Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Riding into Minis Tirith after being gone over a month was interesting, mostly so because Celeborn and his grandsons had decided to wait for them there. And since everyone had expected Haldir to be leaving Tiger with Longma, there was some surprise that she was still with him. There was also a great deal of sadness over the loss of the young Galadhrim. After all they had been through the previous year with all the monsters they had run into on the steppes and in Hellenes, this just seemed so unfair.

Of course things could not go entirely smooth, after all it was Tiger and Haldir. Too much peace and quiet and the universe got out of whack. That first week back, taking some extra time to rest from the long ride before going home, Tiger over heard some women speaking. They were actually surprised that Haldir had that strange cat woman with him. Wasn't he leaving her behind?

Instead of getting upset or hysterical, Tiger waited until Haldir was visiting with Aragorn, Arwen and everyone else at Minis Tirith to approach him about what had been his intentions. And being Tiger, she couldn't just take him aside, throw plates, cry, and gnash her teeth, she knocked him down and sat on him, and then nose to nose, or almost nose to nose, she asked him what did those women mean he was going to leave her behind? That she was in her tiger skin and using a human voice made for one impressive display of power.

"It's got to be the hormones," Elladan remarked curiously.

"Most definately," Glorfindel agreed.

Rumil, finding it most amusing, spoke up. "Haldir, dear brother, I think you better tell her the truth. We can't protect you this time?"

"What is the truth?" Tiger asked again, her golden eyes boring into his.

"Get off me," Haldir gasped. "I can't breath." Tiger didn't get off him, but she shape shifted into her human body. "If I tell, you have to promise me you won't do anything stupid like run off or fight me."

"I will be calm," Tiger assured him, her face reflecting her skepticism. That and the other elves were taking bets on what she was going to do to him.

"I was going to leave you, but then realized I couldn't," he answered her. He did not think it neccessary to mention Longma's threat about having Celestial eat him.

Tiger stared at him with that cynical expression of hers, one she usually kept for snakes, and then she smiled and threw her arms around his neck. "Tiger is so glad you did not leave her," she said and buried her face in the side of his neck.

After several unneccessary "aws" from his brothers and friends, Haldir convinced Tiger it was all right if she got off him. Tiger obeyed, but there was no being mad at her. Her happiness had an infectious quality about it.
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Summer passed uneventfully. After being gone for so long, Celeborn felt a need to sit down and write his adventures. The twins occassionally went out and found enemies to kill, but most of the time was spent being lazy, resting for when they would go out again.

Winter cloaked everything in pristine whiteness, and the boys did some hunting to keep themselves occupied. The night was crystal clear and cold when Tiger had her cub....baby, although everyone just naturally called the tiny elven creature a cub. In a warm room, safe from the cold with Longma smiling at her, Haldir staring at his son in amazement, Tiger had her promise fulfilled. And when she looked at her cub, her smiled could have brightened the room without all the lamps and roaring fire. Tiger was happy, but she still had a problem with names. Cub was Boy. Haldir was going to have to come up with his own name preety quick before everyone else started calling his son Boy.