Chapter 14
She worked her way around the boulder to the downwind side, delicately stepping over a rotten log. Thick green ferns concealed her footing so she used her foot to gently bend the top layers back. A faint light spray of leaves appeared for but a moment in the sea of green. Lilluil bent over the plant so that she might see it better without it moving. When the lacy green leaves stilled she was able to confirm the tint on the tri pointed edging. She reached into her basket and slid the small herb knife out from it's niche woven into the side.
Moments after she had removed it from the small sheathe it was knocked from her hand. The arrow glanced off the rock and disappeared beneath the thick ferns. She froze.
~Do not move.~ She wisely chose to stay still. A soft thump announced the landing of one of the hunters from the treetops. She could not move to better see him but she could see him move by the movement through the ferns although she could not hear his steps.
He circled around her until he was directly in front, she could see the lower arch of his bow, strained. ~Rise, but keep your hands in plain sight.~
She followed his instructions. Slowly straightening, she ignored the weight of her basket as it slipped down to her elbow. She studied his face, but it still took a minute before she recognized him. He was the one who had accompanied Legolas in approaching their camp.
He would recognize her. He would tell Legolas. It was not necessarily a bad thing, but she wasn't sure she was ready to accept the northern tradition of divine choosing. A little more time to judge the authenticity of the custom. The warrior stepped closer removing the basket from her arm and sorting through it. Putting it gently on the ground he reached for her hood.
~I'd rather you didn't. It's raining quite heavily right now and most of my other garments are already wet or drying.~
He stopped. Thought a moment and withdrew his hand. ~My apologies lady, I did not recognize you beneath your cloak. Are you from the village?~ ~No, a smaller little colony, why?~ ~One of our number was grievously injured and we are in need of silver fern and Sucor plants, do you know if your colony has any of the two?~ Sucor and Silver fern? For injuries right? Was the elf blind? She bent down and grasping a handful of the lacy plants severed them from the ground. First she tucked the small knife back into the basket, secondly she sorted out all of the sage leaves, for later. Finally she held up a handful of lacy silver tinted fern and wispy dark green spray of leaves that had the sharp sent not in the least quelled by the rain. The archer stared at the plants for a moment before delicately taking hold of them. She let go and watched with extreme amusement as he tucked them into a side pouch and bowed low.
~We are eternally grateful lady!~ then louder ~We've got them!~ A flurry of movement and creaking branches and they were gone, assuming of course that there were more than just him. She hadn't noticed any others although it would be pretty foolish to call out to empty air. She watched the trees for a few moments desisting only when she realized that such a position allowed rain to pelt into her hood and soak her clothes beneath, which defeated the purpose of a cloak to begin with. Her basket wasn't full but she had lost the mood to collect herbs.
She worked her way around the boulder to the downwind side, delicately stepping over a rotten log. Thick green ferns concealed her footing so she used her foot to gently bend the top layers back. A faint light spray of leaves appeared for but a moment in the sea of green. Lilluil bent over the plant so that she might see it better without it moving. When the lacy green leaves stilled she was able to confirm the tint on the tri pointed edging. She reached into her basket and slid the small herb knife out from it's niche woven into the side.
Moments after she had removed it from the small sheathe it was knocked from her hand. The arrow glanced off the rock and disappeared beneath the thick ferns. She froze.
~Do not move.~ She wisely chose to stay still. A soft thump announced the landing of one of the hunters from the treetops. She could not move to better see him but she could see him move by the movement through the ferns although she could not hear his steps.
He circled around her until he was directly in front, she could see the lower arch of his bow, strained. ~Rise, but keep your hands in plain sight.~
She followed his instructions. Slowly straightening, she ignored the weight of her basket as it slipped down to her elbow. She studied his face, but it still took a minute before she recognized him. He was the one who had accompanied Legolas in approaching their camp.
He would recognize her. He would tell Legolas. It was not necessarily a bad thing, but she wasn't sure she was ready to accept the northern tradition of divine choosing. A little more time to judge the authenticity of the custom. The warrior stepped closer removing the basket from her arm and sorting through it. Putting it gently on the ground he reached for her hood.
~I'd rather you didn't. It's raining quite heavily right now and most of my other garments are already wet or drying.~
He stopped. Thought a moment and withdrew his hand. ~My apologies lady, I did not recognize you beneath your cloak. Are you from the village?~ ~No, a smaller little colony, why?~ ~One of our number was grievously injured and we are in need of silver fern and Sucor plants, do you know if your colony has any of the two?~ Sucor and Silver fern? For injuries right? Was the elf blind? She bent down and grasping a handful of the lacy plants severed them from the ground. First she tucked the small knife back into the basket, secondly she sorted out all of the sage leaves, for later. Finally she held up a handful of lacy silver tinted fern and wispy dark green spray of leaves that had the sharp sent not in the least quelled by the rain. The archer stared at the plants for a moment before delicately taking hold of them. She let go and watched with extreme amusement as he tucked them into a side pouch and bowed low.
~We are eternally grateful lady!~ then louder ~We've got them!~ A flurry of movement and creaking branches and they were gone, assuming of course that there were more than just him. She hadn't noticed any others although it would be pretty foolish to call out to empty air. She watched the trees for a few moments desisting only when she realized that such a position allowed rain to pelt into her hood and soak her clothes beneath, which defeated the purpose of a cloak to begin with. Her basket wasn't full but she had lost the mood to collect herbs.