Chapter 9

Valandalf looked around for a moment, suddenly being aware of a force he had felt earlier. All his fosterlings were save in this cave he had found. He turned to Astrilia, who was one of the more experienced elves outside the realms of theirs. She was also the one, who had claimed the first watch.

"Astrilia", he whispered. As if she understood, that he wanted to talk to her alone, she looked around suspiciously and came closer to the wizard.

"Yes, Master Valandalf?" Her long, dark hair shimmered in the moonlight, her pale skin a reflection of the moon.

"Astrilia, I will have to leave for a while. I think I will be back, when the sun rises, but I can not be too sure of this."

She nodded.

"Will you keep your eye on our dwarven friends? I don't want them to be hurt or frightened."

"Of course, Master Valandalf, whoever is your friend is mine as well." She bowed in front of him, showing a deep gratitude. "But allow me this question, Master Valandalf: why them?"

"It is not upon you to question my motifs, but I will tell you, why we can't survive without each other: it's in our hearts and in our thoughts. We're all one, my dear."

Without further explanation he wandered off.

Aneta drew her bow, tightly holding it to her as if it could save her from that strange figure right in front of her.

"Who are you?", she shouted.

There was no answer, just a strange-sounding murmuring.

"Who are you?" Her voice was louder, more demanding now.

Still no answer from this creature with eyes too big and hair too less. It was just sitting there, staring at her in one second, looking away in the next. What kind of being was this?

"It is an elf, precious. We hasn't seen elves in a long time, precious."

Precious? Who was it talking to? Was there a second being she couldn't see.

"Who are you?", she asked a third time, bow still in her hands.

"Who are you, we ask?" We? Aneta was confused. But just because this little thing was being cryptical didn't mean she could just shoot it.

"My name is Aneta, I am one of Miss Galadriels elves."

"Has it seen our precious? Has it seen our precious?" The creature suddenly started to hop around nervously with something on its face, that could resemble a smile. Really a strange behaviour, nothing she had seen so far. And what was the precious? Hadn't it just talked to the precious? Aneta was even more confused now.

As she looked back at the creature, it looked back at her. The eyes suddenly darker, looking more dangerous.

"Has it seen our precious?", it asked suspiciously.

"I don't even know, what the precious is." Aneta started to fear this creepy being.

"Maybe it has stolen our precious", the creature crept nearer to her. "Maybe it knows, where to find it. Maybe..."

"Stop it, you fool!" Out of a sudden Valandalf appeared through the trees, holding his staff in one hand. At its end a dark red ruby sparkled and bathed Aneta and the creature in bright red light.

The creature shrieked, held one of its thin arms in front of its face and ran away into the wild.

"It is dangerous out here alone, Aneta, my friend!"

Thorin had talked to his father about his doubts. But he had not been listened to. Still he felt uneasy, suddenly sure, that there was something going on. Something dark and mysterious, which soon would reveal itself.

He left through the main entrance of his home, passing the massive bridge made of stone. He wasn't too sure where he would go. Maybe just a few hours out in the wild would be, what he needed right now. Maybe he was in need of thinking - outside the walls of his grandfathers kingdom.

All thought of doubt, of regret were soon swept away as he raised his gaze. He heard it, before he actually saw it. He would never forget the the sound of a stroke of a dragons wing.