[Mattius]

Mattius was awaken by Borin who shook him quite hard. The dwarf was still scared even though the night had passed.
"Okay okay I'm awake!" Laughed Mattius. He saw Borin approaching the sleeping Endereth and stopped him before he shook her too. "Allow me master dwarf." With that he kneeled next to Endereth and spoke in the ancient High Tongue of the elves that he had been taught in Lorien. He knew Endereth would understand it. "Awake child of Lothlorien, Ranger of the North, Elf of the Noldor. Awake and be ready for the new day!" Almost immdiatly the eyes of Endereth opened and Mattius smiled and stood up.
"It has been long since I have heard words such as those. Not since..." Endereth trailed off thinking of her lost companions. Radagast spoke before anyone could question her.
"Come now, let us to breakfast while we can, for today will be a busy day." The wizard walked over to Borin who was starting the fire again. He looked down at the hobbit still sleeping. Mattius stood next to him.
"What do you think my friend?" Asked Radagast. Mattius stared intently at the face of the hobbit, her eyes closed so tightly that her face was scrunched up.
"I think today she should wake but I cannot be certain, I have only seen this once before."
"Yet hobbits are extremly resiliant my friend, let us not forget Frodo Baggins and the Ring of Power!"

The group sat and ate the small breakfast in silence. The thought of the Beast had affected them all in different ways. Mattius and Endereth particualry noticed that Calentoliel seemed changed from the night before. Quieter and darker, yet more powerful, if that could be possible, and stronger. Their spirits were low save perhaps Mattius', who began telling the story to Borin of how he cut the face of the Beast of Fear.
"Whack whack! I pushed away its claws!" Borin sat with his mouth ajar. "Then THUD! I head butted the thing and then I slashed across its face like this!" What followed was Mattius waving his arms about in all directions and Borin questioning him, how? where? really? At length Mattius sat down and finished his breakfast.

After finishing their rather rushed meal they prepared to leave. Surprisngly to Mattius Borin wished to stay in his mountain home. The dwarf had seen enough action to last him a life time and only wished to see peace.
"So be it my good dwarf!" Spoke Radagast. "We each thank you for your hospitility and are in your debt!" Radagast led them out of the cave onto the gleaming white snow. It was bitterly cold but with blue sky. The prints of the beast were all around them facing different ways. Mattius' mood changed now. He began to realise that this was his greatest chance to defeat the beast since he began his hunt. His parents had been killed and perhaps soon he would be able to act out his revenge. He tightened his cape around him and looked at Endereth who he thought would be thinking a similar thing. Rothalle sat on her horse with the hobbit who was still unconcious. Calentoliel stood staring at her.

Endereth checked the prints on the floor. Being a Ranger she would be able to track the beast in any season.
"Its undoubtly heading eastward," she said after looking about for a while, "but I don't know why."
"Radagast?" asked Calentoliel.
"I do not know why the thing would head that way but we must make haste for eastward lies the Shire, the land of Hobbits." The groups heart's sank furthur, knowing that the Beast would have had a massive head start on them. Mattius hardened himself and stepped foward crunching the virgin snow.
"Then lets go."

[ April 13, 2003: Message edited by: Mattius ]