Part 5

The next morning after he had eaten his breakfast, Strider went out to tour the village. He walked casually around the circular village enjoying the outdoors.

The human walked deeper into the woods surrounding the village and found a small valley with a lake in the center. He slid down the shallow incline and made his way into the clearing. He had always felt calmer in the wild open spaces than anywhere else. Strider having grown up with elves was very much attuned to it, at least for a human anyway. He had also developed what most humans would consider some odd habits.

One of those habits was talking to the plant life especially trees. Although the human did not do it when others were around, he was much too embarrassed to be caught in the act of talking to a plant like it were a person. Such things often resulted in awkward stares from companions, even from elves.

This morning the human found him acting more elvish than human. Strider sat down beneath a large cherry tree and began to speak in elvish as if he were carrying on a conversation with it.

"Are you the new arrival?"

Strider nearly jumped out of his skin. He got extremely shy and felt his cheeks flush red. There standing behind the tree at the edge of the clearing was a young girl about his own age. He stuttered out sheepishly, "Um, yeah."

The girl looked over at the young man curiously. She had green eyes and auburn hair down to her shoulders. She wore a simple dress of a dark mossy green. She smiled kindly at the newcomer to her village, "I'm Pharra. What's your name?"

The young man smiled and slowly stood up off the ground dusting off his clothes. He remembered her now. He smiled, "I'm Strider, and I'm glad to see you again Pharra."

Pharra looked the man over carefully. She realized she had met him three years ago in Rivendell. They had soon become fast friends. He was a curious young man. She had often wondered at the strange habit of his talking to trees. She asked, "You were speaking to that tree earlier as if it was a person, do you do that often?"

Strider silently cursed himself for getting caught in his elven habit. "Sometimes, usually when I feel like I need to get things off my chest." He couldn't help but ask, "You think I'm crazy don't you?"

Pharra stared at him with her bright green eyes. It was like she was looking all the way into the heart of him. She stated smoothly, "No."

Strider thought back to the first time he had seen her. Pharra had been beautiful then, but she was even more so now. She had come to Rivendell to escape the damage done by the earthquake three years ago. Her entire village had been destroyed along with her parents. Pharra had not been alone however. Strider still recalled that she had insisted on helping to care for her best friend, Picket. The two had dwelt in Rivendell for nearly three months before they had left with Pharra's uncle who had come to take them to his village. "You had a friend named Picket. Is he here too?"

Pharra nodded her head, "Oh yes, my dear friend has not left my side. But you didn't go by the name Strider all the time. Only your mother called you that. The elves they called you something else." The twenty year-old woman paused for a moment trying to remember the name. "It was Estel wasn't it?"

Strider got a pained expression on his face and Pharra wondered if she had possibly said something wrong. She asked worriedly, "They aren't dead are they?"

"Oh no, they're not dead. It's just I don't think they wanted me around so I left."

Pharra walked over and put a comforting arm around his shoulders, "I'm sorry my friend. But I must ask what makes you think they did not want you around?"

Strider gave Pharra a sad smile, "I really don't feel like talking about it right now."

The girl gave him a sympathetic look, "That's alright. But I'm here to talk about it if you want to." The girl decided it was best to change the subject, "What do you say we go to my Uncle's? I'm sure Aunt Aquila will make a picnic lunch that we can eat outdoors. Picket will be so glad to see you!"

Strider was stunned, "Wait a minute. Your aunt is Lady Aquila? But that would mean Halabrad knew who I was all along!"

Pharra was shocked at the sudden outburst. "Yes. Why, would that be a problem?"

Strider shook his head, "No, not really. It's just he didn't bother to mention that on the way over here."

The girl pushed her wavy hair behind her ears and asked, "Would you have run away if he had?"

The young man realized that Pharra knew him all to well. He had forgotten how well they had gotten to know each other when she was in Rivendell. Not a bad way to start meeting your own race. Pharra was the first human besides his Mother he had the privilege to make friends with. "I don't know, maybe."

Pharra smirked, "You forget my friend just how well I know you. Come on let's go find Picket and we'll take you to Rainbow Valley. You're going to love it!"

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Later that night Strider was perched on the railing of a small gazebo. It was in the middle of the village and according to Pharra and Picket this was where they spent their evenings together talking. He leaned his head back against one of the supporting columns and could see the stars shining brightly above his head. He had had a wonderful second day in Tiriki and was quickly finding he liked it here. But that didn't mean he didn't still miss Rivendell.

Deep down inside the young man knew that he didn't really believe that Elrond had lied to him. He knew that the elf lord had only been trying to protect him. So he thought, why did I blow up like that? In all honesty the man believed that it was a combination of things. It wasn't the elf lord's fault. He had just brought the subject of his heritage up at the wrong time. Any other time and Strider probably wouldn't have taken it quite so badly. Would he have still been a little upset? Yes. Would he have called his Uncle worse than Feanor? No.

Strider wanted to go back to Rivendell, but felt he couldn't. He was too ashamed. No doubt everyone in Rivendell knew about what he had said. They probably thought he was just like everyone else in his blood line, quick tempered and arrogant. The truth was Strider wasn't any of those things. Or at least he hoped he wasn't any of those things. He couldn't go back because the rift between he and Elrond seemed impossible to span.

"Strider?"

The human slowly opened his eyes to see Pharra standing over him. She was dressed in a white gown and her auburn hair was pulled back away from her face by two intricate braids. Her eyes were gleaming and there was a look of deep concern on her features. He gave her a weary smile, "I'm just a little tired."

Pharra let out a musical laugh, an impish look crossing her features. "You should be after all that hiking you and Picket did today. Of course you are better off. When I went to his house, his mentor informed me he had already gone to bed."

Strider sat up and propped himself against the column behind him. Pharra hopped up on the rail across from him legs crossed dangling over the edge. Pharra was tall for a girl and therefore her bare feet nearly touched the stone floor of the gazebo. "Well, he took me all over the village and the surrounding wilderness. The only place we didn't go down was the trail that leads out of the city in the south. Where does that lead?"

Pharra's eyes grew dark. "That is called the Red Passage. No one goes down it unless they have no other choice. Wargs live all up and down it. Strider, don't ever go down there alone. Too many young rangers' make the mistake of taking a dare from the older ones. Some never come back."

Strider was slightly confused at this statement. "Why doesn't Halabrad stop them?"

Pharra smiled, "He has for the most part. But there are still a few bullies who will try and trick the young recruits they don't like. Uncle Hal only keeps them around because he is not high enough in the ranger hierarchy in order to dismiss them. He's working on it though."

"I can't believe that the elders would allow those people to continue after people have died."

"Well lad, that's not completely how it all works." Strider turned his head to see Halabrad standing behind him. The older man continued, "These men are usually very wealthy and in it for the fun of an orc hunt. They usually weasel their way out of such bullying by bribing the elders."

"Can't the rangers replace the elders?"

Halabrad leaned against one of the columns of the gazebo. "I'm afraid that would require that 2/3 of the captains vote to do so. Most of them are too afraid of these rich, arrogant pigs to do it. They provide the money needed to fund their campaigns." He rubbed his hand through his hair. All these captains need is a good strong leader to unify them. But where were they going to get one. "It seems pretty hopeless to most right now."

Strider's entire complexion suddenly seemed to change. His face became wiser and a strange light seemed to hit his grey eyes causing them to almost turn silver. He spoke softly, "There is always hope."

After he had said it, Strider wasn't even sure why. Some strange feeling had come over him and he had just said the first thing that came to his mind. Pharra and Halabrad were both staring at him oddly. It gave him the most uncomfortable feeling. He shifted in his seat and asked trying to change the subject, "Were you looking for me?"

Halabrad cleared his throat and rapped out, "Oh yeah. I was going to tell you that I'm setting out to go to Avonlea tomorrow. I was hoping you might go with me."

Strider recognized the name of the town instantly. That was where his mother dwelt. No doubt she was part of the reason he was being invited. The young man did indeed want to go. His mother had always told him stories about it, and he had always wanted to see it for himself. And Gilraen was no doubt worried sick abut him by now. Surely Elrond would tell her he had run off. "Sure, I'll go with you. Why are you going?"

Halabrad was glad the boy agreed to go with him. Perhaps together he and Gilraen could get to the root of the problem. Elrond had written him back giving him a scant idea why the boy had left, but it didn't explain it all that well. "I'm headed to a ranger conference. Several of the captains from around Mirkwood are getting together. The affair seemed so pressing the elders ordered me to go and see what all the fuss is about. Seems the men and elves aren't getting along, but I won't get all the details until I reach Avonlea."

Then a new idea struck him. There wasn't any real reason for the boy to sit in on those meetings. He would need to entertain himself while he was there. "Pharra, why don't you come with us? You can show him around the town."

Pharra's eyes lit up. She hadn't been to Avonlea in nearly two years. What fun it would be to go to that city again. And Lady Gilraen was always so nice to her. She was always the adventurous type and plus Picket was going away on a scouting mission, leaving her in the city alone. She clapped her hands saying with enthusiasm, "I'd love to go."

Halabrad smiled, "Good. Now you two better get home and get to bed. We leave first thing in the morning."

TBC...

A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long for an update. I really was planning on updating much sooner. But I had thanksgiving away from home, and then I had final exams. Anyway RL has definitely not been slow for me right now. I'm hopeful that Chapter six will get up a lot faster than this chapter. On to Reviewer Responses:

Fading-Lights: I'm so glad that you enjoyed the chapter. And I love your screen name. I hope you like chapter five.

Grumpy: Hello again my friend. Glad you like Aquila, yeah just what he needs right now.

Lindahoyland: Thanks again mellon. Your story is going well and I am glad you are enjoying mine as well. Hope you enjoy this chapter too.