Authors Note: I know…it has literally been less than a day. But this is a shorter chapter, so I was able to get it all edited before I have to go to work. So here you gooooo! It's because I love you. Happy reading!
Chapter Sixteen
Fili wiped his brow. Even for a dwarf, this place was hot. He looked at his map, studying it while his sorry excuse for a mule pulled whatever dry vegetation it could find from the sands. How that thing has survived despite looking as if it would croak any moment, Fili had no idea. That creature had to be older than Gandalf, by the looks of it...though Fili knew that was impossible. Primarily, because Fili had no clue how old Gandalf was...but also because he doubted this breed of animal lived much longer than the average mule or horse in arda...which is roughly the same lifespan as a man.
Now he and his family's horses...along with Tauriel's...were different breeds completely in horse sense. They were unique. He couldn't quite say for sure for Galaddal, but Tauriel had hinted that her horse would have a rather long lifespan, as most elven horses, like Galaddal, were descended from a breed gifted to them by Iluvatar himself. They were not immortal, but they had quite a long life with years numbering near that of a dwarf of Durin's direct lineage.
Fili wonders if the horses his uncle purchased were from the same breed, as they were sold with the promise they would last their lifetime if the horses were properly cared for. So they were, "well worth the gold", according to that crotchety old dwarf who made Fili work the stable for an entire year to get Maryn for Kili, even after Fili paid an absurd amount for the black mare Kili fell in love with.
Since Maryn, Kit, and Rhya were all VERY well cared for...they will enjoy a long, healthy, lifetime. Which was good, because Fili quite believes Kili loves his horse only second to his wife and children. He very well may even choose Maryn over Fili himself if Kili were ever forced to do so. So if that horse were to pass, Kili would be inconsolable.
But this beast? Fili eyed the animal who decided to begin rolling in the sand. Certainly was not a special breed and absolutely not worth what he paid for it. "Alright, get up." Fili huffed as he rolled up his map.
"Leave it."
A stern voice said in Fili's ear. Fili turned quickly only to have a rather unique blade pointed directly between his eyes. He followed the hand holding the hilt up to a face hidden by a hood, but even the hood could not hide the delicate features of what could only be an eleth.
Fili raised his hands when he heard the unmistakable sound of a growl, and saw the same shaggy warg he had been seeing on and off for the last several days, now ducked low to the ground with its teeth bared. Great...an elf holding him at sword point and the warg attacking at the same time. This...is not his morning. "Look...I mean no harm." He said. "Are you of the eldar?"
"Silence, dwarf. I ask the questions." She pushed the blade at Fili who leaned back to avoid being cut. The warg growled louder and Fili saw the eleth's eyes flicker to the beast before she looked back down at Fili seemingly unconcerned. "Why are you in our lands, dwarf?"
"I don't come from here, this place is unfamiliar. I am unaware of your borders. My apologies, truly." Fili decided diplomacy was best in this moment. He just hoped he didn't cross into some sacred place like his uncle had. "I am on a mission to find my sister. She was taken from our lands in the west."
The eleth stared at him with her midnight eyes. Her black braids hung out of her hood over her shoulder, the beads of gold scattering throughout them caught the sun and shone bright as she moved in circles around Fili. She had gold lining her dark eyes, and gold chains piercing her ears, strung from the lobe to the soft, delicate, point. Her skin was the same deep, brown, color of fresh soil, as was prominent in the Ironfist and Blacklock ancestry whose line had claims to Rhun for several ages. She was unlike Tauriel in nearly every way, but still, for an elf, incredibly beautiful.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you for crossing our border?" She looked Fili up and down. "Are you alone, dwarf?"
Fili turned with her, his training taught him to never let his back to an enemy. But he nearly fell into the sand when his eyes locked on a point just over the eleths shoulder. Not several yards away, was yet another familiar creature. But instead of iridescent feathers of gray and cream covering its body, it had a mix of black, brown, and white from its head to its long tail. On its back, was a kind of saddle, and a harness of leather and gold hung from its narrow snout. On its head, were two small, curved, horns, tipped with gold while leather bands were carefully wrapped around the horn's base. Despite the difference in color, Fili knew exactly what that was; he has seen two of them every day in their own stables in Erebor for the last sixteen years.
"Aelug." Fili said, staring at the creature. It was smaller than Dajnel, but about the same size as Uri... who were both about the size of a large horse, but twice as long with their feathered tails. Despite the difference in color, there was no mistaken what the beast was.
The elf hissed, blocking Fili's sight from her creature. "Go near him, and I will remove your head from your shoulder." She grit her teeth, then cocked her head. "How know you the name of our mounts?"
"My aunt has two." Fili said, choosing honesty.
"She has stolen two of our sacred animals!" The elf snarled, her blade cutting into Fili's shoulder and the warg growled louder...taking several careful steps towards the pair but still not attacking. The eleth kept it in her view even as she leaned closer to Fili. "You will die, dwarf thief, then we will send your body to your mountain. Your life, in payment and retribution for what she has done! This is an act of war!"
"NO!" Fili said. Lightning fast, he drew his blade and kicked the elf away. She lunged, but Fili had been working with both Tauriel and Naurfaer perfecting his ability to understand the elven fighting style, so he anticipated the elf's use of her agility and easily rolled under her, grabbing her from behind and shoving her down to the sands. It was a move she had not expected, and with Fili's blade at her throat, she dropped her sword to the ground. What neither of them anticipated was the warg running and snatching the fallen blade...its teeth bared as it backed away.
Fili had no time to think about that as the elf hissed up at him. "A seeker of your sister?" She spat. "Or a hunter for our aelug!? Kill me than, dwarf, but my beast will not go with you without a fight. He will kill you and your warg before you can get him to whatever hole you come from."
Fili rolled his eyes. "That's not my warg...I don't know where it came from. And I don't want your aelug. The ones we have, are our own. She hatched them, and raised them herself." Fili froze. "Wait...are you...part of the búlë kal nórë?"
The elf's eyes widened, then narrowed. "I do not answer to you, dwarf...and your warg does not scare me."
Fili glared, and tightened the knife, before releasing the elf fully, making sure to shove her far enough away she couldn't retaliate. "IT IS NOT MY WARG!" Fili growled, glancing at the beast who had dropped the sword and was currently staring at the pair a few yards away.
Clearly, it was not going to harm him, so he ignored it. Turning back to the elf, the dwarven prince huffed. "I mean you no harm!" Fili snarled. "I am trying to avoid the lands of the Avari, as I have been warned to do; your lands are not on my map or I would have honored your borders as well…believe me." He paused. "I am trying to save my sister and right now, any delay could very well mean her life. That is it. I have NO hidden agenda or desire for your beasts."
Before Fili could say anything more, however, the aelug let out a powerful, and guttural noise...almost like a warning. Its head was pointed to the sky where a white raven flew over them, quickly met by a black and white raven, both flying around each other. Umyra found them, which meant, Kili was not far away. That could be good...or it could be terrible.
"Dwarven ravens. A trap." The elf hissed.
But Fili just huffed. "It is not a trap. I don't want your animals!"
She stared at Fili, who re-sheathed his blades hoping it will make him seem less of a threat if he wasn't pointing a blade at her. He had no idea what to do or make of the warg though…hopefully it wouldn't get bored and start attacking them. "My sister, is all I want to find." Fili said after a moment. "Please, let me go."
"What care I of a dead female dwarf?" She bared her teeth and pulled another blade she had hidden, lifting it once more to point at Fili. The warg growled menacingly from a few yards away, its teeth bared and ears pinned back to its head but again, Fili's focus was on the weapon pointed at him and the eleth who was hissing. "Or two dead dwarves."
Fili glared at the blade. "My sister is an elf. Not a dwarf." He gave her a warning look. "And lower your weapon. I am trying to be amiable, but my time is running short and this conversation is going nowhere. And I must say, though that warg is not mine…it doesn't seem to like you pointing weapons at me." Fili did not know why he through that last part in, the warg could be growling at them both…but whatever he could use to get her to back off…he will use it.
As soon as she lowered her weapon and backed away, AND he was sure she wasn't going to slice him open, Fili turned, ignoring the warg as he tried to tug on the mule who was still laying on the ground.
"Your sister, is of the elven race?" The eleth said, confusion and a fair bit of skepticism in her voice.
"She is." Fili said.
"How does this happen?" The eleth asked, her face clearly set in disbelief as if this was another ruse, another scheme to divert her attention.
Fili lifted a brow. "Well. She met my reckless baby brother, their souls matched, they fell in love, and now, I am stuck having to witness their disgustingly endearing relationship on a daily basis…and will have to for the rest of my life." He pulled at the lead on the mule again, but the old creature didn't budge. "That is, IF I can get this thing up so I can cross the sands to get to where they took her. Come on you stupid useless cow!"
"It is not a cow." The eleth said with a fair bit of bite in her tone. "That is a mule…half horse…half…."
"I know what it is." Fili interrupted, grumbling.
As Fili continued to tug, with no success, the eleth watched him silently. "You know where they took your elven sister?"
"Sort of." Fili grunted as he tugged until the lead snapped and he fell back into the sand. "KAKHUF!" He shouted, sending all kinds of curses in khuzdul to the animal who looked back at Fili, but instead lay its head on the ground and ignored any attempts Fili made to get it on its feet.
"You are not here, to take our Aelug?" The eleth asked once more, her tone cautious.
"No." Fili growled again, beyond tired of the accusation at this point.
The eleth seemed to contemplate something, as if she was trying to believe whether his story was accurate, and Fili had an idea. He shoved his hands into his pocket, and pulled out a small frame. The eleth jumped as if Fili pulled a weapon, her body crouching, preparing to attack.
But instead of a weapon, Fili held out a pocket portrait to the eleth, who after a moment, accepted it from him. "It is my family." Fili said pointing to the image. "It's a bit outdated. None of the children are in the portrait. Nor is my aunt. But this, is my sister." The portrait was really just he, Viltarra, Kili, and Tauriel. Kili had made one for their mam, and Fili requested one as well. He carried it along with a portrait of his daughters, and his nieces and nephews. Call him sentimental, but he liked to have pieces of his family wherever he went.
"I am not trying to take anything from you. My sister really is an elf. We live near Mirkwood forest in the west. Elves are being taken, so we went to the forest to help find an answer to what was happening outside the elven city of Mirkwood." Fili sighed. Every moment he lost not seeking out his sister, weighed heavily on him, but getting himself killed…would certainly make the situation worse.
"We were ambushed in the forest, and my sister targeted. They took her…and me by accident. I got away, but she couldn't." He gave the elf an honest look. "I was able to smuggle myself on the boat they took her on, and we ended up her in Rhun. I lost track of her though, but I have reason to believe, she is being taken to this point…" Fili pulled his map again, gesturing to the blank space on the map. "…I don't know what is there…but I will do anything to get to her. Tauriel, is my sister. I love her, and I won't abandon her, nor will I give up on her. I will walk there if I have to."
Fili folded the map again, pushing it and the portrait into one of his deep pockets then went right back to the half horse, half ass, and tugged on its reins. The sands beneath it were beginning to shift, which will make it all that much more difficult to get it to get up. Movement caught his attention and he watched as the warg suddenly shook out its fur then trotted away seemingly losing interest in them. Fine by Fili, he was not in the mood to become warg food…especially since he doubted there was a creature in arda who could not out-run this blasted mule.
"GAH! MOVE!" The crowned prince of Erebor seethed. Maybe walking would in fact BE faster, Fili grumbled to himself. He heard some deep rumbling in the earth, his dwarven instincts nearly had him calling out cave in, but they were above ground so he ignored it. But he did look over his shoulder to see the eleth's scanning eyes widen as she observed the lands. He then glanced at Kaw and Umyra who were currently sitting on a dead tree of sorts, looking more like vultures than ravens…their feathers ruffled as they too scanned the land as if they knew something was there…but they could not see what it was.
When the sound came again, the eleth was slowly backing away, then sprinting to her animal. Fili blinked. He was missing something, he was sure of that, but a look across the sands all around him, showed nothing but endless piles of beige meeting a cloudless blue sky. There was nothing. He nearly shrugged and went back to trying to get the mule up until he heard the swooping sound of large wings far closer than he expected. He was about to turn around but a pair of talons grabbed him before he could even move, and suddenly he felt himself being hoisted off the ground and into the air.
"KAKHUF!" Fili swore, trying to twist from the iron-force grip of the aelúg who was going higher and higher by the minute. "HEY! DROP ME!"
"I can…if you wish to die!" The eleth yelled over the winds as they flew. "Look!" She said, one hand holding the reins to her creature, and the other pointing to the lands below them.
Fili's eyes widened as a massive were-worm burst from the ground, swallowing the entire mule in one great mouthful, then dove back into the ground. "OI!" Fili shouted. "I PAID FOR THAT MULE!"
"Dwarves." The elf muttered. "That was a mercy from the maker. That beast was never to move again."
"Can you put me down now?" Fili growled, seeing Umyra and Kaw following them but not attacking, even as the elf banked her direction. Well...at least he wasn't alone, then again, Umyra hated Fili so maybe having a volatile elf and her aelug between he and his brothers white raven was for the best right now. Still...it was nice to know Kili was close enough to feel secure in finding him, he needed his brother's help more than anything right now. Unable to get the claws of the animal to loosen even a bit, Fili was forced to be taken wherever she would have him go.
Fortunately, they did not fly long, but Fili does not doubt they easily covered nearly a hundred miles in the span of the time they were in the air, which was maybe an hour, two at most. Fili felt the creature begin to descend, and he had only a small warning from the eleth before Fili was dropped to the grounds below…falling a good dozen feet to the heated sands.
"DWARF!"
Fili heard as he was instantly surrounded by a group of elves. They all had their weapons out, and every one was now pointed directly at Fili. Fili had to shout an order to stop Umyra and Kaw from attacking…the last thing he wanted was to come across as violent in a situation he had no back-up. Kaw of course instantly obeyed, but Umyra was reluctant until the black and white raven intervened and the duo perched themselves on a tall boulder shaped by the wind and sands.
"What is the meaning of this!" An elven woman pushed through the crowd and stared at Fili. "An intruder?"
"LEAVE HIM!" The eleth he had met across the sands called out as she moved to stand in front of Fili. "I will speak for him, nana." Nana. Mother. Fili immediately translated.
"Saphyra!" The elven woman said, glaring at her daughter. "You left our borders when I forbade you to leave. Now, you bring a stranger…a dwarf no less…to our people. What is the meaning of this?!"
"I left, because you do nothing! Ada and Othario are taken, nana. I will not give up on them. This dwarf…" Saphyra looked to Fili. "…was willing to walk the death sands to get to his sister…what are we but cowards in comparison."
The eleth who was much taller than Saphyra glared at her daughter. "We do not go to that place for a reason, Saphyra. Our clan, is only protected as long as we…"
"Hide in our holes." Saphyra spat before her mother could finish. "Hide like trembling sand cubs afraid of a soft breeze. While out there, they are attacking and stealing sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers. The Avari came to us, seeking help…"
"THE AVARI EXPOSED US!" The eleth bore down on her daughter. "Those wild elves put us all at risk, for what? For our people to be found and picked off one by one until we moved from our ancestral home…which is now overrun by goblins and sand trolls. May the spirits of the dead curse the Avari for their carelessness."
"May I remind you, nana, that we too are part of the Avari. Our ancestors may have come from the westlands, but we, at heart, are more Avari than we are Búlë kal nórë." Saphyra looked around at the guards surrounding them. "Our blood, has little left of those who bore beards of dwarves, and could choose their mortality. After thousands of years of merging clans and making a home in these lands, we are Avari; the Búlë kal nórë are little more than a story we tell our younglings. A link to our past, a past only seen through the animals we ride and the home we choose in the ground."
The slap sounded, firm and direct. Saphyra's head was forced to the side, and she wiped blood from her lips as her mother stared hard at her. "You dishonor our ancestors with your filthy words, child. We are CHOSEN by the aelug, to soar in the skies with them, to bond with them as our life companion. Though we share their blood, we are not Avari. We may not be a people of light like the eldar in the west, but we carry the deep light of the Búlë kal nórë within is, we live their ways."
Saphyra was silent, her eyes were steel, and her jaw tight. "Our texts tell of how the Búlë kal nórë ran from their home rather than fight. How they were forced from the place they built, and their people split, going to the four corners of the world to flee, to find a new life for their people, and their aelúg. When our direct ancestors came here, they did so to flee from their adversaries. Are we to do that again, nana? Are we to flee? They took our home...again! How many times are we to run away, nana? When will we fight?!"
"Ada is out there…" Saphyra continued, in a pleading tone. "And this dwarf, believes he can get to them. We can get them back, nana. We do not need to mourn them when they can still be with us if we fight."
The eleth stared Saphyra down, before looking to Fili. "And how does a dwarf know anything about this? As far as I know, the dwarves are not being taken."
"Because my sister is an elf, and she was taken from our family." Fili answered before Saphyra could speak for him. "And I plan on going to save her. Look…" Fili sighed. "…I am not here to judge you or your ancestry. When a dragon came to Erebor, my people were forced to flee or be killed. But we went back, we fought for our lands, and we won them back. Do what is best for your people, but running away will only keep you safe as long as those tracking you cannot find you. It is only a matter of time, before these lands are covered in nothing but darkness if we don't take a stand and fight for it while we can."
"Fight together…with dwarves?" The eleth said in disbelief.
"IF I am not mistaken, the Búlë kal nórë had dwarven blood as well as elven. They were two people who became one. If you have even a trace of their blood, then somewhere in your ancestry, likely going back thousands upon thousands of years, you can trace your family to a dwarven line. Which means we are not so different." Fili looked around at the guards. "My brother is a dwarf, but he fell in love and married an elf. Because of their union, we have been able to earn the alliance of the elven city of Mirkwood. Erebor, and Mirkwood, dwarves, and elves, fighting together to keep our lands safe. So yes." Fili stared right into the dark eyes of Saphyra's mother. "I am suggesting you fight alongside dwarves."
There was some murmurings around them, but the eleth just shook her head. "But you are only one. The place you speak of…is crawling with creatures who are unnatural, brought to life by a being of great power. Were-worms were specially bred to keep any who even attempt to cross the sands from reaching the compound. Those foul creatures may be blind, but they sense movement, and devour anything that walks, slithers, or crawls above them. It is why we call it the dead sands...for no life can exist where the worms thrive. You wouldn't make it a mile before you would be eaten, dwarf. We cannot help you. Our numbers, even if we were to take a stand, are not enough. And we are a people of peace and learning, we do not choose to be a people of bloodshed."
Fili's mind was working, thinking, coming up with a plan. "What if…what if I can get you the numbers you need. What if I can gather enough to take the fortress. Would you help then?"
"Please nana." Saphyra begged.
The eleth gave her daughter a wary look, then her face softened. She pressed a finger to her daughter's split lip then cupped her face. "I do not know what came over me. I should never have struck you...it is not my nature...please forgive me." She pressed her head to Saphyra's...an action that had Fili missing his family as it is a very dwarven way to show affection. He kept quiet, however, when Saphyra's mother continued. "But you, my precious daughter, you have always had a warrior's soul. One of great courage and strength. I never understood where it came from. Certainly not me nor your father…but perhaps…" She pulled away, though her hand moved to cup her daughter's cheek. "…it is from somewhere else…perhaps something from very long ago." She glanced at Fili, then sighed and shook her head. "But please do not ask this of me Saphyra. It is much too dangerous. I have already lost your father and brother, I cannot lose you too."
"Nana, you cannot protect me forever, and if we are successful, our family will be whole again." Saphyra said leaning into her mother's touch.
The eleth pressed a kiss to Saphyra's head. "I know, my daughter." She then pulled away and turned to Fili. "I am Rhytheera. Head of this clan. How exactly do you expect to supply these numbers you speak of? I do not see an army behind you willing to back your cause, only a few ravens. Where are these numbers to come from."
Fili grinned wide. "I may be of someone of a bit of importance to my people. I think I might be able to gather enough to fight...that is if…" He looked to Saphyra, "…if I might get a ride."
Saphyra looked to her mother pleadingly, who still did not look convinced. "Nana, he already knew about the aelug. He called it by its true name. HE claims…to have two inside his mountain."
Hisses surrounded Fili, but he didn't react. "It is true. My aunt was found in the city of Minam…which was the lost city of the Búlë kal nórë. She spent nearly two hundred years of her life, forced to live under the rule of orcs, and do their bidding." Fili wondered if he should omit the fellbeasts, but thought better of it and told them Nyaunni's story. "Those foul creatures the orcs were having them create…" Fili said after he had told them everything he knew, experienced, and understood, "…came from the aelúg, and Nyaunni was able to save two who were born, hatched, natural, without the changes made to the others. Both are imprinted to her, and both are safe and respected in our halls. I am not here for your aelug. I am here, to save the life of my sister and her people...your people. Avari, Búlë kal nórë, Sindar, Nolder...you are all elves, and all in danger. It doesn't matter to the other side HOW you choose to live or what you call yourselves...to them, to the enemy...you are still just elves. And I mean that with the greatest respect."
Maybe it was the honesty in Fili's voice, or maybe it was their own desperation to get their own missing back, but eventually, Rhytheera nodded her head. "Come with me." She turned on her toes and began walking in the opposite direction, the elves holding Fili at knife and bow-point lowering their weapons but not putting them away just yet...though they did take a few steps back. Fili looked at Saphyra, but she didn't say anything, only followed her mother.
"This place is a temporary sanctuary." Rhytheera said as she led Fili to a plateau, going straight for a gap in the stone that led to a cave larger than any Fili had ever seen. His eyes widened as they entered; hundreds of aelug of many varying colors fluttered around the massive opening, some on ledges throughout the cave entrance, others gliding from high up to the ground where they landed with perfect accuracy while a few...were less graceful and crashed to the ground. "They are learning to fly." Saphyra said at the same time Fili had to duck when a blue and yellow aelúg nearly landed right ontop of him. "It takes some up to twenty years or more to mature enough to begin lessons in flight, the stronger ones, can fly much sooner. But I am sure you knew that."
Fili nodded, recalling Dajnel flying his wife, mother, and sister to Minam before she was technically strong enough to do so. He has also seen Uri, who is a few years shy of twenty, take more than his fair share of tumbles to the ground as he has learned. Well...is…learning, Fili amended to himself recalling how Uri flew into the side of the mountain two weeks ago, eager to get to his lunch but unable to slow his descent or adjust for the stable door. He had to be bandaged up a bit by Nyaunni, and grounded until his claw healed…but he was alright.
"My aunt is still working with hers." Fili looked around. "How many do you have?"
Saphyra smiled as her own soared over her head and landed beside a drinking troth set up for the aelúg. "Nearly, one per one…an aelug for each person; though we have a few unbonded living here as well." She said, eyeing Fili. "We try to only allow those who imprint on us to live among our people...for the most part. The others are taught to live in the wild. Every year, a colony of wild aelúg migrates to our land. It is a sacred holiday when they come. We feast, sharing our bounty with the wild aelúg, and give freedom to any aelúg who has yet to imprint on one of our people and are unmated."
"Are they ever rejected? The aelug you send to live among the wild ones?" Fili asked curiously.
Saphyra shrugged. "Sometimes. When that happens, we keep it. Usually it means it is waiting for one of our own to imprint on, one who has not entered this world yet. I have heard of some waiting decades for their intended imprint-mate to be born, and they bond immediately once they sense their spirit. They often stick close to the elves who will bare their imprint mate, and can even tell through the womb when they are to arrive. The aelug can sense such things...they can see and feel what we cannot."
Fili nodded to passing elves, some giving him looks, the others, nodding back hesitantly before scurrying away. "Do they bond with each other? The aelúg?"
"So many questions, dwarf." Saphyra said with a smile. "Pray, what is your name? I have neglected to ask."
"That is because you are still deciding whether to kill me or not." Fili said, a knowing smirk on his face. "I am Fili."
"Fili." Saphyra mouthed, then nodded. "The answer you seek, is yes. I do not understand the powers behind imprinting and soulbonding, but, it is very common for an aelúg to mate with the aelúg who is bonded to our own life partner. For example…" Saphyra motioned to her mother. "Nana's aelúg, he is a mated pair with my ada's aelúg. Of their offspring, one imprinted on me, and one, my brother. It does not always happen like that, but is not uncommon. Many, choose to mate with those in the wild when they migrate to our lands."
Fili was about to ask what happens if the aelúg dies, when several of the feathered creatures began screeching and calling, some swarming the door. Fili looked at the group, then panicked when he saw WHAT they were making a fuss about. "STOP THEM, PLEASE!" He ran to the door, climbing up the rock to get to Kaw who was trying to get away from an attacking aelúg whose mouth was wide open ready to grab the raven from mid air. Umyra was dive attacking the same aelúg while another tried to strike her from the air with its tail.
"KAW!" Fili cried as the raven made a swift turn heading straight for Fili.
A whistle sounded, followed by a few guttural noises from below, and the aelúg instantly backed away just as Fili climbed over the ledge and Kaw herded Umyra to Fili, where both ravens landed on either shoulder. They were furious, clicking their beaks, and hissing at the aelúg who flew by them.
Fili wasn't that high, and was able to jump to the ground, both ravens only fluttering their wings to stay balanced as they landed. The elves watched warily. "Your ravens, I presume, are tamed enough to NOT attack our aelug?" Rhytheera said testily. "Or, are they spies of yours to learn our location so it can be used against us?"
"My brother and sister's ravens." Fili growled back. "And yes, they are tame…when they are not attacked. This is Kaw, and Umyra." He pointed to the birds...Umyra instantly trying to nip his finger. "I should amend that to mostly tame for this one. She...hates everyone, except my brother and sister...and their children. They are only here to be able to stay in contact with my brother and help find my sister. If I wanted them to be spies, you wouldn't know they even existed. They are protecting me, that is all."
"A raven, who protects?" Rhytheera eyed the birds again, skepticism in her words.
Fili shrugged. "They are very protective of the family. Can you help me or not?" He said, ready to move, to make a plan, to do something. He ignored the chirping aelug, some of which had their keen eyes trained on the ravens on Fili's shoulder...ready to attack if necessary. The rest of the city was seemingly quiet.
Fili had a second to glance around as the Lady of this clan contemplated his words. The cavern was vast and wide. There were no permanent structures, only large tents as far as Fili could see...likely because this was a temporary settlement for them. Since the cavern had several natural levels, and clearly a lot of elves and aelug, every one of those levels seemed to have the temporary structures set up as well as places for the feathered creatures to eat, sleep, and drink.
There were lights of sorts filling the cavern with a soft glow as elves walked from tent to tent speaking quietly among themselves. Some appeared to be merchants, carrying crates of what Fili assumed was food. With really no way to grow it here, he wondered if it was reserves they were able to take from their previous home, or if they did some kind of trading. Maybe both.
He did find it interesting to see how these aelug interacted with the people though. They were not in any kind of stables when they were inside, instead, they followed elves in and out of the massive tents clearly made large enough to house the elves and their beasts. Even the pathways around the tents were built to accommodate the size of the aelug from head to tail. This clearly was a people who considered the feathered creatures to be one of them...as their entire settlement was created to include the aelug in every way possible.
Rhytheera never answered Fili even as he turned his focus from the cavern back to the group around him. Instead, the elven leader turned to her daughter. "Are you certain, you want to follow this dwarf?"
Saphyra nodded. "I am certain."
Rhytheera stared at her for several minutes, but then, swiftly walked to a large tent where some elves in armor were looking over a map laid out on a table. "It looks like our hands are forced." The eleth said to the group as she stepped inside. She nodded when the other elves bowed their heads in respect as she entered. "Saphyra, has decided to take matters into her own hands and try and find our missing numbers."
"Foolish child." One muttered, while a few others seemed impressed and the rest indifferent.
"This dwarf…" Rhytheera continued, "…seems to think he can help. He asks for transportation. Who is willing to go?"
"To where, exactly?" One of the armored elves asked, eyeing Fili and the two very large ravens which barely fit on his shoulder.
Fili smiled a wide toothy grin. "To visit someone who owes my family a debt."
Authors Note: See, just a short chapter. Who do you think they are going to? And see how I brought back the Búlë kal nórë? Ohh, and the aelug? And do you think that warg will make a reappearance? That one we will have to see.
Still so much ahead. Stay tuned!