Origo woke in a start. He was in the hands of some one he did not know. The pup started to wonder where he was now. He tried getting up, but something was stopping him.
He looked over to see a hand resting on him. He barked at the hand. The hand belonged to Dolly. She had fallen asleep while holding him. Origo barked for a second time.
This time, Dolly awoke.
"Let me sleep Diamond" she said.
Origo was confused by what that meant. He then started to struggle. After a minute, he got free. The pup shook himself and looked at Diamond. She was the same as before. Ori then looked back at Dolly. She was sleeping peacefully. The pup walked over to Diamond. He sniffed her hand, but she didn't move.
The day outside was bright, yet the air was cold. Pippin was still driving the cart. Origo barked at him. Pip looked around.
"Morning" he said happily.
Pippin had been driving the cart for most of the freezing cold night. But now, the snow had stopped. Most of it had melted away leaving the road muddy.
Pippin had a small basket with him. Origo looked at it and whined. Pip looked down at Origo and then to the basket. Origo looked right back at the hobbit.
"Fine, I might have some in there for you"
Pippin opened the basket and looked in. there were lots of small packets. Origo looked in as well.
"Nope, not that one" Pip said.
Origo watched him put it back. The puppy sniffed the box and looked up at Pippin.
"Anything there that you want?" he asked.
Origo sniffed it again. He could smell a bit of turkey, but he didn't know from which packet it was from. Origo looked up at Pip again. His little brown eyes said it all.
"Alright"
So, Pip started to take out the packets. He kept one eye on the ponies as he took out the packets.
Origo then sniffed them. But he couldn't smell any turkey in them. The pup looked up at Pip. The hobbit knew that the turkey was still not out of the basket.
"This one?" Pippin asked.
Origo sniffed it. But, for the second time, it wasn't the right one. Origo whined again. He was getting more and more hungry by the second.
"OK" Pip said.
He was starting to get a bit annoyed as he got out three more packets. Origo sniffed them. The first two were not turkey. But when the pup sniffed the third one, he started barking.
Turkey
Origo's little tail started wagging happily.
"Turkey?" Pippin asked.
He already knew that there was some in there. Ori nodded his head. Pippin then put the reigns in on hand and quickly unwrapped the packet. He opened it and placed it down on the side where Origo was.
"Enjoy" he said.
Origo instantly started eating.
"We'll get some more at Bree" Pippin told him.
But Origo was far too busy eating to listen to him. Pippin smiled and looked up. He took a deep breath. The air around him was so cold that he could see a small of the water vapour. Pippin watched as it rose gently up.
The trees around him were leafless. Brown leaves lay on the road like a dirty carpet. Every so often, there was a dirty puddle of water. A few dead and dying leaves floated on top.
Pippin, Origo, Diamond and Dolly were still a few hours away from Bree. Pippin knew that if he didn't get to Rivendell in the next few days, the elves would be able to save Diamond.
The four of them were now only seventy miles away from Bree. Pippin knew that he was around five hours travailing time. He could almost smell the ale already. He looked forward to having a rest and a bite to eat. But then, he had his wife in the cart. She was very sick. He knew that if she didn't get to Rivendell, he would lose her and his child.
"No, no I mustn't stop" he told himself.
The path that he was going along turned and met a bigger road. This road led right up and over the Brandywine Bridge. He knew that it would be a quick journey there. A few hours or so.
But, even if he was to get to Bree, it was still another three hundred and fifty miles to Rivendell.
Dolly yawned and woke up. The cart was getting bumpy now. The cold wind blew on Pippin's face.
"Are we there yet?" Dolly asked.
She yawned and looked around. She could see the trees still moving past. Dolly wiped her eyes and yawned for the second time.
"No, we have about twenty or so miles to Bree" Pip answered.
The cart rolled on as the sun slow rose. Yet the air was still cold. Birds were singing in the trees. The path that they were on was well trodden.
Pippin had studied the map of the Shire for year after year. He knew that this road lead exactly to Bree. The path that Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin had taken had been longer, for they had taken a path longer then the road and they were on foot.
Pippin knew that the cart would take a shorter time to reach Bree. But he planned not to stay there long.
"Could you pass the basket please?" asked Dolly.
She was getting hungry. Origo was resting near her. He was looking at Diamond.
"It's just over here" Pippin told her.
He couldn't get it for her due to him driving the cart. So, Dolly reached over and grabbed it. Origo looked up; his little eyes followed the basket. He knew that there was no more turkey in there. Dolly smiled and petted Ori.
"Its alright, there will be food for you at Bree" Dolly told him.
Dolly then opened the basket and took out a packet. It was a lump of cheese. She then unwrapped it and broke a bit off. The piece was big enough for her. She took a bite.
Origo looked a bit down. He was hungry and wanted Diamond to give him a cuddle. But she wasn't listening to him. He whimpered sadly as he lay there.
"Why doesn't Diamond love me anymore?" he thought.
He wanted to get away, but he couldn't. Pippin wouldn't let him. The cart was still moving as Origo rested his head on his paws. Dolly looked down and smiled. She broke off a bit of cheese and placed it in front of him.
Origo lifted his head up and looked at. He tilted his head and sniffed it. He then looked up at Dolly.
Dolly smiled.
"It's alright, it's just cheese" she said.
Origo was still sniffing it. He barked up at Dolly.
"I don't want it!" he told her.
But Dolly just smiled.
"Go on, eat it" she said.
Origo shook his head. He didn't want any of this orange stuff. He wanted turkey. But he had eaten all of the turkey that Pippin had with him.
"Well, you'll have nothing to eat until we get to Bree" Dolly told him.
But Origo was still having none of the cheese. He then went beck to resting his head on his paws. Dolly looked over at Pippin. She took a deep breath. Dolly knew that Pippin loved Diamond very much. She knew that Pip would do anything to make Diamond happy.
The road wound on for mile after mile. Large leafless oak lined the way t Bree. Dolly sat back again. The ride was making her uncomfortable now.
"Pippin, could we stop for a few minutes, my legs need a stretch" Dolly told him.
Pip looked around. He was glad that she said that.
"Sure" he answered.
So, he pulled the cart over to the left hand side of the path. Dolly yawned and went to the end of the cart.
"Come on pup, come here" Dolly said.
Origo looked over at her and got up. He walked towards her and she picked him up. Ori looked back at Diamond. She was still laying there. Dolly then put him on the floor.
The road was wet and muddy. Origo looked down. He was standing in a foot print. The pup placed his nose to the ground and sniffed. It was a strange smell. One that he had never smelt before.
"Hmmm, this one is strange" he thought to himself.
He looked up and saw Dolly looking into the woods. Ori walked over to her. Dolly looked down.
"You alright there pup?" she asked.
Origo looks up and tilts his head. Dolly smiled. Pippin then jumped out of the cart. He looked around; the coldness was getting to him.
"It's only a few hours 'til we get to Bree" he told Dolly.
She nodded and rubbed her hands together.
"It's getting colder" she said.
Pippin nodded, he looked back at the cart every five seconds. Dolly knew that Pippin only wanted to make sure Diamond was safe.
"Pip, she's going to be alright" Dolly told him.
Pippin looked down.
"Yeah" he said.
But Dolly knew that Pippin didn't believe it. Origo walked forward and picked up a stick with his mouth. He looked over at Dolly. Dolly looked right back at him. She smiled.
"Want to play?" she asked.
Origo nodded. So, Dolly took the stick from him. The pup ran a little way and turned around. Dolly then threw the stick. Origo barked and ran after it. The stick landed on the ground. Origo then picked it up and ran back to Dolly.
The pup then placed the stick down and ran off again. Dolly picked the stick up and smiled. She threw it further then before. It sailed over Origo's head and landed.
The pointed end stuck deep into the mud. Ori stopped and looked at it. The mud was too thick for him to walk to it. Ori looked back to see Dolly smiling.
"I think we have to get moving now" Pippin said.
Dolly nodded.
"Come here, Origo" she said.
The puppy then walked slowly back. He sniffed the floor every so often. Dolly then picked him up and placed him back in the cart. Pippin helped Dolly onto the cart and got in himself. He went to the front and untied the reigns. Pip made sure Dolly and Origo were on the cart before moving off.
The cart started to roll again. The stones made the going very tough. The wind was picking up again. Pippin could see, in the distance, a large looming cloud.
"Looks like its going to snow again" he told himself.
He pulled his coat up again. Dolly saw the cloud as well. There were two more blankets in the cart. So, she took one.
"Pippin" she said.
Pippin looked around.
"Yes?" he asked.
"It's going to snow again, put this on" she answered, handing him the blanket.
Pippin took it.
"Thank you" he said and smiled.
Dolly then nodded and sat back down. She then took one of the blankets and laid it over herself.
Sure enough, as Pippin and the cart drove forward, the first flakes met them. The wind had now picked up lots of speed. The two ponies kept their head down and walked ever onwards.
Pippin's face was cold. Every time a flake hit his skin, it felt like a sharp pain. A few landed in his hair, but they didn't melt. The hobbit shivered and his hands were numb.
He looked down at them. They were turning blue. The snow was getting thicker, yet the wind remained the same. The flakes were getting bigger and increasing in number. The way in front was covered in a big sheet of snow flakes.
There were no other carts on the road. The bird in the trees had stopped singing. They had all flown off to find a warmer place to perch.
"I wish I was back home" Pip said to himself.
He could feel the fire in the fire place warming him up. But that was all imaginary. A snow flake hit his eye, making him lose that moment of warmth.
Pippin breathed heavily out of him nose. The condensation rose into the air. Dolly was shivering along with Origo. They were snuggling up together.
"Shh shh" Dolly said.
She was holding Origo under the blanket. He was whimpering because it was so cold.
"We'll be at Rivendell soon" Dolly told him.
Her feet were under the blanket. She looked over at Pippin. He was consecration on the road ahead. The visibility on the road had fallen to ten meters.
"Maybe we should just stop" Pippin thought.
A few times he went to pull over. But he stopped himself just in time.
There were only ten miles to go before they reached Bree. Pippin knew that he couldn't leave Diamond in the cart all by herself. He knew that a pint of ale was out of the question.
Food was the only thing he needed. A few loaves of bread and a few packets of turkey for Origo.
The snow was now settling on the ground. The pony's hooves created imprints in the soft, cold snow. A minute or two after, the hove prints would be covered with yet more snow.
Bree was covered with snow. The ground was cold so the snow didn't melt. Only a few people were out in the snow. But they were just travailing home or two different buildings.
"Oh, it's coming down a right treat out there" said one of the old men as he opened the door to the pub.
The Prancing Pony.
That's what the pub was called. Pippin had only been there once before. But what happened there went down in history. Pippin, Merry, Frodo and Sam had been sent by Gandalf.
But Pippin got drunk and accidentally told the people around that "Mr. Underhill" was actually Frodo. What happened next, Pippin didn't understand.
One minute, he was there, in front of him. Then next, Frodo was gone. Pippin was not the only one to notice. Nearly the whole of the Prancing Pony noticed.
But, unknown to Pippin, he was heading for trouble. Bree had changed since he was there. There were no hobbits left in Bree. Ever since Frodo's mishap, hobbits had been hated. The servants were driven out by the men.
The road climbed a small hill. The wall of Bree came into view. Yet the snow made it hard to see more then a few meters in front.
The sun was now fully up. But that didn't help Pippin see the road in front of him. The gate that led into Bree was only a few hundred meters away from him. But he had yet to see it. Pip looked at the stone wall.
"Where is it?" he thought to himself.
He continued to go slowly, not only because he was trying to find the gate, but the wind was blowing right at him. He could hear it rushing past his ears. The snow was now getting deeper. But Pippin was confident that he could make it though. The clouds above rushed over head.
Back in the Shire, the snow had just started to fall. Merry was walking though the town. The path rose a little and flattened out. Merry yawned as he reached where Pippin and Diamond lived. He opened the gate. It creaked. Merry then walked up to the door and knocked.
He waited patiently. But, after a minute or two, began to lose it. So, he knocked again. The wind started to pick up.
"Merry?" asked a voice.
Merry looked around. It was Estella. Merry smiled.
"Hello" he said.
He then started walking down to her.
"Where's Pip?" he asked.
Estella looked up at the door.
"He's not there? What about Diamond?" Estella asked.
Merry shrugged and looked back. He could see a light on, but there was no answer.
"They can't have gone far, Diamond is having a baby" Estella told him.
Merry and Estella both fell into an uneasy silence.
"Maybe we should look for them" Merry told her.
The snow around them started to thicken. Merry was shivering and holding himself.
"The snow is getting thicker, we can't go out now!" Estella told Merry.
Merry knew that Estella was right. He didn't know what to do.
"We should get in, the snow is getting heavier" Merry said.
Estella nodded.
So, the two of them headed down the hill towards the Green Dragon. The inn's lights were shimmering in the snow. Estella shivered as they reached the door. Merry opened it. It was still an hour away from lunch time. Yet the inn was packed. Most of the older hobbits were there.
Sam Gamgee was sitting alone in the corner. Merry spotted him and made his way over.
"Hello Sam" Merry said.
Sam looked up.
"Hello Merry, care to sit?" Sam asked.
Merry smiled and pulled out a seat. Estella had gone to get a half pint for her and a pint for Merry.
"It's snowing outside" Merry said happily.
Sam gave a forced smile and then drank from his cup. He took a deep breath and continued looking down.
Just then, Estella came back. She placed the cups down. Pippin smiled.
"Thanks" Pippin said.
As he drank, the door opened again. This time, a hobbit girl came in. She was shivering and had melting snowflakes in her hair. She looked exactly like Peregrin Took. Her name was Pearl Took, Pippin's younger sister. Pearl had sandy blond hair that grew down to her shoulders.
Yet her hair was astray due to the wind outside. She shook her head; a few drips fell to the floor. Pearl looked around and saw the four of them sitting at one of the tables. She made her way over to them.
"Hey" she said.
Merry looked over at her.
"Hello Pearl, you haven't seen Pip by any chance?" he asked.
Pearl looked confused.
"No, no I haven't. In fact, that's why I came here, I haven't seen him all day" she answered.
Merry thought for a moment.
"I'm sure he's safe, Diamond isn't around either" Merry told them.
Sam was still looking glum.
The snow at Bree was now getting really heavy. There were no carts on The East Road apart from one. This cart was carrying precious cargo.
There was a hobbit in the cart. Her name was Diamond.
The cart turned into the open gate. Pippin's hands were now so numb that it felt like he wasn't holding the reigns. Pip could see the Prancing Pony coming into view. He knew he had to get Diamond into the warm.
Pippin stopped the cart and looked back. Dolly and Origo were looking at him.
"Come on, lets… lets go in" he said.
So, Pippin jumped off of the cart. His cloths were wet and cold. Dolly was cuddling up to Origo as she climbed out. Pippin was struggling to get Diamond out of the cart. But, after a minute or two, he finally got her down and onto his shoulder. Diamond's head flopped onto her shoulder.
"Come on Diamond" he said, heaving her towards the Prancing Pony's door.
The flakes continued to fall thick and fast. There seemed no stop to it.
"Dolly, open the door!" Pippin half shouted over the wind.
Dolly then went and pushed the handle. The door creaked open. Light poured out of the inn.
Inside, the men were drinking and eating. Some of them looked over at them. Pippin looked around. There was a spare seat near them. So, he struggled to get her over to the seat.
There was a clock on the wall said four.
Four hours past mid-day. To Pippin, it did not feel like that one bit. He placed Diamond down and stood up. Dolly had placed Origo on the floor. The pup shook himself, a bit of water came off.
His fur was still very fluffy. There were hundreds of new smells around. The place smelt different then Diamond's house. The pup looked up at the bar.
Just then, a man came to the bar.
"You're not allowed in here, your not" he said.
Pippin looked around at him.
"What?" he asked.
The bar man then came from behind the bar.
"I said, you're not allowed in this inn" he said, looking from Pip to Diamond.
Pippin didn't understand.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because your not and it doesn't need explanation" said the man.
"Now, get out" he said, pointing to the door.
Pippin was speechless. Out of all the people, he expected to be welcomed the most. But, the reaction he got to being there was totally different.
The man was hostile towards him. Pippin looked over at Dolly. He had a look of confusion on his face. Dolly looked a little bit scared. Some of the rough looking men were at them. A few of them were whispering to their neighbour.
"Why are you saying this?" Pippin asked.
The man walked towards him. Pippin reached his stomach.
"Just move or I will have to force you" he said.
Pippin looked up at him. The man was looking right back.
"Dolly, we're going" Pippin said.
So, the two hobbits got ready. Diamond was still limp in the chair. Pippin lifted her out of the chair.
"Ori, come here" said Dolly.
Origo had been sniffing the floor. There were lots of new smells to take in. He looked at Dolly. She was holding out the blanket. Origo barked and bounded towards her.
"Oh, that's a good boy" she said, wrapping him up.
Pippin had got Diamond back onto his shoulder and was making his way to the door. The bar man went and opened the door. The coldness swept into the inn. The nearest burning candles were flickering in the dark. Pippin slowly made his way out. He was following Dolly.
"And never come back to Bree" said the man as he watched them.
Pippin didn't even look back. He was out in the snow again. This time, it seemed worse then before. Pip could hardly see the cart. But it was still there.
"Come on, Dolly, help me" Pippin said.
So, Origo was put on the cart again. He was starting to get confused. He looked around as Diamond was being lifted into the cart again. Origo moved out of the way as Dolly dragged Diamond back on. Pippin got in the back as well.
"Aren't you driving?" Dolly asked.
But Pippin was looking out of the cart. He was planning something.
"I'm going to get some bread" Pippin told her.
Dolly was confused.
"But, Pip, you heard what the man said, you can't go back" Dolly told him.
Pippin looked down.
"Stay here" he said.
He then made his way out of the cart. The snow was deep. The snow covered his feet. Pippin then took a deep breath and walked back towards the inn.
Origo yawned. He had black fur with a little bit of brown fur above each eye and on each paw. The pup shook his yeah, making his ears flop.
Meanwhile, Pippin was making his way though the blizzard of snow. The inn came back into view. He could see the light of the inn though the many flakes. But he wasn't heading for the main door. Oh no. Pippin was heading around the back door. He knew that there was a back door where they would load and unload the ale and food.
So, Pippin sneaked down under the window. He could hear people laughing merrily inside. Pip knew that if he was caught stealing, then he would be hurt or even killed.
But, maybe he would not be seen at all. Maybe luck was on his side. Maybe he will be able to get the bread and some turkey, although he didn't think that they had any, and get out of there without being seen.
Pippin whipped away the wet hair over his eyes. A few drips started to drop off of his nose. He looked around one last time. There was no one there. So, he ducked down and moved along the wall. The path wasn't long in length. The building drove off to the right and the path followed it.
Pippin stopped at the corner. The door leading into the kitchen was just a few meters away. There were empty barrels made of wood standing in the ally. Snow had settled on them. Pippin looked back just to make sure he wasn't seen. No one.
Pip was just about to go towards the barrels when he heard voices.
"Move those barrels over there" said the voice.
It was a man's voice. Pippin knew who's it was. It was the bar man's. But he was not alone. One of the workers had been ordered to get the barrels ready for loading.
"It's too cold, can we not do it tomorrow?" asked the worker.
Pippin peaked around the wall. He could see, though the many flakes, two people were standing just outside of an open door.
"Well, alright, but you need to do it before the cart arrives" the man answered.
"When does it arrive?" asked the helper.
"Noon tomorrow. Now, let's get back in, we don't want you going off sick now"
Pippin watched them walk back into the inn and shut the door.
Meanwhile, Dolly was waiting in the cart. The lining over the cart was starting to flap in the wind. She was shivering in the snow. She wondered what happened to Pippin. Origo was whimpering. He was shivering as well. The once dry blanket was now soaking and cold.
"Where is he?" Dolly thought.
She tilted her head back and took a deep breath. The cold air was crisp as she breathed in.
Pippin, meanwhile, was getting ever closer to his goal. The door was only three feet away.
"Now, I got to find the bread" he said sarcastically to himself.
The door handle was just there. But it was out of reach. Pippin could hear voices coming from the other side of the wall. He knew that they were still in the kitchen. So, he waited in the cold.
After a few minutes, Pippin could not hear any more voices. He knew that they must be in the front. So, Pippin went for it. He looked up at the handle. It was clear of snow. A few foot prints were still visible in the already lain snow.
Pippin took the handle and opened the door. The light from inside started to pour out onto the white snow. Many different smells came floating out. The smell of bread was the first that Pippin recognized. But there was also tobacco smoke and ale as well.
Pip looked in. his judgement was right. There were no people in the kitchens. He took a deep breath, looked back one more time and went in.
The kitchens were simple. There was a bowl; it was for washing up the dishes. There was a rack and up on the rack were loaves of bread.
"Ah ha" he said.
Pip let go of the handle and rusted towards the loaves. His heart was pounding in his chest. His ears were sharper then normal. The men on the other side of the door were talking noisily.
Pippin picked up three loaves and was just about to leave when something caught his eye. A glass bottle stood on the work top. It had whiskey in it. For a few seconds he looked at it.
Just then, the door opened. The bar man came back into the kitchen. The back door was left open.
"Funny" said the man.
"I didn't leave you open"
He walked over to the door and looked out. A few snow flakes were drifting in and falling on the ground. There were wet foot prints on the ground. The man looked at them. He walked slowly towards the door. He looked out, but didn't see anything. He stayed there for a few more seconds and then closed the door.
Meanwhile, Pippin was back in the cart.
"You know that Diamond doesn't like you stealing!" Dolly said.
Pippin was getting ready to move off.
"She'll never know. I'm doing it for her own good" Pippin answered.
Dolly shook her head. She then spotted the glass that Pip had in his hand.
"And what is that for?" she asked.
Pippin looked down at the whiskey.