Chapter Two (The Drughu)
Their first day was rather difficult until they could find and fall into a pattern.
Knowing better than to drink salt water, the boy only used it to wash the sticky blood off his hands after having eaten all that he could of the hare. Despite how thirsty he was he refrained from trying to slack it until there was a better source of water. He and Padfoot had wandered about, Harry enjoying the creatures they came across. A squirrel had crossed their path running from another squirrel which was chasing it. The boy laughed as he watched them run around the trunk of a tree until the pursued squirrel decided to start branch hopping. He soon lost sight of them and paid more attention to where he was walking when he'd almost tripped over a root and fell. Padfoot had huffed at him.
The dried up salt on Harry's skin was beginning to bother him and he would shift from one foot to the other as he used the free one to try and scratch at the back of his calves. His shell kept switching from one hand to the other as he made his forearms red from scratching. He whined in discomfort. Padfoot quickly led the boy to a trickling stream that he could hear. Both drank greedily from the water and Harry was happy to finally be relieved of the itchy sensations.
Then came the problem of when Harry had to relieve himself but couldn't ever remembering have done it outside before. Padfoot wasn't any help as the wolf seemed to be equal parts amused and exasperated with him. The canine went and butted his head against the boy's chest, pushing him back until he was near a tree and huffed at him. When the teen couldn't hold it any longer he finally succumbed to getting as near to the tree as he could. Padfoot laughed in a canine way when the boy told him to, 'not look'. It was with only slight hesitation that Harry dumped dirt, leaves, and such where he'd gone to cover it up.
Throughout the day they explored the woods completely curious about their surroundings. Harry stayed close to Padfoot not straying that far away as he felt safe with the canine. The boy found berries and flowers to eat while they traveled. They did stay close to their water source however and as the sun was descending Padfoot them a place to sleep. There were a few trees whose roots had not only grown close together but also pushed outward seeking room to spread and grow which created large pockets of empty space. Harry had to quickly back up to keep himself from being hit with flying dirt, moss, and grass as Padfoot dug and widened out one such pocket to make into a den. The teen watched his companion turn and then lay down and place his head upon his forelegs, eyes locked on the boy. Looking around see no other alternative, Harry very carefully placed his shell where it wouldn't get broken accidentally and set his sharp stone aside as well before curling up next to the wolf.
What the boy hadn't known and Padfoot was trying to keep from him from noticing for now, was that they were not alone in the forest. His keen nose had smelled a strange scent in the forest. While it smelled much like other inhabitants of the forest, it had a smell he hadn't ever smelt before. Padfoot kept his senses open, shifting out the sounds of his boy who kept moving about to try and get comfortable. He had to give a couple warning growls because of an elbow or knee jutting into his sides or stomach. Harry gave a petulant, "Sorry, but you're too hot! And I can't get comfortable." Eventually, he was able to fall asleep and even burrowed closer to his source of warmth as the the night fell.
The wolf kept guard as the child slept not shutting his own eyes until he was sure that whomever was watching had retreated. Even then, Padfoot slept light to awaken at the slightest hint or perceived danger to either himself or Harry. It was with hesitance that he left the teen sleeping as he went to go hunt for their breakfast. While out hunting he was on the alert for that strange scent that had lingered about. This was how it went for a few days until the routine was broken. He'd just rousted a rabbit when his hunt was cut off early due to hearing his boy scream. Rushing back to where he'd left him, he picked up the scent that lingered but hadn't approached them. There was a growl deep in his throat as he burst forth to see a stranger near Harry.
Harry had woken with a yawn and looked around for Padfoot, bolting straight up when he noticed the lack of the black furred canine. He was used to seeing him if not besides him, at least within sight of the den. "Padfoot?"
Crawling out of the den, he looked around thinking maybe he had to go pee, something that he seemed to share. Usually after they ate, and Harry washed in the stream, the two would wander the forest. Sometimes they would race each other which Padfoot always won. Harry would clamber around the trees, branches that he could reach he would sometimes hang from and see if he could spy any squirrel or bird nests. Other times as they were walking he would pull a blade of grass, hold each edge as he brought it to his mouth and would blow to cause a whistle sound. These things entertained the boy. And yet other times still they would return to the shore for a bit for the boy to play either amongst the waves or trying to build a woefully inaccurate wolf sculpture.
After drinking from the stream, he looked around again, fear starting to cause his heart to beat harder against his chest. He called out a bit louder, hoping that he'd see the wolf come through the foliage as he had before. "Padfoot?"
Stepping closer to where he thought he'd seen some berries last night, Harry went to go pick some from the bush. His hand was snatched causing the boy to let out a started scream. It had been more from shock rather than genuine terror having not expected anyone else to be around save Padfoot. The owner of the hand stepped through letting go of Harry's wrist causing him to land backwards on his butt. Scrambling away a bit he blinked up at the man as he took in the odd appearance. The man's body was squat and had short legs and a heavy brow. To Harry it looked as if he had run into a tree or rock wall with his squashed flat nose. He didn't have much hair but what he did have was as dark as Harry's own. The man's eyes though were as dark as his hair. The only thing Harry could think of was that the man looked tribal with his grass skirt.
The man said something which Harry didn't understand, but he was pointing to the berries that he'd been reaching for. From the expression on the man's face he hadn't wanted him to pick them. Tilting his head in confusion, the boy replied, "I don't understand?"
Standing, he saw that he was just a bit shorter than the man who wasn't a very impressive height. The man seemed to consider him then when he next spoke Harry was happy to understand him. "Don't pick. Poison."
"Oh." So those weren't good berries to eat then. It was a good thing he hadn't tried them before! It would have been awful if he'd eaten them and gotten sick. He didn't think Padfoot would be too happy with him either if he'd made that mistake. "Thank you."
Before much else could be said, they both heard growling and Harry's eyes widened when Padfoot was suddenly there, snarling. Seeing the man going to pull a flute from his belt, Harry didn't think that music would sooth the wolf who had come because he'd heard Harry scream. The teen ran at Padfoot getting in the way as the wolf went to lunge at the man. Grabbing at the black fur he shouted, "No! Padfoot, stop! Oof!" The breath was driven from him as he and the wolf collided when Padfoot had tried to stop and twist mid jump to try and avoid the boy. They both ended up ungracefully on the ground, Harry more so than Padfoot.
As he looked up from his position on the ground Harry saw that what he had first thought was a flute was actually a weapon! "NO!" He called out pleading. "Padfoot's a friend."
"He warg!" The man's eyes were a reddish color while Padfoot hadn't stopped his menacing growling and took a protective stance over the boy.
"He's Padfoot! Not a warg!" Harry declared stubbornly not knowing what a warg was, while he grabbed up at his friend's fur. "Padfoot, it's okay. He only stopped me from eating those poison berries. I'm okay. It's okay."
The man was looking between boy and wolf as Harry continued to pet Padfoot where he could reach and slowly slid himself up to a sitting position. Soon he was standing and pressed his face into the fur. He could feel the vibration of the growl through Padfoot's ribs. Harry kept his back to the blow pipe man knowing that Padfoot could break out of the teen's hold if he really wanted to. He didn't want his only friend to be shot but didn't want the wolf to attack the man who had kept him from being sick.
When Harry turned around it was only when the wolf had quit making the vicious sounds he'd been making and the muscles relaxed slightly which caused the boy to breathe in relief. Turning around but keeping a hand curled in Padfoot's thick fur, he saw that the man's eyes had faded back to black and the wooden weapon was tucked back into his belt. He said something in that language Harry didn't understand before pausing and haltingly stated, "Never saw a tame warg."
Somehow knowing that Padfoot didn't like being called tame had the teen quickly ask, "What's a warg?"
"That is warg," the man said pointing to Padfoot which confused the other two.
'Maybe warg is their word for wolf?' Harry wondered. Aloud he stated, "He's my friend."
The man looked dubiously at him but seeing as the wolf hadn't tried to attack the boy and seemed to have only targeted whom was a perceived danger to the child. Seeing as the wolf appeared to be behaving itself, the man laughed at having seen a tame warg. Or as close to one as they were likely to get. Then again, the boy looked not at all tame himself. That was one of the reason he'd approached and warned the wild looking boy.
"Come, eat food not poisoned."
Unsure, still not knowing who the man was had Harry look to Padfoot for guidance. The wolf was no help leaving the matter entirely up to the boy. Swallowing, Harry nodded and thought that something other than raw rabbit would be good to go with the fruit, nuts, and greens he would pluck. Seeing him nod, the man smiled which changed his face entirely and gestured for the odd due to follow him. Padfoot was going to start forward only after the man had but Harry called out, "Wait! My shell!"
Turning away, the teen ran back to the temporary shelter that he and Padfoot had been sharing to sleep. Taking up his shell, he smiled and felt a bit better as he retook a hold in the wolf's fur with his free hand. As they walked the man told Harry that he and his people had been watching the boy and the warg when they had detected a new presence in their forest. They had been watching wondering if the boy had been a child of the woodmen who had gotten lost. That was until they had seen the boy with the warg whom they had almost killed. The man would only emphasize that the reason was because Padfoot was a warg whenever Harry asked why. The man's people he found were called the Drughu but had a different name depending on who spoke of them: Drughu, Wild Men, Woses, Drúadain. That confused Harry especially when he found out about others hunting the man's people.
Furrowing his brow, Harry had wanted to ask who and why but at Padfoot's body leaning into his warned him against such questions. Pouting, he soon forgot his questions though when the man stated that Harry could pass for a wildling himself. It wasn't until they were at the man's village that it became obvious of something the teen had overlooked when he'd taken notice of the man's grass skirt; Harry was completely naked. It hadn't bothered him when he'd been by the sea, running about the forest, nor even here exactly. It wasn't as if his nakedness was the most odd thing to attract the villagers attention. That honor lay with Padfoot whom everyone was staring at with varying degrees of either shock, agitation, or even anger. Harry pressed further into Padfoot's side while the wolf was doing his best not to snarl at the people.
The duo were introduced to the chieftain and were offered temporary shelter after Harry had explained that neither he nor Padfoot meant them harm. It had distressed the boy at first when it took him a minute longer than it should have to drudge up his own name. It shouldn't have been that shocking though seeing as he didn't call himself by his own name when thinking. Nor could Padfoot say his name and as there hadn't been anyone else to talk to before it was something he just didn't think of. The unease passed quickly however as the chieftain moved on from that subject as well as after having gotten his answers about if there were any others coming from the shore and if so how many. The duo didn't see the chieftain again after he'd gotten Harry's promise that Padfoot would not harm any of the Drughu while they stayed there.
It was with the Drughu that Harry learned how to make a proper stone knife. He'd felt his cheeks warm learning that he'd made a mess of choosing a proper rock back on the beach. It had done its job though, so he supposed that he couldn't feel too bad about it. They taught him about what was edible in the forest and would continue to do so as the months turned cold. Padfoot still went hunting and at least now after being taught, Harry could actually properly clean and cook his kill. That had turned out to be another lesson of patience when learning how to make fire. Along the way, Harry learned the Púkel language which was what the Drughu spoke. It seemed only a very few of them knew Westron which apparently was what Harry had been speaking.
There were other tricks that the people taught him and in return he and Padfoot would help any way they could. One of the duties that he and Padfoot had were to help with making sure that others didn't encroach into their wood.
"Elves?" Harry murmured to Padfoot as they walked along the border of the hidden camp. They had learned their new friends didn't want to cross the river they called the Baranduin. Something about elves being on the other side. It just showed that they knew next to nothing of this place despite having lived with the Drughu throughout the late summer and autumn months. While Harry was having fun and learning all kinds of practical things and even had a blow pipe of his own, he was beginning to get anxious. He could see that Padfoot was as well. They both wanted to run and explore further afield than these woods.
The Drughu hadn't seemed too keen on talking about the elves nor of the horsemen that plagued the other tribes to the east. Yet, they could tell that the boy and wolf were eager to be off. The duo were talked into wintering with their friends and setting off in the spring. It would give Harry a chance to learn to survive int he colder months. When the thaw happened and spring was once again upon the land, the Drughu tried to get the boy to stay, but he needed to leave and head north.
Parting on good terms with the people, the boy knew he'd miss them but he couldn't help the large grin that crossed his face as he and Padfoot raced through the woods towards where the river was. Adorned in a pair of breeches -in case he ran into other folk- and with a satchel that held his few meager but treasured possession as well as provisions, the teen slowed when they neared the forest's end. Once in the open plains, he and Padfoot made for the river, using it as a guide as they followed it. The Drughu didn't have a map to give them, but had told them about the different direction and what lay in them, that they knew of. Whichever they decided, they knew that following the river for some time would be the best option. When they came upon a road they could decide from there where they would like to go.
They were cautioned though to be wary of men and elves. Harry had given his promise that he and Padfoot would be wary and on guard.
"Well, we know what's to the west, the north, sort of. What do you think is in the east?" Harry wondered from where he was lazing atop Padfoot as the wolf slowly walked along the river's edge. The teen was happy that the wolf was large enough for him to ride and didn't mind it. "I know that the Drughu said the horsemen were that way but that was more of a south-east direction."
Harry was almost tempted to go that way because since he'd heard the term, 'horsemen' he'd wondered if that meant they were half horse and half men. That was something he didn't ask about though, fearing to be laughed at if he was wrong. It likely meant men that rode horses much like he was riding Padfoot.
"You think we should go that way once we get to the crossroads? They did say there were mountains to the east." There were some across the river in a more south-west direction meaning that he and Padfoot would have to backtrack after crossing the river. That was something he didn't think Padfoot would want to do either. That way lay the elves and men the Drughu warned them about though. Those that had come to cut down their trees to make boats to go across the sea to never be seen again.
Padfoot tried to buck the teen off causing Harry to laugh and give in saying, "Okay, okay. We'll wait and see."