[Child of the 7th Age]

"Hate you? I don't hate you. I am so happy to see you alive and well. Don't you look fine!" Bingo leaned over and engulfed Reggie's frame in a big bear hug. Then Bingo peered at his brother more closely and burst out in laughter. "Actually, you don't look fine at all. You look worse than I do, which is saying a lot. What I wouldn't give for a tub filled with hot water just for the two of us. Whatever possessed us to go on this little trip? It's certainly a good thing I got up. I was lying on the ground with tree roots sticking me in the back. I swear that they were moving, and I couldn't get to sleep. Then something inside my head whispered a warning to get up and go for a walk."

With a grin of affection spreading over his face, Bingo reached out to tousle his brother's ragged curls. Reggie's clothes were streaked with leaves and dirt. Long rips disfigured his shirt, and his hair was matted. But he looked like the finest thing Bingo had seen in a long time. "Don't the two of us make a picture! Aunt Hilde and Aunt Opal would make us wash in the shed for at least ten years to scrape all this dirt off." With a sigh Bingo added, "Well, it can't be helped. We'll just have to pull together to get ourselves out of this mess. Come on back to camp. I know everyone will be happy to see you."

As they walked along the trail, they talked of little things: how loud their stomachs were growling from lack of adequate food, how they would gladly undergo a whipping just to get a plate of Aunt Opal's biscuits, and how dark and mysterious the forest seemed at night. When they finally reached the edge of the encampment, Bingo stopped for a moment. He hesitated, uncertain what to say, but then plunged ahead, "I'm sure Sondo is going to want to know how Falco is, and whether you made it to the Ford. Maybe Falco sent a message through you?" Bingo looked expectently at his brother, but Reggie did not respond. At that moment, their attention was diverted by noises and shuffling in the camp. At least one other hobbit seemed to be stirring and awake.