The sun shone brightly down; the summer morning, despite its earliness, already full of the promise of a hot day. The hedges that lined The Row were heady with the scent of honeysuckle and wild garlic. A lone figure ambled along the lane, the only person to be up and about at this hour.

Samwise Gamgee was lost in thought as he made his way up to Bag End. He was early, for he did not start work for another hour, but in truth he loved Bag End more than he loved his own home.

And not just for the gardens, a voice in his head spoke up unbidden. He pushed the thought aside. If there was one thing he knew, it was his place; and thinking thoughts like those that were following – the master, his raven hair roguishly rumpled, still bleary-eyed from sleep – well, they were not entirely appropriate.

Deep in thought as he was, Sam was brought to his senses by a yowling sound, like that of a bairn but slightly more unearthly. It gave him the shivers. He looked around, trying to find the source of the noise… then he saw it. Sam's face softened as he beheld a bundle of fur poking out from under the hedge. He knelt down to get a closer look; a pair of green eyes glittered back at him. The creature then let out another plaintive cry, pitiful enough to rend even the hardest of hearts. Sam grinned and crawled closer.

'Hey there, Kitty,' he cooed, stretching a hand out. For cat it was; a tiny black and white kitten no larger than his hand. It looked at him as he made soft coaxing noises, but made no move. However it evidently found him nonthreatening enough, as it nosed his hand and let out a little mew.

'Tha's right, come here, littl'un,' he soothed. When the cat merely looked at him, he understood. Its leg was caught in the brambles. Ever so gently, he extracted the brambles from the kitten, ignoring the great yowl it let out, louder than one would have thought possible, given its size. Eventually it was free, and he scooped the kitten up carefully to his chest, where it snuggled happily against the warmth, grateful to be released from its prison of thorns. It rubbed its face against his hand and mewed. Samwise Gamgee was in his element – if there was one thing he understood better than plants, it was animals.

'Alright, now, fluffy? Let's get ye to Bag End. Mr Frodo'll help me fix you right up!' With that, he cradled the kitten close and continued up the path.