Long Lost Leaves - part II

[feawen]

Nami cast a quick look at this new elf, wondering who she was, what she was doing here and just what Quickleaf and her had been doing down in the hole.

"Oh no! I've had my fill of the dark thank you! And no more advanture for you for a while! You've got to get better so i can be properly mad at you later!"

Nami looked at Quickleaf, watched as he turned his face to the sounds he heard, looked at his blood stained face and staring eyes. What would happen if his sight never came back? He would have to leave the quest. The elfs of the wood would look after him but where would that put her? Nami had the feeling she would stay to look after him but why she felt she had to look after him she did not know. But such thoughts were not for the dark of this evil place.

"Do you need anything while we're just standing around? Do you think you will be able to walk back to the enterance?" Nami asked Quickleaf, wanting to help in anyway she could. While she had Quickleaf to tend to she did not have to think too hard about Ellysa wondering around in the dark.

Torch in one hand and Quickleaf held by the other she looked to the others. Waiting for them to start back to the light of day.

[Earniel]

"Another adventure, Quickleaf? I daresay you've had enough of those for today," Radagast said. "Nami, Aelwine, could you help these two elves to the exit and to the camp? But be aware, that storm I was expecting may have reached us by now. That underwater river Quickleaf fell in is running fast, which means there has fallen much water in the mountains."

He turned towards Haldis when she approached him with the first good news he had heard all day.

"A study you say? Very interesting. Well done, Haldis, although I did warn against wandering around alone." But his admonishment was mainly out of worry.

Truor grunted shortly, as if in agreement.

"Keep the documents safe for now," Radagast said, "I will be very interested in studying them later. Although I think you should go outside with the others, I think the elves may have need for some of your medicins. And your link with Tabrîl may prevent you all from getting lost again. Borin, Hedrim and I will continue searching for our last lost little lamb. Ellysa has been quite a while on her own in these dark tunnels."

[Midge]

Aerin stood up again and found she could walk - gingerly - on her twisted ankle. Thank heavens the company was moving slowly for the sake of Quickleaf. It seemed that the only person giving notice of her was the strange little elf at Quickleaf's side, and that notice was not going to be to her taste, that much at least she could tell.

She knew not any names, save Quickleaf, Haldis, and Radagast, whom she knew by sight, and felt very insignificant. Haldis, it seemed, was one of the mighty among the group, walking beside Radagast and discussing what they'd found in that study.

Aerin continued her slow, almost-limping pace at the rear of the group. After all these months stuck in here, she was used to darkness on every side of her, with no way of knowing where to go. Now she was nearly floating with happiness to have something to guide her, with a definite way out.

As the group neared the vicinity of the entrance to the cave, Radagast and a dwarf and a very shinily-clad man went off on the other way in the fork. Aerin paid little attention. She could only see the beauty and wonder of the hole that didn't even lead to sunlight. Even from here, it was apparent that it was raining heavily outside. But she could see trees, and grass, and water. There were other people sitting out there as well. She quickened her pace.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis walked at the back of the group as they made their way to the entrance, feeling distinctly like a shepherd, save that the sheep kept by the Beornings were generally better behaved.

Finally though they reached the entrance, filing past the impassively watching Avari till al were back above ground and Haldis was left standing in the mouth of Dol Guldur, facing Tabrîl, "So..." she said slowly, "Outside was peaceful? I thank you. Without knowing, you rescued myself and two others from the caves today."

[orithil]

Hedrim nodded to Quickleaf then stood and walked away. "Hedrim Borin and I will continue our search for out lost little lamb" Hedrim heard Radagast say. "Of course master Radagast," and he bowed his head slightly. As he walked next to Radagast he saw the elf Quickleaf had told him of. Hedrim continued walking briskley along side with Radagast.

[Coffeehouse]

The sound of trickling rain weaving a carpet across the entrance to the underground fluctuated through the heavy air and befell Quickleaf's ears as he and the company approached the daylight.

The Lorien elf smiled, "This is music to my ears.." and Quickleaf let go of Nami's arm, whispering thankyou, and walked out into the open to let the rains wash away on his bloodied face and body.

Quickleaf turned around in the pitch black, "Aerin, Dol Guldur has made hours feel like days. I cannot fathom the lenght of time this must feel to you! Do we have food and water for her?" Quickleaf's eyes looked around in the pouring rain.

[feawen]

Nami hovered a small distance from Quickleaf, not wanting him to trip or fall over and hurt him self more.

She watched as he looked towards this new elf, asking Nami to get her some food and water.

"You should really get out of the storm, gentle rain is one thing a full blown storm is another."

Nami wearly turned to this new elf. Briefly Nami smiled as she realised she was out of the dark that she had dreaded, safe back in the light of the world.

"Make sure he doesn't go and throw him self in a lake or something, i swore i've never meet a more accident prone elf in all my days." Casting a quick worried look at Quickleaf she turned back, "I'll go and find you a bit of food and drink, can you try and get him in the dry so Haldis can have a look at him?"

[Midge]

As they passed through the way out into the lighted world, Aerin felt like a child, wanting to run jump and laugh out loud for joy. They passed two elves on the way out who were standing like sentinels as they passed. Aerin watched them, and broke her gaze as Haldis stepped up to talk to them. 'How strange this company truly is!' she thought.

She was standing in the rain, marvelling in the feeling it gave her (rain! true rain! not dank drips.. but an outpouring of the clouds!), when Quickleaf called for food and water and his elf friend asked Aerin to get him out of the rain. As much as she just wanted to stay in one spot and feel the rain for hundreds of years, she guessed that getting Quickleaf out of the rain was a good idea. After all, he wasn't even properly dry from that river.

Aerin looked around at the camp she saw before her and asked, "Which tent is yours, Quickleaf?"

[Nicro]

a shadow lurks in a tree

[Coffeehouse]

Judging by the smell of charcoal, Quickleaf guessed that they were perhaps standing in the centre of the camp, but it was hard to tell, he had lost all sense of direction and the pouring rain had turned him cold again, his hands shivering beneath the sunless sky.
"I don't have a tent" Quickleaf spoke out, with a tint of pride but disappointment.
"I sleep beneath a large oak tree. It's branches are long and thick. It's slightly higher up than the rest of the camp. My watered-steel sword should be there. And my Isalien.."
but then his heart sank as he remembered the fall, the breaking glass, the pitch black sight he now endured.. "Not my Isalien"

Quickleaf took hold of Aerin's hand and turned his face to her, his eyes staring blankly, "Would you mind if I borrowed your dagger? I will need one to cleanse this wound" touching the bloodied scar on his stomach.
"And you? Are you injured? Is Haldis here? She should look at you"

[Midge]

"What wound? You didn't get THAT from the fall??" Aerin cried. She saw now that there was indeed a dark red stripe on the fabric of his tunic, which had been impossible to see in the dark of the caves.

"And you don't HAVE a tent? Do you think your TREE will have withstood this downpour?" Aerin heatedly asked. She didn't know anyone else, and assumed she would stay with Quickleaf to care for him. She didn't know he didn't have a place to stay. 'What will become of me?' she thought.

At Quickleaf's last question, she drew her dagger angrily, flipped it around in her hand and jabbed the hilt toward him. Then she gently touched his arm with the hilt and he reached up and took it. "I think I am fine. However, I would like to see Haldis again. She seems to have some authority and might know what to do with me."

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf listened to the questions Aerin shot back at him, mildly surprised that she, a Lorien elf like him, thought it strange to sleep beneath trees. The spot beneath the oak tree where he used to sleep had kept dry in all kinds of downpours so far. He sensed a storm brewing however, and so he was unsure if it would hold this time. But he would go to it anyways, wherever it was in the camp..

"Authority.. Haldis? There is only one leader of this fellowship, and that is our wise wizard Master Radaghast, though he does not impose his will"
Quickleaf wondered where she had gotten the impression of this, but perhaps she had been swayed beneath in the undergrounds. Haldis had indeed been wise in action, he would have to thank her later.

His skyblue eyes continued staring blankly at Aerin, "I am sorry that I have no tent to lend you or give you shelter, but perhaps there are others around here that do.. Can you see the tree I speak of? Would you lead me over to it?"

[The last sane person]

With the eerie begining of their tunnel exedition and fruitless searches, Carnehillion had taken more than enough of the dank atmosphere for his liking. Still having not found the other lost elf, he shrugged.

How easy these people get side tracked. Visions? Forethought? What are these two going on about? Aren't we supposed to be looking for an elf? Carnehillion stood infront of the little group, with Ingwionis, his wife and Ellysa. Looking back at them and over hearing their little chat only brought more confusion to the stalwart fighter.

Peering out ahead of him he could see nothing more than a wall of blackness and the floor illuminated infront of him. After the trio behind him had dried up their talk, they pressed forward a bit, for how long Carnehillion knew not but it was starting to wear on him. His first torch died and he lit his second one, but finally spoke up to his group.

"So... How many groups are currently down here? I know Radagast, Haldis and the other skinchanger, as well as Hedrim and the dwarf, and a few of the other elves are down here as well. If I remember correctly, only the two dark elves are still topside. I'm not entirely sure it is wise to have the entire fellowship below ground if anything should happen. That and we've been at it for what seems like eternity, and I'm willing to bet that we took a wrong turn somewhere and are no closer to finding...er..."

He came for a loss as to Nami's name, Hmm, perhaps I should pay closer attention to my questmates...

"Your companion than we were at the beginning. I'm willing to wager that she was probably found by some other group and that they are now wondering where YOU went, Ellysa. Further more, if you haven't noticed, I'm on my second torch, and Ingwionis, yours is about to run out. I've been marking the walls with my dagger, so the way we came is marked. I say we head topside and wait for the others to return, and if they do so without your friend, then we shall head down once again. But for the mean time could we please go back before we ourselves become irrepairbly lost?"

[Willow Oran]

Haldis wished to speak more with Tabrîl as they had not spoken much since the spell and she still felt as if she barely knew this elf she was bound to, but the stumbling triad of Quickleaf, Nami and Aerin drew her attention away.

When she saw that the three of them were clearly not doing the sensible thing, which would be to place him in a random tent and not give the distraught and injured elf anything sharp as it appeared Aerin was doing, Haldis sighed and cast an apologetic look at Tabrîl, "I would like to speak more, but the children need minding," she said, and crossed the camp, intercepting the hilt of the dagger as it was offered to Quickleaf.

"Get him inside a tent, it hardly matters which. I don't want to know what you thought you were going to doing with that dagger, Quickleaf, if you think you'll be fit to handle weaponry anytime soon, you're very much mistaken. Aerin, sit over there and rest, here's Nami with something for you to eat. Nami, we'll need the usual hot water..."

[Mari]

"We won't get lost. I've been paying attention. But you are right. We should go up and start a search in a more methodical way." With a worried sigh, she looked at Carnehilion before turning around.

[Midge]

Aerin, used to being chastised, followed Haldis's instructions, glad she wouldn't have to sit under a tree in this downpour with her ankle. She was beginning to feel the effects of the exhausting day she'd had. It seemed her skills would not be useful in this group.

"Thank you... Nami? I would much like to eat and rest. Or rest and eat. It matters not." She yawned hugely and sat down on a blanket against the side of a pack. She was soon fast asleep, without having eaten the food she was given.

[feawen]

After digging around the camp, Nami manged to pull together a few bits of food and drink. Nothing too exciting but it the goodness that counted at the moment.

Coming back to the two injured elfs Nami found Haldis ordering the two about. Somehow Quickleaf had got him hands on a knife, just want he was going to do with that Nami didn't want to know.

Nodding to Haldis she handed the new elf maid some food, smiling at her thanks. Turning back to the centre of the camp Nami walked over to the fire, which was beginning to die down in the heavy rain. Empty pots lay nearby, very disorderly from the camp move. Reaching over Nami picked up a pot, which by luck more than design had been left open end up, so it was full of rain water.

"Rain water, River water its all the same." Nami placed the pot on the metal gill over the fire and begain feeding and stooking the fire. After much cursing of the rain the pot slowly begain to boil. Grabing hold of the pots handle she returned back to Quickleaf and the elf maid who was now soundly asleep, her food untouched. Putting the pot down near Quickleaf, Nami moved the maids food out of the way so that it stayed dry. Taking her own cloak off she put it over the girls shoulders. No point her getting cold.

Coming back to the pot and Quickleaf Nami knelt down next to the blind elf. "What mess have you gotten your self into this time? Let me have a look at that face, its covered it little cuts. At least i can clean them up before Haldis comes back."

[Ingwe]

"Aye, Elyssa, Carnehilion, A'mael, we will go back. There is not much need for us to be here putting the mission in jeopardy. The others have found a way back most likely. And so it is time for us to do so, if it meets with the opinions of you whom are present." Ingwionis suggested that they go back and regroup, for it had been a LONG day and all were quite tired, even the Elves now - some more so than others.

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf was feeling his way with his hand, trying to figure out what part of reopened wound that was the most infected. He held his other hand out, gripping the knife tight, slightly nervously, and cut into the wound, his eyes growing large in pain.
As Nami sat down next to him Quickleaf's hand shivered in surprise and he stopped cutting. Time for check-up.. Quickleaf as slightly annoyed and looked away.
"My sight isn't perfect right now, but it'll pass. I'm alright Nami. They are only scratches. Have you eaten? Take some food. And water. Don't forget the water Nami. You must be tired.." Quickleafs throat was sore, his mind on and off, he felt trapped.
"Have you eaten Nami?", her hands examining his face. The rain must have stopped because the pour on his head had seized. Yet the sound of rain persisted. Odd.
He felt tired. So tired. Quickleaf's mind went numb again.. and Nami was pouring water on his stomach wound. "Don't forget to eat. Have you eaten yet?" Quickleaf muttered.

[Midge]

Deep in sleep, Aerin was dreaming of her new friends...

Aerin found there was nothing to do in the tent but to sit in the rain, so she decided to get up and see what she might see outside. Ducking to avoid the clouds and canvas of the tent, she poked her head out of the door. Everything looked so bright and cheery outside that Aerin decided to go for a walk.

"Hello, eat us, would you?" asked a sour-faced elf who was attached to Quickleaf at the foot. Quickleaf looked very strange, with a knife sticking out of his stomach... Hm... that knife looked a lot like one she used to have when she was a little elf. But her father had made that one out of wood. How had Quickleaf gotten stabbed with it? It was blunt as a brick, and rounded to boot, so she wouldn't have hurt herself. His eyes were very large, too large for his face, and instead of having pupils and irises and corneas, they were just black. Aerin shrugged, walked on.

She came upon Haldis, who was stirring a pot and reading a scroll. "Can I help you?" asked Aerin, who sat down beside Haldis. "No, dearie, you shouldn't, really. You found quite a nice recipe book in that study, and I have just decided to make some traditional orc dishes. Could you hand me that intestine over there?" As Aerin reached for the intestine, she noticed two tall strange statues hovering over Haldis as if they were trying to see what she made.

"Uh... Haldis, you seem to have chosen a strange spot to cook your ... orc stew. You have watchers." Aerin stammered. "Oh, yes, well... they wanted to know what I was doing, so they came over to see," Haldis replied.

Just then, the rescuing group that had remained in the caves emerged. The dwarf looked as though he'd just rolled around in the dirt, and Radagast had apparently done something to his robe. It was no longer brown, but bright red... with blue patches over it. The shinily-clad man floated up the stairs fast asleep, and no matter what she did, Aerin couldn't awaken him...

She slept on.