The search - part 2

[Telcontar]

  being miserable seems about right. I'll take it and post some narrative in a bit.

[Telcontar]

The companions had known Bandy for many years at this point, but this was the first time that he was silent. No idle conversation while the companions went about setting up camp. No questions about the names of things or the history of their folk. Not even the smell of his pipe came to the nostrils of the other companions. He walked in silence, when he did walk, for more and more often the great frame of Grimbeorn was required to carry the small Hobbit. Neither of them spoke and with silent resignation the great bear of a man would turn and pick the Hobbit up over an obstacle or stop and kneel taking the Hobbit upon his back for long stretches of time. The hat he wore was crushed beyond recognition and now the head of the Hobbit simply bounced upon the shoulder of the man as he stared off into the running water. The sound of the river was the only thing the Hobbit heard and it followed him in his waking and his sleeping hours. This river that came from the frozen north, from the home of dragons, was cold and sang of dark cold places as it flowed by over the rocks.

Bandy took the smallest bites of the lembas that he could knowing that the bigger folk needed the food more than he did. Even when the flask that had been given to them by Gandalf was produced Bandy simply touched the end to his lips pretending to drink so that the others would have greater strength to deal with both the burdens of the land, and the burden of the shrinking weight of a Hobbit from the Shire.

[Eclecticon]

I'll spend the Hope point ().  I've gone mad at a critical juncture before, and I'm in no hurry to do it again.