[Kransha]

Kalimac sat back on the wagon, letting his firm hold on Staddle and Archet’s reins slip slightly as he relaxed, listening to the calming melody that hailed from Estella, just up ahead. He had always known she had a sweet voice about her, ever since their childhood and he knew that it could be the perfect tool to spread a needed tranquility over the group. Unfortunately, Kalimac himself was not tranquilized but the soothing tune, since his inner tension had been elevated to recently for it to be satiated so easily.

‘What did he mean, ‘unnatural place?’’ thought the gentlehobbit, leaning back on the hay-soaked cart seat and letting his clenched fists that held the reins fall into his lap wearily, ‘There are plenty of tales to be told of that old wood, but as Marcho said, they’re all fables, children’s stories, not something to actually be heeded by sensible elder hobbits.’ Kalimac’s brow was now furrowing, though he did not let his obvious concern show outwardly. Being a Halfling so knowledgeable in tales of lore, he knew almost all of the wispy little tales about those things that lurked in the dark woodlands, hiding in the gnarled branches of ancient trees.

He leaned back further, craning his neck and stretching his arm back into the hay. After a second of groping about, he came across the smooth texture of his oaken bow, delicately placed near him. If he needed it he would use it, though he would prefer not to. The hobbit knew that this trek was not meant to be a simple matter, but he did not want the journey to become wrought with catastrophe. There had already been one incident, although not a very catastrophic one. That kleptomaniac fox had only succeeded in thoroughly soaking a few vests and undershirts, no real damage done to anyone or anything, except the clothes that had been laid out on the ground.

At the moment, Kalimac was most worried about his children. Crispin and Alora had not yet questioned him yet, or opposed this journey, or even gotten out of hand in the least, but he was worrying now that he could not keep as careful track of them as he’d hoped. After the incident with the fox, Kalimac came to the annoying realization that things would not be perfect on the road and he couldn’t keep his eyes on Elsa, Alora, and Crispin all. He was going to need some help, someone he could trust.

“Elsa, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” He said almost curtly to his wife, who was sitting just behind him on the cart, nestled comfortably into the hay, “We have, I assume, a very long trip ahead of us all. I was thinking recently about Alora and Crispin, and came to the conclusion that we cannot keep track of them both every waking moment.” He didn’t notice that Elsa was about to say something and continued, regardless, “They are good children and not hard to handle, but we are getting on in years and they still have all the energy of youth to elude us, even if that is not their intent. I believe we need some other person or persons to keep an eye on them, to keep them from any undesirable situations on this journey. It is my opinion that we require younger folk to do such a thing for us, and perhaps the Chubb children, May and Henry, could handle such an assignment.” He took a breath, slowly narrating his oration to a close with the question he’d meant to ask from the beginning, “My question is, very simply, would you be entirely adverse to having May and Henry Chubb watch our children?”