Chapter 8: Misao and the Entdraught

Misao, Merry, and Pippin have had a good night's worth of sleep in Fangorn Forest, at Treebeard’s home. Misao slowly fluttered her eyes as she turned her head… to see that it was morning. She yawned, stretching out her arms.

Then, Misao shook Merry, "wake up Merry."

Merry then opened his eyes.

"…Misao," Merry spoke.

He and Misao looked around in confusion, to see a clearing surrounded by trees and rocks, with a little stream, which started as a trickling waterfall amongst the rocks. There, they also saw Pippin standing near the little waterfall drinking what appeared to be water from a fungus bowl. But… there was no sign of Treebeard.

"Hey, where's Treebeard?" asked Misao.

"…I don't know, Misao," replied a confused Merry.

Merry and Misao then stood up, gazing about, looking for Treebeard, who had apparently left them.

"Hello," Merry called out, "Treebeard?"

"I hope you didn't leave us behind," Misao added her call, "you promised Gandalf that you'd look after us."

"Where's he gone?" pondered Merry.

As he and Misao were wondering about Treebeard…

"I had the loveliest dream last night," Pippin spoke dreamily to the others, "there was this large barrel, full of pipe-weed. And we smoked all of it, and then… you were sick, Merry."

Pippin's last remark seemed to discourage Merry as he still wondered about Treebeard. Misao, however, could not help but laugh to herself at Merry's reaction.

"I'd give anything for a whiff of Old Toby," Pippin said wistfully as he laid back into the rocks.

OOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!

A tree-like sound suddenly came, startling Merry and Misao.

"Did you hear that?" asked Merry as he and Misao walked towards Pippin, trying to figure out where the sounds were coming from.

Pippin, however, seemed unconcerned as he just stood, carrying a large fungus jug in his arms…

OOOOOHHHHHHHH!

The sound came again.

"There it is again," pointed Merry.

"…Is it Treebeard?" asked Misao.

"No," replied Merry uncertainly, watching the trees around the clearing suspiciously, "…something's not right here. Not right at all."

Pippin looked at his friends like they were frightened for no reason at all. Pippin then took a swig of the liquid in the bowl and suddenly…

"OOOOOHHHH!" Pippin burped.

Merry and Misao then turned to look beside them… to find that Pippin was the one who made those noises.

"Pippin," gasped Misao in great surprise.

"What is it, Misao?" Pippin asked incredulously at Misao's shock.

"…You just said something… Treeish," answered Merry, also gasping.

"No I didn't," contradicted Pippin, "I was just stretching."

Pippin then did his stretching, making those tree-like groans again. And as he did… something else happened…

Pippin appeared to be growing when he 'stretched'. Which apparently make Misao and Merry gasp even more. Merry looked at Pippin, seeing how much he's grown.

"You're taller," stated Merry.

"…Who?" Pippin asked innocently.

"You."

"Than what?"

"Than me!" Merry exclaimed indignantly.

"I've always been taller than you!" Pippin informed him smugly.

"What?!" Misao interjected, "since when?"

"…Since always Misao," Pippin answered, even more smugly.

"Pippin," Merry explained to Pippin, as he puts his hands on his waste, "everyone knows, I'm the tall one, you're the short one."

"Yeah," added Misao, "even I know who's taller than who Pippin."

"Oh please, Misao," laughed Pippin, "Merry's what… three-foot-six, at the most? Whereas me, I'm pushing 3'7"."

OOOHHH! Pippin stretched himself again…

"…3'8"!" Pippin exclaimed with great amazement.

Pippin then drank the water again, becoming happier each moment. Misao and Merry, however, were becoming more distraught with Pippin's unnatural growth.

"Three-foot-eight?" Merry said incredulously.

'Ohhh,' thought a bewildered Misao, 'this is getting creepy.'

"You did something," Merry accused Pippin.

Pippin only responded with an innocent shrugged, grinning as he pleased. The happy Hobbit then lowered the fungus bowl in which he drank the water from. Merry and Misao suddenly noticed the pitcher that Pippin held in his arms, their expressions turned to greed as they believed that it was the water that made Pippin grow unnaturally.

'That water's got to be what made Pippin grow,' thought a greedy Misao, 'man, if I had some of that… Lord Aoshi will finally see me as a woman, and not a kid.'

Misao looked at Merry, who shared the same greed for what Pippin drank… and gave each other a conspiratorial nod…

Merry then snatched the jug from Pippin… and drank out of it.

"Merry, don't!" Pippin warned Merry, "don't drink it!"

Merry only grinned mischievously at Pippin and ran off with it. Pippin tried to follow… but was knocked down by Misao. She then ran off to join her accomplice.

"Hey Merry, give me some!" Misao exclaimed gaily.

Pippin then sat up… to see Merry sharing the Entdraught with Misao. Misao drank up like a storm.

"Hey Misao, don't drink it all," said Merry to the drinking machine that was Misao, "save some for me."

"Merry! Misao!" Pippin cried out desperately as he ran towards his greedy friends, "no, Treebeard said, Treebeard said that you shouldn't have any!"

"Well, you should've remembered that before you started drinking," Misao pointed out the obvious.

"Now I want some!" Merry said as he took the pitcher and drank from it.

"Me too!" added Misao.

"But Misao," Pippin cried out even more desperately, "Treebeard said that--"

But Merry and Misao kept pushing Pippin away, avoiding his lunges and grabs each time, wanting more of the Entdraught. The ensuing mayhem resulted in a frivolous chase with Pippin in pursuit of Misao and Merry.

"He said that--!" Pippin repeated, still chasing his friends, "it could well be dangerous!"

Pippin continued to chase Merry and Pippin, who had now, ran into one of the ancient trees.

"Give it back!" Pippin implored them once more as they clambered over the gnarled roots of an ancient tree that made Merry drop the pitcher, "Merry!"

Suddenly…

The ground underneath the mischievous trio began to tremble and shake… the roots of the tree were moving!

"What's happening?!" cried Merry.

The tree roots grabbed a hold on Merry and Pippin's legs.

"Ah!" exclaimed Merry, "its got my leg!"

"Guys!" Misao cried out

Misao tried to jump…

But the roots caught her as well.

"Oh no!" cried Misao, "I'm trapped!"

"Merry! Misao!" Pippin cried out as he was starting to be pulled into the ground as was Merry and Misao…

The Hobbits and Misao used all their strength to get free…

But each time…

They became even more trapped… hastening their peril…

Merry, Misao, and Pippin were pulled into the ground even faster. They all screamed and cried out. It was so hard for them to believe that their adventures… would end here…

When only their faces were left uncovered… the leaves from the trees covered their faces. Then…

The tree settled with its captives held inside its roots.

"Help!" Pippin cried out, but was muffled by the tree so much… that practically no one could hear it!

"Somebody get us out of here!" Misao's cry was also muffled.

For a time… it seemed that there was no hope for them until…

"Away with you," Treebeard stepped in, gesturing the trees to let their captives free, "you should not be waking."

Then… the tree's roots began to loosen slowly at Treebeard's command…

"Eat earth," Treebeard ordered the tree as it loosened even more, "dig deep. Drink water."

And Misao and the Hobbits swiftly escaped the roots, getting as far away from them as they could. Misao, upon seeing Treebeard, immediately jumped onto Treebeard's branches.

"Go to sleep… away with you!" Treebeard finished.

"Man, Treebeard," said a panting, yet relieved Misao, "…could you practice not coming in at the last possible moment? I nearly suffocated in there!"

"I am old, young lady," mentioned Treebeard, "but I am not perfect."

Treebeard then turned to pick up Merry and Pippin as he said, "come, the forest is waking up, it isn't safe."

Treebeard continued to carry Misao, Merry, and Pippin through Fangorn Forest.

"I don't understand," said Misao, "I mean why did the tree attack us like that? We didn't do anything to it."

"The trees have grown wild and dangerous Misao," Treebeard explained, "anger festers in their hearts. Black are their thoughts, strong is their hate. They will harm you if they can.

"There are too few of us now… too few of us Ents left to manage them," Treebeard finished.

"Why are there so few of you, when you have lived so long?" asked Pippin, "are there Ent children?"

"Bru-ra-hroom," rumbled Treebeard, "there have been no Entings for a terrible long count of years."

"Why is that?" wondered Merry.

"We lost the Entwives," Treebeard answered. Misao gasped in shock, filling her with remorse after hearing Treebeard's answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Pippin with the same remorse as Misao, "how did they die?"

"Die?" asked a bemused Treebeard, "no, we lost them. And now, we cannot find them."

"You mean to tell us," interjected Misao, "that these 'Entwives' didn't die, but are just missing for no reason?"

"Yes, that's correct," answered Treebeard, and asked Misao, "are there any Entwives from where you come from, Misao?"

"Sorry," replied Misao, "my world doesn't have any Ents, or any trees that could eat you alive."

Treebeard was shocked to hear that statement come form Misao, to which she recoiled a little nervously.

"Oh," said an apologetic Misao, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean--"

"No," interrupted a sympathetic Treebeard, "I… understand. You've just gone through a terrrible ordeal, and no one can blame you for that. From where you come from, you and your people must've never heard of the Ents before."

"Well, we've never heard of Orcs or Uruk-Hai either, you know," added Misao.

Treebeard then asked the Hobbits, "I don't suppose you've seen Entwives in the Shire?"

"Can't say that I have," Merry responded with much doubt, "you, Pip?"

Pippin thought for a brief moment before he could say anything.

"What do they look like?" inquired Pippin.

Treebeard tried to think about it, trying to remember the Entwives, but alas…

"…I don't remember now," answered Treebeard sadly, leaving Pippin with a bewildered expression on his face.

'Geez,' Misao thought, with an exasperated expression, 'Treebeard can be so pathetic. First he loses these Entwives of his, next thing you know… he forgets all about them.

'I'm sure glad I'm not an Ent… because then, I'd probably end up forgetting all about Lord Aoshi.'

Back in the plains of Rohan, Gandalf, Kenshin, and the others have arrived in Edoras, a large, village-like wooden city set up upon a hill, in front of a range of mountains in the background.

"Edoras," announced Gandalf, "and the Golden Hall of Meduseld. There dwells Théoden, King of Rohan, whose mind is overthrown. The poison of Saruman has been induced into the king by the king's advisor, Grima Wormtongue. Saruman's hold over King Theoden is now very strong…"

In the hall, Éowyn kneeled before Théoden, holding his hand in hers, trying to bear bad news to her uncle…

"My lord," said Eowyn, with much sorrow, gently stroking his hand, "…your son… he is dead. My lord… Uncle?"

After all of Éowyn's efforts… Théoden just sat there unresponsive… and stared ahead, his eyes clouded and unseeing. Saruman's poison had truly taken its toil upon him. Theoden could no longer be called the ruler of Rohan… but a virtual zombie without any will of his own.

"…Will you not go to him?" Eowyn asked, weeping, "…will you do nothing?"

Still… there was no response from her uncle…

"Be careful," Gandalf advises the others, "what you say. Do not look for welcome here."

Gandalf and the others then rode off to Edoras, to aid them against Saruman…

Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings and RK are not mine. They belong to their authors, respectively J.R.R. Tolkien and Watsuki Nobuhiro. This fanfiction is created just for fun, not for any commercial purposes.

A/n: originally, I set the part of Gandalf and the others riding off to Edoras at the end of ch. 7, but it seemed that one of my reviewers, Raiden-sama (this one's for you, by the way), wanted to see the scene with the Entdraught. And I must say, I liked that part too.