Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Tiger, sitting on a tree limb, watched as the riders readied to leave, It was getting dark and they needed to be away. She glanced around and didn't see anything in the spirit world that would be a threat to them, although there were creatures about that only she could see. Delicate spirits, butterfly souls, and even a unicorn. It looked like a foal as it passed not ten feet from the riders, but they were all bred males and would never see her. Still she wondered what had attracted it to the group. Then Legolas looked around and smiled. He saw her! Legolas saw the unicorn! Now Tiger was confused. Was Legolas not a bred male?

Jumping down from the branch, she loped ahead of the horsemen and stopped, curling her lip to smell whatever might be about. Celeborn led the riders past her and slowly shook his head in amazement. Tiger gazed up at her master and then decided to trot beside him for awhile, but that quickly grew boring. She decided to follow in the shadow of the trees.

KNowing she would be able to find them easily, she decided to wander a little. Coming to a shallow rocky bottom creek, she stopped to get a drink. Willow maidens watched her from their leafy perches, and Spirit fish studied her thoughtfully from their deep pools. One spirit fish, which appeared to her as a beautiful maiden, her silvery fins now her exquisite gown, spoke to her of dark shadows across the moon. Tiger told her of the elf lord and his people who were riding to bring down this last of the evil dragonriders. The spirit fish maiden wanted to see them, but she could not leave her pool. Would Tiger bring them to her?
Tiger considered this but did not believe Celeborn would turn aside his quest for anyone.

The Spirit fish maiden smiled and said, "Tell your Lord I have something for him. A gift against the Nazgul."

Tiger sat up straight at that. "What gift would you give my Lord?" she asked.

"The gift to undo one mistake," the Spirit fish maiden replied.

"And what must my Lord do to get this gift?" Tiger asked suspiciously.

"If he is comely, he must lay with me. If he is not, he must send someone who is."

"MY Lord is very comely," Tiger said. "I will go see if he will come."

"And he must come alone," the Spirit fish maiden said. "Or neither I nor the gift will be here."

Tiger considered that as she returned to the trail the riders were taking. Loping after them, she quickly came upon them and passed between the horses to stop Lord Celeborn. Assuming her human shape, she stood in front of him, her blue gown covering very little, and said, "My Lord, Tiger needs you."

Celeborn reined in his horse as Haldir stopped beside him. "What is it Tiger?" the elf lord asked.

Tiger pointed back into the forest and said, "Spirit fish maiden has a gift for you. She says you must come alone to get it."

"Who is Spirit fish maiden?" Haldir asked.

"The spirit fish at the pool," Tiger said. "She said she will give the Lord the gift to undo a wrong, but he must lay with her for it."

Celeborn sat back on his horse in amused confusion. "And what does this spirit fish maiden look like?" he asked before he considered the proposal.

"She is not so tall as me," Tiger said. "Her hair is black and very long. Her eyes are black and her skin is very white. She can not leave her pool." REmembering what else spirit fish maiden had said, she added, "Spirit fish maiden said if you were not comely to send someone in your place. I told her you were comely."

"I appreciate that," Celeborn mused. "When does she want to see me?"

"Now," Tiger said. "The spirits hide during the day."

Glorfindel, seeing some danger in Celeborn leaving the group, said, "My Lord, what if it's a trap?"

"Tiger, do you think she means me harm?" Celeborn asked.

"She is a fish," Tiger replied. "I will be there, and I am a tiger."

Celeborn looked back at Glorfindel. "The ability to undo one wrong," he said. "That would be a useful gift."

"Let one of us go in your place," Glorfindel said. "If not me, one of your grandsons."

While they debated, Tiger looked up at her Master and laid a hand on his knee. Master had promised her today he would lay with her. She wanted to kiss him but rubbed her face against his leg instead.

"Tiger, lead on!" Celeborn commanded suddenly. Tiger leaped back into the forest with Lord Celeborn riding after her. AS the trees grew thicker and the trail disappeared, he dismounted and led the animal. Upon reaaching the pool, he asked, "Where is she?"

"Here my Lord," a rich female voice answered.

Celeborn looked up stream and his voice caught in his throat as a woman so fair of skin and dark of eye that she could be elfkind appeared. Clothed only in her long black hair, she stood before him with the same unashamed sensuality as Tiger, but whereas Tiger exuded raw sex, this woman, this spirit fish maiden, was grace and elegance.

Tiger disappeared in the trees as Spirit fish maiden embraced the lord of the Golden Wood, now Rivendell, and kissed him. She knew what pleased males and did not have to be told. But the water was her world and she could not long leave it. Celeborn understood this as he removed his boots and robes, as he permitted himself to be loved by this exotic supernatural creature. She led him into the stream and together they sat in the gently flowing water. Celeborn grabbed her face and kissed her passionately, and she opened her mouth to welcome his exploring kiss. Then he kissed her breasts and she moaned softly.

Tiger thought they were beautiful, and they made love slowly, tenderly, and she considered it. Spirit fish maiden joined with Celeborn as he sat in the water, and it didn't turn fiery until just before the end. Spirit fish maiden and the Lord of the Wood then embraced each other tenderly for a moment before she withdrew from him. True to her word, Spirit fish maiden gave Celeborn a small jade fish. He could use it just once to undo a wrong, so he needed to be sure that was the wrong he wanted undone.

Celeborn, after he had dressed, slipped it into the leather pouch he carried on his belt. He looked up to say good-bye to the maiden, but she was gone. "Tiger, are you still with me?" he asked.

Purring loudly, she leaped out of the tree and rubbed his leg with her face and body in true cat fashion. Celeborn smiled and rubbed her head. "Take me back now," he said.
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Glorfindel was relieved when Tiger returned with Celeborn, and he was all right. He was also curious about the small jade fish the elf lord had, but Celeborn returned it to the pouch before anyone could say anything that would waste the gift spirit fish maiden had given to him.

Tiger, in a thoughtful mood, decided she wanted to ride behind Master the way Gimli rode behind Legolas. Haldir gave her a hand up and then asked her if anything was wrong. She laid the side of her face against his back and said, "Tiger needs to slow down." But Tiger was not a spirit fish, and before long she was exploring her master's body beneath the silk tunic. He slapped her hand once, when she tried to explore his leggings, but he seemed resolved to the fact she was not going to quit. She loved the way his nipples stayed hard as pebbles beneath her fingers. And she noticed they were dropping back and were soon at the rear.

"Master, why are we here?" she asked curiously. He didn't say anything when he turned his head and cut his eyes towards her, but she could see the flame in his eyes.

Finally he said, "Tiger better ease up on Master, or there won't be anything left to play with."

Tiger removed her hands from his body and placed them on his hips. After awhile, he eased his horse forward. Tiger needed to learn to ride like Gimli without attacking Master's body, but she liked Master's body. She looked at Gimli and noticed that he wasn't touching Legolas at all. She removed her hands from Master and found that she could ride just like Gimli. She smiled at Gimli and showed him that she wasn't holding on. Gimli smiled and nodded his approval. With that fete accomplished. Tiger put her arms back around Master's waist. Riding without hands when she had a beautful body to hold to was silly. She felt a rumble in Master's body when she tried to run her hands over the sleek silk tunic. She moved her hands back to his hips. Gimli smiled. She smiled.

"Did you know we were visited by a unicorn?" she asked him.

"No, I didn't," the dwarf replied easily.

"I did not think you could see her," Tiger replied thoughtfully. "Only virgins can see her.....and jinn tigers."

"Oh that certainly explains it then," Gimli agreed. "I haven't been a virgin in many ages."

"Legolas, did you see her?" Tiger asked.

Legolas momentarily looked horrified as Aragorn glanced back at him. "No, I didn't see it," he replied quickly.

"But you looked right at her," Tiger protested.

"Tiger," Haldir stopped her, "leave it be."

Tiger got quiet and laid the side of her face against Master's back. She and Gimli looked at each other. He smiled. Tiger felt better and sat up. She could see a sliver of red in front of them, It would be morning soon.
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Haldir now knew what deer felt like when they were being hunted. Tiger never took her eyes off him while he set his tent up in a sheltered place under the trees. Unable to stand waiting in her human body, she stretched out on the ground in her tiger body and watched and waited. Her eyes followed him everywhere, and just because he could, he prolonged her wait. He sat and talked with his brothers, discussed the rest of the ride with Glorfindel and Lord Celeborn, all the while aware of her eyes burning into his body. When the twins stopped by to pet her, she growled at them, softly but most certainly a growl.

Haldir visited with Aragorn and talked pleasantries; Tiger watched. He checked hs equipment and Tiger waited. Finally he decided he had paid her back enough for the liberties she had taken on him the previous night. He retired to his tent. Tiger leaped after him.

He was pulling the tunic off when Tiger entered the tent and changed her shape. Now she could kiss him, slowly, slowly, she told herself. BUt Master laid the tunic aside and grabbed her by the back of the head and attacked her mouth. She gasped in surprise. Master wanted to make love to her like a tiger. He wrestled her to the bedroll and yanked the blue robe off her. He wanted to see her body, to touch her as she touched him. No one had ever made love to Tiger before, and she was amazed at the sensations Master drew out of her. Master, beautiful Master, was teaching Tiger to love like a woman. It was almost too much for Tiger.

He played her body like a fine instrument, taking her ever higher in the sweet sensations of the flesh. He played with her nipples as she had played with his, and she shuddered with wild desire. And then Master ran his tongue down her body, down to the place where Tiger yearned the most to feel him. Tiger could take no more; she surrendered what was left of her soul to Master. She didn't want it to end, and Master stayed with her, letting her ride the silver fire until she could take no more.

Tiger then rolled over on her hands and knees, crouching down, she looked at beautiful Master. He had not yet felt the silver fire. Tiger approached his mouth and hesitantly, ever so hesitantly, licked his chin. He was breathing hard as she cleaned his face. Then she demanded admission to his mouth. His mouth was hot and wet and she could taste herself. Tiger remember the spirit fish maiden, and Master was on his knees. Tiger mounted him.

Tiger couldn't help herself. Joined to him that way, her most sensitive flesh rubbing against his shaft, she surrender to the silver fire again. Master's eyes gleamed with his own desire. He needed to feel the fire. Tiger urged him on his back, and with her hands on his breast, on his nipples, she rode him until the silver fire ripped through his body. Master was beautiful with the fire lickiing at his flesh. And he was more beautiful when the fire passed.

Haldir held Tiger afterwards. He actually thought she was trying to purr in her human body.