by MangaMoon

Lord of the Rings

Remember… Frodo staring down the woodland road in *The Fellowship of the Ring*, suddenly telling the others to hide? Moments earlier, the hobbits were making noise together. Now the road seems to stretch before him, and something threatening settles over the trees. They scramble off the road and crouch beneath the roots of a huge tree. Hoofbeats approach. A Black Rider stops directly above them. Only earth and tangled roots separate the hobbits from the horse’s dark hooves. Then the rider dismounts and bends toward their hiding place. There is no visible face inside the hood. Its rasping breath fills the silence, as though it is searching the air for them. Nobody dares move. Insects crawl through the roots. Frodo draws out the Ring, struggling with an overwhelming urge to put it on. Sam notices and stops his hand. Merry throws a bag away from their shelter. The rider turns toward the noise, giving them an opportunity to escape. The Nazgûl makes its power felt without drawing a weapon. Its presence makes even breathing dangerous. For Frodo, the threat is already reaching beyond their hiding place: while the enemy searches outside, the Ring draws him toward discovery.

Material: wooden