Túrin, however, was in no mood for waiting. He was pushing through the woods as fast as his legs could take him. Considering that he was a strong boy of thirteen used to wandering the forest, this was quite fast indeed. He had one plan in mind, and this was to find Nellas, climb a tree, and wait it out with her until Beleg and Mablung had both gotten very drunk and left him very much alone.

'Nellas! Nellas!' he called, hoping that she would still be spying on him and would be able to aid him. 'Nellas!'

There was no answer. The woods around him quavered forebodingly. Still he plunged on.

'Túrin! Túrin!' he heard Beleg calling behind him.

Fuzzy, budding acorns, he was gaining on him!

With no hope of outrunning the Elf, Túrin turned to the nearest tree for help. It was a thin, scrawny birch that screamed 'no help available.' Sighing, Túrin turned to the next tree. This one was a sturdy oak with spreading branches. It looked like a perfect place to hide. Túrin promptly scrambled up it deep into the high branches where he waited, breathing with the back muscles of his throat so that his breaths would be silent, just as Beleg had taught him.

Soon he spotted Beleg scouring about on the forest floor below. He was looking devilishly excited and kept saying 'ah-ha!' whenever he spotted one of Túrin's (many) footprints. Túrin had not yet learned to cover them adequately. Silently cursing his inadequacies in forestry, Túrin leaned back against the trunk of the tree and spotted Nellas.

Nellas was perched on one of the branches near to him. She put a finger to her lips, eyes wide. Túrin nodded and also placed a finger to his lips. Then they both looked down.

Beleg had stopped at the foot of the tree and was holding his hand against his chin making deep 'mmm' noises and even deeper 'hmm' noises.

'I think there might be a son of Húrin up this tree,' he said. 'What do you think, Mablung?'

Mablung, who was also standing at the foot of the tree, but not making 'mmm' or 'hmm' noises, frowned and examined the peeling bark where Túrin had first gotten a foothold.

'It is quite possible, Beleg, my dear, that a son of Húrin is indeed seeking refuge in this tree,' he announced. 'What do you think?'

'I said what I thought,' said Beleg. 'I was the one who first mentioned that there might be a son of Húrin up this tree, and I asked you what you thought. You answered with what you thought, so you should not have asked me again.'

Nellas looked at Túrin confused. Túrin mimed popping a cork, then he mimed drinking. Nellas giggled, and then quickly covered her mouth with her hands. But the damage had already been done.

Beleg glanced up suddenly. 'Túrin son of Húrin!' he called. 'Get down at once! And bring Nellas with you!'