Dogward pressed his hands down along the old olive-green hauberk he'd just donned. It was wrinkled, a result of spending too long packed under his other belongings. No matter. It was nothing a brisk walk through the damp morning air wouldn't smooth out.
Reaching down into the bottom of his pack, he pulled out his favorite, old green cap, pushing it back into shape with his fingers before setting it on the bed. A flow of fond old memories of years beating the bounds with that old cap atop his head brought a warm smile to his face, which quickly faded into a frown; one of the two feathers stuck in its rim was bent. That problem he rectified by rummaging through his larger sack and retrieving a shiny, black feather, previously plucked from a craban of Eregion. He was sure there were enough similar keepsakes remaining in the bag that its lack wouldn't be felt at the upcoming event. The old feather he replaced with the new, and he examined the result.
It seemed fitting, really, placing the new, black feather next to the old, colorful feather. The old one came from a common songbird of the Shire, and was a stark reminder that Dogward was—and always would be—a proud, simple hobbit of his beloved homeland. Whereas the new feather came from a creature that many considered a servant of evil, providing a darker reminder of the things he had seen and experienced since leaving his home. Pairing the two plumes together seemed to accurately represent the merging of Dogward's past and present, what he knew and what he learned. Making him both the same as he'd always been, and a different person entirely.
He placed the repaired cap on his head and set at just the right angle, thereby completing the ensemble. An image stared back at him from the mirror, the same image he'd seen for the majority of his life, and yet he could see the differences his trip had made in him. He wondered if everyone else would as well.
Shouldering his trusty pack and hefting the much larger bag, he left his room, paid the innkeeper, and walked out the door of The Golden Perch. Dogward was finally returning home. Shouldn't he feel...happier?
