Chapter 2 – Old ends and new beginnings
Midnight breeze was all she could wish for. It made the trees sing their autumn song. Summer was at an end and soon all would turn from emerald green to gold.
''Mother Earth sings. It is time for Luna to go back to horse men.'' – Ghan-buri-Ghan emerged from the shadows and took his place on a high rock jutting out of the hilly clearing. From this place all of the Druadan forest could be seen. It glimmered in the moonlight and swayed this way and that in rhythm with the wind.
''I am not ready. I like it here, will you not let me stay?'' - asked Luna. She had stayed with the Druedain for as long as she could remember. They had raised her up and taught her many things. ''Mother Earth sings. Wake up, hear her call. Open your eyes.'' – he said. ''But my eyes are open! What am I to see, what am I to hear? Where am I to go?''
'' You look but you do not see. Follow wind, river, moon. Mother Earth sings.'' – Ghan-buri-Ghan fell silent and listened to the howling of the wolves in the distance. He was the chief of the Druedain. His people believed that he could hear the tidings in the wind, see them in the sky. He was of short but sturdy build with leaves in his dark, tangled hair. His black eyes held the mysteries of the forest. As Luna stood next to him, she wondered why Ghan-buri-Ghan took her in when she was litte. She did not remember much of her past, only short and unclear flashbacks that came to her in dreams. He explained to her that he had found her wandering through the Druadan forest alone, almost on the brink of death, holding on to a wolf's tooth pendant. He brought her back to his forest house and tended to her wounds and her hunger. Since she could not recall her name, he called her Luna, for he found her at the night of the full moon. That was more than ten years ago and now it was time for her to go back home, her real home.
A couple of hours passed before Ghan-buri-Ghan left his rock and walked back with Luna, into the forest and towards the village. It was almost dawn, a break of a new day. Cold dew washed the weariness off her feet as she walked barefoot on the forest floor, her head hung low, full of thoughts. She did not know much about the world outside nor did she know anyone who would help her in the grassy plains. For the last decade, she had lived in peace with nature. The Druedain had taken her in and taught her how to hunt and use her strength. She was not tall for a human, only 5'4'' but she was surprisingly strong for a woman of her age and stature. Her hair was a copper brown shade that matched her emerald green eyes, both colours of autumn.
Ghan-buri-Ghan's forest house looked nothing more than a straw hut sticking out from a side of a massive oak. Inside, however was full of little jars with soil, seeds and roots of all kind. On the right, there was a mat made out of leaves and slender branches and on the left, adjacent to the tree was a little carved out space. The Druedain used those as shrines to communicate with forest spirits.
When both of them entered the house, the smell of herbs and flowers escaped from the inside. Her bag was ready, she however was not.
''Will I ever see you again?'' – She asked in a quiet voice.
''Ghan-buri-Ghan does not know. Maybe, after many suns set, the paths shall join again. Only Mother Earth knows but she does not tell.'' – replied Ghan-buri-Ghan. He walked over to the hollowed out place in the tree and reached for a wolf tooth pendant hanging above the opening. He grabbed Luna's hand and wrapped it around her wrist. - ''Remember the Druedain. Remember the forest.'' Luna looked at the short burly man in front of her and embraced him in her arms. She did not cry for she knew, deep down in her heart that she would see him again. She picked up her bag and left what had been her home and headed north-west.