OOC: The narrative leans towards portraying Logic and reason in a slightly negative manner. As it's merely a fantasy fable that was written within a High Fantasy universe, the message this story tries to pass on should be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, please enjoy this player-created Elvish Fable and feel free to pass along any critique as you see fit.
This appears to be a fable. It's date of writing appears to be placed around the year 2531 of the Third Age.
The Badger and the Mole
There was upon one time, a Badger and a Mole who lived in houses next to each other. They did not know each other very well, for they seldom passed one another during the day and did not stay at one another's house during night. The fiercely independent Badger only knew that the Mole was blind, but it had been under the impression that the Mole got along with his daily tasks well enough, and there were rumours that the Mole could hear the cries of the Great Eagles, which the Badger did not believe.
One day the Badger walked up to the cliffside where the Rauros crested into the Anduin, and found the Mole stood upon a small rock nestled in the middle of the stream.
"Mole, o Mole, what dost thou do here?" He asked, filled with wonder at the Mole's foolishness.
"Friend Badger, why hello!" cried the Mole, wavering dangerously upon the rock. The Mole's eyes were closed, and the Badger knew he could not see him.
"Mole, o Mole, what foolishness art thee partaking?" The Badger asked, dismayed, "Dost thou not see that thou art stood upon edge of the Rauros?"
"Nay, friend Badger, this is not foolishness! There are treasures down there, friend Badger, treasures!" the Mole exclaimed, vaguely waving his hand towards the cresting waters, "The Eagles soared above the skies three days ago, I have heard them singing tales of great wealth and fortune! I intend to find it!"
"Madness!" Cried the Badger, disbelieving of the Mole's lies, "Madness and folly! Thou art a fool, friend Mole! There were no eagles! Do not give yourself up to the temptation of gold!"
"Nay, friend Badger, the Eagles smile upon me this day, and I feel their blessings. Farewell, friend Badger, I shall see thee again soon!"
And before the Badger could respond, the Mole leapt upon the waters, and in a brief moment, the Badger thought the Mole had grown wings and flown away into the skies, but then he heard a cry, and the Mole was gone.
In the following days, the Badger grieved, for the Mole had been his only neighbour and he felt guilty for not preventing him from jumping. He told all the other animals of the Mole's passing and grieved, and thus the whole village grieved, for the hill upon which the mole lived now stood empty and alone, and no light would shine through the hole of it's den.
When five days had passed, the Badger was tending to his garden. He had been picking apples when one of the local hares ran up to his fence and began to talk furiously, "Badger, Badger! The Mole is back, and he has brought great treasures!"
The Badger did not believe his eyes. Once he had deposited of his shovels and hoes, he ran as fast as he could towards the village center, and surely enough at the middle of a crowd of animals was the Mole, crowned in a fine mithril chainmail vest and wearing a blade made from the finest dwarf-steel the Badger had ever seen.
"Mole, o Mole, how art thee alive?" He yelled, running into the crowd to greet his neighbour.
And then the Mole turned to him, and let out a long, loud laugh, "I told thee, Badger! I believed in the Eagles, and they have blessed me!" And as he pointed upwards, the Badger saw three distinct bird-like shapes circling the village from above. The Badger merely stared at the shapes, upon whence he noticed the entire village laughing. They pointed, and they laughed, and soon enough they were pointing at him, and laughing, and he laughed, and they all laughed, laughing into the night, and thus the Badger was humbled and taught to place his faith in those mightier than him.
- The Scribe
Mithlond, T.A 2351
