Sorry for the delay, but sometimes work for money is more important than work for fun.

As a kind of redemption it's a bit longer this time.

Yes, Erintii it's hard without light, but that problem will be solved in the next chapters. And they have no lembas from Yavanna like those who followed Oromë.

But first I have to introduce some enemies… No more nice play. *fg* OK, some fun parts as well.

*Chapter 3: Friends and Foes*

Year of the Trees: 1110, wasteland in the north

The lone wolf had travelled a long way into the north, since he attacked the elfish women in the river. His appearance had changed when he reached the cave he was looking for. He wasn't a small ill wolf anymore, now he was a big and strong wolf, like the one, who was living in this cave.

Gorthaur, who he once knew by the name of Mairon hid himself well, after their master was caught and brought back to Aman. Orgoulun had another name as well, but he didn't use it anymore. Once he was Asctrion a follower of Oromë. He loved to hunt - maybe a little too much. He loved to see the fear in the eyes of his prey, like in those of the women in the water a few months ago. He liked to see them suffer from their wounds, refusing them salvation of a quick death. Melkor never had so a tender conscience like Oromë. He favored Asctrion for his skills and character and so he became Orgoulun, the Creature of Terror.

He was close behind Gorthaur in the ranks of Melkors lieutenants. Like Gorthaur he was so faithful to hide in the right moment, when the Valar finally overrun them. The shape of the wolf was only one of Orgouluns wrappings. By now he was very good in imitating one of the firstborn, beside his true shape, which changed from a shining Maia to a dark warlord, nearly as terrible as those of Gorthaur and Melkor himself.

An awful growl stopped him in his thought and he stopped. In the dark cave he smelled Gorthaur long before and now he was standing right in front of him in the shape of a wolf, like he expected.

'Orgoulun' Gorthaur realized 'what news do you bring from our enemy?'

Straight to the important things, Orgoulun thought. 'Which enemy do you mean? The one who caught our master or the enemy who pollutes our lands?'

'I thought they follow the Valar to Aman? Those few left should not be a problem to us. We just have to wait until your old master is back in his beloved land with them. They will be too distracted by the firstborn to look after those others. I guess we can care for them soon.'

Orgoulun shook his head. 'They are guided as well. I felt it! I hunted one of their women. She fled into a stream and the lord of the waters himself was there. I don't think they knew about him and that may be our advantage. I could go back as one of them and accidently discover Ulmo. They will distrust him as they distrust Oromë and we will have our fun with them.'

Gorthaur doubted the plan would be so easy. 'They will be suspicious if you suddenly turn up and if Ulmo discovers you first, you will lose their trust.'

Again Orgoulun shook his head. 'No, my friend, if I take the shape of one which follows Oromë, they will believe me. For the Valar make a big mistake, I recently realized. They brought back those, which we send to the Halls of Mandos. They gave them new bodies and erased their memories. Those in the eastern part of Arda will not know who of the others died. It will be a nice game for us – or me, if you have other plans for yourself. I saw one woman return. You may recall her, silvery hair nearly white. I think we had a lot of fun with her, after we discovered how to hold their fëar in their höra long enough.'

The sound of the Gorthaur-wolf sounded terrible, when he tried to laugh in his wolf- form. But Orgoulun did not flinch, he joined him in laughing.

'I remember every face of those guests we had. How they look, the panic in their eyes. Yes, we had a lot of fun with them and we will have a lot of fun in the future, if we play wise, friend' Gorthaur answered finally. 'But there have been two women with white-silvery hair, Míriel and Erredil. I recall having fun with both of them until they finally… left us.'

'Right, Erredil it was, and she will be my ticket to their group. Will you join me?'

This time Gorthaur shock his head. 'No, I will go back to Utumno and build up the fortress as good as I can. For I doubt the Valar can hold our master for long. He is still the mightiest of them. Sooner or later he will be back and we will be prepared for revenge. Go and destroy the Firstborn in the East. Run them down. That is a good task for a hunter.'

'And rebuilding a fortress is a task for a constructor like you' Orgoulun agreed and left the cave soon after their meeting.

Year of the Trees: 1111, Mansions of Aulë, Aman

Yavanna Kementári was sitting in her garden together with Varda Elentári, while Aulë was working in his forge. The Smith greeted Varda earlier, when she arrived and started to work on a necklace, he was making for Estë. He expected Varda to depart before night and concentrated his mind on the work Irmo had asked for. He nearly startled, when Varda suddenly spoke behind him.

'What is this?' she asked and pointed on a gleaming bucked in a corner.

'Rubbish', was the first short answer of the smith. He wasn't sure why she asked something that obvious. So he decided to explain a little bit more. 'Some slag from forging, some splitters of your latest stars, some rest of metal.'

Varda turned a bit and just gave a 'That's it!' to Yavanna, who stood right behind her.

While Yavanna seemed to understand Aulë just stood there, forgetting the necklace for a moment and looked astonished. 'What?'

Yavanna smirked. 'We just had a chat together about those Avari in the East. There are only some fruits, some mushrooms and a few other things they can eat. And they have no light.'

'They lived there for many years, so there must be enough food. And they rejected the light of the trees, if I recall that right.' Aulë was not sure, where this would end, but he was curios enough to listen fore more.

Now Varda explained, 'yes, the light of the trees, but not light itself. They still sing to the stars. And I'm the Queen of the Stars. And while your spouse needs light for her fruits and I'm the giver of light, we just decided, we have to do something, even if it's a small gift. And you just gave us an idea, what the three of us can do.'

"Ah, so it's me too?' Aulë realized. 'But I doubt a star is a good gift. It's much to bight and will burn everything to close. So what do you thought of?"

'Not a star, but a splitter of one.' Again Varda pointed to the bucked. "How many splitters do you have?'

'Normally I don't count refuse.' He took the bucked and turned it over. Several things now laid on the floor. Aulë just took the star-splitters and put them on a desk. 'Twenty-one, but some are very small. This size', he old one between his fingers 'might be big enough to make something small from it. Although I am not sure, what it is exactly that I should make of them.'

In the hand of the Valar the little star-splitter seemed tiny little. It had the size of a mirabelle plum.

Varda considered what she wanted and finally decided, 'Can you just cut it in a nice form? Like a gem? No bezel just the tiny star?'

'Of cause I can do that. There are at least ten of the splitters in this size, which I can rework. They will be ready in a few days, because I still have other things to do. But what will you do with them, if I may ask?'

'I like to give them to the Avari, like I said before.' She explained. 'Just small light, but maybe enough light to help them, find their own way. I if they take them, they should chose, what they make of them by their own. No extras please.'

Aulë nodded and his guest and his wife walked to the garden again, leaving him alone with a nearly finished necklace, a new task and a rubbish heap on his floor.

Year of the Trees: 1111, far eastward from Cuiviénen

Since weeks they followed the river upwards. Ôldî somehow was sure this would be the right way. Now the camp was at a small lake. It was getting colder, because they got nearer to some mountains. Therefore they used fur for clothing now and slept together in small groups or couples to warm themselves. Like some other couples Morwë and Erredil did the last step and finally bounded to each other. There was no big celebration at a bounding, at least not at this time.

This morning Ôldî was on the bank of the lake and starred into the water. After a while she decided to talk to the water, even if it seemed stupid somehow.

'I know you are there!' She demanded. 'I had a dream last night, which wasn't from me. Show yourself!'

She didn't really expected someone to show up or talk to her reverse. So she was very much surprised, when the water started to move. Ôldî did a few steps backwards, when the water formed a body. First the body seemed to be only water, but then it changed and appeared more like a real skin. His hair was white or blue-green-grey or something between. It was hard to say, because she never saw someone like him. The clothing that was formed from the water, reminded her of fish skin.

She holds her breath, because she suddenly knew he was like the good hunter and like some of the bad hunters they met earlier. But Ôldî was not sure, if he was friendly or not. Was he just lurking them into a trap or helping them?

'Sûrman' she said, for it was the first thing she thought, when he appeared from the water.

He smiled at her and spoke to her in her own language with a deep voice. 'Yes, I am water. I'm called King of the Sea by my companions, because nearly all water is in my custody. But you don't need to call me a king. For a king is someone within a group of some people and we both know that we are not from the same kin.'

Ôldî listened and decided, since he was talking open, he was no danger so far. She remembered the story how Morwë found Erredil in the water. But she was still mistrusting him.

"What else should I call you then, Sûrman? Friend? Foe? Guide? Helper? Maker of dreams? Or maker of nightmares?'

The smile on his lips never disappeared, it only grew wider. 'I would be honoured with guide, helper and maker of dreams. I would feel highly honoured with friend. But for now, just call me by my name, which is Ulmo. Or stay with your suggestion Sûrman, which I will take as a new name as well, if it's your wish.'

She nodded slightly and tried the word Ulmo and then she spoke out loud 'Sûrman' again.

While they were talking, some other Avari realized, that something was going on at the waterside and one after the other they came nearer and listened.

The man from the water only talked to Ôldî and started to explain. 'So you are aware of the dreams I send you? I never wanted to hurt you or your people. I belong to those who should care about this world. You already met Oromë Aldaron, the Great Rider and hunter. I think he told you and all others about us, the Valar. Most of us care for the things in this world, the living things and even things like water or stone. We try to build this world, like our father imagined it. Unfortunately one of us, Melkor, turned out to be domineering and now we try to protect the world from him.'

'I you say, you protect… You are talking about taking us like the others into the West?' Ôldi asked and added. 'Or will you still protect us, if we go further into the East?'

One thing, why Ulmo hated the councils of his own people, was the long talking and re-talking of the other Valar. Only few could use plain or straight words, when it came to important matters. This she-elf was straight and this was something he liked.

'I never wanted you or the others to go to the West. Me and a few other spoke against that. But like your people we decide democratic. Therefore I now try to help your friends which follow Oromë and your group as well. There are not much enemies left after we defeated Melkor. But there are still some and their numbers are growing. That's why I sent you those dreams. There really is a beautiful land in the East near the water, where you and your people could be save.'

Morwë, Nurwë, Môrhîr, Erredil, Hithiriel, Dúamarth and all the others waited for Ôldîs answer.

Suddenly she shook her head. 'No – and yes – maybe. No, I don't think we will never be save anywhere. There may be some lands which are safer but evil will follow even to this places. Yes, I somehow believe you and we may follow, if the other decided it. I feel there is no evil in you. And yes, if you will agree to some conditions. Maybe... Maybe… If it is the truth that some of your people never wanted us or the others to come to your land in the West, we would like to meet them as well. And no dreams or whispers in our minds anymore. We like to stay the masters of our own minds. Show yourself, if you want to talk to us like you just did.'

She heard the others murmur in her back. Had she gone too far? Would he now leave and never come back or worse?

Again Ulmo just smiled at her answer and demands. 'I like your straight way of talking', he admitted. 'I will take your wishes to my people. I know at least one of them, will come to meet you. I will respect your wish and take this form again, if we meet next time. And if you need me, just call to the water and I will come to your aid as fast as I can.'

With that he vanished into the water and was gone.

Afterwards the Avari talked the whole day about this news. They decided to follow the words of Ôldî. They would go on and hope to find a land, where they could live a save life, if only for some years.

Notes:

Gorthau/Mairon are other names of Sauron

höra = body

fëar = soul

new characters or Hethu-words:

Orgoulun - Creature of Terror, Asctrion his old Valarian name meant 'focused hunter'

Sûrman – water-man, man from/of water

I have made a subspace on my webspace about the Hethu-people, the land, some maps and so on. The information there will grow with the story here. Feel free to visit. The link is in my profile.