Welcome to Gaia! ::

Earendil chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't have described it as interesting, but then, I wasn't one of the children following us." He shrugged. "Kids are kids, I suppose."

"We should talk to them," Iorlas said again, laughing and nudging Daeron's arm. "Before they leave."

As she spoke, the children seemed to be trying to come to a decision. One of them was pointing back into the city, and two of them were pointing towards the forest.

Earendil laughed and reached for Lin's hand. "Yes, yes, off we go," he grinned.

Daeron chuckled and took Iorlas's arm to lead her back towards the city, where the children seemed to be arguing about something. Iorlas's eyes sparkled with amusement as they grew closer, and it wasn't until they had just about reached the children that the children even realized that they were there. Suddenly one of the girls shouted something to the others and pointed at the five who were approaching.

Iorlas laughed and called back to the girl in the Fire Elves' language, and all of the children suddenly looked very sheepish.

"Asked them if they were still going to be following us," Iorlas giggled. "Apparently they hadn't realized we noticed them."

Daeron grinned. "Ask them what they were arguing about," he urged her. "I'm curious."

"No need," his wife winked at him. "I could hear back from where we were before. They were trying to decide if they should continue after us into the forest, or if they should admit defeat."

She turned to speak to the children again, and after a quick exchange, she told the others, "They're visitors from different cities, and apparently every year they have a competition following people. City limits are usually their limits."

Iorlas asked the children the questions obligingly, and the children were so eager to answer that they all spoke over each other.

Earendil chuckled softly. "Looks like this might be a big thing," he grinned. "It's been a while since I've seen children this excited about something."

"Then again, it is a once a year thing," Daeron pointed out. "And between towns, it sounds like."

Daeron and Earendil looked around.

"That's a good question," Earendil frowned. "If she was going to shadow these guys, then she would know that she doesn't need to anymore. Why wouldn't she have come out?"

"Unless she saw someone different?" Daeron suggested. "I don't know."

"Maybe we should ask the kids after we get our explanation of their game," Earendil mused.

As he spoke, Iorlas turned back to them, laughing. "Apparently it's a yearly competition for bragging rights. There are two challenges that they can win - who can track their target the longest without being spotted, and who can follow the most interesting people without being spotted. The rule about staying within the city confines isn't part of the rules, that's something their parents told them, but apparently we're so 'interesting' that they were willing to break their parents' rules to keep after us."

It was a cinch they weren't going to win for the longest stalk anymore.

Iorlas nodded. "Of course. Just a moment."

She turned back to the children to ask them about Wren. The children gave her blank looks until she started to describe Wren to them, using her hands to show her approximate size. Still the children looked lost. Finally, one of them shrugged and said something.

Iorlas turned back to the others. "They didn't bother watching her after she left us," she told them quietly. "They track one person per target. The girl following Wren split off from these children when Wren left us."

"Well, now that we know there's nothing to be worried about, I'd like to go back and see more of the celebrations," Earendil grinned. "Let Wren's shadow worry about what she got herself into. I'm sure they're aware of the risks they take by stalking strangers."

"I have more questions about their game, to be honest," Daeron admitted, "but maybe they'd be willing to come back with us to look for Wren and their friend?"

Iorlas smiled. "I'll ask them."

She spoke again with the children, and this time there were smiles all around and vigorous nods.

"No translation necessary," Daeron chuckled. "Shall we be off then?"

"Come!" one of the boys said eagerly, his Common Tongue clear and unaccented. "It should not be hard to find your friend, she is the only Light Elf in the city today!"