It was the middle of the night when Airesiwe awoke. She had been hearing
strange noises that would wake her up several times and after awhile, got
too annoying to bear. Instead of trying to fall back asleep, Airesiwe
recapped all that happened since Rivendell in her head. She remembered the
fall of Gandalf, and the meeting of Galadriel and her kingdom. She tried to
vision every detail that happened when the Fellowship broke and how Pippin
and Merry were captured, but she couldn't. All she could remember was
Aragorn telling her to run and how much her arm hurt. At the thought of
Aragorn, Airesiwe suddenly remembered him, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir. If
they were not in the forest with the hobbits then where were they?
Certainly they had not been captured as well, considering their great
fighting skills. A horrid thought flashed in Airesiwe's mind as she thought
of them dying in the battle. She shuddered at the thought as her tears
helped calm her and put her back to sleep.
She awoke again to the odd noise in the forest. She couldn't take it anymore. She had not one moment of sleep and was very tired from her expedition with the orcs a few days before. She got up, armed herself, and walked silently through the woods of Fangorn.
~*~
It wasn't long until she got to the source of the sound. When she did, her mouth flew open. Never in her life had she seen such an odd and mysterious sight. There were ents, many of them, swaying in the night breeze. They all moaned and groaned to each other as if speaking in their own language. Airesiwe sat on a nearby log out of sight and listened for awhile. After a few hours, Airesiwe felt her eyes get heavy and decided to head back. When she got off the rock, a cold hand came from behind and covered her mouth, preventing her from crying for help. The other arm held her in a neck-lock and held on with a tight grip.
"What were you doing?!" an angry whisper demanded. Airesiwe recognized the voice and became quite enraged.
"You never told me about this!" Airesiwe yelled back, though it only came out as a muffle. She swung around and glared at Merry who was standing right behind her. "You never told me anything about the noises I heard, even when I brought them up!"
Merry eyes felt with a sudden guilt as he whispered, "I didn't want Pip to know either, but it was bad enough he found out. This is a special meeting, a type of gathering might you call it. You see that big one?" he said while pointing to the one in the middle, "that's Treebeard, the leader. They have been talking for the past week and a half about what to do about the war—"
"War? You never told me about that either!"
"Be patient Airesiwe! For you have only been awake for but a day! Isengard had been unleashed around the time the meeting started. The ents are deciding what to do about it and whether they should take part in it or not. It is taking quite awhile, though not all ents are like Bregalad. They talk slow and in Entish. You should have seen how long it took to say 'good morning'!"
"I'm sorry, I just... I couldn't sleep and—" Airesiwe stammered.
"I know, I just didn't want you to interrupt, in fear that they might have to start their meeting over."
Airesiwe laughed at that statement and figured that Pippin had probably tried it before. They walked back to the Ent-house together, right when the sun peaked out from the horizon.
~*~
Airesiwe had barely any time to sleep by the time she got back, for it was already morning. Pippin had awoken and was quite terrified of the fact that everyone was gone, even Bregalad. Everything was settled when they got back though. They ate a big breakfast, and rode on the branches of Bregalad as he sang songs on the way to the meeting, although Airesiwe didn't know it. As they rode along through the woods, Airesiwe wanted to ask Merry about what happened when the Fellowship broke, and if the others were ok, but decided not to. She figured she would rather not know if case they were dead.
~*~
Finally they arrive at the large group of ents. Airesiwe guessed that they were finished because they were no longer moaning. Treebeard turned around to greet Bregalad and Airesiwe was surprised to see that she could understand him. Treebeard could speak more than one language, possibly many. Bregalad set the hobbits and her on the ground as they talked some more, then Bregalad gave a last good-bye and left. Airesiwe was astonished at the great height of Treebeard and the other ents as well. Treebeard had a long beard that looked similar to hair and grass combined. He had an older look to him and he talked quite slow when Airesiwe could understand him. He was much taller than Bregalad, but not as cheerful by the look of it. Airesiwe did not feel intimidated by this however. She knew that ents were pretty much harmless. Treebeard, on the other hand, did not seem to feel the same way about her.
"Hoooooomm...now who...might this be?" he said in a strong, slightly annoyed voice. The hobbits explained to him about how they found her as a hostage in a cluster of orcs. At first it didn't seem like he believed them at first, but then understood. "So....Airesiwe is the name..." Treebeard said slowly, as if taking in every syllable in her name. "Sounds ....elvish if I'm right. Haven't had ......an elf in these forests for....almost an age." Treebeard seemed quite pleased of the news and picked the hobbits and her up to perch on his thick branches.
"We have come to ....a decision about the....war." Treebeard said, "we've decided that you are of no use here, and must go back to your home." Treebeard tried to say this quickly so that the hobbits wouldn't catch it, but he failed. "I am sorry. I will drop you off at the western borders of the forest, and you can make you way north to your homeland from there." Pain filled Treebeard's eyes, and Airesiwe could tell he was just as disappointed as Pip and Merry were.
She awoke again to the odd noise in the forest. She couldn't take it anymore. She had not one moment of sleep and was very tired from her expedition with the orcs a few days before. She got up, armed herself, and walked silently through the woods of Fangorn.
~*~
It wasn't long until she got to the source of the sound. When she did, her mouth flew open. Never in her life had she seen such an odd and mysterious sight. There were ents, many of them, swaying in the night breeze. They all moaned and groaned to each other as if speaking in their own language. Airesiwe sat on a nearby log out of sight and listened for awhile. After a few hours, Airesiwe felt her eyes get heavy and decided to head back. When she got off the rock, a cold hand came from behind and covered her mouth, preventing her from crying for help. The other arm held her in a neck-lock and held on with a tight grip.
"What were you doing?!" an angry whisper demanded. Airesiwe recognized the voice and became quite enraged.
"You never told me about this!" Airesiwe yelled back, though it only came out as a muffle. She swung around and glared at Merry who was standing right behind her. "You never told me anything about the noises I heard, even when I brought them up!"
Merry eyes felt with a sudden guilt as he whispered, "I didn't want Pip to know either, but it was bad enough he found out. This is a special meeting, a type of gathering might you call it. You see that big one?" he said while pointing to the one in the middle, "that's Treebeard, the leader. They have been talking for the past week and a half about what to do about the war—"
"War? You never told me about that either!"
"Be patient Airesiwe! For you have only been awake for but a day! Isengard had been unleashed around the time the meeting started. The ents are deciding what to do about it and whether they should take part in it or not. It is taking quite awhile, though not all ents are like Bregalad. They talk slow and in Entish. You should have seen how long it took to say 'good morning'!"
"I'm sorry, I just... I couldn't sleep and—" Airesiwe stammered.
"I know, I just didn't want you to interrupt, in fear that they might have to start their meeting over."
Airesiwe laughed at that statement and figured that Pippin had probably tried it before. They walked back to the Ent-house together, right when the sun peaked out from the horizon.
~*~
Airesiwe had barely any time to sleep by the time she got back, for it was already morning. Pippin had awoken and was quite terrified of the fact that everyone was gone, even Bregalad. Everything was settled when they got back though. They ate a big breakfast, and rode on the branches of Bregalad as he sang songs on the way to the meeting, although Airesiwe didn't know it. As they rode along through the woods, Airesiwe wanted to ask Merry about what happened when the Fellowship broke, and if the others were ok, but decided not to. She figured she would rather not know if case they were dead.
~*~
Finally they arrive at the large group of ents. Airesiwe guessed that they were finished because they were no longer moaning. Treebeard turned around to greet Bregalad and Airesiwe was surprised to see that she could understand him. Treebeard could speak more than one language, possibly many. Bregalad set the hobbits and her on the ground as they talked some more, then Bregalad gave a last good-bye and left. Airesiwe was astonished at the great height of Treebeard and the other ents as well. Treebeard had a long beard that looked similar to hair and grass combined. He had an older look to him and he talked quite slow when Airesiwe could understand him. He was much taller than Bregalad, but not as cheerful by the look of it. Airesiwe did not feel intimidated by this however. She knew that ents were pretty much harmless. Treebeard, on the other hand, did not seem to feel the same way about her.
"Hoooooomm...now who...might this be?" he said in a strong, slightly annoyed voice. The hobbits explained to him about how they found her as a hostage in a cluster of orcs. At first it didn't seem like he believed them at first, but then understood. "So....Airesiwe is the name..." Treebeard said slowly, as if taking in every syllable in her name. "Sounds ....elvish if I'm right. Haven't had ......an elf in these forests for....almost an age." Treebeard seemed quite pleased of the news and picked the hobbits and her up to perch on his thick branches.
"We have come to ....a decision about the....war." Treebeard said, "we've decided that you are of no use here, and must go back to your home." Treebeard tried to say this quickly so that the hobbits wouldn't catch it, but he failed. "I am sorry. I will drop you off at the western borders of the forest, and you can make you way north to your homeland from there." Pain filled Treebeard's eyes, and Airesiwe could tell he was just as disappointed as Pip and Merry were.