[Memory of Trees]

May could sense a growing air of unease the deeper into the forest they got. A continual stream of complaints were running through her head. This is stupid, Henry. It's wet, it's cold, it's creepy. You don't have to prove to them you're tough. This is stupid. But she didn't say it out loud - something stopped her. This is Henry's way of showing he's better than them, she thought. I have my way, he has his. He needs to impress them. So she kept her mouth shut.

May was surprised how much darker it actually was in the forest, and she wasn't pleased by it. She was not scared, but all her instincts were screaming that this was wrong, wrong, wrong, this shouldn't be happening, we shouldn't be doing this.

And then the howles began. Murderous, blood-curdling howls, and although Mayflower had never before heard a wolf, she knew that's what it must be. But as of yet, she still wasn't frightened.

May turned to see Crispin and Alora running to catch up. What was she doing? She was supposed to be watching them! "Stay with the group," she snapped as they reached her. Crispin looked scared, and so did Alora.

Another howl, closer this time. Alora whimpered and buried her head in her brother's shirt. "Henry, stop," she said firmly, taking the little hobbit's hand. "We're going to take a rest, and then we are turning right around and going straight back to the camp. Do you hear me, Henry?" Her brother agreed - he didn't look too eager to press forward himself.

They sat down in a small clearing and rested their backs against the wide trees. To her surprise, Alora strayed a little from her brother's side to lean against May's welcome shoulder, and she didn't push her away. She wouldn't have, not in a million years.

Was someone crying? May glanced down at Alora, but her face was dry. Crispin? Henry? And then a fat young hobbit charged into the clearing, bellowing at the top of his lungs, "Help! Help! Henry, May! Help!"

May lept to her feet, brandishing a stick wildly, then dropping it as she realized who it was. "Why, Adelard Proudfoot, what is the matter with you and why are you making all that noise?" she said, throwing her hands on her hips.

Adelard stopped short, realizing his utter foolishness, and tried to regain his composure. Placing his hands on his hips, he straightened his face and stuck his short nose in the air. “I knew you’d be scared of those wolves out there, and I knew you’d be scared of me too if I came runnin’ through here. And you were too, I know it!”

May tipped her head to one side and looked at him disapprovingly. She disliked Adelard, and what's more she was convinced that he had had a crush on her for the past year. He was fat, disagreeable, always mean to Henry, and a general snob to anyone he found "below him." She frowned.

"Well, you found us now, and we seem to be in much better condition than you are at the moment," she said calmly. "What do you intend to do now, Master Adelard?"

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Melisil's post:

All around her, Alora heard frightning noises. She had never heard things like this before, but they scared her. Long howlings. Crispin, who was currently beside Alora, was frightened too. This added to her fear.

May and Henry told them that they were going to sit down for a moment, then start back home. Alora agreed to this idea gladly.

The group had only been seated a moment, when a hobbit that Alora didn't know of appeared before them. He startled her, as he had come in to the clearing yelling and shouting like an angry baboon! May seemed to know the Hobbit though, so Alora calmed down, hoping that they would start for camp again soon.