Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

author's note: aol just deleted this entire chapter, already written in complete and I must do it over. So I am going to start it again, save it and continue. I mean Celestial fought the king of the Dark Nagas. It just didnt get better than that. Maybe the great Spirit in the Sky thought I didn't do the battle justice. Please be patient while I rewrite it.
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Gimli was the only one up and about when Tiger brought an antelope back for supper. Since the ritual at Longma's Keep she had been able to eat meat, raw meat anyway, without getting into a blood lust. This no doubt pleased Hal-dear, who was the recipient of quite a bit of lust these days. Well at least he wasn't counting butterflies in a field somewhere. Dwarves didn't have to deal with that sort of craziness.

She watched him dress the animal and wanted to know why he called it dressing. "Because that is what we ought to be eating with it," he told her. "You didn't happen to see any fruits or vegetables while you were out hunting did you?

"I didn't look," she said. "Do you want me to go look?"

Gimli considered it a moment, his face scrunching amusing her, and then he said, "It would be nice, but I don't want you to be gone when Hal-dear gets up."

Tiger smiled. "You are making fun of the way Tiger says Hal-dear's name."

"Not me," he said with a big grin. "I only make fun of the way you say Glory Findel's name."

"I heard that," the elf lord said from his tent and then poked his head out. "I heard you were going to look for fruits and vegetables," he stated and climbed out. "Hold up and I'll go with you." He wasn't particularly interested in looking for plant matter, but it seemed like everytime Tiger went out with someone, they came back with a fantastic tale of some incredible creature that they had seen.

Following her into the forest, he was disappointed that all she saw were mango trees and other varieties or fruit. Supper was going to be good. He was terribly disappointed when she stopped and said, "We are being watched."

Hoping against all odds, he leaned over her shoulder and followed her line of vision to a tree where a large male tiger sat. "That's it? Another tiger?" he asked, unable to hide his dismay.

"He has been following me all day," she growled softly. "I had to hit him."

Now that was interesting. Hal-dear had competition, and what a handsome suitor he was. "You had to hit him?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, all he wanted to do was talk about himself. Most boring."

"I can imagine," Glorfindel said with a smile. "And what do tigers talk about?"

Tiger looked up at him and said, "He thinks he is everything. I told him my Hal-dear was."

"Your loyalty amazes me," he said. Suddenly Tiger looked up into the tree beside them. "What is it?" he asked and looked up, not seeing anything.

"A butterfly soul," she said. Glorfindel strained his eyes to see what she was seeing but could not. She reached her hand up into the fork of he tree and captured the delicate creature on her finger. Glorfindel could now see the iridescent pink and blue butterfly creature, so delicate it looked as if a strong wind could blow it away. Resisting the urge to touch it for fear of bringing it harm, Glorfindel smiled and leaned over for a better look.

"What are they?" he asked breathlessly.

"The souls of good men on their way to Paradise," she answered and returned the delicate being to the fork of the tree. Just then the male tiger roared. "We need to go," she said and gave the cat a wary eye. "Tiger would hate to have to slap him infront of you."

"That would be embarassing," Glorfindel concurred and followed her back to camp where more of the riders were now gathered around the fire, some in chairs some on the ground. Haldir was sitting on the ground. Tiger dropped her fruits beside Gimli and crawled into Haldir's lap for a kiss, and he allowed one, but then he told her she need to be polite and behave more modestly.

"Oh I'd be careful about rejecting her advances," Glorfindel began mischieviously.

"And why is that?" Orophin asked curiously, seeing the surprised look on Tiger's face and the way she turned quickly to look at the elf lord.

"She has a boyfriend."

Stunned, Tiger exclaimed, "I do not! I told you I had to slap him!"

"Slap who?" Haldir asked curiously.

"A very handsome tiger," Glorfindel answered wickedly. "I saw him, handsome devil."

"Boring!" Tiger snapped anxiously. "I told him Tiger loves Master."

Rumil loved it. "Our brother has competition of the feline kind," he mused.

Tiger turned to Haldir. "It is nothing. Tiger does not even know him."

"But if Tiger wants someone else...." He sighed and shook his shoulders.

Tiger sprang at him and knocked him over backwards. Nose to nose, Tiger said, "Tiger can not live without Master."
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Longma had felt it all day, a cold breath in the air, a threat she could not quite put her finger on, and as night drew near, it became stronger. She did not need to be told that the Nazgul was now aware of Celeborn's presence, had become of aware of it quite recently, and he was about to launch his first attack on the riders.

Entering her bedchamber, she opened a closest and withdrew her only defensive clothing, a suit of mail made of sloughed off dragon scales. Beside it hung her sword, similar to elven but with an ivory grip and the blade folded over seven times until it was sharp enough to cut a hole in air. It was designed to be used two handed but carried forward.

Longma did not fancy herself a warrior, but sometimes one had to intervene to protect friends and lovers. Her servants ran after her as she strided purposefully down the path towards Celestial. The dragon was waiting.

"Manage things while I am away," she told her chief advisor, who bobbed his head and tried to keep up. Walking up Celestial's tail and adjusting her sword, she sat down and said, "You may be called upon to fight." The dragon chortled softly; celestial dragons were good fighters.
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Tiger was sitting behind Haldir when she spotted Celestial's glow in the sky. The dragon was descending. "Longma is coming," she informed him and slipped off the back of the horse.

The elves were already aware that something dark was encircling them, making it impossible to outride whatever was coming. Celeborn and Glorfindel were looking for a good defensive position and had found a place with a high cliff to watch their backs. And the arrival of the dragonwitch and Celestial with news that they were about to face several dark Nagas, including one named Longsin, was not encouraging. She added there were a couple of demons with them, but nothing they couldn't handle. It was a wry attempt at making a joke that only Gimli seemed to appreciate.

"I've already faced a naga," Orophin said as they securely tied their horses. "Tiger and I dispatched it."

Longma looked at Tiger and asked, "Tiger, the naga you and Orophin killed, adult or baby?"

"Baby," she answered, enthralled by Master's preparation.

"I want you to stay near me," he said as he made sure he had everything close at hand.

Longma overheard him and frowned. This was not the best way to use the jinn tiger. Walking back towards Celestial, she told the dragon to summon Tiger to him. Tiger automatically answered the dragon's summons and climbed on his foreleg to see what he wanted.

"Tiger," Longma said, "you need to be a tiger now. Go into the forest and fight where you can, but be careful." Tiger looked at her and then back at her Master. His hold on her was strong. "If you stay here, Master will die," the dragonwitch added for incentive. Tiger shapeshifted and sprang away, her body disappearing in the darkness.

Haldir bristled at what he had just seen. He had not wanted Tiger to go off on her own. What if she got into trouble and needed help? He wanted to summons her back, but she tended to ignore him when she was in her tiger skin. Longma was going to get an earful from him when this was over.

Celestial alerted them to THEIR arrival with a roar as he rose full upright and turned to face what was approaching. There was no hesitancy on Celestial's part as the dark naga rose before him, a king among his kind, as hard to kill as a celestial dragon. Longsin had not expected to see a dragon with the men and elves and hesitated a moment. It was a moment that Celestial used to attack. Dragon and naga quickly embraced each other in what would lead to the death of one.

Tiger at the top of the cliff looking down could see the dark shifting shadows that belonged to the demons and the three other dark nagas. One was getting close to King Aragorn and his two men who were on either side of him, bows at ready, swords close. Tiger leaped.

Aragorn's eyes widened in horror as an enormous snake slowly rose in front of him. Gimli, axe up, was ready to take on the monster. Then a blur of fur sailed overhead and drew the snake's attention away from them. Tiger growled as the snake started to raise its head. She needed to make contact before it got its mouth open. Not good! She dug her claws into the snake on either side of its nostrils. It flung her away, sending her crashing to the ground, but Gimli's axe was making a permanent impression on the naga's soft underside.

Celestial and Longsin were roaring and rolling, dragon claw against cobra fang. The enormous snake was wrapping itself around the dragon in an attempt to get him under control, but Celestial was more powerful than the snake had bargained for.

Tiger stood up and shook herself for a moment; she was sore. Then she saw one of the dark demons attacking one of the Galadhrim. Further inspection showed that the entire group was now under attack. Since the Galadhrim seemed to be having the most trouble, she went to his aid, savaging the demon from behind. It was a horrible disfigured creature and struck at the tiger with a sword that was at once steel and fire. Tiger roared and then coughed as the demon blade sliced through her fur. It was an awful pain, but the Galadhrim used the distraction to seperate the demon from his head.

Tiger felt all the strength leaving her right arm, and when she tried to move, dizziness descended on her. She needed to retreat and lick her wounds, but the fight wasn't over. One of King Aragorn's men was falling under a demon as was another Galadhrim warrior. Finding some inner strength, she forced her body to move. The demon preparing to dispatch the man looked up in surprise as the jinn tiger lunged at him. Slinging his blade around, he cut the tiger as she sailed up over him. An arrow from Legolas dropped the creature even as it watched the tiger's jump.

Longma and the two elf lords seemed to be reading each other's minds as they faced their opponents together. Swift and sure, they never missed stroke or strike.

Tiger, wounded and tiring, looked around for her beautfiul master and could only feel pride as he finished off two creatures by himself. Master was a great warrior. Feeling tired, she laid down to rest. The sword slash on her breast was bleeding profusely turning her white belly fur red. 'I just need to lick my wounds' she told herself. 'Just need to lick my wounds.'

Longsin's tail lashed the ground as Celestial ripped the snake's throat out. Tasting victory, the dragon roared loud and fierce. His voice crashed over the remaining nagas who threw the fight to the men and elves. If any demons survived, they also fled before the victorious dragon who was now looking for something else to kill. Longma, her shimmering dragonscale mail splattered with blood, made contact with the dragon and told him there was nothing else to go after. He had done well.

It was Rumil who found the bleeding tiger in the grass. Yelling for help, he took Tiger's head in his lap and stroked her face. Haldir threw himself on the ground beside her and gently raised her right paw to see what sort of wound she had. Tiger moaned between pants.

Longma stepped up and knelt beside Tiger. "You did well, my sweet," she said and caressed the silken fur. Lifting her eyes, she met Haldir's cold gaze. Ignoring him for the time being, she said, "King Aragorn, we need your healing hands."

Haldir waited until he knew Tiger was going to heal before confronting Longma. Not caring that the dragon was listening, he grabbed the witch by the arm and said, "I did not want her out there, but you sent her!"

"She is a jinn tiger," the witch answered patiently. "Sitting behind you is not a wise way to use a jinn tiger."

Haldir heard the way she emphasized tiger and threw her arm away from him. "If she had died because she listened to you and not me, we would be dealing with each other."

Longma smiled. "You see a lover; I see a cat. Which one of us is right?"

Haldir stepped back and returned to Tiger. Although it caused her more pain, she shape shifted for him and lay in his arms for the rest of the night. Beautiful master loved Tiger and that was all that mattered.

Longma stayed til daylight and then summoned Celestial for the ride home. The dragon crooned softly at Tiger, who smiled at him. Tiger was happy. Haldir was not. If he was Tiger's master, she had to listen to him only, not Longma.

Stroking her head as it rested on his breast, he said, "Tiger." She gazed up at him. "I did not want you leaving my side this last evening."

"Yes, master."

"BUt Longma told you to go away, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"You can only serve one master, Tiger. Either it will be me or Longma. You must choose."

Tiger looked confused. "You are my master," she said and reached up to stroke his face.

"Then when I tell you to do something, you must do it."

"All right, Master," she agreed and snuggled down in his lap. She wanted to sleep; Tiger was tired.