Werewolf History, One-Shot

Moments into returning to the campsite, Frodo found a spot next to Lydia on a narrow log. Once he sat down, Frodo caught Lydia's father Baldur glaring at him with the same hungry look he showed the night before. In spite of his efforts to ignore the glare, Frodo's attention deviated to Lydia's mother, who handed him a wooden bowl filled with cooked meat, which looked mashed together in a ravenous manner.

After Cordula handed to him a smoothened wooden spoon, she approached Lydia and whispered words that Frodo could not understand. When he saw Cordula and Lydia staring sharply at him, Frodo returned his gaze to the mashed meat. From the way it was dressed, the meat's red juice had a mixture of thin grease on the outer shell, as well as over the surface. The second he dipped the spoon into the meat soup, a foul odor came out from the coarse substance, making him wonder for a few seconds if the creature that had been killed would resurface as a living animal.

Though he lost his appetite after eating the first bite, Frodo caught Baldur looking as if he had not peered away since the day they met. Only this time, Frodo saw Baldur's gaze change from hunger to near satisfaction, as if eating the mashed meat would help cure his appetite. Once Lydia's family had their food, a heavy silence fell, leaving Frodo feeling vulnerable and confused.

Eventually, Baldur broke the silence. Startling Frodo, Baldur asked, "Frodo, I hear your uncle, Bilbo Baggins, was a very rich… hobbit. Did he give you a grand inheritance?"

"Why do you ask?" asked Frodo, showing some tension towards the hobbit, if he could call Baldur a full-bred hobbit.

Baldur shrugged, "I was curious."

Just as Frodo protested, Lydia interrupted with a calm voice. Facing Baldur, Lydia reminded him, "Father, please. We don't need to put him through aggravation."

"When was I ever aggravated?" asked Frodo, confused.

"Still," said Baldur, drinking a sip of ale from his mug, "it would be… nice to know something about you, as long as you don't mind."

"No," replied Frodo, growing suspicious. In regret, he added, "I'll tell you what you ask."

In seconds, the strange hobbit family asked Frodo dozens of questions, which he was forced to answer. However, Lydia and her family were especially curious about where Frodo grew up and his parents, who had been deceased since he was twelve. Once the questions were answered, a heavy silence fell across the camp, where Frodo was at a loss for words.

When it was his turn to ask the family questions, Frodo faced Baldur and told him, sharply, "I have answered your questions."

"Indeed you have," said Baldur, sullenly.

Frodo paused, briefly. He then asked the strange family, "Shouldn't you answer my questions in return?"

"What do you want to know?" asked Lydia, concerned.

"First, I wish to know more about you. Maybe then you can explain to me why you and your family attacked the Shire-folk at Bywater last night," answered Frodo, sharply.

Immediately, Lydia told him, "We didn't attack you… or your friends and relatives."

"Fine, then you can tell me what creatures you are," asked Frodo, sternly.

"We're – we are called – werewolves," said Lydia, hesitantly.

Confused, Frodo asked her, "You're what?"

"Werewolves, Frodo," said Lydia aloud and sharp.

As Lydia fell silent, Baldur faced the hobbit. "Actually, we are descendants of our werewolf ancestors, the ones Morgoth bred and who the Dark Lord favors. The legends told about Sauron transforming many times into a wolf. As long as he lives and breathes, my family and I can turn into werewolves by the full moon, but that is when we do our killing. Only by the blood moon are we able to bite people, turning them into one of us."

"How many people have you harmed in the past?" asked Frodo, seriously.

"More than my children, but they need to learn how to hunt for better prey, other than livestock," admitted Baldur, vaguely.

"So, you're certain they haven't killed anyone?" asked Frodo, hoping for a confirmation.

"Not to my knowledge," said Baldur in a truthful response.

"We haven't killed anyone yet, Papa," cried Bettina, admitting the truth before her father.

Facing his only son, Baldur asked him, "Edwin?"

"No, I haven't caught any humans enter our camps, apart from the one Lydia captured," said Edwin, pointing an index finger at Frodo.

"He's important, Edwin. You know what would happen if we didn't find the right hobbit," explained Lydia, glaring sharply at her youngest brother.

"If he doesn't tell our secret first…"

Bettina interrupted. "It does not matter. He has seen us, as the hobbit villagers of Bywater have seen us the other night."

"They would have taken us for wolves, Bettina. Not werewolves," said Lydia.

"Please children, do not argue," cried Cordula. Once a silent glare passed between Lydia and Bettina, Cordula remarked, as she turned to Frodo, "We have a guest."

"So we do," said Baldur, between bites. Facing Frodo, Baldur asked as he pointed to his bowl, "Are you finished? You look like you've barely eaten anything today."

"No, you can have it. I'll look for food elsewhere," said Frodo, passing the bowl to Baldur, who snatched it from his hands.

Lydia asked him in concern, as her father walked away, "Do you want me to show you where to find the nearest berry bush?"

Frodo shook his head, "I'm certain I'll find my own way back to the stream."

"Don't wander too far, Baggins. If I can trust you to keep our secret, then you will be allowed to leave these woods alive. Otherwise, my family and I will have to leave the Shire in haste," ordered Baldur in a slightly calmer voice.

"I understand, but I'm not sure whether I should trust any of you," replied Frodo, taking off in search of the winding path.

o-o-o

As he left the road and hid in the bushes, Frodo found grotesque creatures, the size of a tall man, enter the woodlands as if they were searching for something or someone. From their appearance, Frodo suspected they were evil. Even as he watched with caution and fear, he wondered why this small band had come to the Shire, without the Sheriffs or Rangers of the North aware of their presence. A firm hand grasped his shoulder, startling him as he turned in fright, only to find Lydia creeping up from behind.

Lydia barked, sternly, "I asked you if I could come along, but this have proven more than a simple search for berry bushes."

"I am sorry," said Frodo.

Lydia shushed him. "We don't have much time. I need to get you to the berry bush, nearest to the camp. I fear the stream will be overrun by Sauron's allies."

Whipping his head back to the stream, Frodo whispered, "Those are Orcs?"

"Yes," admitted Lydia in confirmation, "but they are a small group." She added in concern, "We must go and warn my father. Then you can eat all the berries you want."

Frodo chuckled softly. "Good idea." In haste, Frodo slipped away from the bush after Lydia, who fled at top speed back to the camp.