Just as the whispers of the nightwatch sentries in Haldrith could be heard around the darkened ruins in the heart of Thinglad, a notable clattering broke the quiet as Xandilif rode in, dropping off her horse before the beast had come to a stop and looked around for her companions. She noted them near a fire, wearily tending to their gear and animals.
On the journey back towards Tol Lochul in Gondor from Breeland, they had paused here to rest and to scout the road ahead as winter was closing in.
The raven Galvra, sitting on Finch's shoulder looked thoroughly unamused and ruffled his feathers while staring at Lif with his beady little eyes. Finchley watched as the elf rode in and waved to her with one hand.
Eduwiges looked up and smiled, 'See anything on the way in? How’s the path to the Argonath?'
Aliandith stood by her steed, brushing it's mane and softly conversing with the creature in Quenya while Ellsabeth stood with her horse Artemis, having returned from exploring the nearby forest. She was brushing her horse and spoiling her, enjoying the feel of being on the road again.
Ellsabeth had joined the group just more than a week past, taking up their offer to ride with them from the Prancing Pony to Gondor almost at the spur of the moment, with only the belongings she could manage to pack in a few minutes shoved into a knapsack. She realized now, looking up at the stars in this beautiful location she had never visited before, that she had let herself stagnate in the Pony far too long, surrounded by the petty concerns and rivalries of Bree. Back on the road at last, she felt that this is what her parents had really wanted her to do…not to find a tavern to get lost in, but to see the world and find her true place within it.
Xandilif walked over and ruffled Babygirl's hair and then Galvra's feathers while looking at Eduwiges. "Grog. Still no snow all the way to the lake...should be quick and easy.”
Eduwiges smirked at the elf, 'Did you say grog?'
Lif rolled her eyes. 'Yes..GROG...gimme'
Galvra croaked and nipped at Lif's fingers, though he refrained from cursing as he wanted those extra treats Finchley had promised him. Finchley reached up and gently poked him on the beak. "Stop that." Galvra did indeed stop that but he didn’t look happy about it.
Xandilif grinned at the bird, knowing Finch’s orders left it an easy target. "Feck you bird, gordamn treat whore.” She dropped heavily down next to the fire...looking around at the woods. "Always hate this place...
Galvra said, "AAAAAAAAA!" angrily and flew off of Finch's shoulder to rest upon Destiny's saddle horn. The horse just looked to the bird and rolled its eyes as if to say, 'You started it'.
Eduwiges cleared her throat and tried not to laugh, 'Ahh, did you bring grog Lif? Don’t mind if I do…Grog is good for a weary behind after riding all day.'
Ellsabeth laughed as she continued to brush Artemis. "So is a good massage if you find the right person at the end of the day…but I think I am going to have to remember to pack Grog when I travel with you all."
Finchley sighed and watched Lif for a moment before moving to take a seat next to her, drawing her knees to her chest. "Eh, why do you hate it? It's pretty here. Though it always feels like we're bein' watched. Maybe they want it that way."
Aliandith turned to look at Lif with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, why do you hate this place?"
Xandilif grumbled and poked the fire with a stick..."If ya didn’t bring the grog what damn use are ya, Greyhound....” Xandilif looked around again. "As for this place, I don’t trust this many trees all together....
Eduwiges snorted and walked over to her pack and dug into it. She pulled out a skin half full of grog and her emergency flask of whisky. 'Fine, but you don't get any of the whiskey then, pissy pants...' She opened the grog, took a good pull and tossed it in Lif's lap.
Finchley grinned and poked Lif lightly in her armored shoulder. "Why, you think they're gonna start talkin' at you?"
'It ain’t them talkin’ to me I am worried about...” the elf took a long sip of Grog. “It is what they might be talkin about to each other...'
Ellsabeth glanced up at the trees as she thought about them talking to each other…and was suddenly nervous.
Xandilif took another drink. "As for feeling watched, it’s the sentries...
Finchley furrowed her brows a bit. "Well, don't they watch any outsiders who come through here? That's what Miss Cesistya said."
Lif nodded. 'They do...but mainly they are watching those two..' Xandilif gestured at Edu and Elsa with the grog. 'This place exists mainly to keep the horsemen out of Lothlorien so they don't leave messes everywhere'
Eduwiges laughed, 'They could not stop me Lif. I rode right through here after I left home. They were never expecting me.'
Finchley smiled, 'Ha, I doubt anyone could stop you from a good charge through, Edu.'
Eduwiges cackled loudly, the whisky warming her toes. She looked up at Finch, 'The elves here did not. I imagine they did not think I was worth stopping.' She got a pained look on her face and touched one of her scars. 'The orcs did though. Nigh to Lorien. They pulled me down and cut me up real bad.' She took another drink. 'They left me for dead. If it had not been for Oenone running on into the Lorien guards they would have never found me.' She thought for a moment, then shook it off and laughed. 'The elves have regretted it ever since!'
'Eh, they aren’t really worried about you, Greyhound, you stink of elves....” Lif tossed her back the now empty grog flash. “They are worried about those dour, hearty fellows camped over yonder with enormous beards who yell HO EORLINGUS before taking off their pants.'
Eduwiges stood up about to dispute that comment, when the hair on the back of her neck began to tingle. She softly cracked her knuckles and looked around.
The sentry nearest to their fire suddenly put a hand on his neck and looked around..."what was that..." and then he stomped into the underbrush after the motion he had spotted...or thought he had spotted.
Looking around cautiously, Edu noticed a strange shadow slowly creeping along the edge of the wall, even from here she could tell it stank of blood. It moved with the soft, horrible rasp of talons against stone.
Eduwiges pulled her sword Badu Druit into her hands and crouched. 'Get away from the fire and on your guard!' she whispered and turned to face the threat.
Aliandith tensed and drew her swords "She is correct... We are not alone..." as she prepared her combat stance.
Finchley noticed everyone's reactions and frowned, pulling herself into a standing position. "Wha--..."
Xandilif did not move, still lounging by the fire, taking advantage of the moment to swipe Edu’s whiskey flask.
The shadow crept past the spot where the sentry had been...one blood covered, clawed hand reached out and quickly rifled through the man's abandoned knapsack, coming away with a few coins and what appeared to be a winter hat.
The shadow whispered, apparently to itself..."OOOHHHHHHH...me gots a new hat..."' and then crept closer to their fire...it's shoulders seemingly festooned with dead animals.
Finchley peered over at the shadow and backed up a few steps towards Xandilif. "Is that--...?"
Lif nodded without looking up, sipping from the whisky flask then tossing it back on Edu's bedroll. “Yeah…it’s the fecking Kobold.”
Nik pushed his hood back and grinned, his glowing eyes flashing. "Henlo....Nik bring dinner. Say Thank you Nik..." The kobold dropped five dead rabbits and one dead cat by the fire.
Ellsabeth glanced at the stranger and pulled her Chakram off her belt just in case.
Finchley smiled and went over to scoop Nik up in a hug... but stopped short, noticing how he smelled. "... Remind me to give you a bath sometime."
Eduwiges watched Nik uncover and released her breath. 'Little one, you almost became a dead one..'
Both Elsa and Aliandith remained on edge, not having met Lif’s Kobold yet. Ellsabeth raised an eyebrow, 'Friend of yours?'
As Nik got settled, the sentry returned to his post none the wiser, rubbing his neck and looking confused.
Nik looked around...."Who snooty knife ear and girl who smells like the floor in Bree? You havin’ party?'
Finchley grinned and giggled a bit, sitting down by the fire again and patting the space next to her while looking at Nik. "Somethin' like that." She looked to the dead animals and still smiled though perhaps a little more weakly. "And uhh... thank you, Nik."
Eduwiges laughed, 'Ali, Ella, meet Nik, Nik is a, ahh, uhm, this is Nik...'
Ellsabeth looked uncertain, 'Friend or foe?'
Eduwiges said, 'Both? Can I choose both? Both.' and collapsed laughing, sheathing her sword.
Nik stood a little taller and looked proudly at Elsa, "Neither…Nik is king of Bree'
Finchley gigglesnorted. "Remind me also to make you that crown you wanted."
Ellsabeth noticed how the others reacted to the stranger so she clipped the Chakram back to her belt. She glanced over the stranger for a moment before saying hello.
Aliandith sheathed her sword and frowned a little. "What is this little thing...?" She inquired with great confusion.
Nik stood about three feet tall, currently wearing bits and pieces of hobbit gear, and was covered all over with short brow/green fur. He had a muzzle filled with tiny sharp teeth, glowing yellow eyes, large wombat-like ears and a suave, devil may care smile'
Finchley looked a little proud of Nik in his new, ill-gotten hat. "Ah... maybe that belongs to somebody though."
Nik tugged at his new hat happily and curled up next to Finch..."DOES...belong to Nik.'
Finchley just patted Nik on the shoulder and accepted the hat's fate as Nik's new headgear.
Nik glanced up from under his lashes and looked at Elsa, making a sound somewhere between a growl, a purr, and the mating noises of porcupines...' Xandlif snorted. “Ooohh…he likes you.”
Ellsabeth looked over the stranger. "Friend or pet?"
Xandilif sighed..."Mainly pain in the ass." Elsa just nodded dubiously.
Finchley scratched behind Nik’s ears, 'Come to think of it... What were you doin' while we were in Breeland, Nik?'
Nik shrugged. "This and that....y'know. I look for her in Pony...but no find her....'
Finchley tilted her head. "Look for who, Nik?"
Nik sighed deeply. "My hairy footed dreamboat...one day, Nik find her again, bite onto back of her neck and make sweet hairy foot love..then she have like 5 litters.'
Ellsabeth looked a bit ill, 'That was more than I needed to know.'
Finchley keeled over laughing, looking helplessly at Lif!
Xandilif shook her head sternly. "DAMMIT NIK, the girl is Shirebait. Ya saw that damn halfling girl all of once in the Pony ya idiot, and she told you if you got close to her she would beat ya to death.....”
Nik nodded eagerly. "That how I know she love me...I just got to show her that.'
'Dammit Nik, we are gonna end up having to fight our way through like 100 pissed off halflings cause of you one day.' Xandilif glared at Finch. “And stop encouraging him…”
Finchley was practically rolling, still giggling up a storm.
Aliandith tilted her head and pursed her lips. She didn’t seem as tense as she had once been, the creature clearly wasn’t a threat, but she certainly didn’t fully comprehend it either.
Eduwiges laughed, 'I am glad you are here little one. Especially after the fire.'
Nik touched one still slightly singed ear...his eyes going a thousand miles away. "No remind Nik....'
Finchley quickly changed the subject from the unfortunate occurrences in Linhir. 'Well, Nik, if you want to catch a lady, you could start by spiffing yourself up a bit. A bath first... Ooh, we could get you a little jacket..." Finchley began counting on her fingers, listing different clothing items...
Nik started to drift off to sleep, listening to Finchley recite..."Finchbutt?'
Finchley petted Nik. "Hmm?"
The kobold nuzzles her hand..."You OK in my book, Finchbutt....too bad you ain’t shorter" then he started to snore as Finchley looked like she was about to cry.
Lif just stared at her. “You’re pitiful, babygirl…you know this?”
And they all drank and talked into the night they would all eventually fall asleep around the fire, anticipating an early departure...only to all wake at roughly the same moment, mainly due to the cold...the fire had gone out, but that could not account for the frigid temperature. The cheery firepit they had fallen asleep around was now cold and aged and menacing, filled with molding charcoal.
Aliandith blinked herself awake and gazed around, confused…especially when her eyes land on the firepit. Immediately noticing something was amiss she scrambled up onto her feet and begun to sweep her gaze around the area.
Near the group was a slain sentry, from the state of his remains he had been dead quite a while, several other dead Sentries were laying about, as were a number of dead men dressed in the armor of Rohan....
Eduwiges came awake and stood up quickly reaching for her sword, she leaned down and touched both Elsa and Finch’s shoulders to rouse them.
Elsa hopped to her feet eagerly, on guard while Finchley rubbed her eyes and sat up, shivering a bit. It took her a bit before she knew something is off. She stared at the firepit and furrowed her brows.
As they all looked around they saw a dozen or more corpses, scattered as if after a battle...some just bones, others with small animals still feeding on them. As the grizzly sight settled in, they heard light, casual footsteps approaching through the dead leaves that litter the ruin.
Xandilif sighed. "Wonderful...." and rolled to her feet. "Babygirl...stay near me...Edu, can you get the fire restarted?
Eduwiges glanced at the wet, cold remains of the campfire and was about to tell Lif there was no chance when at the far end of the ruins, a man could be seen nonchalantly walking towards them. He was taking his time, unhurried. As he came closer they saw he was large and powerfully built, in a long red robe with the hood pushed back. As he rounded the corner towards them, Ali's blades glow intensely...'
Finchley hopped to her feet and drew her daggers, retreating back a few steps before positioning herself in a defensive stance. "I don't like this."
Eduwiges drew Badu Druit and whirled it into position. 'Not these fecking ones again!'
Ellsabeth was not sure what to expect so she was quick to grab her sword with her right hand and her Chakram with her left so that she was ready for whatever was about to happen...but she was clearly no longer lounging around the Pony.
Even as the others prepared for combat, Xandilif did not draw SilverWand, whispering to all of them. "Stay calm, don’t do anything stupid....
Aliandith kept her stance at the ready but did not attack. The intense glow of her blades was more than enough to warrant her alertness. "Halt, do not approach further!" she called out to the unknown figure.
The approaching figure smiled. His short gray hair reflecting the torch light slightly as if it were made of steel, his red robes seeming to glow like blood in the starlight. "There is no need to be concerned, I have come to talk...and you, first born, are not giving the orders here. I am.'
