It was quiet in the High Moors, .. the silent clopping of hooves gracefully passing through the forest could barely be heard, most animals were startled and surprised when they finally saw several riders passing through.. But the various badgers and foxes did not always flee, caught as if by a woven spell they were!
The riders had silver hoods over their heads and for most, this was the colour they were dressed in. They were fair and tall and even only their clean chins could be seen and the complexion on their hands, one would know they were beautifull in their own right. Pleasant to the eyes, enthralling even!
They did not speak, but the joyfull aura around them seemed to make the leaves of the forest colour more intensely and brought a greater brightness to the sunlight that covered this otherwise more desolate place.
Four of them were going upon a road that seemed to split a rising hill in two. Thick walls of muck they were on either side and Curugirion the leader of these riders admired the interesting patterns of the roots that stuck out from them. It was a blissfull morning, serene, pleasant..
"Mééé!"
.. He slowly opened his eyes and beheld this creature in front of them, he first had assumed it was one of the mountain goats that usually lived up higher in the mountains, but no. This was a young sheep. Black as a burned log, but near it's tiny hooves only it was white as snow. A curious little thing and they all halted for a moment.
The little sheep sniffed the air and then, perhaps strangely did not pay the riders any further attention. Deciding instead to dig in the muddy road, idle curiosity it seemed to be. It looked like a darling, perhaps a bit pampered even, quite uncommon in these wild parts.
"GOT YOU!!"
Curugirion's pondering ceased immediately while he looked up to the hillside on his right, Culir one of his scouts was up there and he recognised the neighs of his steed! Hooves now franticly trampling earth while panic rose from it's throat! Something had tried to surprise scout and steed, .. "Feawenil!", he yelled in his clear voice and the rider hurried up to see what had happened! Still she found only a Culir looking down the hill while hearing the gruff complaints from a loud angry voice!
Curugirion tossed his hood back, revealing his silver hair which shone in the sun's light. He made a clicking sound with his cheeck so his own mount brought him a bit closer to the figure that had slided down, face first in the muck and was now attempting to rise from the pile it lay upon, "This is not the wisest place to try and rob people, there where danger is so plentifull." Emmellin and Miridial both had their bows ready and aimed for the figure..
Leaves this man spat while a heavy hand was placed on the ground to push himself up. A harsh voice answered and wether on purpose or not it was ever loud that each word came from his mouth, "That is a mouthfull, coming from thieves!!" Eyes met, clear eyes that had seen ages come and go were now looking straight in brown pools with an impatient glitter of amber flecks on their surface.. There within lay a great anger in the coming.
Still despite this momentary stalemate it seemed that both parties were in fact caught by eachother's spells. The riders had seen many things in their lives, but this was a new sight and not the least impressive of the young things that yet walked on Arda, while the man himself unbeknowest to himself had his mouth hanging open a bit in something like amazement, but at what the riders could not say!
Miridial was the first to break the silence and her words were heated and carried the same rash youthfulness within them as the words that came from this young man, "We are no thieves!! We are Elves!!" Silence followed for a moment.. the man rubbed muck from his bearded face and woolen tunic, "You are what now?!" "Elves!!", she repeated! The man was having none of it by the looks of things, either that or he did not care, "You are a bunch of cattle thieves!! Tell me where Whitesock is!!!" He then took a step forward with his large foot, but barely had he set boot down or an arrow stuck from the ground inches from his toes!
"Perhaps it would be best to calm down friend, you seem to be distressed. As my friend here says, indeed we are Elves. We do not steal." The wild man's teeth appeared, two rows set upon eachother. A mean grin appeared. "Hrrehhh! Elves?!", as if he had not heard them before and only now came to this conclusion himself, "Noble folk that fight the wicked and help the needy and such?! Well!! If you claim truth in this and you say you are no thieves , than I have something to say myself aswell!!", a mighty fist bumped on his pridefull chest and a deep thump sounded from it as if a filled up drum had been pounded upon.
The scout Culir had joined them and aimed his own arrow upon the figure, just as Faewenil had done now. He was completely surrounded, but he kept staring at them in turn as if in challenge to dare shoot once more! Rather like a beast caught in a trap than a man, he must have been raised be the forest beasts! Miridial shouted out again, "Ai oi, first you falsely accuse us and then you wish to speak to us?!"
Curugirion answered in his returned calm, "Perhaps the first thing you should tell us is your name? Would that not be agreeable upon this meet?"
He made no objection and like a roar he offered his name, "Vilmott!" He then looked around, wondering if that had any impact on the Elves.. It had not or atleast nothing that he had expected or hoped for, "I will offer you all the choice to come to my aid!! I demand a toll!! Help me seek Whitesock and I shall consider then if you claim what you are!!" Then he folded his arms over one another and rose his chin defiantly. Awaiting his answer.
"What a brash one!", Culir yelled, he was not sure wether to be outraged or laughing! "We are Elves! We do not steal cattle!!", Miridial uttered once again, defenitely having chosen the first option that Culir had presented himself!
The others dutifully kept their aim true. In the meanwhile Curugirion's eyebrow rose.., "If you are looking for your Whitesock then we might offer you the knowledge that it had been standing right here on the road before you barged in upon us."
The man's eyes widened and there was an urgency in the tone now, "Whitesock! You have seen him?!!" He immediately placed his hands to his large mouth and began calling out it's name, far and wide did his voice carry startling many birds!! "WHITESOCK!! Come here!! Come!!"
"As for this "toll".. we decline.", Curugirion replied while the man was looking into the distance, untill his ear twitched and his hands lowered next to his hips.. "You deny to pay the toll?", he spoke with a voice like stones grinding eachother..
Curugirion made a gesture for the others to lower their bows thus showing that they had no fear of him. His tone held some authority now, "If you require aid it may be wise next time to ask first before insulting those you need it from. Still, if you go to the old ruins of this land you may find Elvish outposts or wanderers. You can ask for aid there and hope for more luck if your manners hold."
"Where did Whitesock go?!"
"If the sheep went anywhere it must be the opposite direction of your yelling!" (Which in truth is the very reason it ran away even if neither the Elves nor he had realised it in their moment of meeting.)
"WHERE?!!"
Culir observed the road and his experienced eyes easily caught sight of the tracks of the little hooves, "Further east , likely hiding in the ferns over there or beyond. It can not be too far away because there is a dead end in it's path eventually, unless it can climb." It was then that some of the Elves felt a certain compassion swell up in their chests, they would have helped this stranger if only they met him differently, perhaps he had truly startled them more than they cared to admit to themselves. Miridal calmly rose her voice and tried to speak, "Be at ease and you wi-"
"WHITESOCK!! WHITESOCK COME HERE YOU!!", the man roared out!! Unheeding of the elves around him and their bows! He rushed off into the green after where the trail had vanished.
Suddenly it was quiet again as if the chance meet had never happened. The riders shared glances and were perhaps not too sure what they had just witnessed...
