September (Halimath) 1430

Summer was lingering in the Shire, reluctant to leave after being made so welcome. The days were warm and golden, the fruit gardens still groaned under the weight of their bounty, the grapes on the Southfarthing vines grew sweeter and fatter as the starches turned to sugars, roses blossomed and all birds, beasts and insects made the most of the glorious weather to fatten themselves for the winter. Wasps fed on fermenting fruit and buzzed tetchily, reeling drunk and hungover, tumbling in and out of the flowers and gorging themselves until they could barely move.

       In the Bag End garden, the Baggins/Gamgee family enjoyed the autumn sunshine after a long and leisurely lunch. Sam pottered around, dead-heading and staking daisies and top-heavy dahlias, Frodo wrote letters, Rose was busy mending and the children played noisily. Ellie was practicing cartwheels, Frodo-lad was trying to copy her, Rosie-lass had her dolls in a row and was playing schools, Merry-lad had unearthed a cloth ball and was throwing it in a somewhat haphazard manner which made Sam fear for his herbaceous borders, and Pip crawled about, attempting to grab Rufus' tail, which twitched in a tantalizing fashion just out of reach. Plodly sunned himself near the bench and lumbered through the undergrowth in search of food.

       "I can see your drawers!" Fro called to his sister as he prepared another attempt.

       "At least I'm wearing some! Daisy Brownlock doesn't!" Ellie poked out her tongue and turned another cartwheel. She grinned as her brother failed to raise his legs properly and collapsed in an undignified heap on the grass.

       Rufus hopped up on to the bench to investigate the contents of the mending basket, then padded across the letter Frodo was writing to Aragorn.

       "Oh Rufus! You've signed your name on Aragorn's letter now," Frodo laughed, snatching the cat and turning him upside down in his arms. Rufus contrived to look abashed and made no attempt to leap away as his Master buried his face in the warm fur on his belly and huffed.

       "That cat is getting sillier," Rose said. "Daft old thing, aren't you?" she addressed the cat. Rufus grinned lopsidedly and waved a paw.

       Little Rose lectured one of her dolls rather sternly for some minor transgression, and attempted to show them how to write their names on a small slate. She tried to persuade Rufus to join the class but when Frodo set him back on the grass he trotted off upon business of his own.

       Frodo finished his letter and set it aside, holding it down with the pen tray. He went through his list of birthday guests, writing in suitable presents where he had already found something or knew what he wanted to give. With others he just left queries and would go through the mathom-room to see if there was anything he could use. He could hear Sam whistling somewhere in the vicinity of the shed, and Rose was singing under her breath as she sewed a button on Sam's workshirt and turned a frayed collar. The soft baa-ing of contented sheep drifted over from Tully Noakes' grazing lands.

       "I'm sending Aragorn a case of Winyards - the 1428 vintage. I think he'll be impressed."

       "Wait till he tries this year's - he's already ordered a hundred bottles." Rose chuckled.

       "Yes, they say it will equal the Old Winyards crop. Bungo would be pleased."

       Baby Pip's yell of protest caused him to glance down. The little lad had been happily crawling across the grass but Rufus now had the child's nappy in his mouth and was dragging him backwards. When he was satisfied that Pip was securely under the table he released him.

       "What is that cat doing now?" Rose asked, biting off another thread.

       "Dragging Pippi round the garden by the look of it. What brought that on, I wonder?"

       Pip obviously felt he had been ill-used. He waved a fist at Rufus and set off again, determined to reach the cloth ball Merry had left in the lavender bed when he became side-tracked by his cartwheeling siblings. Rufus trotted after the baby, grasped a mouthful of nappy and hauled him back under the table.

       "Rufus! Stop that! Pip can crawl about if he wants to." Frodo wagged a finger at the cat, who miaowed loudly and ran after Merry-lad as he went to retrieve the ball.

       "Go 'way, Woo-woo!" The faunt waved a hand and tried to shoo the cat away, but Rufus stood his ground in front of Merry and refused to allow him to continue. Merry side-stepped but Rufus blocked him again. "Go 'way!" he shouted. Rufus hissed.

       Frodo was startled to see the cat swipe at the child's leg. He had not extended his claws, but Rufus had never raised a paw to any of the children before.

       "'Tupid cat!" The little faunt ran past. Rufus growled low in his throat, raced foward and leapt. He was large and heavy and he landed between Merry's shoulders with a thud. The child fell face down on the grass, winded. For a moment he was too shocked to do anything; then he wailed.

       "Now look here! We're not having that!" said Sam, striding over. Rufus was yowling and hissing, his fur standing on end and his tail puffed up like a bottle-brush. "What is wrong with him? Is he mad?"

       Rose had dropped her mending and rushed to her little son. As she bent to lift him she clapped a hand to her mouth and gave a little scream. "Sam!" she whispered urgently. "Stop! Step away. Now!"

       "What?" Sam gaped at her.

       "Woo-woo not like me!" Merry-lad sobbed.

       "Elves and dragons! Just do it, Sam! Now! Move this way - slowly!" She addressed the child. "Woo-woo just saved your life, my lad. He loves you very much."

       Frodo followed the direction of her gaze and paled. "Sam! There's a huge adder under that bush! That's what Rufus has been trying to tell us! He's been trying to keep the children away."

       Sam stepped away from the flowerbed and peered under the massive lavender bush. The adder was large, curled up on the warm earth, well camouflaged against the sandy soil in the dappled shade, half hidden by Merry's ball. The vibration of the child's fall and Sam's panicked rush had disturbed it and the head was raised, black beady eyes watchful, tongue flicking in and out. Rufus released a long low growl of fury.

       "There's a forked stick near the water butt. Can you bring it to me, Ellie?" Sam spoke in a low undertone.

       "Yes, Sam-dad." She hurried round the corner to fetch it.

       "Fro, my lad, there's a sack in the shed. Can you fetch it?" The boy dashed off.

       "You're not going to.....kill it, are you?" Frodo asked carefully. Sam could be very single-minded if his family were threatened, but Frodo hated the idea of such a beautiful creature being killed. He had seen a snake beaten to death once and had been distressed and appalled. Adders were usually shy and most snake-bites resulted from them being stepped on accidentally.

       "Course not. Just need to get it in the sack and I'll take it up to the heathland near Overhill. That's where he properly belongs." Sam moved slowly and calmly, easing the lavender bush back and pinning the snake's head gently to the earth. Frodo moved behind him and held the bush while Sam bent down and grasped the head. He lifted the creature and admired it. The children watched, wide-eyed.

       Young Fro handed the sack to his father and Sam lowered it carefully inside, then tied the neck. Everyone let out a breath. Rose sank onto the bench with Merry on her lap. Pip sat beneath the table and sucked on a skein of thread, uncertain what was going on but impressed into silence.

       Rufus gradually subsided and de-puffed himself. Then he hopped on to the bench and sniffed tentatively at Rose's face. She smiled and kissed his nose.

       "Woo-woo like me?" Merry-lad asked warily.

       "Yes, lovey. He was only trying to stop you going near the snake. If you'd been bitten you would have been in serious trouble. We just didn't understand what he was saying, did we, Rufus?"

       Little Merry held out his hand and Rufus licked the fat fingers, making the child squeal with laughter. "Tickles! Tickles, Woo-woo!" He beamed at his mother. "Woo-woo lubbly!"

       "Yes he is. And he's going to have a big dish of cold roast beef tonight as a special treat, aren't you my lad?" Rufus purred and butted her chin with his head.

       "And I'm sorry too, old lad," said Sam. "I thought you were hurting them but you were keeping them safe. Should have known you wouldn't hurt any of the little ones." He scratched behind the cat's ears.

       "He's my brave, clever lad, aren't you?" Frodo stroked the broad handsome head and Rufus purred so loudly he sounded like a spinning wheel. "I shall add a postscript to my letter and tell Aragorn about this!"

       The children all gathered round to make a great fuss of their feline friend and guardian, and Sam set off for the heath, whistling cheerily. Rose fed Pip with a piece of bread and jam and soon there were fat chuckles from beneath the table as Rufus cleaned the jam from little fingers and his own fur. Frodo sat down, pulled the letter towards him and began: P.S. You'll never believe this!

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       The following Rethe, one of the King's regular parcels arrived at Bag End. There were coffee beans, chocolates, oranges, lemons, limes, and new fruit from Far Harad - a strange lumpy dark orange fruit with spiky leaves which was apparently called a pineapple, and curved yellow fruit called bananas. Everyone gathered round excitedly to taste the new delicacies. Near the bottom of the box was a soft package wrapped in crimson tissue paper and tied with silver ribbon. It was addressed to The Bravest Cat in the Shire in Arwen's distinctive hand.

       "What have we here? Rufus, this must be for you." Frodo removed the thin ribbon and waved it over the recumbent cat, who grabbed for it, scrabbled, snatched it in triumph and carried his prize into a corner.

       Unwrapping the tissue paper, Frodo saw a soft black velvet cushion cover. It was edged with white cord and had a white silk tassell on each corner. On it, embroidered in white and silver, by the hand of Queen Arwen Undomiel herself, was the White Tree and seven stars, with Rufus' name written in Westron and Tengwar letters.

       "Oh my! Rufus, you have a new cushion cover." Frodo looked around and burst out laughing when he saw that his beloved cat had managed to tie all four legs together with the ribbon and was sheepishly looking for rescue. Giggling, Rose unwound the bonds and Rufus inspected his present solemnly.

       "Not many cats have a cushion cover embroidered by an Elven Queen. You are very honoured, my friend," said Sam.

       A little later, Frodo peeped in to the kitchen. Rufus was curled on his cushion, his paws padding the soft velvet as he pussy-footed contentedly. Frodo returned to the study and began his letter to the Queen. Rufus has asked me to say 'thank you' for his beautiful present. He is trying it out as I write.

       He could almost hear the Queen's musical laughter, and he laughed too in sheer delight.