[piosenniel]

Volondil’s keen eyes had fixed the path and speed of the fell creature as it pulled Holly toward its stinking den. ‘Hold still, Holly!’ he cried to her. Two strides forward, with a swift plea to those who dwelt in the West that with their grace he might deliver a sure stroke, He took one more step, raising his sword arm high. But as the fickle grace of the Valar would have it, he tripped over Holly’s lantern, and his sword severed Holly’s sleeve from wrist to shoulder.

Holly, distracted by the torn sleeve, though the point did no damage to her flesh, grabbed the sharpened quill she had put in her vest pocket and swung widely at the fell creature. She missed her objective, the Mewlips’ eye, but the intensity of her struggles knocked the creature off balance,

His arms swung widely, and he lost his grip on the Hobbit, dropping her. In a rage, he turned on Volondil, and the Ranger delivered him a sinking blow this time. The creature howled in pain and retreated back several paces.

But he was not gravely wounded. Darting around, the Mewlips squish-flap-flipped to the door and closed it, plunging everyone inside the smithy into a semblance of darkness as the Mewlips blew out the lantern-light and cackled to itself.

Olo had already lit the small candle from the stash Holly put in the side pocket of his pack. He stepped forward from the corner to the left of the door and held it up high to see what he could do to help.

Bird, though horrified, kept her head about her. Dropping swiftly to where the gold was stacked, she changed to human form, and stuffed her breeches pockets with stacks of gold coins, retreating quickly toward the now closed door, pulling the gasping Holly with her by the hand.

By the light of the small candle, Olo could see the Mewlips, whose attention had now focused on the thieving Bird. The creature squished toward her in a menacing manner intending to get back his treasure. She took out a handful of coins and flung them hard at the Mewlips face. It stopped, in pain where the coins stung the tender flesh around its eyes.

Bird shoved Holly well behind her and rushed the distracted creature which was only a few paces from her. She began to change in mid stride to her Entish form, her arms reaching round the nasty, squishy body of the foul creature, as she shifted shape. Her limbs grew strong and long and she pulled the creature to her woody chest and squeezed him hard.

With a gurgle and a strangled yowl cut off by a last gasp, the Mewlips died. Bird dropped him down his dank hole in the rear of the room and changed back to human form. Olo, by then, had retrieved the lantern and relit it. The three companions joined Bird at the edge of the Mewlips’ hole, but saw nothing other than a long passage into darkness now stained with the foul, fluid remains of the former occupant.

Holly shivered and rasped, ‘Let’s get out of here! Who knows if there was only one living down there!’

They retreated toward the door, Bird reaching it first,flung it open. Volondil held his blade in readiness as his three companions made their way out the door and into the hallway. He soon followed, and they retreated back west and out the door into the shelter of the waiting trees to regroup.

[ February 10, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]