All the characters seen, except Erestor, are mine. He, the world, and the greater situations in this story were first written down by J. R. R. Tolkien.

This story is not meant to make any money, so please just read and enjoy. :)

The elleth smirked widely as she walked to the door. She opened it and sent a coy look to the face frowning from its pillow. The ellon spoke with a sour look. "You have come."

Mellolaes bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. "I have. Did you want me?"

"You have left a task unfinished, elleth."

The Silvan's eyes widened innocently, but her mouth kept twitching into a smile. "Did I?"

"Yes. Now that you've begun it, you will finish your story, or I'll report you to Lord Elrond for leaving a task unfinished, something neither of us appreciates in a servant. And, besides, it is a habit unworthy of you."

Mellolaes chortled as she sat upon the stool near the head of her patient's bed. Then continued her story with a wide grin.

. . .

Celuant awoke to the sound of Silvan words. Thus far, his new comrades had been speaking Sindar around him. Now, they spoke softly in a tongue he hadn't bothered to learn. It was close enough to Sindar, and even Noldor, for him to identify many of the words. Still, he realized he'd have been able to understand more of the words if he'd bothered trying to learn the language since reaching these shores.

He'd never thought he'd go far enough south to run into the people of the Singing Woods. He'd stayed near the enemy's fortress the foe there if possible. He'd thought somehow running into a green elf would still cause him no problems since they all knew Sindar. So, here he was now.

Perhaps he'd be accompanying this group home. If so, there would be even more conversations in his near-future to overhear, but only partially understand.

Of course, he hadn't firmly decided yet. Would he truly accompany them to the Singing Woods? Would he really put himself into their hands? How much more wrath from the enemy of all would they face if that one's servants found him, his escaped prey, with them?

Despite the courage and kindness, they'd already displayed to him, Celuant felt a squirm of irritation in his gut. They were having a private conversation without him, and about him. He'd recognized his new name in their words. His being left out of this conversation about himself was intentional. They were having it some strides from where he lay. This was how they invited him to join them?

He rose to his feet and walked to the group sitting cross-legged on the ground. He noted they'd picked a place upwind of the pile of rocks nearby. As he neared it himself, he noticed a definite, discomforting scent. The heat of the sun, which would have kept the orcs at bay when they were alive, now made their forms more offensive to one's senses.

Celuant glanced up at the bright sphere in the sky. How high it was. How long he must have slept. They had been right about his weariness. This made him feel no happier as he approached them all.

The Noldo stopped just outside the ring of Green-garbed elves and crossed his arms. They hadn't bothered to fall silent at his approach. Lathwinn finally shut her mouth after meeting his gaze over the head of one of her brothers. The others quieted and turned their heads slightly or greatly as needed to look up at him. He frowned down upon them. "What were you speaking of, you hoped I would not hear or understand?"

Lathwinn tilted her head to the side and then replied. "We thought it for your own good. You had obviously exhausted your strength over the last few days."

Celuant kept his arms crossed, but he sank down to sit cross legged just a little behind the space between two of her brothers. "I was under the impression you wanted me to join you and your kin. Yet, I am being left out of a joint discussion between you and they?"

The elleth gave him healer's stares. Lathwinn's older brothers sat on either side of their sister and aunt. The eldest, sitting at Sarnin's side, frowned back at Celuant. The second-eldest glared at the Noldo from his sister's right hand. "We were just discussing balancing your good with that of our people."

Celuant kept his expression and tone neutral at the sound of these words, but his were softer. "You mean balancing protecting me with shielding your own people from our joint enemy."

"No."

The Noldo's frown deepened. He turned his attention to the oldest ellon there. Lastannan looked grim, but not as hostile as his brother. The ancient ellon spoke low, but evenly, almost kindly to the Noldo. "Last night, my sister noted the presence of a warg in the distance. Likely, the scent of the dead orcs gathered together, where the winds play, drew him here."

The next eldest ellon cut into his brother's speech "Lathwinn thinks it is a very big warg."

Their sister seemed to sigh silently, but gave a nod.

The Noldo let his voice take on a bored tone. "I imagine I've seen bigger."

Lathwinn looked up and met his gaze. "No doubt, but this one presents a dilemma to us … and to you."

"Does it?"

The second eldest Green ellon sneered at him. "Has it not occurred to you, the warg could be a danger to our people if allowed to wonder, especially after digging up and feasting on a pile of orc-corpses? He could become incredibly strong after such a feast!"

The Noldo tried to look unimpressed, but he understood their worry. He and his brothers would have attempted to kill any such enemy that neared their fort. And these folks were without walls, without armor, without swords. And he had been taken captive despite armor, swords, and walls to return to at the end of his patrol. The ellon rubbed his scars as he mused for a moment, then asked, "What do you normally do under such circumstances?"

"We wait the beast out, hiding until he shows himself, and then shoot from cover, so he dies without knowing why."

The Noldo's head jerked up. His eyebrows rose. This seemed a sneaky, cowardly, and dishonorable strategy to him. Orcs had caught him in such a trap. But … what else had these elves, but cloaks of green and loosed arrows? They had no fortresses, no fi … no forg …

The ellon ceased pressing those lines of thought and shivered. He could not even think the names of nor form the images of those ... "things" anymore. What a useless ellon he'd become. His enemy had found the perfect punishment for him indeed.

His mind was snapped out of these musings by Sarnin's voice. "We have you with us now. And we do not know if you are capable of surviving such a delay in our return journey."

Celuant opened his eyes wide, raised his head, and blinked. "You mean … you worry for 'my' health. Enough to leave quarry un-hunted?"

He stared at them. Most looked back with firm and unapologetic faces. Ranthalion's face was a snarl. His arms remained crossed over his chest.

The Noldo's brows lowered fully as he next asked, "What is it, exactly, you fear?"

"We had no idea we'd find you," Lathwinn began. "We brought food for ourselves and a little extra in case of delays …"

"But you need to regain much flesh," Sarnin finished. "And probably need special food to fully recover your strength."

Celuant looked away. His frown fully twisted his mouth. "Make no special plans for me. You have done more than enough already."

"That hardly seems fair," the second youngest and seemingly quietest of the green elves broke in. "You are starving and have been through much already. Some of us can escort you home while the others stay to hunt this new prey as I've already suggested." He looked pointedly at his second-eldest brother.

Ranthalion turned and glared back. "That will divide our numbers and leave him and those who go with him more vulnerable, as 'I've' already stated!"

Melarbeth seemed unafraid as he met his brother's gaze. "They will not be so very vulnerable especially if Lathwinn is one of them, which would be perfect. For, she is an excellent healer as well as the best lookout and finest huntress among our people."

"Which is why she should stay here to help slay the beast!"

"Then 'I' will go with him and aunt Sarnin instead."

The older brother raised his voice. "You have the least traveling and hunting experience here save for him and Manpalan!"

Their youngest brother scowled at them both. "Hey!"

Manppalan's two brothers ignored him and kept staring at each other instead. As his older brother glared at him, Melarbeth continued their argument with a shrug. "One of us needs to get our guest home."

"I assure you I've been starved far longer than I will be on the journey to your home before. I can also survive an added day while you wait to hunt this warg together."

Both elleth turned their stares from the arguing brothers to the Noldo and raised an eyebrow each. Even the green ellon stared at him skeptically Ranthalion's face slightly flushed and eyes squinted, Melarbeth's brows raised, but showing little expression otherwise. Lastannan's gaze was intense, and arms folded, but his posture seemed relaxed unlike his youngest brother who after looking to their guest searched the faces of his elder kin eyes dating about like a minnow's lithe form.

Celuant looked blandly back at them all. "What might this creature do to you and your people if you do not kill it?"

Lathwinn turned and looked her oldest brother in the face. He looked back at her. Their aunt bowed her head between them as their gazes met over her head. After a moment, they both looked back at Celuant. Lathwinn's eyes crinkled at their corners with concern. "The escaped or released servants of Morgoth don't 'usually' enter our woods. We are many and the land is too rich and bright for them to feel easy there."

"But sometimes," her oldest brother continued, "the plentiful prey draws them in, particularly on nights when the moon and stars are obscured by clouds. The boldest, strongest, and biggest are then particularly prone to approaching our borders."

"And," Lathwinn continued "the creatures who wonder out of our woods and into the canyons, whether they are after clearer, colder water or they are chased out by stronger neighbors are particularly prone to getting eaten or ravaged by Morgoth's escaped or released servants then …"

"Which, in turn only makes the monsters more likely to enter the actual woods after more such prey …" her oldest brother finished.

Celuant nodded. "Yet, you argue about staying to hunt this warg."

Sarnin's head shot up. She scowled at him. "We think of you. You are weak … for now, but you could be made strong again. You could help us hunt other prey later be far more help to us, our people, and our animals and trees then than you possibly can be dead instead."

Celuant shrugged. "I am of little consequence in such matters without my weapons of choice."

Lathwinn sat up straighter and stared hard at him. "That's not true! You can learn to fight with other weapons. I have. We all have! None of us were born with a bow or knife in our hands."

Three out of her four brothers nodded calmly. Ranthalion looked away with a grimace as if reluctant to admit this. Celuant swept his gaze across their faces. Then he shrugged. "One day means nothing to me. I have searched long and hard in dark tunnels for far longer than I will have been without food by tomorrow night and tomorrow's dawn. Do what you will."

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ScribeofHeroes