Long Lost Leaves

[feawen]

"Well i wasn't walking that loud!" Nami mumbered as she stood up and sulked off with the others, keeping to the back of the group, and walking with her head down.

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

Borin was trying to concentrate on the door. And he couldn't focus with all this elf-chatter. "Please!" he shouted "If you're going to talk to each other, do it in a language we can all under stand!?" He put back on his glasses and muttered something under his breath in dwarven.

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf decided to take a short detour whilst the company were heading towards the direction of the camp. He needed to fill his flask with water, and he remembered a decent stream not far downhill. Unless it was gone, years had passed since he last made travel through Amon Lanc.

He brushed aside some bushes and branches and wandered off. The leaves crackled under his feat as he made way, the woods darkening by the minute, save the slight sprinkles of light shooting through the clearings among the treetops. The air was fresher down here for sure. Very nice.

He had for the time being given up on getting any more answers out of Radaghast. The wizard was probably most interested in getting to camp and taking count of everyone, getting organized.
He reminded him of Gandalf, who he had assisted in the search for Gollum years back. Though Radaghast displayed a more easy-goingness, less exotic than the White Wizard, and not prone to as many mystifying riddles of explanations.
"Luckily", Quickleaf muttered and smiled to himself.

Walking past several oak trees Quickleaf decided to pay the heights a little visit. He had forgotten all his arrows back when he met the company, slightly embarrassing. He found several thick, coarse branches, and wandered off towards the direction of the encampment.

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl inclined her head slightly towards Abasi as he introduced himself. He had not needed to respond in kind when she had offered her name, and yet he did, and for this Tabrîl thought she might accord him the respect she would one of her own. He intrigued her, this elf who was the last of his tribe, and who said nothing of his forefathers.

'I was sent,' she said, again in Avarin dialect, regardless of the objections of the others which she seemed hardly to hear, 'to protect the borders, to ensure the safety of my people. It was for that reason I followed you.' He had not revealed, she noted, why he was with this group, and as it was clear now he had not been sent to help then, Tabrîl was left even more curious.

Before she could say anything further, however, the mortal woman interrupted them to explain that they seemed to be moving again, and it appeared that she, Tabrîl, was also invited. It could do no harm, she supposed.

'A moment,' she switched languages as she replied. 'I must collect my possessions, I left them-' she gestured back towards the direction she had first arrived from. 'You will wait? Or I shall I follow after?'

Tabrîl had no desire to sit and converse with these new elves of Lórien, she had heard one say Avari and knew that it was her they meant by it, and that was enough that there could be no hope of cordiality between them. But of Abasi, and of these others she had spoken with, she wished to know more.

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

Borin looked up to see the group moving agian. "Wait!!!" he shouted as he ran "If someone would speak a language I could understand, I'd know that you guys were leaving!"

[orithil]

Hedrim was leaning on the door whilst Borin messed around. Hedrim knew he had to do something so he hung around and offered advice that Borin didn't need. "Well I'm off Borin, you should probably continue that in the morning, anyway the elves probably have food" Hedrim straightened himself yawned and began walking back to the camp, and past the very strange conversation between Abasi and the new elf. "What have you gotten yourself into now" Hedrim thought as he walked back to the camp.

[Acalewia]

"Glad to have finally gotten a translation," Aelfwine said. "Thanks, Nami," She watched Abasi and Tabrîl conversed. She would have loved to know what they were saying. Aelfwine couldn't help but notice that Abasi was at ease around Tabrîl. She looked over her shoulder and noticed that Nami was at the back of the group looking ashamed. She fell in step with the Elf.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Nami," she said in a low voice, that only Nami could hear.

[Curufin]

Abasi nodded slightly at Tabrîl, and whistled for his horse, which was laden with his bags. 'Do not trouble yourself with them,' he said to her in their own language, 'They are uwindon.' He said it with a note of finality, as if the fact that they were 'not of the People' was all that needed to be said.

He still was not sure he trusted this newcomer, but unlike the others, he understood how her mind worked, and that gave him a bit of comfort. It had been a long time since he had not had to explain his every movement and every action. He had to admit that it felt good.

He mounted his horse in a single moment, the silver rings of his honors tinkling as he did so, then nodded to her politely before joining the rest of the group. Some might have thought it impolite of him not to offer his help to a fellow traveller, but he knew that she would take it as an insult to her honor - an insinuation that she was somehow incapable. She would keep up or she would fall behind - but she would do either without his help. Moving his horse into a trot, he joined the others, saying nothing, but appearing perhaps not quite as bitter and unapproachable as he had before.

[Aikanáro]

They were uwindon, that was truth enough. But clearly Abasi himself was bothering with them for one reason or another, and she intended to discover why. Even that he was without a tribe was not cause enough to take up with such a group. She nodded in acknowledgement of his words, though, before hastily making her way back to her makeshift camp.

She had kept up with them before, Tabrîl thought, only because they had stopped for rest far more often than was necessary, and their position could be told even from quite a distance. But now she was not so sure. Among her people it was considered proper to set pace by the ability of the slowest - but she would not put it past this company to ride off and leave her in the dust, if they all intended to ride. She frowned slightly as she packed the small bag that was all she had with her. A m'had'i ought to travel lightly, if it was needful that they carry a burden at all.

This done, she slung the bag over her shoulder and went quickly back to the others.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis was, as usual, at the rear of the line with her trusty mules. This time she was lagging a little behind deliberately, waiting for their newest companion to re-join them if she was coming.

Finally the... what had she called herself? Kindi? Haldis supposed it did sound a bit like Quendi, woman returned, a light bag slung over one shoulder.

"Forgive me," Haldis said, speaking in Sindarin, "I have not introduced myself. I am Haldis of the Beornings, and you are Tabrîl. My companions move slowly, we may talk as we follow, if you are willing."

[Aikanáro]

'Haldis,' Tabrîl repeated, committing the name to memory. 'I will talk, if you have something to speak of.' Idle conversation was not something that came easily to her, she had had no use for it, particularly not among strangers. She recognized the name of Haldis' people, Beornings, but knew little of them beyond that. Still, she had offered her name, and if she was to travel with them, they could not remain strangers.

If this were a journey of the Kindi m'haid...

If this were a journey of the Kindi m'haid, she realized suddenly, it would not be fitting that she bear a burden. That at least she could amend.

'Haldis,' she said again, 'you may take this for me.' And she dropped her bag at the woman's feet, expectantly. Warriors did not keep their own baggage when there were others who might carry it for them, and Tabrîl trusted this woman enough that she was not going to disappear with her belongings.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis raised an eyebrow at the elf's tone, "We have pack mules, Tabrîl," she replied, more amused than offended.

Beorning women dressed with simple practicality and Haldis, though her Skill and the respect due to her as a widow and as a kinswoman of the Chieftain's afforded her some rank, was no exception.
That this elf would not recognize the signs that would signal to her own people of her status was unsurprising.

Picking up the bag she handed it back to the elf and pointed her towards the mule with the lest on its back, "You may secure it there. It will be safe, and you are right to think that it is safer here to go unburdened."

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl blinked. That response from Haldis she had not anticipated, and so for a moment she just stood there mutely, holding the bag in front of her, her surprise evident as if it had not been a burden at all Haldis spoke of, but a rejected gift.

Abasi was right, she thought then. She should not make too many assumptions. Without a word she did as Haldis had indicated, tying her bag securely alongside the other goods the mule carried.

'If it is lost,' she said in a low voice, 'I shall be troubled by it.' And I shall hold it to be your responsibility, she thought to herself.

[Curufin]

Seeing that Tabrîl had rejoined their group, Abasi held his horse back until he was riding on her other side, opposite Haldis. He did not know what remained to be said, but he felt more comfortable here than with the others, whose minds were different and strange to him. Tabrîl, although possibly a threat, was a threat that he understood clearly.

His horse was strong, and could likely bear her weight as well, but he did not offer. He did, however, dismount, and after whispering something to his horse in his native tongue, he sent it off, leaving it to trot with the other horses ahead of them.

He said nothing, as it was not their way to speak idly, but walked beside her, his bodly lanugage probably probably even making it clear to an uwindon like Haldis that she was not welcome.

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl looked again to Abasi as he rejoined her and Haldis. He chose to walk when he could ride, and that she found perplexing, but she was glad of his presence, and content to walk by him. It would give her the opportunity, she thought, to learn why he was here.

Although that was not quite what she ought to be doing, Tabrîl realized with a stab of panic. What was she doing out here, following these people who, mysterious as they were, could be no threat to the Kindi? This was not her duty! What would they say to her when she returned, days late?

If she returned, Tabrîl thought grimly. The dwindling of their people in recent years had not been due to conflict but to disappearances, one by one, m'haid passing to the Dark with no kin at their side. They went out and did not return, and they were lost. So it had been with her youngest brother. He had been dear to her, and she had mourned him as was appropriate, when he did not come home. Tabrîl had no siblings left to think of her, should she die out here, there was only the daughter of her sister Habîrel, and she was not of the m'haid.

But these were dark thoughts, and Tabrîl could not entertain them long. 'Do you know if we are going far?' she asked Abasi in a half-whisper. 'I cannot stay so long as to cause my people concern.' Perhaps he could understand the forms of speech that she could not.

[Willow Oran]

"The mules are mine," Haldis said in response to Tabrîl's warning, "I keep a close eye on them, and they have never let a burden fall."

Then Abasi joined them, posture radiating unwelcome towards all but Tabrîl and Haldis smiled to herself, ignoring the hint and falling into step with them. Keeping close enough to hear Tabrîl's worried whisper and reply uninvited,
"Radagast is going far, we may follow or return home as we please. I too cannot stay so long as to abandon my patch of the forest. But travel with us a while," she urged, "messages can be sent to your people, and," she smiled mischieviously, "Master Abasi had been too lonely before you arrived."

[Curufin]

Abasi bristled at Haldis's words.

'I am no one's master,' he said adamantly in her language, a deep frown coming over his face. 'And I have not been lonely. Loneliness is an uwindon emotion.' He avoided looking at her, his eyes dark and angry at this insult to his honor. 'You would do best not to speak in such a manner to me. I shall let it pass this time, since you are uwindon, but I will not let such an insult pass a second time.'

[Willow Oran]

"Ai!" Haldis threw up her hands, holding back laughter, "You are as touchy as the bears! Very well, you do not feel our emotions at being long seperated from kin and to you our term of respect is an insult, very well. Warriors! Regardless of kind, you are all very silly sometimes."

[Coffeehouse]

As Quickleaf walked through the woods he heard the sound of the company some distance ahead of him. At least he was on the right track now, never having ever trusted his directional abilities entirely.

The stack of branches he'd started out with a few oak trees ago had grown larger by the feet. It seemed enough for now, he'd have to use many hours making arrows out of them.

Quickleaf kept wondering about the library underground at Amon Lanc. Would it contain many valuable books? Or would it, if they indeed were unlucky, only be a collection of dark-natured endeavours and musings. He knew not, but he was sure Radaghast must have some idea as they would not then have been so purposefully trying to reach the library. He could imagine it, dark, dilapidating, abandonded; like a grand tree left for rotting in the ashes of a long-gone fire.
The sprinkles of light cutting through the forest greens were getting thinner, fading away into the crisp late-summer air.
Coming out on the path slowly, trying not to bungle up the stack of branches he was carrying, Quickleaf merrily joined the company again.

[me9996]

Ferrin, needless to say, manged to keep up with the rest of the ever-growing party.

He had made up his mind of two things: First, that if nothing changed dramaticly he would go underground.
And second, that he must be the only human in Middle Earth fed up with elves.