It was noon when they reached the camp site. No one was there and it looked rather gloomy.
Frodo sat down on a rock with some help from Shrell. His leg was throbbing, though he tried his best not to show that he was in pain.
"Sam, do you know how to treat a wound?" Shrell asked, one of her hands placed on Frodo's leg.
"Well, yes but I'd need the right herbs" Sam answered.
"Check Safarien's pack. She might have something" Shrell answered. Sam nodded and looked through the pack of Elven herbs. Finding a strange looking bottle of dried leaves, he walked back over to them.
"I need water but the others took all of it" Sam said, hanging his head.
"So what do you want me to do? Spit?" Shrell asked, sarcastically. Sam didn't reply and looked at the ground. Shrell muttered something under her breath. She turned to Frodo. He looked quite pained.
"You have to spit, too" Shrell said, not pleased by the whole affair.
"Deal" Sam answered. He took out one of his cooking pots and put some of the herbs in.
"You first" he said, smiling.
"What!"
Sam held out the pan closer to Shrell. She frowned and spat in it. This went on for awhile, until both their mouths were dry.
"What's going on?" asked Pippin, who just walked up to them, Merry just behind.
"Nothing important. Do you want to spit in the pan?" Shrell answered, with a fake smile. Merry looked confused and Pippin spat in the pan at once, though he didn't have a clue why. Sam made Merry hold the pan.
"Go on. Spit in it" he said, waving his hands slightly.
Merry spat in the pan, though he wasn't too happy. He was just handing the pan back to Sam when it slipped out of his fingers. It went flying up into the air.
Pippin jumped up and caught it but when he landed on his feet he was knocked off balance and the pan, again went flying. Shrell and Sam both ran towards it as it was falling but only looking at the pan and ended up colliding and falling to the ground.
Merry ran over and caught it just in time.
"That was close" he said with a sigh. He was still leaning over Shrell and Sam with the pan when Pippin, who had also been trying to catch the pan, crashed into him. He fell down on Sam and Shrell with Pippin on top of him.
The pan once more went flying in the air. It hit the ground on it's side and the herbs poured out onto the ground.
"My back..." Merry moaned.
"My pan..." Sam said, quite upset.
"My spit!" Pippin cried.
Frodo smiled sadly. 'My dearest hobbits. How I wish they never got into this mess. I hope they don't come to a bad end' Frodo thought, with a sigh.
"Well, looks like we'll all be spitting a lot more" Shrell said with a sigh.
"Save your spit, I'm fine" Frodo answered, with a little laugh.
After a bit of trouble trying to get up, they sat and waited for the rest of the company.
Shrell was looking rather dazed. Her eyes weren't focussed and, even with Merry and Pippin throwing rocks at each other right across her stream of vision, didn't seem to notice anything. In that case she didn't notice Frodo staring at her.
"Shrell?" he asked. She didn't answer. He repeated himself.
"Oh! What!" she stammered, jolting out of her thoughts.
"Are you alright?" Frodo asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I suppose. I just would have liked to have my flute" she answered with a sigh.
"It must have been very meaningful to you" Frodo said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She gazed at him. Her eyes were clear blue.
"It was......I guess...It was my only friend...Well, used to be, anyway. You, Sam, Merry, and Pip have proved to be more than my flute" she answered, still gazing at Frodo. He smiled at her.
"And we shall always be your friends" Sam said.
"And if an Orc steps on us, we won't break!" Pippin said, cheerfully. Shrell chuckled.
The hours went on but no one returned. Frodo grew anxious. Shadows began to creep across the gray sky and the moon was not to be seen nor the stars. The wind grew fiercer and whipped through the trees. No one spoke and the silence was almost unbearable. There was a rustle from behind the trees and a shadowy figure could be seen. It was approaching them.
"We've lost them! There gonesssss-es" it shrieked.
"Smeagol?" Shrell asked, very much surprised.
"Yesssss? What does it wantsss" Smeagol answered, coming into view.
"Where are the others?" asked Pippin.
"We've lost them, precious, yess" Smeagol answered.
"What did you do to them!?" Sam lunged at the creature.
"We did nothingssss! Stay backs!" Smeagol cried. "We saw Orcses, nasssty oness!" he continued. "They are comings, lotsss!"
They looked at him alarmed. Not knowing if they should run. They could hear the orcs in the distance.
"We must hurry! If the others don't find us..so be it. The quest lies in our hands" Frodo said, standing up. The hobbits nodded. "Smeagol, you know the way, will you lead us on?"
"Yess"
The small group gathered what little belongings they had and some food, then followed Smeagol into the woods. Though, pressing on and on ahead, their thoughts were of the ones they left behind....To be continued.