Long Lost Leaves

[Willow Oran]

Haldis woke again as the moon was rising, just visible through the canopy, thinner here in the clearing. She had slept well, dreamnt well during that short sleep and felt better than she had all day.
Humming the rhythm of her favorite chant, the tale of the skinchanging hero-god who first threw down the enemy and gave the men of her people their bear skins, she took out her whetstone and began to sharpen her trusted knife in time to the tale; so that when words broke forth, it sounded something like this:

*shhhnick!*

The Bear-King from the mountain side
went walking by the river wide

*shhhnick!*

to find the place where goblins hide
His hand by which to see them die
Tyr, heroic hunter.

*shhhnick*

No wolf could drag him under cairn,
Nor demon imprison

*shhhnick*

Unlooked for Tyr always returned
against the dark ever.

*shhhnick*

Haldis kept up this soft, puncuated chanting for sometime; telling of how Tyr had been enchanted and thought lost by his tribe, only to return many years later in the form of a great bear. It was a long tale, of which elves would doubt the accuracy, but to Haldis and the other Beornings, though none were in the camp that evening to listen, it was as good as history.

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

Borin went off to practice for the next fight. He was fighting a wooden dummy when he heard the chanting of Haldis. "I was there that day."

[Curufin]

Abasi rose to his feet in a fluid movement, his face tight with anger. He looked at Nami with disgust before replacing his knives in his weapon belt and stalking off to the other side of the camp.

The rude elf's presence offended him, and he wanted nothing to do with one who thought themselves good enough to insult him. One such as that probably thought there was little she needed to learn, anyway.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis broke off mid-verse and gave the dwarf a long, scrutinizing Look, "Which day, Master Borin?" she asked tightly, "The exact day that the gift of skin-changing was bequeathed to my people's ancestors is unknown. And it is unknown because it was not witnessed. Besides, though you may be very old indeed, I doubt you are old enough to have witnessed this. Skin-Changers dwelt in the mountains ere the end of the First Age, though we have only been unified into a tribe again but recently."

[feawen]

Nami looked at Abasi's anger as a mother would look at her childs temper tantrum and almost laughed aloud with the pig headedness of this man, rolling her eyes as he went off in a sulk fit for a 5 year old she turned back to Tabril smiling kindly,
"Thank you for thinking about it anyway, i would not wish to become between you and Abasi." Inclining her head in thanks Nami turned and walked about towards Quickleaf with a bright smile on her face she bent to pick up her bow and arrows, on the way past Quickleaf she playfully kicked his foot, "Fancy hunting dear with me Quickleaf?"

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf had sat down by a tree and pulled out a blanket around him, as the night's cool descended on the company.
He'd been watching the minor spectacle between Nami, Abasi and Tabril with great amusement. He'd called out a bet to one of the Sildar elves, waging that Abasi would be the first to take off sulking. Rigthly so, the bitter elf had walked off.
Speaking to the elf he'd bet with Quickleaf mocked "Aendelil, you owe me your best arrow!" Aendelil tossed a work of art arrow over to Quickleaf. Feeling its tip Quickleaf admired his new arrow, and arguably the only one that worked properly.

He looked up just as Nami kicked him on his foot asking to go hunting.
It was the right time in the night, blackness creeping through ever corner of the forest.
"Sure Nami, let's do it!" grabbing his bow and arrow.
Quickleaf was eager to hunt, being quite hungry, and Nami was a skilled hunter it seemed, and she was great company.
Nami was the friendliest face he'd met in years, as Quickleaf had more often been ecountering creatures in Greenwood with a greater interest in killing him than anything else. But that was Quickleaf's life, living freely but everyday confronted with the evils of the world, whom never slept, never died off completely.

[feawen]

"To the hunt we go!" Nami said happlierly as she lead the way. Eyeing Quickleafs new arrow she smiled as she pulled a few of her own arrows out of their quiver and handed them to Quickleaf, "On loan!" She laughed, "Until i teach you how to make proper arrows!" As they made their way deeper into the wood Nami walked in time with Quickleaf. Nami smiled and begain humming a little tune as she walked. Nami was glad to have some company, someone who agreed with her and thought the same kinda things, which helped, Nami could be very studden if she wished to be. Quickleaf made her smile, which also helped as she thought about the dark underground they would soon be going down.
In the coolness of the evening Nami smiled and bounced along as she walked and the slight wind played with the loose ends of her hair.

[Aikanáro]

'It is nothing,' Tabrîl muttered to Nami, suspecting she had again been misunderstood, but not bothering to correct. There was nothing to thank her for, she had not offered to help.

Perhaps she should have, she thought then, for at least it would give her something to do. Abasi clearly wanted nothing to do with her right now, after the way he had stormed off, and she did not know how long she would be constrained to travel with these people.

To be alone, though, for now, was no great hardship to her, and so as Nami left with Quickleaf she simply sat and watched the others go about their business.

[Coffeehouse]

The two of them walked beneath tall, ancient trees, taking in the fresh air and Quickleaf was listening to Nami's merry humming. They had decided to venture rather far towards the river Anduin where hunting grounds were rich with birds and beast.
Through the clearings in the tree tops the moonlight shone through and danced brightly as a blue-white veil on Nami's hair, blowing free in the evening air. Quickleaf was studying her arrows while they went along, trying to figure out why he always made those hopelessly everything-but-straight arrows that seemed more interested in hitting every conceivable target other than the one Quickleaf intended.
"Or maybe Nami, I am just a very bad shooter!" Quickleaf mused to himself, speaking out without even realising it.

[feawen]

Nami was enjoying the night air. Hearing Quickleaf talk, Nami spin around and started walking backward so she could talk to him as she walked. Nami was in quite a playful mood. It was a mood her family would shake their heads at and tell her to stop acting a 1000 years younger than she was. Nami would just smile and carry on.

"You just need more believe in your skills...but if you can't hit anything with one of my arrows..." a cheeky smiled crossed Namis lips as she spin back round, "Then you must be a poor shot indeed!"

[orithil]

Hedrim stood up, sighed and walked over to Abasi "Whats the problem?!" he stated.

[Curufin]

Abasi raised an eyebrow imperiously.

'Excuse me?'

[orithil]

"Just the hostility you seem to have against everyone" Hedrim replied

[Curufin]

Abasi shrugged.

'I do not know what you are talking about.'

He turned his eyes back to his weapons.

[orithil]

"Well, you did seem to have a problem, you know storming off a couple of minutes ago" Hedrim continued

[Acalewia]

Midnight nuzzled Ellysa's hand.
"It's alright," Aelfwine said when Ellysa stiffened. "She's thanking you for the complement," She smiled and slowly took her hand away, leaving Ellysa's on Midnight's muzzle.

[Mari]

Ellysa looked a bit panicky, but when Midnight didn't bite she relaxed somewhat and even made a small stroking gesture.
The horse seemed to like that, so Ellysa continued stroking Midnight's muzzle and a small smile appeared hesitantly on her face.
A bit triumphant she looked at Aelfwine.
"I think she likes me!"

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl had not sat there long before it occurred to her that she was going to have to go back into the forest to gather more food. Her own supplies had run out, and she was not about to ask any of the others if they would share. She would not find herself beholden to them, even for the slightest thing, she had decided. All that she needed, she either carried with her or could find.

Still, she would soon grow hungry, and under other circumstances she would not have hesitated to leave the clearing and search for what she needed. To do so now, however, would require a little more effort on her part.

She stood, and walked over to Haldis, who was speaking with the dwarf. Tabrîl could not remember his name. 'Haldis,' she announced, interrupting them. 'I need to gather provisions in the forest. You will follow?' The woman's earlier warning that she should stay close had not been forgotten, and although Tabrîl would rather have gone alone, this seemed now the only solution to her.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis broke off waiting for the dwarf's response to her rebuke and stood, sheathing her knife, "I will come with you, Tabrîl. We started with many provisions, and still have enough, but I had not expected our party to grow larger so quickly."

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf stopped, knelt down and tapped Nami's shoulder as he made ready his bow whispering "Look, down the hill, behind those trees on the right"
A bit further down the hillside stood a deer feeding on a few short, evergreen trees. The deer had powerful legs, fur with a golden touch and several white spots tinkling in the moonlight. It stood peacefully chewing, not knowing of its faith.

By the look of it the deer was no more than 50 meters away, well exposed in this part of the forest, it being less dense and lit up by the glowing moon.
"Do you want to make the first shot?" Quickleaf whispered to Nami.