Malarta was always a bit of a strange girl. She loved to travel, not just simple trips to market and such, but she'd often simply wander away from home to explore far off parts of The Shire. Her family always knew she'd be a handful.

Born to a respected, if simple, family of farmers and trappers in Frogmorton, she never had any resentment or issues with her family's more grounded life. She, in fact, seemed to love working the land and catching the great frogs and such of the bog. She just simply wanted more from life. She devoured books about strange, exotic, animals and plants, talking about how great the farm could be with crops one can't find in The Shire. She read the stories of the great (if rare) Hobbit explorers, those who so bravely bucked the stereotypes to do great things. These stories took root in her soul, teaching her about both the glories and the dangers to be found in her dreams.

Malarta was a bit of a public nuisance as these dreams grew in her. Nothing terrible of course, but the Hobbits in her home didn't much enjoy a youth prone to climbing roofs to get a better view for her drawings, and it became a chore to have to send word to her no doubt worried parents that she had somehow made her way all the way to Scary.

Still, she worked hard for the family despite this. She took to cooking like a frog to water, the girl soon enough earning a reputation as a shockingly skilled chef for her age, a talent most Hobbits would agree is MUCH more valuable than wandering about making maps all day. She rather loved developing the skill as well, as it meant she could make herself plenty of snacks for the road.

Her family wasn't happy when she announced her plans to leave on her first birthday as an adult, but they understood this was a long time coming. There was much hugging, and more than a few tears, but Malarta was sent out with the love of her family behind her (after demanding she promise to write and come home often, of course), and a goat that was bought to celebrate from some Dwarf merchants that happened to pass through in a stroke of good luck.

As an explorer she's not exactly a Ranger. She has a knack for it, years of trapping in the swamp and such taught her a lot, but she is in her heart of hearts a true Hobbit. A bold, eager, spirit, kept safe by nice sheltered isolation. She's prone to getting lost, though of course she'll never admit it, merely claiming she's expanding her map's survey and such even when she's long lost the road. She also tends to expect the luxuries of home on the road as well. Obviously not foolish enough to assume every night should be spent on a soft down covered bed, but she expects a full Hobbit diet, with frequent breaks to eat and drink and such. This tends to make her travels rather slow compared to others unless she's prodded along.

She's not a complete rootless nomad, though. She returns to the Shire often, bringing with her tales and maps and samples of the food and plants to be found beyond The Shire's lands. Most of her neighbors agree it'd be best if she didn't come back just to fill other youths' heads with dreams of wandering as well, but it's rather hard to deny the joy in her voice when she talks.