On the other side of the woods, there seemed to be another hill. This one was steeper and rose higher. The trees seemed to have shielded the ground beneath them from the snow. Pinecones and their pins scattered the floor. Frodo walked deeper into it.
The tree's trunk was very large. Frodo looked up. All along the face of the trunk were small branches that had been broken off. All kinds of animals depended on the woods being there.
In the summer, the trees would be home to numerous animals. Woodpeckers made their homes high up and deep inside the tree. Their younger were safe from most predators there.
Squirrels climbed the trees as well. Sometimes, almost to the top. They scurried along precarious looking branches. Pinecones were hanging from the tree. Some were green and hard, others were brown and had gaps in them. Some fell to the ground as the squirrel continued to run.
There was a large gap to the other tree. But the squirrel did not stop. Instead, he continued to go faster. Without warning, the animal took off.
Thirty feet separated it with the hard ground. The animal grabbed onto an even more precarious branch. The animal then scurried on again, as fast as ever.
But now, there were no squirrels running over the branches. They had all hidden away in any warmth that they could find. Their large bushy tails curled around them. Their small brown eyes were closed.
Frodo, however, was not asleep. He had walked further into the forest. A pinecone was in his hand. His friends were walking behind him.
"Maybe we should get back, it'll be lunch soon" said one of them.
But Frodo didn't want to leave. He liked this new place he was in. He craned his neck upwards. The canopy was high above him.
"Lets go a bit further" Frodo told them.
But his friends stayed where they were.
"Frodo, we need to go back" said one of them.
A crow flew over head and perched on the branches high above. Its black eyes scanned down and looked at the hobbits.
Frodo moved though the small woods, but his friends didn't. Frodo stopped at an even large tree. His ran his hand over its coarse bark. A small bit broke off in his hand. He looked at it.
The bark just seemed to crumble in his hand. The small bits fell to the ground and were never seen again. The boy moved on again.
"Frodo, wait" said a voice behind him.
He stopped and looked around. All of his friends were walking up to him.
"We'll come with you" said the boy.
Frodo smiled.
"Come on then"
The small group started to run. They dodged trees and laughed as they ran. After a few minutes, they were reached the other side.
Frodo, being the fastest, reached it first. He stopped. His heart rate was quick as well as his breathing. His friends joined him. The were all looking at the view.
The land seemed to stretch on for miles upon mile. Trees seemed to break up the line of the horizon. Everything seemed to be white, save for a single river running a few miles away.
Neither one of them knew what lay over the horizon. Deep down, neither of them wanted to. They knew that they were safe in their own home.
"Lunch will be ready soon and I'm cold" said one of Frodo's friends.
Frodo nodded and looked back. A small part of him wanted to go on further, the other wanted to go back home.
"Come on, I'm going back"
His friends started to walk away. But Frodo didn't.
"I'll meet you back home" he said to them.
He wanted to explore a while longer. The hill that was before him looked like the perfect place to explore. So, the hobbit looked back, his friends were now nowhere to be seen.
Now was the perfect time to explore.
The snow built up again. a few times, Frodo slipped. The ground was much steeper on this side. There were a few trees dotted around, Frodo Gamgee held onto one as he tried to stop himself from going any faster.
It was an hour until he had to be back for lunch. Rosie was standing at the shelves in the cellar. A large turkey was clucking in a pen near her feet.
Elanor was sitting at the table. She had a large bowl before her. Smaller jars were dotted around. flower, sugar, a few eggs and a small bar of rich chocolate.
In the bowl, there was a small mountain of white flower. Rosie had come back and closed the door. Held in her hands was a big, uncooked vegetables. She smiled as she walked over to the work top. The chicken that they would be eating had already been put in oven hours before. A crispy brown layer had formed on the juicy bird.
Elanor started to mix all of the dry ingredients. She had been taught to cook by her mother. But Rosie still did not trust her daughter near the cooker.
Samwise was sitting in the lounge. Pippin Gamgee was in his arms. The baby had woken up yet again and needed attention. Sam held his youngest in his arms.
Held in his free hand was a book. He was reading it to himself, looking down at his son every so often. Sam was on the last few pages. It had taken him a week or two to get though it.
The hours seemed to quicken the more he read. The smell of cooking meat started to seep though the closed door. The last page of the book was only half full.
Sam's eyes ran over the last few words. All of the book, to the picture at the front, to the very last word, was hand written. The book was then closed, Sam had completed it for the countless time.
Foot prints were hear coming down the corridor. But they did not go past. Instead, the door opened. Standing there was Elanor.
"Daddy, lunch is ready" she said.
Sam smiled.
"Alright" Sam said, gently getting up.
Elanor scuttled off. As Sam walked out of the room, a new smell hit him. The muffins were still cooking in the oven as well. The bird had been taken out after hours of being cooked.
It was still very hot. A large cutting knife was held in Rosie's hand. She cut large chunks and placing them on six different plates. Pippin was the only one who wasn't allowed to have proper food yet. He was still too young.
The vegetables were still piping hot as they sat in the bowl. Silver spoons had been placed in the bowls.
Elanor was now sitting at her place. She was very hungry indeed. It had been a few hours since lunch. Frodo was not present at the table.
Normally, he would have been the first to take his place. But not today.
"I wonder where Frodo is" said Sam.
Rosie was thinking this too.
"Maybe he's just having fun" she told him.
Sam smiled. He knew how distracted his son got. But he couldn't help wonder where he was.
"Maybe I should go and find him, tell him his lunch is ready" Sam told her.
Rosie nodded.
"Alright, I'll save you both a bit" she said.
Sam smiled and got up from his seat. Pippin was still in his arms. So, he walked back to his room and placed the now crying Pippin in his cot.
A coat was got out of the wooden wardrobe and put on. The coldness outside seemed to deepen as the day wore on. The clouds that had once sat on the horizon were now only a few miles away. The sun now being blocked out by the clouds. This made the coldness even more deep.
"Well, I'll see you in a few minutes. He couldn't have gotten far" Sam said.
He kissed Rosie and walked out of the room. The smell of chicken and different vegetables dulled as he walked further away from the kitchen.
The front door came into view. The cold wind from outside was stronger here then anywhere in the house. Sam opened the door. a large wave of coldness rushed over him. A tingling sensation came to his cheeks. But the hobbit continued on anyway.
The door was closed, blocking out warmth and the smell of his lunch. The snow crunched under foot as Samwise headed towards the gate. He opened the gate and walked though.
The coldness showed water vapour rising into the air. Sam looked around. At first sight, he failed to see his son. The hobbit now had two ways to go on. One would bring him towards the centre of Hobbiton and near the bridge. The other would bring him around to open country side.
Sam stood there for a few seconds and then set off. The snow seemed to be compacted more this way. Hundreds of footprints were imprinted on the now hard snow.
But there was still no sign of Frodo. Sam continued on his small journey. His eyes started to water and the tingling in his face had cessed to get worse.
Sam's eyes darted around. Most hobbits had gone back in for lunch. Hunger was now getting to him.
"Frodo?" he called out.
He looked around more. But there was no signs of him.
"Where could he be?" Sam asked himself.
The road turned the bend, but Sam didn't go down it. he some how knew that his son wasn't there. An idea then popped into Sam's head.
Maybe he should ask Frodo's friends.
So, Sam spun around on the spot and started to walk back the way he came. But he did not go home. Instead, he walked to a different home further on.
This hobbit hole had a different coloured door to his own. His own front door had been left green, just as it had been when Frodo and Bilbo had been living there.
But this one was brown and unpainted. Footprints went to and fro from the threshold. There was a small windows either sides, a flickering of candle light could be seen though the pain of glass.
Sam knocked three times on the door and waited. The garden around him looked in a state of disrepair. Weeds poked their ugly heads out of the carpet of snow.
Sam loathed weeds. Temptation was nearly strong enough to get down on his hands and knees and pull them out. but he was able to force the temptation down for now.
The door slowly opened. Standing there was an old woman with greying hair. She smiled.
"Hello Sam" she said, opening it up more.
Sam smiled.
"You haven't seen Frodo at all have you?" he asked.
A confused looked came over her face.
"I thought he came home when my son did. Normally they are together"
The woman looked back for a few seconds, then back at Sam.
"Well, he didn't come in here" she told him.
Sam took a deep breath and looked around.
"Would you know where he would be?" Sam asked.
The woman shook her head.
"Sorry, he might be at his other friend's homes" she answered.
Sam smiled and nodded.
"Well, thank you for your help" Sam said.
"Not a problem" the woman answered.
The door was closed as Sam set off again.
"Well, that's not where he is" he told himself.
The gate creaked as Sam shut it.
The clouds were now thickening over head. The first sign of flakes started. Small white dots floated down to earth and became one of the millions already there.
Sam made his way to Frodo's friends home. The large front door came into view. It was different from the last. The door was pained red. A chimney was bellowing out black smoke.
Sam's thoughts went back to his nice warm dinner and his nice warm house. But he had to find Frodo first.
But all of his walking would be in vein. For his son was now at the top of the next hill. The side of the hill was slippery, so it took him a longer while.
The hill was large and normally had grass on it. But at this time of the year, snow. The grass had been covered by a carpet of snow. Yet it had started to melt.
The vast country lay before him. Clouds were gathering everywhere that he could see. A few trees grew on the hill, other then that, it was treeless.
Frodo stood there, admiring the view. The world seemed much bigger the he had first thought. There seemed to be much more to explore.
"Just a little further wouldn't hurt" Frodo thought.
The consequences did not enter his head. The wind blew him as he looked around. His hair rustled as his eyes fell on where he had come from.
Only the tops of the small hills could be seen though the black pillar like trees. The smoke that rose from the chimneys could not be seen. Frodo wondered how his friends were doing.
The fact that his father was looking for him didn't matter to him. He seemed to think that he knew what he was doing. So, carefully, he made his way down the other side.
"Not too far, I don't want to get lost" he told himself.
A few time, the hobbit slipped. Like going up, the hobbit was slower going down then normal. A few flakes started fall around him. Frodo looked up at the sky.
On one side, clouds blocked out the sun. The coldness started to deepen more then ever. The clouds stopped to reveal a clear sky. But that would soon disappear.
Sam was at the next house. His questions were exactly the same. He expected different answers, but got exactly the same. Sam was not getting worried.
Frodo was with none of his friends. Sam looked around as the door slowly shut. The coldness was now getting to him again.
After a second or two, Sam headed off again. He opened and closed the gate, then walked back towards him home. Sam still continued to look around, but there was no sign of his son.
The door to his house opened. The warmth from inside started to fight off the coldness from outside. It was then that he noticed how numb his feet and fingers were.
The door closed with a click. Rosie came out of one of the rooms.
"Did you find him?" she asked, looking at him.
Sam shook his head.
"None of his friends have seen him. There's no sign of his anywhere" Sam said, taking off his coat.
Rosie was now getting worried. It was not like her son to go missing like that.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine" he said.
Hunger was now on his mind. He hung his coat on the hook and walked past his wife. Sam entered the kitchen. Frodo's and his own plate were on the work top. Sam picked his up and poked it. it was now cold. Sam took a deep breath and walked over to the cooker. It was still a bit hot from when the lunches were made.
A small cloth lay on the back of one of the chairs. Sam picked it up, then opened the oven. A small bit of heat hit him. Sam slowly placed the plate on the trey and closed the door.
A bit more wood was placed in the fire. The plate then started to heat up, heating the food as well. Sam stood up and looked around. he couldn't help but think of his son.
"I'll find when I've had something to eat" he told himself as he waited.
Miles away, a small cart was slowly making its way towards the town. The horses had been walking for day after day with only small breaks.
The cold wind blew into the cart. sitting on the wooden panels were four hobbits. They were all awake. Pippin was looking at his friend, Merry.
Merry had indeed lost his memory. He just sat there, eyes still darting around. Pip wondered what his friend was going though.
"What's that?" Merry asked.
He sounded like a small child. Diamond smiled.
"That's the floor of the cart, we're sitting on it" she answered.
Pippin noticed that she sounded more like a mother to him then as a friend. He led as she took a glance towards him. Pippin was holding Faramir. Faramir was snuggled up in a large blanket. Warmth surrounded him. the coldness didn't bother him as much as it did the others.
Elladan, who had been driving the cart since they had departed from Rivendell, was scanning the area ahead of them. Te clouds throw down the first of their many flakes.
The elves eyes followed a flake as it floated gently to the whiteness below. When it hit the ground, it was lost in a sea of snow. the snow that had fallen before it was already melting. A fresh carpet was now expected.
Pippin could see out of the back of the cart. Trees rushed past them. Snow carpeted the ground. Pippin started to wonder about who else had gone down these roads.
Foot prints followed the road. Hundreds of people seemed to use this road. Pip's thoughts grew even deeper.
He wondered where they were going and how many of the foot prints belonged to people who knew each other. There seemed to be thousands of different stories to go along with them.
The wind seemed to pick up, Pippin could see snow flakes falling though the sky. The grew in number with every pasting minute. A few of them some how made their way into the cart.
One floated and hit a small bundle laying near Diamond. This small bundle was a puppy and his name was Origo. The cold snow flake touched his little nose. His sleep was taken away from him.
The little puppy started to whimper, his eyes still heavy. Diamond looked around and saw that he yawned.
"Oh, come here Ori" she said, holding out her hands.
But Origo did not move. He lay there, waiting to be cuddled. He didn't want to leave the warmth of his blanket. His little eyes blinked and looked up at his owner. Two large hands scooped him up.
Origo was then placed on Diamond shoulder.
"You alright pup?" she asked.
The puppy whined and snuggled down again. The coldness of the air started to make the puppy shiver. He still wasn't up to himself.
Diamond started to tickle the top of his fluffy head. Merry was looking at the two of them.
"What is it?" he asked.
For a split seconds, Diamond thought Merry was just being silly. But then it came back to her as quickly as it had gone.
"This is a puppy" she told him.
Merry smiled.
"Is he friendly?" he asked.
Diamond nodded.
"Very, do you want to hold him?" she asked.
The hobbit nodded. Diamond slowly picked the puppy back up. Ori whimpered, but was too small and weak to fight back. Diamond handed him to Merry.
Merry took him and placed him on his own shoulder. The puppy started to whimper more then ever. He didn't like this new person. He was too rough. The pup turned his head. His Diamond was looking at him and smiling.
"Its OK Ori" she said.
But the puppy didn't think so. He wanted to go back to his warm Diamond. But he knew that she didn't want him at the moment.
The cart continued to roll on. On either side of it was a large forest which seemed to stretch for mile upon mile. Leafless branches sprouted out from trunk like large fingers. All of the leaves had fallen to the muddy and untamed ground below.
Drips and now snow flakes were falling down to the ground. There were pockets of snow of the ground. It seemed not to stick as much as it did on the fields.
Birds and deer both wondered the woods in search of food. For the woods were deserted and had no houses, pubs or inns. Most of the large forest had been untouched by man.
The Brandywine river snaked its way past the forest. The roots of thousand year old trees dug deep into the soft mud at the bottom of the river. Fish and, in the summer, frogs, would be seen swimming around.
All of the summer birds and beasts had either flowed off to a warmer climate or hibernated. Hedgehogs had found a large pile of leaves and curled up. their eyes were closed as they slept for months on end.
There were many unexplored areas of the forest. Small streams harboured life such as tadpoles when the weather was warm.
As the day slowly turned into night, the snow increased and the wind strengthened. All of the hobbits in Hobbiton were now inside.
"Did you find him?" asked Rosie.
All of her children were still awake. They had all been fed their lunches and dinners hours ago. Samwise was very hungry and cold indeed. He had only been in once before this. He had eaten his cold lunch and went back out again.
"No, I need a lantern" he said.
Elanor was standing at the door way to her room. She was a bit worried for him. Frodo's dinner was now cold and was going to be thrown away. Most hobbits couldn't dream of throwing away food.
"Where have you checked?" Rosie asked.
A small bit of panic was now imbedded in her voice. Her son had never gone this long without coming back
"I've checked all of his friend's homes and he's in none of them. He just seemed to…"
But he couldn't bring himself to say it. For a moment, there was just silence between the two.
"I'm going to check over the river" he said.
"Over the bridge"
Rosie shook her head.
"He knows that he's not meant to go over the bridge!" she said.
Sam nodded.
"I know, but we have to find him" Sam told her.
Rosie fell silent. Bad scenarios were running though her head. Images of her child's body laying in the snow flashed in her eyes. Sam was now looking in the small cupboard. Inside the cupboard were small shelves and, sitting on them were small lanterns.
Sam picked one out and closed the door. there were cobwebs on the thin glass. The candle inside looked like it had been used many times before. There was a small chain attached to the top. It was made from light grey metal. Sam rubbed his hand over the glass, clearing it of webs.
He then walked away, towards the kitchen. Sam placed the lamp on the now clear table. There was a small pot of long, thin sticks that had been planted on the brick wall.
Sam took one and placed the end to the naked flame of candle. It took a few seconds to catch, but when it did, Sam took it away. The flame had multiplied onto the stick and was now burning it.
Sam walked over to the table. The lid of the lantern was then lifted up and the flaming stick put in. the wick of the candle inside caught fire.
Rosie was standing at the door way.
"Sam, you need a rest" Rosie said.
There was sorrow in her voice. But Sam didn't answered. He was focused on going out into the cold again. but before he could do that, he needed to get one more thing.
The cellar door was then opened. The coldness was noticeable against the heat of the kitchen. Sam walked in and stopped. Before him were bottles of beer, wine and whiskey.
Some bottles were made from dark glass. This held wine. The dark glass kept out most of the light. Light was not allowed to reach it otherwise it was spoil.
The whiskey glasses were made from clear glass. Inside, an amber liquid. This was what Sam needed. So, he picked out a bottle and walked out.
The lantern was sitting on the table. The flame was dancing like a small fair trapped in a bottle. Sam placed the bottle in his pocket.
"What have you got that?" Rosie asked.
She had been the neck of the bottle sticking out of his pocket. Sam picked up the lantern.
"It's to keep me warm" he answered.
He walked over to her and kissed her.
"I'll find him, I promise" he said.
Without another word between them, Sam walked out of the room. The house felt emptier then normal. A cold wind swept though the house as Samwise opened and closed the door.
Rosie stood on the spot. She was looking around.
"Where are you Frodo?" she asked herself.
Rosie pulled out a chair and sat in it. She would wait for both Sam and Frodo to return.
Sam continued to walk down the snowy path. Fresh snow was being dumped on the older layer. The small snowless patches were now being covered with a fine dust.
Lights from the windows of the houses seemed brighter then usual. A few times, flakes hit his face. His spare hand reached up and wiped away the water that was melting on his face.
Night was now full, the sun had gone down an hour or two before. Frodo had been missing since lunch time that day. Even his friends didn't know where he had gone to.
The Green Dragon loomed into view. It's doors were closed. Lights were flickering in its windows. Sam sniffed as he got to the small space before the building. There were a few empty tables outside. These would be sat upon by the elders in the warm weather of summer.
Sam past these without a second look. The lantern he was holding tickled the first bit of the bridge. The sound of running water then started to erupt as he got closer. The light from his lantern fell upon the waves.
The water was higher, stronger and faster then normal. Near the edges of the lake, ice could be seen. Around the edges of the pillars that held up the bridge were small sheets of ice.
Sam did not stop as he reached the bridge. Foot prints that had once shown the way were now covered. His hands were starting to hurt beyond what he could handle.
The bottle of whiskey in his pocket was now very tempting. He freezing hand reached into his pocket. His strength seemed to be sapped from him.
Sam continued to walk as took the cork out of the top. His hands were shaking as he held it too his lips. He took a sip. It was just enough. The strength of the liquid made his caught. But it did exactly what he wanted it to do. He could feel the warmth inside of him.
"I mustn't drink all of it" he thought as he looked at it.
He placed the cork back in as well as he could and carried on, placing the bottle back into his pocket.
Samwise was not the only one awake at this time of night. Animals went about their business under the cover of darkness.
Owls swooped feet away from trees as they hunted. Small mice and rats scurried away. Some went into small logs and hid. They kept quiet as the snow outside increased.
Deer were wondering the snow. The flakes were landing on them. Their large ears pointed up every so often. There was an eerie silence in the height of the snow fall.
Foxes were once again hunting in the snow. every so often, one of them were call out into the night. There was a large curtain of darkness around them.
An answer came from a distance point. The foxes large ears were perfect for listening to it. a human would have struggled to do so.
But neither the foxes or deer's were any danger to the inhabitants of Hobbiton and the Shire.
Along the Brandywine, there was a pack of hungry animals. Their eyes were used to seeing in the dark. Their fur was black as well as the nature of their business.
A tree had fallen across the river, yet the water still flowed like it wasn't there. On one side, two creatures were standing. They were looking out into the darkness. On the opposite bank, were eight more.
The leader seemed to be the biggest out of the eight of them. He was looking at the other side. Snow continued to fall around him.
The scouts then came back. The leader knew that the time was right. Without warning, the leader jumped on large tree trunk and made his way over. The other seven creatures followed him, all doing the same thing.
The wolves had entered the Shire.