. Again the branches moved a little, creaking against one another, laughing rudely at her discomfort as if they could sense her thoughts.

The boys were gathered close to the edgo of the ravine. Sassy eased herself in among them, letting their bodies shield her from the forest. She found herself standing near Falco. Curious at how he was taking the news of spending the night here, she glanced up at him. He didn’t look as brave as he had back at the river . . . but a small, shrewd look crossed his face once, and was as quickly smothered, as Sondo talked.

Perhaps she should keep an eye on him . . . bad enough having to contend with the trees without adding in any of Falco’s bad ideas. Or maybe she could just take care of the whole thing by pushing him over the side of the ravine . . .

She giggled quietly then stifled it as some turned to look at her. She squinted up at the nearby trees and pursed her lips. The forest, it seemed, was giving her some queer ideas. She looked slyly at Falco, wondering . . .

[Kitanna]

Marroc trudged along with the other hobbits, carrying some of the supplies in his bag. He did not like being in the Old Forest. His Gammer had told stories about this place. Stories that were frightening enough to scare the hair right off a hobbit's foot.

But his Gammer had also said if he ever found himself in questionable surroundings to whistle. She believed whistling chased away the bad and scary things. So, walking along with his friends Marroc whistled. Softly, mostly to himself. He wanted to tune out what Sondo and Bingo were saying about this place. Best not to know, he thought.

The hobbits moved along, encountering pit after pit. Slowly the pits were becoming ravines and sooner or later they were going to come across one they could not cross. Marroc just kept whistling.

~*~*~

"I don't think we should try to climb through this one just yet," Sondo remarked, looking over the edge of what looked like an impossible ravine. "Let's try following it south. Maybe it will get shallower."

There was simply no way the hobbits were going to get across. So the group followed Sondo, in what he believed was south.

They had not moved far when Sondo lost his footing and tumbled down the ravine. The ground moved beneath Marroc's feet and he, with most of the others, tumbled down into the ravine. He landed on top of Bingo. Rolling off, he apoligized. "So sorry Bingo. Hope you're not hurt."

"Didn't we have a rope left over from the raft?" Sondo asked.

A piece of thin rope was found and Sondo decided to try to climb up first. He was close to the top when the rope loosened and he went tumbling down again. Rory's head peered over the side. "The tree tripped me!"

Not good, Marroc thought. If trees were tripping people and edges of ravines were throwing people into their pits, who knew what would happened the farther they traveled.

"It looks like we're going to be spending the night here. Be on your guard." Sondo said.

The hobbits were divided now. Half in the ravine and half still above. What happened when they went farther and they discovered there was no way out. What would happen to their group then?

[Firefoot]

As the hobbits moved on, they had no choice but to go as two separate groups, one group travelling on the edge of the ravine and the other forced to make their trek at the bottom, though they kept each other in sight as much as possible. They had not gone far when night began to fall. The dark, shadowy wood became darker and and more menacing. Sondo would have sworn that the trees were talking to each other. The branches seemed to be moving, but not so that one could see them move. It felt like they were reaching out, preparing to snatch any or all of them up at any given moment. There was a sound like wind in the branches, except the air felt dead to Sondo. He found himself glancing over his shoulder numerous times, looking for an invisible menace. Though the evening air was warm, he wished he might have a cloak to draw about himself. All he wanted was to be out of this horrible place. As the deep ravine drove them further and further in, however, he became increasingly fearful that they never would. He was now a firm believer of every single one of those stories about the Old Forest. But, wait! The stories had to come from someplace - that meant hobbits did get out alive. There was hope. Sondo would like to know how they had managed.

As the twilight faded, Sondo called a stop. He refused to go blundering about in this place in the dark. He did not know where this ravine led, and who knew what the trees might do to those up top? "What do you think? Should we build a fire?" he asked. He wondered if a fire would make the trees angry at them. Of course not - trees couldn't be angry. He tried to laugh at himself for the silly notion, and found that he could not do it. There was some uneasy murmuring, but no decisive answer.

"Maybe with already dead wood?" someone up top suggested. Sondo could not tell who in the fading light.

"Yes; let's do that," said Sondo, trying to sound sure. Some wood was gathered by those not trapped in the ravine. Part was let down, and tinder was brought out. Soon there were two small fires going, one on top and one on bottom.

"Sleep if you can, I guess," said Sondo. "No need to set watch. I doubt many of us will sleep anyway." He reclined against the edge of the ravine. He could not even bring himself to close his eyes. Fine - I admit it! I'm terrified of this place. I'd let Sassy call me Bunnymuggins every day for the rest of my life if it meant we could get out of this place in one piece. Admission did not help, though. He still could not sleep, and he doubted he would at all this night.