Never cry, wolf

TA 2907

Gildor's POV

A few days later I had to worry about our supplies in earnest. I could hunt, yes, but only meat and bread hardly made for what I considered a satisfying meal. There weren't rhevain near either who could have helped me out. I had checked for signs already. To reach Imladris on foot would take several long days, and the way back even longer. And to take Raven with me to the valley was out of the question yet. He did not want to go, he was terrified of the idea alone. And had we gone, chances were that somebody was bound to find things strange about him.

I was not good at scrying if I had no specific focus to scry for, and I did not wish to contact Elrond if I could help it. So I could either walk, in which case I would have to leave Raven here, or I could waste a considerable amount of energy on scrying for a non-particular contact.

At least the weather had cleared up, I thought wryly. Raven had a curious sleeping rhythm that had him awake until dawn and then sleeping until afternoon. At the moment, he had curled up on a blanket outside the cottagesleeping in a patch of sunlight.

So I went into the sunny forest that morning and circled around for a while, checking for signs of danger near before settling at the foot of a beech and turning my mind to an earnest attempt at scrying. At this time of the year several wanderers drifted into the general direction of Imladris for cover and protection. After a while of tentative lookout someone became aware of my scrying and completed the connection. The feel of that someone was not utterly strange.

'Feather? Now that is what I call luck'

'Aye, Caltor. What is wrong?'

'Nothing. I need someone to run errands for me – I am at our cottage in Eregion and can't leave. My companion can not travel far enough to reach Imladris and our supplies are running out'

Feather took a moment to think 'We are at the crossing of Mitheithel and Bruinen, on the Mountains' side. Give us two days and we will pass near Dol Erui. That should be a day's or two walk for you to meet us. We will wait there'

'That would be enough. Don't go farther out of your way'

'Wait a moment' Feather vanished from my range 'We have enough supplies – what we can spare should last you for…several weeks if you're not picky. And two pack horses to spare – take them and when your companion can ride, come to Imladris for the winter'

Feather closed the connection before it became too great a strain. I waited for the dizziness to leave before I got up and returned to the cottage. At least luck had been with me this time. I would have expected Feather to be somewhere near the Rath Morthil for the winter, with the Wild Elves. But he obviously preferred the cover of the valley for the snow-season. Well, luck for Raven and me. Feather was not the one to meddle with private business, if I asked him to keep Raven's existence to himself, he would.

Raven's POV

I woke shivering when the sun had vanished behind the trees and left my spot in shadow. Gildor was not around, and I felt restless. Sleep always brought disconnected scenes that could not be called dreams, and it disrupted the continuity of the waking world. Whenever I woke, it was with the feeling of despair on my heels, snapping after me like wolves teasing their prey. I could cope with nightmares filled with Orcs – I had got myself into that, I could get myself out of it again or deal with the consequences.

But not with dreams that were memory more than dream, of my people. They made me want to go back, and also told me I could not and did not really want to. To go back now, without Niy'ashi – that was worse than staying out here alone or with only strangers.

Which posed another problem. The situation was all open and unresolved – I was here with Gildor, and dependent on him. I was at a loss here, having no idea whatever had to be done in and around a dwelling like this, and felt fairly useless. I could not pay off some of my debt by hunting and securing some of our supplies. I could not even hunt for myself, furred or unfurred. Even if I turned wolf I would only spent a miserable winter of scavenging and sleeping in foreign territory as I was in no constitution to run with a pack.

I shook my head, trying to drive away the clinging feeling of hollowness from the dream-world. I had to clear things, at least try, though most did not seem to lie in my power.

Walking did not help. I crossed and re-crossed my own path, meandering through the forest restlessly. The sun sank lower. If worries were like wolves, to run from them was inviting them to give chase. When the shadows lengthened in an early dusk I felt like dropping down where I was. Everything drove me away from company until I had figured things out for myself, but despair was stronger. I was alone without Niy'ashi. And as much as I loathed the risk of admitting it, I did not want to be.

When I reached the cottage once more I stopped at the edge of the clearing, suddenly feeling my legs would not carry me one step further. Gildor was in front of the door, chopping fire wood into small sticks. All that I had meant to ask, to say, dropped from my mind and for a moment I was paralyzed and unable to grasp any clear thought. The feeling was similar to the shadow paths gone wrong, with only twisting nothingness around me. Whatever faced me in that world and here, in the waking world, it was too great for me to cope with. I dug my hands into the rough bark of an oak beside me, unable to speak a greeting.

Gildor noticed me nevertheless. He hesitated, then stuck the hatchet into the block and came over. He halted a few steps from me.

"Come inside" he said simply and held out his hand. I transferred my hold on the tree to Gildor, thinking I would fall into emptiness if I let go for one moment. Gildor deposited me in one of the chairs and gently disentangled himself from my grip.

It took a considerable time until I felt sane again. Curling up in the chair I watched Gildor light and stake up the fire in the main room. My heart refused to calm down, setting me on edge as if I was anticipating an attack and was ready to run. Only when the Elda pressed a cup with some steaming liquid into my hands I realized I was thirsty and hungry.

It was dark outside. I shook my head slightly. Things simply slipped past. I was aware that Gildor was watching me worriedly, but neither did I have the energy to spare to react nor did the Elda press me for answers.

"I have to go meet with someone on the way to Imladris in two days" Gildor said when I finished the wine "Feather's company can spare enough supplies for us that I won't have to go the whole way to the valley, and he said they have horses as well. I must meet them some miles from here, or they would have to go out of their way too much to be on time for their own business"

I looked up, terrified "I can't stay here alone!" I said before I could restrain myself, clutching the arms of the chair to keep from jumping up in half panic.

"Why not?"

I made no answer. Gildor got up and knelt before my chair so that I could not avoid looking at him "I have to walk fast. You cannot possibly keep up that speed right now" he said gently.

"I can" I whispered stubbornly, wondering if I would beg if Gildor refused me. I forced myself to hold the other's searching glance and prayed for the right answer.

"Then we will have to start early tomorrow. We will be slower"

"We can go now"

"No" Gildor shook his head decisively "I will not travel by night here if I can avoid it" He did not comment on my current constitution anymore and instead announced he would better see to our travel gear then.

The next day was still clear, but colder than the day before. We started out in the grey of dawn and reached the end of the small forest at sunrise. We paused for a moment and watched as the shadows retreated across the grasslands. I bit my lip. What seemed like plains to me were probably just meadows to Gildor, and the seeming vastness of this land did not help my feeling at all.

We crossed the grassland and entered sparse forest on the other side again. The land started to fall gently as we moved away from the mountains and towards the river-crossing. At midday we rested for some time in a light fir wood before moving further westwards. Gildor stopped every few hours for my sake. By late afternoon we had reached the thickly forested land near the rivers. Here young birches and ash made up most of the trees, interspersed with meadows and bush-grown areas. There were many brooks and we stopped at one near dusk.

Under the trees it was darker already, and I took a moment to recognize the tracks in the soft mud. The brook flowed into a wider space there, and the banks were smooth and muddy. Several animals came here to drink and bathe, I could tell by the tracks, but I had almost missed out the few paw-prints of a single wolf as I came down to the water to drink as well. I knelt and laid my hand beside one of the tracks, thinking longingly of wolves.

I missed them. The soft sounds wolves made, the smell of their fur, simply their presence.

"Wonderful" Gildor looked at the tracks sourly as he refilled our water-flasks "That is just what I need. Wolves. Probably Orcs as well"

The print was as large as my hand. Gildor crouched down and looked at me quizzically when I sat there for a long while, lost in thought "How come I think you don't feel very worried?"

"Because I don't" I looked at him uncertainly. For a moment I just wanted to say the truth, tell him everything right now "There are no Orcs near. Even if there were, you need not worry the pack would attack us with them"

"It hardly matters if they attack together or one after the other, don't you think?"

I had nothing to reply to that. It was fully dark when Gildor woke me. I stared at him, aghast. I had not meant to sleep, let alone so long. I had not even realized I had fallen asleep, and I still felt utterly exhausted. I swore violently, making Gildor raise his eyebrows in amusement at my collection of curses.

"So you can speak some more Sindarin" he remarked dryly when I had finished "I suggest you save your breath, because we will have to go on now"

It was long after midnight when we stopped once more. I walked behind Gildor in silence, using every shred of energy I had to keep up. I'd die before I asked him to slow down I swore silently and counted the seconds.

The place we chose for our next rest was not the ideal campsite. There was neither water nor any cover, only a ring of low bushes before the surrounding trees. Gildor dropped his pack and stretched. There would not be a fire tonight, which was fine with me. I knew he wanted to know what connected me to the wolves, but he remained silent after a look at me. He also swallowed any remark or question concerning my condition and we shared some bread and dried fruit in silence. The moon rose late and behind a veil of high mist. Wolves began to howl, not very far away. Several voices joined in, and it was hard to tell their location. I started out of my half-doze and almost dropped my bread. For a moment I stared away into the darkness, caught in the slow unravelling of the wolves' messages.

"Who hunts in this country?" I asked.

Gildor shrugged "Anyone who cares to. It is not settled land"

I frowned, but said nothing more. Wolf-speech was hard to understand when I was unfurred and did not have the immediate understanding of the wolf. I was not really sure what they were talking about.

Gildor's POV

We reached the valley at night the next day, some hours after dark. I stood listening for a while, but could make out no sounds to give me a clue. There was a small area of higher ground within the shallow valley. That was a common meeting place, and it was logical to go and wait there as Feather and his group would either already be there or come straight to the place when they arrived. As it was late evening of the second day I surmised they were already there.

"There is-" Raven said, but then the huge hound crashed through the underbrush and bounded around us, giving a short bark which boomed through the still night "- a dog coming towards us" Raven finished.

"Rhyn" Feather's voice ordered sharply out of the shadows "Daur. Sorry" he added to me, leaving his cover "There have been wolves around all through the last two days and we let the hounds loose to keep them away. The beasts followed us all the way from the South Downs, since the Rangers had trouble there with them" He embraced me warmly and greeted Raven as well "The hounds are on edge. We won't let them hunt, it never works out well when they fight with wolves"

I glanced at Raven, who looked uncomfortable but remained silent. The four other elves with Feather I did not know. I saw two of them only briefly, as they were keeping watch and disappeared into the trees as we passed. Just as well, I thought. Less questions.

There were seven horses picketed in the clearing on the hill and a small pile of supplies. After a brief greeting Raven sat down at the edge of the clearing, trying to fade into the background. He fought valiantly to stay awake but finally complied at least in so far as to close his eyes. The dogs stayed away from him, sniffing suspiciously from some distance. Raven growled softly when he sensed them near and they retreated. I watched him curiously for a moment, but then had to turn my attention to Feather.

"I thought you were with the Rhevain" I said as we sat down for a moment "South, or maybe near the ruins"

"Not this year" Feather said "We were in the ruins this spring, but not long. Then they went east to trade what they found. I had been there last year, and Tharbad did not draw me that much. So I went to Imladris instead"

I grinned. Tharbad was a well-known hazard, among the rhevain especially "Why then are you here now? You come from the south, don't you?"

"Ah, not really. I was on my way back from Mithlond and met some rangers. They had trouble with wolves going for the little villages, near the Downs. I had no message to carry back to Imladris, so I went with them to see what was going on. But with the beginning of winter the wolves retreated, don't ask me why. We had assumed that the cold would bring even more near the village pens" Feather shrugged "So we are now on the way back to the valley"

"Don't you think there's a hitch? With the wolves, I mean. Something worse you are in for than them?"

"Hm. The thing with the orcs fleeing because the trolls are coming? Don't know. We scoured every bit of forest from the coast to the foothills of the Hithaeglir and back, and there was nothing strange. Well, the rangers will tell us if anything happens" Feather got up "Come on, I'll show you the hayburners we can spare"

As he had said, the beasts were pack horses. Bulky and slow, but calm, good natured creatures with shaggy pelts. I would have no trouble keeping them at the cottage which only had a small, half-open shed. The whole thing was not built for permanent living after all, either for elves or horses. Like the other horses of Feather's small company the two strayed freely among the trees but came to us at a call.

"Plough-horses" Feather said with a wry smile "There was a farmer who had them to spare after getting two younger ones. The only time you will have trouble is going off with one and leaving the other. It works, but I tell you it's hard work"

"I don't think I'll have to" I said "We need some basic supplies, the rest I can provide by hunting or for once using my rhevain knowledge"

Feather grinned "Wild onions"

"Among else"

"Do you really want to go back tonight?" Feather asked later as he and I distributed the supplies and loaded them on the two horses "We can stay a day or two before running late. Your companion does not really look fit to move tonight"

"Hm. I would" I tightened the straps to secure the packages and leant against the horse "I don't think Raven would be pleased to…have so many people around"

"So many people?" Feather laughed softly "If we are many, I can see he does not want to go to Imladris"

I shrugged "So he says"

"What do you know about him?"

"Little. And less I can tell" I smiled apologetically and Feather grinned "My. Mysterious, is he. So-" he clapped a hand on the horse's rump "You have supplies. You have horses. You know the way to Imladris, I assume. See you either this winter or – well, sometime" he smiled and added "Take care, wanderer. The lands are not nice any longer. But that you know as well, I guess"

"I do" I said wryly "Don't worry. And I think we'll see each other at least once this winter – supplies, you know"

We walked back towards the mountains until some time before dawn, leading the horses. Feather's words about the wolves lingered in my mind, as wolves howled several times during the night. At dawn, we stopped in the place where we had rested the day before and picketed the horses carefully lest they got spooked and ran. The wolves were nearer, and I felt my skin prickle uncomfortably. I watched Raven, who suddenly appeared tensed as a bowstring.

"They are more to you than just occasionally friendly creatures" I stated, eliciting a startled glance from the dark elf. After finding Raven in the company of wild wolves east of the mountains that was a self-evident truth. For a moment Raven looked as if he would speak, but then said only "Yes. They are friends"

"And does their friendship extend to leaving us in peace?" I wrapped one of our blankets around my shoulders.

Raven looked up abruptly "Let me call them"

"Are you mad?" I snapped "I want to return alive"

"I…you…they will not harm us" Raven seemed flustered.

"I am glad they are not here, what the hell do you want to call them for!"

"I need them" Raven whispered "I have grown up with wolves. Please"

I was mystified. As far as I knew Raven would burn alive before begging for anything. But was that a reason to risk serving as wolf dinner? No.

"Raven, I value my skin intact. And I am in no mood for a thrill. Leave them where they are and be glad they seem to have no interest into widening their menu. You have heard what Feather said. These are not tame beasts, th-"

"I know" Raven interrupted me hoarsely "They have no interest in eating us. They are fleeing! It -" he broke off "I will show you. Look"

He walked to the edge of the clearing. For a moment he stood listening, then he – howled. I leaped up. I would have never believed anyone could produce such an utterly wolvish howl. Even the best imitations of the most skilled hunters retained some…elements of well…imitations. I was fascinated – and then enraged. I crossed the distance between us and spun Raven around. Before I could say anything Raven said "Wait. Please. Just wait"

He took my arm and walked back to our packs to sit down, tightening his grip on my arm. For some reason not clear to myself I obeyed. I was too curious, I supposed.

"There they are" Raven whispered some time later. I did not bother to nod. I had seen the drifting shadows and the reflecting eyes. The light was grey and misty under the trees. It heightened the impression of danger. So close. The leaves and undergrowth rustled softly when the wolves came into the clearing. The horses whickered softly and shifted a little, but they did not panic. I tensed. There was nothing between us, nothing to keep the wolves from attacking. There was a soft thudding on the dead leaves as the wolves drifted around us. I had never seen the beasts so close before, except the few times I had actually killed them. And I had no spear now. Only a knife. Four wolves.

Raven squeezed my arm slightly and shook his head. I followed his eyes – and looked directly at one of the wolves. It looked back with sharp yellow eyes, taking my stare and turning it back on me. I dropped my gaze hastily.

With some effort I kept my eyes down, not feeling well in leaving the predator out of my vision. Raven released me. The wolves came closer, and I could sense the movement of air as the beasts passed, I could smell them, feel their hot breath as they sniffed at me. I concentrated on their fur, the motion of their paws and legs. After a while I felt their scrutiny pass and they concentrated on Raven.

With much more directness. The wolves nudged him and sniffed all over him, leaning into his touch. For a while Raven avoided direct eye-contact but then something shifted in their interaction and that rule seemed out of operation. For all I could see these wolves could have been hounds. Raven held the head of the wolf that had stared at me before in both hands and pressed his brow against hers for a moment before letting her go. The wolves settled around us, never approaching the horses or touching our packs.

"She leads" Ravens said softly, stroking the wolf's fur slowly "This is her pack. They are…I have no words in Quenya" he looked at me helplessly "If you…they will stay here for a while…you need not keep watch. I…will sleep. They will not…they won't do anything. Just…you ignore them now, and they will ignore you…you could sleep, too"

I frowned, trying to find an intelligent answer to the jumbled words. I looked at the wolves in the clearing and back at Raven, shaking my head. It was one thing to speak to beasts or to understand them, but this – and with wolves – there was an absurdity to this that ran counter to anything I had regarded as stable laws before. You did not trust wolves, just as you did not trust Orcs.

"I don't think I feel like sleeping right – now and here" I said tightly, wondering if I was angry or simply at a loss. Raven curled up on the grass as if nothing had happened, one of the wolves rolled up at his head. One left the clearing and the remaining two settled at the edge under a bush.

After a while I got up and walked over to the horses. The wolves watched, but did not stir. These were mortal horses. I did not trust very much in their reasoning – right now though, they were puzzled but obviously took my word for it that things were fine.

Wolves. I wondered what Fairё would have to say if she were here.

I waited until midmorning. With the wolf lying half across Raven I would not move to shake him awake, so I once more settled on calling his name. The wolf pricked his – her, I remembered – her ears. She glanced at me, giving me another of those blood-curdling stares, but looked away first.

Raven's POV

I had slept deeply, feeling calm and quite safe with the wolf's presence so close. I did not want to get up, to leave the wolves. It took me a moment to shake sleep off. Late morning, I could tell by the slant of the light. I sat up and looked at Gildor. I would have to explain this. Things had got out of my hands since Gildor had found me with the wolves, back with Caladur's elves. I had not meant to be so stupid as to call the wolves to me, but…well.

The wolves drifted after us as we started off once more. They had fled from whatever trouble had been at the South Downs, but this was wolf land. There would be fixed territories here, and as long as the wolves travelled alongside us, the resident packs would not attack them. I wondered if they would actually stay on until we reached the cottage, or drift off to seek unoccupied land along the mountains' feet. I could not say how long or how far we had walked. I only realized that Gildor had stopped when the horse I was leading halted. Gildor dropped the rope of his own horse and walked back to me. He shifted the packs on the mare's back and tied her rope to his horse in front.

"Get up"

"What?"

"Get up. Now that we have horses you can at least ride" Gildor pushed me towards the mare and boosted me up, ignoring my protest.

"Just see that your wolf friends stay a safe distance from me. We will reach the cottage by nightfall this way"

A little while later I was glad I needed not walk. The shifting walk of the horse made me sleepy, and exhaustion tugged at me. Gildor was setting a brisk pace indeed, and we did not halt, except for the horses to drink at a brook that afternoon. I braced myself against the mare's withers and closed my eyes, listening to the swish and thud of the horses' hooves on the ground as we went. The wolves were still with us, but when we came out into the wide meadows the wolves kept to the forest and drifted aside. I looked up, feeling strangely detached from the present as I stared at the stars high above that seemed to sway as the horse walked on. The wind blew strongly here, unchecked by any trees. The wide open space reminded me of the dunes, the shore. Which brought me sharply back to the present. I had not solved anything yet. Probably I had only made it more complicated.

When we reached the cottage I helped unload the horses and supply them with water and hay in the half-open shed at the back of the cottage. I had not noticed it was there, but since hay and straw were stored here as well as fire-wood occasional horses were obviously planned in. We lugged the supplies inside. Gildor stored the things away and I flopped down on the bed, unable to keep sleep at bay any longer.

Gildor's POV

It was long after midnight and I still sat in front of the fireplace, trying to concentrate on a book. Glinael had brought it from the Imladris library some time ago, and I wondered what he had done to get Elrond to lend it to him. The lord of Imladris tended to be very touchy where the library books were concerned.

Fine. And Glinael forgot to take it back and now Elrond would probably tell me off for keeping it here so longAnyway. This was an old, leather-bound volume about hunting and nothing that could help me now, not even for distraction. I had wanted to go to sleep several times now, but kept waiting. I could sense something was wrong, or rather, that Raven was so screwed up that it reflected on me without even touching him. I would not have hesitated to wake anyone else, but this was the first time in days that Raven actually slept. I did not want to wake him before I truly had to. I could judge by his tossing that he was not having a pleasant rest, though. Finally I snapped the book shut and went over to wake him.

I had expected Raven's reaction to be violent, but not an attack. Raven made a strangled sound, snarling something that sounded like Orcish. I barely managed to catch his arms to keep from being hit. Whatever nightmare was holding him was obviously neither deterred by the seals nor intending to release him without a fight. At least his dream-induced attack was clumsy enough that I could shake him off and push him back on to the furs. Reaching Raven's mind at the same time I met only blank panic. Raven stared at me for a long moment, panting. When I loosened my grip he twisted up and scrambled away, backing against the wall, a look of wild fear on his face. For a moment I thought it was because of me, but a little probing with my mind told me Raven was still – somewhere else.

"Raven" I sat down at the edge of the bed, trying to fathom what was going on.

"No" Raven had cornered himself by backing away and cast a haunted look around, seeking escape "No" he hissed again "I won't. You can't make me!"

"Raven! I am here. I am not going to make you do anything!" I reached out a hand slightly without making any earnest attempt to come closer. Raven ducked, his hair falling before his face. He made a swift, fidgety movement to brush it back, shifting as if ready to leap. He didn't react to my calling his name. I could not reach him at all. I made a quick grab and once more caught Raven's wrist "Raven! Hell, listen! No, LOOK at me" Raven sucked in his breath and jerked up his head. His eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on me after a moment. He blinked "Gildor. Please. Let me go. Let me go!"

At least he recognized me, I thought, trying to calm my own pounding heart. I let him go, knowing suddenly that if I ignored his plea now I would never be able to win his trust. Raven retreated even further into his corner, staring down at the furs and struggling for control. It was not so much what Raven had experienced that terrified him now, I could sense that, it seemed – more general. His remembering had only been the trigger. Whatever had happened, it was not about me.

"Raven?"

He was quicker in control again than I had expected "I – I'm sorry. I…had a…nightmare. Have I…hurt you?"

"No" I said "No you haven't. I won't make you do anything. I won't. Alright?"

"What. Have. You. Seen?" Raven demanded in a startled hiss.

"Nothing" I said evenly "Nothing that would give you away. Only that you're frightened, and I don't know why"

"And that is nothing? That is…everything"

I hesitated "Maybe it is. If it is, you'll just have to trust me on this one. No. Don't look away again. Look here"

I laid one hand on the bed, palm upward "Take my hand. I am not going to hold you. I promise"

Raven glanced at me, the same fleeting glance I had seen him give anyone whom he had to deal with of Caladur's clan in the past days. He looked down at my hand for a long time. This was not about what I had done in the cave, not about fea-raika. Raven seemed to have got over that fairly quick, in a way

I could not say how much time passed. I kept my own eyes down, avoiding to look at Raven. Finally he reached out slowly. His hand was shaking as he placed it over mine, ready to snatch it back.

"I won't hold you" I repeated "You take my hand now"

Another long hesitation. I could neither see nor sense what was going on in Raven's mind. He blocked both direct probing and unfocused empathy. I had to find out how he did it. Any healer with empathy would be dying for a way to block it out occasionally.

When Raven finally closed his fingers over mine his touch was gentle and shaky. I felt relief wash over me. Raven looked up suddenly, puzzled "You are – happy" he blurted. He let go of my hand slowly and gave me a wary, almost weighing glance "Why?"

Being shielded against my probing obviously did not prevent him from sensing me "Because I thought I was going to lose you" I said.

"But- what do you want with me? What…can you expect - ?"

"I want nothing, and I expect nothing, Raven. Fea-raika did not open your mind to me, certainly not as much as you seem to fear. What I have…seen of you was mostly limited to the moment" I said carefully "What was going on at that time. I did not read your mind or see any secrets"

Raven looked tormented. He still had not moved. I got up to bring some distance between us "At least come out of your corner. Do you want something to drink?"

"Y-yes"

I brought him a mug and a jug with water and stowed both beside the bed. Raven had dropped some of his tight shielding and I could sense the turmoil behind his calm bearing painfully clear. I could also sense Raven's unwillingness to acknowledge it and knew it would be wrong to address it in any way yet. So I left him in peace and retreated into the small sleeping room after banking up the fire for the night.

Chapter Notes:

According to the Atlas of Middle-earth the Company of the Ring took 14 days to reach Hollin Ridge from Imladris – I assume the cottage would be about 9 (or more?) days on foot from the valley for a swiftly travelling elf or on horseback, but only about two from the meeting-place Feather proposes-.

Dol Erui: (S) "the first hill"/ "the lonely hill"

Rhyn: (S) hound

You'll have to wait for chapter 34 on my list to find out who Feather is…

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