“I’m sorry, Briar!”

The albino fox took one glaring look at Luna, then scampered ahead. Luna had taken a “shortcut” through Fanghorn, one she had thought she knew. Then the rain started. Now it was wet and sticky and hot and just plain nasty. No wonder Briar was in a bad mood. The wizard-to-be patted Ronyo, her gray elvensteed, glad to have at least one friend still walking with her. Her staff in her left hand was getting heavy. She shifted the weight to her shoulder. Getting lost was tiring work.

“Ronyo, let’s rest. OK?” Ronyo gave one heaving sigh, then reluctantly stopped. Luna knew there was no point in yelling for Briar. He would come when he wanted. She plopped down against a huge oak tree, haphazardly dropping her staff. One day she was going to get a dagger. But the heavy staff would have to do til then. The elvensteed drank greedily from a pool of water he had found at the base of the same tree. Slowly her eyes began to droop. She shook her head, trying to keep awake. But slowly her vision darkened.

Soon, however, she was roused from a peaceful rest by a series of wild yapping.
Briar? Luna immediately knew the yelp, and knew that something was wrong. She
hurriedly got up, picked up the ever-burdensome staff, and fled towards the sound. Behind her, she heard the soft thudding of hoofs. “BRIAR!!!”

(OOC: just tell me if u dont wanna RP)

Rheyogwn opened his eyes. He had been sleeping for several hours, and it was already morning. He was on the borders of Fangorn because he was actually kind of scared to go in. He had heard rumors that something haunted the forest and that it was evil. Since he had nowhere else to go and he was curious about the haunted forest, he decided to leave Rohan and see Fangorn. Rheogwyn got up, gathered his few belongings which consisted of a blanket, cloak, a bowl and a bow. He sucked up all of his courage and stepped into the forest. Hey, it's not scary in here...he thought. He jumped suddenly upon hearing odd moaning sound apparently coming from the trees. I am going crazy! Everyone knows that trees can't talk! He kept on walking. The forest grew denser and denser until the light from the sun was entirely blocked out. He could hardly see, when all of a sudden a horse came charging at him full-speed with his owner chasing behind. He quickly tried to dash into a bush but didn't make it in time. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was the horse's hoof above his body.

(OOC: you can post!! I think!!!)



Luna wildly tried to sort out which the direction the yelps were coming from, getting more high-pitched. She needed to find Briar quick, so she can save him. Luna almost snorted. Like Briar would thank her, only glare at her. If he was still alive. If they are still able to leave this forest in one piece.

As she turned around, she saw a young man in the prickly bushes by the trail. Ronyo was sniffing curiosly at his crop of hair. Probably seeing whether it was edible. Luna ran back to the still form, wondering how she had missed him in her dash. Running her fingers down his neck, she checked his pulse. Still beating. Just knocked out. She let out a sigh of relief. She wondered why at that moment she had actually sighed. Probably because she could actually do something medical.

The yelps ceased. Everything was quiet. Luna's head shot up, worried. What if Briar's dead? What if he was still barely alive but about to be eaten? She leaped up. She needed to get to Briar first. Man second. Maybe Ronyo could......

"Ronyo, I need a favor. Watch over him while I search for Briar. You could come along after he wakes. NO stomping!!!" Luna talked worridly, running her fingers through her hair. Ronyo brought his already up leg back down. With an exasperated sigh, he turned back to the form of the man.

Luna ran with full speed towards what she thought was the area where Briar's yelps came from. As she glanced back, she saw Ronyo trotting towards the spring near the base of the huge tree. Trotting back, he stood stock still at the man's side. He opened his mouth, water gushing out of it downwards. The man's face became wet. She smiled to herself, but then hid it as she ran along the trail. Trying to find that fox.

Rheogwyn suddenly awakened. He immedeatley opened his mouth and took a breath. What he got was a mouthful of water and a wet lick of a horse's toungue on his cheek. The horse sighed, as if he felt like he was bored. Rheyogywn stood up and wipes the water and spit on his cloak.

"Huh??" He took a quick look around him saw the horse that had licked him. "What is a horse doing in the middle of a creepy forest like this??" she said to himself. The trees made moans what he thought sounded angry. "Um, I mean nice, pretty forest...." He laughed quickly and then shut up as not to anger the trees anymore. "Where'd you get that water from anyhow??" He felt his throat, dry and scratchy. He felt silly talking to a horse. Like it would respond. To his suprise, the horse started to leave, as if beckoning for him to follow. They got to a small, muddy pool of water at the bottom of a rather large tree and he began to drink as much as he could. I wonder where the owner of this horse is?? he thought. As he was thinking, he sat leaning on the tree.

(OOC: whoops! wrong login! sorry, i have problems with keepin 'em straight!)

(OOC: that's ok. haven't had a problem, but I don't really have another username here.)


Luna kept on running through the forest, oblivious to the branches that came her way. Suddenly she felt empty air underneath her feet. With a loud "no" roaring out of her throat, eyes closed, she rolled down the hill. Thorn bushes clawed on to her clothes, almost getting a proper hold. But she kept on rolling down that muddy hill, coming to a stop by something hard and long. "Ohhhh." she moaned out. She ached all over. Luna didn't dare try opening her eyes. She knew she had to do it sometime, but not then.

After a few minutes passed she finally opened her eyes. She was staring at a fallen beech tree. Rot and moss left veins all across it. After another few minutes she raised herself in a sitting position. She was in a huge clearing, still in the middle of the forest, her staff a few feet from where she was. Luna flinched. She still ached over. Something moved, near the middle of the clearing. She raised herself a little more, ready to run. Or walk fast. Then a yelp came from that distant, small form. Luna gasped, and started walking towards the form. It was Briar!!!

When she reached Briar, she let out a soft sob. Briar was lying face down. His usually beautiful white coat was now mud- and blood- stained. Scratches covered his jutting legs. Whatever it was that attacked him wasn't here. Luna slowly picked him up, afraid Briar was dead. Then Briar opened one of his eyes, letting out a soft yelp. "Thank goodness!!" she sobbed out, hugging him more closely. He was alive, if not in perfect condition!!!

With a glance down at her clothes, she knew she wasn't in perfect condition, either. Mud covered many parts of her, with a blood spot on her knee. But thanks to the fall, she knew exactly which path she took. And the going would be hard. With a huge sigh, she started limping towards the beaten down path. She stoped for a moment to pick up her staff. She would need it.

After a slippery climb up the hill, they finally reached their destination: the tree with the small spring. The man was lying against the ancient tree, almost sleeping. She then heard a loud neigh. She whirled around, her left leg where the blood spot seeming to be on fire. Ronyo, her elvensteed, galloped towards her from the bushes (where he had been eating earlier on). When he saw Briar, he let out a sad nickering and rubbed his nose over him. Briar, now annoyed, let out a grumpy yelp and wiggled more than ever in Luna's arms. "Don't worry, Ronyo. Briar's okay. But we definitely are going to have to spend the night here. Who knows, maybe that guy will spend the night with us." she whispered back. Luna now truned back to the man. "Hello. I'm Luna. What's yours? Sorry about the rude awakening. Ronyo doesn't really care about people!" she asked him.

"hhuhhh?" Rheogywn replied groggily. "uhhhhh..." he felt his head. He had a tremendous headache that felt like someone was stomping on his brains in iron shoes. He groaned again. His head felt like it was throbbing, if not pulsating. He finally comprehended what the person standing in front of him was saying. "Uhhh.. my name... oh..umm... yeah, it's Rheogwyn, umm Ryc for short because it is umm... a mouthful. Yeah, just call me Ryc." He wiped his face as the horse continued to lick it, just to make sure he was okay. "Oh, yeah, the horse, he's ok, I really don't mind him licking me all the time. At least he cares unlike some people.. not meaning you though. We might as well just stay here 'till tomorrow b'cause there's water here. I doubt there are alot of rivers in this forest." He started to make a fire but then realized the trees wouldn't like being hacked at, or seeing their friends burn. " I guess we will just have to go cold... Which brings up the question, what about food?? Do you have any? because I am starved!"

(ooc: (App here! please feel free to kick me out if you don' want me.)

Etain was lost. She had been riding from Edoras, and had decided to go in the forest. How stupid she had been. She was still in her gown that showed she was a noble, by the rich colors and designs. She really hadn't been thinking. Except for one thing. She didn't want to get married.

And now she was lost, and her horse was gone. She had been so out of her mind that she hadn't even noticed the boy until it was nearly to late. Well, at least she knew there was one other person in Fangorn.

She walked on, hoping to find a place to rest. she also tied her golden hair back, to keep it from falling in her eyes.

Finaly, she came into a clearing, and saw her horse. "SADBH!" she yelled, and threw her arms around the neck of the tall white mare. She saw two people, a boy and a girl. "Oh, I'm sorry," she blushed, but this is my horse. She turned to the boy. He was the one she had nearly run over. "I'm sorry sir, are you all right? My name is Etain." she said, holding out her hands to make amends.

(OOC: jeez app... youre just a lost little lady! first bree, now fangorn! wow, you really know how to get into all of my stories! lol :P Have you noticed how many charries are female? that is strange - i guess its because the ppl making them are all girls... I am a brave soul that took on the challenge of making a male (*gasp!*) charry in a world full of women!! I feel special!!!!!! yea- dont mind my little ooc outbursts...)

Rheogwyn tried feebly to stand up but even the support of tree next to him didn't help. The woman reached down and lent him and hand and he got up shakily. He wobbled around a bit and brushed the dirt off of his cloak. He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you! Unfortunatly, it is in this creepy forest and we are lost. Sorry, I tend to look on the more, real, side of things. Some people may say that I am a bit of a pessimist, but I tend to look at it as seeing realities." He stopped his little speech abruptly as se say that no one cared. "Oh, my name is Ryc and this is Luna. We just met too." He suddenly remembered her question and answered it quickly in one breath. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He looked closer at her. 'Have we met before??"

Etain turned to see what had happened. Sadbh flew by, and she could tell by the crest on the saddle that it was hers. "Of course!" she cried out. "Sorry about that!", she called to the girl, "There's Sadbh, I'd better go and catch her!"

She ran and caught up with her horse. Sadbh had slowed down. "Sorry," she mumered to the frightened mare, "This is a pretty spooky forest, isn't it? Don't worry, I'm here now."

She stepped up and sat on the saddle. Trotting back, she came to Ryc. "I'm sorry, she's just spooked. And as to wether we've met before, I don't know."

Luna glared at the newest arrival. He seemed okay. But Etain thought Ronyo was hers!!! Just then Ronyo spat into the face of Etain. "Escuse me. I'm sorry, but you are holding the wrong horse. That's Ronyo. He's not whoever you think he is!!" she said to the woman. Laying her staff and Briar on the ground, she limped towards Ronyo’s left side. Taking his reins, she took him away. “Sorry to be rude." she replied as she turned to Ryc. "I do have some food. It’s in this sack, but don’t eat all of it,” she told Ryc as she faced Ronyo’s saddle. Untying the sack off from the saddle, she threw the light bag towards Ryc. When done, she looked up into Ronyo’s grinning face. He was busy running his tongue in and out of his mouth and drooling. Like he just tasted something he favored. She shrugged. She never heard of Ronyo liking anybody.

Briar yelped. Luna turned around quickly, sending another jolt up her hurt leg. Briar, it seemed, had tried to move. He needed help and medicine. She picked up Briar again and set out towards the spring. “One second, okay? I need to get water for Briar.” she said to Ryc as she reached the ancient tree. Crouching, she set him down and reached for her belt. Miraculously, the small woolen sacks had stayed on. Reaching for two, she opened them. Inside the light-green bag were her medicinal herbs and other plants. In her mud-splattered white bag were white strips of cloth. Taking out a rag from one of her boots, she started to clean Briar. He yelped a few times, but other-wise kept still. Once done, she bandaged herbs and the white strips onto the bloody spots.

“Okay, can you look after Briar? I need to do one more thing,” Luna asked Ryc as she limped again back towards Ronyo and took off a large, brown sack. She limped towards a grove of trees around a bend. In the middle of the grove was a small pond of water. Later she came back to the campsite, in a new set of clothes with her dirty ones lying wet on some bushes. She had bandaged her knee, but she still limped. With a sigh, she leaned against a nearby tree near the ancient tree.

(OOC: (NOT LYING!!!!!!!!!! Etain would recognize her own horse anyways, she grew up w/her. 'Tis the horse she learned how to ride on. Etain's horse, Sadbh is actually white . . . Mebbe there is 2 white horses? Can we get this fixed up before I post?))

(OOC: I think so too - ther can be 2 white horses ya kno! Got any ideas for a post? i am blank. mebbe she should repost.?.

(OOC: ok- this horse has to be one of your guy's ok?? i stayed up all night thinking of how to post!! well.... maybe not all night...)

"Okay, guys, don't break out into a fight!! Whose horse is this?? The other one must be around here somewhere...." He turned around in circles to look for the other horse. Suddenly, he saw something move in the brush. A glowing white horse with its mane flying behind it, charging at full speed. He ran out of the way and ducked. Jeez, horses really don't seem to like me today he thought.

(ooc: I kind of figured that out! I've got a knack for languages and words, so that's how I understodd it when you spoke to me in l33t.)

"Maybe you've seen me, if you've ever been around Edoras recently," said Etain, climbing down from the saddle. She rubbed Sadbh's head. "I don't want anything, but I think Sadbh would like an apple."

“That’s ok. Sorry, too.” Luna said. Now she noticed that Etain right now was busy, so she went quiet. Then she noticed it: the colors of a royal! She didn’t know Etain was one! Luna was surprised, but she was quick not to show it. Besides, it was not like she’d have all the time in the world to stay a while with Etain. Tomorrow she would have to continue her journey. To any where! She had to make plans of where to go. She closed her eyes.

A map developed in her brain. On it were the landforms, boundaries, cities, forests, lakes, oceans, and kingdoms of Middle Earth. Luna once had this sort on actual paper, but she had somehow lost it. Looking at it through mind, she searched through the possible destinations. She could either go to the ruins of Istaria or through the plains towards Gondor. Then her mind’s finger passed over north, to the Shire and the Forests of Elves!!! Luna immediatly wanted to go to there. She had never seen an elf, but maybe one could teach her a little magic. Just enough to protect herself.

With her plan settled, she opened her eyes and listened to Etain’s and Ryc’s
conversation.

"Really? I could have sworn that I have seen you somewhere!! Thanks for the food!" He opened the sack, and began taking the contents out one by one. He took the first item out and looked at it. Hmmm....Bead? nah! He threw it back into the bag. Cheese? maybe... He set the cheese down in his lap and pulled the next item out. "APPLES!!" He yelled out in his excitement. He loved apples! "Hey!" he called out to the girls, "Anyone want apples and cheese??" He immediatly started breaking the cheese into chunks with his hands to give to the other members of the party. He took a loud bite out of the apple. *crunch!* With his mouth full of apple, he called out again. "Are oo fure oo don wanth aneethang?"

(OOC: that translates to "are you sure you dont want anything?"

(OOC: learn more about l337- go to pointless discussion! oh- when I said bead up there i meant bread ok?)

"Hm.. maybe.." He tossed Etain an apple. "Here ya go!" Luna looked lost in thought when Rheogwyn asked her,"Hey, Luna! If you're not gonna eat your apple, I will!" He started tossing the apples into his opposite hand, like juggling but not quite, but his apple was quickly becoming a nasty browned core.

Etain caught the apple and placed it under Sadbh's mouth. After Sadbh took it from her she sat down under a nearby tree. So far no one had noticed she was a noble, or if they had, they hadn't mentioned it. She was grateful for this, because when people noticed that, they did not treat her like a normal person. She smiled to hersel and listened to Ryc and Luna.

(OOC: I am so sorry. I got mixed up of what color my character’s horse was. I am really sorry.)

“Hey! I do want an apple!” Luna said to Ryc as she slowly left her mind-map. Her stomach had started growling. She was hungry. “Are there any extra apples? I need to give some food to Ronyo and Briar.” she asked him, motioning towards her two friends.
Right then Ronyo was snuffling at the ground. Briar still couldn’t walk, but he was
fully awake now. Murmuring to himself, he glanced around. He seemed bored, acting as if he was a king.

(OOC: 'tis fine. i fixed it up. don worry 'bout it! also - not god-modeling, this is what sabs told me luna would do)

He tossed Luna her apple. She tried to catch it, but it slipped out of her hands. He looked into the sack again. No more apples. Dangit! "Nope, no more apples - but I have some cheese. You want some? What about them?" He decided to eat some cheese for himself, so he broke off a chunk and took a bite. "It's good," he said to Luna, "But not as good as apples....." It began to get dark. Suddenly, he was reminded of sleep. "Wow, it gets dark so early now...." his voice trailed off as he stared up at the sky, looking at the couple of bright stars that were visible at twilight. "So what are we going to do about camp? It really is starting to get cold out, and I wouldn't risk a fire....we should really get outta this dark forest....." He looked up at the sky again and sighed. It was almost dark now.

Now Etain really knew she hadn't been thinking when she left Edoras. She shivered slightly, and looked at the sky. Then she spoke. "We should stay in the forest for the night. If we try to leave now, we won't have anywhere to go."

She knew she would probably head home the next day; she hadn't meant to ride so far from home.

Luna picked up the apple again. There was still some dirt on, but it can be cleaned easily with some elbow grease. “Awwwwww. No more apples!” she said. She could go a night without an apple. She could just give the only apple to Ronyo and Briar. Luna got out her necklace, the stone part in the shape of an eagle.

(OOC: I think the necklace is eagle shaped.)

Using the sharp side of the stone part, she cut the apple in two. After giving them to Ronyo and Briar, she turned back to Ryc. “Can you pass me some cheese?.” she asked him. She was worried about the food. But maybe after they escaped the forest she could hunt for food.

Luna then just noticed the sky was darkening. “I don’t know what we should do.
Maybe one of us should stay awake for a while, to make sure no Ents or anything else attacks us during the night.” Like what ever attacked Briar! If there was better light, anyone would have seen her pale with that thought in her mind. Or, at least she thought nobody might see her go pale.

"Sure" He replied. This time he got up and handed Luna the cheese. He didn't want to waste a perfectly good hunk of cheese just because she couldn't catch. He listened closely to her. "Ents? What are 'Ents'??" He looked toward Etain as she pointed out the obvious. After she spoke, she seemed to go into a deep thought, and got a worried expression on her face. He turned to Etain. "What are you thinking about that is making you look so sad?"

Etain sighed. "I have to go home to Edoras tommorow. I ran away, and my father has probably sent out a search for me. I wasn't thinking when I decided to come here. He will be angry with me if I do not come home soon. That's all."

But Etain knew it wasn't. When she got home, she would still have to get married, which she did not wish. Other noble's daughters would be thrilled, but not her.

(OOC: *REMEMBER* Tho so called "Order" is Sabs, Me, App!!)

"Edoras?? You know the way there? You can get us outta this creepy forest??" He began to get excited. Very Excited. Overly Excited. Too Excited. "Why don't we just go now if you know the way???"

“Thanks for the cheese.” Luna replied to Ryc. She munched on it. Edoras? She
wondered if she should go along, stay for a while, or go north. It doesn’t matter much if they did go to Edoras. Unless she got her head chopped off because she didn’t know Etain was a royal!!! Wait. If Etain’s royal, why was she mucking around in this hole?

“Hey, why are you in this forest anyway? Why are you alone? Not trying to be rude or anything.” she asked Etain. The wizard-to-be stroked Briar’s coat nervously.

"I ran away from home." Etain said again, hoping that would explain why she was alone. "But I'll have to go back." She turned to Rhegowyn. "It would be safer to stay in the forest until daylight. We don't know what's out there."

"I guess you're right." He yawned. Hopefully it's not contagious. He grinned at the thought. Are yawns really contagious though? It always seems like it..... He stopped his conversation with himself just to announce that he was going to sleep. He found a nice comfy spot under the tree and went to sleep dreaming about people standing in lines, yawning one after the other. He later reflected on this, and was shocked by what kinds of things he liked to think about (stupid questions being one of them.) Ryc was sound asleep, and began to snore a little.

((ooc: I know, the order . . . but no ones been on here so far . . .))

Etain watched Ryc go to sleep. After a minute or so, she turned to Luna. "If you want to go to sleep, I'll keep a watch. I'm not tired anyway." she offered timidly, unsure how to interact with the girl. She noticed the animal in her lap. It was a white fox, which appeared to be injured. "Pardon me - but your fox - is he alright?"

(OOC: Yeah. Maybe we should each post around two posts after our last post.)


Luna looked up. When Ryc started to yawn, she had started to, too. She was tired, but she shouldn’t show that, especially in front of a Royal. “I’m a little tired. But not that much. But if you really want to take a watch, you can. I can take second watch if you want me to.” she replied as she forced back a yawn. “Briar will be alright - he won’t be able to walk well and he will be a little sore. But I’m sure he’ll be healthy besides that.” she told Etain. She layed down onto the tree. Already her eyes were slowly closing.

((ooc: okay))

"Alright," said Etain. She noticed how Luna seemed to restrict her actions around her. She probably knew Etain was a noble. She looked at the white fox, wondering awhat had hapened to him. And he had an interesting name- Briar.

She tucked her knees in and wrapped her arms around them looking into the dark forest. It seemed so old and full of . . . feeling. How strange it is. Suddenly she shivered, longing for the light of the sun. She never noticed how secure it made her feel before.

Luna finally closed her eyes. She was nervous about the coming morning. Doubt
clouded her decision of what to do. Should she go with Ryc and Etain to Etain’s home city? Or should she just go where she wanted - the north and the Elven forests? A few moments later she was fast asleep. She dreamt that she decided to come with Etain and Ryc and landed in a huge cake. Later she dreamt of choosing to go on her own, finding an Elf who argued with her. Briar laid down next to Luna and started to go to sleep. Ronyo blinked drowsily. Then slowly he closed one eye. Finally he, too, went to sleep.

(ooc:huh?)

For some unexplainable reason, Ryc suddenly woke up. he looked around, but could hardly see anything. His eyes adjusted and he saw Luna a little more clearly. But where was Etain?? Oh well, she's just probably keeping watch. He was kind of bored and not tired, but he decided to try and sleep anyways, as it was the middle of the night. Just as he was falling asleep, a loud yell woke him up again. Figures... He weaved through the trees to see what was going on. What he saw mortified and immobilized him, to the point where he couldn't speak. For a long time, he stood there watching the wonderous trees move. All he could think was what are they??

Etain couldn't believe it. The trees were moving! When she heard the yell though, she forgot all about them. She saw Ryc moving through the forest. "Ryc!" she said, catching up with him. "What's going on? Did you hear the yell as well?" He didn't answer. She tried again. "Ryc? Are you okay?"

Rheogwyn was still staring at the trees. "Who knew? I heard rumors about something in Fangorn, but moving trees? Wow." he muttered to himself. He finally got around to Etain's question after five or so minutes. "the yell? I think it came from the trees......" His voice trailed off.

A scream that pierced the night woke up Luna. “Yes, I’m definitly a natural....” she mumbled sleepily. Hair rumpled and sticking out at odd angles, she surveyed the camp. But then she saw a running figure of a tree. That really woke her up. “What!?” she almost screeched. Noticing the others were awake, she quieted down. “I can’t believe it. They actually showed themselves. Who knows what will happen now!” she frantically said, then added, for her companion’s benefit, “the Ents!” Now shivering with fright she leapt behind Ryc.

Both animals were awake now. Briar seemed the least frantic, just growling and leering murderously at the trees. Ronyo squealed, rearing and bucking at the scream. His eyes were wide open, nostrils flaring.

Etain turned to look at Luna. What was she talking about? Ents? And what rumors had Ryc heard? She was very confused by now, and also felt a little left out. She had always been told to never go into Fangorn forest, but never had she been told why. Was this the reason? The forest did give off a strange atmosphere, it could possibly these things. "What are the Ents?" she asked Luna. "Are these . . . trees them?"

Luna slowly breathed in and out, to calm herself down. What was she to tell Etain? Shouldn’t lots of people know what’s in these woods? Finally she calmed down.“Well, I don’t know too much about the Ents, but enough to know they can be both dangerous and helpful in times. You could say that they are tree-herders.” she replied hastily. “Basically they’re huge, giant, talking, thinking trees.”

Tree-herders? . . .Thinking trees? Etain looked back at the trees, an expression of amazement and fear on her face. Her blue eyes lit up as well. "Amazing." she whispered under her breath. She got the feeling that she was part of something very special. She forgot everything else as she watched the Ents walking.