Chapter Eleven: Danger in the Woods

Two days later, Frodo, Merry and Sam began packing for the trip back to the Broadbelts. The letter was on the back of everyone's mind; on Frodo's, especially. When he had finished reading it, there had been dead silence for several moments. Merry had been the first to break it, and that led to a long discussion about what they should do. It was decided that Frodo would discuss it with Bilbo at the Broadbelts, rather than in a letter. Bilbo would know how to handle it.

Now, as he put the last few items in his pack, Frodo glanced over at the other two. Merry looked upset - Frodo knew that he was furious about Lotho's falsehood - and he packed his clothes in with unnecessary force. Throughout his carving lessons with Milo, Merry had remained uncharacteristically quiet. He was secretly thinking of all the things he would do to Lotho when he got his hands on him (apparently forgetting that Lotho was over a foot taller than he was).

Sam looked rather thoughtful as he discreetly packed more than half the gear in his own pack. He was not thinking about what he would do to Lotho, but only what he hoped Lotho would not do, and promising himself to protect his master, no matter what.

For himself, Frodo was not sure how he felt about the whole thing. He knew it was not truly anything to worry about, but he hoped that Bilbo would know what to do. He was not surprised by Lotho's dishonesty, but he was saddened by it. He was not angered, either, except for Merry's sake, and he only hoped that his younger cousin would not get himself into trouble with his quick temper.

Frodo was jolted out of his thoughts by Peony entering the room. "Well lads," she said, "all packed?" They nodded. "Good. You'd best get started, if you want to reach the Broadbelts by tonight. It'll take all day as it is." She brushed back one of her auburn ringlets and smiled, somewhat sadly. The boys noticed with surprise that there were tears in her eyes. "I've got a knapsack with some food in it for you - including those ginger cookies I made."

Merry licked his lips at the thought of her delicious, crisp ginger cookies. "Maybe we should have one now?" he asked hopefully. "Wouldn't want to start on an empty stomach, you know..." Peony laughed and left the room without answering. Quickly shouldering his pack, Merry anxiously started after her. "Peony? You didn't answer! Wait!" Laughing, Frodo and Sam strapped on their packs and followed him.

***

"Now you lads be careful; who knows what that Lotho might do if he found you alone. Especially if Ted Sandyman's with him. And don't get lost. It's a long way to the Broadbelts'."

Merry sighed at Peony's over-protectiveness as she continued. She wasn't usually like this, but she had been acting rather strange the last few days. She finished her lecture, and enveloped Merry in a tight hug before he had a chance to escape. "You take care of yourself, Merry," she whispered. "And come back soon."

Merry nodded, and noticed that again her soft brown eyes were filled with tears. "Are you feeling well, Peony?" he asked softly, so as not to alarm the others.

Peony chuckled. "Of course I am, love. I'm right as rain. Now, go say good-by to Milo." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before moving away and ambushing Frodo with a hug. Merry shook his head in confusion. Peony wasn't usually so emotional. What was wrong with her?

He said good-bye to Milo and surprised him with a small whistle he had carved. Milo ruffled Merry's unruly curls and said that it was the finest whistle ever made, and presented him with his very own pocketknife. Its hilt was beautifully carved mahogany inlaid with silver. "This is beautiful!" he exclaimed, eyes glowing with pleasure.

Milo grinned. "I'm glad you like it. But you may only have it if you promise to keep practicing your carving."

Merry nodded. "I promise."

After the sorrowful farewells were said, the hobbits went through Bywater (stopping for a quick visit to Mr. Sandybanks' home to check on Adamanta and wish her a happy birthday) and out onto the road. Again, the journey was uneventful until they entered the woods that evening, a few miles away from the Broadbelts' farm.

There was about an hour till sundown and the hobbits hurried through the forest. They came to a creek that they were forced to cross, much to Sam's dismay (though it was only about chest deep on Merry, and the current was slow), and afterwards they made a quick stop to take their cloaks out of their packs and wrap them tightly around them. The sun hardly penetrated the thick canopy of the forest and it was some time before they warmed up.

Merry was far ahead, with Frodo, and then Sam following. He couldn't wait to show Daisy the gift for her that he'd been working on for the last two days. He could imagine her face lighting up when he brought it out of his pack and said that it was hers. The angelic green eyes would shine and she'd throw her little arms around his neck and tell him that he was the best "big brother" ever...

He was jerked out of his imaginings by a sudden hiss in front of him. He stopped abruptly and looked around. There was nothing to be seen, and he could hear Sam and Frodo laughing and talking far behind him. He started to take another step forward, but suddenly caught sight of a movement in the undergrowth in front of him. He jumped back only just in time as a flash of white and black shot forward and snapped the air exactly where his foot had been only moments before. Merry took another step back and eyed the creature in alarm. Its dark brown-black scales were perfect camouflage and it was hard to distinguish from the underbrush. He could just make out a narrow, snake-like head, and a thick, legless body.

Merry cautiously took another step back, and the creature lunged forward, again missing him by a hair. At first, Merry had thought him a snake, but now he caught a fleeting glimpse of the black-slitted red eyes. Horrified, Merry realized that it was the creature from the creek that had attacked him on their first day out.

TBC...