What Empty Places are For

Chapter 12

Boromir and Pippin followed the tracks for a short while. As they stepped around a copse of laurel and low scrub they came upon the woman and the wolf. The woman looked amused. The wolf sat placidly, its tongue lolling between long sharp fangs. It regarded them thoughtfully.

"What happened?" Pippin asked. "How did we come to be back in our shelter?"

Boromir said nothing. Pippin had voiced his own thoughts, but he, too, was eager to know what further magic they were caught up in.

"Little Brother," the woman laughed, her voice suddenly changing so that what began as a silvery laughter like that of a young girl became more like the cackle of on old woman. Her face, too, seemed to change. Her body bent, and she now looked much older, as old as time itself. "Many years ago you learned of the magic of this forest. In your travels and in the years since you have forgotten much, or dismissed much. Perhaps this is because you saw so much on your travels. It is time you remembered."

Pippin lowered his head as though in deep thought. She was right. He had forgotten and dismissed much about the Old Forest. Well, he would not let that happen again! He looked up at Boromir and noted the Man's face was had blenched, as though bleached out with shock, and Pippin began to worry about him. Boromir was not as hale as he had once been; though he never complained. Pippin placed his small hand in Boromir's as though Boromir was a frightened child, and the Man seemed to draw comfort from it.

The woman laughed yet again, and the two friends looked at her. Now her laughter was once more the silver laughter of the young, and she looked like a young maiden, fresh as a new bud about to bloom. "Yes, Man, you may well think of your Little Brother as a caretaker, though you often think of him as your charge, instead! Do not worry, he doesn't mind. Did you not know he plays the part of your youngster to give you hope and comfort?"

Boromir looked down at Pippin, who gave Boromir's hand a gentle squeeze. Pippin grinned up at him, his eyes twinkling and sparkling. "So, Pippin," Boromir barked with laughter, "All these years you have been deceiving me?"

"Aye; I have. You would not have let me look after you otherwise, and you know it. "'Twas a trick, I know, but you must admit, I was very clever to have pulled the wool over your eyes these many years!"

Boromir laughed, laughed so hard his entire body shook. "I have been had, and no doubt by a master!" he said. "First I find I'm a useful piece of furniture, and now I'm the child of a hobbit! Little trickster, you are clever indeed!"

The woman smiled gently. Now she once more looked ageless and timeless. "Do not think your little friend has deceived you completely, Man." she said. " Betimes, he is indeed your youngster. You are both young and old alike. When the one needs the other, there that other is, filling the needs of a brother, a son, a father, and friend. Blessed is the one who has such companions."

Pippin let go of Boromir's hand. Boromir seemed his own, old and sure self now. Later Pippin would think on this and come to believe it was laughter that had set his friend to rights. Few knew of the good of laughter for body and soul, as did Peregrin Took.

The hobbit stepped forward boldly. "But what are you doing here?" he asked the woman.

"You came here for game, did you not?" said a rough, gravely voice.

Hobbit and Man looked about them. This was a male voice, and they were sure there was now a fourth person about, but saw no one.

There was a deep, growling laughter, and it was only then that they realized it was the wolf. The wolf was speaking, speaking and laughing!

"Have you not been listening, Little-Two-Legs and Big-Two-Legs? This place is not your home. This is a place filled with strong medicine for the spirit. And do not stare at me like rabbits! It makes me hungry."

As one, Boromir and Pippin stepped back some few paces. Again they looked at each other, this time looking for reassurance each from the other.

The deep, rough laughter rang out again. "Have no fear, Two-Legs!" said the wolf, "If I had wanted either of you I would have summoned you by now."

"S-summoned us?" Pippin half-whispered.

"Yes, summoned you. That is what I do, I summon the spirits of all living things. That is what I do. You may call me the Summoner, though I have many names and forms."

"I think neither of us understands you….Summoner." rasped Boromir.

"You came here for game, to feed the poor. And well you did, or I would be busy these next few weeks. There are many old ones and cubs of your kinds that will pass on, if you do not bring them the meat you came here to claim."

There was a long silence, in which the hobbit and the man looked quizzically at each other. The gravely laughter sounded once more, and they looked at the Summoner.

"Watch and learn, spirit-cubs!" the wolf growled. He rose and paced off into the distance, threw his head up and howled.

Boromir and Pippin had heard the howls of wolf and warg, and this howl was nothing like those howls. It seemed to split the very sky with its volume, though in all honesty, both would agree later it was a sound they heard only in their minds and hearts.

There was a great trampling sound, and over a rise covered in snow came a herd of deer and yet another of swine. The beasts stopped and looked about, sniffing the air. The howl split the sky once more and several swine and deer stepped away from the rest, trotting with an eerie calmness toward Boromir and Pippin. No more than a few paces from them now, they lay down in the snow. They simply lay down in the snow and closed their eyes and just stopped breathing, and somehow Boromir and Pippin knew that they had died, but willingly, joyfully, as though they saw that far green place and wanted nothing more than to be in that place.

Once more Boromir and Pippin clung to each other like frightened children, shivering now with both cold and with terror. They saw the great wolf turn and swiftly lope towards them. Both Man and hobbit wondered now if they, too, were about to die, but the wolf stepped close and licked their hands as though he were a loyal dog. He sat at their feet, laughing, and the terror the two friends felt simply melted away.

"These are your gifts, Two-Legs. Do not waste them. The hungry await you." growled the Summoner.

"Go, now, into your little shelter and sleep," the woman said gently. "When you wake, you will find your way home, and you will need to carry your game. Look for help unexpected and uncalled for. You shall feed your hungry. The Summoner has done his job well, and now we both must rest. You shall not see us go. Go now, into your shelter. Some things are not for mortal eyes to see." This last was said gently but firmly as though she was the mother of both Boromir and Pippin.

And for what reasons they never could recall or understand, they both became astoundingly weary and sleepy. Both felt exhausted to the point of dropping where they stood and knew they were enchanted with a sleeping-spell. Hobbit and Man gave the strange and fearsome pair of beings one last look, turned and sought out their shelter. They lay down immediately and just as immediately, they both fell into a deep sleep.