Little Heroes - Into The Old Forest

"There is unrest in the forest..."

The orphan adventurers resume their quest to find Tom Bombadil.
Hot on their trail, are Orcs and Goblins, who are determined to capture the kids.
The kids are forced to travel without rest for hours, lest the Greenskins catch up to them.

In marching order: Mr Fox, Katie the Ranger, Tommy the Warrior, Mr Toonces the Cat, Agnes the Witch, Billy the Cleric, Max the Barbarian, Liam the Paladin

They leave behind the haunted hills of the Barrow Downs and enter the Old Forest.
They trudge through the woods, tired and thirsty.
 

There is an eerie silence in the woods and the kids feel like someone is watching them.

They find a tiny pond next to a willow tree.
The thirsty kids are glad to find some water.
The willow tree sways from side to side.  Strangely, there is no wind...

Tommy:  I never thought I would be so happy to find a pond.

Katie:  Wait!  Remember that strange man that travelled around with Aragorn? What was his name?  He carried around something he called a "boom stick"

Liam:  Oh his name was Ash!  He is the Chosen One of the Prophecy!  His destiny is to battle the Deadites and their Night King.  Winter may be coming... but Sigmar has a Hammer of Fire to melt it!

Katie:  Ok...  um... anyway, remember what Ash told us about trees?  He said sometimes they were alive and that we should be careful around them.

Tommy:  Better safe than sorry, then...  There's got to be another pond somewhere ahead.

But Agnes' cat is thirsty and doesnt understand why the humans arent drinking already.

Agnes:  Mr Toonces!  NOOoooo... stay away from the tree!

The tree spins around and tries to grab the hasty feline with its branches.
Tommy charges forward and cuts the cat free from certain doom.

Agnes:  Whew! Thanks Tommy.  (picks up the cat) Well, good thing you got nine lives, Mr Toonces.

Another hour of wandering through the woods...

The kids find a much bigger pond!

Agnes:  Lets rest here, its pretty.

Tommy:  Uhh... sure, why not.  The water looks clean at least.  And there are no creepy willow trees around it.

Agnes:  This water is the cleanest, most sparkling water Ive ever seen! 

Agnes:  Im betting its magical! (casts Detect Magic)  Yup, it sure is! Its healing water!

Everyone cups the water in their hands and drinks.
Max dunks his whole head in.
The entire party is restored to full health.

Billy:  Whew, I was exhausted before, but now, I feel pretty good. But boy was I tired a minute ago, I thought I would faint!

Liam:  You guys are lucky.  You dont have to wear this incredibly heavy solid plate metal armor.  At least this new magic shield is light as a feather!  I bet even Dragon's fire wouldnt harm it.

Katie:  Oh please dont jinx us right now.  You do know that there are such things as Forest Dragons, dont you?

Max:  I hope one of them shows up!  I want to try out my new Gauntlets of Ogre Power.  I think Im stronger than most grown ups now!  (lifts up a boulder)  See this!?

Katie:  Put the boulder down, Max.  And lets have a picnic, everyone help set up camp!

Max:  So where is this Tom Bombadillo guy anyway?

A voice:  Tom Bombadil is his name!

Two voices: (in unison) Welcome to Goldberry's Pond!

The kids stand up quickly, startled by the voices.

A fairy Dragon appears, perching atop a nearby tree.
And a weird looking black and white bird comes waddling out of the shrubs.

The little dragon tells the children that Tom Bombadil and Goldberry are on vacation in Terabithia, or was it Narnia?

They introduce themselves as Snowdrop the penguin and Bluebell the fairy dragon.

So, Snowdrop and Bluebell are in charge of the forest while Tom is away. 
But can they help fight the goblins that are chasing the children?

Snowdrop:  More goblins!?!?  Ya hear that Blueberry?  They brought more goblins with them!

Blueberry:  (to the kids)  Oh dont mind Snowdrop, she is upset because most of her animal friends were eaten a few days ago when a goblin horde led by a giant spider passed through here.

Snowdrop:  Of course Im upset!  You know Tom and Goldy are gonna be super pissed when they get back from vacay!
 
Katie: We are really sorry!  We didnt mean to add more trouble to your nice forest.

Blueberry:  Well, there is no sense worrying about that now.  There is trouble and now we gotta deal with it.  Where are the Jackalopes?

Two rabbits with horns appear behind Agnes and Mr Toonces.

Blueberry:  Ah, there you are guys!  Go and gather the National Forest Guard and tell them to assemble here at the pond.  They have to be ready for inspection within the hour!  Goblins are coming again!

The Jackalopes squeak and salute the fairy dragon, and faster than the kids could blink, the rabbits disappear through the undergrowth, leaving a trail of leaves behind them.

Agnes:  Wow, they sure are fast little critters!  Id like to have a couple of them someday.

Blueberry:  If they survive the next goblin attack, who knows.  But, I think those are the last two jackalopes in Middle Earth, then they will be extinct.  Like so many creatures in these dark days, they will just become myths and legends.

Agnes:  Hmm. I will definitely keep my eye on those critters then.  Make sure they dont get "ex stink".

Tommy:  Dont worry, we will help to defend the forest and the creatures in it! 

The National Forest Guard show up in force!
They are ready to defend the forest... to the death!
These little critters are tired of being push overs for the Gobbos.
Tired of being snacks for the Greenskins.

Panther and Bear

Pegasus, Unicorn, Wolverine, and Eagle

Hawk, Bat, Raccoon, and Ferret

Armadillo, Skunk, and Turtle

The Meerkats

The Jackalopes return from a scouting mission and report that the Goblins are heading straight for them.

The approaching Gobbos are hunter type goblins with bows!

The animals begin panicking, even the fairy dragon is hyperventilating. 

Blueberry:  Bows are an animal's worst enemy!  Even if we fly fast, their arrows can still bring us down!  

Tommy:  All right everyone!  We have to work together.  We will stop them right here and defend the forest!  They cant use their arrows if we get right in their faces.  So we have to attack them in close combat as quickly as possible.  So here is what we are going to do...


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Next post:  The Battle Of Goldberry's Pond