Chapter 2
With a chain of chives in my hair, I turned the corner at the edge of a large rock face. I was looking for a good place to begin climbing. Traech was sniffing loudly and I turned to her with every intention of placing her atop my hat as a lookout. She had already begun climbing me and she leapt off my head onto one of the low growing branches of a Weeping Willow. I was starting to smell what she had been sniffing at. Above me was the extending scent of rum and unnaturally strong body odor. Moving the long whip-like bits of the Willow out of my way as they grabbed at me, I tried to see who or what was producing the stench. I caught sight of Traech just as the being let out a grunt-like groan. Traech was clawing him with her fangs bared, clearly thinking of what should be done with the sack of food that hung off his shoulder. Tightly tied as if the creature was deeply concerned for its contents; it had a branch through it and the food was entirely visible to the cat. It grunted again and rolled over flinging Traech to another branch of the full-bodied Willow, and falling with a thud to a newly dented area at my feet. Looking around and blinking as if to bring its surroundings into focus, the creature settled its eyes on me. Sprawled in front of me was undoubtedly a man. Only a couple of heads taller than I, and in much worse condition, he shook his blonde strings of hair out of his face and spoke. "Well... I suppose we could stop somewhere soon for some food?" Scoffing at his lack of manners I pulled a long chive from my hair and stabbed him in the cheek with it trying to get his attention. He seemed to have fallen asleep for a moment with his eyes open, between his own words. He took it in his teeth and used the tree to push himself up to a mock- standing position. Shoulders slouched and a cautious expression reached him as if he had just noticed that he had no idea who I was. This didn't seem to bother him for long and he began walking back the way I came. Something was interesting about this young man. So I cleared my throat to get his attention. "I'm headed this way." I said nodding my head in the direction that Traech had already decided to head off in. Instantly spinning around, he followed me as if we had been travelling together for days. He reached up the tree with no effort and recovered his bag, ripping it wide open on the branch. I reached to mend it but he just turned it upside down so that the tied end was on the bottom, and he fastened it to his belt next to empty holsters that should have contained things like knives and perhaps an axe. "Where are you headed?" I asked in a polite tone that I was once told was annoyingly inquisitive.
"Depends, where you head'd?" He looked up in enough time to see my irritated expression. Placing his enormous, and obviously homemade, hat on his head. Laughing to himself at what was evidently a good joke, he started walking a little slower. "Lets stop now." He said and walked over to a green, mossy rock.
"No we have to keep mov--" I cut myself short at the way he looked. He had planted himself and there was probably no way he'd move now so I considered it for a couple of minutes. I decided that Traech and I probably couldn't carry him very far, and the sun was nearly set anyway. I agreed to stop for the night and I asked him to make a fire.
"Yes... I think I just might..." He whispered through his laziness. I picked up a stick off the ground and set off to find some more blackberries to fill my hat. I found myself smacking the ground and rocks around me most violently with my diminishing stick. Traech caught my eye before I whacked her to the stars accidentally. Standing on a rock she told me that she was not happy with our new company.
"Not to worry Traech. I believe we'll only be escorting him to the nearest cliff." I told her and watched her roll off the rock in a fit of giggles. She landed in a blackberry bush that was illuminated by the tiny glint of the sun still clinging to the last hours of the day. Lifting off my hat, I thought of tomorrow's walk. We would arrive in Gondor soon.
With a chain of chives in my hair, I turned the corner at the edge of a large rock face. I was looking for a good place to begin climbing. Traech was sniffing loudly and I turned to her with every intention of placing her atop my hat as a lookout. She had already begun climbing me and she leapt off my head onto one of the low growing branches of a Weeping Willow. I was starting to smell what she had been sniffing at. Above me was the extending scent of rum and unnaturally strong body odor. Moving the long whip-like bits of the Willow out of my way as they grabbed at me, I tried to see who or what was producing the stench. I caught sight of Traech just as the being let out a grunt-like groan. Traech was clawing him with her fangs bared, clearly thinking of what should be done with the sack of food that hung off his shoulder. Tightly tied as if the creature was deeply concerned for its contents; it had a branch through it and the food was entirely visible to the cat. It grunted again and rolled over flinging Traech to another branch of the full-bodied Willow, and falling with a thud to a newly dented area at my feet. Looking around and blinking as if to bring its surroundings into focus, the creature settled its eyes on me. Sprawled in front of me was undoubtedly a man. Only a couple of heads taller than I, and in much worse condition, he shook his blonde strings of hair out of his face and spoke. "Well... I suppose we could stop somewhere soon for some food?" Scoffing at his lack of manners I pulled a long chive from my hair and stabbed him in the cheek with it trying to get his attention. He seemed to have fallen asleep for a moment with his eyes open, between his own words. He took it in his teeth and used the tree to push himself up to a mock- standing position. Shoulders slouched and a cautious expression reached him as if he had just noticed that he had no idea who I was. This didn't seem to bother him for long and he began walking back the way I came. Something was interesting about this young man. So I cleared my throat to get his attention. "I'm headed this way." I said nodding my head in the direction that Traech had already decided to head off in. Instantly spinning around, he followed me as if we had been travelling together for days. He reached up the tree with no effort and recovered his bag, ripping it wide open on the branch. I reached to mend it but he just turned it upside down so that the tied end was on the bottom, and he fastened it to his belt next to empty holsters that should have contained things like knives and perhaps an axe. "Where are you headed?" I asked in a polite tone that I was once told was annoyingly inquisitive.
"Depends, where you head'd?" He looked up in enough time to see my irritated expression. Placing his enormous, and obviously homemade, hat on his head. Laughing to himself at what was evidently a good joke, he started walking a little slower. "Lets stop now." He said and walked over to a green, mossy rock.
"No we have to keep mov--" I cut myself short at the way he looked. He had planted himself and there was probably no way he'd move now so I considered it for a couple of minutes. I decided that Traech and I probably couldn't carry him very far, and the sun was nearly set anyway. I agreed to stop for the night and I asked him to make a fire.
"Yes... I think I just might..." He whispered through his laziness. I picked up a stick off the ground and set off to find some more blackberries to fill my hat. I found myself smacking the ground and rocks around me most violently with my diminishing stick. Traech caught my eye before I whacked her to the stars accidentally. Standing on a rock she told me that she was not happy with our new company.
"Not to worry Traech. I believe we'll only be escorting him to the nearest cliff." I told her and watched her roll off the rock in a fit of giggles. She landed in a blackberry bush that was illuminated by the tiny glint of the sun still clinging to the last hours of the day. Lifting off my hat, I thought of tomorrow's walk. We would arrive in Gondor soon.
