AN: Yay! My first review! Lilliana there is a simple answer to your question: how much energy do you think it takes to transform? And James had just been SHOT. Ouch! I think he tried it just didn't work. Well, better him than me. Cookies to you lilliana! Oh and if yall were wonderin' that deer I talked about in the last AN it's real!

Chapter 2: Padfoot to the Rescue!

'Padfoot! Thank Merlin you're here!' Lily cried in relief as she ran to meet the dog. There was a small popping noise and Strider blinked in surprise. In the place of the dog knelt a boy who looked to be about 15 with short black hair and piercing blue eyes.

Padfoot took the scene in at a glance. 'Let me guess,' he said, 'That man mistook Prongs for a real deer and shot him. And he can't treat Prongsie while he's a deer. And he's too weak to change back, plus you can't remember the spell. Am I right?' Lily nodded quickly. Sirius gave her a lopsided smile. 'Good thing I'm here then eh?' Sirius twirled his wand and muttered the incantation. There was a small popping noise and in the place of the stag a boy lay in its place. Unfortunately the arrow was still sticking out of his body.

'James!' Lily cried. Sirius grabbed her about the waist to keep her from rushing forward. Lily gave him a dangerous look but he shushed her and pointed at where Strider had knelt next to James.

'What have I done?' Strider whispered in horror. Thanking Elbereth he had not removed his pack when he went hunting he took some bandages out of his pack. Strider turned and motioned for Lily and Sirius to join him. Then both came quickly to his side. 'Lily I need you to be strong right now. I'm going to have to remove this arrow. I need you both to hold him down and make sure he doesn't move.' Strider said. Lily blanched but nodded.

Sirius put one hand on James' side and the other on his knee. Lily put a reassuring hand of James' shoulder and held his hand. There was no fear in his eyes. Strider nodded and grasped the arrow firmly and pulled. James tensed and cried out but the worst was over. Strider smiled reassuringly as he bandaged the wound.

With a little help James sat up. 'That is the last time I try anything that runs the risk of exploding. Padfoot what would I ever do without you? Lily, next time we try to do something stupid like that try and stay out of the way.' Sirius laughed, glad that his best friend was feeling good enough to joke around. Lily shook her head and gave James a You're hopeless! look. Strider slipped away quietly, aware that this was a reunion of friends.

~*~*~*~*~*

Strider made his way back to camp, confident that the youths could find their way back on their own. 'Where is the girl, Lily?' Frodo asked at once.

Strider smiled. 'She is having a joyous reunion with some friends of her's. She will return with them shortly.' He replied. He left out the fact that these friends could turn into animals. Frodo nodded and returned to staring at the fire.

What followed was four simultaneous growls from Hobbit stomachs. Merry stood up and glared at Strider. 'I thought you went hunting! Didn't you catch anything?' he demanded.

Strider flushed and looked at the ground. How in Arda was he going to explain this? 'I - er - well - I did catch - something.' He muttered.

Merry put his hands on his hips and eyed the ranger expectantly. 'Well? Where is it? I'm starved!'

'Right here!' said a voice and they all turned around to see James walking towards them, supported on one side by Lily. Sirius was walking a step or two behind. 'I'm right here, if you want me. But do I look all that appetizing?' he asked. The following confused looks made him grin. James exchanged glances with Lily and Sirius and the three were doubled over with sidesplitting laughter.

'I dunno James you look a little scrawny to me!' Sirius joked between laughs.

'Too funny!' Lily agreed, she was reduced to the ground rolling about in her fit of giggles. James had stopped laughing as it hurt too much. But it appeared as though the effort was almost too much for him. At last their laughter died and the three of them composed themselves quickly and joined the Hobbits and Ranger by the fire. 'James can turn into a deer. Strider was planning to bring you some venison and thought James to be a real deer.' Lily explained. James nodded and lifted his shirt to show a bloody bandage wrapped around his side. Sirius winced.

'You alright there Prongs? I'll bet it hurts more than it looks. And it looks like it hurts A LOT.' Sirius said. 'Where's Madam Pomfrey when you need her eh?' He joked. 'Or Dumbledore. What I would do to know how to conjure up food!' James smirked and he winked at Lily. He twirled his wand in the air and a bunch of BLT's on a plate appeared in front of them. 'Ooh! Food! Yummy!' Sirius cried in pure joy as he dug in and Lily and James joined him. The Hobbits leaned forward uncertainly. 'It's good! Try some!' Sirius said through a mouth full of sandwich, which I am sure sounded more like 'Iff gooh! Hry fumm! But, being Hobbits, they had sufficient experience in understanding such talk and began to eat hungrily.

'Umm, it iff gooh!' Pippin yelled as he took another bite and all of the Hobbits nodded simultaneously. Strider snatched the last one (it was the only one he managed to grab) before Merry even realized that there was one left. He had to take full advantage of his 6'2" height to keep it away from the Hobbits. 'Hey!' Pippin yelled, 'No fair, he cheated!'

'Pippin you have had 6! At least let Strider have 1!' Lily laughed. 'Well, time for bed! The sooner we are out of here the better!' Everyone agreed and rolled into their cloaks to sleep.

AN Hee Hee! Hey I just realized something. October sixth is the day that Frodo gets stabbed with the Morgul Blade. October sixth is my birthday! Oh man! Typical me. I don't know whether to feel special or guilty.