Just when he believed his vacation could get no worse, a few straying drops hit Glorfindel's head. Looking into the heavens, another fell squarely in his right eye. Blinking and grabbing for a clean cloth from his sack to wrap up his meal before it was ruined, he cursed skyward, hoping someone was amused.
A crackle of thunder sounded to Glorfindel like the laughter of Manwe and Ulmo. Shoving his dinner into his pack, Glorfindel regarded the ripped and ruined tent. Kicking free one of the poles from the debris as the rain fell faster, he picked it up to use as a walking stick and headed into the forest.
He grumbled about the stupid tent, looking over his shoulder into the clearing at the shreds that remained, utterly neglected, taunting him. He would come back for them when the storm passed, but now he needed shelter of some sort.
A tree would do nicely in a pinch, but his personal preference was a cave if he could find one. Even a den left vacant by a bear or something of the sort. The rain pattered on the leaves of the trees above, but their thick summer branches kept him dry for now, save for an errant drop of rain here and there.
Racing up the incline, he neglected to note the drop on the other side. Moments after tumbling down the other side and into a valley, he lifted his head and groaned. 'At least I am not on fire this time,' he thought to himself. The climb back up was not one he looked forward to, and so, he continued along his haphazard path.
Luckily, he spied something better than he could have hoped for – the mouth of a cave that jutted up atop a small hill. Even if the rains brought flooding, he would remain safe. It seemed much too easy, too good to be true, and dropping to one knee, Glorfindel examined the ground for signs of creatures that might live within. There were tracks of deer and smaller animals on the ground, but none that entered the cave directly. No remnants of recent meals, no territorial markings. Cautiously, Glorfindel ducked down and ended, moving slowly into the cavern.
"Suilad?" Venturing further still, he made sure to scuff his feet in the dust on the ground in case there was anything in the cave, so that he would not spook it. It seemed he was alone, but he felt he was not. He began to whistle a tune to himself as he continued to look around. Finally deciding it must be his mind playing tricks on him, he rested the tent pole against the wall of the cave and left briefly to collect firewood in the case he might need it.
Upon returning, he removed his damp shirt, and then lodged the tent pole between two stalactites and hung the garment over it. By now, his dinner was no doubt cold, so he set to positioning some larger rocks he found around the wood he had collected.
The longer he knelt by the entrance, preparing the fish to be recooked and moving things around to make himself comfortable for the evening, the more he knew he was being watched. Turning around, he was startled when he saw a pair of dark, wary eyes staring at him.
His first thought on the creature in the shadows was that it was another damned raccoon, like the ones that had wrecked his tent and stolen his supplies. He shifted his gaze, for the eyes were too large, not proportioned quite right, and now, they were narrowing. "Aiya!" exclaimed Glorfindel. "Man le? Man le carel sí?"
A low sound echoed in the cave. At first, Glorfindel thought it to be the thunder outside, but he realized it was coming from the one crouched down in the back of the cave, glaring at him. He was being growled at - him, Glorfindel, slayer of balrogs.. well, one at least unless he was drunken while retelling the tale.. was being growled at by what appeared to be a young, scrappy elf half his size. He did what anyone in his position would do.
He laughed.
"Heniach nin? Pedich i lam edhellen?" Glorfindel bit his lip as the lithe, dark creature snarled and bared his teeth. His hand instinctively went for his blade, which had been on Asfaloth he now remembered, and at first cursed the name of his fickle beast. Then, his luck seemed to change as he reflected upon this, and he held up his hands slowly, peacefully. "Avo 'osto. Avo 'osto." He quietly repeated these words as soothingly as he knew, until it was a sort of lullaby to tame the wild heart within the wily ellon who snorted and bowed his head, but who was at least no longer growling at him.
Rumbling in Glorfindel's stomach alerted him to the fact that he had yet to eat since the early morning hours when he had left the homely house. Reaching slowly to the sack, he tugged it towards himself, but another growl alerted him just in time as the ellon pounced forward in a fury, on all fours like some kind of wild animal, stealing away the bag and scampering back to his former position with it.
With a sigh, Glorfindel just closed his eyes and shook his head. It was going to be a day to remember, but for all the wrong reasons. Picking up two of the drier sticks, he began to kindle the fire. Perhaps, if he tried really hard to ignore the raggedy elf, he would just disappear. Glancing out the mouth of the cave, Glorfindel heaved another sigh as the rain fell harder, drenching the ground all around.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. His ears twitched, and looking around, he stumbled back against the wall when he found himself face to face with the wild one. Speaking was of no use; he seemed not to know the language, nor did it seem he knew any language. The story behind this poor ellon intrigued Glorfindel, but right now, his mind was concentrated on the fact that he was being sniffed and snuffled. Glorfindel was in a precarious position, half propped against the wall of the cave as the ellon nuzzled his nose against his heaving chest, down to the dip of his navel, and back up into his golden locks, causing Glorfindel to laugh momentarily when the crook of his neck was smelled.
Then, the wild one bent down. Why had Glorfindel not noticed that this poor thing was naked until now? Rubbing his nose against the trousers of the blond elf, the wild one dwelled at one placed in particular.
Gently, Glorfindel touched the wild ellon with hesitation, thinking the actions quite improper and becoming more so. The ellon looked up harshly, looking as if he might lunge. A crash of thunder outside sent the elf scurrying back to the recesses of the cave.
Using the opportunity to retrieve his sack, Glorfindel approached very slowly, opting to travel as the other did, crawling on his hands and knees. The wild ellon tilted his head, blinking, as if unsure of what to think of this change in Glorfindel's behavior. Deciding that the neutrality was better than the growling, Glorfindel untied the bag and pulled from it the dinner he had cooked earlier. The fish had to be eaten soon before they went bad, and he unwrapped the cloth from them, placing them upon it.
"Tolo, mado go nin." Glorfindel knew he could not be understood, but hoped his voice was somewhat calming. It seemed, though, that the elf was not paying him attention. Licking his lips hungrily, the slighter elf sniffed at the air, picking up the scent of the fish. With big eyes and a doeful look, he waited for some further sign from Glorfindel.
Picking up one of the fish, Glorfindel slid the other two on their cloth closer to the ellon. He again only saw now what he had not noticed before- a good wind would surely blow this elf away. Finishing only half of his fish, Glorfindel slowly and carefully offered the rest of his to the ellon when he saw the wild one nibbling on the heads and tails once the bones were stripped.
The sun was no where in sight now, and Glorfindel pulled his shirt from where it had dried. He was about to put it back on, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the wild one shiver. Without a second thought, Glorfindel held the shirt out to him.
Sniffling at the garment, the wild ellon backed away. Glorfindel frowned, then pulled the shirt over his head. He spread out his arms to show his new friend what to do, then removed the shirt and handed it forward again.
Gingerly, the wild one took hold of the shirt, tugging it at once from Glorfindel's grip. He gave it another good sniff, then pulled it over his own head, getting a bit stuck with the arm holes. Without thinking, Glorfindel sat forward a bit more and to help the darkling with his predicament, but the wild ellon shied away, struggling until he found his own solution, then proudly lifted his arms to either side as Glorfindel had, and for the first time since their meeting, he smiled.
It was only a small smile, something a little shy, but it made Glorfindel grin. "Gerich faer vara," he said in what he hoped was a complimentary manner. The wild one looked sad, perhaps wanting to know what the words that were spoken meant, or perhaps for some other reason. Lightning sliced through the air again, and thunder followed, but instead of running away, ellon cowered beside Glorfindel, snuggling against him.
"Avo 'osto. Nad dithen," said Glorfindel, waving his hand dismissively at the mouth of the cave, in the direction of the streak of lightning. The next crash did not seem to spook the wild one as much.
Finding himself tired, Glorfindel stretched slowly, not wishing to disturb his companion, and tried to figure out which patch of rocky ground was the most comfortable for sleeping. A tug on his shoulder turned his head, and the big eyes were back. The ellon moved away, but unafraid, looking behind after a few steps, waiting for Glorfindel to follow.
He did follow, down into the darkness of the cave, which curved to the right and into a small chamber of sorts. Here, Glorfindel could barely see a thing, but what he could feel was soft moss on the ground. It was moist, but warm, and as he continued to feel his way with his palms on the ground, he felt something softer, a pelt of some animal stretched on the ground. His hands touched something warm, the leg of the wild elf, he assumed, and he slowly drew back, hoping not to alarm him.
Though his sight was useless, it was warm and comfortable, and Glorfindel's eyelids were already drooping as he settled onto his back to take rest. "Le hannon," he mumbled quietly. As he drifted to sleep, he felt the slighter elf snuggle beside him for the night, but Glorfindel was too weary to care.
- - -
Suilad? - Greetings? (Basically, more of an 'Anybody here? Fair
warning to forest creatures: big elf entering cave now.')
Man le? - Who are you?
Man le carel sí? - What are you doing here?
Heniach nin? - Do you understand me?
Pedich i lam edhellen? - Do you speak Elvish?
Avo 'osto. - Do not worry.
Tolo, mado go nin. - Come and eat with me.
Gerich faer vara. - You have a firey spirit.
Nad dithen - Just a little thing
Le hannon - I thank you
