Long Lost Leaves - Part III

[Midge]

Aerin quickly volunteered at Baru's request for assistance. Being silent and quick was what she knew best, of course. "I'll go," she announced.

[Varnafindë]

"Very good," Barufiniel smiled. "Let's go and find our horses, and then we'll be off at once."

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine bit her lip in thought as she looked around. Her only battle experence was sneaking among the archers at Helm's Deep and the spider battle earlier in their adventure. She looked back at the cave entrance.
"Tabril is right, the only way to defend is from the cave. It's narrow enough that the whole bit won't be able to advace within at one and may give us some advantage,"

Would Hedrim betray them?

[Midge]

Aerin quickly climbed to where Glaeren was huddling next to the other horses. Though she was mostly fearless, being of Rohan stock, she was frightened in this place, with the evil pit so close and the ground groaning under the footsteps of a huge army, getting ever louder. Her welcoming whinny almost sounded relieved. Aerin had her saddled in next to no time.

Speaking quietly, she asked Barufiniel, "Which direction were you planning on heading? Directly towards the army till we get closer, or would you rather flank them and hope that two elves can move faster than thousands of humans?"

[Varnafindë]

"While I do guess that we can move faster than they, I still think we could go directly towards them for a while," Barufiniel said, also having her horse ready. "I expect that we will see them before they see us, and then we can decide how to move. But I think that either way we should stay together."

[Earniel]

"Good luck and be careful", Radagast said to the two scouts before turning to the other preparations.

The others were already moving their gear and belongings into the cave. They had enough supplies he saw, they should be able to last for some time.

"Aelfwine," he addressed the woman of Rohan. "Give me a hand with the horses and the mules, we have to get them out of this field to higher ground. There we will wrap their hooves with tentcloth to mask their prints. Haldis and Truor will lead them further into the Hills where they will wait until it is safe to return. They'll be safer there than with us in the cave."

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine nodded and went over to the horses and mules. She, Radagast, Truor and Haldis lead the horse up the slope. There they began to wrap their hooves in cloth from the tents. Aelfwine checked twice to make sure the cloth was secure on their hooves and would also hide and hoofprints when they walked. When she reached Midnight, the mare just looked at he couriously as Aelfwine wrapped her hooves. She patted her neck.
"You can't stay here, Midnight," she said to the horse. "This isn't your battle," The rohirimm girl then checked the wrappings one last time. "They're ready to go when you are," she said. She placed a hand on her belt knife and took a deep breath.

[Varnafindë]

Barufiniel and Aerin had been riding for nearly half an hour, not seeing anything ahead of them, when Barufiniel noticed some marks on the ground.

"Aerin," she said, "look at those - don't they remind you of something that seer woman said?"

[Midge]

Aerin looked at the twigs on the ground which seemed to be lain out very carefully and thought back to the visions the seer described.

"Yes, these seem to fit what she described, although they aren't exactly how I imagined them. Do you think they are directing the coming army which way to go, or do they have another design?"

[Earniel]

"Thank you, Aelfwine," Radagast said. He turned to the two beornings. "It's up to you now. Go to the higher ground and wait until it is safe to return. I don't think they will be able follow you but stick to rocky terrain for the first part nevertheless. Go as far as you deem safe. You have your own supplies and gear? Good. And good luck to your both."

Neither Haldis or Truor were particularly keen on leaving their companions behind, but both realised somebody had to take care of the horses and grudgingly took on the task Radagast had given them.

The horses' wrapped hooves left little mark on the ground as Haldis and Truor led them away but Radagast and Aelfwine made sure to wipe away what faint trail remained so that only the sharp eyes of an Elf would be able to spot where the troup of horses had gone into the Hills.

[Varnafindë]

"Directing the coming army - yes, that is what I guess they are for," Barufiniel said, frowning. "Perhaps we ought to take them away - but then again, if we are wrong, we could disturb something for some other purpose. We must at least tell Ragagast about them when we go back."

[Midge]

"Shall we continue on to find the army, then?" Aerin asked, making mental note of the orientation of the twigs' design.

[Varnafindë]

"Yes, let's," Barufiniel answered, and they both set off again.

[Acalewia]

After she and Radagast had finished erasing the trail, Aelfwine looked over to the wizard.
"Let's hope we don't start fighting amongst ourselves now. Wouldn't be in our defense's best interest," she said remembering Abasi and Quickleaf's fight. The thought of the fallen elf saddened her. She pushed the sadness away; she had to. "Let's do this,"

[Earniel]

Radagast gave Aelfwine a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I trust we'll have more pressing matters to attend to than fighting amongst ourselves," he said. He descended back into the valley where he found the dwarf Borin waiting for him.

"You sent the two Elves scouting above ground. You should send someone though the canyon as well," Borin said.

"But the army is unlikely to advance through the canyon. It's narrow and twisting and open to attack from above. That makes scouting the canyon dangerous to everyone," Radagast said.

Borin grinned. "To anyone on horseback, yes. The sound of horse-hooves carries far in the canyon, but wolves are silent creatures. Besides, they will not think twice when seeing a Dwarf in these parts. Your Elven scouts are far more at risk."

"Hm..." Radagast was not entirely convinced by Borin's arguments but they needed what information they could get on the army. "Very well, but take no unnecessary risks and return as soon as possible."

The Dwarf jumped on the back of the wolf and with a wave he was off.

Radagast turned back to see how the rest of the preparations were going. He caught sight of Earthshaker and had an idea. "Earthshaker, I remember Gandalf telling me how the Ents destroyed Saruman's constructions around Isengard. Do you think you could destroy that slope so the army can't use it to descend?"

Earthshaker looked at the slope. "Hoom, easily."

"Excellent!" Radagast said. "But wait until our scouts are back."

[Varnafindë]

Another hour went by, and still Barufiniel and Aerin hadn't seen any sign of the approaching army.
"It's a good thing they are so far behind us," Barufiniel remarked, "then we have more time to prepare. I hope our company will be safe."

Half an hour later, something finally happened. In the distance they could see something looking like a small cloud of dust, still too far away for them to distinguish any details, but clearly something that was moving slowly towards them.

"I still say we ride straight on," Barufiniel said quietly, "and if there is any cover closer to them, we could use it - but we may have to just ride openly until we can see who they are, how many, and whether Hedrim is with them. Then we ride back as fast as we can - but beware of their archers!"

[feawen]

Nami set to work helping the others bring all their equipment into the cave, her eyes often scanning the horizon for they fellows return. Going to her own small belonging, she spilt up the things she would need and those she would not, it was a small pile of useful things for found. Making sure her bow spring and her arrows were ready, she checked her knife was in her belt. As she looked up she glanced a pile of rocks in the corner of the cave. "If all we run out of arrows we could always throw rocks at them!" only a hint of humour in her voice.

[Midge]

Aerin nodded and kept riding next to Baru. When she signed up to become a Messenger, she knew she might be carrying some dangerous messages, but she never thought she'd be up against an entire army. She steeled herself and spurred on Glaeren.

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine smiled at Nami's jest.
"I'm sure we have good arms to throw them," She said with a wink. "At leat this time I'm allowed to fight, if need be," Theoden had denied her offer of being an archer and ordered her to the Glittering Caves with the others. Instead, she'd gone anyway and Theoden never knew she had disobeyed him. Or at least she didn't think he'd known. If he had, he'd never said anything before going to war, and dying, at Gondor's gates. She pulled herself back to the present. "Well, nothing that has ever had Gandalf's hand in it ever went smoothly, hmm?"

[feawen]

Nami looked towards Aelfwine and laughed. "Gandalf certainly had a way with mischiefe and his own brand of meddling, in his own helpful way! I would not be suprised if Gandalfs letter to me was not his way of getting back at me for shoting his hat by accident all them years ago! Wise old men have longer memories then even the elves!" Nami picked up a stone from the pile, bouncing it on her palm, "Aim and fire!" Nami looked from the rock in her hand to the ents outside the caves enterence. "Just imagine that a decent sized one of these would do in an ents hand?"