Another day, another dollar, or chapter in this case. Why do I tend to avoid action scenes again? Oh yeah! It's because I can't write them worth a damn. So I apologise in advance for parts of this chapter.
Nadalada: I know what you mean and it's a difficult one! The ninjas do tend to use more contractions etc but when I tried giving them more modern speech it really jarred with everything around it. Hope it isn't bothering you too much!
Keep reviewing folks, still haven't got a job!
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The twilight was gathering as the ninjas prepared to leave Rivendell. After their talk with Boromir they had withdrawn to ensure their affairs were in order before they had to depart. With their packs full, weapons sharpened and re-dressed in their dark travelling gear, they stood at the gates of Elrond's palace for a final debrief. Sai held open the map Elrond had copied for them on parchment thick enough to withstand repeated folding out in the wilderness. In the interest of safety their route to Orthanc was not marked in the hope that they could conceal their purpose from their enemies until Saruman was eliminated. Aragorn, steeped in the knowledge of the area around his adoptive home, had indicated the most recognisable landmarks in order to keep the ninjas on track. In the presence of a ranger and an elf the fellowship had little chance of losing their way on the journey south. Elrond feared that the same could not be said for the ninja who were completely foreign to such simple matters of the world as directional signs in the common tongue. Gandalf was reassuring; after all they had found their way to Rivendell without issue.
The elves had estimated that it would take around two to three weeks for the Fellowship to reach the Gap of Rohan, if not more depending on the fortunes of the journey. The ninja, far more used to travelling under time constraints, could make the journey in around two thirds of that time. With an extra two days ahead of the fellowship there would be more than enough time to reach Isengard and plan their infiltration. Once the deed was done it would be a simple matter of avoiding Saruman's followers as they retreated to the Gap to await their comrades. Gandalf was sure that those under the wizard's command would scatter once their leader was dead. The ninjas were less easily convinced but were prepared to take Gandalf's word until they had investigated the situation to their satisfaction.
The hobbits looked at once anxious that the ninja were leaving the safety of Rivendell and uneasy at the task that lay ahead of their new friends. They had discussed the matter of the planned assassination amongst themselves the previous evening. Although their conclusions had gone unsaid it was clear they all wished to remain as oblivious to the actions of the ninjas as they could. The others warriors of their acquaintance found the matter distasteful – running contrary to their personal ethics regarding combat – but the hobbits found it frightening. Pippin had been quick to defend the ninjas and pointed to the swords they had carried before entering Elrond's lands. They had been and would be in danger again that was not of their making and they would have to protect themselves to ensure their task was completed. The others had agreed for a moment until Merry very quietly reminded them that there was a difference between defending oneself and emerging from the shadows to strike down an unaware opponent. In the short time they had known the three ninjas they had become comrades, friends, and it was difficult to imagine them as cold-hearted killers. There was surprisingly little comfort in the knowledge that Saruman would have a far quicker and less painful death than they if he was to catch them.
The air around Gimli and Leoglas was uncomfortable as the two had fallen into an argument earlier in the day that had become out of hand. Aragorn had caught them almost at each other's throats near the training grounds as Boromir attempted to separate them without success. The Gondorian had much experience pulling apart warring soldiers but not in cases where the combatants felt the expectations of their races on their shoulders. Several things had been said that were not representative of their ages and maturity. Aragorn had been forced to strongly reprimand Legolas in elvish while Boromir talked Gimli down from his frothing rage. The two men had come to an accord not to inform the others of this latest flare of hostilities between the elf and dwarf in the hope of preserving as much optimism for the quest as they could. Unfortunately it was not possible to keep it from anyone when Gimli and Legolas insisted in having words with each other in the hallway outside Gandalf's room. The wizard had not been amused and had delivered a stern lecture on the dangers of the quest ahead and how the fellowship could not suffer internal tensions in such dark times. He threatened that if they could not act like the adults they were then they would be left behind, their spaces amply filled by the ninjas who had disappeared to avoid being pulled into the disagreements. Now they stood at opposite ends of the group thoroughly chastened and with frosty expressions.
Gandalf was still irritated over being forced to remonstrate with those far too old to be acting in such a way. Boromir and Aragorn merely looked weary at the prospect of facing more rowing during their journey, especially on so little sleep as they would be afforded. Elladan and Elrohir had felt honour-bound to support their fellow elf even if they secretly agreed with their father that the arguments were petty and ridiculous for the most part. Arwen had sensibly chosen not to involve herself beyond listening to Aragorn complaining of the incessant backbiting that was sure to occur in future. Elrond was too concerned with the ninjas to give the matter of internal rivalries much thought but felt he would have to intervene before the fellowship left his lands.
Hearing the buzz of night time insects starting to fill the air Naruto began shifting, eager to be on their way. Reaffirming their course for the last time with Elrond Sai nodded and folded the map away onto the pocket on his chest under his cloak. The three then bowed deeply to their hosts and began fastening their porcelain masks to re-conceal their identities. It was extremely unlikely that they would be recognised by the enemy but their outlandish appearances would raise suspicion. If the elvish scouting parties were correct and the spies of the dark were everywhere the less commotion they caused the better their chances of success. Saruman would not be unprotected and was anything but helpless but if they could avoid adding to the wizard's guard the easier their task would be. Naruto's mask was shaped into a snarling fox's muzzle with red and orange accents around the eyes for luck. Sai's was completely flat with heavily accented eyes and lips in the style of a kabuki mask. Sakura's was shaped like a dragon's maw, a fierce expression revealing many teeth. They had been given their masks when they had achieved ANBU rank and the designs had been chosen by their superiors to show what they had revealed of themselves during the application process. They had shown them to each other and chose not to comment on how apt they were for fear of offending each other.
When they pulled their hoods up to cover their hair and the final traces of their identities the hobbits began to understand how they could carry out the acts they did. The anonymity afforded by their uniforms created a disconnection between what they were ordered to do by their village, and now to help destroy the Ring, and their actual personalities. Bowing once again they turned and walked through the gateway out towards the wilderness. The fellowship followed to watch them leave and there were several gasps of surprise as the ninjas suddenly accelerated to leap into the branches of the trees and disappeared from sight.
Gandalf leant on his staff as Merry and Pippin rushed past him in an attempt to catch another glimpse of their new comrades. He understood the value, the sense, the necessity of what Sai had proposed but he still found it lay uneasy with him. Saruman had been his oldest friend, his closest confidante and once a being he had respected above all others. Although he was far beyond the reach of reason it still pained Gandalf to know that he would no longer walk the earth as he had for so many ages of man. Saruman was more powerful than nearly any in Middle Earth but only so far as wizarding combat went. He had known Gandalf so long he could read his movements with ease and would ensnare those of this company as they would have to approach him in the open. Gandalf could only hope he was not allowing the ninja to walk into a danger they could not overcome. By the tight expression on Elrond's face he felt the same despite his initial reluctance to accept them. Slowly the group turned back to the palace to prepare for their own departures.
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After a few hours travel Naruto suddenly dropped into a dead stop, Sakura and Sai immediately falling into fighting stances behind him in response. While Naruto's sense of smell was not as adept as Kakashi's or Kiba's it was superior to theirs and he had caught the stench of something on the wind. They instinctively suppressed their chakra although whatever was ahead of them was unlikely to sense it unless they actively tried to make them do so. However Aragorn had spoken of wargs that seemed to have extra-sensory perception above that of other creatures and may have felt their chakra if they were moulding it so their instincts would continue to serve them well. Naruto held up a fist and they began to creep forward to investigate the source of the smell. Soon Sakura and Sai were able to smell it too and soon wished they were downwind. It was a combination of rotting meat, rank body odour and dank wet fabric. As the smell became stronger they could hear voices, harsh, guttural voices that were speaking in a language they did not recognise. In the trees they moved silently forward in an attempt to identify the speakers before deciding what course of action to take.
There were a group of creatures camped in a small clearing near a stream up ahead. The dawn was not far from breaking and they seemed to be preparing to shelter from the light of day. From the descriptions the fellowship had given them they appeared to be orcs. They were shorter than most of the men and elves they had seen so far and were hunched, bandy-legged and twisted in strange ways. Their skin varied in colour from almost translucent to almost black and all were covered in ugly scars. Their eyes were the worst. With no discernible pupils and black, red or milky white in colour rolling in often weeping sockets they were unnervingly inhuman. Gandalf and Legolas had been fighting orcs for centuries and had passed on as much of their experience as they could in the short time they had available. Orcs tended to use crude weapons, often with fearsome ragged edges and always filthy in the hope of creating a wound that could poison a warrior even if it was not immediately fatal. While they were cowardly they loathed other races that were not loyal to Sauron and were possessed of intense physical strength when they desired to destroy their opponents. They did use bows but were not renowned for their accuracy – however the shafts they used were cruelly barbed so if they landed a lucky shot it often caused terrible damage. Behind their masks the ninjas calculated the numbers and physical strengths against their own. Sai did not think this small band was the one that had made the camp the scouting party had seen. The elves had thought at least a dozen but there only seemed to be half that in this group. It reassured him that he had made the correct decision in convincing Elrond to risk his subordinates to protect the fellowship - there were clearly more and more enemies gathering.
Naruto turned to his two comrades and raised his hand, palm up and fingers extended, in the universal sign for 'what shall we do?' Sai motioned 'six' and Sakura pointed her thumb back the way they had come to remind them that the fellowship would be following a similar path. Naruto tipped his head up to calculate the remaining hours of darkness – the orcs did not seem to be able to sense them despite their being in the trees merely a few feet away but the daylight may give them away. Sakura put her hand to her face with her fingers curled to her thumb to indicate that at least two of the orcs carried horns. If they did not neutralise them immediately then they could raise the alarm and they would be swiftly outnumbered. Orcs were not the most dangerous foe but it was likely they could hold their ground until their reinforcements arrived. As they gestured the orcs began to settle down to sleep, leaving the thinnest and most delicate looking orc awake as their sentry. He did not have a natural warriors build but he had large bat-like ears and twitched fearfully at the slightest noise, his eyes rolling furiously in an attempt to identify it.
Finally Sai shook his head and pointed to their path ahead. Naruto waved his arm frantically, the sign they had developed to allow him to express his exuberant personality without resorting to shouting. Sakura cocked her head to the side in an attempt to work out her comrade's reluctance to engage the enemy. Sai gestured to the path ahead again with more emphasis. Making a face that Sai couldn't see Naruto nodded and lead them slowly around and away from the orcs' campsite. Sai followed and Sakura brought up the rear, casting a final look at the orcs they had spared. Her friend had evidently seen a factor that they had not considered – his ROOT training may have stunted his social development but all its members had been masters of reading a tactical situation. It was how they had stayed undiscovered so long in a village full of ninja who opposed their very existence. Up ahead of her she could see Naruto's shoulders were tense. He enjoyed the challenge of measuring his strength against new opponents and was disappointed that he was not allowed a chance after being cooped up so long in a regimented environment such as Rivendell. It was testament to the strength of the bond the two men had formed that Naruto was willing to cede on the matter. In their younger days he would have argued his course until the sun had risen. They had been travelling for near the whole night and even if Naruto chose to push them harder to burn off his excess energy it would not be long before they stopped and Sai could explain his reasoning.
Another hour later Sai looked back to her to confirm his suspicions that Naruto was refusing to stop because he had not allowed him to fight. Though he could not see her wry smile he could see the amusement in her eyes and shook his head, turning back to their course. After a few more moments Naruto began to slow – ahead of them there were some weather-stained ruins that would provide cover for their camp that even in his ill-humour he could not forego. Pausing to allow their senses to survey the area they could see no sign of any living creatures. It spoke of how the enemy was polluting the area around Rivendell that despite it being a little after dawn there was no bird-song, nothing emerging from a burrow to eat and drink the dew. It was as silent as they had ever heard a place and Sakura found it unnerving. The three of them dropped from the trees and slowly circled around to view their stopping place and reassure themselves that it was deserted. The ruins were little more than a low wall and the remains of a crumbled tower that the ground had not yet reclaimed. However it was more shelter from the cold wind than there was likely to be within a few miles so they unrolled their beds near the tower. Against the wall Sai gathered some undergrowth and a few twigs together to create a fire. As they were choosing to sleep through the day and travel at night a fire was less likely to reveal their position. Sai had helped Sakura work through the Uchiha archives when the compound had been cleared to provide more housing space and had been taken with the way the Uchihas had wielded fire. Naruto was an expert at creating and controlling large fire-bursts – neither Sakura nor Sai had chosen to comment on how similar these were to Sasuke's. Sakura could create fire easily but lacked the chakra reserves to use it on the same scale as her friend. Fire did not really play to Sai's skills but his technical ability with chakra was unrivalled and he was particularly adept at producing the small, smokeless fire he was currently bringing to life so they could heat some food and water.
Sakura unpacked their rations and unhooked the water tin from Naruto's pack. She threw it to him and pointed down to their left where they could distantly hear running water. Nodding, he stalked off although the tight set of his shoulders was starting to loosen. With the fire burning without the need of his attention Sai took over the dinner preparations as Naruto had not been merely attempting to make their hosts laugh with his remark about Sakura's cooking ability. When Naruto returned they made a swift and easy stew from the dried items the elves had prepared for them. Food always calmed Naruto, even if it was not Ichiraku ramen and he pushed his mask to the side of his head so he could see Sai more clearly.
"So why did we leave those orcs alive?" he asked.
Sakura tapped the implement she had been told was a spoon against her lips, "The fellowship will follow this route, shouldn't we have helped clear their path?" she wondered.
"Those orcs do not see the carrier of the Ring to be a threat. They would travel in larger groups and not rely on a single scout to inform them of danger. There is clearly some level of communication as they are spread out around Rivendell to provide better chances of catching Frodo. Therefore if we were to destroy a camp the others would realise that there was more danger than they previously thought," Sai answered.
"Then they would start taking it more seriously," mused Naruto, starting to see the sense of Sai's actions.
"Then it would make it harder for the fellowship when they pass by," finished Sakura, nodding along with their explanations.
Sai swallowed a mouthful before continuing, "The less prepared the enemy is the better their chance of making the journey. Those orcs would have posed no threat to us but in greater numbers and more wary they could have been worse for a group with four members with no fighting experience. Also, if what Gandalf said about Saruman having dominion over creatures such as birds the information may also reach him before we do."
Naruto rubbed the back of his hair, looking sheepishly at his friend, "Mah, I'm sorry Sai, I didn't think about it like that."
"That's alright Naruto, you're still thinking that everyone has the same skills we do, like we're still in Konoha," said Sai, smiling slightly.
"I keep doing it too Naruto, we wouldn't have trouble so why should they?" grinned Sakura, reaching over to punch Naruto lightly in the arm.
Naruto smiled, rubbing his arm where Sakura's fist had landed. Sai seemed quietly relieved that the group dynamic had returned to normal. The three of them had been friends for so long that he recognised it was irrational to worry simply because they were having a disagreement but he still felt anxious during these times. Sakura rolled her eyes at him fondly as she saw these thought processes crossing his face and told Naruto to get some sleep. Sai always took first watch as it took him the longest to fall asleep and preferred to know all was definitely quiet before he slept himself. Sakura's was the more difficult middle watch as she was far more used to awakening and returning to sleep after a task due to her work at the hospital where she was often summoned in the middle of the night. Naruto found it easy to sleep with his two friends close by and often needed the longest stretch of unbroken sleep or he became irritable so the final watch was best for him. As Naruto and Sakura settled close to each other and the fire Sai leaned back against the stones and watched the Middle Earth morning develop.
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The fellowship had been travelling for two days when they came across an abandoned orcish camp in a clearing near a river. Thankfully the creatures that had made it appeared to have moved on but they had left their mark in the damaged undergrowth and scored trees. As the others walked past once Aragorn had declared that they were safe, Legolas frowned as he ran a hand along the ruined bark. He tipped his face up to express his sympathy to the tree, though these woods had long turned silent to his kind, his keen elf-eyes caught sight of something in the higher branches. The moss coating had been disturbed recently, within days. Stretching to look closer he could see it was in the shape of footprints, as if someone had been crouched in the tree for a time. He smiled to himself, glad to see that the ninjas were heading in the proper direction, when a commotion arose from the direction the fellowship had gone.
Pulling himself into the trees he could see that the ninjas had moved straight past, still heading south. He changed course slightly, veering to the right to work out the cause of distress without revealing his presence. His first thought was that perhaps the orcs that had made the camp had not moved as far as they had hoped. However as he caught up to his comrades he could see that it was a wolf-pack. At first his blood ran cold, they were larger than most and his initial thought had been that they'd stumbled over the warg-pack that the scouts had spoken of. However a warg-pack would have already fallen upon the fellowship as their insatiable hunger and the maddened, inbred hatred of other living creatures would have compelled them. The eyes of the wolves were alight with an unnatural glow as they were prey to the whims of their enemy but they seemed hesitant to engage the fellowship. Boromir and Aragorn formed a bulwark that the wolves would have to overcome to reach the others as Gimli and Gandalf stood with their weapons drawn corralling the hobbits into the centre of the group. The hobbits had also surrounded Frodo in a protective circle and had drawn their own swords which were little more than daggers when compared to those of the others. The wolves snarled and snapped, pacing in front of the two men who brandished their swords and stood firm. If these were wargs then one or two would have already broken from the group in an attempt to circle and attack from behind. As it was, one wolf was retreating slightly and Legolas shrugged off his bow and fixed it in his sights should it attempt that manoeuvre.
The leader was the one to watch as its actions would determine those of the rest of the pack. It was a large male and from its colouring the father of at least two of the other wolves that made up the group. The unrelated animals had been most likely drawn to this familial pack under the will of the either Sauron or Saruman as there was little cohesiveness in the way they moved with the others. As far as those with experience of these animals could see the main danger was that these creatures were clearly starving. The shadow of evil that followed the servants of the dark lord had scared away all their food sources in the area and their pickings had become very lean. It would be near impossible to scare away a hungry animal when it was confronted with a food source, especially one as appetizing as Bill the pony. Bill formed the final side of the square that surrounded Frodo but was pawing the ground fitfully and if he chose to bolt he would surely drag poor Sam along for the ride as his bridle was clutched in the hobbit's free hand. Legolas saw the moment the lead wolf decided the risk was worth the price of a meal and let his arrow fly to take out the wolf that would have used the distraction to attack from behind. The fellowship watched its body fall but could not react as the pack lunged almost as one.
Boromir threw his shield in the path of the lead wolf, catching it on the jaw and knocking it off its course towards the hobbits. It landed heavily but regained its feet almost immediately and Boromir was forced to follow it, pointing his sword in the hope of catching it through the heart. Aragorn stood his ground as a large female came snapping at his throat, his blade held sideways between his hands against the creature's neck. Another arrow came singing from Legolas' bow but did not immediately kill the wolf advancing upon the hobbits as the two men could not check its approach. The shaft was lodged in its upper shoulder and Gandalf advanced, confident that its injury would slow it down. Gimli moved more firmly in front of the hobbits as he recognised, in his own head at least, that Legolas had their rear covered from the trees.
The lead wolf jumped at Boromir and he suddenly lost his footing on the damp ground. The cry of dismay from the hobbits drew Legolas' attention from them to the Gondorian. Boromir hit the ground hard and his sword arm jarred painfully where the elbow had hit the ground. Years of experience kept his hand grasped on the hilt but it his arm was sluggish and would not respond. He had pulled the shield to protect his chest so the wolf clamped its jaws around his exposed arm. It had powerful jaws but could not pierce his skin as his vambraces withstood the crushing force. He struggled against the ground but could find no purchase to heave himself up or away from the animal. He heard a yelp that came from over by the pack as Legolas prevented the others from getting close to Boromir. Suddenly a huge weight descended on his chest, pinning his shield-arm. Aragorn had flung the carcass of the wolf he had managed to slay into the body of the leader distracting it enough to release Boromir's arm.
As Boromir heaved the body off and scrabbled backwards to regain his feet Aragorn focussed on the leader. Behind him he heard the hobbits gasp and there was the thick thudding noise of a heavy battle-axe being buried in flesh. Gimli was muttering to himself as he pressed his foot into the body of his kill to leverage his axe free. Gandalf had slain the wolf Legolas had injured so the leader posed the real danger. Having been unable to finish off its prey it was more wary of Aragorn and afforded Boromir the time to stand at Aragorn's shoulder, putting himself once again firmly between the hobbits and any danger. Risking taking his eyes from the wolf Aragorn looked to his fellow. Boromir felt Aragorn's eyes on him but did not move his gaze, merely inclining his head to show he would follow Aragorn's lead in this matter. Heartened, Aragorn gained a better grip on his sword and began side-stepping in the hope that he and Boromir would be able to encircle the beast. Legolas readied an arrow but from his position was unable to be sure of an unobstructed shot and could not risk hitting either man. The wolf was strong but the lack of food had weakened it and its thought processes were slowed. So intent was it on Aragorn that it failed to see Boromir approaching from behind with his sword drawn. He lunged forward, pushing the blade into the animal's side as Aragorn took advantage of its distraction to run his sword along its throat. With the leader slain the last two wolves, two of those not of the leader's pack seemed to be able to shake the spell of their enemy and fled.
A silence descended over the fellowship as they took stock of the first real test they had faced on this journey. Boromir and Aragorn nodded to each other as they sheathed their weapons and Boromir swung his shield back over his shoulder. There was still tension between the two but there was a sense it had lessened as both were prepared to fight together. The hobbits were breathing heavily, both terrified and exhilarated. Frodo was clutching his shoulder, his eyes closed in relief while Sam fussed over Bill. Legolas descended from the trees as gracefully as if he had merely stepped down. Gandalf read on his face that he was planning to make a snide remark to Gimli and gave him a warning glance. Gimli was also given such a look and conceded that now was not the time to damage the positive atmosphere that had developed on their victory.
On seeing that all was well and Boromir's arm did not appear to be damaged beyond some heavy bruising under the vambrace, Gandalf motioned that they should continue before the noise of battle drew any undesirable attention their way. Fuelled by adrenaline their pace was swift and before nightfall they were able to reach some ruins that Aragorn had spoken of that may have sheltered them from the elements better than most. Gandalf denied the hobbits a fire, still concerned that their presence may have been marked, so instead the fellowship settled down for the night. Sam, Merry and Pippin fell asleep almost immediately. They were unused to the harsh travelling speed that Gandalf demanded and tired easily. Legolas and Gimli settled themselves at opposites ends of the camp in a show of restraint, a mutual accord not to incite any trouble at present seemed to have developed between them though it was unspoken. Aragorn and Boromir had laid their packs close to each other – relying on each other to wake and alert them if there was danger. As the fellowship began to fall into slumber only Gandalf and Frodo remained awake.
The moon was full and illuminated their camp enough that it was a simple matter for Frodo to pick his way around the others to sit at Gandalf's side. The wizard smoked calmly, utilising his skill to prevent the smoke rising into the air and revealing them. Frodo's face was pale and lined with the stress of unnecessary hardship and pain at the wound that had not yet healed. It was not a fate that Gandalf would have chosen for him but he had long ago recognised that at times things that happened were simply meant to happen.
After a few moments Frodo spoke, "That was not the worse we will come across, was it Gandalf?"
Gandalf drew a lung-full of smoke as he considered his answer. Frodo was a bright hobbit, far too like his uncle, and would likely catch any attempt at blind reassurance. He carried the Ring now – he had to know what the task entailed.
"No Frodo. That was not the worst. In fact I would say that it was perhaps the least of the danger this fellowship will face," he replied, choosing to stress the unity of the fellowship to prevent Frodo thinking that he would have to face anything alone if it could be helped.
Frodo nodded, the grave expression on his face revealing that he had evidently expected such an answer. Already the burden of the Ring was starting to distance Frodo from his fellows. The other hobbits had been overjoyed that they had defeated the wolf-pack and were already talking of what they would do once the Ring had been destroyed. The confidence they held in the fellowship was a light that Gandalf could not bear to see extinguished but the wolves had been merely the first taste of the dangers that lay ahead. Frodo evidently recognised that, and for Gandalf that was the true sadness of the matter.
"Do you think Naruto, Sai and Sakura fare well, Gandalf?" Frodo asked, looking up at the wizard.
Gandalf smiled down at him, "I should think so," he replied, "Look there, on the bricks above Legolas."
Frodo squinted over to where the elf lay, his eyes open in the manner of his race as they slept. The moonlight poured from behind a cloud and revealed to him some strange characters etched into the stone. They were not runes as dwarvish was, nor was it the sweeping, beautiful text of the elves. Instead it seemed to be almost a half-way point between the two. Frodo had never seen a script like it before.
"What does it say Gandalf?"
"I do not know my boy. It is definitely their script but I could not tell you what it means."
"Then why did they leave it?" Frodo asked, frowning over at the script. It was a short message, but clearly seen.
"You must remember Frodo, the enemy cannot read it either," Gandalf paused to allow Frodo to think on the issue.
After a moment the answer came to Frodo, "It is a sign that they have passed this way?"
"Indeed Frodo. They cannot communicate with us for fear of drawing our enemies down on either themselves or this fellowship. However as the enemy will not recognise their writing they felt it safe to leave a message for us. The words are unimportant; it merely shows that they are well."
Frodo stared out into the darkened woods that lay ahead, "Do you think they'll succeed Gandalf?"
Gandalf huffed on his pipe, "You have quite enough troubles, young hobbit, to start carrying the burdens of others as well."
Frodo nodded at the wisdom in these words, though he knew he would not be able to stop fretting over their absent comrades. As he settled in his bedroll he glanced at the message they had left and resolved to ask them what it said when they met again.
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R/R
