Back in the Bree-land
Zurri had now returned to the Bree-land, having safely bid his father a final farewell in the western mountains of Middle-Earth. The hobbit Kithri had passed onto him the axe of Yurri, which he did vow to wield henceforth whenever danger would dare stir. The Master of the soothery, one Elias Dimheim, had also kindly offered both friendship and temporary shelter within the Knotwood village. Closure and peace were within Zurri's grasp.
Yet still the dwarf felt deeply conflicted. For the original company he departed with had come to hold Master Zurri in contempt. He feared facing them again, his dwarven comrades, and decided to prolong returning to where they presumably still dwelt in the Chetwood. A day or two of delay would matter not, and it would give him further opportunity to plan out peace offerings and apologies. Additionally, he'd find a way to speak of his father's passing without succumbing to sadness, and so the pause from constant grief travel was sorely needed.
Still, fearing the company had quite possibly returned home without him already, Zurri saw it fit to employ the services of two Bree-dwellers; ones who may ferry him through the wilds should he be abandoned in the world of men. However, his exit was to be stalled. Dimheim had taken ill, and Zurri does not abandon friends in need! Furthermore, his potential replacements for his folk would only depart Bree-land when the celebrations of Yule had drawn to a natural close. Time was no longer pressing hard against Zurri, and so he saw it fit to remain in the Bree-land awhile longer.
Standing at the bar in the tavern of The Prancing Pony, Zurri's thoughts now turned to his family. His lover, their children; they all surely awaited him eagerly beneath The Lonely Mountain. Zurri felt tethered to each of them, and he too counted the days to when he might once again be with them. With the war now over, the roads were considerably safer. The dwarf at the bar felt himself steady and smile softly, for returning to them in good health was a certainty to him.
But, then again, Zurri's been wrong before...
