Is short and sweet okay? Finally found a bit of time to type! Thanks for everyone's patience and tolerance and pleeeaaaase don't take revenge and not review! Pllleeeeaaasse?

Alateriel 567: Yay! Thank you! However. . . heh, well, this isn't exactly really long and all. . . But it has a lot in it!

Demee wolfsa2001: Heh, I love the horse too! He's actually my dream horse. . .But he has to be able to jump! And cat fights. . .well, just read on :)

LockAndKey: Yay, publicity stunt:) Could actually use that:) Hey I'm not sinister! I'm a good little girl! Just ignore the horns. . .

ZombieGurl98: Yah, um, same thing about this chapter. It's not. . .long. But it leads to a lot and I think it's really sweet in the end.

Sherryf101: Tera. . . is human, but. . . maybe her past can find a place in this story, or else I'll write another short piece about it. It won't be anything ordinary, certainly, and very cynical and. . .depressing, I guess. But maybe Glorfindel will find out about how the power inlayed in the dark elven gear affects her.

Fk306 animelover: Hee. . . I can't though. So sorry! I'm not a slug! Honest!. . .not. . .

Meluivan Indil: Is the ice melting, or the fire cooling? Which will cave in first? Heh heh heh. . .

So, enjoy and please review!

Glorfindel entered the masses of trees softly, using the memories and feelings of the old ones to locate Tera. She was crouched, silent, on a thin limbed branch, and not for the first time the elf was struck by her un-humanlike balance and grace.

Well, not grace, not really. For the elves moved with the ethereal grace of a cat, seeming almost to dance on air. Tera moved like a feline, yes, but had instead the economy of movement much like a panther. There was no beauty, but rather pure efficiency. She was efficient, purely efficient. She was a hunter, and so was so much unlike the elves that there could be no comparison.

"Yes?" Her pointed question for some reason had the elf clenching his teeth.

"You did not take your dinner. I'm bringing it to you," he replied, short and clipped and professional as he could have wished.

"I do not need a caretaker." Her voice was low, dangerous even, and Glorfindel felt his eyes narrow on their own accord. Who did she think she was? He'd been the polite one. Here he was bringing her food!

"It appears that you do, seeing as you refuse to eat." His voice, to his mild amazement, had turned harsh and cold and cutting.

Silence.

And then a low, amused laugh.

"It seems that you do indeed have a darker side, elf."

The fact that she was mocking him infuriated Glorfindel. Even more infuriating was the fact that the laugh aroused quite as much as it angered. That a mere mortal –a childish one at that! –could spit fire at him, at an elf, was unheard of!

"You play with things you do not know, lady," he growled softly, "you are either extremely stupid or extremely brave."

Tera cocked her head slightly, tossing her head in defiance.

"Can't I be both?" She challenged.

"Both will take to the same unfortunate path if you continue such." The threat was issued low and dark with warning, and was known to quail the best of man and elf.

"I choose whether or not my path is unfortunate or not." Tera set her chin in defiance, and if fear flickered for moments on her face it was quickly replaced with leaping flame.

Glorfindel gritted teeth against temper. The girl would not back down! Never before had he been challenged so! That a human could stand up to an elf was. . .

Appalling, said one voice. Appealing, said another.

He chose to ignore the latter. This was unacceptable! Elves were the older, and the wiser, and the stronger, and-

". . .proud."

The elf quickly regained focus on the present in time to catch Tera mid sentence.

"You elves are so proud," she continued softly, almost to herself, "so wise, are

you? So strong and so disciplined. None can ever be good enough for you. The dwarves are too greedy; the humans, too weak. Not immortal and ethereal, and so condemned. You hold only contempt for us."

"Not contempt," Glorfindel denied vehemently, "just-"

"Pity?" Tera questioned harshly, "save it, elf. We need none. Would you like to know what I see?"

Without waiting for his reply, she continued on.

"I see a dying race, losing its place in Middle Earth, clinging on to the shadow of its past. I see something weaker than what we humans have become. Look at what we have made! Look at our power! We have flaws, yes, but you won't even look at our strengths! And we have many; do you not see the wagon, and the wheel? The things we have created, the things we have yet to create. We are growing, empowering, persevering. We are not to be pitied!

"No," she snarled, "I pity you, elf."

The insolence of this mortal! He offered her wealth and prestige and honor! She should be prostrate in gratitude! Enough was enough! Quicker than thought, Glorfindel swung himself onto Tera's branch, knocking her harshly to the trunk of the tree. Relishing in those moments of fear as she struggled to keep her balance. Who was strength now? Who was power?

He pressed her back against the tree with enough pressure to keep her in that precarious state of half-crouch-half-fall. And yet even then flame crept into her eyes and she started to struggle in earnest.

Flame, fire, fight! She infuriated him, awed him, taunted him. He must overcome her, conquer her, rise above her! He was an elf! He had lived decades before her kind had even come to her so-called power. He had seen real beauty, real strength, real greatness! He must have supremacy now, over her!

If only that were an easy task.

Tera lashed out hard and quick, desperation staying any lightening of her vicious blows. How dare he! Who did he think she was? She flailed out with her arm, delivering a glancing blow enough to disorient the elf before realizing her mistake.

Unbalanced, Glorfindel staggered slightly back on the tree as a snarling Tera bumped into him. Her weight and his combined were something not even elven balance could deal with, and they hurtled downwards onto the –luckily –soft forest bed. He heard a hiss of shock as the mortal hit the mass of leaves underneath him, and immediately braced his elbows before him to keep from slamming into her. Instinct had him check all his body for injuries, but the ground was cushion enough even for the impact to his arms. He glanced down at Tera to do the same.

Dark, dark eyes stared at him from below, expressionless to the point of worry. Was she okay? Was this beyond offense in human standards? The elf started to move, maybe even to apologize, when her mouth began to twitch upwards. It was his turn to stare as a small sound started softly ascending. She was laughing. She was laughing?

Tera's whole body convulsed as she shook with laughter. Her real laugh, Glorfindel realized, wasn't low and dark and deadly. No. It was light and high and if not tinkling, still addictive and catching.

"Are you alright?" He asked, unable to quite stop the smile from entering his voice.

She chocked and shook her head and continued laughing, and the elf found himself shaking as well as laughter consumed him.

Why were they laughing? He didn't know. He didn't even think she knew. Maybe it was because two adults –one of who was an elf! –were tussling like children. Maybe it was from relief that neither of them were injured. Glorfindel thought it was just one of those unexplainable moments when one suddenly can not not laugh, just one of those times when there need not be a reason at all.

When had that feeling last come? Glorfindel couldn't tell. Decades ago, even hundreds of years. It was indescribable! He gloried in it, held tightly onto it unwilling to let it pass again. Now, he lived!

Finally, though, the last notes of laughter subsided into the forest quiet. The elf gazed down at the black eyes beneath him again with amusement. And for once, the eyes smiled back.