Hello,
I´m back! Sorry for the "little" delay, but I´m making up for it and put on two chapters! The next one´s gonna go online on sunday. Thanks for the reviews "Ice Ember" and "Merry lad" ~Key
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merry walked cautiously in the twighlight between the trees. He could hear the wood cracking and whimpering. ´They already feel my presence.´ He thought feeling a little awkward. A sudden cold breeze let him shiver violently he still was soaking wet, but he went on. He knew this somehow. Everything was quite familiar, like he had been here before. Could this be? He didn't know why he was doing what he did next, clearing his throat he spoke out: "I'm Meriadoc Brandybuck, son of Saradoc. I'm asking for permission to walk through your property!" He waited for an answer and as he thought he wouldn't get one, finally a deep, bass voice sounded: "So you came back?!" Merry froze at these words. "I… I have to find my cousin." He whispered. There was silence for a long time, but finally the deep voice answered: "I can grant you time until sunset. When it gets dark I'm in no power to hold back the creatures that live here. You and your kin will be unprotected." Merry gulped. "Thank you." He managed to say. "Hurry Meriadoc, son of Saradoc."
~~~~~
Pippin woke up quivering. He felt an odd iron like taste in his mouth. With a small groan he flipped himself on his back and instantly regretted the movement as his head started throbbing in horrible pain and nausea and dizziness almost overwhelmed him. He vomited violently and almost drifted back into unconsciousness, as he remembered the bad dream that had woken him in the first place. Shadows, asking him questions, merciless and over and over and over again. He started to shake uncontrollably as he dug in his memory. With a shuddering breath he tried one last time to keep his fright down, but it didn't last long as he felt the shadows around him getting darker and more consistent and starting to move again.
~~~~~
Merry didn't know how far he had gone. It seemed like hours had passed, but he knew that everything was different in the old forest. Over and over again he had screamed for Pippin, now his throat was raw and still no sign of his cousin. Again he inhaled deeply and just wanted to call out the little one's name as he heard a muffled cry that seemed to come from everywhere. "Pippin!" Merry breathed and then started to run in the direction he thought that would be right.
~~~~~
He couldn't breathe anymore. The shadows where strangling him, still asking questions. He never thought he could be scared that much. Then, suddenly the darkness moved, seemed to fly from the light. A moving light that came for his rescue. Pippin still couldn't breathe but hope flickered through him and some of his panic hid deep in a corner of his soul. The light was now over him, around him, in him. He could feel it's touch and comfort. Then suddenly the light vanished, leaving him in a dark and foggy land with no forms…
He still felt someone's grasp around his arms, and now he could also hear noises, sounds that coaxed him. Angrily this someone started to shake him again, and finally he understood the words spoken to him: "Breathe! Come on! Pippin!" His eyes snapped open and with this the jinx upon him seemed to be broken. He didn't care that his eyes started to get wet, nor that he sobbed pitifully as he drew in breath after breath. Merry´s grip around his arms loosened and he felt himself suddenly in an embrace, sinking to ground slow and gentle. "Shhhhh…" Merry´s voice was right at his ear. "It's okay… I found you. Everything's gonna be alright. Shhhh." He felt his breath eventually even out and his lungs stop to hurt. Still sniffling slightly, he turned his face up, gazing at his cousin. Even this small movement sent gruel bolts of pain through all over his body, beginning at his head and ending at his ankles but what he found in his cousins eyes confused him. Usually he saw there ignorance, anger and arrogance. But now he saw Worry? Fright? Care? His gaze fell, and with no strength left, he let himself lean back into his cousin's chest. "I'm sorry…" he whispered and drifted back into nothingness. He never heard Merry answering him: "Me too Pip, me too."
~~~~~
He ran as fast as he ever had in his life, almost falling over the small body on the ground. He recognized him almost immediately. Pippin! His young cousin lay on his stomach, face down, unmoving. A root had itself wrapped around Pip's ankle tightly. Merry sank to his side, turning the little one gently around. As he pulled the knife his father had given to him when he was a six-year-old the roots suddenly loosened their grip around Pippin's ankle, giving him free. As he touched the smaller one's face he felt how cold he was, and finally he saw what he had missed the whole time. The rising and falling of Pippins chest. With a start he pulled the little hobbit into a sitting position, not caring about anything but rise him. "Pippin!" he screamed while starting to shake the lad. "Pippin!" With strength he didn't know he had, he pulled his cousin in a standing position shaking even harder, hearing Pippins teeth clatter. He was about to call him again loudly as the young one's eyes snapped open and he started to breathe or better to sob in air. Pippin's eyes filled with tears and Merry didn't know what else to do as to hug him close. He felt the reassuring up and down of Pippins chest and let himself slide down into a sitting position, taking Pippin with him and cradling him into his arms. Time passed and Pippins hard and fast gasps started to even out. Thousands of thoughts ran through Merry while he held the small body near to his. He was thrown back into present as he felt Pippin's eyes and as he returned the look Pippin weakly whispered: "I'm sorry…" then snuggled even closer and relaxed in his arms.
He knew they couldn't stay for long, but he wanted to give him a few minutes break to regain his strength. So he just sat there, starting to rock back and fro and finally finding his voice to answer: "Me too Pip, me too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
to the next chapter…