The Wind Fell Silent

10. The Wind Fell Silent

Third Person

After the company rested a bit on the Carrock, they decided to begin their steep decent down. There were in fact stairs built on the hill of stone, they were large and rather crude, which made climbing down difficult; the steps lead to a river, and beyond that, a grassland. Once they were down, the tired company decided to rest there a bit more and discuss their plans, and just how they were supposed to get out of their current situation, which seemed bleak. Yes, they had made it through the Mountains, but they now were several miles north from the path that they were meant to be following, with no food, or supplies, or ponies.

The dwarves, and little Bilbo began to despair, but Gandalf, being Gandalf, offered some very useful information, "Very few people live in these parts, unless they have come here since I was last down this way, which is some years ago. But there is somebody that I know of, who lives not far away. That Somebody made the steps on the great rock- the Carrock I believe he calls it. He does not come here often, certainly not in daytime, and it is no good waiting for him. In fact it would be very dangerous. We must go and find him." *Direct quote from the Hobbit (book)*

Arenna's Point of View

I knew of whom Gandalf spoke, though I had never met him. I had heard many stories about this particular Somebody, and had been anxious to meet him for some time, Dishna would not be pleased at my meeting him without her, but I was excited. The dwarves were very keen to find out more about this Somebody, but Gandalf would speak no more on the matter for the time being.

Eventually, the dwarves gave up on pressing Gandalf for any more information, and decided that their time was better spent bathing in the nearby river. I too decided that I could do with a good bath, due to the activities of the previous night, I reeked of goblin. So I slipped away and retreated upstream until I was well out of the company's sight, and bathed in the cool river water. Once I was clean, I removed myself from the water and dressed in my spare clothes. Upon further inspection of my ripped clothing, I was happy to find that they were in fact mendable, so I washed them and set them to dry in the warm sun.

I basked in the momentary solitude. I enjoyed the company very much, but it was nice to have some quiet once in a while. It cleared my mind and calmed me greatly, I was able to connect more to the earth when there were no distracting companions around. In the silence, I could hear the Hum, and I smiled to myself as the familiar rhythmic tones moved through my body. The Humming, or Kemlindale in my native tongue, can be heard by all sprites. It is the music of nature: each plant, each animal, each breeze or river hums with its own unique sound that melds together in a harmonious melody. In the distance, over the baritone thunder that could only belong to a river, I heard the hums of elms and willows. Of all the melodies, I liked the sound of trees the best. They were calm, and warm, but oddly mysterious and wise. I suppose that may be because I am a forest dwelling sprite, there are others who prefer deserts, or the ocean or grasslands, but I am a woodland sprite, and I like trees the best.

My stomach rumbled in unhappy hunger, and I was forced out of my meditative state, and the Hum diminished to a slight, whimsical tune in the back of my mind. It was time for me to return to the dwarves, though I was dreading it. They were sure to have many questions about the insignaterra, and I was in no mood to answer them, or endure the suspicious stares that would follow if I refused to give further explanation.

Kili's Point of View

After bathing in the river, the company found themselves refreshed, albeit hungry and a bit bruised. I was feeling rather optimistic, and found myself in high spirits. We were packing up our little camp when Renn stealthily slipped back into the crowd of dwarves, unnoticed. I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment at the sight of her as the memory of our awkward exchange returned to me. I shouldered my pack while mentally kicking myself, hoping that my rash actions hadn't scared her away.