Hello! These aren't great, grand tales that I spent weeks or more writing. These are purely for entertainment, and to (hopefully) bring a smile to EverleighBain's face. If they bring some joy to you, reader, then all the better! It's almost Christmas and my hope is to post one of these every night leading up to Christmas. Merry Christmas! May the coming year bring you joy and contentment and a peace that surpasses understanding.

Even the most cheerful, the most steadfast soul had moments when it all came crashing down and left one to wonder...

"Have you lost your senses?"

A more cautious man might have paused, and responded differently, but this was no man. Not yet.

And so he giggled. He giggled so hard he fell backwards into the muck and let the tears of mirth roll unabated down his face, mindless of the gnats that swarmed around his face. Until the first gnat flew into his mouth, then he sat up, choking and spit with a grimace.

His companion still did not look amused, even with the tuft of muddy grass perched atop his head.

Sobering slightly, the teen swatted the cloud of gnats aside and eyed his traveling companion. "You cannot blame the fox. He was as startled as Quibbet."

But of course, the fox had simply scampered away, leaving the frantically freaked out horse bucking and snorting as she unseated her rider into the marsh and proceeded to crash into the other horse who had staggered hard, almost falling...

And left his rider sitting in the waist-deep muck, a small tussock of muddy grass atop his once-golden head. The last indignity had been the muck kicked up as the stallion had taken exception to Quibbet's reaction and kicked up several clods of muddy earth that had struck his rider in the chest.

"I do not blame the fox." Standing, shaking mud from his hands as if he were a cat shaking water from its paws, Glorfindel shot a stink-eyed look towards his companion's mare who was had high-tailed it away, ears pinned as if Wargs were snapping at her hooves. "Your mare, however-"

"Quibbet has never seen a fox!" Hastily scrambling to his feet, the youth swiped muck from his eyes and only then realized he had interrupted his companion. Indignation quickly evaporated to sullen resignation. "I'm sorry, sir."

He missed the eye roll towards the sky as Glorfindel sighed. "We're going to have a very soggy, long walk home, Estel."

"But..." Looking to where the mud-covered grey stallion stood, ears tipped as if feeling the same disgust as his rider, Estel shook his head. "Your horse is still here."

"Yes, imagine that." Taking a tight rein on his frayed temper, Glorfindel slogged over to his mount and spoke softly to him until the stallion's ears were at a less horizontal angle. But still, the horse shifted away before settling, weight on three legs. "I suspect he was in no shape to be running away."

Running a hand down the strong neck, Glorfindel sighed as the stallion shifted and rumbled a protest. "Easy, brother. Let me see what has you in a temper." He found the problem in the hind leg that had borne most of the weight when the mare hit them. Just below the hock there was heat and slight swelling. "He probably tore something."

"I'm sorry." Estel wrung his hands together and tried to quell the anxious sick feeling. "Will he be all right?"

"He's a bit of a complainer at the best times." Moving forward to comb the dark forelock out of the stallion's eyes, Glorfindel murmured softly until the horse let out a long sigh and lowered his head. "He'll be all right, Estel. Lame for a time, but Fileg is no fan of winter. He'll enjoy being in the stables with Roccandil no doubt spoiling him."

"Do you think Quibbet ran home?"

"Likely." With a last pat for his horse, Glorfindel bent to pull his soggy, muddy cloak from the muck with a grimace. "With any luck, she'll get back and they'll send someone out looking for us." He began walking and looked back. "Come along, Estel. We'll be fine even if we do have to spend a night out here."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Stop apologizing, lad." Glorfindel snorted. "It could be much worse, trust me."

That sounded as if ... "Have you had worse things than this happen?"

Someday, maybe he would tell the boy other stories. Of horses shot out from under him, and monstrous creatures of the old world that had once haunted his dreams, but not yet. He was young yet, just gaining his height and so very anxious to please and prove himself.

"Of course." He winked and turned to begin walking again. "Or did you truly believe your brothers did not cause even more trouble when we first brought them out to the Wild?"

Avoiding the stallion who pinned his ears and apparently did hold a grudge, Estel hurried to catch up. "We have time, don't we? Perhaps for a tale or two?"

"Perhaps just one or two..."

TBC...