Ranger24: I'm saving all of the moments with Roku and Voldemort for later. Okay now the enemy really starts to gain on our hero's.
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Chapter 5: The black riders
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The next few days passed quickly on their journey. They had yet to encounter any real threats or troubles. It wasn't until the reached a large feild that number four came to a halt.
Number four: This is it.
Sasuke: What?
Number four: If I take one more step it will be the farthest away from home I've ever been.
Sasuke walked up right next to him and put his hand on number four's shoulder.
Sasuke: Come on Wally.
And with that Number four went farther from home than he had ever been.
Sasuke: Remember what Sarutobi always said. It's a dangerous bussiness steping out of your door Sasuke. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet there's no telling where you'll be swept off to.
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Number four and Sasuke where wandering down a path. Suddenly Number four lost sight of him! In a panic he ran down the path!
Numbah four: Sasuke! Sasuke!
Sasuke finnaly came into veiw just around a bend. Numbah four sighed wiith relife.
Sasuke: What is it? Whats wrong?
Numbah four: Thought I'd lost you.
Sasuke: What do you mean?
Numbah 4: It's just something Dumbledore said. Don't you leave him Wallauby Beatles. And I don't mean to.
Sasuke: Numbah 4 we're still in the shire. What could possibly happen?
Suddenly three people ran right into them coming out of the corn. Numbah 4 and Sasuke both fell over almost tackled by two of the figures. The third stood there trying to sort out the mess. It was Naruto, Chibi, Taco, Raptor, Rex, Shikamaru, and to their surpise Hinata a member of the Hyuga clan and a close friend of Chibi's.
Naruto: Hey Shikamaru it's Sasuke.
Shikamaru: Hello Sasuke.
Chibi: Hi guys.
Taco: Whats up guys!
Raptor: Hey.
Rex: Hello!
Hinata: Hi.
They all got to their feet. Instantly Naruto and Shikamaru started handing them all sorts of vegtables.
Shikamaru: Here hold this!
Sasuke: What is the meaning of this?
Number 4 suddenly figured it out.
Number 4: You've been into farmer Pickles's Crop!
Suddenly there came the barking of dogs and everyone whirled around to see a scythe!
Stew Pickles: Hey you! Get out of my feilds!
Chibi: Run!!
The seven tricksters and Sasuke ran for it! Numbah 4 who was still holding a couple of cabbages and carrots dropped 'em and ran for his life. As he caught up he could hear Shikamaru trying to explain everything.
Shikamaru: I don't see what he's so upset about! It's only a couple of carrots!
Naruto: And some cabbages. And some potato's from last week. Oh and the mushrooms the week before!
Chibi sighed.
Chibi: Yes, thank you Naruto.
Shikamaru: Yeah as you can see he's clearly over reacting!
Suddenly they came to the edge of a steep hill. The came to a stop right at the edge nearly falling over. Which they did when Number 4 ran into them not realizing they had stopped! They all went tumbleing down the hill and finnaly came to a stop on the road near the bottom. They were piled one on top of the other. Naruto's head had narrowly missed falling into horse dung.
Naruto: Well that was close.
Shikamaru: I think I've broken something.
He reached behind his back and pulled out a snapped carrot. Number four groaned.
Numbah four: Trust it to a human, two dinosaurs, a Dragon, a Nara, and an Uzamki to get us lost.
They were by this time mostly back on their feet.
Shikamaru: We're not lost. That was just a detour. A short cut.
Numbah four: A short cut to what?
Naruto: The mushrooms!
They a looked in the direction he was looking. And there, on the ground and cleanly planted, was a huge cluster of mushrooms. (Just so you know the shire folk love mushrooms.) Instantly Naruto found his face in the dirt again as Chibi, Raptor, Rex, Taco, Shikamaru, and Numbah four ran helterskelter for the mushrooms. Hinata being the shy and silent one stayed right were she was just watching.
Sasuke however had a sudden shiver of dread crawling down his spine. Something in his gut told him all was no right.
Sasuke: I think we should get off the road.
None of them noticed him. They were all to busy scwabling over the mushrooms to take notice. Sasuke then saw a breeze kick up a small cloud of old leaves and then down the road he heard a faint but bone chilling cry.
Sasuke: Get off the road! Quick!
He almost had to drag them into a small hollow in a tree just off the road. They were still handing out the mushrooms when they heard the hooves. Then a feeling of dread griped their hearts. Sasuke took a peek through a small gap in the roots of the tree and saw a tall figure on a black horse wearing a black cloak with a dark hood.
The figure dismounted and nealt dow close to the ground. He seemed to be sniffing for something. And the heros and heroins were utterly silent. Sasuke suddenly felt the almost unbearable urge to slip on the ring.
The others suddenly noticed queer things were going on. (Not that kind of queer!) Insects were fleeing the hollow. Some burrowed into the ground. A spider crawled across Chibi's robe. The Numbah four noticed Sasuke's hand were clutching the ring his eye's were shut. The rider seemed to slowly be moving his sniffing into their general vicinty. Number four grabbed Sasukes left wrist snapping him out of his trance like state. The rider suddenly stopped sniffing.
Then Shikamaru threw an extra food bag onto the other side of the tree and into the bushes making a lot of racket. The figure gave a peirceing wail and ran off to investigate the sound. Our hero's took their opening and ran for their lives! As soon as they were a out of sight of the road they came tto a stop panting.
Naruto: What was that?
Sasuke didn't answer but merely opened his hand. There on his palm was the ring.
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It was dark. Every now and again they heard a peircing wail sometimes more than one at once. They had been running through the woods since they had left the road. Their feet were sore and they were hungry.
Sasuke pressed himself up aginst a tree for cover while and scanned the area ahead with his eyes. Hinata had used her Byukgan so far until her eyes started to over tax her.
Numbah 4: Anything?
Sasuke: Nothing.
Naruto walked up to him extremly exhausted even though that was the case for all of them.
Naruto: What is going on Sasuke?
Shikamaru decided it was time to ask some questions.
Shikamaru: That black rider was looking for some thing.
Chibi: Or some one.
There was a silence.
Hinata: Get down!
They dove for cover as they spotted another black rider at the top of a hill. It gave out a cry then moved off. While they were in cover Sasuke turned to his friends his voice grim.
Sasuke: Number four and I must get to Bree.
Shikamaru nodded.
Shikamaru: Okay buckleberry ferry, come on.
They moved out with as much stealth and speed as they could. Suddenly a black rider came right out of the trees! It let out a cry and a second rider appeared!
Shikamaru: RUN!!!
The hobbits, Chibi, Taco, Rex, and Raptor broke into a full scale run. Sasuke had a bit of trouble getting around them a fell behind!
Meanwhile at a small peir the rest of the party ran onto the peir. At the end was a small hobbit sized barge but it could fit a human or dwarf with some caution.
Shikamaru: Untie the ropes Number four!
They were just moving away from the docks when they saw Sasuke finnaly starting to catch up! But hot on his heels were not one but three black riders!
Naruto: Sasuke!
Chibi: Stop the barge!
Raptor: Opps...
Raptor and Number four had already untied the barge!
Number four: Come on Sasuke!
Hinata: Jump!
He leapt off the edge of the peir and right onto the barge panting. The black riders came to a halt at the end of the bridge and loosed threating cries.
Sasuke: How far to the nearest crossing?
Shikamaru: Brandywine bridge twenty miles north.
That gave them some time seeing as how they were already half way across the river. It would take these black riders twenty miles to get to the bridge then twenty miles to get down to the ferry dock and then pick up their trail.
The black riders seemed to realize this and rode off to get a start on the forty mile ride. As they retreted to the main road which passed the ferry they were joined by two other black riders. The hero's could run but they couldn't hide for long.
Ranger24: Now that was a long chapter. Next chapter our hero's finnaly arrive at Bree. But what new danger awaits them, or allies? Find out tomorrow! Read and review!
