Birdie pressed her ear to the door of Mithadan's cabin, snorting with amusement as she listened to the Mariner rant on to Child about "stowaways", "loose lips sinking ships", and "the brig". The presence of this new Hobbit Daisy meant little to her, though she did begrudge the theft of the mushrooms.
Bird wondered just how much this little chit of a servant girl understood about their destination and what they might be facing. "Well", she thought "She'll find out soon enough that she'll be dealing with a bit more than a day of hoeing the 'tater fields of the Took family. I hope someone can teach her to wield a sword. Perhaps we can give her a sickle."
Bird was a bit more upset with her reaction to Kali, and his disheartament at being rebuffed by a "cousin." Child had given her a good talking to about being polite and looking beyond a person's outward appearance, but what did she expect? Child had been out in the wide world for many years, and seemed to have forgotten the the typical Shire reaction to "outlanders". Kali had been alone for a long time. Anyone would have been embraced by the lonely Hobbrim; the fact that some of his new-found companions looked even vaguely like himself would have been just icing on the cake.
This made Birdie wonder: what would a Hobbrim's normal reaction have been to outsiders? The skinchanger sought out Kali, and after comforting him with the usual excuses of ignorance and youth, she asked Kali:
"How would Hobbrims have treated outsiders, Kali? Did you ever have other sea folk who would cross your borders from outside? Did your folk look on them with suspicion?"
"Borders? What are 'borders', Birdee?" asked Kali in confusion.
"Borders? Well, you know, where you lived, and hunted. The place where you and your family stayed and called your own."
"We lived in the sea, Birdie. But no one called the sea "their own". What? Own the sea like I own my knife or this necklace my mother made me? I don't understand!"
"Never mind, Kali. But what about strangers. People who were not known to you?"
"All hobbrim were known to us. We always welcomed other Hobbrim, where ever we found them. Then there were the Mer-Folk. We loved the Mer Folk, but..." here Kali shook his head sadly, "the Mer-Folk would not come to us. We would watch them from afar. Look on their beautiful cities, but they did not want us to come near. When they see us, they laugh. Of course, they were so much more beautiful and wise then us. Why should they bother?" Kali sighed, then looked up at Birdie. "Maybe Daisy is more a cousin to the Mer-Folk then me?"
Then Kali brightened "But the dolphins knew us and would come and visit. I had many friends among the dolphin-kind."
Bird gave Kali a hug and said, "Well, I can certainly understand that."
[ July 16, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]
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