If you want to have an Idea of what Ivy looks like... head over to my myspace and check out my pics. A drawing I did of her is on there...
A New Beginnning
Ivy woke, stiff and sore. Her entire body ached and she felt as though she had gone a few rounds with Merry and Pippin in their training. She realised she had been flung over the shoulder of an Uruk-Hai. That was that putrid stench filling her nostrils. Her wrists had been bound together whilst she had been unconscious her arms had been hung around the neck of her grotesque capturer. She looked around and saw that Merry and Pippin were tied in the same fashion, a few Uruk-Hai away. Pippin was awake and glancing around, his small face full of fear. Merry still appeared to be unconscious. A low moan emitted from Merry's throat. Pippin looked sharply at him, fear quickly being replaced with concern for his beloved friend.
"Please! My friend! He is sick!" cried Pippin, "He needs water"
The entire group stopped and what Ivy took to be the leader came barreling down from the front of the pack.
"Water!" he spat, "Our prisoner is thirsty? Give him some medicine boys!"
The Uruk-Hai nearest to Merry tipped his water flask and poured a brown substance over Merry's mouth. Merry coughed and spluttered and opened his eyes. The Uruk's all laughed and the leader went back to the front. Ivy could hear them from the back. Some orcs had come to check on their progress. After they left, another Uruk-Hai breathed in deeply.
"What is it?" the leader asked.
"Man flesh" said the other.
"They've picked up our scent!" and with that they began to run at an even greater speed toward Isengard.
Ivy watched Pippin as he was jostled around on the Uruk's shoulders.
"Aragorn..." he whispered, and as though he had a sudden idea, he tipped his head downward and bit onto the leaf brooch that held his cloak fastened to his throat. In one tug the brooch became free and Pippin spat it onto the ground.
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli ran across the hilly terrain, every now and then Aragorn stopped and pressed his ear flat to the Earth, it rumbled and groaned not only with the thundering steps of the Uruk-Hai but the Earth was wailing in anger and distress. They continued, ever running across the seemingly never ending landscape. Aragorn stopped. He crouched down in the mud and pulled out a leaf brooch.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall" Aragorn breathed.
"They may yet be alive" said Legolas, turning toward the horizon.
"Less than a day ahead of us" said Aragorn, pocketing the brooch and beginning to run again.
Legolas sprinted up to the crest of the cliff face.
"Legolas!" called Aragorn, "What do your elf eyes see?"
"The Uruks turn north-east. They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!"
"We're not going anywhere until we've had a breather!" cried one of the Uruk-Hai.
"What's for eats?" cried another.
"What's that noise?" asked Pippin from the gound next to Ivy. They had been dumped unceremoniously once the group had come to a halt. Ivy was watching the Uruk's cut down the forest that they were standing on the edge of she listened for a moment.
"The trees can talk" she said, "They are angry at being cut down"
Ivy shuffled closer to Merry and laid her head on his shoulder, hoping to bring him a morsel of comfort. A Uruk-Hai moved towards them and ripped Ivy up off the ground and shoved her towards the leader. Ivy gave a little scream and cried out in her mind to the trees nearby. Her voice seemed faint.
"Let us have a bite, just a little"
He bit down on her neck, drawing blood and sinking his haggard black teeth into her milky white flesh. The leader pulled his sword out of his scabbard and sliced the offending Uruk-Hai's head from his broad shoulders. It fell to the ground in a resounding thud. A clump of Ivy's hair fell to the ground, cutting a 10 centimeter wide section at shoulder length well short of the rest of her flowing locks. Ivy breathed in deeply trying to fight panic and pain as she was shoved to the floor. The Uruk-Hai broke out in a battle. The hobbits shuffled over to Ivy who was slumped on the ground.
"Lets go while there killing each other like common beasts"
They fled towards the forest, but Ivy tripped and fell. An Uruk-Hai grabbed her ankle as she fell and dragged her back towards him. He pulled his blade from its scabbard and held it to her neck. The Hobbits watched on in horror, unable to do anything. The Uruk-Hai was about to cut her throat when a spear pierced his back and he fell forward onto Ivy. Ivy pushed him off and clambered up, dodging the horses that were now galloping around the small clearing.
Finally they made it into the forest and ran behind a tree to catch their breath. There was a rustling in the bushes several feet away and another Uruk emerged. He spotted the trio and chased them. They weaved through the forest, dodging tree roots and bushes. They found a tree, taller than all the others and clambered up it. They were nearly at a safe height when the Uruk grabbed Pippin's foot. Pippin shook his foot, kicking out violently until the Uruk let go.
Ivy was nearest the trunk, when suddenly it began to move. It looked directly at her and mumbled something incomprehensible. Ivy, being perfectly used to trees having a life of their own, calmly looked back at the old tree. Merry, who was not used to trees moving, much less talking, shrieked and let go of the trunk. The tree caught Merry just before he hit the ground.
"Humph..." came the grunting from the old tree, "Little orc..."
"We're not orcs!" cried Merry, who was squirming and trying to get out of the tree's grasp, "We're Hobbits! Half-lings!"
"Shire-folk!" added Pippin.
"I'm... well, I'm not exactly sure what I am," said Ivy calmly, "But an orc I am not!"
The tree turned to look at Ivy.
"Maybe you are, and maybe you aren't. The White Wizard will know"
"Saruman..."whispered Pippin.
The tree began taking big strides. Finally it stopped and it deposited them on the ground in front of a large rock where a wizard stood.
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli ran behind a large rock and waited. A large group of horsemen were headed in their direction. Aragorn waited until they had passed by. Then he ran out from behind the rock, Legolas and Gimli following behind him.
"Riders of Rohan!" he called, "What news from the mark?" The horsemen turned around and returned to gather around them in a circle, spears drawn. They parted to let what appeared to be their captain through.
"What business do a man, an elf and a dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"
"You give me your name horse master, and I shall give you mine" said Gimli. Aragorn rolled his eyes. The spears came closer.
The captain dismounted his horse and stood but an inch away from Gimli.
"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground!"
"You would die before your stroke fell!" cried Legolas cocking an arrow into his bow. The spears trained on Legolas.
Aragorn stepped forward.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland Realm. We track a party of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain. They have taken three of our friend's captive"
The tree carried them deeper into the forest. Ivy reached out with her mind gently touching the living things in the forest. She noticed something, they were touching back! She recoiled quickly in to her own mind. They were different then other living things here, wiser as such. They were alive. Not just to her but to the world. Ivy climbed over the tree closer to its ear. She whispered into it.
"You are an Ent aren't you?"
The Ent smiled and spoke to her silently his voice booming in her mind.
"Yes daughter of the earth I am. Welcome to my forest. Long have my weary eyes longs to rest upon you."
Ivy frowned.
"You're not like other living things" she whispered, "What is your name?"
"Treebeard, my name is Treebeard," he spoke out loud for the benefit of the hobbits.
Ivy was content that she and the hobbits were safe. She let herself drift off to sleep as she had not slept properly in days it seemed. The hobbits were amazed she could be so calm while they were terrified out of their minds. They continued to squirm until Treebeard put them down near a spring and boomed
"Little hobbits you will stay here. Something is happening something which has not happened in many years. An Entmoot! A meeting of my kin. We will decide if we shall stand against these orcs."
The leader took off his helmet. "Aragorn your title precedes you, but it will do you no good here. The King does not recognize friend from foe anymore. Not even his own kin, for I am Eomer his nephew,"
Aragorn frowned and Eomer began to speak once more. "The orcs you chase, we bested them not a day ago. See the rising smoke to the east? Take these two horses. May they bear you to a better fate than their previous riders," said Eomer gesturing to a pair of horses, one fair in colour, the other dark. Both looked strong and swift, kingly gifts in times such as these.
Aragorn bowed to Eomer and Legolas glared around suspiciously as if challenging one of the riders to attack.
"Thank you son of Rohan. One day may your kindness be repaid"
The trio mounted the horses, Gimli with little dignity as he hung to Legolas tightly. Swiftly they sped towards the rising smoke in the distance.
They arrived late in the afternoon. The setting sun casting lazy colours across the sky. Aragorn saw the pile of smoking carcasses and felt none could have survived. He fell to his knees, his heart ripping at the loss of Ivy and the hobbits. Legolas held back tears for the first time in his life, long as it had been. Ivy dead. Surely it could not be. He looked around while Gimli sifted through the wreckage. Gimli gave a cry when he pulled out a belt.
"A wee hobbit belt. how they must have suffered"
Legolas looked around him and saw the great forest looming in front of them. He walked towards a tree and touched its trunk trying to awaken it in the manner of the elves and know what had happened here. To his surprise he found it was already awoken and had been for many an age. Aragorn crouched on the half dead grass.
"Two hobbits lay here bound, and here Ivy…..There was a struggle."
"I bet they fought valiantly, especially Ivy, she had fire that girl," Gimli whispered.
Aragorn continued to follow the tracks.
"They escaped!" Aragorn and Legolas cried out at the same time.
Aragorn looked at Legolas in confusion.
"The trees they saw it all they tried to help….."
Aragorn stood.
"This is Fangorn forest,"
Gimli gasped. "What madness drove them in there?"
Legolas turned to the dwarf.
"You forget Ivy is made of the Earth. She would not be frightened and perhaps it was their only choice"
He started walking into the trees.
"Wait…" called Aragon.
"Many who enter do not leave. Even elves, Legolas"
Legolas just looked at them.
"I do not ask you to follow but I must go in search of her."
Aragorn nodded and the trio stepped into the dark shade of the forest of Fangorn.