Out of Place

Chapter19

It turned out that the 'thing' she had spotted far in the distance from where she had been, was a group of people (plus a horse).  She noticed that they were the people who had all stood together toward the end of the meeting. This, of course, meant that her guide was also a part of the group. There were nine of them and Sakura identified four of them as the shorties and another as the horse that they seemed to have taken a liking to (at least one of them had).  She also recognised the four other companions. One was the auburn haired- bearded- shortie who had attacked the Ring with his axe and one of the others was a handsome male with long blonde hair. The man with the long beard and pointy hat led the group, his robes proving to not hinder him in the least. Also in the group was the man who had been staring at the Ring like it was some sort of deity. Sakura had heard his muffled muttering throughout the whole of the meeting and it hadn't failed to get on her nerves. 

She watched as they walked, slowly getting further and further away from the majestic place they had been staying at. Sakura followed them, a genjutsu hiding her from sight. She made sure to cover any tracks that they somehow failed to and occasionally raced ahead to scan for any danger. 

The group was slow and the pinkette took to admiring their surroundings as they walked. It not only helped ward away boredom, but it also kept her aware of the environment. She made sure to constantly be on guard in case of an ambush and the quiet yet constant ring of voices, courtesy of the shorties, acted as white noise to her ears. 

~<*.*>~

"We must hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east to Mordor."

The mouthwatering scent of bacon and sausages hung in the air as the sound of swords clashing and fire crackling was free for any ears to hear.

"Two, one, five. Good. Very good."

Boromir was teaching the Hobbits how to wield a sword and so far, their training was going well.

"Move your feet." Aragorn advised as he observed their training, his pipe in his mouth.

"Hmm. Quite good, Pippin." Merry said as he watched said boy clash swords with Boromir.

"Thanks." Replied a slightly breathless Pippin.

"Faster." Boromir commanded as he moved on to spar with Merry who met his sword in a loud clash.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome." The loud voice of Gimli rang through the area as he tried to convince the wizard, who was seated on a large rock, to let them travel through the mines of Moria.

"No, Gimli. I would not take that road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

The only elf in the group stood on top of a rock as he looked far into the distance. What looked like a dark mist caught his eye and from behind him Gandalf's mood turned sour.

"Ha! Sorry." Boromir apologised as he accidently struck Pippin. Said Hobbit retaliated by kicking the taller man in the shin, causing him to groan in pain. Merry joined the fray and they ended up tackling Boromir onto the ground.

"For the Shire!"

"Hold him, Merry."

The previous sword fight turned into a wrestling match as Aragorn chuckled in amusement. Boromir laughed as he struggled in their hold.

"He's got my arms..!" 

"What is that?" Sam asked as the sound of the wrestling match continued in the background. The hobbit had caught sight of the same thing that Legolas and Gandalf had and was staring up at it as it moved closer.