Well, I hope you're still all awake and reading this! ^_^ Lol, I'm joking! If you have fallen asleep, I'll just get my Screee-ing thingy to wake y'all up!!!

Review Replies!

Mellaithwen-ElvenMaiden; Hey, now there's an idea! =) Kill 'em all and never tell you who did it... you think I'm that evil? ... ... Yeah.

Astievia; Thank you!

Sailorgirl4; Ah, not necessarily dead... but judging by the violent ways in which they've all been taken, d'ya think they'll be in top shape if they're still living? Hmmm... I know! ROTK IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!! BRING ON THE OSCARS!!!

Dha-Gal; 'Another One Bites The Dust!!!' ^_^ Lol!!! Ooh, thanks! This is the first time I've ever really tried to do Borry and the Hobbits, so it's nice to know I'm getting something right! Dear Lord, more Skittles?!?!?!

Kawaii Elf-Girl; *takes matchbox* Erm... thanks... I guess... ^.^ YOU POST IT NOW!!! I'd adore reading it! Oh yeah, are you ever going to update To Hell and Back etc. coz I miss reading it!!!

Stephanie; Lol, thanks! ^_^

Lainfaer; EVIL!!! ^_^

XM6; *sideways glance at Flamethrower of Doom* I really don't wanna get burned by that y'know... ^.^'

Shadowwill; O_O' Woah... scared now!!!

Irish QT; Lol, nice one Irish!!! ^_^

Yavie Aelinel; Ooh, hello! ^_^ Ah, you don't know if I've killed him... of course, he might well be dead, I just don't know... well, I mean, I do know but that would be telling wouldn't it?! =)

Starlit Hope; Dude!!! ^_^ Yeah, what do you expect? Hmmm...

Menthol; ^_^

Alduya; Why thank you! ^.^ I like that idea!!! =) Oh, so wonderfully nastily ferociously EVIL!!! THANK YOU!!! =)

Caladiel Meril W; Actually, I've never watched an English dubbed Japanese sci-fi movie... weird, huh? Yeah, mostly Legolas and Aragorn bear the brunt of my evilness... poor guys! Thanks for the reviews!

So, without further ado... the story...

~*~*~*~

The Hobbits heard the wail of triumph that the Hunter unleashed through the trees. They huddled together, terrified.

"What do we do?!" whispered Sam.

"If it comes this way, we run, split up," said Frodo, going through his strategy. "Don't let it catch you, but don't run too far, and don't come back to the camp until dawn when we know it is safe."

Without warning, a low growl could be heard from the thicket of trees ahead of them.

Frodo darted into the trees quickly, Sam heading in the opposite direction and also disappearing. Merry was just about to reach the safety of the woods when he heard a petrified cry from behind him. He wheeled around.

The creature suddenly lunged at Pippin, who hadn't run fast enough to escape its attentions. The Hobbit now froze with absolute fear, gaping wide-eyed as it flew towards him faster than an Elvish arrow.

"Watch out Pip!" cried Merry, horrified. He ran towards them, pushing his cousin out of the way with a hard shove. Pippin fell hard to the ground, bashing his head hard upon a jagged rock that stuck up out of the ground. Stars exploded all around him, almost filling his vision, but the last thing he saw as all faded to darkness, was brave Merry swinging his short sword wildly at their attacker...

It was only with the red dawn that a horrified Frodo and Sam finally returned and came upon the unconscious form of Pippin in the camp. Merry was nowhere to be seen...

~*~*~*~

Sam draped the thick blanket around Pippin. It had taken him a few hours before he'd woken up, and he had tried to tell them everything but he was talking too fast for them to really understand. They only knew that the pair had been attacked by the Hunter. The youngest Hobbit was shaking.

"Where's Merry?!" he asked desperately. "I want Merry here now!"

Frodo sat down opposite his cousin and stared defiantly into the Took's usually warm brown eyes. Now they seemed duller and more serious. The Ringbearer didn't let the other Hobbit look away from him at all.

"I know you want Merry here but there's nothing we can do," he explained. "We've lost six people over four nights. Six. If I could do something, I would, but..."

Frodo trailed off, falling silent. There was no exchange between any of the three for a moment. Then Pippin's youthful face crumpled and his tearful eyes let loose their burden, the salty droplets running down his rosy red cheeks like tiny rivers. Frodo frowned sadly and moved forward, embracing his cousin in a tight hug.

Pippin sobbed heavily on his shoulder. "I miss them..."

~*~*~*~

It had been a few hours before Pippin had finally calmed down. Frodo offered to keep watch for any approaching danger whilst Sam slept, but the gardener would hear none of it.

"You need your sleep Mister Frodo," he said solemnly. He knew that Frodo was just beginning to realise the true enormity of the burden he wore on a chain around his neck; he carried the fate of Middle-Earth with him, and it was starting to wear down on him. Reluctantly, Frodo settled down into his bedroll, and shut his tired, drooping eyes. He was slumbering in minutes.

Pippin still sat beside the crackling fire, staring blankly into the flickering flames, deep in thought. Had Merry been here, he would have probably made some comment about this being the very first time his cousin had done this; but Merry was not here, and the current situation was far too serious for that sort of jest anyway.

A grim look upon his face, Sam seated himself beside the younger Hobbit. "You get some rest now Mister Pippin," he told the Took. Silently, Pippin turned away from the fire and faced him. Sam was sadly surprised to see fresh tear tracks down his cheeks.

"I won't be able to sleep Sam," said Pippin quietly. "I'll keep watch tonight..." 

~*~*~*~

It watched silently from the trees. The other two slept soundly. The youngest one, his original target, sat quietly beside a large tree, leaning on the thick roots that sprung from the ground.

It hissed quietly as it bared its crooked teeth in a warped smile. Its hands were stained with the blood of the others; it wanted to finish the job...

~*~*~*~

Rise... Fall... Rise... Fall...

Pippin hated the silence, the overwhelming sense of no other, so he had taken to watching his companion's steady breathing to keep him awake.

Rise... Fall... Rise... Fall...

He was thinking mostly of Merry. If he'd not been knocked out, could he have done something? Could he have helped Merry before anything had happened to him? What would have happened if he did? What would have happened if Merry hadn't pushed him out of the way in time? Would it be he in the clutches of this creature, and Merry sitting here silently in psychological agony?

Rise... Fall... Rise... Fall...

Pippin was so caught in his mental prison that he did not notice the barely audible padding of slimy feet behind him. He did not hear the soft scratchy breathing. He was completely unaware of the creature's position behind him... until a twisted hand clamped itself over his mouth, and sank its teeth into his shoulder. With a loud "SCREEEEEE!" that echoed in the cold night air, the beastly thing dragged him limply away...

Rise... Fall... Fall... Fall...

~*~*~*~

Woo, psychological... big word... ^_^ Hope you liked! Just 3 chapters to go on this fic now, so R&R and you'll be able to know the ending quicker!!!

Oh yeah, for any of you who were reading one of my other stories, 'Orcs', and didn't know I'd put up chapter 10, well, I have, so if you'd like to go read it, then you're obviously welcome to! ^_^ And yes, I know that was a shameless advertisement, but it had to be done... =) Lol! Thanks for reading this chappie!!!