There was a chilling wind in the woods, the dead leaves slightly crackled as they rolled on the ground. It was just before nightfall, although light was already scarce, besides the wind, the one thing you could hear were the sighs of exasperation of a few tall figures, shrouded in worn, dark green clothing, hoods on their heads, their hands on the hilts of their swords. One sigh was louder than the others "Peace, Mr. Maggot, slow down, your words are tumbled. Now. Start from the beginning."

Farmer Maggot sat on a stump of an old tree, his furry feet dangling, his hands shaking, the sweat on his forehead glistened in the soft light that trickled through the branches. "W-Well, I was minding my own business, see. Chopping some firewood for the evening, wh-wh-when, th-th-these dark riders appeared out of nowhere. Their very presence sent a chill down me spine." he looked around the dark figures nervously, not because he was afraid of them, he knew who they were, but what happened to him the day before was something that will haunt him for the rest of his days "And, one of them asked where Hobbiton was, where Mr. Baggins lived, I-I was so scared, the answer was out my mouth before I could stop myself." Mr. Maggot looked absolutely ashamed, but there was no malice or disappointment in the man's eyes as he looked down on the halfling before him.

He knelt down to Mr. Maggot's height and placed a large hand on his small shoulder "You are not to blame, Mr. Maggot." he looked behind him and nodded to his men, who vanished in the trees in a blink of an eye "We will find these... dark riders. Rest assured. Now go. And do not trouble yourself any further with this matter. The Rangers will deal with this encroachment."

When Mr. Maggot looked up, the man was gone, he sat there in silence for a moment before heading off home which was just down the hill. His family waiting.

"This isn't the first time in these many months that we've heard of strange happenings in these lands, Halbarad." one Ranger said as they sat around a warm fire.

Halbarad, for his part, showed no worry, for he was deep in thought "I know, brother. We need more information. Something moves in the dark veils that hasn't chosen yet to reveal itself, it's biding its time."

"Any news from Strider?" one Ranger asked.

"No, I have not spoken to him in a while, but I have received a message from Gandalf a few weeks ago, right after the hobbits' celebration in Hobbiton. He is on the move and he has asked for Strider's help in the matter. He wasn't forthcoming with any details, but I sense that we should be prepared for the worst at all times."

The Ranger commanders around Halbarad all nodded their heads, all except one. Halbarad noticed.

"Angal, you've been quiet of late. Something troubles you."

Angal looked up from the fire as he removed the pipe from his mouth and sternly nodded "You are correct, Halbarad. I have been hearing of, strange dealings. Reports from my scouts... news... most disturbing indeed." Angal looked around the fire and saw that he had everyone's undivided attention "Just before the first flowers bloomed in Spring, two of my men found a party of orcs on the shores of Lake Evendim. Judging by their experienced reading of the land, they determined that the orcs were ambushed in the night, two dozen orcs, a single attacker." looks of surprise passed between the attentive Rangers "The state of the orcs, it was hard to believe, bodies charred, but no fire, limbs bent at unnatural angles. Most of the orcs died from stabs, however the marks did not seem to match with anything we have ever encountered. Not the work of men, nor elves, nor of other orcs. The cuts were too small to be swords, but too powerful to be that of daggers, and the precise manner of each cut..." Angal's face contorted in a lopsided smile "I only wish I could have been there to witness this... man, being slaughter those monsters."

"Aye." a Ranger sitting next to Halbarad spoke up "I wasn't sure of what it was that I precisely witnessed until I heard Angal's tale. Not long ago, west of the North Downs, we happened to come upon a halfling settlement that had been attacked by a pack of orcs. Five families, each numerous in its own right, reduced to a handful of people. My heart broke and my anger swelled. But it was tempered when the halflings told us what happened, just as I described, the attack came in the night, men, women, small children dragged from their homes and gathered in the center of their encampment. The orcs... they started their.." the man's grip on his sword tightened as he fought with himself over which were the right words to utter, finally he spoke "The Hobbits claimed that they were saved... by a shadowy figure. Before the orcs could completely slaughter them, a massive being wrapped in dark cloth appeared out of nowhere, and every time one of its limbs connected with an orc, the dark creature mastered for a short while the talent of birds... and flew." some of the men chuckled "I know, I know how this tale must seem, but I swear this be the truth."

"I do not think that your claim is what they enjoy so much." Halbarad smiled

"Aye! We would need a catapult to send one of those creatures flying to the clouds above!" exclaimed another Ranger while chewing on a piece of salted pork.

The men settled down so the Ranger could continue "Before it began, it was over. The orcs were all dead. Before the hobbits could regain enough courage to even stand, the being was gone." and to match his words, the winds blew just a little bit stronger for a short moment.

Halbarad stood and looked at the men around him, 30 Rangers, all good men and great warriors, but none of them could accomplish such a feat, especially not alone. A strange feeling crept its way up Halbarad's back. The world as he knew it, was about to change. For good, or for worse, he could not tell.

"We will stay here for the night, tomorrow, before first light we will form parties, five Rangers each. If this... being is an agent of darkness, we will need to remove it. Permanently. The Shadow in the East is powerful in its own right and our order has seen better days. We must act decisively."

"And if this being... is an agent of light?"

"Then we will count our blessings, but for now, assume the worst."

"Hmm... interesting, they speak English..." the being in question listened from a great distance, standing on a stronger branch of a massive oak. A smile forming under its cloak.