Whether tis day or night, the shroud of shadow seems to weigh thickly upon the misted air of this particular portion of the dark wood. A din of distant thunder echoes from the direction of the Limlight, through the twists and spires of underbrush seem to bar any view of the river beyond.
Beneath this ominous emerald canopy does betray a strange sound of... laughter? Indeed, a slight din of a bell-like voice seems to decree in light exuberance from amid the twist and spires of aged roots and boughs. "So... so do we have to share our kingdom with the Ents, then? I mean... if its their forest, well... well... we could some of it, can we not? They could be honorary members of the Fangornhrim? And I shall promise to make a song for them, as the minstrel of our kith."
Gailglin offers this with obvious pride in his voice as the slender form stands proud, though his height is but a third of a full-grown edhel's. The soft shimmer of starlight wrought from his cloak shimmers amid flourishing waves, with glee ever-brimmed the young Silvan's countenance.
"But Gailglin," a voice protests from above. "You don't want to stay here do you? I mean... it /is/ their forest and... and I want to go home!" Rhibi is sitting on a branch, his booted feet swinging. Every now and then he bounces and the leaves sway, adding to the strange mix of light and shadow here under the trees. His face is, as usual, dirt-streaked. White teeth flash briefly in the dimness when he smiles; which he isn't doing at the moment. Instead, his small grimy face is unhappy. "Except.." he swallows hard, trying not to cry and his voice gets very quiet. "Except I can't find the way out."
Blonde-brown curls bounce up and down merrily as one small elleth in an unrecognizable silver and blue Aderthad dress jumps back and forth, fighting off the pretend yrch that were threatening the success of the Fangornhrim's future. Stopping quite suddenly at Rhibi's words, she turns to face him with green eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You want to go /home/? What about the Fangornhrim? We can't go home /now/!"
"But..." pipes yet another voice, from Taudhoron, dirtied with his hair all about him and perched on a tall root. "..Can we be the Fangornhrim? Aren't the ents already Fangornhrim?" He looks around uncertainly ere narrowing his eyes to glare briefly at Magliell. "Rhibi's right. I'd like to go home, too. To..to tell my aunt about this forest." He peers about and adds hastily, "That's the only reason. She might like to know."
Appearing in the shadowy realm, the figure of yet another young Silvan ellith breaks though the forest. Clad in a gown of the deepest sapphire, young Lilinel's lake-blue eyes grow big as she stops her dear mellon. Running over to her friends, perhaps a bit faster than her little legs were intended to run.
Catching her little foot upon a stick, the little maiden trips and tumbles though the dirt. Though her momentuim comes to a quick halt as she bumps into the one called Magliell.
Flying backward, and landing as so, she looks up to the Aderthad ellith, "'Cuse me, m'wady." Lilinel says as she scrambles to her feet, "Lwebe Fangwonheaum?" Her little aubrun eyebrows downcast slightly, "De Ka-night Protecr, will neber hear of such a fing!" She proclaims to her, a little toothless grin forms upon her lips.
Gailglin allows an audible 'huff' as he starts to shake his head indigently "We cannot leave, though? After all... if they are the Fangornhrim, and... we are the Fangornhrim, then... we will live together?" The wee Silvan's shoulders arch in light symmetry with his words as he levies a wistful smile, as if such an explanation were to satisfactorily solve the quandary. As if to add to his vindication, Gailglin chirps "They... can even play with us if they would like?"
As Gailglin speaks, the forest seems to shudder and grow darker.
Taudhoron leaps up to land on his feet, much alike to a startled cat. He swallows once, and speaks, "I don't care if they /do/ want to play with us, Ethir. I don't want to play with /them/." A stout stick is plucked up from his feet, branches already stripped and bark half-gone. He stalks toward the tree where Gailglin and Rhibi are, and peers up at his friend. "If only things didn't keep changing..." he mutters wistfully.
"Yes! I want to go home! And stop yelling at me!" Rhibi's voice raises angrily. Then he stops himself, and squirming around on the branch, scrambles to the ground. "We can't stay here forever, you know. Besides," he says, as reasonably as a 7 yr old can, "If we don't go home, we can't tell anyone where we've been. And that's half the fun of it." Bark dust and sap has now been added to the dirt streaks that liberally ornament his clothes. The forest grows darker and more menacing, but he doesn't notice in his earnest attempts to convince his friends. Squatting down next to Taudhoron, he delivers what he feels is a telling shot. "And I'm tired of eating nothing but berries."
The trees seem to bend down towards Taudhoron. If such dark trees, not very Entish by the look of them, had eyes they would certainly be staring hatefully at the young elf.
The Raavindonserke child wilts, his shoulders hunching up about his ears.
Taudhoron clutches his stick with a fist white-knuckled, and whispers loudly, "Do the trees look that way at everyone? Or do you suppose they hate me the most?" He braves quick looks to the other children, but soon resumes his wide-eyed study of the gloomy trees, as though they might do something while his back is turned.
Roots begin to spring up where before there was only hard-packed dirt. And then the dark trees begin to come closer to the young elves. It seems all is lost and the trees will suffocate them--
Gailglin seems absolutely, completely oblivious to any creepings or evil trees bent on destruction of little edhil. Rather does he stand with all the boldness his tiny body might muster, a smile in full bloom cross the wee Raavindonserke's lips as he chimes "But we have nothing whatsoever to worry about? Besides... this is... fun? We do not have to listen to the adults? We can just... play? And.. .we can take turns being Lord and Lady?" Casting a wistful grin toward Rhibi as he speaks the last, the golden edhel chirps in a soft laugh "I think Rhibi should be the first lady..."
"No," Rhibi says stoutly. "I'm sure they don't hate you..." The stifling moving roots stop his reassurances. "I don't think..." Crowding up next to Taudhoron, he takes a step backwards away from the twisted wood moving towards him from the front, only to bang into something that hadn't been behind him a minute ago. He shrieks and whirls around; and then stops. His eyes are wide with terror and he seems unable to say a word.
Taudhoron's eyes grow so very wide that they are like little moons shining from his darkened and dirtied face. A wild look is cast briefly toward Gailglin, ere he turns a full circle with mouth agape. A soft whimper, quickly stifled, springs from the little edhel's throat, and the branch drops from his nerveless fingers. Unlooking, a hand reaches for Rhibi, and the shorter child clutches the taller one's sleeve. Finally, he ducks his head down and begins to cry loudly.
But hark! the elf children need feel fear from the twisted trees no longer. For a great song lifts into the air, a tree-song, and the darkness lifts from the trees. The roots subside, and the walls of tangled wood retreat back to their previous position. Once again, the forest seems light and almost friendly.
And the reason for all this?
That ancient Sheperd of the Trees, the Ent, Stiffroot has come at last.
Still stumbling about upon her little feet, Lilinel's back is facing the other kids, her face however, facing the giant tree. She shrieks and spins around, as though to tell the others, but ends upon the ground laying on her back.
With on quick movement she pulls the stick that serves as her 'dagger' from it's place at her hip. Rasing it up to her face, she quickly throws it upon the ground; comparing the size of her weapon with the size of the tree. Jerking the long stick from her back, she jumps up to her feet. "Dwon't move!" The shaky words escape her lips. Holding the stick outward, her eyes begin at the trunk of the great tree and move upward to the branches slowly. Then as the air fills with song, Lilinel's lake-blue eyes gaze about, the stick falling down at her side, as she grins, tooth-less all be it, "See goys! I twold you de twees could move!" Her wods not as shaky this time.
Silent for awhile, first from ignoring the others in preference of her own private world where /she/ was the Knight Protector defending the Fangornhrim, and then out of sheer terror at the sight of the trees closing in on them, Magliell lets out a loud sob, trying desperately to control her fear in front of the other children. Breathing heavily, she stands up again, holding her stick out in front of her inspite of the lightening of the wood and the appearance of the Ent. Biting her lip, she shouts to it, trying to hide her fear in the loudness of her voice. "Hir Ent! Hir Ent! Do you have any food this time?"
An arm steals around the younger elf. "It's ok, Cabor. Stop crying." Rhibi's voice trembles a little, despite all he can do to steady it. "I - I wasn't afraid. It just kind of... surprised me." His arm tightens. "See? They stopped moving. The ent is here. He won't let them hurt us." Maybe his words are more to reassure himself than his companion, for his eyes are still wide with fear; and his legs are shaking.
Gailglin's dark brows in light inquiry as he watches the horror gain in fester upon his compatriots, though as coincidental as it may be... this diminutive edhel strays his glance back just as the roots subside. "What...?" queries he in a musical, dulcet voice amid his still light posture "I don't see... oh..." Pausing briefly, the flaxen-visaged youth offers in a warming mirth "That is just Hir Ent? He will not hurt us... remember?"
Following just behind the ancient anod, a figure wrapped in darkness deep as night comes to an unsteady halt at the edge of the reopened clearing. Stormy eyes dart between the children, clouded and bloodshot as they flicker with the flood of emotions. The ancient blade Anseregurth clatters to the earth, fallen from numbed fingers as the Herald of Galadriel falls to his knees, whispering, "Thank Eru..." His gaze shifts to Stiffroot for a moment, his wordless thanks apparent upon grim and weary features. To the elflings then he queries hoarsely, "Is this all of you?"
"Oh, hoo now!" says the Ent, looking back at Erinstar with his brown "lips" curved into a jolly smile. "I have not been so hasty since," he rumbles a word -- for about ten minutes -- in Entish, "was torn asunder from the world and slipped into the sea."
"Trees /do/ move, Lilinel!" Taudhoron cries, his terror still scarring his voice. An arm steals about his shoulder and he mutters sulkily to Rhibi, "I'm not crying." He scrubs a dirty hand across a dirtied face, smearing the dampness into a hopeless muck. His eyes draw up hopefully at Magliell's words and he whispers, "The ents...have food?" More of his fear sheds at the smallest edhel's speech. He eyes Stiffroot trepidatiously, and shrinks into himself again.
Suddenly, he jumps. "'Tis Erinstar!" crows Taudhoron, and he flings himself toward the kneeling adult. He skids to a halt before the Herald, a grin stretching his little face. The ent speaks again... and the child carefully sidles aside to put the adult between himself and the talking tree.
Blinking for a moment at seeing Erinstar, Magliell too runs up to him, light curls swinging wildly, "Erinstar! Erinstar!" She hugs his arm tightly, more relieved than she would ever admit to be in the company of an adult again. "Have you come to join the Fangornhrim? Well, you can't be the Knight Protector. That's gonna be me. I'll fight off all the monsters by myself!" Suddenly she lets go of him and backs up a step. "Wait a minute...why did you come?" She glares at him suspiciously for a moment before grabbing his arm and hugging it again. Extracting one of her hands, she grabs her pretend sword and waves it dangerously close to his nose. "You'd better have brought some food with you! The Ents never have any, and I'm hungry!"
Blue eyes still upon the giant creature, Lilinel's long stick at her right side. Falling into a whole new world for a moment, she looks up to the creature, bending her had back as far as it will go in the action; looking up to the sky. As little word escape the young maiden, it is hard to tell if the Ent would even hear her, as she is so small, "Hawloo up dare!" She says with her head still thrown back.
Then as the deeper words, elven words are picked up by the ears of young Lilinel, she spins back, her eyes falling upon the Herald. Once again her little feet take off over towards him, neary bumping into him. A little head still thrown back, she looks up to him. "Unkle Ewinsta-ah! Habe you come to gward us from de twees?" A twinkle in her eyes as she pulls on the side of his pant-leg.
The voice, not an ent, not a child; brings Rhibi's head snapping around, hope dawning in his eyes. Bare seconds after Taudhoron, he is across the clearing. Ingoring the other children clustering around, he flings himself bodily on the adult. Two small arms curl in a stranglehold around the Herald's neck. "Will you take us home now?" come the muffled words from somewhere around Erinstar's shoulder.
Sapphire eyes blink bright as the venerable herald emerges, though the crystalline eyes furl swiftly in doe-like blinks... before the wee Silvan takes in a sprint alongside his companions. Then, in an eager... and ill-timed voice... does Gailglin ask with the gentlest of implorance toward the kneeling Erinstar "Have you come to join the Fangornhrim?"
For a long moment, the Ent is silent. Perhaps he has fallen into slumber again?
But lo! soon he begins to shake and then a cacophony of rumbling laughter fills the air. It is like unto mirthful thunder. "Hoo now! These children are mighty hasty, Master Erinstar!"
The strong arms of the Aracarach wrap about the entire cluster of children, and a crystal tear streaks down his golden cheek. To them he answers only, "Yes", but to the Ent he turns and offers a weak smile as he rasps, "Hasty, aye. As is the wont of youth. For your own quickness, I am thankful beyond measure. I owe you my life, and any service it may provide." He leans over to plant a kiss atop Lilinel's golden crown briefly, before finally answering more fully. "Yes, we are going home. And while I do not have much upon me, there is some lembas and perhaps a bit of chocolate in my pack."
Taudhoron is pulled into Erinstar's embrace with the rest of the children, and he gratefully presses his dirtied face into the Herald's chest and sniffles a bit. His muffled voice is heard, "Chocolate? and lembas?" An onyx head pops up and he crowds Rhibi at the adult's neck to have a peek at the pack behind him.
Tugging softly at Erinstar's tunic sleeve with a now more timid implorance does a finally forlorn Gailglin ask amid soft pout "Erinstar... does this mean I cannot be a herald until I grow up... now...?" The wee Silvan's lips then twitch a touch as he stares up toward the graceful edhel with wide, cerulean eyes.
Green eyes go wide amazingly fast at the same time as small mouth forms a perfect O. "Chocolate? Oh, that's the best food there is!" Thoroughly excited, Magliell actually drops her stick as her small hands close on the Herald's pack, tugging on it in an effort to get him to take it off and distribute its contents. "Please give us food, Erin-y-star! We're hungry! Rhibi dropped the last of the lembas on the ground!" She turns for a moment to glare at said small edhel before focusing her attention fully on Erinstar's pack and whatever food might lie within.
Now that there is someone who can be in charge instead of him, Rhibi regains much of his earlier cheerfulness. He is not quite ready to let go of his refuge, but he does lift his head and loosen his arms a little. "I climbed a tree," he boasts. "It was a really tall one, too. And I fell in the creek. So did Hinloth," he adds, to be fair. Food taking his attention at last, he pulls himself up until he can see over Erinstar's shoulder. "I want some lembas too."
Looking up to the Herald, Lilinel's eyes sparkle like the purest blue of a lake. Tugging slightly at his garment, her attention is quickly destracted for a brief moment from the happings about her, "Unkle Ewinsta-ah, ma-ay I have a chocowate?" Innocents beams as bright as her tooth-less grin. Holding her head back, she looks up at him, a smile so big she wrinkles up her nose, her eyes squinshed shut.
"I told de otders that de twees were hidnen! And thwey didn't beiebe me!" Lilinel proclaims, "And wo-ok! Day do mo-ve!" She says still looking up at him, an alabastar arm extended pointing in the direction of the Ent.Magliell has disconnected.
Releasing them from his embrace almost reluctantly, Erinstar reaches out to muss Gailglin's hair as he unshoulders his pack easily. "I imagine you may deem yourself worthy of the title as soon as you feel ready too. But do not feel hurried to 'grow up'. It's not as exciting as you might think." Withdrawing a stack of wafers wrapped loosely in a cloth then, he begins to hand out the lembas as he smiles to Rhibi and then Lilinel. "Aye, that they do..."
The soft fret wrought across Gailglin's delicate features melts to a sudden, albeit contained joy at Erinstar's tousle. Then, as if in defiance of the ever-mussed up Rhibi, does the diminutive Silvan's hair again settle in gentle slope about his crown, assuming its former cascade.
"See, Rhibi...?" The youth chimes as he eyes one of his partners' in crime sidelong "I told you Fangorn was not such a scary place, but you did not believe me..." He then wags an accusatory finger toward Taudhoron in soft chastening "Neither did you." Then does a youthful warmth furl toward the two tiny ellith as he professes "Sides, we were together?"
Taudhoron steps back from Erinstar's arms, and brushes his matted obsidian hair from his face. A wafer of lembas is snatched from the Herald's hand with a wide-eyed grateful look given in return. Several quick bites take care of the waybread, and he licks his fingers for crumbs, a grimace given at the taste of dirtied digits. He glowers at Gailglin. "I was never afeared. I just...I think the trees hated me more than you, Ethir." He steps back again, and his heel touches a root. Quickly he scurries back to Erinstar's side, and whispers loudly into his ear. "Are you going to take us home, now? Will it take long?"
Accepting the lembas eagerly, Magliell wastes no time making it dissapear. "Thank you, Erinstar," she manages to remember to say between bites, chubby cheeks bulging with it and a few crumbs bespeckling her lips. She sits down, leaning against the Herald's leg, licking her fingers to finish the rest of it. Grasping her play sword and pulling it onto her lap, she gives a small yawn, blinking as she tries to stay awake. "You're...very..." She yawns again. "Nice..." Finally, eyes not able to stay open any longer, her head tilts to one side slightly and her breathing slows, as this little one falls asleep, small smile of content upon her face.
"No we weren't," Rhibi contradicts Gailglin flatly. "I looked and looked for you." He bites into the lembas blissfully, but one small hand is twisted into Erinstar's tunic as if fearful of losing him again, and fresh tear stains have rearranged the dirt adorning his face. Swallowing, he throws one last retort at the other child. "Just because you're too dumb to know when to be scared." Taudhoron's whispered question brings an emphatic agreement. "Yes. Let's go now!" Cautiously he looks around at the so-recently threatening trees. "They're all still, but they might move again."
In fact, the trees are all still. And in the midst of them is the Ent, like some great slumbering guardian.
Stepping back a little bit, Lilinel looks up at Erinstar with a puzzled look upon her face, and then steps back up to him. Tugging on Erinstar's leg she worries, "Unkle Ewinsta-ah, tell them you won't send us awa-ay?" She then re-takes her few steps backward and plots herself down upon the ground. "I dwon't want to go a-way, 'cause I was posta be de protectar of our n-ew real-m..." Her soft little words trial off. Her big blue eyes looking up at the Herald, "Do I haf-ta go hwome?" Her bottom lips puckers outward.
A few rays of sunlight peek down through the canopy of trees, and alight Rhossiell for a moment. A small frown is upon her, as she rummages the pockets attatched to her belt and finds no lembas left. She takes a last look around the tiny meadow which she found, and sighs deeply as she found nary a berry nor any other thing that an elf would deem edible. The little elleth looks quite disgruntled as she walks back to the place where the children had been staying at. Her deep brown eyes are wide at the sight of Erinstar, and all the children around him.
She walks over to them, stumbling slightly on the way. She stands beside Lilinel, as she has caught her last few words, and crosses her arms. Her mouth opens slightly as she says lowly, "You want ta' make us leave?" She pouts in the same way as Lilinel.
Erinstar nods slowly, reaching over to squeeze Rhibi's shoulder gently as he reaffirms. "Aye, I am taking you home. Home to your parents, and your friends, who are all worried to sickness about you." With an outstretched finger of his free hand, he presses upwards upon Linlinel's pouting lip and consoles, "But do not fret. There may yet be need for your prowess and bravery upon the road, for it is a dangerous one." A brief glance is cast about the wood itself for a moment, and he murmurs wearily, "We shall move closer to the borders tonight, and hope to meet with our kinsmen there. Perhaps our Ent friends may yet help us there as well."
Next Scene