[Child of the 7th Age]

Stoatie bent over and with much squirming and maneuvering managed to haul his lanky frame through the small opening that stood near the childrens' beds. There was a sharp ripping sound as his breeches caught on a protruding nail, and his back seem split asunder. Stoatie cursed the small dwellings of the hobbit folk and swore that he'd find a way to get even. After his body emerged on the inside of the burrow, he slid to the floor and landed in a head-long sprawl just inches from the baby's cradle.

His hand instantly went down to the top of his boot as he yanked out a silver dagger with a blade some eight inches long. Scrambling to stand up, he drew his finger along the gleeming edge to make sure that it was sharp enough to do the job that he would need. With a self satisfied smirk on his face, he stalked over to the cradle and leered down at the brat he'd come to swipe. Oblivious to the rude invasion of her little world, the girl slept contentedly.

Stoatie pointed his dagger at the base of the sleeping child's throat and drew it gently and deliberately across her skin, leaving the slightest impression. Then he repositioned his knife in the same spot and drew it across again but this time pressing hard enough to leave tiny red beads along the edge of the cut. He stared at the little body as if mesmorized, thinking that it would take very little effort for him to snap the slender neck in two. The child had already started to howl and turn red in the face, flailing at the air with two clenched fists.

The spell broken, Stoatie reached down and jerked the baby out of the cradle running towards the front of the house up to the rocker where Gilly sat snoozing with the other child nestled to her breast. He immediately began to bark out orders to the startled nursemaid who stared back at him, her eyes wide with terror and disbelief. Despite Stoatie's frantic screams for Gilly to get up and move, she sat frozen in the rocker with her arms protectively wrapped around the little boy.

Stoatie leaned over and jerked Gilly up by the collar of her dress, throwing her against the wall. The boy had begun to sob hysterically. But when Stoatie tried to grab onto him, Gilly yanked away and clutched the child even more closely to her body.

He looked over at the hobbit and sneered, "I don't know who you are. But, if you want these brats to live, you'll do what I say."

Stoatie held up the infant girl and grinned maliciously as he pointed towards the trail of red which now extended around the base of her neck. He set the point of his dagger immediately under the baby's chin. "Make one move and we'll kill this one, plus the other ten we have back in our lair. I ain't kiddin'. The Boss wants these kids alive. But rather than lettin' 'em get away, he'll see 'em dead."

"Now, get movin' and shut that kid up." Gilly frantically tried to comfort the boy as the thug shoved her out the door.

"Shifty, get over here," Stoatie roared, shoving the girl baby towards him. "Tie that kid onto your saddle or somethin'. If the nurse does anything funny, don't look twice. Just kill this little one. That's the price for misbehavin'." He turned around and glared at Gilly and ordered her to mount up with the boy and ride as hard as she could.

[ June 25, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]