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Earendil held Andarien to himself, smiling down at the sleeping boy. It was his first chance to hold him, and especially after a day of believing he would never have the chance to hold his son at that age, he felt almost giddy.

"It's quite possible," he smiled. "And what about you? What do you want to do now?"

They were going to be stuck there for a few more days, he was sure, at the very least, and possibly longer.

"There's an idea," Earendil smiled. "You can write about what's been going on around here. It's been an adventuresome few days, after all."

He paused, then added, "Though I think we could all use a walk. I'm getting cabin fever, sitting in the tent for a day without being able to do anything."

Earendil turned to Lin. "What do you think?" he asked her. "Wrap him warmly, put him in the sling? A walk won't do him harm, and he's probably tired enough to sleep through the whole thing anyways."

Not to mention, most people hadn't seen him since his growth, and they might like to.

"Can I?" Earendil beamed, absolutely delighted. "Thanks!"

He was like a child at Christmas, not that he would understand the analogy.

He stood and put on the sling, made sure that Andarien was secure in it, and then reached for his cloak - just in case. Then held back the flap of the tent to let Lin and Miyuki out first.

The general cleanup after the storm was finished, and people were trying to find (or make) dry places to sit. No one seemed particularly interested in staying in their tents any longer than they had to, with the exception of Alena, since her husband and daughter were both asleep in there. Even Alassëa had come out to join the others, her staff in one hand, her falcon perched on the other.

Earendil's eyes swept over the gathering of people. "Somehow it doesn't seem as if everyone is here," he murmured.

He did a silent count. Leilani and Aric were playing with Remiel near where the fire had been; Leyenda and Kelirahc were eating on the back of one of the wagons; River and Amalirahc had settled in for a game of cards; Daeron was talking with Luk, Emile, and Aethos while Alassëa stood nearby ...

"Halmir and Arthael and Celeb and Haldia," he murmured, naming off the people he didn't see.

Now that half made sense to Earendil - but only half.

"Arthael and Halmir, sure," he replied, "but Celeb and Haldia don't have a tent to be in, and I can't see them wandering too far. Haldia's due to give birth any time now."

Unless the two of them had simply found somewhere else to stay out the storm, and simply hadn't returned. He wondered if Leyenda or Kelirahc would know anything about that, since they hadn't a tent of their own either.

Amalirahc was playing cards with River underneath one of the wagons, where it had stayed dry. The two of them were lying on their bellies with the cards on the ground in between them.

"That sounds like a good idea," Earendil agreed. "Come on."

He put one arm around Lin's shoulder and started towards Kelirahc and Leyenda, who he thought would have the best idea of where the others might be.