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Gorbadic turned to face the dog that now threatened him and his friends. Cedric and Daisy and he stood back to back in a tight little knot as the hungry beast circled them. Gorby slashed out at it with his knife when it drew too near. It drew back its lips from its yellowed teeth and lunged at the group again and again . . .
It was a raggedy looking dog, half-starved; its ribs showing through its mangy fur. Once a farm dog, it had been abandoned when his owners left their meager farm to move closer to town. There were others in the area who had abandoned their dogs also, and now this poor, hunger driven pack of what once had been a Hobbit’s best friend were out scavenging the roads, looking to fill their bellies with whatever came along – two-legged or four.
~*~
Meri, for his part, had stood back a little from the battle. Pulling out his little sling, he fished into the pouch that hung at his belt and began firing rocks at the two dogs who were attempting to drag off the body of poor Estelle. One his jagged missiles connected with the male dog’s eye and sent the creature yelping off into the woods. The female kept her teeth firmly clenched in the collar of Estelle’s blouse and was slowly inching her lifeless body beneath the cover of the trees.
The doughty Hobbit drew closer to the dog, hoping to get it away from its downed prey. Swinging his sling above his head, just ready to launch its rocky missile, he didn’t see the craven beast that had run up on silent paws behind him. Meri’s arm froze in mid-swing at the sound of the growl. Before he could turn, he was borne down by the weight of the leaping dog; the canine teeth sunk deep in the arm whose hand held the sling . . .
~*~
Madoc heaved himself from the ground where he had fallen. His club had rolled from his hand when he fell under the weight of the dog. With the dog’s hot, fetid breath in his face, teeth just inches away from his face, he had raised his stout arm and with his fist, he’d punched the creature hard on the snout. The dog withdrew, yelping, giving him enough time to scramble to his feet and retrieve his cudgel.
He could see two dogs harrying Melody and Tom. And there, to the side a little, stood Hob, bow in hand, his chest heaving from fear and the exertion of the fight.
Ivy was flat on the ground, she raised her head a little, but he could not tell if she were hurt.
Gorby, Daisy and Cedric stood together, fending off the maddened attack of two dogs now – the one that originally had had them cornered was now joined by the one Meri had driven off with his sling.
‘Go help them,’ he yelled to Hob as he passed him, his own feet carrying him to where Tom and Melody faced their two attackers . . .
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