The hobbits crept silently toward the forest. From here it seemed endless. Once they reached it, Diamond hesitated.
"Are you sure we should go in there?" She said uncertainly, "It look's awfully dark. Anything could happen."
"We don't have much choice if we want to find Lou and get back home," said Elenya.
So they proceeded into the forest of Mirkwood, Diamond following reluctantly. They walked for some time, trying to keep to the path as best they could but it was extremely difficult and they could hardly see three feet in front of them for the darkness that swamped the forest. After an hour or so, the hobbits decided to stop and have something to eat. Hobbits don't like going long without food. A while later they were off again all desperately trying to keep to the path. For two hours they continued like this.
Everything was silent. Not even the rustle of leaves in the breeze could be heard. It was too quiet. The hobbits stayed close together hardly daring to make a sound. After an hour of creeping in the dark, they decided to stop. It was now so dark that when they waved their hands in front of their faces, the saw only darkness. It was too dangerous to carry on, they might get separated or lose the path and then they'd be in trouble.
They huddled together. Rose and Sam under one blanket. Clara and Frodo under another. Diamond and Pippin together. And lastly Elenya and Merry. When they finally drifted into sleep the darkness was beginning to grow and close in on them even more. After many uncomfortable dreams, Rose found herself being shaken awake.
"Rose! Rose, wake up! Quick!"
She opened her eyes, but this hardly made any difference as it was just as dark, if not darker than with her eyes closed, but she recognised the voice.
"Sam?" She said quietly, "What's wrong?"
"Shh! They might hear us!"
"Who might hear us?" Whispered Rose.
"Them! Over there," Sam pointed into the darkness.
"I can't see anything." Rose then realised she had her eyes closed again and opened them. She could see where Sam was pointing. There were strange lights moving around. The lights were fire torches, but they were too far off to see who were carrying them.
"What are they?" Asked Rose, "and where are the others?"
"Oh, they're still asleep. I woke up just in time to see them pass by us in the trees. They're Pixies. Tree Pixies. They hate all other living creatures and fear no-one save the Elves. That's why we must keep out of sight and only talk in whispers."
"Then we've got to get to the House of Mirkwood as soon as possible. We'll be safe there."
"Not yet, it's too dangerous. We'll wait here until it gets lighter. They hate light."
"What's going on?"
Sam and Rose both jumped. Diamond was awake.
"Shh!" they said together, a little too loudly. Suddenly, they found them selves surrounded by Pixies. They didn't have torched and had probably been hiding in the trees watching them, and listening to their whispered conversation. Now the other hobbits were awake and very confused. More Pixies approached, this time with torches.
Rose could see them now. They didn't look at all like she'd imagined Pixies to look like. She imagined them to be elegant and beautiful. These were certainly not elegant, nor were they beautiful. They had long greasy, tangled hair and teeth as sharp as claws. They had wings rather like bats, torn and tattered, and black. Their eyes were small and fierce and their ears were pointed with chunks of flesh missing.
The hobbits huddled closer. The Pixies were laughing and snarling at them, showing their razor-sharp teeth. They were closing in on the hobbits. Rose suddenly leapt to her feet and made a run for it.
"Rose!" Shouted Sam, but she didn't stop. She was going to get help. Being small, she managed to duck round the Pixies, who were twice her size, but unfortunately didn't escape their claws. By the time she managed to escape, her clothes were torn and she had a great gash on her right cheek. She could feel warm blood trickling down her face. By sheer luck, Rose noticed she'd run straight along the path. She could still hear the Pixies and could see their torches but she was too far away for them to see her. Rose sighed and turned to continue down the path, but just then, two soft hands caught her by the shoulders and pulled her away into the trees, away from the Pixie's torches. A voice spoke to her.
"It is not safe here. You must come with us."
The voice was soft, but urgent. This was no Pixie. It was an Elf.
"B-but my friends!" Said Rose, "They're still back there, we've got to help them!"
The Elf hesitated. Then called something in Elvish to one of his companions, who had been hiding in the trees. Luckily, Rose knew Elvish and understood what the Elf had said,
"You stay here with the Halfling. I will go back to rescue the others."
"You're going back on your own?" cried Rose.
The Elf was taken aback, "You knew what I said? I didn't know Hobbits could speak Elvish!"
"They don't. I learnt it when I was a huma- err, when I was younger," said Rose.
"Ahh," said the Elf, "Well, I must leave you here, you'll be safe with Glorfindel, and he will heal your wound."
Rose had forgotten about the gash on her cheek. Now the pain was coming back to her. She raised her hand to her cheek. It was wet with blood and stung when she touched it. The Elf said farewell ("Namaarie.") and hurried off silently towards the distant torches glowing in a circle around the hobbits.
'I wish I'd stayed with them now,' thought Rose, 'I hope Sam's all right.'
Glorfindel lit a small torch so they could see. Or, at least, so Rose could see. Elves have exceptionally good eyesight in the dark.
"Here, take this," he said, handing her some crushed up herbs, "it will stop the bleeding and ease the pain."
Rose took it gladly and immediately the pain subsided. She sat down on a nearby log to rest her feet. In the distance she could hear cries and shouts coming from the direction of the pixies. Suddenly the shouts and shrieks became fiercer and louder, as if something had angered them. Rose sat shivering on the log hoping that nothing had happened to her friends. A while later, the shouts became more and more faint, and she heard several footsteps running towards Glorfindel and her self.
The hobbits and the Elf emerged into the firelight, but something didn't quite seem right. Someone was missing.