Disclaimer: I own none of LotR at all, it all belongs to the great and wonderful JRR Tolkien.
Chapter Three: Orc AttackThey traveled through Haradwaith, always heading in a southerly direction, as they were still following the men's trail. As it was, it seems the men had come to Elnaroralaoso MUCH sooner than they had, although it had taken them longer to solve the Riddle than it had them. This had shortened the men's lead, although they were still ahead by quite a bit.
Now, although Sauron had been overthrown, there were still ragged bands of orcs wandering about. These bands were more numerous in the wildernesses and the like than in civilized places, so it is not a big surprise to find that there were bands like this in Haradwaith, and Haranadwaith, a wilderness country even farther south than Haradwaith. Though they did not know it, there was an orc band that made its dwellings quite near to where they made camp.
While the company was asleep, the orcs came out for a hunt for dinner. They mainly ate the little animals that lived around there, but when they could get them, they would eat as big a prey as they could get. The orcs smelt the group from where they were hunting a family of foxes. They all talked among themselves and decided that bigger prey was better, and anyways, this was human flesh, which they considered a delicacy in those parts, so they crept silently away from the fox den.
The orcs crept up on them, unawares, while they were sleeping. They found that there were only three people small enough to take (Gimli was a small person, but Gimli was also a dwarf, and they had had dealings with dwarves, and knew that they were fierce fighters). They decided to take the three little people, the hobbits, who shouldn't put up to much of a fight; the others were to big, and would cause a ruckus. They sent out two orcs per small person. Each pair of orcs crept up on their prey, and pounced on it, one holding it's slimy, grimy hand over the hobbit's mouth, so that the hobbit could not call for help, while the other held it down, and kept the hobbit's hands behind his back. Then they forced the hobbit up, carefully keeping the hobbit's mouth covered and his hands behind his back. Then they forced them to walk to the orcs dwelling place. Their abode was as dirty and dingy as they were. They had ropes there, and they tied the hobbits with them. The hobbits speculated on how they were going to get away.
Now, take note that, in those lands, there were certain families of animals that were descended from the few pairs of animals made by the Valar.
Meanwhile, the orcs went off to do something; probably to find an appetizer to go with the main course of hobbit. Once the orcs had been gone for a while, some of those special animals of the Valar crept in. The hobbits looked around, afraid that the sounds were the orcs coming back, for they heard voices.
"Don't be afraid," one of the voices said quietly and gently, "We are not going to hurt you. We hate the orcs as much as you."
Other voices agreed with the first. Now the hobbits were not quite as afraid, for orcs would not say that they hated orcs as much as the hobbits did. The animals came silently up and cut the hobbits bonds with their sharp claws and teeth.
"Hurry, get up!" a fox cried out softly, "The orcs will be back soon!"
The hobbits mounted the talking ponies that had come along to free them, and they were swiftly borne away.
Not five minutes after the hobbits rode away, the orcs came back. They were ready for a feast of flesh, but when they found that their dinner was gone; they set up a terrible din, wailing and screaming as only orcs can. The animals and the hobbits heard this and went even more swiftly than before. Though the orcs searched for four days, they could not find the hobbits.
The animals were very kind to the hobbits, and they allowed them to stay in the guesthouse that they had put up for visitors, and the hobbits were quite happy, but they wondered if they would ever see their friends again.
The rest of the company woke up at dawn. The first to wake up was Samisen.
"Sam, would you and Frodo make breakfast?" asked Samisen, with a huge yawn, knowing that the hobbits usually rose before the rest. There was no answer. "Sam, I asked i..." Samisen looked around, suddenly wide-awake.
He saw no sign of ANY of the hobbits. "Sam? Sam...! Where are you?! Sam, come out! This is no time to be playing games, Sam!" There was still no answer. "Sam, I know you're out there! Frodo, come out! Bilbo?! Come out all you silly hobbits! Come out, come out where ev..." he trailed off, for there, in the dust, was an orc footprint.
"Oh, where are you, you ridiculous hobbits?! Don't you know that there are orcs around?! Oh, where are y..." he stopped suddenly, as an idea suddenly dawned on him.
What if the orcs had taken the hobbits!! Then he stopped and gasped. "Oh, no. Oh, no, oh no! The orcs must have captured those stupid, silly hobbits. Oh, where would they have taken them? Oh, wake up everybody, wake up!!" Samisen shouted, as he went about, shaking everyone awake. Samisen bent down and shook Gimli.
"Gimli, wake up!" Gimli rolled over, opened his eyes, and stretched.
"Oh, Samisen, what did you have to wake me up for?" asked Gimli with a yawn, "I was having such a wonderful dream about the caverns of Helm's Deep."
"Gimli, there's no time for all that right now!" cried Samisen, who was very distressed by the disappearance of the hobbits.
"Samisen, what's up?" asked Gimli, half-awake, with a look of concern on his face.
"The hobbits have been taken by orcs I think!!" Samisen replied.
Now that woke Gimli up. His eyes popped open as wide as they could and his jaw dropped down as far as it would.
"Orcs?!" cried Gimli in total surprise and shock, "But, but I have not heard of orcs being around since Sauron fell!"
To this Samisen replied: "I do not know anything about the orcs, except that I am almost certain that they took the hobbits! I think we can track them, for the prints are still clear and deep!"
So Samisen and Gimli set about waking up the others.
"Gimli, why did you wake me up?!" yawned Legolas, "Let me go back to sleep." He turned over.
"Because, my good elf, orcs have stolen the hobbits, and we must find them!" Gimli replied urgently. Legolas was immediately wide-awake.
"What?! The hobbits, kidnapped by orcs?! Impossible!" Legolas cried, very upset.
"It is not impossible, Legolas. It happened during the night, we think, while we were asleep."
They got everyone else up and found the beginning of the tracks. They found that Gimli was one of the best trackers; it helped that he saw the shortest of the company, except the hobbits, and so he did not have to bend down very far to see the tracks.
"I think that the hobbits must have been carried, because there are only orc tracks, and no hobbits," said Gimli, squatting down next to the trail of tracks. Legolas, who was helping the dwarf with the tracking, crouched down next to Gimli.
"Gimli is right. The orcs must have tied the hobbits feet, and so the hobbits could not walk and had to be carried." Legolas got up and they continued following the orcs' trail. They followed the trail up to their hideout.
"This must be where the orcs took the hobbits," whispered Elladan, "but I do not think anyone is here right now." They found that what Elladan guessed was true. The orcs were off on one of their raids, or searching for the hobbits. After a time, they all sat down and leaned glumly against some of the trees. Finally, Elladan spoke.
"You know, maybe the hobbits aren't here because they escaped as the orcs went to find an appetizer. We must continue looking, for if the orcs have not eaten them, then we must find the hobbits. Anyhow, there is a very good chance they were not eaten, for there are no bones or any of the like around here."
A faint glimmer of hope returned to them at Elladan's words. They searched the place once again, even more diligently this time, nearly crawling to see if they could find any prints.
Gimli and Legolas were crawling at the back of the place, when they both gave a cry, nearly in unison.
Legolas cried, "Come here quickly! Look what I have found!" while Gimli cried, "Oh no! These prints!"
The others came rushing over to Legolas.
"Legolas, what have you found?" asked Samisen.
"I have found cut ropes!" cried Legolas excitedly. "The hobbits must have cut their bonds and escaped!"
"Yes, that is what I think also!" Samisen replied, "But what has Gimli the dwarf found?!"
Gimli cried out for them to come over, impatient for the others to come and see what he had found.
"Yes, what has Gimli the dwarf found?" asked Legolas, who had come over to Gimli.
"Prints!" cried Gimli, "Wild animal prints!"
"Yes, but these tracks are much larger than any of those that I have tracked before." Legolas said.
"That is exactly what I said." Gimli replied, "What if these animals cut the hobbits bonds, and ate them?"
"Wait. I have heard tell of a wondrous sorts of creatures in Mirkwood," said Legolas. "The Valar created animals that could talk, and put them in Middle-earth. These animals were larger than normal animals, and were much more intelligent. I did not think there were any more of these animals left in Middle-earth, but perhaps I was wrong. If there are such animals, and there really are orcs here, I'll warrant that the orcs may eat them sometimes, when they can lay hands on them. See, here, there are pony prints. I think that the hobbits may have ridden the ponies away. And look here, there are hobbit prints right here, next to the pony tracks, but they disappear. Come, let us follow these tracks and see what we can find."
So they followed the tracks. The tracks led them through the brush and bracken.
"I wonder what will happen if the animals are holding the hobbits prisoners, although I do not think that they will be, for in all the tales I have heard of them, they were always kind to most others, although orcs and the like are probably not on their list of friends." Said Legolas. "What if they are not the animals in the tales and are evil, and friends of the orcs, and want a ransom in return for the hobbits?"
"Well then, Legolas, we will pay their ransom. I, for one would not be able to live with myself, thinking about the poor, silly little innocent hobbits being eaten by wild animals or orcs or the like." Elladan replied.
And so they went on. It took them two days to get to the animals lairs and dens and other homes, for they were not on horseback, as the hobbits had been, and also, they were carrying packs, and did not have four legs, as the animals had.
When they came to the place, they found the hobbits guesthouse, but as it turned out, the hobbits had departed on a pony ride, just before they had come up. The family of foxes and the family of badgers came out to greet them, but they thought that they were coming out to attack them, so they drew their swords. The animals had seen swords before, and swords had killed some animals before, when men had come hunting in those parts, though that was quite seldom, although it was becoming more frequent, for men were settling those lands, so when the animals saw the swords, they flinched and backed up a bit. Seeing the animals back up gave the company confidence.
These animals must be quite cowardly, thought Samisen, I wonder if they really are enemies, or if they are friends, for if they are enemies, they seem to afraid of swords.
"Please don't kill us!" cried one of the baby foxes in its shrill, high voice. "We are not going to hurt you! You came looking for your friends?"
The rest of the animals hushed her. "What if they are enemies?" whispered one. The two elves, and Samisen all lowered their swords.
"She is right. We did come searching for our friends. They are hobbits. Have you seen them anywhere?" asked Elladan.
"Yes." Answered that same baby fox in its shrill, high voice. "They are staying in our guesthouse, right over there..." it pointed its paw towards the hobbits guesthouse. "They had just went out on a pony ride when you came." All the other animals looked at it icily, but did not hush it up this time. Elladan bent down so that he and the baby fox could see almost eye to eye.
"Thank you little one. Where there four hobbits?"
"Yes. There were four hobbits, Sam, Frodo, and Bilbo." Flanara, the baby fox answered. "We rescued them from the orcs. I hate orcs," she added.
"When do you think they will get back?" asked Elladan.
"I do not know. They usually take about half an hour." Flanara answered.
"Good. that is not too much time to wait. We will wait here for them."
They waited for the four hobbits to get back. While they waited, they exchanged tales with the animals. The tale of the ring quest was not wholly new to the animals, for the hobbits had told it to them, but everyone had a different point of view, so the story differed a little every time it was told. Samisen was finishing his version of the tale, when the four hobbits rode up on for ponies.
"...I woke up at dawn and I asked Sam if he and Frodo would make breakfast, but he did not answer. I found the orc tracks, and realized that the orcs had taken the four hobbits. I woke Gimli up, and asked him if he had seen Sam and the other two hobbits..." he trailed off, and a grin spread over his face as he look to his left. "And here are our four missing hobbits now!"
Everyone jumped up and ran to greet the four hobbits. The hobbits jumped off the ponies, with enormous grins on their faces. The hobbits had been found.
Back at Bag End, Rosie was getting ready to move to Rivendell for a while with the children, and meet Sam there when he returned. "Oh, my dear, oh deary me. This is just as bad as preparing for someone moving in! Oh, um, um, ah, yes, girls, tidy up around the house, and dust, and such, um, Frodo, go and take your brothers, and chop wood for Daddy's gaffer, and do the outside things. Oh, my." Rosie collapsed into a chair. "This is so wearing on a body. Come along, children, we must try and hurry and get this done before the elves from Rivendell get here to help us move there. Oh, no, now the babies are screaming, and I must take care of them!" She went back to the room that had the babies' cradles in it, and sang the babies to sleep. This is the song she sang:
The Shire Cradle Song
Lullaby, little baby now, go to sleep and dream
Lullaby, lullaby in the night
Little baby in your cradle now
Go to sleep and dream
For the night is old
And the dawn is drawing nigh
Go to sleep, go to sleep and dream
Lullaby, little baby now, go to sleep and dream
Lullaby, lullaby in the night
The dawning will bring a new day
It will bring a new day
The morning sun will soon creep in
It is so bright and warm
Go to sleep, go to sleep and dream
Baby, baby now, night is soon to go
Have your sleep, have your sleep
While the moon is still in the sky
Mother now sings you a lullaby
Little baby, in your cradle
Oooh, night is old
And the dawn is drawing nigh
Lullaby, little baby now, go to sleep and dream
Lullaby, lullaby, in the night
The babies soon fell asleep to Rosie's song. Quickly and quietly she stole out of the room. "Oh, I guess that I will have to sing them the song again quite soon, on the ride to Rivendell. Oh well." She sighed. "Come along children, gather up your things, the elves will soon be here."