[Thenamir]

Climbing to their camp left Thenamir only enough energy to set up a bare camp, assign watches, and eat a small morsel from his pack before lying down and sleeping as soundly as he would allow himself. Thenamir had taken to sleeping, as they said in Gondor, "with one eye open and one hand around the hilt." Though the rest of the band had grown to trust him implicitly, the only way to wake him up of late was to prod him with a pole or stick long enough so as to be beyond the reach of his sword. In starting awake the stick had occasionally been sliced short by the bright blade before he realized where he was.

Gurthden therefore considered carefully before rousing Thenamir to alert him of the missing Guthrin. He placed one booted foot upon the blade just in case before shaking him awake. Thenamir was instantly alert, but did not try to draw, recognizing his overnight watchman. "Trouble, Gurthden?" Thenamir muttered, removing his helm and raking his fingers through his helm-formed hair.

"Guthrin is missing." Thenamir sat bolt upright at that revelation, and stood, quickly gathering his effects as Gurthden continued, "I heard wolves howling from afar, and walked a short distance from camp to see if I could spot them from the ridge-rise yonder, and when I returned, he had gone. I scouted about the camp, and believe I found his trail leading away north, but not into the mountains. The trail skirts the foothills as far as I tracked it."

"Help me wake the others," Thenamir started to order, then checked himself. “Hold, Gurthden, one moment.” He turned to go first to Elwood and found him already awakened from that strange eyes-open half-sleep of the wood elves. Elwood had felt the turmoil of emotional urgency emanating from Gurthrin like a tangible cloud of angst and dread and had kept vigil on him as he departed, making note of his direction with his preternaturally keen eyes. “Do you see him, Elwood?” Thenamir asked softly as he turned and faced the same direction, squinting in the pale moonlight.

“He appears and disappears as he reaches each top of the foothills he crosses to the north,” Elwood replied. “Thenamir, he is torn, broken. As he left I could sense a strange emotion boiling in him, a melancholy urgency combined with a foreboding sense of a doom he cannot escape. Never in all my dealings outside Lorien and Rivendell have I seen someone driven so, and yet at the same time of two minds, the stronger half dragging the weaker with it. I do not know what he intends to do, or where he thinks to go, but I feel in my heart he should not be left to his fate alone.”

“How far away is he? Can we catch him?”

“He is running, but not at full speed, almost as though he is pacing himself for a long journey. We can catch him in time, but to do so we must start immediately.” He paused a moment before adding, “this might be a good time to split our band, as Treetop suggested.”

That was all Thenamir needed. Volkmar awoke with a cry and a commotion from a frightening dream, but once awakened, Thenamir explained the situation and Volkmar understood. After brief conference, Elwood went to wake the warg, Thenamir did the same for Arenia, and Volkmar packed only the most necessary items so as to travel as lightly as possible. Gathering the newly awakened together he laid out the plan quietly, trying to allow the rest to get some badly-needed sleep.

With Elwood for eyes, and the Warg for ears and nose, Volkmar for his ranger skills and Arenia for her knowledge of the wild and her friendship with the ents, they were to follow Guthrin and catch up to him if possible – find out his intentions, and assist him if they could. They could cross the mountains at the Redhorn Pass – no sense backtracking round to the gap of Rohan – and meet them somewhere along the banks of the Sirannon, nearest to the mountains. But under no circumstances should either party wait more than 7 days for the other before continuing on to Ost-In-Edhil's location on the map -– time was crucial. Thenamir bid them good speed and good hunting. Elwood shook Thenamir’s hand and committed him to the care of Elbereth, then started off after Guthrin, followed closely by the warg and the rest.

Kalohern pretended to sleep, and even to snore, but once the tracking group left, and Thenamir lay down to resume his rest, he stealthily wrapped his essentials in his bedroll and tied it to the saddle of his horse, Telefax. The horse whickered a greeting which Kalohern quickly shushed by slipping him a mouthful of sweetgrass, then mounted the horse and followed after Elwood...

[ November 20, 2002: Message edited by: Thenamir ]