[Manardariel]

>Northern Mirkwood, not far from Esgaroth<
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The tinkling of water was getting louder and louder. "There must be a creek here somewhere", Youlielle thought. She held her breath for a moment, trying desperatly to determine where the sound came from. There, from her right. Making almost no sound, she walked a few paces, her slender figure becoming part of the world around her. No one could have heard or seen her, exept maybe an elf. For years, walking this quiet had been her special gift, and now, in the wild, it was extremly usefull. The girl stopped. Her ears had not betrayed her, she was standing in front of a small creek that flowing hurringly out of a pile of rocks."A spring",she said to herself,"good! It´s getting dark. I might as well spend the night here..." But first, a drink. Kneeling down, she untied the large and bulgy bundle knotted tight to her belt. Together with the woolen blanket she usually carried on her back, it contained her most precious-and only- belongings: a knife, a small kettle, some food. With a yank, she pulled out a small drinking cup, which she held under the water. The drink felt cool in her dry mouth. As she hastily refilled the cup, her eyes fell on the picture of a girl in the water.
Her eyes were so dark brown, they almost seemed black. Tall and slender she sat there, her evenly dark hair in two messy braids, fraiming the friendly face. She was wearing a navyblue linnen gown, over that a shorther, woolen overdress and a beautifully embroiderd belt. She was pale and looked troubled... Youlielle tore her eyes away from her reflection. It didn´t do her any good, just sittting here, staring in the nowhere. Instead, she got up and started to collect firewood. Half an hour later, she huddled herself in front of a warm, pleasantly crackling fire. It was about time she reached the river; she had to cross it! If only she knew a bit better where she was! Youlielle yawned. Tomorrow the river. But first, sleep...

[ December 14, 2002: Message edited by: Manardariel ]

[ January 08, 2003: Message edited by: Manardariel ]