Chapter One – A Shot in the Dark (A Past; Lost in Space)

-xXx-

:Road to The Shire:

08:45 pm

Many people from Bree-Land had said not to travel past the seventh hour during the Autumn and Winter months. Those nights were strictly forbidden by the Thain of each village and town, a curfew being set in motion to keep the ones who could not defend themselves safe. The Shire, most diligently, had gone so far as to have guards with dogs patrolling the outskirts occasionally. Normally, nothing besides the local wild life would dare journey through The Old Forest simply to try and rob The Shire folk of their trinkets and carvings. But then again, no one would think to steal anything from the gentle Hobbits that live in the rolling hills. They had nothing of extreme value, save their gardens and well tended holes. None of them cared of gold or jewels, unless it was the color of their clothing. All of them, including their distant cousins of Fallohides and Stoors, were simple people who loved the earth in all its glory and a home cooked meal.

That wasn't to say the more dangerous predators prowled along the borders of the thick woods.

It was darkening quickly, the sky overhead a faint pink color that was blending into the navy blue of the night. The wind was beginning to pick up as well, looming trees swaying against the breeze, their leaves fluttering to the ground silently. It was cold; the air chilling swiftly as the sun set and the moon rose in its place. It cast a pale light over the land, shadows erupting in its wake and crawling along the forest trees to create somewhat frightening images. Nothing moved as the white moon slowly made its way across the midnight blue sky dotted with twinkling stars. Everything was quiet and calm.

The was, until a small horse drawn cart noisily navigated itself down the dirt pathway that lead to The Shire. Despite what was told to them, the small Hobbit couple driving the cart had decided to attempt traversing the shaded road. It was a foolhardy thing to do and they could have easily waited until the sun had made its ascent the next morning but both were rather excited to show off the small bundle held in the arms of the arms of the female Hobbit.

BrambleRose Knotwise nee Peatfingers was in a celebratory mood and it could not wait until the next morning. Her husband, Togo Knotwise, had warned her against the dangers that lurked around The Shire's forests but she wasn't about to let a gloomy thrush of trees stand between her and their daughter's celebration party. There was sure to be a great uproar of happiness and congratulations throughout her distant family, as well as Togo's. Her cousin would be so pleased to know that lonely, unmarried BrambleRose had taken a husband not too long ago and already had given birth to a beautiful little girl. She peered down at the wild curls on her daughter's head, an affectionate smile gracing her lips.

During the pregnancy, nothing had been amiss and the labor had gone smoothly. The only thing to have given her any anxiety was the very pale tone of her baby's skin and the shocking, vibrant red hair that curled atop the head. On both sides of their families, dark and light hair were common but nothing so beautiful as the color of the reddest rose had ever been gifted to either of their family lines. BrambleRose had dark blond hair that rested on her shoulders in light, bouncy curls. Togo had a dark chestnut brown that seemed black in certain lights, straighter than hers but no less thick. It was quite a surprise when her daughter had come into the world with such hair, though she and her husband didn't love her any less for it. In fact, such hair color was a commodity among Hobbits, whether they be Fallohides, Stoors or Harfoots. And in light of her unique coloring, BrambleRose had taken a liking to a name that fit her well; TigerLily Iris Knotwise. While the name Rosie-Posie had seemed like a wonderful idea, her daughter's fighting spirit and pale pigment changed her mind.

TigerLily suited her very well indeed.

BrambleRose was snapped out of her reverie when a loud howl ripped through the night air. Togo brought the pony to a sudden halt, eyes staring around in the shadows. His posture was stiff and a hand had left the reigns to hold it protectively in front his wife. He knew they shouldn't have ventured out into the night, knowing what kinds of animals lay in wait for them. But her excitement at finally being able to show off their beautiful little fauntling around their relatives of The Shire had been adorable and he couldn't say no to his wonderful wife. He was definitely regretting their situation at that moment, of course.

For a few moments of uneasy silence, there was no other sound to follow the frightening howl but as soon as Togo hesitantly prodded the pony into trotting forward, more wolf cries split through the quiet. His instincts, soft as they were, reacted immediately and he snapped the reigns, causing the pony to gallop. BrambleRose held onto TigerLily tightly, her other hand grasping the seat firmly so she wouldn't fall off during the escape. Her hair stood up on her pimpled skin as the call of several wolves echoed behind her and she reached over to grab Togo's arm.

"Togo!" she whispered urgently, glancing back behind the bumping cart fearfully. Togo was grim faced and snapped the reigns harder, ordering the pony to gallop faster without words.

Suddenly, a shadow moved left of the cart and BrambleRose gave a small whimper as she recognized it as a wolf. They were following them. Togo had to get them away; she couldn't let those animals get her baby. She tightened her grip on a still sleeping TigerLily and slid closer to her husband as he did his best to drive away from the prowling wolves. Fear rising quickly inside her, BrambleRose nearly meshed with Togo's side as more predators began running alongside the right of the cart. They snapped their jaws tauntingly at her feet, making her swallow a squeal and raise her legs underneath herself. Howls and barks, mocking and jeering in their own language called out to her and she couldn't stop the tears that leaked out of her clenched lids.

Then, without warning, a wolf nearly the same size as the pony jumped at the startled equine and caused it to topple into its side. The cart was upended onto the ground and BrambleRose screamed as she landed in the soft grass, curving her body around TigerLily to protect her from the impact. It woke her up, unfortunately but her cries would need to be dealt with later – if there was a later, that was. Togo immediately scrambled to his feet and stood in front of his wife, whipping out a rather wicked looking dagger from his trousers. As a Fallohides Hobbit, it was proper to carry at least one weapon on their person at all times, be it dagger or ax. It would not let them free without scrapes and bruises but they might just live to tell the tale.

Wolves of every size formed a circle around them, snouts curled as they growled lowly, bodies tensed for an attack. The wolf that jumped the pony prowled through the ring, head held high and BrambleRose instantly knew it was the Alpha of the pack. If the poise and regal air around the animal didn't tip her off, it was how every other wolves moved back to give it room.

Togo wrapped a tense arm around his wife's waist, heart pounding as he stared off with the Alpha. BrambleRose was shaking, trembles that were easily seen in the gloom of the night and he didn't blame her one bit. Togo clenched his jaw and he glanced at his crying daughter, frightened wife and he knew that he needed to try his best in fighting for their lives. When it had just been himself traveling alone in the wide open spaces of Middle-Earth, there hadn't been anyone else to worry about. Ever since he married and recently had a child, the instincts he'd seen his cousins, uncles, and friends show was beginning to make sense. Before he wed, he'd never known what it was like to have another person to protect. He hadn't known the feeling of not being alone. And his little fauntling, his beautiful TigerLily; she was only ten summers. She hadn't yet experienced life. His spine straightened and he clenched his hand around the dagger, glaring hard at the wolves surrounding them, even as he could feel his heart racing in fear. Togo wasn't embarrassed to admit he was frightened – only an idiot wouldn't be terrified of the creatures before him.

But he also wasn't scared of defending his family till his very last breath was gone.

Everything went quiet; the wind died down, the birds quit chirping, the trees were still. None of the wolves were growling, the air was thick with tension and stagnant with fear. BrambleRose and Togo, as well as a quieted TigerLily, shook as they tried to keep their eyes on every wolf. Then, the Alpha threw back its head and howled loudly, baying to the moon. It was overhead, slanting pale light across them as they faced off with the hungry animals. Chills ran up Togo's spine and for whatever reason, he knew the attack would happen any moment. The other wolves joined in, a chorus of jeers that resonated inside his bones.

"Rose, when I say so; run." Togo said to his wife hoarsely, voice hushed in the silence even as it grated gruffly with his sadness. BrambleRose's eyes snapped to him and her eyes filled with tears, mouth falling open in shock.

"Togo... no..." she whimpered, hand grasping his sleeve with a shaking hand. He didn't take his eyes off the surrounding wolves for a moment, eyes trained on them with an intense glare. But he could feel his heart breaking at his love's voice.

"Rose, you know you have to. Lily... s-she needs you to keep her safe– " Togo bit off his sentence, voice choking as tears rushed to his eyes, "She needs to have one parent around."

BrambleRose didn't have time to respond, only giving an aborted cry at his words before everything fell apart.

Togo didn't know how he caught the movement, minuet as it was but he pushed at BrambleRose's shoulder roughly to shove her out of the way when a wolf from her left jumped.

"RUN!" Togo's tone had risen, his voice resounding in the forest and BrambleRose flinched at the angry plea she heard. She didn't want to leave him, she couldn't let him die but he wasn't giving her a choice in the matter.

She shouted wordlessly in a desperate attempt to keep herself from leaving him but the pack took that as incentive to charge them. Every single on of them dove at the same time and she only managed to escape by a mere foot. Togo, however, was caught in the fray and it took everything inside of her to keep fleeing. BrambleRose felt her heart shatter as the sounds of howls and snarls echoed from behind her, tears of desperation running hot down her cheeks. TigerLily was clutched tightly to her chest and began wailing loudly at the fast pace BrambleRose ran. She didn't have time to quiet her fauntling; she had to get away. Togo's loud yells of battle, low but resounding, grew faint as she lengthened the distance between them. Her feet were growing tired, legs turning numb from the cold seeping into her bones but she couldn't stop. Her husband may be dead but her daughter wasn't and while BrambleRose hadn't wanted to listen to his plea, she couldn't leave her little girl without both parents.

Howls erupted suddenly and BrambleRose paled, skin turning a creamy ivory at the noise. Heart beating wildly and skin chilled ice cold through her simple shawl, BrambleRose sprinted as fast as she could into a clutch of trees. While the idea of climbing with a bundle in her arms wasn't an ideal one, it might be the only chance of saving her child and herself. But as she raced through the woods, darting past oaks and sequoias, she heard the wolves gaining on her. Sobs tore from her throat, eyes burning as tears trailed down her cheeks as she ran but she didn't stop. Not when she heard her husband's scream of pain, not when his gurgled cry was silenced abruptly by what she tearfully imagined was lupine jaws full of sharp fangs. BrambleRose couldn't stop herself no matter how badly she wanted to turn back to see if her Togo was truly dead or not. TigerLily needed to be safe and she was the only one to do it. Determination welled inside her – bitter and angry – and she gritted her teeth as she tried to find a suitable tree that would hold her weight without snapping a branch.

Panting heavily, she saw a tall tree that held many sturdy seeming branches directly ahead of her. She almost smiled in relief but instead, she cried out in pain as sharpened teeth grabbed hold of her thin ankle and brought her to an abrupt halt. Twisting in the air as she made friends with the dirt beneath her, arms around TigerLilu tightly, she used her other leg to kick the muzzle of the wolf – hard. It yelped, immediately letting go and backing off, giving her enough time to scramble to her aching feet. The wound around her ankle was beginning to burn but she thought nothing of it and hurtled around felled logs to escape the animals chasing her.

'It's useless,' BrambleRose thought as she gasped for air, jumping over a large tree in her path, 'they're too close and there are too many of them.'

Intense sadness filled her and she choked down a sob, hating what she had to do but knowing it was the only thing to keep her fauntling safe. BrambleRose inhaled deeply and pushed her tired body to run faster. She managed to make it ten to fifteen paces farther than the wolves and nearly giggled with hysterical glee. There was nothing happy about what was happening and it would only become worse. The Stoor Hobbit found a tree with a hallow in the base, deep into the wood where they couldn't reach anything placed inside. Tears leaked out of her drying eyes and she hiccuped as she stopped, almost falling over with how abrupt her halt was. Crouching quickly, she stared at her strangely quiet child and caressed a chubby cheek softly, wishing to Yavanna that she didn't have to do it.

"I love you, TigerLily. Please don't hate your father and I..." BrambleRose sobbed quietly, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead, "We love you so much." She placed TigerLily inside the hole of the wood, covering her up with fallen leaves and moss. Sparing another sad glance at her fauntling, she picked up her skirts and ran.

BrambleRose made as much noise as possible, picking up a stray stick and hitting the trees with it to generate sound to distract the wolves from finding TigerLily. It might not work and she might already be dead but she had to try. She'd never forgive herself if she didn't. Unfortunately for her, her ankle decided to give out at the worst possible moment and she fell to the ground with a grunt. Almost instantaneously, multiple wolves crowded in on her.

'Please, Yavanna; keep my baby safe. I'm coming, Togo. I'll see you soon,' was BrambleRose's last thought before a set of terrifying jaws descended on her. She screamed as agonizing pain suffused her body, burning in her throat. Her vision clouded, only white fur stained with red blood filled her sight and then...

-xXx-

Hidden in the tree, TigerLily stared at the inside of the darkened space. While only ten summers old, she had some sense of what had happened around her. That nice lady with pretty hair, her momma she thought, had put her inside of a dark place and she didn't like it at all. Tears welled up and spilled over her plump cheeks as she began to cry in earnest. The sound echoed from inside her spot and it startled her, causing her cries to turn into wailing. She was scared; she wanted her momma.

Then, a sound from outside her hiding place made her stop for a moment but she just sobbed harder to gain the passing person's attention. TigerLily wanted to go home and see that light haired lady, and dark haired man again. They were nice and had the best hugs. And she was hungry. The sound grew nearer and she paused her sobbing when something strange appeared in her vision. It didn't look like her momma and papa. She didn't know what to do as it came closer, nuzzling something wet into her face. It tickled and TigerLily giggled despite her sadness, grasping at the hair on the things face. It made a sound, deep and rumbling, making TigerLily smile widely. Papa made the same noise when he laughed. The thing opened its mouth and grabbed the cloth swaddling her, pulling on it until she was out of the dark place. She blinked at the scenery around her and stared at the big white spot in the sky. It was pretty; shining up against a dark blue canvas.

Suddenly, more things like the one nuzzling her appeared above her and she blinked again. They looked like the one holding her cloth but different at the same time. Each one had varying shades of the same color but not. Some of them also had their mouths open and it didn't look like they were happy. TigerLily whimpered and tried to cuddle closer to the thing that held her nicely. It made that same noise again, only deeper and sounding more unhappy, making the other things back away with their heads down. TigerLily blinked away some tears and looked up at the white haired thing. It stared down at her, yellow colored eyes shining in the light of the spot in the sky and TigerLily was entranced at the pretty color. It almost looked like momma's hair but darker. She giggled again and rubbed her own face against the soft hair on the thing's face. A low sound came from it and it vibrated through TigerLily's body, tickling her.

Then, it closed its mouth on the cloth and picked her up. She closed her chubby fingers around some white hair and held on as she was lifted into the air. It began to walk and the movement was calming, despite how cold it was. She could feel herself falling asleep quickly and she turned her face into the soft hair again, letting it keep her warm.

Images of her momma and papa flashed before her eyes as she dreamed. Another lady – tall, wearing a pretty green and brown dress – stood in front of her and smiled softly, eyes warm. She crouched over TigerLily and ran a gentle hand down her cheek, skin like smoothest silk. The chill that was biting at her immediately left, replaced with a heat that sank into her bones.

"Be at peace, my child." The pretty lady said, voice like the wind; light and airy, "There will be troubles in your life, and there will be hardships. The gifts I bestow upon you, on the morn of your birth, will help you on your adventures in life. Indeed; powerful and strong. Many shall fear you but be not afraid, for you will find your place among those who care for you. You shall be loved and looked after."

The beautiful woman smiled sadly, a mar on her otherwise perfect face and it seemed as though the sun had left the sky. But the happy countenance returned swiftly and the world brightened once more.

"Now sleep and gain your strength, my little she-wolf; for you shall need it."

Then she disappeared in a swirl of earthy colors and pictures of laughter, life and love stayed in TigerLily's head throughout the night.

-xXx-

End Chapter One