Giving Chase {Lord of the Rings Crossover: Book One}

Chapter Ten

With cautious yet driven footsteps Calypso creeped her way through the open door of the Prancing Pony. The interior of the Inn normally illuminated but the roaring fireplace was now hidden under a layer of pitch black, thick as the stench which lingered in the air.

'Ringwraiths,' she thought to herself as a feeling of dread seeped into her rain soaked fur, the once spotted appearance was completely hidden by a coating of dripping black mud.

Butterbur sat behind his bar sweating in fear, a dagger held close to his chest. His breaths came slow and shallow as he tried to remain as silent as possible in fear of losing his life. Suddenly a beast appears through the darkness illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the open doorway. Its chest heaved, its form easily bigger than any wild dog the bartender had ever seen. The beast's mouth was open slightly in a snarl revealing a straight line of dagger-like teeth, the animal's breath visible in the coldness of the night.

As the animal padded its way closer, Butterbur held his breath in fear. Nearer and nearer the beast got until it stood staring down at the bartender with its hackles raised. Butterbur closed his eyes tightly, his dagger all but forgotten as he accepted his end, but it never came, instead however a voice cut through the night air.

"Where are the halflings?" Calypso growled,

"G... G.." The bartender stuttered, earning a hiss of frustration from the feline, "GONE" he squealed in fright. Another hiss echoed within Calypso's chest as she stared the trembling man down. "Gone where you fool?!"

"THE RANGER-" Butterbur squealed out again before taking a breath and continuing with a nervous tone, "the ranger, he tuck the hobbits, he rents the room across the way! Please don't kill me I swear that's all I know!" Growling lowly Calypso lowered her jaws towards the man's neck, the stench of sweat, beer and urine stung at her sensitive nose. The bartender whimpered as the beast's teeth brushed against the soft skin of his neck, "if you tell a single soul of what transpired here tonight. I will rip your throat out. You did not play host to any hobbits tonight and both myself and the ranger were never here."

Butterbur flinched as the beast turned quickly to leave, "Breath a word of this to anyone and you will never breathe again." He nodded vigorously, his words failing him, he continued his frantic nodding well after the black creature disappeared into the moonlit street outside.

----

Sam, Merry and Pippin lay sleeping once again within the soft embrace of Strider's man sized bed, the night's troubles all but forgotten from their minds . Frodo however sat on the side of the bed nearest to the window watching the courtyard below, his gaze shifting between the many dark corners. Despite Strider's insistence for the young hobbit to rest he remained awake, his eyes ever searching the dark night outside.

"What time do we leave tomorrow?" Frodo asked his voice low so as to not awaken his friends. Strider sat stooped in a wooden armchair at the foot of the bed smoking a curiously carved pipe, removing the pipe from his lips he spoke lowly his voice rumbling in the night, "first light" Frodo nodded in understanding his eyes still fixed on the street below, "the Nazgul are gone master Hobbit, you should rest" he urged again.

The young hobbit lowered his gaze from the world outside to the neatly folded travelers blanket he had resting across his knees, it was second nature for him to remove the material from his pack come nightfall. Each night once they were both feed the group would settle down for the night, Calypso always winding her way into the worn material of Frodo's blanket, the material itself was slightly rough in texture and it kept the hobbit warm but to Calypso it held a comfort he would never come to understand. "A friend was leading us to Bree however we got separated, she still hasn't arrived" "many would say the wild is no place for a women." Frodo let out a chuckle, "not this women, you'll find none wilder-" he spoke his gaze returning to the window a smile playing on his lips, his eyes catching a glance of something black moving in the dark but brushed it off as nothing more then a wild dog, "-or more kind."

"Sleep Master Baggins, I will keep watch for your friend, what does she look like?" Frodo stood handing the material to Strider, "you'll know her when you see her" he answered with a mischievous smile, "mention that her pups are safe, she might listen."

(Edited:21/09/2022)