Naergon advances in slowly along the rock wall as he returns towards the Elven camp, always keeping himself in the shadow. The light of the sun should anyway blind the eventual guards in the ruins but it can't hurt to be careful. His step is far from ligth by Elven standards and he is no scout that all his life sneaked unnoticed in the most impossible places. So he will be careful and hope it is enough. He will make his way to the camp to report, and without further fights and delays he hopes.
The lord Veryacano send his elves to find out what they can on the surrounding lands. He was assigned to accompany Estarfin and Nirhen and their parth lead to the north west. Naergon felt all the weigh of his choice to join the Hammer alongside this veterans. He had no idea why Nirhen asked him to leave his shield behind and Estarfin not but he complied with no word, for once not to look a coward in her eyes, holding onto the imagined protection of a shield he was not really a master of and secondly because she took leadership of the group and Naergon started already to believe in the importance of obeying officer orders, especially when they were old, experienced and knew well their thing.
The small party met some smallfolk and Naergon though they look like that Bilbo, guest of Elrond. He suggested a peaceful approach. Nirhen allowed it but held her spear close. She was right to do so, the small ones attacked on sight. Their look might have been almost human but the rest reminded of goblins. The smallfolk were obviously at war with someone judging on the barricades and heavy guard of their camp so the elves walked further with care.
They vent north-west by the wall under ruins where Naergon was now and he though to see a shadow moving. So little and so fast that they decided to ignore it. Maybe also because it was Naergon the one who saw it, he though bitterly.
And then they saw the campfire of the men. They were dressed in the fashion of the Rangers who welcomed then at Echad Dagoras. Nirhen and Estarfin were talking about taking the camp! Naergon frowned and forgot his shyness:
"This are Ranges, my lady, they proved an ally, we cannot consider attacking them!"
Nirhen replied with a mocking tone:
"Perhaps you wish to befriend them too?"
Naergon's face was in fire, yes, he was wrong on the smallfolk but attacking anyone on sight is surely not the way either! He pretended not to notice the mockery and nodded:
"I will go. I can return alone to the camp and report on what information they will share." And he left his hiding and approached the camp signaling his presence from afar with a polite greeting. He was feeling already a lot more sure of himself. The Ranger who had his bow ready lowered it and all three bowed their head in greeting to the elf, obliously surprised of such visitor.Naergon smiled and asked them why so far into such wilderness and asked his permission to join them a while.
They were three, Prestadir, the one with the bow and apparently their leader, Idhrenfair, almost a child, Naergon though, and Himeinior. Naergon noticed that Himeinior held himself far from any talk or interaction with the elf, as much as being civilized allowed, finding something to keep him occupied.
Warm tea of wild flowers and salty boar. And words. The Rangers were scouts themselves, they were reluctant to talk why their kind was interested in this lands. Naergon respected their secrecy. Whatever hunt they were after it was their business and he would respect their secret just as they did not comment on the Elves ways to search information on their lost "chieftain". No, the Rangers had seen no trace or heard no rumor on a captive elf traveling under heavy guard. They did know however the ruins were home to dun-man runaways, outlaws to their own and to all others, the type that would attack any small group be it elves or men to rob them of their supplies and weapons. The Rangers also met themselves the belligerent smallfolk and they see them as goblins of sorts too.
They also knew of a small settlement of smallfolk, hidden in the hills, friendly and keeping them away from the conflicts around. They were much like hobbits. Hobbits? Ah, the smallfolk in the Shire, to whom Bilbo was one of.
There was another Rangers scout party that should be just south of the ruins, had they not advanced more south than they were supposed too,Idhrenfair marked it on the rudimentary map sketched in the dirt.Naergon nodded, approving the Ranger's initiative to avoid allies shooting eachother for enemies. The man marked also some roads, the hidden settlement of the smallfolkand a city of the Dun in the south, better avoided,and a river going East. The rangers wanted to investigate that river, and more of their scout parties would be found in that direction. Naergon was curious what they were after but Prestadir frowned and Idhrenfair stopped his details, so Naergon was a good guest and not ask his host for more than they were willing to give.
Just as he was preparing to leave, Prestadir hesitated again before saying: "Friend.. I fear I could put you on a bad track for I truly do not KNOW anything. That road alongside the river should have many caves for hiding and possibly many hidden roads under the mountains beneath them. We will signal our own to keep their eyes open for any sign of your lord and we will try to let you know if we find anything. If I was to secretly take East something of importance I would search.. alternative paths. The lands here and those in the South are at War, this savage small lords hate each other and only fear the power in the South. If a hidden road East exists then that one is the fastest. But remember this is only my thoughts, and they could as well take your chieftain South and not East.."
