Ellendil

Deer meat

Elle had managed to strip the meat and set the best of it out to dry and pack it carefully in leaves to be carried along with her and still managed to catch up with the party before the midday sun cast it's gaze on them. They had made good time despite this, and the ascent up the mountain was well under way. Her decision to stay behind and finish her deer had not been a popular one. She would admit it seemed suspicious. She'd had a few of the dwarves convinced she was meaning to collect an ambush, or report to some unknown elf party following their paths, ready to intercept. To avoid the tension, she had promised to return to their ranks as soon as her butchering was done, in order to share amongst the party the tender meat to bulk up their supplies. To this they agreed, as was expected. The only thing, Elle had realised, that would put a stop to the dwarves conspiracy theories of elf mischief was the promise of food. She had decided to see them clear off the plains before she took a different route south, if need be, if more Orc scouts came close, in an attempt to draw them off. Perhaps the dwarves could loose them in the woods to the east, the path they would surely take to avoid the Thunder Mountains.
She once again heard the dwarves before she saw them, and grinned at their loudness. For a party hoping to burgle beloved treasure from under the nose of a dragon they were most unsubtle. Bombur and Bilbo made up the rear as Bifur filled the crisp, thin mountain air with the smoke of his pipe and his laughter as he told the pair one of his stories. Elle had arrived just in time for a punchline.
'And that was the end of that!' He exclaimed with a glance at the audience behind him. Bombur shook
his head and bilbo let out a scoff.
'I do believe you made that up.' Said the little hobbit. This remark quickly brought about a heated discussion between the three and as Elle approached she decided not to announce herself. She'd let this one play out and instead followed quietly behind, manoeuvring around the rocks on the mountain path and grinned as she listened to the bickering. The light soon began to fade and the stars came out painting the deep chasm blue canvas above her in a millions of specks of light. Of memories and dreams hidden far above. Holding truths Elle wished one day she would understand. She walked on blindly as she could not bring her eyes to the uneven path before her. Instead they stayed fixed upon the clear night sky, like ones she had seen a thousand times but yet they never ceased to make her eyes go wide with everlasting wonder. She had eventually made her presence known to the dwarves, quite by accident. She had wanted to pursue them in secret a little longer, fearing they would think her a show off at catching them up so quickly. Which was in fact true. That's what she was but nevertheless, her fall had been completely involuntary. She would never put her reputation at stake with a clumsy, foolish tumble over a seemingly harmless tuft of grass he had misjudged. Elle's body hitting the rock fragment covered path had caused quite a commotion amongst the small stones that riddled the path and the company, as loud as they were, had taken noticed. They'd drawn weapons and Elle had been forced to roll out of the way behind a boulder that took up half the path to compose herself. She'd then had to announce herself sheepishly, and emerge into full view, her hair strewn with gravel and her hands grazed from the roughness off the ground. She cringed at the memory but thankfully was woken from her remembrance from a bellow from Thorin.
'It would be foolish of us to try and descend the mountain in this dark. Even starlight won't protect us from treacherous rock and loose soil. I don't us to plunge to our death, we cannot trust these lands. It is riddle with elves after all.'
Ah there it was. The company couldn't go, it seemed, a leg of a journey without taking a stab at her race. Not that she minded too much, she too did the same after a frustrating encounter with a lord from Rivendell or lady from Lorien. But it seemed like she could not join in with their jibes. It would confuse them yes, but Elle was nothing if not defiant. She instead carried out her duty and returned a subtle remark back to the dwarves, devilishly insulting, she was quite proud of them yet it would take the dwarves a good couple of moments to get used to them without taking absurdly dramatic offence.
'Yes, we should set up a camp. At least until dawn. Then we must pick up our pace and make it off the plains in the morning, and at least continue until dusk on the terrain of our next chosen path.' Balin said, his stout hands placed on his hips, his face slightly red from exertion. The climb had been strenuous, even Elle had a burning in her legs. She chose a boulder to set her pack against and began to draw out the leaves that contained the deer meat. She would share them out now, in hope the dwarves would leave her alone tonight without teasing about her fall. Kili especially.
The dwarves gathered around a flat, grey, decent sized rock that squatted a little off the mountain path. It was surrounded by stubbly shoots of grass with a few sparse bushes and shrubs. Elle rolled out her ridiculous blanket and rested against the rock she'd laid the meat onto and looked toward the horizon. The path was wide, but Elle could still feel the great expanse just half a mile in front. Where the mountain ridge and peaks stopped and the steep drop of the slope started. It was huge, the world. Elle wanted to see every inch of it before the darkness she could feel consumed her...
She snapped up her head as Bombur plonked himself on the soft grass that lay before her, blocking her view of the whole horizon it seemed.
'Meat looks good.' He said and on cue a grumble from his stomach echoed through the evening.
Elle laughed.
'I did remember Bombur. I was not going to cheat dwarves out of good wholesome meat. I value my life you know. There is enough for everyone. I advise you save it for more perilous days ahead, were dinner is the only satisfaction you can have.' Elle said handing over a handful of slivers of the lean meat to the eager Bombur.
'I thank you Elle. This would go brilliant with Bofurs stew!' at Bomburs remark the rest of the dwarves took notice of the meat and turned their attention toward her. She passed the meat in piles to Oin who took it on himself to pass it round. When he reached Thorin the prince seemed only to take it out of curiosity, disdain on his face. It was still wrapped in the leaves. Elves knew where to find them everywhere in middle earth, they kept perishable foods good and fresh for long journeys. Elle's personal favourite growing thing. Thorin however did not see them as anything useful, only an embodiment of elves fussiness. He peeled it off under the observation of Elle and just before he cast it to the ground, Elle spoke up. 'The keep the meat fresh.' She blurted out which halted Thorin's hand as it went to cast off the leaves. He looked at her, listening in fact Elle realised to her amazement. There was no scowl. But still his harsh eyes told her she better not press the matter. But Elle pressed on nevertheless. 'Plus it tastes brilliant in deer stew.' She said with a quick smirk, which lightened the situation and though he was quick to hide it she saw the dwarf princes eyes smile for a moment. Then he carefully, without drawing any attention from the others, covered the meat once again with the leaves and gave Elle a curt nod. That's as courteous as he was going to get she figured.
The company spent the rest of the evening in high spirits, laughing and swapping stories with Elle and they all went to sleep content, if not a but cold from the gathering winds, and with the smell of fresh deer meet in their noses. Tomorrow they would descend the mountain to come once again onto the edge of the plains and from there Elle would need to figure soon what to do about the Orc scouts as the dwarves chose their path.