"Well, that solves what I'm going to do with him," sighed Freddy, and he
swung the window closed. Ruby spun on him.
"What? You're going to let him run off?" she asked in a whisper, turning and running back down the hallway.
"Ruby! Ruby, suppose he saw his master?" Freddy called after her, following her down the hall. She entered the guest room and closed the door firmly behind her. Freddy shook his head slowly and scratched his head, letting his feet drag as he walked to his room to return to sleep. Her door opened once more, and she strode into the hall, walking briskly past him, fully dressed. He stopped and darted after her, but she already had her foot out the door.
"Ruby, where are you going at this hour? Ruby!" he shouted after her.
"I'm going to find Squash!" she called back, her voice fading away as she walked down the road.
"Ruby! Oh, oh," Freddy paced for a moment, then turned on his heel and ran back to his room, pulling his shirt and trousers from the back of the chair they were draped across. He lifted his nightgown from his head and pulled on his trousers, then his shirt, dashing down the hallway and outside, closing the door softly behind him. He fumbled with his suspenders. "Ouch!" he mumbled, letting his suspenders dangle behind him as he raced down the stone steps and onto the road.
"Ruby! Ruby, wait!" he shouted, running forward. He saw her in the distance and he pumped his legs faster until he caught up with her.
"Where are you going?" he gasped. The cool night air whipped past them as they ran, the sound of their pounding feet breaking the stillness of the night.
"I can see him, just up there!" she said, pointing. He squinted into the distance and barely made out the form of the little yellow dog, still barking. Suddenly the dog veered sharply right and dove into the underbrush. They reached the same spot minutes later, and without hesitation, Ruby dove in after the dog.
"Oh boy," Freddy muttered and pushed himself through the scratchy bushes. He glanced ahead, looking for Ruby's form, and caught sight of her leaping over a fallen log. Quickly following, he wound his way through the trees, pushing aside low branches that whipped back once he released them and stung his face like tiny whips. Once he tripped when his foot caught on a vine, and another time he tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face. But leaping to his feet lest he lose sight of Ruby, he quickly recovered his momentum. He finally caught up to her when she hesitated at the brink of a steep hill.
"He went down there," she panted, delicately placing a foot at the edge. "Oh! I'm scared of heights!" she cried. They glanced down the hill. It wasn't a steep drop, but it was covered in leaves, and it seemed fairly free of stones. Freddy got an idea.
"Come along," he said to Ruby, and sat down at the edge.
"What are you going to do?" she asked nervously.
"You'll see!" he said, and grabbed her around the waist. Sitting her in his lap, he pushed himself towards the slope. As he deduced, they began to slide downwards rapidly on the leaves, and Freddy was nearly deafened by Ruby's screams.
"We're going to crash!"
"No we aren't!"
At last they slid gently to level ground, and Freddy and Ruby rose to their feet and resumed the chase. By now, they had no idea which route Squash had chosen and only continued in the logical path they assumed he would take, which was forward. They leaped over low bushes, darted between trees, and dodged sharp saplings. The mossy curtains of the large trees brushed the tops of their heads as they journeyed through the dark forest, and Freddy couldn't help but feel a little nervous as they walked through the wilderness, even though they were still in the Shire. It seemed they had been traveling for hours, but he knew it had only been a half an hour or so. But, despite that, his legs began to ache at the pace he was keeping, and his face stung from the scratches he had received while clumsily running into nearly invisible branches in the darkness.
"We need to rest!" he shouted to Ruby, who he had let run ahead of him. It was easier to run single file as they constantly had to wind between trees.
"We'll lose Squash!" she called back.
"I wouldn't want to stop in the middle of these woods anyway," he muttered to himself, glancing at the darkness beside him. He saw what he thought were two eyes staring at him and he ran faster to get away, but he hadn't marked where he was going and smacked straight into a tree, knocking the wind out of him.
"Oof," he gasped, crawling miserably around the tree and stumbling to his feet. "Ruby, Ruby, wait!" He struggled to run after her, but he had lost his momentum and his energy. He rebuked himself for being so clumsy and pushed himself to go faster, but as he tripped forward and continued receiving scratches from the unseen branches, he felt himself getting weaker.
"Freddy!" he heard Ruby call for him. He lifted himself to his feet after another fall and blindly followed her voice, and they called to each other back and forth until they finally found each other again. They rushed to each other and embraced.
"I thought you were lost!" Ruby cried, and she rubbed the tears of gladness from her cheeks.
"I would hate to be lost here," Freddy said, and they once again continued forward, but this time with clasped hands, for they were afraid of losing one another again. At last they broke through the thick trees and the far off sound of rushing water met their ears. Ruby ran forward and shouted back to Freddy.
"I saw Squash! Over there, he's just across the Brandywine!"
Freddy wiped the sweat from his forehead and surveyed the landscape ahead. He shook his head in disbelief.
"The Brandywine River! Oh, don't tell me we've come this far, Ruby! Uncle will worry himself sick when he finds we're gone."
"We'll be back soon enough. Look, there is Squash! We can catch up to him now!" she cried, and raced towards the river. It was just a shadow in the darkness, but the hobbits knew it well and raced towards the banks.
"Oh, Ruby, you've lost your mind! This water is freezing! And I can't swim half as well as I'd like to. We'll never make it in this darkness," Freddy protested, but Ruby was already wading into the water.
"Ruby, you're going to get yourself killed! You ought to be locked in your hummock for a lifetime!" he cried, and stepped closer. He took a deep breath and plunged into the river, and the frigid water nearly took his breath away, but he paddled forward slowly, conserving his energy.
"How dreadfully boring that would be!" she called back, and her laughter danced across the water's surface. Teeth chattering, the hobbits swam the width of the river, which seemed larger to Freddy than he remembered, though that was probably because he was now swimming across instead of using the bridge or a ferry. At long last, when he felt his limbs had lost all strength and he had resorted to paddling, his feet met the beginnings of the bank and he clambered out of the river, turning to help Ruby out beside him. The wind wrapped around them and chilled them to the bone. Nonetheless, they continued forward.
"I saw him go through ther-r-re," Ruby chattered, gesturing at the ominous shadow of the forest rising before them.
"Out one forest and in another," Freddy said, and led the way.
NOTE: I realize it would take them much longer to get from Hobbiton to the Brandywine River, much less the Old Forest, but for the sake of space and the story, I gave them a bit of a boost.
"What? You're going to let him run off?" she asked in a whisper, turning and running back down the hallway.
"Ruby! Ruby, suppose he saw his master?" Freddy called after her, following her down the hall. She entered the guest room and closed the door firmly behind her. Freddy shook his head slowly and scratched his head, letting his feet drag as he walked to his room to return to sleep. Her door opened once more, and she strode into the hall, walking briskly past him, fully dressed. He stopped and darted after her, but she already had her foot out the door.
"Ruby, where are you going at this hour? Ruby!" he shouted after her.
"I'm going to find Squash!" she called back, her voice fading away as she walked down the road.
"Ruby! Oh, oh," Freddy paced for a moment, then turned on his heel and ran back to his room, pulling his shirt and trousers from the back of the chair they were draped across. He lifted his nightgown from his head and pulled on his trousers, then his shirt, dashing down the hallway and outside, closing the door softly behind him. He fumbled with his suspenders. "Ouch!" he mumbled, letting his suspenders dangle behind him as he raced down the stone steps and onto the road.
"Ruby! Ruby, wait!" he shouted, running forward. He saw her in the distance and he pumped his legs faster until he caught up with her.
"Where are you going?" he gasped. The cool night air whipped past them as they ran, the sound of their pounding feet breaking the stillness of the night.
"I can see him, just up there!" she said, pointing. He squinted into the distance and barely made out the form of the little yellow dog, still barking. Suddenly the dog veered sharply right and dove into the underbrush. They reached the same spot minutes later, and without hesitation, Ruby dove in after the dog.
"Oh boy," Freddy muttered and pushed himself through the scratchy bushes. He glanced ahead, looking for Ruby's form, and caught sight of her leaping over a fallen log. Quickly following, he wound his way through the trees, pushing aside low branches that whipped back once he released them and stung his face like tiny whips. Once he tripped when his foot caught on a vine, and another time he tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face. But leaping to his feet lest he lose sight of Ruby, he quickly recovered his momentum. He finally caught up to her when she hesitated at the brink of a steep hill.
"He went down there," she panted, delicately placing a foot at the edge. "Oh! I'm scared of heights!" she cried. They glanced down the hill. It wasn't a steep drop, but it was covered in leaves, and it seemed fairly free of stones. Freddy got an idea.
"Come along," he said to Ruby, and sat down at the edge.
"What are you going to do?" she asked nervously.
"You'll see!" he said, and grabbed her around the waist. Sitting her in his lap, he pushed himself towards the slope. As he deduced, they began to slide downwards rapidly on the leaves, and Freddy was nearly deafened by Ruby's screams.
"We're going to crash!"
"No we aren't!"
At last they slid gently to level ground, and Freddy and Ruby rose to their feet and resumed the chase. By now, they had no idea which route Squash had chosen and only continued in the logical path they assumed he would take, which was forward. They leaped over low bushes, darted between trees, and dodged sharp saplings. The mossy curtains of the large trees brushed the tops of their heads as they journeyed through the dark forest, and Freddy couldn't help but feel a little nervous as they walked through the wilderness, even though they were still in the Shire. It seemed they had been traveling for hours, but he knew it had only been a half an hour or so. But, despite that, his legs began to ache at the pace he was keeping, and his face stung from the scratches he had received while clumsily running into nearly invisible branches in the darkness.
"We need to rest!" he shouted to Ruby, who he had let run ahead of him. It was easier to run single file as they constantly had to wind between trees.
"We'll lose Squash!" she called back.
"I wouldn't want to stop in the middle of these woods anyway," he muttered to himself, glancing at the darkness beside him. He saw what he thought were two eyes staring at him and he ran faster to get away, but he hadn't marked where he was going and smacked straight into a tree, knocking the wind out of him.
"Oof," he gasped, crawling miserably around the tree and stumbling to his feet. "Ruby, Ruby, wait!" He struggled to run after her, but he had lost his momentum and his energy. He rebuked himself for being so clumsy and pushed himself to go faster, but as he tripped forward and continued receiving scratches from the unseen branches, he felt himself getting weaker.
"Freddy!" he heard Ruby call for him. He lifted himself to his feet after another fall and blindly followed her voice, and they called to each other back and forth until they finally found each other again. They rushed to each other and embraced.
"I thought you were lost!" Ruby cried, and she rubbed the tears of gladness from her cheeks.
"I would hate to be lost here," Freddy said, and they once again continued forward, but this time with clasped hands, for they were afraid of losing one another again. At last they broke through the thick trees and the far off sound of rushing water met their ears. Ruby ran forward and shouted back to Freddy.
"I saw Squash! Over there, he's just across the Brandywine!"
Freddy wiped the sweat from his forehead and surveyed the landscape ahead. He shook his head in disbelief.
"The Brandywine River! Oh, don't tell me we've come this far, Ruby! Uncle will worry himself sick when he finds we're gone."
"We'll be back soon enough. Look, there is Squash! We can catch up to him now!" she cried, and raced towards the river. It was just a shadow in the darkness, but the hobbits knew it well and raced towards the banks.
"Oh, Ruby, you've lost your mind! This water is freezing! And I can't swim half as well as I'd like to. We'll never make it in this darkness," Freddy protested, but Ruby was already wading into the water.
"Ruby, you're going to get yourself killed! You ought to be locked in your hummock for a lifetime!" he cried, and stepped closer. He took a deep breath and plunged into the river, and the frigid water nearly took his breath away, but he paddled forward slowly, conserving his energy.
"How dreadfully boring that would be!" she called back, and her laughter danced across the water's surface. Teeth chattering, the hobbits swam the width of the river, which seemed larger to Freddy than he remembered, though that was probably because he was now swimming across instead of using the bridge or a ferry. At long last, when he felt his limbs had lost all strength and he had resorted to paddling, his feet met the beginnings of the bank and he clambered out of the river, turning to help Ruby out beside him. The wind wrapped around them and chilled them to the bone. Nonetheless, they continued forward.
"I saw him go through ther-r-re," Ruby chattered, gesturing at the ominous shadow of the forest rising before them.
"Out one forest and in another," Freddy said, and led the way.
NOTE: I realize it would take them much longer to get from Hobbiton to the Brandywine River, much less the Old Forest, but for the sake of space and the story, I gave them a bit of a boost.