It was a good morning to go search for some fresh eggs. I had seen a wild hen walking around when we arrived, and there she was again. I do not think she was happy of me taking her eggs, but the Elves in the camp were waking up and there would be nothing better for them to have with their bread than eggs and some tea from Rivendell, from the very last leaves of it. I also used a kettle to get some cleaner looking water from the nearby stream – it would be all boiled, after all.
I returned to the camp to Himwen and Laurelindo who were already awake when I left, starting to boil the eggs first, and then I preserving the water for tea, so none would be wasted. The breakfast was all round pleasant, and then I saw Parnard waking up, and to my surprise he kept eating the breakfast I had made, after Himwen told that it was served by me. He also suggested that I should have hunted the bird that laid the eggs, but he kept telling me his rude remarks.
I would have hunted the bird for him but only in one condition: that he would promise me to stop calling me as a ”cracker-eating varlet”, and in front of a witness to hear it. I would have told him so, but Lord Veryacano appeared so I kept that condition yet unsaid. We threw away the fly-ridden meat that was left into the camp before us, and then Veryacano asked me to hunt a fresh goat, and I would not have refused that for him, and off I went.
I indeed saw a strange, large goat chewing the cud far off, and it didn't notice me, and it was easy to make him fall. And fall he did with a heavy thud on a dusty ground, and I wondered how it got anything to eat there at all, as well as the animal seemed to have lived. I thought to myself that it's fur needed some cleaning off the dust before skinning and gutting it, else some of it would go into the meat.
I started to carry the heavy animal back into the camp and Parnard walked towards me, unexpected. For what, I did not know, but I told him to follow me back to the camp for a proper meal. When I got back into the camp I laid the goat on the ground started to clean it's hide, but others seemed to mistake me on how I was ”cleaning” it. I heard Veryacano saying ”no, no, no” as I was only dusting the goat's fur and was not even cutting the animal yet. Then he told me to lift it on the table and I was again interrupted by Parnard. He wanted to do it and so I let him, but at least there was less sand in it's fur now.
I was pleasantly surprised of him doing it, but him saying that it's nothing special amused me. What I was really surprised of was him helping in cutting the animal in the first place, and despite he made some good pieces of the meat for me to cook on the fire, he made quite a mess on the table. None the less, the meal was edible – but it could have been better, since the goat was old. Veryacano brought his own mix of spice from the Valley and enjoyed it with the goat meat, and I finally remembered that it was something that I forgot to do.
Veryacano called his falcon Hwesta and he is a noble bird indeed, and he fed the bird some raw meat, which he gladly accepted. In the rest of the day we watched the bird scanning the dunlending war camp, and heard Parnard telling his story about an orc which he had gotten killed by making it fall onto a rock. He is good with words if he happens to get in the mood. But also bad, as it has appeared to me. Thus far I will only have to tolerate it.
Eventually Hwesta returned with no news to tell about Anglachelm.
