Chapter 2: "Hobbits do not like heights…"
The two hobbits were running as fast as they could through the fields. Frodo was hoping the animal would soon give up and head back to it's home, but the wretched beast seemed set on chasing the two lads down, or at least hunting down Merry, whose legs were smaller and had been the trespassing tomato thief.
Frodo had hoped to throw the dog off by darting from the path and taking a short cut through a grassy field. This didn't help and it only made Merry struggle harder as the raging dog barreled through the long grass as if it wasn't even there. Frodo quickly scanned the field for an escape route and when he found that there wasn't one, he chose what he hoped was the next best thing. "Merry!" Frodo panted, "Turn!" Merry glanced at Frodo quickly, "What?!" He said when he had gathered enough air to do so. Frodo motioned to his right, "That way! Turn!"
Frodo made a sharp turn right and Merry began to follow. Merry was not as fast as Frodo and in trying to make the turn he stumbled over his own feet. Frodo heard a thud and a sharp cry. Realizing Merry wasn't beside him, Frodo spun around, slipping because of his own momentum. "Merry!" He cried in alarm. Frodo skidded to the younger hobbit's side and hauled him up to his feet. Merry gave a soft cry in protest but Frodo wasn't about to let them both be eaten by the out of control dog.
Grabbing Merry by the arm, Frodo ran, half dragging Merry along. The beast of a dog had now grown so close Merry could swear he felt its hot breath on the back of his neck. The long grass soon ended and the two lads found themselves on more even ground. "Climb the tree Merry!" Frodo yelled, pointing to a nearby tree. "What?" Merry asked in disbelief. It was well known to Merry that Frodo climbed trees at times, but Merry had never been with him when he did it. Frodo had told him that he would show him the trees when he got older, but he hadn't yet. "It's easy!" Frodo quickly assured him.
The tree was close and there was no time for discussion. Frodo leaped and was able to catch the tree's lowest branch. Frodo hoisted himself up as Merry made a leap too, however Merry missed. Frodo gripped the limb with his legs and swung half way down to pull up the younger lad. Merry jumped and grabbed Frodo's arms just as the dog caught up. The beast lunged for one of Merry's dangling legs as Frodo desperately attempted to pull him on to the limb. He thought he had almost succeeded until he realized Merry was being pulled away from him. The cursed animal had gotten a hold of Merry's pant leg and was pulling Merry down with it. Merry realized this and began grasping wildly at the tree limb and Frodo. This only caused to nearly unseat Frodo from the branch. "Let go!" Frodo yelled at the dog as he felt himself starting to slip off with Merry. The dog seemed encouraged by the panic in Frodo's voice and it only tugged harder.
With all the strength he had, Frodo swung his body weight opposite the dog's tugging. A rip was heard and Merry came loose causing Frodo to fall back against the tree branch. Both panting for air the two hobbits looked down to discover the animal was ripping apart the piece of cloth from Merry's trousers. While the dog was busy, Frodo urged Merry to climb higher. "I don't know if I like this Frodo," Merry said clutching the branch as if it was going to try and throw him off. "Would you rather have the dog eat you?" Frodo asked giving Merry an encouraging push.
Once they had climbed high enough to be safe from the dog. They watched it circle around the tree barking and snarling. "We're really high Frodo," Merry said looking down at the ground. "We aren't too high. It's not that bad if you don't think about it or look down," Frodo said leaning against the trunk of the tree. "You'll get used to it Merry." Merry watched the dog complete another circle around them. "Mama says if hobbits were meant to be in trees they would have wings," Merry said softly. Frodo sighed, "It would be good to have wings now. We certainly can't climb down and walk as long as that dog is still circling us."
Many minutes passed and still the dog circled. Night began to creep into the sky as the sun slipped behind the trees. The beast then sat, growling and waiting patiently for the hobbit lads to make a mistake. The stars began to twinkle in the dark sky, in hobbit homes close by little lads and lasses were being served their dinners, hobbits were closing their homes for the night and still the dog waited.
To be continued…
Thank you for the reviews! The chapter title comes from a quote in the FOTR. None of the characters in this story are my own. Please R/R! Thanks again!