The start of a beautiful friendship by Aprilertuile

---

The start of the year

---

When the time came, Makalaurë and Maitimo rode with Tyelkormo to the edges of Oromë’s Woods. 

Tilion was the one who welcomed him when he crossed the border of the Woods:

“So, Tilion, what are you doing when you’re not babysitting hunter apprentices?”

“I’m hunting and following my Lord’s command. Also drinking. You’re of age right?”

“Yes I am.”

“And you’re aware that whatever happens in the Woods isn’t talked about outside the Woods right?”

“I’ve been told and so far I’ve indeed followed that rule.”

Tilion walked with him to the Hunting Lodge that was far less lively and noisy without the hustle of the baby hunters. 

“Yarlossë will still be your teacher. Be mindful of what he’s telling you. There will be times when we need to leave fast, in which case if you’re not specifically called you will stay within the Lodge.”

Tyelkormo nodded. That rule was already in place last season. 

“Everyone pulls their weight as you know so go see with Yarlossë what you need to do. I stay of course available shall you have any questions.”

Tyelkormo thanked him and went to find the older elf who saw him come with a smile. 

“Fair warning, you might not appreciate everyone’s sense of humour.”

“Most people don’t like mine either.”

“Most of us have… opinions on the baby hunters who come to learn for a season.”

“That is going to hurt.” Tyelkormo winced. 

Yarlossë laughed at that. 

“You weren’t that bad. Just… Very inexperienced.”

Tyelkormo grimaced at that: that was a way to put it. 

Oh well, there was no shame in starting out. There was no shame in starting on one’s craft, only in not giving it one’s best.

From there, Tyelkormo shadowed Yarlossë… And soon realised that he could every evening, go back to make his little offering to the beautiful hound… Hound who, at that, seemed to stay closer to the Lodge when the baby hunters weren’t there. 

The hound growled a bit seeing him, but… Tyelkormo didn’t understand it as an outward rejection. Mostly he seemed to be surprised. 

“I was invited to stay a year, to learn more. So here I am. Do you mind?”

The hound didn’t answer at first, but soon, he shook his head slowly, and Tyelkormo smiled brightly. 

“I come bearing gifts. I caught rabbits today. Here are heart, lungs, and liver. Someone said the Hounds of Oromë loved that stuff. I mean, the heart I get but the rest is beyond me.”

A huff of somewhat amusement answered him. 

“Yeah, different tastes, I know. Here, I’ll leave it to you and go back to the Lodge. Have a good night.”

From then on, every day without fail, Tyelkormo tracked down the hound to give him something, and every day he spoke to him of random subjects. How his days were going, what he liked, what he found frustrating, what question he had (and he had a lot of those apparently). 

One day out of six, the hunters had a day where they could rest if they wanted to, unless there was an emergency. All took it in turn so that there was always someone doing chores in the Lodge, but it wasn’t always the same people.

On one such day, Tyelkormo obtained the authorization to go out wandering the woods so long he was careful, and he left before dawn for a reason his mentor found inexplicable: who in their right minds got up before Laurelin on the one day they could sleep in?

Somewhere mid-afternoon, a group of 3 hunters on a hunt together found Tyelkormo… Arguing with a rabbit. 

Tyelkormo’s voice trailed off mid-sentence when he noticed his laughing audience. 

“Dare we ask?”

Tyelkormo looked at the rabbit in front of him, back at the hunters, back at the rabbit… Back at the hunters and said in a very mature attitude: “He started it!”

“Right… So?”

“He ate my lunch!”

“… Didn’t you take dried meat for lunch?”

“Well, I did but I also picked up… You know… Berries and nuts but a little furry SOMEONE decided that it belonged to him!”

“And you didn’t have time to stop him from eating it all?” One of the hunters said, raising an eyebrow.

“I was climbing up a tree to try and see if I could spot a river or something to clean the berries and nuts but by the time I got back down someone had already helped himself.”

“Need help replacing what was stolen?”

“Nah, it’s fine, don’t worry.”

The hunters soon went their own way and that evening, Tyelkormo told the hound about his encounter with the rabbit. The hound seemed particularly amused at that story.  

And by the time Tyelkormo got back to the lodge… The story had already spread, so that some of the members of the Hunt just started laughing when they saw him. 

Tyelkormo took it with good humour, entirely unbothered: he could acknowledge that it had been perhaps a bit ridiculous. 

Just a bit.