After many rewrites, I think I may have come to this chapter's final version. Ironically, the way the chapter turned out was close to what I was thinking it would be. Whatever ideas I have coming up will be saved for the next chapter.

The theme music for the Silent Forest is a sad piano piece titled "Alone in the Dark", composed by Vadim Kiselev. Other music will appear in this chapter, but check my playlist for The Dark Twilight, Part II to hear an almost exact order.

Chapter Twenty-One:

The Silent Forest

Morning seemed to pass quickly in the Silent Forest. Frodo and his six companions had walked down the same winding path for the past few hours, yet they hadn't seen or heard any sign of enemies. What he did find were a herd of rabbits skidding across the forest floor, and deer grazing the green grass and berry bushes. In spite of a quarrel between Jack and Anakin, they and the others were undecided about who should lead their group. Frodo and Harry right away stayed out of the argument, for their own reasons. However, Edmund became curious over why the two would back out so quickly from being the group's leader.

Moments after Harry led Frodo away from Edmund and the others, a loud rustling sounded from the nearest bush. A twig snapped from the other side of the dirt path. Just as the two glanced around with wary eyes, with Harry automatically pulling out his wand, the bush rustled again, this time shaking violently. Before Frodo could say two words to Harry, he and Harry collapsed sideways towards the path. When the two recovered, the furry grey-and-white creature named Gurgi chuckled ecstatically.

As he moved off of Frodo, Harry said, searching the ground, "Where's my wand? Where–"

"Looking for this?" asked Mumble in a muffled voice, holding Harry's wand in his beak.

Grabbing his wand, Harry told the Emperor Penguin, "Thank you. You may be useful after all." He spun around as Frodo finally shoved Gurgi off of him.

Gurgi, on the other hand, continued laughing in excitement. He cried, happily, "Oh, Gurgi wants to be around nice hobbit! Good hobbit, yes, shows Gurgi to nearest berry bush."

Confused, Frodo asked, "What?" He sighed. "Gurgi, I didn't ask for you to be here–"

"Why are you here, Gurgi? We didn't ask you to join us," asked Edmund. He told the furry grey-and-white creature, "Why don't you return to the Evenshire Camp?"

"Ooh! Gurgi should deserve smacking and whacking!" said Gurgi, pounding the top of his head with his brown hands. Saddened, Gurgi walked down the path in the same direction he had come. "Gurgi doesn't have friends in the Evenshire Camp. They say Gurgi is a nuisance. He should have stayed at Prydain like a good creature."

Standing up, Frodo asked, "Why did you follow us?"

Edmund told him, fast, "Frodo, how can we trust this creature? Besides, weren't you and Harry the ones who said he sounds like those two creatures you met in your home worlds?"

"Yes, how can we trust him?" asked Jack, siding with Edmund.

Frodo sighed. "Look, I'm sure Gurgi's friendly. I can admit he isn't a guide, but we may need him. If he's similar to Mumble, then he may prove useful on our quest."

"Useful?" asked Edmund, now confused. He protested, "Frodo, we don't need him. He's an annoying fur ball that won't leave beings and creatures alone. Remember, he causes trouble. He is trouble."

"I won't change my mind about this. I am sure you are a good king in your world, but we need to work together, if we are to survive these woods and the villains' camp. That includes letting Gurgi choose what he will," said Frodo, in a serious tone.

"I will decide for him," said Anakin, entering the conversation. As the others turned to him with wary gazes, Anakin told them, "I know we are heroes, united to complete the same task, but one of us should lead. I will be happy to…"

"No," said Edmund. "You may know this forest better than any of us. But you should not be the one to make every decision."

Crossing his arms, Anakin asked him, "Are you so certain?"

"Yes," said Edmund. He paused, looked at Frodo, and then told Anakin, "I think we should give Frodo a chance to decide our next move, and who to trust. I mean, Aslan has spoken very highly of him to us."

"Did he?" asked Frodo, stunned. "I wasn't aware…"

Anakin interrupted, "You should." He sighed. "Why would Aslan give you his prized gifts, if he didn't believe you were important to our cause?"

Frodo stopped the Jedi in his tracks, as he said, aloud, "Gurgi comes with us. As for what we should do, we could all learn to get along." Turning to Edmund, Frodo said, "Edmund, do you mind calling Gurgi back?"

"There won't be any need, Frodo," said Edmund, as he watched Gurgi leap on Frodo, forcing the hobbit, once again, towards the dirt path.

Gurgi cried, cheerfully, "Thank you! Thank you, kind hobbit! Gurgi will be a good friend to hobbit and his companions!"

Pushing Gurgi off of him, Frodo corrected the creature, "My name is Frodo." He told him, "Stay with Anakin. Keep him company. He'll need it, if he continues to walk ahead of us and the others."

"Right away, Frodo!" said Gurgi. "Gurgi will watch suspicious Jedi." He charged on ahead of the others, running fast towards Anakin.

The eight companions continued their journey through the Silent Forest. They made only a few stops, which gave them some time to eat and rest. Similar to Frodo's first afternoon inside these woods, the air turned cold and still, with few bird chirps and other sounds from the forest animals. Gurgi grew as nervous as Kovu and Mumble. Even Frodo could tell right away that something wrong was coming.

As dusk approach, the eight companions made their last stop for the evening. Jack busied himself with building and lighting a small fire, while Edmund and Harry gathered firewood. The two nearly finished their chore when Edmund spotted an unusual set of large paw prints, headed straight for the campsite. A horn cried across the forested area. Edmund and Harry spun around in time to hear fierce lion and lioness roars, coming from the opening. The two dropped their sticks as they drew their swords, and then fled through the woods in pursuit of unknown enemies.

When Harry and Edmund returned to the camp, they found their companions had suffered through battle against scarred lions and lionesses. The two knew these were their unknown adversaries, since there were dead lions and lionesses with deep reddish-black scar marks across their faces, bodies, and tails. However, Edmund realized only one-and-a-half battalions had been slain, while the other two-and-a-half battalions of scarred lions and lionesses fled from the fight. Frodo was nowhere to be seen.

Growing concerned, Edmund asked, "Where is Frodo?"

Jack charged out of a bush pile. He, like his companions, had red gashes and small cuts across his face, arms, chest, and legs. He spoke up first, before the others, "Well, I could say he was viciously attacked by scarred lions and lionesses. I could also say that he stayed out of the fighting altogether, as I would have done if the vile creatures didn't attack me, at the same time as the others were attacked. Of course, that would mean…"

Anakin interrupted the pirate captain. He faced Edmund and Harry, telling them, "Frodo was taken by the scarred lions and lionesses. We killed one-half of their battalions, while two of their battalions escaped."

"Just like Jack Sparrow's example. The villains are the lions, and we are the flightless birds," said Edmund, serious.

"Hey!" said Mumble, offended.

Edmund told his six companions, in unison, "Still, they gave us the element of surprise." He asked, "Which one blew the horn?"

Jack, deciding to make an excuse, intervened. He advanced towards Edmund, and said, "I did! I blew that horn. It was me, son."

Kovu broke the momentary silence. Strapped across his shoulders was a medium-sized, silver horn with gold vigor wrapped around both ends. He spoke, with honesty, to Edmund, "No! Jack didn't blow this horn. I blew it, if only a second too late."

Edmund nodded to the dark furred lion. Then he told the others, "We need to move out. If those creatures return, then we'll have no chance to evade them." He paused. "The longer we stay in one place, the further they move away. I will not let them take Frodo all the way to Merswold Camp. You have my word."

"We'll wait until first light. We cannot do anything right now to help him," said Anakin. He stopped Edmund from protesting. "Edmund, I know you want to rescue him, but we can't do anything in the dark. Even this forest holds dreaded secrets."

"I won't abandon him – we can't, unlike you," said Edmund. While he had the Jedi's attention, Edmund asked, "Come on. What do we know about you, really?"

"We wait until dawn," said Anakin, giving the final word. He then helped heal his other companions' wounds.

The trees moved swift and fast, more so than Frodo would have liked. His head pounded and spun in several different directions, causing him to nearly lose consciousness. When he did fall unconscious, Frodo entered another nightmare. Only this time, he was reminded of the Silent Forest, during the night hours:

Frodo was surrounded by darkness. Tall pine trees, standing in straight lines, loomed over him from every possible direction. Ahead were five Ringwraiths, robed all in black and carrying knives, forged from the dead city, Minas Morgul. He searched for a path clear of the wraiths. Then he saw a bright light in the shape of a woman. This woman had wavy, silvery-blond hair and wore a flowing white dress. She pointed with an index finger towards a dock with a wooden ferry, attached to the dock's posts.

The five Ringwraiths turned towards him, their knives ready to strike at any living creature or being, without remorse. Recovering from shock, Frodo tore off through the woods. He was halfway to the dock, when a wraith stepped between him and his way out of the forest. A feminine voice screamed. Her defenseless cry made Frodo wish this nightmare was over.

The moment he turned around, searching for the young girl, Frodo was knocked senseless by the pommel of a Ringwraith's Morgul sword. He fell, face-first, towards the grass. As he retained consciousness for another few seconds, Frodo caught a glimpse of the young girl. She had straight, flowing brown hair. The irises of her eyes were a hazel green-blue color. The young girl crawled backwards, frightened beyond her wits. The Ringwraiths, now nine, pointed their swords, upright in the air, as they slowly advanced towards her…

Frodo awoke to fierce arguments, spoke in growls and roars. Hot sweat beaded down his face, neck, and chest. Opening his eyes, Frodo saw he lay on grass, a few feet away from a medium-sized campsite. All around him were lionesses, as well as three lions. They had deep reddish-black scar marks across their faces, bodies, and tails. Some of the lionesses and the three lions fought over large scraps of raw meat, while the rest waited for orders.

As he lay on the grass, Frodo was approached by one of the lionesses. Before he could flee, a huge paw grabbed him by his shoulder. The scarred lioness whispered in his ear, "Calm down. I am a friend."

Frodo shook his head. "No, you're not. You kidnapped me, took me away from…"

The scarred lioness interrupted him, "No, I didn't." She heaved a sigh. "Look, you cannot escape this campsite by yourself and neither can I." She suggested, "Maybe we can work something out."

"You didn't kidnap me?" asked Frodo. He saw the scarred lioness shake her head. Confused, he asked her, "Then who did?"

"My sister, Lara-Belle, kidnapped you," said the scarred lioness. "I warned her not to do this, but she doesn't…"

Frodo spoke again. "Who are you?"

The scarred lioness introduced herself. "I am Coral." After hearing her older sister, Lara-Belle, call her name, Coral whispered to Frodo, "I'll help you escape. Then I'm coming with you."

Confused, Frodo asked, "What? Why would–" He was cut off, when Coral endured a fierce argument with her sister, Lara-Belle.

Eventually, Lara-Belle broke her and Coral's muttered conversation. She yelled at her younger sister. "You don't have that right, Coral! Maleficent wants the Hobbit, and I will do everything I can to make sure that happens."

"What did he do to us?" asked Coral, snapping back.

Lara-Belle faced Coral, as she answered, "Nothing yet." She looked at Frodo in disgust, before facing her sister again. "I can tell he's trouble."

Coral told her, "What do you know about trouble, Lara-Belle? You know plenty. In fact, you would often show me how much you don't care about me, or Mother. You were the one who always hurt me. You don't know anything about–"

Lara-Belle smacked her sister across the side of her face. "I always knew you were pathetic. Protecting that hobbit won't save you from the trouble you'll receive, after we've returned to Merswold Camp."

Coral nodded. "You're the weak one."

Lara-Belle grunted. "Prove it. Why don't you run off? I'll head back to Merswold Camp and tell Maleficent how you tricked me into setting you and that hobbit free." She added, serious, "If you think you can outsmart me with your games, you had better think again."

"Mother would say differently. She has a good heart," said Coral, muttering aloud.

"Our mother's dead, Coral. One day, you will see I'm right," said Lara-Belle. She saw her sister shake her head. "You will, Coral, and you're weaker than me. So there." She left Coral alone to her thoughts.

Once Coral returned to Frodo, Frodo muttered, "Why did you… do that? I thought… you were…"

"An evil scarred lioness?" asked Coral. "You underestimate me." She passed a small iron key to Frodo, who took it before any other scarred lioness or lion noticed. Facing the book, encased in a glass box, Coral muttered softly, "I have an idea – rather a diversion – that could set us both free."

Frodo asked, "What diversion?" He unlocked the shackles around his wrists and ankles. Before he could flee, Frodo was grabbed once more by Coral. He hissed, in low murmurs, "You are not accompanying me."

"Look, if you're headed for Merswold Camp, then you had better turn back. Otherwise, you'll take me with you. You need me to get inside the camp and out, without being seen. I have wandered through the underground chambers and tunnels of Merswold, since I first arrived," explained Coral. "You need me."

Frodo sighed. Then he thought fast, "All right. Help me escape and you can guide me there. First, we need to find my companions."

Coral nodded. She asked, "So, who are you?"

Frodo muttered, "Frodo… Frodo Baggins."

Coral asked, stunned, "The Ring-bearer?" She saw Frodo nod in response. Their conversation was cut short, when the scarred lions and lionesses roared in unison, with hungry looks in their eyes. Turning to Frodo, Coral snapped, while muttering low, "Hide. I'll distract them. When I tell you to run, run."

"Wait…" Frodo was cut off as Coral charged towards the glass box, standing on a bronze pedestal. He hid behind a nearby log, a few inches from where he lay.

Peeking out from the log, Frodo watched Coral as she stared deviously at the glass box. In seconds, she opened the box from the back, sending a monster book with grey fur and sharp white teeth on an angry spree. Nearly every scarred lioness and all three scarred lions were attacked and chased by the monster book. In spite of Coral thinking the scene was quite hilarious, Frodo stared stunned and nervous at the monster book as it continued attacking anyone on sight.

The second Coral ran up to Frodo, she told him, "Run!" She stopped in her tracks as Frodo chased after her until they were several feet away from the scarred lions and lionesses' campsite. Just as Coral picked up seven strong scents, she told the hobbit, "Climb on my back." She glowered as Frodo shook his head. "Would you prefer heading back there alone? Come on. We're wasting time." A few scarred lioness roars sounded from the camp. Frantic, she told Frodo, "Come on!"

The second he listened to her and climbed on her back, Coral charged through the forest. Her swift paws moved silently through the wooded area. Once she and Frodo were away from the scarred lions and lionesses' campsite, Coral heard seven unfamiliar male voices, coming from a nearby distance. In spite of the different masculine pitches and tones, she could not tell if they were friends or enemies. To Coral's surprise, Frodo told her the voices belonged to his seven new companions.

As she fled across the grassy forest floor, with Frodo riding on her back, Coral knew in some way a dark furred lion was with the group of seven heroes. However, she didn't realize that this lion already picked up her scent and the hobbit's.