Long Lost Leaves

[Willow Oran]

Haldis had been listening to the tedious argument being carried on by the newcomers and, though their words now were less harsh, she had doubts that it would last. As the dwarf stopped speaking the woman urged her mule between them, "Master Elf, you will ride by me till your injury heals. Master Dwarf, Radagast would appreciate your company, I think he wishes to know more about how you came here." As these positions were at opposite ends of the company, her intentions were clear and her tone brooked no argument.
The dwarf rode forward to join the wizard while the elf reluctantly stayed by Haldis. If not for his tale she would have thought this elf to be younger than most. It was always difficult to judge, but many of the elves in Mirk- Greenwood, she reminded herself, were of the Nandor and save for the youths they had never seemed any more inclined to sulk than their Sindar kin.
Strange that he had called himself an Avari though he defined it has an insult made by those who left his people behind... Haldis put it down to the melodrama that often seemed to infect elven warriors and resolved to ask Radagast about the exact details later.

[Curufin]

Abasi was quiet for some time, stroking the mane of his horse, before he began in a quiet voice.

'By the waters of Kuiviénen I awoke, in ancient days before the Sun. Then there were only stars, kindled by she the Exiles called Elbereth. The waters of Kuiviénen were sweet and cool, and there was much laughter and much joy - until the Dark Lord found us.'

His voice darkened, and he was silent for a moment.

'Rumours there were of a Hunter, who would come from the West to devour us, and we were young and foolish, and believed whispers in the Dark. When he arrived, my people fled, far into the east, in fear of our lives. But it was into fear that we fled - not away from it. For Oromë, the Hunter, was a Lord of the West, and we had thrown ourselves into the midst of the Dark Lord's terror. When we returned to Kuiviénen, it was too late. The waters of that place were fouled, and we had been left behind. Avari, they called us. The Unwilling. But we were not unwilling - merely frightened, and because of this fear we were left behind by the Lords of the West to fend for ourselves through horrors unknown. Many of us fell. Many of us faced tortures worse than death. But still some of us survived, although the numbers dwindled.'

He sighed, his eyes far distant.

'When the Moon rose in the West, and the Sun soon after it, I was here. When the land was broken and the seas upset, I was here. Through the wars of the Exiles and the Atani, I was here, watching. They did not know I was here, and I did not not wish to help those who had left us to such misery while they enjoyed the hospitality of Gods. When the seven fathers of Dwarves crawled out of the Mountains, I had already lived countless ages.'

Patting his horse again, he looked over at Borin.

'Forgive me if all I wish is to be allowed now to live in peace.'

At Haldis' rebuke he frowned, but did as she asked, holding his horse back to ride by her.

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

"I'm sorry." said Balin saddened by Abasi's story. "I too have lost family. It started with my mother. We were living in the western part of the Iron hills, when he came. The Dragon Lord Drogoth. He invaded our mountian, and killed our people. I heard a roar, a scream and I smelled burning flesh, that was the last I saw of her." Borin continued- "The father was stabbed though the heart by the goblin king in the great goblin-dwarf war. And for a while it was just me and my brother. Untill Moria. He was taken by a balrog of morgoth. All I saw before I escaped was him runnig tword the beast and thebalrog pulled out a firey whip and..." his voice trailed off. "I'm sorry Abasi, I won't bother you anymore. I promise."

[orithil]

Hedrim rode up next to Radagast "This will sure make for an interesting trip aye" he laughed, Radagast gave him a blank look "er ah well anyway we should get moving" he stared up into the sky which he could hardly make out through the thickness of the trees leaves "yes it shall be dark soon, come along people, we can't have a repeat of the battle of the North Downs..." he laughed again moved to the middle of the group.

[feawen]

Nami had strayed at the back of the group. After quickly collecting her things and rolling her own eyes at the aruement between elf and drawf she had listened saddly on as Abasi had told his story. She was young by elf standers. All though she could remember the early years of the third age, she was had only heard storys of the dark times that hold followed her kin.
Monting her own horse she followed the others. Interested in Borin and Abasi's enterence and storys she descided to introduce her self. Even if it was only the drawf that listened. Coming level with the drawf she smiled and oftered her hand. "I'm Nami, late of these woods, pleased to meet you good sir. I hope the differences of our kin will not effect our jounary together. This is a new age after all, new beginnings."

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

"Aye! I don't think you and I will have the same problems!" said Borin, shaking Nami's hand. "Just so long as you don't jou don't jump down me neck for breathing." he glanced at Abasi.

[Ingwe]

removed

[feawen]

Nami had smiled at Borin and laughed slightly. "Oh no, i am normally not a very angery person. Oh you missed that little argument didn't you.( Nami made a mental note to talk to Abasi some time, she was hard on him, but she had her reasons. She should really say sorry or thank you for saving her life or sonething.) Ive never really ment any darwfs in great numbers. My father liked to keep me at home after my mother was killed" Nami had saddened a little then smiled. "But once i had lived about 200 years i rebelled! A 200 year old strappy teenager! At 500 years old i am much the same!"

[Curufin]

Abasi rode away from the other elves as soon as he was able. It was a sad story, yes, but everyone had their sad stories, and he had no desire to listen to the sad stories of someone else. He was himself, his own, and did not need others. He did not want others. They would pretend to understand his miseries, when they could understand none but their own. That was the way of all people.

Drawing his horse back, he waited until nearly all the group was ahead of him, and plodded alone in brooding silence.

The other Elf was a liar or a fake - or both. Abasi didn't trust him further than he could see him. Claiming to be a grandson of Ingwë - and thus Vanyar - but at the same time remaining in Middle-earth. Everyone knew that the Vanyar had sided with the Valar and had remained in Valinor when the Noldor went into exile. They came back at the end of the First Age, yes, but only to fight, then all returned with the Lords of the West. They were Loyal to the Valar, especially the line of Ingwë. Something was fishy about his story.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis too had little patience for sad stories, but such seemed be the mood today. Even after the group had stopped to camp, people had continued to trade stories of their past woes, as if tales of personal sorrows were tools in a contest. It seemed thoroughly silly. The woods she and her kinsmen made their home were dangerous, and brooding over the many lost had never helped survival. She would as soon not dwell on her past, but she had sat down with the company while waiting for the pot to boil and now people were looking at her expectantly. Haldis paused in her slicing to reach for another carrot and then spoke, "I am distant kin to Grimbeorn. I am not a skin-changer. My husband died during the attacks. We had no children. I live with my animals, as do many of my kin. I speak many languages, you need to here; but I do not read or write well, it is mostly unecessary. I have a place in my woods," she looked across the circle, "Is the water boiling yet?"

[Coffeehouse]

As the strange ensemble of creatures, men and elves alike, were riding beneath him, Quickleaf awoke from his nap. He nearly fell off the thick branch he'd been sitting on, so startled was he by the word 'Balrog' for what did such a company know of this ancient, foul creature? With his light feet he skipped along the branch and hopped down on the road.

'Greetings! What strange company speaks of the evils of Moria?"

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

"I have ter disagre with you." said Borin, a little frightend. "I've only seen one thin move like that in the 900-some-odd years I've been on this earth. It was the same thing that took my brother from me. A balrog."

[Mari]

Ellysa hadn't followed the exchange. As soon as they had stopped, she had sought a place where she could be alone with her headache and her thoughts.
She missed the warm lands she came from and the wide deserted landscape. Too many people around and the memory of what she saw a few times now bothered her.

She had seen rocks falling and the screams of people being crushed by them. And she had seen herself getting crushed as well. But she was not in the same place as the others.
What bothered her most was that she didn't know if it really was going to happen or if it was her "gift" playing tricks with her again. If it was real, she'd have to tell the others to try and prevent it, but if not it would only give trouble as always. It would separate her from them, that's for sure.

Ellysa buried her head in her hands. She had hoped to get away from this cursed "gift" following her, but it always caught up. At least the feel of her cold hands on her forehead relieved her headache a little bit.

After a while she calmed down and sat back to look at the stars and to dream away.

[feawen]

Nami looked up at the newcomer.
"Well aren't we turning into a small army!" Nami smiled at the newcomer and moved over to make room for him around the pot. It seemed to her they were letting anyone join them so why not him too!
"Greetings sir, we were only sharing storys of the past sir." Nami looked cross to Haldis, "I believe the water is boiling Haldis, will it soon be time for more of your lovely cooking!"

[Ingwe]

"The company slowly grows in strength", Ingwionis watches as the company greets the newcomer. With several of the company close-by, including Ingwionis' wife, Ingwionis begins to discuss what was his history. The party had once again set off and everyone had been quiet for quite a few hours now.

"Plenty of years I've spent on the futile search for a reason to return to the east. Since my return to Cuivienen, and my disappointment at its ruin, it's been hard to return here without a reason."

"But you weren't born at Cuivienen. You had told me that it was in Aman, unless that place too has a place with the same name." A'mael was confounded at this point. Ingwionis realized he had spilled the beans.

"Then you misunderstood. I talked first of my coming to Middle Earth earlier in my life, with my father who led the Vanyar to victory. That was not the time of my birth."

"What else are you hiding?" A'mael began to have doubts about her husband.

"That I've seen these lands as they were before the spiders filled the woods. That I was separated in battle and left for dead at the end of the War of Wrath. That my brother and sisters were twisted by Morgoth and made into Orcs, and that I was forced to kill them. They were lost years and years before the War of Wrath, back when I was only five years old. It had been so long between those times that I had forgotten all about them, until I spotted them in the last battle of the War of Wrath. As if singling me out as their only target, they approached me. I noticed a jewel one of them carried was the one my eldest sister had worn. Though it had also been defiled to carry the symbol of Morgoth, I knew that was it, and I knew at that point that the ones who approached me were amongst the first generation of Orcs. A mysterious black rider, as the fable went, was abducting our people left and right. No one believed the stories. What we believed then is that they went of their own free will to some new place. And then Orome led us into the West and that's the last we heard of the black rider story, and at least 10 other similar stories."

"When Morgoth was caste out of the circles of the world, an enormous eruption consumed Thangorodrim, not long after Earendil slew Ancalagon the Black. Thangorodrim was severely damaged by the crash of the dragon, and not long after the mountain blew and so did the two mountains guarding its flanks. The ground cracked under us. Most of the Elves and Men fled, both east and west. The Valar allowed time for the escape of the forces of light, for which I am very thankful. But the crack that opened under us separated me from my father. The ground under me fell some distance. I was covered in ash when I came to. I dug my way out of the pit, only to find that the water from the sea was rising, and that everyone was gone. The Vanyar had gone back into the Westernesse and what remained of the Noldor had settled further to the east. The Great Gulf emptied the Helcar Sea and when I was able to see Cuivienen again, it was a swamp of foul waters."

Ingwionis paused and looked ahead, to see if there were any dangers ahead. He had realized that he was neglecting watch duty.

"What is it?" A'mael looked at her husband, waiting for an answer. Ingwionis stared out ahead, looking through the world as it were, thinking back to the memories he had almost buried deep enough to be lost forever.

"Nothing, A'mael."

Radagast came closer to the group as Ingwionis was about to continue. "As much as I would want to hear this story, we need to plot our course. We grow ever the nearer to our destination. Should we miss it, it will put the group in jeopardy."

"No indeed, it's agreeable to do some pathfinding." Ingwionis was thankful that the group would be plotting the course now, as his throat was dry and he was still dizzy from the spider venom...and he did not wish to reveal anymore than he already had.

[Curufin]

Abasi sat cross-legged on the ground, a good distance from the rest of the group as they unpacked and nested for the night. He removed his dagger from his boot, and taking a stone from his small pack, began sharpening it with expert precision. His face was set in concentration appropriate for the importance of his task; his weapons were his life. He was a warrior, trained in the ancient ways, even if his people had dwindled to the point that the ancient ways barely mattered. They mattered to Abasi, and he would keep them.

[Willow Oran]

"Radagast," Haldis called from where she was preparing the stew, "Before you lose yourself in maps, set protection around the camp. We do not want more spiders to wander upon us."

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

Borin sat (unlike Abasi) with everyone around the fire. "Well. Who's next? How about you, Ellysa?"

[feawen]

Nami shuddered at the mention of spiders. "Rubby over grown things! All hairy and quick and all them eyes! Yuck, i hate little spiders at the best of times, i dont want to meet any more of them over grown breasts any time soon."
Sitting with the rest of the group, Nami pulled her quiver off her back and begain counting out how many arrows she had left, she would need to find, make or repair some more soon. She looked up at Ellysa and smiled. "I get the feeling Ellysa is a listener and not talker! I mean no offence by that."

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

"Aye, Nami." said Borin taking out his axe and throwing axes. "We should be prepared."