"Where we goin', Frodo?" demanded Samwise, tugging at the pack on his back in a valiant effort to see what it contained.

"Just for a walk. How 'bout the woods? You want to go to the woods?" Frodo asked, gently brushing his pudgy hands away.

"Will we see elves?" the younger hobbit asked eagerly.

"I don't think there's any elves in the woods around The Shire, Sam, but we'll see," Frodo replied.

"Oh boy! And then we can find a river, and get a drink, and…"

Hamfast watched the two fondly as they walked away. He was glad Frodo had taken an interest in his young son, for he was sometimes too much for Hamfast to handle. He often snapped foolishly at him, and regretted it later. His rash words were the cause of many an evening spent rocking before the fire with Samwise in his lap, silently stroking his hair and gazing into the flames. He would never admit such a thing, but he felt guilty for the harsh, impatient words he spoke during the day. Yes, inside the calloused hobbit's heart was a tender spot, and young Sam was at the center of it all. He smiled a small, secret smile and retreated into his burrow.

"Can we stop for lunch now, Mr. Frodo?" inquired Samwise, reaching for Frodo's pack again.

"Sam!" Frodo laughed. "We're not even out of sight of your house yet, and you want to stop for lunch?"

"Oh, please, Mr. Frodo?" Samwise begged.

"Not yet," Frodo replied. "Wait until we get into the woods. We have to make this last all day."

"We're going to be gone all day?" Sam asked in delight.

"That's what I had planned," Frodo answered. Sam ran on ahead, for all the world like an inquisitive puppy, exploring the bright and innocent world. Frodo smiled, glad that, for Sam, the world was still a happy and loving place. He knew that one day it would all come crashing down on him, but was glad to protect him from it now as long as he could.

"Look what I found, Mr. Frodo!" Sam was yelling now. Frodo couldn't tell what he was pointing at from such a distance and ran to find out.

"Sam! Don't touch-" he started. A piercing scream from Samwise interrupted him and told him he was too late. He ran, full speed, and snatched up the screaming hobbit.

"That would be a porcupine, Sam," he said, still running. He heard the creature scrabbling up a tree behind him, but didn't slow down for several minutes. He stopped and set Sam down gently, grimly surveying the spines in his hand. He wiped the tears from Sam's grimy cheek and gripped the hand.

"This is going to hurt, but you have to hold still or they'll be driven in even further," Frodo informed him. There were only three spines, but they were already in fairly deep. Frodo grasped the first one firmly and gave it a sharp yank. Samwise cried out, but the spine was out. Frodo dropped it on the leaves next to him and started on the next one. This one was in somewhat deeper and took quite a bit longer to remove. The third one was barely hooked into the young hobbit's skin at all, and with one quick yank it was out. Sam gave a long, shuddery sob and put the wounded hand in his mouth.

"There," Frodo said with some satisfaction. "Now I bet you want something to eat."

"Uh-huh!"

They dined on delicious thick slices of bread, heavily buttered, and shared water from Frodo's flask. When they had finished and wiped the crumbs from their knees, Frodo said "Well, where to now, Samwise?"

"There," Sam said, and pointed deeper into the woods.

"There's no path there, Sam," said Frodo.

"I know. That's why I want to go there," Sam said, leaping from the rock he was standing on and running off in the direction he had indicated. Frodo shoved the remains of their meal into his pack and started out after him.