Midwinter 2020 Image Instadrabbling by Lindariel

The tall larches covering the flanks of the Ered Luin were currently bare, which made it easier for the birds to sit on the branches as they watched a thing they had never seen before. An enormous shining group of tall slender creatures on two feet were walking through the valley and down the loud river leading away from the mountains.

One bird turned to follow a movement off to her flank, where some of the creatures had broken off from the group. As her flock watched the Teleri move westward, she watched the Nandor seek a new home southward.

Alatáriel put down her brush and sat back, the last page finished. Círdan's people had been very observant in detailing the markings of the wilwarindi of Tasarinan, and the codex was impressively complete, containing every type she had seen on her trip eastward.

She cleaned her brush on some dried moss and began setting her pigment shells back into their little cabinet. It was so kind of Círdan to let her augment his library in this fashion. As beautiful as wilwarindi must have been in starlight, she thought, how much more beautiful are they now that their colors are obvious.

Tol Galen had a more dry and temperate climate than any place Beren and Lúthien had ever lived. It was never cold there, and it only rained for a short period of each year. Unfamiliar tall trees, all trunk with a crown of spiky leaves, seemed not to mind the aridity, bearing delicious sweet fruits.

But not long after Lúthien and Beren had been granted new lives to settle there, Lúthien's nature began to manifest itself anew. This time, instead of the niphredil that sprang up for her in Doriath, the river Adurant brought forth water lilies to honor her.

Barad Nimras and its supporting settlement had never been built to withstand a land-based attack. No threat greater than a wolf pack had ever challenged its few guardians before. None of the Falathrin boats that plied back and forth around the point could do anything to stop the Glamhoth either. It was as much as they could do to hastily get out of range of the enemy's bowfire.

As the Sun sank into red-gold clouds, the ruins of the tower began to burn the same hot color. Soon nothing would be left save rubble for the encroaching bindweed to cover.

Alatáriel began to step more carefully as the layer of leaf mould thickened underfoot. The northern eaves of Neldoreth were much wilder than any forest she had ever encountered, and their cool dampness had brought forth many strange olvar, some of which were scarcely recognizable as plants. She spared little attention for them, having instead a mission to accomplish.

She clasped her hands around the berry canes, concentrating on the life within them. If Melian thought her worthy to enhance the border protections of Doriath, she would make her very best effort. The canes thickened and began to sprout thorns.