"Now I found you!" said a grim voice.

All of a sudden, a hideous orc jumped out from the shadows.

"Hide! In the trees, Pippin! Climb a tree!"cried Merry. "I'll stay down here and protect Brianna!"

"But, you'll get killed!" Said Pippin, in a frightened voice.

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Said Merry, with whatever courage he could conjure up.

Pippin quickly scrambled up the tree like a squirrel and sat up in one of the branches. There was an eerie silence.

"Merry?" Pippin whispered.

I saw Merry standing right in front of me.

"Merry, Y-you're going to get hurt." I whispered to him. My eyes sparkled with fear and were on the edge of tears. "Don't do this. Please."

Merry looked at me with a sad expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Brianna. But, I have to do this." Merry whispered back.

All of a sudden, Merry had been pulled by his legs and he fell to the ground.

"Merry!" I screamed. "Noooo!"

Merry was pinned up to the oak tree by the ferocious, blood-thirsty orc. The tip of his old, rusty sword on was placed on Merry's stomach.
"Let's put a maggot hole in your belly!" He snarled.

"Merry!" yelped Pippin. As he turned his head, there were a pair bright glowing eyes staring right back at him. Pippin was caught off guard. He lost his balance and fell from the tree. A giant hand had caught him before he hit the forest floor.

I felt something pick me up from the ground. I shrieked in fear.

"Aghh! No! Let me go! Let me go!" I shrieked.

The tree set me down on one of its branches and I held on tightly with my eyes closed.

"Oh...my....gosh!" I panicked.

"Run, Merry!" Pippin shouted. "Don't let him catch you!"

Merry tried to escape, but he was scooped up by the tree. "Little orcs. Búrarum." It said in a booming voice.

"It's talking, Merry! The tree is talking!" said Pippin, in disbelief.

"Tree! I am no tree! I am an Ent." The giant tree's eyes glowed bright green in the darkness of the forest.

"A treehearder!"said Merry. "A shepherd of the forest!"

"Don't talk to it, Merry! Don't encourage it!" Pippin warned his cousin.

"Treebeard some call me." replied the Ent.

"Help! Help!" I screamed. "Help me!"

Merry and Pippin were bewildered. They looked at each other with surprise.

"Brianna!" The hobbits said, in unison.

"Help me! Help me!" I cried out.

"Hang on tightly!" Pippin shouted back at me.
"You're going to be alright, my love."

"Really?! I'm hanging on to a walking tree and you think that everything is going to be alright?!"

"Try not to panic, Brianna! Everything's going to be alright!" Merry reassured.

"Alright. I'll try." I said, with uncertainty.

"Noisy little orcs!" grumbled Treebeard.
"They come with fire, they come with axes. Biting, breaking, hacking, burning. Destroyers and usurpers! Curse them!"

"No!" Merry shouted at Treebeard, trying to get his attention. "We're hobbits! Halflings! Shirefolk!"

"Not me!" I called out. "I'm a human! You've got to listen to them, Treebeard! They aren't orcs!"

"Maybe they are, and maybe they aren't." murmured Treebeard. "The White Wizard will know."

"The White Wizard?" I was perplexed.

"Saruman." added Merry.

Merry and Pippin were dropped to the ground. Treebeard picked me up and gently lowered me down. A tall man with long white hair wearing a white robe was standing in front of us.

"Oh, no." I gasped. "It's...it's him."