Prompts: seabirds, Curufin and Nerdanel, delight
The seaside
Curufinwë Atarinkë hadn't seen the Sea before. He clapped his hands delighted, as he observed everything around him.
"How come there are so many pebbles?" he wondered out loud. He was in the age when everything had to be questioned.
"Because the Sea has polished big rocks smooth," Maitimo explained.
"So the Sea is a bit like Atar, then?" Curufinwë asked, clearly impressed. "What jewel is that?" he asked.
"It's not a jewel, it's a sea-shell," Macalaurë pointed out kindly.
"Oh," the little child said, sounding a bit disappointed. "I bet Atar could make them much prettier." Fëanáro smiled in the background, proud of his son.
"Hey, let's go to the water already!" Carnistir shouted. He set our running towards the sea and the waves.
The family was finally on their long awaited for trip to the seaside. Usually when somebody suggested that they should visit the shore beyond the mountain, Fëanáro would say they had other plans or that he didn't want to run into the Teleri, and then they would end up visiting Aulë or going to Formenos. This time they had at last come to the beach (not far from Tirion - actually, one could still see the light of the trees in the distance), after persuasion from both the children and Nerdanel.
The older brothers set out after Carnistir as they raced to the shore, Huan faithfully following Tyelkormo. Fëanáro walked behind them, just to make sure everything would be alright. Certainly both Maitimo and Macalaure were old enough to take care of the situation should anything happen (you never knew with Carnistir), but Fëanáro still decided it would only be for the best if he kept an eye on them himself.
As little Curufinwë tried to follow them with his small feet, Nerdanel lifted him gently into his arms. "You can go later, dear," she said, "when the waves are not as high."
Curufinwë pouted. "I can handle the waves," he said. "I'll just tell Ossë I want them to be lower."
His mother laughed. "Wouldn't you rather sit with me?" she asked her son. "We could build in the sand, or look for treasures in the sand, or look at birds..."
Curufinwë had a thoughtful expression. "You tell about the birds," he said.
"Certainly I will," she said.
They say together on the beach, and Nerdanel began pointing out various birds. Curufinwë sat by her side, listening silently, occasionally asking questions about what a certain type of bird ate or where they lived and Nerdanel told him all that she knew.
The others came back from splashing in the waves. The children began telling what they had done. Maglor showed his mother another, bigger, seashell whereas Tyelkormo explained how he had been the only one not to fall over when an exceptionally big wave had crashed in. Fëanáro merely rolled his eyes and laughed at the enthusiasm and the delight of the children. Nerdanel listened patiently until all her sons had got their say.
Curufinwë listened to the others as well, but when they were finished he grabbed his mother's hand and said: "I know now more about seabirds than any of you do!"
"Now Atarinkë, I am sure you do," Nerdanel said and kissed his forehead. Curufinwë glanced at his brothers somewhat smugly. Because how many times had they had a private lesson on marine biology with amil?