Origo backed away a bit, his eyes never leaving Diamond. Diamond shook his head and stopped.
"What is up with you?" she asked, having no idea about the truth.
But Origo's behaviour was very different. Diamond looked down at her son. He was still crying.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, knowing that he would be.
Diamond took one last look at her puppy and walked out of the room. Origo's small eyes followed her until she was out of sight.
Ivy then came fluttering back though the wall.
"Puppy?" she asked, fluttering closer.
But she did not receive the same response as the first time. Origo did not growl or jump for her. Instead, he stood there, a little bit confused as to what was going on.
"Abira wants to see you"
Ivy took a deep breath, knowing that Origo did not know anyone. Ivy quickly thought about how she could take Origo with her.
"Maybe Abira would come here" she thought, looking back at the wall.
For a few seconds, the fairy did not know what to do. She took a deep breath and looked back at the puppy.
"Alright, wait here" she said, fluttering her wings and flew towards the wall.
The next second, Ivy was gone again. It took a minute or two to reach Abira again. But she was not in the same room. Ivy fluttered towards the door and out of the room.
"Where are they?" Ivy thought, looking around.
She fluttered to the next room. but it was an empty bedroom. The bed was still untouched since the time it had been made by Pearl.
The room was colder then the rest of the house. The door was shut. But that did not bother the fairy much. The fairy fluttered though the door. Even though she could not feel warmth or coldness, she knew that the corridor was warmer then the room then she had just left.
A noise echoed down the hall way. It was the only sign of life. Ivy's small wings propelled her along. The small fairy flew though the door to the other side.
The kitchen looked like any other hobbit kitchen. A large oven was sitting by the fireplace. The fire was crackling in the heath. Two girls were sitting around the table.
"But she can't do it all by herself" Pearl told her sister.
Both had a mug of tea before them. Lunch was only a few minutes away as a chicken browned. Vegetables had been prepared and were now boiling or roasting.
Pimpernel took a deep breath and picked up her mug.
"All we can do is let them sort it out by themselves" she told her sister.
But Pearl did not think that that was a good idea.
"But Pippin is not himself these days. Ever since he went away, he has changed" Pearl pointed out.
The two sisters knew little of what had happened to their younger brother on his trouble. They had only heard drunk stories about what had happened. But neither of them knew if it was just drunken banter or the truth.
"He has just grown up, that's all" Pimpernel said.
Pearl took a deep breath and looked deep into her mug. The tea was now quite warm as she drank the last bit. The two girls made eye contact. Pearl smiled as she placed the mug back on the table mat.
She took a deep breath and got up. She left the mat there and walked around the table to the other side. A thick cloth was then picked up. The chicken was ready to serve up. Pimpernel got up from her seat as well as a wave of warm air came from the oven.
Pearl slid out the heavy bird and placed it on the worktop. The oven door was then closed. Pimpernel got up from her seat as well.
She grabbed the two mugs and placed them by the sink. The table was then cleared of bowls and tables mats were placed out.
But neither of the girls knew that Abira was now on a very important mission. She was standing in the bed room, looking at a small green light. The light was radiating out from the small fairy.
"And, he would do it?" Ivy asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
Abira was looking around. she needed to get to her Origo very quickly.
"Will you take me to him?" she barked.
Ivy took a deep breath and looked out at the door. Muffled voices came from the other side, a sign that the hobbits were busy.
"Alright" she said, looking back.
Abira ran up to the door, but it was not a jar. Abira had been sleeping on Pimpernel's bed. Yet there was still hope for the little puppy.
The small fairy fluttered to the door. She looked at the handle, her small hand touched the metal of the handle and it clicked open. The door swung back.
"Come on, we need to be quiet" Ivy said, looking around.
Abira nodded and trotted forwards. She looked back, knowing that it would be tough for her Pimpernel. But she had to do it.
The puppy and fairy exited the room into the warm corridor. Ivy fluttered there for a few seconds, looking around. She knew that she could not leave the puppies in wild by themselves. Especially in the coldness of winter.
Abira was already making her way towards the front door. Ivy took a deep breath and fluttered down the hall way. Abi was looking back, waiting for her.
"Are you ready?" Ivy asked.
The puppy gave a small nod and looked back towards the
door. As before, Ivy fluttered up to handle. There was a small click and the door opened. A cold wind blew into the house.
Abira snaked her way though to the outside. Her fur blew in the wind as the door closed behind her. Ivy closed it with a louder bang then normal.
She stopped, listening to the other side of the door. She did not want to give away what had happened. Ivy knew that if Abira was caught then Ivy would have to take Origo by himself.
After what seemed like a minute, Ivy looked down. She smiled and fluttered to the puppy. Abira watched her come closer.
"Come on, lets go" she said, smiling.
The pup quickly turned and scooted off. The gate was closed, but that was no obstacle for the small puppy. She simply hopped though the gaps. Ivy smiled as she fluttered over. Abira, trotting quicker then normal, led the way.
Origo was still standing in the exact same spot that he had watched the fairy disappear from. But there would be no appearances from the same wall again.
Origo yawned, feeling something strange come across him. Sounds were echoing down from the kitchen. Sounds of crying. Faramir was being fed.
Diamond took a deep breath as she tried to feed her son. But he was not having any of it.
"Come on, eat it like a good boy" she said, placing the spoon near his mouth.
But this made him cry even more. Diamond now had no idea on what to do. She placed the spoon back and looked down at her son.
Pippin then slowly crept into her mind. The note had been circulating around in her head since she had read it. She seemed not to escape the image of Pippin. Even looking at her own son, Pippin could be seen.
The chair was then pushed back and Diamond got back up.
"Maybe he needs more sleep" she thought, walking out of the kitchen.
Origo could hear the noise of the baby grow louder. Origo backed away as Diamond came in the room. She looked at her puppy, but did not talk to the pup.
The crying baby was placed back in his cot. Diamond smiled and walked away. Origo was now looking at a specific point in the space before him. Diamond wondered what Origo was doing. But she did not make it known that she was watching.
"She's just outside the front" Ivy said to the puppy.
Origo looked blankly at Ivy.
"Come on, lets go to the door" the fairy said, fluttering towards the opened door.
Diamond noticed that Origo's eyes were following something. It was quiet clear to her.
"Origo?" she asked, wondering if he was alright.
The reaction she got was different. Origo's eye looked right at hers. But there was something different about him. Normally, he would be excited to see his Diamond. But not this time. He gave his Diamond a blank look.
"Do you want some turkey?" she asked.
Ivy was watching what was happening. She could see the loneliness in her eyes as the puppy gave her a blank look.
Ivy knew that she could help, but it would mean having to take Origo away from her. Ivy now had a difficult choice to make. To let Origo stay here, or to take him to Mirkwood in search of Radagast.
Diamond took a deep breath and walked out of the room. She wondered if her puppy did not like her any more.
"Maybe he misses Pippin" she said.
The hobbit walked down to the kitchen. Cleaning was now on her mind. It always was when she was upset. It kept her calm and occupied. And, of course, there was still a lot of work to do.
"Alright, she's gone" Ivy said, looking out of the door.
Origo stood where he was, in his own little world. Everything was, yet again, new to him. The urge to explore was now getting stronger and stronger.
But Ivy was not having any of it. She knew exactly what Origo was thinking. And she couldn't wait, Abira was waiting out of the door in the freezing weather.
"Come on, lets go" she said.
But Origo whined.
"Go where? I like it here" he told Ivy.
Ivy took a deep breath. She would have to use all of her persuading power on him.
"But, we're going to a better place, much better then here" she said, happily.
Origo tilted his head.
"Where is it?" he asked.
Ivy took a deep breath and looked back.
"It's a secret, you'll love it" she answered.
But the puppy looked back. Something deep down inside of him wanted to stay, but if this small thing said he had to go, he had to.
"How far away is it?" he asked.
Ivy knew that she could not tell the truth to him. he would not follow if she told the truth.
"It's just down the hall way, someone wants to see you" she said.
Origo took a few steps forward.
"Who?" he asked.
Ivy was getting annoyed at all the questions she was being asked.
"Puppy, please follow me"
She fluttered away.
"Come on, follow me" she said, zooming left and right.
Origo walked slowly behind, wondering what the little green light was doing. It was very beautiful. A small part of him wanted to chase it. But it never came close enough to pounce. Ivy knew that she had to get Origo out into the wild. But that would be harder.
Ivy stopped at the door.
"Are we there yet?" Origo asked, looking around.
He had a strange feeling that the fairy was leading his somewhere. But the puppy did not question.
"Come on, we have to be quick" Ivy said, fluttering up to the door handle.
There was a small click came from the door. Origo wondered what the green light was doing. Ivy then looked down at the puppy standing there. She could see herself glinting in the puppy's eyes. The cold air was rushing in.
Origo did not like it and backed away.
"No" he whimpered, preferring the warmth of the home.
But Ivy wasn't taking any of it. Abira was waiting on the other side. She could see that the door had opened a little bit. She wondered what was taking them so long.
She walked forward a bit, but couldn't see Origo or Ivy. The coldness was now getting to her. a small bit of hunger got to her as well. But all she needed was to see her Origo.
"Come on puppy" a voice said.
Abira knew exactly whose voice that was. It was Ivy's
"Hello?" Abira asked.
Ivy looked back, hearing the little whimpering puppy. Origo looked down as well. A small face came around the side of the door. Coldness was flooding into the hall way. The candles seemed to dance as the wind tickled them.
"Who is this?" Origo asked, looking from the fairy to the new creature.
Ivy took a deep breath, she knew that Abira understood what had happened to Origo.
"This is who we're going on an adventure with"
Abira did not break her gaze from Origo. There was worry in her heart. If Origo could not be fixed, then the end would come sooner then she had expected.
"Do you think we can fix him?" the puppy asked.
Ivy fluttered down to the floor. She was standing between the two identical looking puppies.
"I don't know, maybe if we're quick enough, we can" she answered, looking at Origo.
There was a noise from the kitchen. It was Diamond. She had felt the small wave of coldness rush though the house. Lunch was being prepared. She smiled as she walked down the hall way.
A small click echoed down the hall way. Diamond stopped for a split second.
"Is that the…?" she asked herself.
But she did not believe what she had heard. The large front door came into view. There seemed to be no change in the door. Diamond wondered if it was just her or the door. She shook it off, blaming it on the tiredness.
But she did not know that she would not see her puppy for a very long time. For Origo was on his way to Mirkwood to see Radagast. But he was not alone. A fairy, named Ivy was fluttering near by. The day seemed only to begin as they walked down to the gate.
Neither one of them knew what things would happen on their adventure. All Abira and Ivy knew was that they had to help their friend.
Hours seemed to pass slower as they walked. The clouds above were thin, but the coldness was not giving up. The wind was stronger then it had been for the past few days.
There was still a few hours of day light left. Birds, only a few, were flying though the cold, clear skies. The trees around stood as leafless pillars, rising far above the three wonders.
Origo was shivering just like the other puppy. The bridge was where it had been for many years before. But all of the old stones had been covered in snow. A few sharp looking icicles were hanging from the thatch that made up the roof of the Green Dragon.
Abira gave a small glance at Origo. Images of times past crossed her eyes. It was not the only adventure that they had been on.
A picture of a log came across her mind. She knew how close she had been from falling in. But her Origo always helped her out. But this time was much different.
"This way" Ivy said, fluttering on a bit.
But once again, Origo's consecration had been stolen. His eyes were looking at a creature just a few feet away. Abira stopped and looked around. She noticed that Origo was looking at a tiny, red breasted robin. The bird stood for a few seconds, quickly surveying the situation before fluttering off.
Abira gave a small wag of her tail before walking on. but Origo did not move. His eyes were fixed on the small dot. The bird vanished.
"Come on!" Abira whined, getting a little bit annoyed.
Ori looked around and walked towards her. He gave her a quick glance and carried on walking. Abira felt like she had lost a friend. She gave a small whine and looked down.
Ivy noticed what Origo had done. The small fairy fluttered about to Abi. Abira was very upset that he did not know her. normally, Origo would protect her, but it seemed to be the other way around.
"Don't worry" Ivy said, fluttering just inches from her.
The small green glow seemed to grow in the on coming darkness. But there was still a few hours of light left. The clouds overhead thickened as the temperature deepened.
The small group started to walk over the bridge. But it took much longer with Origo stopping every five seconds.
"Puppy, come on, stay away from the edge" Ivy said, fluttering past him.
Origo looked down and then at the green thing, fluttering away from him.
"Why?" he whined, taking yet another look.
Ivy took a deep breath and landed on the soft snow. The coldness and wind did not effect her. But the small hairs on the puppy were catching the snowflakes on his paws.
"Because its very dangerous down there" she said, knowing it would lead to yet another question.
"And that is why we have to move"
She fluttered on a few feet and stopped. Origo was now very tempted to look over again.
"But if it said I cant, then I'll have to listen to her"
The day continued on as the small wonderers put distance from them and their homes. A few times, Abira's mind went back to her Pimpernel.
Did Pimpernel realise that her precious puppy was missing?
Yes.
Pimpernel was looking around the house. The puppy had not been seen since before lunch. Slices of bacon had been placed in her bowl. But there was no sign of an excited puppy around the house.
A small part of Pimpernel knew that Abira had gone. But it did not surface strongly. Pimpernel scratched her head as she entered the kitchen.
There, Pearl was getting lunch ready. A pile of vegetables were piled before Pearl as she sat there.
There seemed to be a large mound of potatoes, uncooked, were being chopped up.
"You haven't seen Abira, have you?" Pimpernel asked, looking confused.
Her sister looked over and tilted her head.
"No, I thought she was sleeping" Pearl answered.
Pimpernel took a deep breath and looked around. There was still no sign of her puppy anywhere.
"Maybe I should check one more place" Pimpernel thought, turning and walking out of the room.
The house seemed quieter then normal. The slaps of her bare echoed down the hall. The chopping sound echoed as Pearl continued to prepare their dinner.
Pimpernel walked down the hall way.
"But, she couldn't have" she thought, looking at the large front door.
The hobbit slowly walked up to the door and slowly opened it. The light had been decreasing in power since midday. Yet there was still enough to see a mile or two.
The snow had prints on it. Pimpernel could see that there were defiantly paw prints in the soft snow.
"But how…?" Pimpernel asked, looking around.
It seemed impossible for her puppy to get out. But some how, she did. Pimpernel took a deep breath, wondering if she'll ever see her puppy again.
Pearl was now standing at the hot stove. The chicken had been placed on the side to cool down. The rich smell of chicken had now spread to other parts of the house.
Pearl looked around as her sister came into the room. she gave a small smile.
"Did you find her?" she asked happily.
But Pimpernel was far from happy. She slowly shook her head as she sat down. Pearl instantly knew that something was not right as Pimpernel took her seat.
"She's not here" Pimpernel said, her eyes looking into a far off point.
Pearl left the pans bubbling or frying on the hobs.
"Who's not here?" she asked.
Pimpernel gave a deep breath.
"Abira" she answered.
Pearl wondered what she meant by this.
"But, isn't she in the house?" she asked.
Pimpernel slowly shook her head.
"I saw her paw prints in the snow" she said.
But thoughts came differently to Pearl. It seemed more sense then Pimpernel.
"Maybe she could have been taken" Pearl told her sister.
But Pimpernel knew that she had not been taken.
"No, she hasn't"
Neither of the girls knew the real reason of Abira's disappearance. A knock then came at the door. It echoed around the house. Pearl looked up and took a deep breath.
"I wonder who that could be" she said.
Pearl then left Pimpernel sitting at the table and walked out of the room. Pearl arrived at her front door and opened it.
It was Diamond.
She was carrying a sleeping Faramir in her arms.
"Diamond? Do come in!" Pearl said, letting her in.
The hobbit walked inside and the door was closed.
"What brings you here?" she asked.
Diamond gave a small smile.
"Is Origo here? I cant seem to find him" she said.
Pearl thought that this was very strange indeed.
How could two small puppies vanish?
Surely they would have had someone much stronger and taller open the large front door for them. Nothing was making sense for her.
Pimpernel was could now hear the muffled voices of her sister and of Diamond. Their conversation was different then normal. curiosity got the better of her and she got up and walked out of the room.
Diamond and Pearl were standing near the door. Diamond still had her coat on and a bundle in her arms.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Night was surly coming upon them now. The candles seemed to be brighter then normal. Their light spread over the small area around them. They danced as Pimpernel walked by.
"Origo is missing as well" Pearl said.
Diamond looked at Pimpernel.
"Abira is missing too?" she asked.
Pimpernel nodded.
"I thought she would have been with you and Origo"
Pimpernel was now very worried.
"But what if they are in trouble somewhere?" she asked.
Worry crossed her face. She needed to find her puppy very soon. A small part of her, deep down, knew that she might not see her puppy again.
"Maybe we should go out and find them" she said.
But the harsh weather would make it impossible to even see where they were going. The wind seemed to extinguish all attempts of lighting fires.
"I think we should wait until the morning before we start looking for them" Pearl said.
But it did not go down well with her sister.
"Morning? But they could be in trouble now!" she said.
Pearl took a deep breath and looked down. There was now a fork in the road. In one direction, she could go out into the coldness and try to track the puppies down. But on the other road, she could stay in the house and wait it out, see if they come back.
"I know they could, but the coldness and darkness will make it too hard to look"
But Pimpernel was not having any of it.
"Fine" she said.
The next second, she walked past them to the coat. She picked out hers and started to put it on.
"What are you doing?" Pearl asked.
But there was no answer. Slowly, Pearl realised what her sister was doing.
"Your not going out in this weather!" Pearl said, worried that Pimpernel might do something silly.
"Of course I am" she answered.
There was an awkward silence as Diamond stood there, holding her son in her arms. Pimpernel buttoned up her coat and, without another word, the door opened up.
A second later, the door closed on the world outside. Pimpernel could now see why Pearl did not want to go out. snow had started to fall, not heavily, but noticeably. A few flakes touched her warm skin.
She stood at the door for a minute or two, weighting up the options. But there was one thing clear to her, she had to find her puppy.
The paw prints were now being covered with fresh, soft snow as she walked down to the gate. It was then she noticed that there two sets of prints. Pimpernel then opened the gate, walked out onto the road and closed it again. The level of light had fallen dramatically.
The light of the candles did not seem to reach this far out. It was now very difficult to see. But that did not stop Pimpernel from searching further.
It seemed the longer she spent, the more her eyes got used to used to the ever growing darkness. But still, her eyes could not see the prints in the snow.
She closely surveyed the area before her. Every so often, she could see small paw prints. At times, she completely lost sight of their tracks. A few times, she stopped and listened.
But all she could hear was wind and feel the sharp coldness of the flakes on her cheeks. The wind seemed to effect her hair most of all. It would get whipped up by the wind. she constantly had to move her hair out of the way.
Hope started to trickle from her heart as she neared the Green Dragon. There were a few other hobbits walking to and from the pub. The large door seemed be closed most of the time.
The chimneys seemed to be expelling more then the usual amount of smoke. Pimpernel past some of the hobbits as they came up the hill. But she was not in the mood to say anything to them.
The lights from the round windows lay across the ground. Foot prints criss-crossed in nearly every direction. This made it harder for Pimpernel to distinguish the paw prints from the foot prints.
"Maybe I should just give up" she thought, looking back to towards Pearl's house.
She could see the door open for a few seconds and then close. She took a deep breath.
"Maybe just a little bit further" she said, looking at the bridge.
There seemed to be less foot prints here. But that would not make it any easier. The darkness covered the tracks that, in light, would have been very noticeable. Yet that did not stop Pimpernel from heading towards the bridge. The sound of water met her ears as she got to the edge. The trickling sound seemed to come from underneath the bridge.
Pimpernel took a deep breath and stopped at the edge of the bridge.
"Where are you?" she asked, looking around.
She couldn't see why they would be heading away from Hobbiton. Pimpernel knew that she could not go on any further. Her feet were cold and her cheeks were tingling.
Diamond, meanwhile, had got back to her house. It seemed very quiet now, only her and Faramir now. But Faramir was laying in his cot. He was very tired as he lay there. The baby gave a small yawn as his mother walked out of the room.
Diamond walked back down to the large door. But she was not going out again. Instead, she stopped and hung up her coat again. She smiled, hunger getting to her. the coldness that had once clung to her skin was now changing to a pleasant warmth.
Food was now on her mind. She knew that dinner was still being prepared. The smell of chicken met her as she opened the door to the kitchen. The chicken was still slowly cooking in the oven.
Diamond took a deep breath as she looked down on the floor. Origo's bowl was still empty. He had not come back for food all day. The hobbit took a deep breath and picked it up. She placed it by the sink. The chicken was still cooling on the side as Diamond got many bowls out.
A few minutes later, she placed one type of vegetable in each bowel. There was a lot more then even Pippin could eat on his own. Bowl after bowl of cooked and boiled vegetable was placed on the table.
Diamond smiled, seeing all of the lovely food she had made. The large chicken was then carved into. Slices were placed on a plate. A small bit of vapour raised up from the meat. It brought up the sweet smell of the honey coated meat.
Diamond stopped after a minute. There was a large pile of warm slices as Diamond put the caving knives and the two pronged fork down on the side. Less then one quarter of cooked bird was used.
The hobbit placed the plate on the table mat. But still, she did not sit down to dinner. Instead, she turned around, opened up a cupboard and brought down a mug. She closed the cupboard door again and walked to the cellar.
The cellar door was large. But Diamond had no trouble in opening it. The temperature was lower then it was in the kitchen. Two big barrels were situated at the bottom end of the cellar.
Diamond bend down and place the mug on the floor. A tap had been hammered into each barrel. Diamond turned one on and amber liquid started pouring out.
Diamond smiled as she watched the level of ale rise slowly. After a minute, the tap was turned off. The sound of the last few drips echoed around the room.
The hobbit then stood up again, feeling very tired now. She walked out of the cellar and quietly closed the door. Finally, after what seemed like a long list of things to do, Diamond sat down at the table.
She smiled as she picked up a bowl. Parsnips were pilled nearly to the top. A spoon had been placed in each bowl. A gravy boat full of hot, dark brown liquid stood on the table as well.
It seemed to take a while before everything Diamond wanted to eat was on the table. the gravy was the last thing to be put on the plate. The thick liquid was poured over every bit of the plate and then set down again.
Diamond took a deep breath as she started to eat. The room was very quiet indeed. Normally, she or Pippin would be holding their son. But neither of them were present. Not even excitable Origo was there.
"Is this how my life is set for me?" she asked herself.
Everything seemed to be going wrong for her.
"But what could I have done to make it so wrong?" she asked herself.
Every relationship she had seemed to fall apart. Pippin was now living with Merry. Origo was now gone, Diamond did not know where he was. And Faramir was too young to talk or to understand what was going on.
Diamond ate the rest of her meal in a sad silence. Her appetite seemed to disappear quicker then normal. She only finished eating her large pile of chicken and roasted parsnips. She loved parsnips. If there was something that she could eat all day, it would be them.
The fork was then poked into a tender sprout. Diamond smiled as she ate it whole. She smiled as the sound of the clock suddenly registered in her ears. She looked around at it.
It wasn't even ten o'clock. She looked back around and continued eating. Diamond picked out more food, not wanting her own cooking to go to waste.
The clock seemed to tick on as Diamond continued to eat. A small part of her was not getting hungry. But the other part was full up. She looking around at the clock again. Only ten minutes had past. But it felt more like half an hour by herself.
Diamond, after what seemed like one or two hours, finished up. But there was still food left in every bowl and gravy left in the warm boat.
She rose from her chair and placed all of the bowls on the work top. She opened a draw and got out some paper bags. She then placed the last of the roast potatoes in two of them, parsnips in another, sprouts in a different bag.
The bowls were cleared of their food and placed next to the sink. The cellar door was then opened. Diamond would save what she had cooked for tomorrow. Lots of packets had been saved.
She placed them all on one shelf and walked out again. The smell of chicken hit her again. the cellar door closed, leaving all of the food inside. She picked up her mug and drained it.
Tiredness was now gripping her with its large, gentle fingers. She smiled as she walked out of the room.
"I must say" Diamond thought to herself.
"That that was not half bad"
But Diamond did not make her way to her room. Instead, she made for the bathroom. There, she got washed. Soapy water swirled around the bowl as she pulled the plug.
She walked over to the towels and rubbed her hand dry. She walked out again, along to bedroom. Finally, after a while, she changed into her night gown. She smiled, looking into the cot. Faramir was fast asleep.
She stood there for a minute, wondering what he was dreaming about. The fire crackled merrily in the heath, sending out warmth that filled the room. Diamond walked over to her side of the bed and got in. She draw the duvet over her.
Tiredness seemed to flood at her as her eyes slowly closed. She would, for the second time, spend a night by herself.
