Welcome to Gaia! ::

(I PMed Tesunie)

"None of your business!" Lilith responded, insulted. "I am not here for war. Isn't that enough?"

The other woman snorted in amusement. "You regard our spears. Neither are we here for war. Be at rest. It is enough."

The group approached directly and in an organized fashion, stopping only a few feet away. They seemed pretty sure of their right to be there.

The stranger was drawn to the movement of the dragon. "Do these beasts speak?" she asked Lilith.

"Yes, they are intelligent."

That earned Lilith a reproachful, nearly mocking look. "Well of course they are intelligent. But who is in charge here? Human or dragon, I wish to speak to them."

Lilith backed away, looking sheepish. "Me, if you want human. I suppose this one if you want a dragon."

"And Cedric? Away is he? Never mind, he is always up to something. Take me to his wife."

"She...she is also gone. It is just me, and two children... as far as humans go." Lilith turned to Isk, biting her lip. "So..."

"We will unpack here," she stranger announced with an annoyed shrug. "The rescue team could arrive any day now."

It must have been a sizable rescue team, as the small company of less than a dozen began unpacking their many mules and horses. Mostly food.

They put the cage down on the ground as if it was nothing. The tiny people sat sullenly and said nothing. Lilith only stared, not sure what to think.

The group didn't hesitate to answer. "Because," the woman said gruffly, "they have pointy sticks that they like to use!"

At that, the ones in the cage stirred. "Spears, you idiot! You are lucky that we spared your life! Yet we see that you have no honor."

The woman rolled her eyes and sighed.

Lilith's eyes brightened with a sudden flash of inspiration. "You don't know what to do with them, do you?"

The stranger grimaced but nodded. "We can barely get out of them where they live, let alone what they are up to. They seem to be far from home. I mean... I've never seen their kind before, have you?"

Lilith's smile widened. "No, ma'am. But I sure have heard of them. I don't know what they're doing this far north, either."

The little people returned sullenly to sealed lips and bored looks.

Shrugging, Auri wraps her arms around her knees and waits.

Isk watches and listens. Speaking to the one in the cage who spoke, "Perhaps you could be friends, then there would be no cages and no spears." She seems genuinely perplexed that they hadn't reached this conclusion themselves.

Isk moves so that she can get a good look at the peoples in the cages, not realizing she's looming over them as she does so. "He went to get supplies, he will return. You will not poke? You will not fight, you will not leave? If you do no wrong, you should not be in cages, but we can not let you do harm. Do you understand this?"

Auri, fighting her curiosity, finally speaks to Isk silently, "What's happening?"

Isk blinks once before directing her thoughts only to her bonded, "There are new people who seem to know this place and little people they brought in cages."

"Cages?" Auri speaks aloud as she climbs to her feet wonderingly. She's forgotten the boy and the cold in wondering about the small people in cages. It doesn't take her long to make her way back out to the cave opening.

Isk blinked, "I did not say you were children."

Auri walks up and lays her hand on her dragon's flank. "Small, very small. Cages?"

Isk turns to her bonded, "They come out now, they will cause no problems."

Auri nods and peers at the little people, she studies them in silence for a very long moment before speaking one word only, "Cold."

Isk looked a bit perplexed, "Her head was hot? There is snow here, why not put the snow on her head to cool it?"

Auri looked at them both, trying to decide if what they were saying made any sense. Then, curious, decided to follow the little people.

The Kokiri did not enjoy being followed, and muttered amongst themselves at first. However, they did not stop her, realizing that she was, after all, just a child. And because she was a big person, all they had to do was whisper if they didn't want her to hear something.

The Kokiri set up camp at the edge of the valley. They had brought few supplies with them, and walked fast for their short legs, so this was done before dusk. Once they were done the group gathered in a circle and began chanting quietly.

Lilith forgot about the Kokiri immediately, turning to Tesunie. She let Auri go off because she figured that her dragon would watch her, and that the Kokiri were no big threat. "Tesunie, I hope you are well rested. We are still waiting for Cedric to return, and in the mean time, the valley has filled up with strangers. Don't go wandering off."