Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Author's note: yeah Haldir will have to do something about the boy...just not yet.
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Glorfindel liked Melanippus. The centaur was teaching him Hellene, and being a quick learner, Glorfindel was able to carry on simple conversations with him without help from Tiger, who appeared to be having her own problems.

Overhearing her one evening discussing her life problems with Horse, Glorfindel was amused to hear her complaining about the Saka boy and how he always tried to hold her hand or steal a kiss when Master wasn't around. It made her mad, but she didn't want to hurt the boy cub either. She also wondered why Himeros had paid her a visit. Himeros? Glorfindel didn't recognize the name, although it sounded Hellene to him.

On second watch with Melanippus while the others slept, Glorfindel decided to breach the subject. Away from the campfire in the high late fall grass, the elflord asked his new friend, "Who is Himeros?"

Melanippus looked down at him and said, "One of our gods. He makes men long things, usually of the flesh."

"He visted Tiger, I think," Glorfindel told him, watching the centaur's face to see if it betrayed anything.

"Tiger?" the centaur asked curiously. "I wonder why? Perhaps he is a friend of Prometheus, although I dare believe it would not be a welcomed friendship right now."

"Why?"

"A god of longing can break your heart," Melanippus explained. "I know I would not desire his company now."

True. Returning to the camp when their time was up, Glorfindel woke up Haldir and Rumil for their turn at watch. He was half tempted to tell the younger elf that he needed to keep a closer eye on the Saka boy but decided against it. Haldir would no doubt find out soon enough, and Glorfindel would see to it that the elf did not hurt the boy. It was actually quite sweet when you thought about it, wild Saka boy in love with a jinn tiger.

Haldir and Rumil grabbed their bows and wandered into the darkness. It was a chilly night and the wind was blowing in off the mountains that were clearly visible to the south of them, their great black peaks blotting out the stars behind them. Keen of eye and sharp of ear, they neither heard nor saw anything that would be a threat to them, but that was only in the natural world. As their experience with the demon snake had taught them, the supernatural could sneak up unnoticed.

And on soft velvet feet the demon spirit crept in a low black cloud towards them. Two immortals, she recognized their smell, much too dangerous to take together, but one alone? It made her so hungry she started to salivate just thinking about it. Perhaps she could seperate them, draw one off with the yap of a fox or the screech of a night bird.
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Rumil and Haldir both heard the fox bark and glanced around, but fox were not unusual animals to find in the tall grass, so they ignored it and went back to their slow walk around the camp. A few minutes later they heard the gentle call of a night bird so soft and purring, it reminded them of a dove. Rumil stopped this time, his eyes looking for the source of the sound. It purred again, soft and luring.

"I think I want to see what that is," Rumil told his brother.

Haldir stopped and frowned. "It's a bird," he said.

"But what kind?" Rumil responded with a big grin. "I would like to see what makes this call."

Haldir shrugged his shoulders and said, "Don't get lost." And he resumed walking.

Rumil watched his brother's back for a moment and then turned towards the dark grasslands. He heard the call again and followed it.
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Gortha watched the elf coming towards her and smiled. He was taller than the other but more slender, easier to take. Wrapped in her cloud, invisible to his eyes, she whistled again. But then he stopped. did he sense her presence? He looked uncertain.
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Rumil could not explain the cold dread that suddenly came over him, but it was there, and he respected his instincts. Deciding it was not wise to ignore them, he turned and trotted back into Haldir's company.

"So what was it?" Haldir asked.

"I don't know, but it didn't feel right to me," Rumil admitted.

Haldir let his eyes sweep the high grass, but he couldn't see anything. "Maybe we should check it out," he suggested.

"And we do this for what reason?" Rumil asked, remembering the very big snake woman they had seen not too long ago. "Perhaps we ought to wake Tiger."

Haldir scowled at the suggestion. "And why is that?" he asked.

"Because she wouldn't let the snake woman eat any of us, and that could be snake woman's sister." As an added thought, he said, "Have you noticed how we've run into a lot of snakes in the past few years."

"I didn't know you were afraid of snakes," Haldir remarked cynically.

"Taunting a coward will get you nothing," Rumil stated without shame. "I do not want to go back over there just in case it is a big snake waiting to eat me."

Haldir considered it a moment and then said, " If there is some approaching danger, it would be wise to know what it is."

Rumil frowned. "That is true," he agreed, "but as long as it is out there and not over here, can't we leave well enough alone?"

"Just keep an eye on my back. I will check it out," Haldir said and headed towards the tall grass where Rumil had felt the 'cold dread'. Stepping carefully through the yellow stalks, in case it was a big snake, he listened intently for any sound that would betray one's presence.
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Gortha watched the other elf move towards her. He wasn't as tall as the other elf, but he was stronger looking. She seriously considered it. Blood was blood, but he might be too much for her to control, giving the other one time to interfere. She decided to wait for another night when one of the smaller ones was out. Yes, that was the thing to do.
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Haldir stopped as something cold pressed around him and then disappeared. He glanced back at Rumil who also felt it pass.

"Well, it's not a snake," Haldir said to himself.
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Whatever had visited them during the night was reported to the group, and as expected, the Sakas were convinced it was some kind of succubbus looking for a young male to feed upon.

"Do these monsters ever fancy female body parts?" Orophin asked curiously as he had a breakfast of cold meat and water.

Tiger relayed the question to Tomy, who answered her with a grim smile. "Female blood and meat is weak meat," Tiger replied.

Orophin looked at his female companions, at the way they seemed to be considering the explanation an amusing joke. Tiger, having her own breakfast beside him, picking the meat off a bone that she helped bring down, didn't seem to be too concerned by what anyone thought. And Elrohir's little Saka, who had awakened him earlier with her savage little growls of pleasure, was armed to the teeth and had actually brought down a pretty good sized boar a day earlier by riding in close and shooting straight down at it. These were not weak females.

"You're all brilliant," Orophin spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "They have all these demons and monsters believing they are the weaker sex, when in fact they are stronger than we are."

Tiger translated his rantings for the Saka women, who all laughed good naturedly. Scopias stood up and said something that added to the womens' amusement.

"What did he say?" Orophin asked.

"Saka men have known this forever," she replied and tossed the meatless bone into the fire. Needing to wash her hands before saddling Horse, she got up and headed towards the small stream that flowed not far from the camp.
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Glorfindel, returning from the stream, smiled as Tiger passed and then just out of curiosity, glanced at the boy to see what he was doing. Asplil's eyes were firmly fixed on Tiger, but they were also aware of Haldir, who was packing his things. Sitting beside one of the older Saka men, Asplil was not as bold around Haldir, but he was not going to be patient much longer.

Smiling to himself, Glorfindel grabbed up his saddle and went to ready his horse. Melanippus who carried nothing but his bow, quiver and spear was gazing at the eastern horizon. He was wearing his wolf skin cloak.

"Something wrong?" Glorfindel asked as he placed the saddle pad on his horse's back.

"The weather is changing," he answered. "Snow is coming."

"We elves are not bothered by the snow," Glorfindel responded easily and threw the saddle on the horse now.

"Yes but I am, as are the Saka," Melanippus answered uneasily.

Glorfindel stopped and looked back at his unique friend. Melanippus's equine coat was slick. A summer coat. The Sakas had furs they could slip into, but Melanippus had only what was on his shoulders.

"Well, this is unacceptable," Glorfindel summized. Moving back to one of the pack horses, he dug out a spare tunic and his cloak. Melanippus had never worn clothing in his life but for the animal skins that he needed to deflect the rain and what little snow fell in Hellenes. When Glorfindel finished with him, his human part was protected.

Scopias, agreeing with Melanippus that snow was coming, led them back south towards the mountains where they would be able to find some shelter from the upcoming storm.