"Kaaaaanoooooo!" a childish voice cried. "Tyelko won't let me pet the puppy!" Sounds of scuffling, interspersed with the yips and barks of a young hound, echoed through the stone halls.
"Kaaaaaanoooooo!" another voice interjected, "Moryo's taking my puppy… No! Stop!" The sound of scuffling drew nearer, until two young elflings and a shaggy brown pup tumbled at Makalaurë's feet. With a sigh, the elder brother put down his harp and walked over to his feuding siblings.
"Moryo, please let go of the dog's tail." With some difficulty, Makalaurë managed to disentangle his younger brother's chubby fist from the unfortunate animal's tail. Red-faced and sporting an impressive bite mark on his right hand - fortunately, not from the dog - the little boy gazed defiantly at his older brother.
"He started it! I just wanted to play with his puppy, and he wouldn't share!" Carnistir set his little mouth in a firm pout and crossed his arms. Across the room, Tyelkormo mirrored his brother's baleful expression, crossing his arms as the puppy laid its head in his lap.
"What is going on here, Tyelkormo?" Turning to the older of the two, Makalaurë suppressed a groan. It seemed lately that no one could have a moment of peace in the house, since Tyelko and Moryo had taken to feuding like a pair of hounds after the same rabbit. Ever since Oromë had seen fit to gift their household with a squirming brown bundle - the spawn of one of his best hounds, supposedly - the two youngest members of the house of Fëanáro were constantly at each other's throats. The cause of said contention was currently blinking innocently at him from the depths of Tyelko's lap.
"I was in Ammë's garden, playing fetch with my puppy," here Makalaurë made a mental note that the dog would eventually have to be named, "and then Moryo comes in with a piece of meat and steals my puppy away!" Tyelkormo pointed accusingly at his younger brother. "The puppy is MINE and I WON'T let anyone else play with him."
Despite Tyelko's melodramatic pleas, Makalaurë knew exactly how to deal with his hot-tempered little brother. He approached the fair-haired elfling and bent down until he was at eye level with him.
"Tyelko, I know you love your puppy and enjoy playing with him very much. You would not want him to be hurt, would you?" Tyelko shook his head, fair-coloured locks bobbing up and down.
"See how scared he is. He does not like being chased about the halls. Why don't you let Moryo play with him for a while?" Makalaurë patted the puppy's head softly as he spoke to his brother.
"No! I don't want to! Puppy is mine!" The eldest brother sighed. One of the things he had learned of young children was that distraction did nicely when reasoning failed, which was often. With a knowing smile, he reached into the pockets of his tunic.
"Do you two like berry cakes? If you stop fighting and play nicely, I have two in my hands right now which you can have." Makalaurë felt slightly guilty for having to bribe them, but Ammë had gently reassured him that the occasional bribe would do no harm, as long as violence was averted. And judging from the elflings' tousled hair, slightly torn tunics, and scratched arms, they had had quite a violent dispute.
"Berry cakes! Yes, please, Káno!" the two chorused in unison.
"You know what you have to do, Tyelko," Makalaurë admonished. Tyelkormo pouted for a moment, then drew himself up as if reciting a lesson he had no interest in at all.
"I'm sorry, Moryo, for chasing you and not sharing my puppy." Carnistir turned toward his brother with equal reluctance and droned,
"I f'give you, Tyelko. Sorry for grabbing the puppy." In an instant he was back to a squirming ball of energy as he turned to Makalaurë, bouncing on his heels. "Now can we have the cakes now, Káno? Pleasepleaseplease?"
"Go wash up first; you've been rolling around in the garden like a pair of young hounds yourselves!" the older brother laughed as the two boys disappeared into the hall, puppy in tow. Though life as the second eldest was not easy, it was certainly not lacking in drama and interesting moments, he smiled to himself as he followed his younger brothers into the hall.
Notes:
Kano (from Kanafinwë) - Maglor (Makalaurë)
Tyelko (from Tyelkormo) - Celegorm (Tyelkormo)
Moryo (from Morifinwë) - Caranthir (Carnistir)
Ammë - Mother
Tyelko and Moryo are currently the youngest of Fëanáro's brood, as Curufinwë and the Ambarussa have not been born yet.