Sorry I've taken so long to get this up. Ever since my sister has come home
I've been having limited time on the computer. Thankyou all for you
reviews, they really do help me keep going.
Frodo, Sam and Rosie walked in to Find Merry crying his eyes out on an empty bed. The curtain blew in as a gust of wind caught it through the open window. The three standing in the doorway saw immediately that Pippin was gone. They didn't know what to do. They had neither idea why Pippin had run away nor how to comfort Merry now that he had. Frodo sat down next to Merry and put his hand on his back, letting Merry know that he was there for him. Merry dragged himself up into a sitting position and sniffed back his tears.
"Did I hurt you Rosie?" he asked, not meeting her eyes as though he were ashamed.
"No love, but there'll be a bit of a bruise on my bottom in the morning, I'm sure." She said and she smiled kindly at him but he would not smile back, he was too worried, far too worried, to smile.
"Do you know what has happened to Pip? Why he has run away?" asked Frodo gently.
"He did not run away, not of his own free will he- Oh Frodo I'm so scared for him! He's all alone in the woods and he's hurt! I couldn't live without him, I really couldn't." Frodo nodded knowingly, he knew the feeling. He couldn't help wondering how Merry knew so much of what happened to Pippin. He decided not to ask now, Merry was too distraught.
Pain, the pain had returned. His head was aching unbearably. He closed his eyes and wished it would go away. He wished it would leave him be and let him at least gather his thoughts. To Merry's surprise it did. But he did not feel the same afterwards. He opened his eyes but it was still dark, what had happened to the light? He opened his mouth to yell out to Frodo but no noise would leave his throat, he was dumb and blind it seemed. What was happening to him?
Suddenly light crept into his eyes, as though he had not truly opened his eyes the first time, but as though he only just had. He wasn't indoors anymore; he was outside in a forest. He recognised it but last time he had seen it from above. He was sat in the exact same position Pippin had been. Merry licked his dry lips and found the taste of blood to be upon them. One of his eyes throbbed terribly as well. This was nothing, though, to the pain he suddenly realised was in his arms and he could not imagine what he could have done to have cause this pain. Slowly he looked down at his arms, he caught a glimpse of red and he knew he didn't want to look anymore, he didn't want to see his injury. But his head continued to tilt downwards and his eyes stared first at the blood on his front. His front? He had been wearing nightclothes, but this body was not wearing his clothes they were wearing Pippin's.
He gasped in shock but still no sound got past his lips and his - or rather Pippin's - eyes roved around, taking in the state of his clothes and body. He followed the splashes of blood here and there until coming to rest on their apparent origin. His arms - slashed and cut with nails and knives - now bled profusely and he had neither the energy nor the means to stop it. Silently they watched the blood dripping from the ends of Pippin's fingers together. Whether Pippin knew he was there or not, Merry could not tell.
A rustle in the nearby bushes made Pippin look up. He could see dark red eyes gleaming out at him from the dark. Pippin curled up in the middle of the clearing, trying to console himself and ignore the beast and impending danger. His tactic did not work and the beast stepped out of the shadows. Its legs were long and slender and covered with sleek black fur, like the rest of its body. Its teeth gleamed for a passing moment when it stepped into a small patch of moonlight and saliva could be seen hanging in a string from its jaws. Pippin's attention then turned to the claws, the sharp claws that stuck out like daggers from the rough surface of the paws.
Pippin grabbed himself a stick; a good strong stick that would take a lot before it broke. He held it in his two hands and readied himself for battle. Merry wanted to be there in body, to help his cousin rather than just watching. The lack of energy he felt in Pippin's body was terrifying and Merry would give anything to be able to offer some of his energy to Pippin. The beast drew nearer and Pippin drew himself up to as tall as he could go while still on his knees. Merry willed him to stand but he would not, perhaps he even could not. Merry couldn't take it any longer. He leapt forward at the beast, clawing at it with his hands.
"OY! MERRY!" Bellowed Sam as Merry suddenly leapt forward and began scratching at his face. Merry was knocked out of his trance and looked bewildered when he stared the red lines on Sam's cheek and just under his eye where he had managed to draw blood. Sam's hand flew up to his cheek and he wiped it and checked it for blood. Finding only a little he turned his attention back to Merry who was still staring wide-eyed at him as though he had grown fangs and sprouted fur all over his body. Merry looked at Sam apologetically but didn't seem able to utter any words. Frodo put his arm around him and he flinched but let him do it anyway.
After yet more time of staring around in slight confusion at everything in the room, Merry broke down crying. Frodo did his best to comfort his cousin but there seemed no end to his tears. They were tears of confusion, sadness and loss.
Without warning the tears stopped and Merry raised his head and looked at everybody in the room. He was ashen-faced but his expression was determined.
"I have to go get him." He said to them all. No one living said anything, but Primula and Drogo rushed forward with every persuasion under the sun to stop him going. Nothing seemed to deter him though and it wasn't too long before the living caught up with the dead and came up with all kinds of things.
"You're still ill!"
"You don't know where he is!"
"You don't even know that anything's wrong, perhaps he just wanted time on his own." The look that Merry gave Sam once he had said that quickly brought silence back down upon the room.
"I do know that something is wrong, I have seen that something is wrong and I couldn't possibly bear to have Pippin suffering as he is, nor would you had you seen what I saw!"
"Then tell us, Merry dear, what did you see?" asked Rosie.
"There is no time, I must leave NOW!" Said Merry, struggling to get up from Frodo's grip, weak as it was.
"Merry." Said Frodo sternly, but softly, "There is no 'I' about it, if anyone's going, it shall be all of us."
"No," Said Rosie, "I'm not made for adventuring and I'd get sick with worry if I left Elanor here on her own." Frodo nodded at her.
"Then it is settled. Merry, Sam and I search for Pippin, while Rosie stays here and watches the baby."
There were nods all round at this and Sam rushed out of the room to fetch all their travelling gear. He didn't like the idea of going on another adventure, but if mister Pippin's life was in danger, then it was well worth his discomfort.
Not so far away, Pippin lay in the dark forest. There was a new set of scratches on his cheek and the stick he still held in his hand was broken in two. Had he the energy, he could've felt the back of his head and found a lump and he could feel a new bruise forming on his back.
The rain began to fall, only a few drops at a time at first but then growing to a fully-fledged downpour. Pippin made no attempt to warm or shelter himself. He lay on his back, with his mouth open, trying to gather as much precious water as he could before the rain stopped. He did not care about the cold; it would be the death of him one way or another while he was trapped in the clearing.
Frodo, Sam and Rosie walked in to Find Merry crying his eyes out on an empty bed. The curtain blew in as a gust of wind caught it through the open window. The three standing in the doorway saw immediately that Pippin was gone. They didn't know what to do. They had neither idea why Pippin had run away nor how to comfort Merry now that he had. Frodo sat down next to Merry and put his hand on his back, letting Merry know that he was there for him. Merry dragged himself up into a sitting position and sniffed back his tears.
"Did I hurt you Rosie?" he asked, not meeting her eyes as though he were ashamed.
"No love, but there'll be a bit of a bruise on my bottom in the morning, I'm sure." She said and she smiled kindly at him but he would not smile back, he was too worried, far too worried, to smile.
"Do you know what has happened to Pip? Why he has run away?" asked Frodo gently.
"He did not run away, not of his own free will he- Oh Frodo I'm so scared for him! He's all alone in the woods and he's hurt! I couldn't live without him, I really couldn't." Frodo nodded knowingly, he knew the feeling. He couldn't help wondering how Merry knew so much of what happened to Pippin. He decided not to ask now, Merry was too distraught.
Pain, the pain had returned. His head was aching unbearably. He closed his eyes and wished it would go away. He wished it would leave him be and let him at least gather his thoughts. To Merry's surprise it did. But he did not feel the same afterwards. He opened his eyes but it was still dark, what had happened to the light? He opened his mouth to yell out to Frodo but no noise would leave his throat, he was dumb and blind it seemed. What was happening to him?
Suddenly light crept into his eyes, as though he had not truly opened his eyes the first time, but as though he only just had. He wasn't indoors anymore; he was outside in a forest. He recognised it but last time he had seen it from above. He was sat in the exact same position Pippin had been. Merry licked his dry lips and found the taste of blood to be upon them. One of his eyes throbbed terribly as well. This was nothing, though, to the pain he suddenly realised was in his arms and he could not imagine what he could have done to have cause this pain. Slowly he looked down at his arms, he caught a glimpse of red and he knew he didn't want to look anymore, he didn't want to see his injury. But his head continued to tilt downwards and his eyes stared first at the blood on his front. His front? He had been wearing nightclothes, but this body was not wearing his clothes they were wearing Pippin's.
He gasped in shock but still no sound got past his lips and his - or rather Pippin's - eyes roved around, taking in the state of his clothes and body. He followed the splashes of blood here and there until coming to rest on their apparent origin. His arms - slashed and cut with nails and knives - now bled profusely and he had neither the energy nor the means to stop it. Silently they watched the blood dripping from the ends of Pippin's fingers together. Whether Pippin knew he was there or not, Merry could not tell.
A rustle in the nearby bushes made Pippin look up. He could see dark red eyes gleaming out at him from the dark. Pippin curled up in the middle of the clearing, trying to console himself and ignore the beast and impending danger. His tactic did not work and the beast stepped out of the shadows. Its legs were long and slender and covered with sleek black fur, like the rest of its body. Its teeth gleamed for a passing moment when it stepped into a small patch of moonlight and saliva could be seen hanging in a string from its jaws. Pippin's attention then turned to the claws, the sharp claws that stuck out like daggers from the rough surface of the paws.
Pippin grabbed himself a stick; a good strong stick that would take a lot before it broke. He held it in his two hands and readied himself for battle. Merry wanted to be there in body, to help his cousin rather than just watching. The lack of energy he felt in Pippin's body was terrifying and Merry would give anything to be able to offer some of his energy to Pippin. The beast drew nearer and Pippin drew himself up to as tall as he could go while still on his knees. Merry willed him to stand but he would not, perhaps he even could not. Merry couldn't take it any longer. He leapt forward at the beast, clawing at it with his hands.
"OY! MERRY!" Bellowed Sam as Merry suddenly leapt forward and began scratching at his face. Merry was knocked out of his trance and looked bewildered when he stared the red lines on Sam's cheek and just under his eye where he had managed to draw blood. Sam's hand flew up to his cheek and he wiped it and checked it for blood. Finding only a little he turned his attention back to Merry who was still staring wide-eyed at him as though he had grown fangs and sprouted fur all over his body. Merry looked at Sam apologetically but didn't seem able to utter any words. Frodo put his arm around him and he flinched but let him do it anyway.
After yet more time of staring around in slight confusion at everything in the room, Merry broke down crying. Frodo did his best to comfort his cousin but there seemed no end to his tears. They were tears of confusion, sadness and loss.
Without warning the tears stopped and Merry raised his head and looked at everybody in the room. He was ashen-faced but his expression was determined.
"I have to go get him." He said to them all. No one living said anything, but Primula and Drogo rushed forward with every persuasion under the sun to stop him going. Nothing seemed to deter him though and it wasn't too long before the living caught up with the dead and came up with all kinds of things.
"You're still ill!"
"You don't know where he is!"
"You don't even know that anything's wrong, perhaps he just wanted time on his own." The look that Merry gave Sam once he had said that quickly brought silence back down upon the room.
"I do know that something is wrong, I have seen that something is wrong and I couldn't possibly bear to have Pippin suffering as he is, nor would you had you seen what I saw!"
"Then tell us, Merry dear, what did you see?" asked Rosie.
"There is no time, I must leave NOW!" Said Merry, struggling to get up from Frodo's grip, weak as it was.
"Merry." Said Frodo sternly, but softly, "There is no 'I' about it, if anyone's going, it shall be all of us."
"No," Said Rosie, "I'm not made for adventuring and I'd get sick with worry if I left Elanor here on her own." Frodo nodded at her.
"Then it is settled. Merry, Sam and I search for Pippin, while Rosie stays here and watches the baby."
There were nods all round at this and Sam rushed out of the room to fetch all their travelling gear. He didn't like the idea of going on another adventure, but if mister Pippin's life was in danger, then it was well worth his discomfort.
Not so far away, Pippin lay in the dark forest. There was a new set of scratches on his cheek and the stick he still held in his hand was broken in two. Had he the energy, he could've felt the back of his head and found a lump and he could feel a new bruise forming on his back.
The rain began to fall, only a few drops at a time at first but then growing to a fully-fledged downpour. Pippin made no attempt to warm or shelter himself. He lay on his back, with his mouth open, trying to gather as much precious water as he could before the rain stopped. He did not care about the cold; it would be the death of him one way or another while he was trapped in the clearing.