Title: Child of the Wilderness, Chapter 1
Disclaimer: Nothing mine, everything belongs to Tolkien
Word count: 1014/1014
Pairing: Glorfindel/Erestor
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Nothing for now
Summary: Glorfindel makes a stunning discovery in the woods that will change many peoples' lives.
AN: The bunny bit me in pedagogy lessons quite a while ago when discussing a certain topics which I won't name now to not take the suspense away.


Slowly he crept through the underwoods, his panting breath forming tiny clouds in the freezing cold of winter. He could hear his companions moving around him, carefully sneaking through the bushes, careful, listening. Sniffing he searched for the scent of the deer, fleeing from the hungry wolves. The animals were following its trail as sure as a deep path in the snow, ever deeper into the forest. It would not escape.

Suddenly a strange sound caught his attention, making him freeze and turn his head. The sound had come from beside them, the sound of something large moving through the wood. An unusual smell invaded his nostrils, unlike everything he had ever remembered. Yet, there was something strangely familiar about this scent. Carefully he started to move again, creeping towards the source of the sound and the smell.

A short time later movement appeared in front of him, bits of white and brown hide flashing through the bushes. Those were horses, he recognized after another moment. He had seen them before; a few of them lived wild in the valley and sometimes came into the forest, having escaped from wherever they lived before.

But they were not alone. There were two other creatures with them, sitting on their backs, making many different sounds. Though it was different from whatever he had heard it made him listen. There was something about this that made the hairs at the back of his neck stand up and made him think he should recognize all this.

A movement beside him made him turn his head. It was one of the other wolves hunting with him, moving forward. Carefully the group followed the horses with their riders, watching the strangers, making sure they presented no danger to them.


The two elves slowly rode deeper into the forest, following the trail of the deer they had been hunting. Usually nobody ventured this deep into the woods, but the winter had been long and hard. Even though the temperature had been rising slightly in the last few days and the neverending snowfalls had stopped it was still freezing cold and the snow covered the ground in a thick blanket.

"Perhaps we should return", Gildor said softly. Somehow it seemed unfitting to disturb the peace of this wood with too much noise. "It is probably already gone long, anyway. We don't even know our way here, we won't find it."

Glorfindel nodded absentmindedly, still scanning his surroundings. The long, cold months of winter had eaten a deep hole into their supplies, quite literally, and even though they didn't need to worry about what to eat yet this deer would have presented a welcome prey.

Suddenly his horse stopped and snorted nervously, shaking his head and backing up.

Gildor was just about to turn around to his friend to see what had happened, when his own horse shied away as well.

"What is this?" Gildor exclaimed, trying to bring his horse under control.

It took the two elves some minutes until they managed to calm their horses down. The animals were still nervous, looking about nervously, still trying to back away but their riders kept them where they were. They were clearly uncomfortable with their current position and wanted to leave this place, but at least they obeyed again.

Panting slightly with surprise Gildor sat on his horse, gently stroking the animal's strong neck. "What on Arda was that?" He leaned down to his horse, scratching his ears. "What frightened you so, my boy?"

Glorfindel sat on his own horse, watching the woods, more careful this time. He noticed something move behind some bushes, something grey, and then two bright eyes passed by, settling behind another bush. "Wolves," he simply said.

Gildor sat up straight again and scanned the area. After some time he also saw the wolves Glorfindel had detected quite some time before him. The blond elf didn't speak much, but there was barely anything that slipped his attention. Usually he noticed things far earlier than everybody else.

Gildor nodded, already turning his horse around. "We should probably ride back. I don't think they are a threat as long as we don't present a danger for them. The horses won't go further, anyway."

Glorfindel didn't answer nor had Gildor expected him to, he simply turned his horse around and started to ride back the way they had come. Together they made their way to the wood, quietly followed by the wolves. Glorfindel kept his eyes on the silent, moving shadows in the bushes. The animals watched them, making sure they left this area and didn't return. Suddenly something in the underwoods caught his attention and Glorfindel reined his horse abruptly.

Gildor halted his horse as well, surprised by his companions actions. "Glorfindel," he called softly. "What is it? Did you see some prey?"

Glorfindel's eyes narrowed, piercing the darkness of the wood. There, behind some bushes and between two trees, moved something. He couldn't make it out exactly, but he was pretty sure that it wasn't a wolf. He caught some glimpses of pale, creamy skin and pitch black hair, but nothing more and it wasn't enough to make out what he had seen. After an instant the creature was gone again. He let his gaze sweep over the bushes and the trees, trying to find it again, but without success.

Slowly he shook his head to answer Gildor's question and gave his horse the sign to move again.

Gildor glanced at the other elf curiously, but he knew him well enough by now to know that nothing would bring him to talk if he didn't want to. So he simply let the matter rest.

Slowly they left the deeper parts of the woods and returned into the lighter parts where they usually hunted. The wolves started to leave them alone, content that they had vanished from their home.

Glorfindel turned to look back at the animals, still hiding, but visible to the elven eyes. He tried to catch another glimpse of what he had seen earlier, but there was nothing but the wolves.