[Child of the 7th Age]

Hob

Hob looked at Cami who had her arms crossed and was still fuming. Then, he glanced back at Olo and over at Josh. The two hobbits looked as if they were no more than a hair's breadth away from coming to serious blows. Hob couldn't imagine how such a fracas would actually end. Brass and Olo were certainly outnumbered, but they had better training and weapons and would probably take a lot of the others out before they met their inevitable end.

Was this what everything had come to? All those years in the Shire where no hobbit had ever knowingly killed another now came down to this? And for the first time in his life, Hob knew this mustn't be. It wasn't right for him or Cami or Josh. It wasn't even right for Brass or that obnoxious Olo. No hero by instinct, and with his knees knocking loudly, Hob slipped between the two hobbit lads and stood stock still. He unbuckled the belt at his waist that held his dagger in its sheath and threw it to the ground; then he let his bow slide off his shoulder and glared first at Josh, and then at Olo.

"Alright, I'm unarmed. Do either of you want to come at me? You both got reason to be mad." He shrugged his shoulders and looked from one to the other. "I don't care what either of you believe. But hobbits don't kill hobbits!" He craned his neck over at Olo. "Workin' for the Big Folk is one thing but having them tell us to kill each other....that's just crazy. It don't make no sense."

He looked over at Josh. "Now, whatever I am, these two are Shirriffs, so you best be tellin' 'em what you're doin'. They got that right. And once you hear it, I advise you two to get outta' here, cause there are several more of them than you, specially if I decide to join 'em, which I just may do."

He looked over at Josh and Olo and sat down in the tall grass, waiting for someone to answer.

[ October 12, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]