[Child of the 7th Age]

The brown wizard stood apart from the band of Elves and walked towards the lead skiff that was already landing near the shore. For a moment, he stood quietly by himself, staring intently at the passengers in the boat, as if he was struggling to remember something that threatened to slip from his mind. He finally fixed his eyes on the two hobbits who were setting foot on the muddy bank of the river, along with an Elf and a raven-haired woman who followed just behind.

"Camelia Goodchild? Rose Goodchild?" The wizard peered down at the two small figures, adjusting his wire spectacles, which were about to slip off from his nose. Turning aside for a moment, his face a mask of concentration, he began searching for something under his belt and within the folds of his brown robe.

"Now where did I put that?" he muttered to himself, as he explored his various pockets as well as a satchel that had been carelessly slung over his back.

"Are you Camelia Goodchild?," he queried, looking her up and down several times. "If so, Master Gandalf sends greetings and regrets. I've several things to give you."

The wizard knelt down and continued his singleminded search, emptying out the contents of his bag, as he explained his actions to Cami. "I know there's a letter for you somewhere, but I can't seem to find it. I expect it will turn up later."

Cami glanced down with curiosity, straining to see what was coming out of the wizard's satchel. She could glimpse several strange objects lying on the ground that had not been there before. There seemed to be a small bird's nest made of tangled twigs, a smooth stone from the river basin, several remnents of half-eaten carrots, and a mysterious looking key.

Then the wizard straightened up and continued speaking with Cami, "In any event, welcome to Middle-earth. You and your people are most certainly welcome here. I know that Gandalf generally tends to keep an eye on you, and he promises to visit someday soon. Only now he is regretably detained by many urgent dealings. The members of our order have only recently arrived, so there is much to do. Gandalf has asked me to help you make your way towards the north, along with the Elves."

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Cami finally managed to push herself into the wizard's dialogue and blurt out the question which stood uppermost in her mind.

He turned to face the hobbit and fixed a serious eye on her. "I am Radagast the Brown, a worthy wizard, a master of shapes and changes of hue, one who studies herbs and beasts, and particularly the ways of birds."

At this moment, a black crow swooped down and lit upon his shoulder, and, with head tilted upward, trilled a few notes in his ear. He nodded and whispered something back in a language that Cami could not understand, and then the bird flew away.

He turned his attention once again to the hobbits. "I believe we may soon be neighbors. So we shall be seeing a bit of each other. My home is in Rhosgobel on the western boundary of Greenwood, not far from the Old Ford. It is my understanding that you will initially be heading towards Greenwood, to dwell in the land between the Forest River and the Forest Path. But we will speak of that later, after we gather with the Elves."

"Thank you so much for coming to our aid," Cami politely replied, extending her hand in greeting, "But you wouldn't happen to know when Gandalf will be joining us, would you?"

He shook his head and pushed his hand down into the very depths of his satchel, triumphantly pulling up a crumpled sheet of vellum, "Ah, here it is. The letter at least. Perhaps this will help us." He handed the message over to Cami. She excused herself to run over and sit down on a nearby log, intending to pour over its contents.

But before she could get very far, Radagast again addressed her, "That woman with you, the one next to the Elf with the raven hair, what is her name?"

Cami answered the wizard without even looking up from her letter, "You must mean Bird. She's a friend."

Radagast turned and stared intently at Bird for several minutes with a curious expression on his face, muttering something unintelligible underneath his breath. Then he spoke louder so she could hear, "You certainly have interesting friends. I've something else for you as well. But it will need to await the morning." Then he walked away, promising to return in just a short while to greet the rest of the hobbits.

Skiff after skiff began to make its way onto the shore. The hobbits climbed out of the small boats, each one toting a pack or bag that they'd need to carry along the road. Cami's attention was quickly diverted to the needs of the landing parties and helping to sort things out. The letter remained safely tucked under her belt, awaiting a time when she could sit down at her ease and carefully read it.

[ December 28, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]