((OOC: This is my approximate guesstimate at Daerundros' real future; Living amongst the Kinn-lai Elves as one of the first Eldar known to do so. This story will probably be around 3-5 Chapters long. Enjoy!))
Who ever upon this world would behold what met the eyes of Daerundros, Noldo-maiden from Eregion when she saw the high trees and thick vegetation of the forests, jungles of which Minyelairë had told so very often. The bark of trees was thick and greenish brown quite similar to the trees she knew already. But these ones were so giantous that Daerundros could hardly see their crown in the high places where the canopy was letting so little light through that the ground on which they walked was dim. The Noldo wiped with the back of her hand the sweat from her forehead. It was unbelievable hot and the air was damp of slight fog about their feet. The ground was brown and covered with leaves, wood and moss that the actual earth could not be spotted. Wherever one would look, he would see dark green plants and colourful objects, maybe fruits, hanging from a few trees. The call of an animal such as Daerundros never heard it sounded with a long echo. The entire air was filled with noises. Chirping of thousands of insect, the calls and singing of a hundred birds and the cracking of wood as the wind was roaming over the treetops and bends the twigs and branches back and forth.
Minyelaírë led Daerundros through this forest and soon the Noldo had little idea where they actually were. The sweat ran down her neck, cooling her back a little. A bright red bird flew over their heads and disappeared between the branches. Daerundros could see no path before them, while the Kinn-Lai infront of her parted plants and held up bushes so that they could walk easier through the thick jungle.
"How high are these trees?" Daerundros asked, as she leaned her back to let her gaze wander in wonder over the by leaves covered sky. The trees were so thick and broad she estimated that two dozen elves were needed to give one of them a hug. "Six-hundred sixty feet, maybe even more." Minyelaírë answered. Daerundros continued to stare about in wonder, until her eyes finally rested on the back of Minyelaírë's head.
"So, home at last. I expect thou art nervous." Daerundros stated, her eyes gazing at the red hair questioningly.
"It has been a long time since I was here and the forest has changed but is all the same for me. I see the same plants and flowers and the same trees greeting me now that I return from exile. I am not nervous, but eager to see the city of my birth again." Minyelaírë fell silent as she walked among the trees. They continued many hours through the jungle, with a few rests in between. The vastness of the vegetation and flora took Daerundros in awe. And the few animals they had spotted let her wonder even more. Snakes that were long as three elves, strange looking pigs and giantous ants, huge as a man's thumb, Minyelaírë had shown to the Noldo-maiden. The Avar had aswell pointed ever so often out that the wandering of these woods is most dangerous for Daerundros. Once loosing the direction would leave her in wandering until the end of time through these forests without finding anyone again.
"And Men have never found this path?" Daerundros asked as they got up again and ventured forth. They crossed a small brook after which Minyelaírë stood still and examined her surroundings.
"Some have," Minyelaírë said whispering, "But they were either eaten or poisoned of the denizens of this forest or were shot and left to rot by the caste of the Warriors"
At the word warriors a rain of arrows fell upon them and Minyelaírë yelled, "Duck!" Daerundros put her shield over her head, feeling the numerous clinks and clangs of arrows rebounding upon it. She was about to raise her own bow. But how pathetic and useless would that have been? The Noldo, not even Minyelaírë knew where the Ôtadharôr were who shot on Daerundros..
"Dhaûrtha!", Minyelaírë called out in her native tongue, Kinnja and no more arrows flew. Instead a voice sounded up.
"Maân dhu'thar?" A voice said inquisitively, in the same tongue.
"Minyelaírë Eru'Narleis." Minyelaírë stated.
The voice continued a few words in Kinnja, which were hard to understand for Daerundros. Certainly, Minyelaírë had taught her the words of her people, but now that she actually heard them truly spoken and without lowered pace, she understood almost naught. It was the accentuation that perplexed the Noldo-Maiden the most. So strange and exotic, melodious at the same time.
Then three elves in greenish-metallic and dim armor came out of the jungle. They had long bows that were strangely build. They were unsymmetric and the upper hand was far longer then the lower. The quivers by their waist to easily draw the arrows and a long sword on their back, they took their steps majestic. The dark hair, maybe even black was long and flat falling unto their shoulders. But they seemed to have coloured it. A slight greenish glim was about them, that would help them to provide a perfect camouflage in the jungle. The faces of the sentries were hard and sharply formed, not quite different from the Noldor back in Eriador, Daerundros thought. But the Kinn-Lai were taller. A lot taller even. Minyelaírë seemed to have shrinked against them. The Avar-maiden took a step forward, grasped the wrist of the first sentry and spoke seemingly a long greeting and then pointed at Daerundros. The blue eyes of the sentry-captain narrowed at Daerundros, before he nodded and made a movement with his hand, ordering to Daerundros that she should come into the middle. Minyelaírë walked now behind her Noldo-sister, while to the other sides and in the front was a sentry. Long would they walk through the jungles until they came upon a encampment...
((A Coalition project with Minye. She does most of the describing of the forest, I come up with the Ideas :P))
