Hoity scampers off to the edge of camp, the memory of her joke becoming suddenly chill and unwanted in her mind, "She, she, she," she chants as she reaches the edge of the light from the fires. Every shadow seems an enemy. She has heard the rumors of "Spider" and while she has some concept that it is a biting thing, she has no idea what it may look like. All in all, as she tramps, she wishes to be out of the enclosure of these mountains, and back in the north, but she tramps, and chants, and keeps her eyes on the shadows.

Valdrock's lower lip quivers as the athoritive Uruk-hai speaks. Once he has given out the orders he runs to comply. He limps with surprising speed to the cook fires and once there he proceeds to push snaga and higher-ups alike out of his way in his quest to retrieve his mighty teguk some food. As he nudges his way through the crowd of hungry uruks he mutters apolgies and every once in a while mentions he is on orders from Pushdug. When he finally reaches the meat He grabs a large cut and fights his way back out of the ring of orcs, but not without taking a few blows for his pushiness. As he limps back to the captain he grabs a jug of grob out of some dogs hands with nothing more than a "it for pushdug." Lukily the dog is to astounded by the snaga's audacity to give chase. He reaches Pushdug and presents the meal on his knees saying "I's hope this is to yourz liking."

Pushdug turns ever so slowly to face the snaga who has complied with his orders, bathing him in the illuminating glow of his roaring eyes--each an orb of blood filled light. Snearing, a hiss escaping between his blackaned gums and yellowed teeth, he snatches the food away from the slave and sets it down before him only to finally sit atop a hollowed log. "Very well, snaga!" he booms, his attention departing the other uruk who waits patiently at his side. Silence seeps in between the two shapes, yet finally again the Teguk speaks in his gutteral tongue, "Well, I suppose you'll want some coins for this. Very well, snaga. Tell, me, what's your name and number?!"

Hoity continues her march around the perimeter, placing her feet quietly and swivelling her neck back and forth, and up. Perhaps the she is winged. Perhaps the she is in the ground. All places at once are suspect. She lets her feet get into a rhythm of tramping, and looks up, down, left, right on each successive footfall, her usual "watchman" ritual. She chuckles to herself, thinking about her joke on Morbardak, and lets her bracelet jingle out a warning to any she, winged or hooved, who may approach the camp.

Valdrock's face is split by a wide smile revaealing a row of yellow teeth as he takes the silver. Then as he hears the question about his number again his face loses all semblance of a smile. "I's Valdrock snaga and apprentice torturer, and mes number is....is...873930284740. Yes yes thats it 8739384932. Me only wish to serve." His smile returns as he thinks he has pulled one over on Pushdug.

Indeed, the Teguk isn't qiuck enough to catch the error--or perhaps his attention is diverted on the food he now stuffs graciously into his open mouth. Nodding his head, a muffled acknowledgement coming past the leg of meat, he waves in gesture for the snaga to depart only adding a stiff finger in the direction of Hoity as if he was informing the other uruk to aid her. Comsumed in the shifting hues of the fire before him his nightly form grows shadwed and omininous in image, as if a powerful spectre who's odor drew forth the maggots of the earth and who's icy breath dismayed all that came near.

As Hoity nears the section of camp in which the Teguk is sitting, she breathes in deeply and her eyes glaze over a bit with pleasure. She drifts toward camp a bit, sniffing out the source, and longingly peers in toward the fires and commotion as her legs march on course, dragging her around the circumference. Her eyes close a bit, as she pulls the scent into her nostrils. Tripping over a stone, she falls onto her side, and pushing herself up on an elbow she berates the rock, "Bad rock, make me fall, I not take you back with me now." Instead, she picks up a different, better rock from right beside the offending stone, and carries it along with her on her continuing watch, looking snidely over her shoulder once or twice to make sure the insult is perceived.

Valdrock wonders off inhopes of being of some help to hoity. He finds her picking up a rock after falling on the ground and giggles to himself. He limps over to the dog and says "So Pushy says I suppose to help ya. Who exactly is this she we looking out fer."

Hoity reaches up to grab Valdrock by the elbow, pinching his arm in her tiny paw. "You watch me, see this. Step here look left. Step there look right. Step here look up. Step there look down. Now you walk, like I show you. Count four when you walk left right up down with your head." She demonstrates, clutching her rock with her other hand. "Now you ask who is she, I tell you she SNAP YOUR HEAD!" Hoity jumps up to make her face come suddenly close to Valdrock's, and spits out the words, "Now what you know about it?"

From the darkness of the pits a loud scuttling drifts up into the area. A few sharp clashes pierce the air, then the shriek of an uruk follows. Uruks run screaming in terror out of the orc pits, "She comes, she comes!" The scuttling grows louder, a dry rasp of a dry shell being dragged over the groun Then from the darkness a large body enters. With eight massive legs pulling it quickly over the ground, multitude of eyes glare hungerly about as its fangs drip with venom.

Hoity, busily instructing Valdrock on proper watchguard etiquette and carefully guarding her new rock, lands on her left heel, turns her face to the left, and comes face to face with the looming presence of the "she" she has been searching out. She gasps, sucking in more air than seems possible with her tiny frame, and then lets out a high keening whine, staring down the beast while absently pushing Valdrock back toward camp, and pointing. Her cry continues as a warning wail as she stands paralyzed, riveted, her blank eyes attempting to pierce the shadows of the night.

Pushdug rises, the meal that he had held in his hands falling to the ground, as his crimson eyes stare at her in awe. Yet long has Pushdug lived in the tunnels of Dushgoi, which *she* too travels, and knowing her well he regains his composure only to bellow out, "Feed her some snagas, and quickly--all others draw your weapons and surround the camp!" The Teguk's hand falls down to his side, and unsheathing his scimitar he brings its black blade upward to point it at the massive spider, bellowing again, "Give her what she's here for!"

Shelob lunges towards the group of orcs, her horns and legs thrashing about in a starved craze, the presence of milling orcs churning her appetite. Droplets of venom fly into the air, landing with a splat apon orc and ground, causing shrieks of pain as the venom burns into their skin. Continuing forward she charges towards Pushdug and the orcs about him.

Morbardak comes bolting out of his animal skin tent, his dark scimitar in his hand. His face is bruised and slightly bloody, but his looks very aware. Almost without thought, he hits a nearby snaga in the back of the head, rendering the pitiful creature unconscious. Quickly he picks the snaga up and brings him forward towards the hungry predator.

Famlin snarls and draws her bow, nocking an arrow to it and keeping it at the ready. She turns to a snaga beside her and hands the unfortunate uruk a deep wooden bowl. "Snaga, go and retreive some of that venom from the ground." she snarls, her eyes alight at the propsect and fingers trembling slightly in anticipation as she watches the snaga scamper carefully towards the huge creatures path.

Valdrock's scream sounds like that of a women more than a hearty uruk warrior. He fishes into his rags and produces a plain blood stained dagger. With yet another girlish scream he shouts "I protect you Teguk" and charges the gargatuan spider. Un/Fortuantly as he begin to near the mighty aracnid he trips on large rock and goes flying losing his grip on his dagger as he falls to the ground with a thud only a few feet away from shelob's backside

Pushdug's agile feet carry him into a sudden trot as Shelob's frantic dash is made towards him and the milling uruks about him. Crying out in a gruff voice the Teguk again booms, "Retreat into the camp, uruks of the Eye--all those unfortunate enough to make it will feed her appetite, retreat!" Turning, the captain spots Famlin, and growling at the former shamaness he bellows at her, "You, the Pulgorburzob head healer, descend into the pits and snatch all the snaga you may only to route them towards *her*...quicky now!"

A small snaga, wooden bowl held purposefully in hand scurries towards the backside of the spider, his face filled with fear.

With a quick toss, the dog Morbardak disposes of the possible meal. Before the flacid form hits the ground the dog has begun his quick retreat towards where the Teguk's shouts originated. His hare dances behind him as he runs, careful not to make a fatal mistake and trip.

As the clattering legs of Shelob crack past the frozen Hoity and the monster approaches the camp, Hoity's mouth shuts like a clamp and she stands still, taking in the scene. Behind the beast, she hears the cries of the Teguk and realizing that she may be taken for a snaga in the heat of the fray she lurches into action, pelting for camp with all the speed she can muster, trying to arc around Shelob and trade the relative safety of the tents in camp for the terrible shadows of her patrol position.

Valdrock having heard what the healer said about the venom and his ego having been boosted by what in his mind was some very agile laying on the ground and not getting hit, he decides to gather some of the toxic liquid. he franticaly scans the area looking for something to scoop it up with and his gaze falls on an empty jug of grog. He scrambles toward the empty container and picks it up tiping it completley upside down. He then crawls back towards Shelob and her venom.

Mechanically the massive spider's legs continue to propel her body forward, eyes gleaming in their thousands of tiny orbs which casting forth a dull and morbid light ensnare the images of those scattering before her. A shadow seems to follow her, a great darkness and reek, which with every frantic movement and venom filled hiss disposes of one life beneath her pointed feet.

Pushdug continues to run until reaching the camp's central, fiery hearth, there the Teguk grabs one flaming piece of wood which had been cast into the fire and raising it towards the charging spider who remains still but a distance away, booms to those retreating, "Grab a torch, maggots, *she* hates fire and light--send her back to her lair with her gathered food, I shalln't loose any more uruks this eve." A determination blares inside the crimson orbs of the captain, his face growing grim and wicked as its voice shatters the icy air of the coming dawn.

Morbardak leaps over a small fire when he hears the Teguk's idea. As his heels dig into the dirt, a cloud of dust arises. With some deftness, he spins and reaches into the fire and pulls the unlit end of a long branch. As he pulls the wood from the fire, the leaves flare as they are dragged through the oxygen. Propping the end against his belly, he quickly begins to waves the firery branch viamently.

Hoity 's tiny legs just can't get her into camp and close to the Teguk fast enough. As she reaches the edge, she passes a large snaga crouched behind one of the outer tents. "Up, big snaga," she hollers, and clambers onto the unlucky uruk's back, kicking him fiendishly with her little heels, "Race for the fire," she says, steering him along with her hands in his hair, "You go around here, not straight, go for fire around the side!" she shrieks as he lumbers toward the monster. The snaga turns, hoofing toward the center of camp, directed by Hoity's jabs and kicks. Her eyes are wild, intent on getting in from her post.

Valdrock suddenly realizes that the other uruks are not staying to fight but instead running. He is more than a little disturbed by this fact. He takes a few more seconds to scrounge up about a spoonful of the venom into his jug and then moves toward his dagger, hoping that he can reach it and escape before Shelob notices him.

Shelob hisses deeply, the reflection of the bright flames, smoke, and hot air that warps the horizon shown back towards each spectator in blood's thick hue. Mandibles clenching, her thorny legs and massive abdomen dragging with a terrible sound across the earth, she continues to draw near to the camp and clashing with the chaos of the uruks before her she viciously swings her head downward--impaling one of the poor creatures with her jaws and lifting it up only to squeeze its neck; the final result, the orc's head being snapped from its body. Rearing, like a mare who's sanity has departed and only feverish hunger motivates its actions, she again gallops forward and spotting Valdrock, who has stopped to gather some of her deadly venom, she encroaches near to the snaga.

Pushdug eyes the flaming stick his hand and turning he notices the growing host of torch wielding uruks. Smiling, a crafty and cunning gesture on his behalf, the Teguk musters all his courage and bellowing to his supporters, says, "Hear me worms! Charge! Wave the flames at *her*, drive her back into her pits and tunnels!" Setting off into a jog, the captain then maintains a course for the whirling spider who's size might rival a small hill. Indeed fear does well up within his crimson orbs, and yet he knows what will occur if more uruks are lost under his command. So thus, his charge is kept, and while he runs his face his illuminated in the horrible light of organge and red flames, casting an illunsion to many that sanity has left the warrior's mind.

Sliding a free hand down to his side, Morbardak fingers a small pouch that hangs from his leather belt. For a moment, the dog takes his eyes off the giant spider and looks down at his prize as he removes it from its place at his side. Morbardak looks up to see the spider approaching the torturer with many a dead uruk's innards hanging from its legs. Quickly, he lights the bag itself near the top and tosses it towards where the beast stands. The bellowing voice of the Teguk catches his attention, and he misses seeing where the bag lands. Without thinking, he steps forward, hoping to push back the beast.

Valdrock realizes that he is no longer unnoticed by Shelob. With a screech he bolts, but unfortuantly for him instead of running towards the safety of the many torches he head into the darkness away from the camp thinking that Shelob will not follow.

Hoity leaps off her mount and kicks him toward the mountain of spider, saying maniacally, "You go to spider! You find very big prize for you in her mouth! Reach deep! Not believe what good prizes you will find!" Panting and clutching at herself she watches him stagger off, and slides down against the fire pit, lifting one small lit branch and waving it halfheartedly in the direction of the mountain, "You go away, she!" she croaks, giddy with shock. She is sure nothing like this would ever happen in Mirkwood.

Bright now is the sky from the thousands of torches which the orcs wield, and even as the flaming bag which Morbardak tossed at the spider lands, her legs reel back and she hunches with an echoing hiss! A forlorn screech, however, shatters the sky and soon it is known that it is not the fire which the spider fears but something far darker and sinister. Like a shroud thrown to veil all light, a great cloud of fear descends from above, and though it maker remains forver hidden, it causes *she* to fall back and to bolt towards her abode in the bowels of the earth below Mordor. Scurring quickly away, each throned and skull brandished leg mechanically moving as if a puppet master was motvating them through strings, Shelob's hideous shape begins its retreat.

Morbardak smiles as beast begins to retreat, but his celebration only lasts for a moment as he prepares for bag's fulfilment. He turns his head and closes his eyes tightly, waiting for but a moment for the result. Just as his face cringes in anxiety, the bag's innard get exposed to the flame. With a small fizzle, the contents flash in extreme brilliance. The fiery ball in the sky pales in comparison as the forester's collection flares. Many uruks fall to the ground in pain as the light blinds them. Those who looked directly at the bag as it burst felt more pain than they had since leaving the pits.

As Valdrock continues to run into the darkness he sees that he has done little to lose the spider and it is actually chasing him. As he limps toward the pits he mutters "why stupid spider wanna eat poor valdrock." Then an idea pops into his devious little brain. Perhaps the greatest idea he has ever come up with. He halts suddenly and crouches low covering his head with his arms, still clutching his jug, he curls in to a ball and remains as still as possible.

Valdrock's luck appears to be with him today, for Shelob's body it dragged with curses towards the hole that marks the entrance of the orcish pits. Bright is her belly, her abdomen, as she descends down into the darkness and for a long moment its sick reek rises up into the air and its ill light perverses the shroud of black. Then she is gone, vanished, and disappearing she a great relief settles upon the camp.

Morbardak stands with the burning bush in his hand, feeling triumphant, not realizing that all his bag did was hurt his fellow uruks.