What Empty Places Are For
Chapter 13
When Boromir and Pippin woke the first thing they noticed was that it was much warmer. They had lain down to sleep one against the other for warmth, but now the cold had lessened. The second thing they noticed was someone singing, and very badly. The voice was deep and rough. The singing was somewhat tuneless and to Pippin's trained ears it sounded awful.
Little folk lift up your heads!
Too long have you slept in your beds!
The sun is high; the night has fled,
Aren't you ashamed, you sleepyheads?
The Man and the hobbit looked at each other. Without speaking, they seemed to be asking which of them would be the first to have a look. Pippin started first, and then Boromir stopped him.
"Wait," he said. "You may have been looking after me all these years without my knowing, but I'm bigger and older. Indulge me and let me look first," Boromir said quietly, then added, with a touch of pique, "Just this once."
Pippin did not fail to note the jest, but he decided to let Boromir do the looking. Now that Boromir was on to his tricks of making the Man feel needed, it would be harder to fool him. But this was a case of common sense and Boromir was, after all, bigger, and as such should be able to handle the situation should the stranger outside prove to be less than friendly. Of course Pippin would be there to help, but he felt in this case it was best to let common sense come to the fore.
Boromir crept to the opening and cautiously peeped outside then swiftly backed up. He rolled over so that he was sitting and facing Pippin, and the hobbit noted a very odd look on the Man's face.
"What is it, Boromir?" Pippin asked. "We've seen some mighty strange things on our outing, surely whatever this is can't be that odd."
"I…I'm not sure exactly what it is I have seen!" Boromir said softly. His face worked as though he was in quite a quandary.
"Well, explain it to me! Come, now, it can't be any stranger than anything else we have seen!"
"I…I know not how to describe it!" Boromir said in a half-whisper. "I thought it was a bear, and then it seemed to be…well…a man! But none like any I have seen!"
"Boromir, which was it? Come, now, tell me exactly what you saw."
But before Boromir could speak the roof of the little makeshift shelter was lifted away like a lid on a jar. Twigs and leaves, along with a great deal of melting snow fell upon their upturned faces.
"A very, very big one…" Boromir said hoarsely.
Pippin looked up and gasped. What he saw was the biggest Man, if he could be called a Man, that Pippin had ever seen. This huge man reached into the shelter and lifted each of them out. He held them up like a brace of rabbits.
"Oh, I see I have frightened you Wee Folk!" the big man rumbled. He smiled kindly at them. "Do not be afeart! Had I meant you harm, you would be harmed already! I was told I would find folk here in need of my help, and that there might be a bit of reward in it for me should I give you help, so I came right away."
He regarded Pippin closely. "I know what you are!" he beamed. "You, Littlest One, are a hobbit! My Uncle, Beorn, told me about hobbits! He knew one named…now what was that name?"
"Buh-buh-buh…" Pippin stammered. He found his tongue and mind to be a bit uncooperative.
"Bilbo! With a lot of dwarves, he was! Uncle Beorn said he had a bit o' fun with some goblins and more'n a few wargs on their account!" The Beorning, for that is what he was, put Pippin down, and then he turned his attention to Boromir.
"And you, Little One, who might you be?" rumbled the giant.
"Please," gasped Boromir, "Let my friend go! If you are going to eat one of us, I'd make a better meal, he is but a little thing…"
The giant's laughter boomed loudly. "Eat you! Thank you very much for the offer, but I'd rather not. Besides, you wouldn't even whet my appetite, little fellow!"
At "little fellow' Pippin found to his surprise he was laughing. At last, someone who could call Boromir "little fellow" and get away with it. "Finally!" Pippin laughed, "Now you know how it feels to be thought of as small! What I wouldn't give for the rest of the Fellowship to see this! Old Strider would love this."
Boromir, still swinging by one forearm, glared at Pippin.
"Beornomir's the name," said the huge Man, or rather, Beorning. "Last of my kind, I am. No need to worry. That there Summoner fellow, he said I should offer you my help to get your meat back home. He said the pair of you met him and he lent a hand, so to speak. Only he ain't got no hands."
"You mean that great grey wolf?" Pippin said, a little more boldly. Now that he knew who and more to the point what this fellow was, he felt a bit safer.
"Wolf? Looks like a wolf to you, does he? Always looked like a great white bear to me, though some say he looks like a great golden eagle." Beornomir rumbled. Then he added, "Some say he looks like a Man with eagle's wings and a bright light about his head. Fearsome, he can be, or merciful. But when it is your time to be summoned, then summoned you'll be. All creatures have their time. Even little hobbits and little Men." Beornomir caste his eyes downward a little sadly. "Even Beornings."
"Good sir, would you be so kind as to let my friend down now?" Pippin asked politely, knowing he must be at his best in the way of manners, as Beornings do not take kindly to rudeness or upset, but if treated politely and kindly, they could be most kind in turn. "I think his hand is turning a bit, well, purple, and he looks very uncomfortable." Pippin added.
"Gracious me!" boomed the big fellow, "Terrible sorry, I am, the Lady would be most ashamed of me!" He let Boromir down and Boromir staggered back and fell hard on his bottom. Beornomir helped him up and brushed his clothing with his huge hands, popping off several buttons in the process. Boromir looked up, rubbing his numb hand.
"Which Lady would that be, kind sir?" asked Pippin.
"Oh, the Lady Galadriel. She's gone, now, sailed to the Grey Havens, I hear." He sighed. "One more I counted dear gone away."
"You knew her?" Boromir asked.
"Knew her? Why, she saved me when I was naught but a wee cub! Orcs and wargs, they came and killed us all, all but me. One of the Galadrim found me and took me to her. 'Twas she who named me. Means "Jewel of the Bear People, it does."
"So it does!" Boromir said, following Pippin's example of behavior. He bowed low. "Boromir, at your service…" He almost added and your family's but remembered he had just learned this creature no longer had family.
"Faithful Jewel," Beornomir said, and bowed in turn. "Consider me a friend, fellow Jewel. 'Twas the Lady sent me here. She said that I should be safe as could be here, far away from any leftover orcs or wargs. I was young, but old enough to care for myself. Odd, but I can't remember what name I used to have. She called me 'Beornomir' for quite a few years, and I got used to it."
"It is a fine name, and I'm sure it suits you well, if she called you thus," Boromir said
"Now tell me, which of you has honey?" asked Beornomir, "I can smell it on your clothes."
"That would be Boromir," said Pippin, "He is a bee charmer."
"Do tell!" exclaimed Beornomir softly. "Heard of you folk, I have, but I never met one. Now, if I can help you Wee Ones get your meat back home…"
"If it is honey you wish, then honey you shall have. I have plenty in stock, though the winter is long and the bees sleep until spring," Boromir said, adding "I shall be generous enough to suit you, I should think…or at least I hope I may."
"Oh, I won't eat your entire store," Beornomir chuckled, "But a bit of honey would go down right nice like!"
"But how?" Pippin asked. "How are we to get so much game home?" Big as Beornomir was, Pippin couldn't see how he could carry that many hogs and deer.
Beornomir straightened, having been standing bent with his huge hands on his knees while he spoke to the smaller folk. He reached up to a thick, low branch and with almost no effort snapped it clean off the tree. He reached for a similar branch on another tree and snap! Off came the branch as if it were only dead wood, though anyone could see it was not from the evergreen leaves on the smaller branches and twigs.
"We'll just lash these together with vines, and in a trice we'll have your game lashed to it and be on our way." He smiled broadly, "Maybe even have room for a pair of Wee Ones such as yourself to have a little ride, too."
Pippin snickered once more, and Boromir glared at the little rascal again.
"Well, come now, little fellow," Pippin said. "It isn't every day you meet a Beorning, much less have one carry you home."
TO BE CONTINUED