[Nerindel]

Mara’s Relief was apparent as she stepped out from between the firs and looked up to see a young Reindeer trotting boldly towards her, it was not in the nature of these fast fleeted creatures to do so, so at once she knew that she had found the young skin-changer she had been so ardently tracking.

“Wenda” she greeted, as a mixture of fear and anxiety that had tormented her on discovering the horrifically mutilated corpse of a full grown buck someway back now melted away, replaced by the almost overwhelming joy that the young changer was alive and well, if still not entirely safe in her mind.

“I thought ….” she paused looking back into the darkness of the forest behind her, recalling the torment mirrored in the unfortunate creatures dead eyes, “Well it doesn’t matter what I thought you are here and well, but you should have never…..” she was about to admonish Wenda for running off like she did when she suddenly had the feeling of being watched, she looked up to see a pair of deep green eyes peering out at her from beneath thick evergreen brows.

She stared her eyes wide with astonishment and wonder as half remembered songs sung by the elves of her forest home danced in her mind, they told of a time when the elves and the trees of the forests would commune, sharing both knowledge and lore, so that not much happened within the forest realms without tree or elf knowing it. But that was long ago, ages past and it was said that many grew root and became bitter and twisted, to which many of her foster kin attributed to an old enemy they named Morgorth, who despised and sought to corrupt the beauty of Yavanna’s gardens and that now only the Tree herders could control and subdue the bitterness sown within the hearts of those trees. She had thought these songs no more that fairytales sung purely to intrigue and entreat the revealers at feast, but here before her stood in all it’s greenery was proof that the shepherds of the forests truly existed.

“, A Friend, Wenda Skin changer?” The Ents deep woody voice rumbled, suddenly breaking Mara’s awed silence. That as Wenda nodded, she again found her voice.

“A friend I am, my name is Maranwe of the Greenwood.” she introduced herself.

“Hoom Hom A name of the old tongue yet you are no elf! room hoomty room toom!”

“ Indeed no, orphaned as a small child the elves took pity, naming and raising me in the manner of their own, but if I may master Ent by what name should we address you?”

“Hoom, the Names of Ents are long and take a long time to say, but you are a hasty folk, Mm-hm Greenbeard I was once named, haroom, yes I think that will do now.”

“Then well met master Greenbeard, but I do not think we should linger over long here, a Darkness hunts in this forest, it’s prey I fear already marked.” her hand reached sympathetically to stroke Wenda’s deep fur in an attempt to allay what fears her words would bring the young skin changer.

A dull throbbing had began to press at her temples, as Greenbread urged her not to be hasty, but she was already thinking ahead, if she had managed to track Wenda then so to could this thing she had thought anxiously and she told Greenbeard and Wenda so. But perhaps Greenbeard was right, perhaps if she had been less hasty she may have thought to cover their tracks better, but there was no changing that now so she thought it best not to dwell on it.

She then asked Greenbeard if he knew of somewhere they could at least rest for awhile and think about what they would do now, her plan had been to convince Wenda to return, but now she was unsure weather they could do so safely. The throbbing increased and she winced, rubbing at her temple as she waited for Greenbeard to reply.