The Wind Fell Silent

3. Beardless Dwarf

Renn's Point of View

I woke the next morning, sitting on the floor, exactly where I had been listening to the song last night. It was still early in the morning, and the sun was but a dim glow that illuminated the room. "Dishna, have you woken?" I thought. "Now I have, thank you very much" came the aggravated reply. I got up and peeked into the living room. All the dwarves were still soundly asleep, tucked comfortably in their bedrolls. "Before you depart, we must speak to Gandalf" I told Dishna, she agreed silently (for once).

It took some nosing around in the labyrinth that was called a hobbit hole, but we eventually found Gandalf in a spare bedroom, already awake. He sat in a comfortable looking chair, reading a dusty book raptly. "Gandalf, may we bother you for a moment?" I ask from the doorway. The old man looked up from his book and smiled, "Of course my dear." Dishna jumped from her perch in my hair and transformed into a small cat. "Ah! Dishna, there you are, I noticed your absence last night." Gandalf said looking at the shaggy black feline. "How can I help you?"

"Dishna and I have decided that whilst I accompany the dwarves, she will set out for our homeland, and tell the Elders about the unrest of Middle Earth. We hope that they will send reinforcements." I announced, hoping that Gandalf would agree with our decision. Gandalf looked relieved, "That would be most wise. It is high time that sprites return to these lands." This time Dishna spoke *Dishna can speak telepathically to others if she so wishes* "Before I leave I need to know any additional information that you may have omitted."

Gandalf paused for a moment "There is nothing more than mutterings and rumors of a necromancer, as for the idea that it is Sauron, well, that is a mere suspicion on my part. Nonetheless, I think that you are right to call for aid, for there is a dark force at play that we do not yet understand."

Dishna and I left the room, after about half an hour of conversation, leaving Gandalf to his book. We crept through the house and out the front door, there was no use in delaying Dishna's parting. Once we were outside in the garden Dishna morphed from cat to hawk. In one fluid motion she flew onto my out stretched forearm, as we said our goodbyes. "Fly swiftly, we haven't much time." I said to Dishna as we looked at each other sadly. We hated to be separate, for being apart from one another meant being apart from the greater half of your soul. "Well at least I am not charged with the task of carrying you all the way home" Dishna said with a sad chuckle "for you are not as light as you like to think." I laughed as she jumped from my arm and slowly rose into the sky. I watched as she flew away, her presence in my mind dwindled until it was nothing more than a small bump in my consciousness. I hated being apart from Dishna, I hated the dull silence that formed in my mind, I hated having to talk to myself, and above all else I hated having to get on my own nerves.

Third Person

Renn walked back into the hobbit hole alone, as she entered she saw that the dwarves were starting to wake and pack their things. She laughed to herself as she saw Bofur kick his brother Bombur, trying to rouse him. Her silent mirth was interrupted by the old dwarf named Balin, "Excuse me Miss, but you will have to sign this as well." he said as he handed her a contract. Arenna looked down at the piece of parchment and remembered Bilbo fainting the night before. "Yes of course" she said noting the surprise and slight confusion on the dwarf's face when he heard her accent. Renn quickly read through the contract, but before she signed it she looked up at Balin "I do not require a portion on the treasure. I merely will need traveling supplies, and reimbursements for anything that I lose during the journey." Balin stood with his mouth agape, "You don't want any of the gold?" he asked in disbelief. Arenna had heard much about the great love dwarves held for treasure and riches, however this lust of gold was not shared among sprites. "No master dwarf, gold is of little use to me. I keep only as much as I need to purchase the necessities, I surely do not need 1/15 of the treasure in that mountain." Balin looked at her curiously for a moment before saying, "Well, if you have no need of it..." the old dwarf trailed off, still trying to understand Renn's refusal of the gold. Arenna smiled as she signed her name, "Then I guess that I am a part of the company now."