Elves Of Autumn

Chapter 5 - Not Ready

Once day broke, the company went on their journey once more. As they were riding their ponies through the torrential rain. Bilbo didn't have a cloak to cover himself with when the rain was coming down. Some of the dwarves didn't have cloaks either but they made best with the situation that they were in.

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Zarneleane had to take a different route because she didn't want to be found by the pale orc or his white warg. Zarneleane read the sings as they had past before. Her horse hoof prints were covered up by the grass that she went into.

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"Here, Mr. Gandalf. Can you do something about this deluge?" Dori asked him.

"It is raining, master dwarf. And it will continue to rain until the rain is done! If you wish to change the weather of the world. you should find yourself another wizard."

"Are they any?" Bilbo inquired.

"What?"

"Other wizards?"

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, The White. Then there are two blue wizards. Do you know, I've forgotten their names."

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast, The Brown."

"Is he a great wizard or is he... more like you?"

"I think that he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forestlands to the east and a good thing too, for always evil will look for a foothold in this world."

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To the east over the mountains, there was a wizard who was in a forest. He was looking at the strange mold that grew over the trees, he picks up a dead leaf and wonders about it.

"Not good. Not good at all!"

He starts running through the forest and passing the dead animals, he picks up a mushroom then whistles to some birds which land in the nest on his head, he turns and sees an ailing hedgehog.

"Oh. Oh, no. Oh, Sebastian. Good gracious."

He picks up the hedgehog and runs to his home the gives him something to cure him, while a bunch of hedgehogs surround the ill one.

"Move back. Give him some air, for goodness sake!" he said.

He continues to use his magic to cure the sick hedgehog but nothing works. Then something lands outside of his door with a soft thud then went off to hide.

"I don't understand why it's not working, it's not like as if it's witchcraft!" he said as he realizes something.

A creature was rubbing it's beak around his house. Then it settled down behind his house while trying to be still and not move to avoid attraction from whatever it was out there.

"Witchcraft. Oh, but it is. A dark and powerful magic."

Radagast sees large spiders crawling onto his house, realizing what will cure the hedgehog, he gives the potion to the hedgehog as he recites a spell, and as the hedgehog is cured the giant spiders crawl away. Radagast watches them retreat into the forest. The creature came from his hiding spot and went to Radagast's front door. Then he tapped his beak on the door while waiting for him to open it.

"Where on this good earth do those foul creature come from?" he said as he went to the door and opened it.

There outside of his house was a gryphon and he bowed to Radagast. He was surprised that there was a gryphon outside of his home and without it's rider no less. Radagast came to Shikoba and placed his hand on his beak while he blinked. He nudged his hand for a moment an he was shown something. He saw and old fortress that was in ruins, then he granted a vision of Zarneleane with Gandalf.