23: The Forests of Oromë

“Are you sure these mushrooms are safe?” Findis asked, looking dubiously at the pile of fungi before her.

Valandur had in fact found, not only mushrooms, but blackberries and, along the stream, some watercress.

“A veritable feast,” he had declared as he brought everything to Findis, laying his bounty on his tunic which he had removed so it would dry faster.

He gave her an amused smile. “Trust me, meldanya, I am not trying to poison you. These are perfectly safe. Here.” He reached down and plucked one of the mushrooms out of the pile and shoved it into his mouth and began chewing. “Hmm… tastes just like chicken.”

Findis laughed. “Oh, you’re impossible,” she exclaimed as she grabbed some blackberries to eat.

“But it does,” Valandur insisted, joining her in laughter as he settled down beside her, choosing some watercress to chew on.

“Well, we certainly won’t starve,” Findis said, “but I think if this is what we’ll be eating for the very near future, meals will be rather dull.”

“Perhaps,” Valandur said with a shrug, ‘but I will not complain. I just wish I had a knife. I lost mine in the stream somehow. You can see where the sheath was torn from my belt.”

“And I wasn’t carrying one,” Findis said, frowning slightly, then grimacing when she attempted to shift her injured foot.

“How much pain are you in?” Valandur asked, worriedly.

“As long as I don’t move it too much, it’s more a dull ache than anything.”

“I would remove your boot to check but I think it best to leave it. Your boot is preventing it from swelling.”

“How long should we stay here?” Findis then asked. “While you were hunting for our dinner, I was thinking that perhaps it would be better if I stayed here and you went for help. You can travel far more quickly without me. You could leave me with enough roots and berries to live on and if I’m closer to the stream I’ll have plenty of water.”

“We have no idea how far we’ve come or how long it would take me to reach Ando Tarassëo unencumbered,” Valandur objected. “You could be here for days or even weeks. You would never survive for I could not possibly gather enough roots and berries and such for you to live on if I am gone more than a day or three.”

“But I cannot walk, or at least I cannot walk very far for any length of time. Just to hop over to those bushes and back to relieve myself left me breathless and feeling dizzy. At the rate we would be traveling we would probably reach Ando Tarassëo in time for the next Feast of Double Mirth.”

Valandur grinned at her hyperbole, knowing that that particular feast was six harvest seasons away. “I doubt it will take that long. Besides, you forget that even while we’re inching our way back, Captain Ornendil will be scouring the stream in search of us. He will not give up until he’s found us, whether alive or drowned. He and his men can move more quickly than we, so it stands to reason that he is more likely to find us than the other way round.”

“Yes, of course. You’re right. So, should we go once we’ve eaten?”

“The first rule of being lost is to stay put and let others find you, but I do not like the idea of just sitting around waiting. Certainly we can walk upstream. We will take it at your pace and go only as far as you are able at any one stretch.”

They quickly finished eating. “Here, wait while I put my tunic back on,” Valandur said and while he was shaking out the tunic and pulling it over him, Findis placed her hands on the tree, gently stroking its bark.

“What if we ask the trees to send a message letting Ornendil know that we are alive?” she suggested.

“That might work if Ornendil thinks to ask them. But you are correct. We should not dismiss the idea out of hand. See what you can do while I go… ah… find a bush of my own.”

She gave him a knowing grin as he walked away and he felt himself reddening for some reason. Returning a few minutes later, he saw she was still communing with the beech, its leaves moving slightly though there was no wind. He kept quiet until she opened her eyes.

“It has agreed to pass the message on,” she said, and even as she spoke, several nearby trees began rustling their leaves in the still air.

“Good enough,” Valandur said, lending her a hand and pulling her up from the ground. “Here. Take this tree limb to help you and put your arm around my shoulder. It’s a good thing we’re nearly the same height. It should make things easier.”

Findis complied and, after they spent a few minutes adjusting stances and grips, they set off with Findis attempting to keep her left foot from touching the ground, though she admitted that if she put her toes down it helped with her balance. Their trek was slow and awkward and Valandur was half tempted to simply pick her up and carry her in his arms, but he knew she would never allow it and if he did it anyway, she would never forgive him. So, they struggled on and managed only a few hundred rangar before Findis needed to stop, both of them sweating with the effort. Valandur brought them a few feet further on to where a lone willow overlooked the stream and settled her under it so she could lean over the bank and drink, bathing her face at the same time.

“This is impossible,” she panted after a moment or two. “We’ll never make it all the way back this way.”

“We’ve barely begun,” Valandur said. “And as long as I can find us things to eat and we have access to water, we should be fine. We could just find a spot to sit and wait for rescue but frankly that thought does not sit well with me. I would prefer meeting our rescuers on the way.”

“Yes, I suppose I do as well,” Findis said, sighing, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Here, come and put your head in my lap and sleep for a time,” Valandur said, shifting his position so he was leaning against the willow that shaded them. “I will stand guard.”

Findis did as he suggested, inching herself over to him and lying down. He stroked her hair, no longer in braids, and began to softly hum a tune, a lullaby he remembered his amillë singing to him and his sisters when they had been elflings growing up under the watchful gaze of the stars over Cuiviénen. In minutes, Findis was fast asleep; Valandur continued stroking her hair.

****

“Val, wake up!” came a hissed voice.

Valandur felt someone shaking him and he blinked, refocusing his eyes. It took a precious second or two to remember where he was and what had happened and then to realize with some chagrin that he had fallen asleep when he had promised to stand guard and that it had been Findis shaking him and she sounded… well, not frightened, but certainly concerned. It took even longer for him to realize that they were no longer alone.

Sitting before them, contemplating them with a disinterested air, was a large feline, its body perhaps a ranga long with a tail half that length, neatly curled about its flanks. The tawny fur was rough looking and dappled so Valandur thought that it would blend easily into the woods. It stared at them with unblinking topaz eyes. Valandur licked suddenly dry lips, wondering what they should do. The creature just sat there staring at them in that inscrutable way in which felines seemed to gaze upon the world. Finally, not having a better option, Valandur inclined his head in greeting.

“Fair day to you,” he said graciously.

The feline blinked, then daintily licked a paw and washed an ear, patently ignoring them. It stopped its ablutions after another minute or so and stared at them unblinkingly again.

“What do you suppose it wants?” Findis whispered. She had sat up and unconsciously huddled against him. He put an arm around her shoulders.

“Well, I doubt it is to eat us,” he said with a smile, though she did not see, her attention riveted upon the feline still sitting before them. “It’s probably just curious, wondering what these strange creatures are who have invaded its territory. As long as we do nothing threatening, we should be fine. Eventually, it should get bored and go about its own business and leave us alone.” At least, I sincerely hope so, he added silently to himself, wondering what he would do if the creature decided to attack them.

After several tense minutes, the creature stood up and stretched, flicking its tail and then walking away, but it did not disappear into the forest. Instead, it stopped after a few feet and sat down again, looking in their direction, growling something. Valandur thought there was some expectation on the part of the animal and it growled again, coming back to them and gently nipping at the hem of Findis’ tunic. She gave a muffled shriek and buried her head in his shoulders.

“Hey! None of that,” Valandur practically shouted and then forced himself not to laugh when both Findis and the feline gave him almost identical looks of disbelief. “No, beloved, not you, our furry friend here,” he said giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Methinks we are being asked to follow it.”

“Are you sure?” she asked dubiously.

“As sure as I am of anything,” he replied with a shrug.

“But it’s heading away from the stream,” she protested. “Surely our only hope of being rescued is to follow the stream. At least we will be assured of water if nothing else. If we follow it who knows where it will lead us?”

“True,” Valandur averred, “but you are forgetting whose Forests we are in.” With that he pushed her gently away from him and stood, reaching down to lend her a hand and giving her the tree limb she was using as a crutch. It suddenly occurred to him that he had never thought to use it to threaten the animal who now sat patiently watching them. When Findis was ready, he addressed the creature.

“Lead on, good sir,” he said, “but do not range far for we cannot move swiftly.”

He was not sure if the animal even understood him, but apparently it did, for when it set off again, it went at a pace that kept it in their sight as they wended their way between the trees away from the stream. Valandur hoped that what they were doing in following the cat did not end up with them regretting their decision, but he reminded himself that they were indeed in Lord Oromë’s demesne and all creatures there were under his suzerainty.

They managed to walk some distance, far enough that the sound of the stream had faded away, before Findis indicated that she needed to stop for a bit.

“Hold, Master Yaulë!” he called out, even as he helped Findis to the ground so she could lean against a tree, wishing they had had some means of carrying water with them. They were both dripping with sweat and Valandur knew that they would need water soon enough.

The creature stopped and settled itself, staring at them and Valandur had the distinct feeling that it saw them as weak, useless things.

“The lady cannot travel fast or far at any one go,” he said, speaking to the cat as if he were speaking to another Elf. “We need water as well. Food we can do without for a time, but we cannot do without water.”

The creature, however, did not deign to answer and Valandur sighed as he settled himself down beside Findis who gave him a wry look. “Perhaps there are other streams or springs.”

“We can only hope,” Valandur said with a sigh. “How are you faring?”

“I will manage. I really have no choice, do I?”

“No, melda, and neither do I.”

“And since when did I become your beloved?” Findis asked, giving him a haughty look.

“Since now,” he answered with a smile, leaning over to give her a kiss, this time on her right cheek. She blushed and put a hand where he had kissed her.

“You are being over bold, sir,” she protested.

“And you do not feel for me as I feel for you?”

“I did not say that,” Findis insisted. “I said you were being over bold. There is the matter of propriety,” she added primly.

Valandur laughed. “Propriety! Here? Well, it’s not as if we’re not being chaperoned, is it?” And he gestured to where the cat still sat some distance from them, yawning and snapping at some insect flitting by, patently ignoring them, or so it would seem.

“As if my atar would believe that a cat was a proper chaperone,” Findis retorted with a sniff.

“But meldanya,” Valandur couldn’t help saying in a teasing voice, giving her a mischievous smile, “it’s the perfect chaperone.”

“Oh?” Findis raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Of course,” Valandur replied, grinning hugely. “After all, how many chaperones do you know who could eat you if you misbehave?”

For a second or two, they stared at one another, then at the cat which blinked at them and yawned, then back at one another and then they burst out laughing, practically falling over one another in their mirth. The cat, meanwhile, yawned a second time, lying down with its head in its paws and fell asleep.

****

Valandur felt something nipping at his hair and then a wet tongue slid over his face. Suddenly, he was wide awake.

“Ugh! What did you do that for?” he exclaimed as he sat up and wiped his face on his tunic sleeve, glaring at the feline now sitting patiently, staring at him. When it saw that Valandur was awake, it padded away, stopping in a few feet and looking back, giving a low growl.

“All right, all right,” Valandur groused as he shook Findis awake. “Give me a few minutes, will you? What is the rush, after all? Findis, time to wake up. Our guide is anxious for us to move on.”

“Hmph? Oh!” Findis focused her eyes and saw the cat and sat up abruptly. Valandur gave her a wry look, standing and holding out his hands to help her up. After a moment of adjusting their stances, they were ready and Valandur turned to the cat.

“Lead on,” he said and, with a flick of its tail, the feline set off with the two Elves right behind.

“I don’t even remember falling asleep,” Findis said as she hobbled along.

“Me neither,” Valandur said with a chagrined look. “I guess we are both more exhausted than we thought.”

“Right now, I’m more thirsty than anything,” Findis complained. “I hope we find water soon or someone finds us. Where do you suppose its leading us?”

“I have no idea except that it appears that we are moving more or less north of west.”

They both fell silent after that, each conserving his or her strength for the walking with Valandur still tempted to just pick the elleth up and carry her, but he was unsure how she would take it. However, the question became moot when they came upon a large tree that had fallen and was now blocking their path. The cat simply leaped over it and Valandur knew that he could easily do the same but Findis was in no condition to do so. Without thinking, he stopped and scooped her into his arms.

“What are you doing?” she demanded angrily, and in her surprise and shock, she dropped the tree limb.

“What does it look like, melda?” he retorted somewhat shortly as he carefully maneuvered himself over the fallen trunk. “This obstacle is too high for you. Now, just sit back and relax.”

He crossed over and looked about for the cat, spying it a few feet away. As soon as his gaze fell on the creature it flicked its tail and set off and Valandur, still carrying Findis, followed.

“You can put me down now,” the elleth said through gritted teeth.

Valandur gave her a grin. “I think I’ll just carry you a bit. We’ll make better time.”

“Hmph,” came Findis’ response, clearly unconvinced, but she did not contradict him or attempt to leave his embrace. Instead, she actually snuggled a little closer, laying her head on his shoulder. Valandur allowed himself to smile as he followed the cat.

Carrying Findis, they made better time and went further, deeper into the woods. It was difficult to gauge how many hours they traveled, for the trees often blocked the sky and Valandur could not easily check to see what the quality of the Light was, but he suspected they had traveled for some hours and he was beginning to reel from lack of water and the weight of Findis in his arms when the cat led them to a spring bubbling up out of the ground. With a cry of relief, he stumbled to the ground and carefully put Findis down. Then they both drank from the cold water, feeling immensely refreshed.

After drinking his fill, Valandur took the opportunity to look about. He had not been paying attention to his surroundings for some time as he concentrated on keeping the cat in his sight and Findis in his arms. Now he gaped in shock at the trees that surrounded them. Along the stream the trees had been mostly oak and maple and stately beeches and willows but as they moved further away from the stream, the trees had changed and oaks and beeches had given way to malinorni and nessamelda-trees and finally to incredibly huge redwoods that dwarfed all the other trees.

“What type of trees are these?” Findis whispered in awe. “They are larger even than the largest malinornë I have ever seen.”

Valandur could only shake his head, for he had no answer. The cat snarled at them and Valandur sighed. “It looks as if our guide wishes us to follow. Take another long drink first, though, for I have no idea how long it will be before we have water again.” He followed words with action and drank from the spring and Findis followed suit. This time, when he made to lift her into his arms she offered no protest.

They set off again and now it appeared that the cat was angling more north and its pace had quickened as if it sensed that they were near their goal or that it simply wanted to be rid of them and be off on its own affairs. Valandur sincerely hoped that they were being led to a farming community where they could get help. He was concerned about Findis’ ankle; it needed to be tended. He was unsure, but where her skin brushed against his, it felt too warm and he was afraid she might become feverish.

Then they seemed to reach a clearing or rather, he realized, that the woods were failing and before them was an open field covered in tall grass and wildflowers of every shape and hue. The light was that of Laurelin beginning to fade toward First Mingling. It took a moment for Valandur to realize that their guide had disappeared and then another moment to realize that he was standing beside one of the redwoods that appeared to have had a section of its trunk carved out. Peering inside, he was surprised to see a large space furnished with plain furniture: a couple of beds with no linen on them and a table and chairs. The ground was packed dirt and there were cupboards built into the walls.

“How odd,” Findis said as she peered inside. “Why would anyone create such a place?”

“I do not know, but I am not about to complain,” Valandur replied as he stepped inside and settled Findis on one of the beds. “Rest here, my love, while I explore this… uh… tree-cave.”

“Do you suppose Lord Oromë made this just for us?” she asked as Valandur stepped away and began investigating the cupboards.

“Doubtful,” he answered, “though I am sure that it was made by Lord Oromë or perhaps his Maiar for purposes of his own. Look! There is coimas here and… yes… jugs of water. Well, we certainly won’t starve or die of thirst. I just wish I knew where we were in relation to the Southern Fiefdoms so I can go for help.” He came over to the bed with some of the waybread and water, handing them to Findis who accepted them gratefully.

“Go for help and leave me here alone?” she asked after taking a bite of the bread and a sip of the water.

“At least you are safe here, Findis. Look, you can even shut the entrance.” He pointed to a door that had been pushed back against the wall so it had not been immediately noticeable when they came inside.

“Well, you don’t have to go just now, do you?” she asked somewhat petulantly.

“No. I would like to rest first and I want to check your ankle. Here are strips of cloth for bandages and I know a little of healcraft. I will go out and see if I can find some comfrey and make a paste from it that should help with any swelling.” With that, he went back outside, eyeing the surrounding area. There! Yes, he saw comfrey and even feverweed. Collecting the plants he headed back to the tree-cave, as he thought of it, to find that Findis had one boot off and was attempting to remove the other.

“Here, let me do that,” he said, placing the plants on the table. He removed the boot as carefully as he could, but even so, she hissed and there were tears of pain in her eyes. Examining the foot, Valandur assured her that it was not broken. “It is badly sprained but the comfrey should help and the feverweed, while not as effective as willow bark, will help keep a fever down. You are over-warm and not from exerting yourself.”

Findis merely nodded, lying back down on the bed, while Valandur puttered about, finding everything he needed to make a paste from the comfrey and a cold tincture from the feverweed, for he had no means to make a fire so neither the paste nor the tincture were particularly efficacious but it was all he had to offer. Once the foot was properly wrapped and the tincture drunk (with many grimaces and even a swear word or two on Findis’ part), he encouraged her to lie back down and try to sleep.

“I will set out at the next Mingling,” he told her.

She just nodded and was already slipping onto the Path of Dreams. He covered her gently with a blanket he found in another cupboard and then he grabbed another blanket for himself and settled into the other bed. Soon he, too, was fast asleep.

****

Yaulë: Cat.

Malinorni: Plural of malinornë: Mallorn.