[Child of the 7th Age]

Mithadan's Post:

Ratty returned to the copse of woods near Cami's burrow shortly after midnight. As he reined in his horse, Ferny jumped up and ran over to hear the bandit's report. "The Inn's closed. Some party or sumtin' at Bagged End. But Stoat found the little Elf rats at another house bein' coddled by some Hobbit. The Elf ain't there. He's goin' in ter grab the kiddies and should be back soon."

Mithadan breathed a silent sigh of relief upon hearing that Piosenniel was not with the babies. Then he waited tensely alongside Ferny for the raiding party to return. He did not have to wait long. The three horses approached perhaps twenty minutes later. He recognized Gilly being held by Stoat. She in turn held two bundles in her arms. Mithadan resisted the urge to peek at his children and instead waited impassively as Ferny spoke briefly with Stoat.

At the conclusion of the conversation, Stoat guided his horse over to Mithadan. Shifting the weight of his captive to one side, he reached down and pulled Mithadan's sword from a strap alongside his saddle. He tossed the blade over with a slight sneer. "There yer go Mithy," he called. Gilly stiffened slightly upon hearing the name and glanced quickly down at her friend before looking away. "Just in case yer have some need fer it!" Then he and his companions wheeled away and galloped off towards the east.

Ferny walked over and clapped a hand on Mithadan's shoulder. "Our turn for some fun now!" he cried. "They found the kids in a house about halfway between the Inn and Bag End. They said there're some people about, so we should be able to find a messenger for our note. Come on!" Mithadan mounted his horse and followed as Ferny trotted off in the direction of Bag End.

[ June 30, 2003: Message edited by: Mithadan ]