"Jay, buddy, you're supposed to hit me with the stick," Alahn repeated yet again. "We're pretending it's a sword, remember?"

They had been in the wilderness for a day and a half, traveling through the scrubland that surrounded Rivendell, and, if Alahn had been willing to admit he could be wrong, he might have said he had figured out why Elrond had thought this was a bad idea. Maybe he shouldn't have thumped the elf with his own stick to get Jay to parry. Whether the elf had understood what he wanted or not, he had effectively communicated that he did not like being thumped.

"Look, I said I was sorry. Come on—" He picked up Jay's stick and tossed it at the elf, who just gave him what he imagined to be an accusatory look and edged back. "Jay! Pick up the stick!" He mimed lifting something from the ground. "And then—WHAM!" He swung the imaginary blade forcefully.

Jay jumped and narrowed his eyes, which Alahn had learned meant "What you are trying to make me do is stupid. Stay away from me." So far it was the only expression of his that Alahn knew of, but it was used enough to make up for the lack of the others.

Alahn decided to change tactics. "I'll let you groom Firefly." Jay's interest in the horse showed no signs of decreasing yet.

The elf didn't move, but Alahn could never tell if he was thinking about it or laughing at him on the inside. "Please, buddy? There are orcs all over the place these days."

Nothing.

"I'll take you back," Alahn threatened, though he had no intention of following through on it. "I'll give you back to Elrond."

That got a response, but not the one the human had been hoping for. Jay turned around and just walked away.

Alahn threw his stick to the ground in frustration and started off after the elf.

. . . . . .

Alahn pulled his cloak more tightly around him in a futile attempt to stay dry as he worked furiously to light a fire under the scraggly tree they had chosen as shelter. "Stupid rain," he growled over the howling wind. "Stupid storm. Forget teaching you to fight, Jay. The weather's going to stop us before the orcs do."

The elf's eyes seemed to blame him for getting them into that situation.

"What are you complaining about?" Alahn asked angrily. "Elves don't get cold."

But they do get wet, Jay seemed to say as he shrunk back further into the tree.

"I don't see you trying to light the fire." The human threw another soaked bit of kindling to the side.

Jay, as usual, had no answer. At least it was easy to have the last word with him.

Alahn finally abandoned his pile of soggy wood to huddle next to the elf. "May all the North rot under this rain," he muttered, glaring out at the grass and bushes that were just enough like those of his homeland to remind him of what he had lost.

Jay reached out to pat Firefly, who was nibbling the muddy grass, looking only a little less miserable than his master.

"We used to serve the king," Alahn complained. "Before Gríma wormed his way into his mind, that rotten orc-spawn. And he rewarded us by calling me a traitor and reducing us to nothing more than orc-bait! Instead of fighting with highly trained Rohirrim, I'm drowning in the wilds with a stupid elf!" He tore a peeling strip of bark off the tree and threw it into the rain with all his strength, then put his flaxen-haired head on his knees and went silent.

Moments passed, and the human realized he was no longer getting quite as wet. He looked up and discovered that there was a horse between him and most of the rain. Poor Firefly was still getting wet, but he and Jay were not. "Thanks, buddy..." Alahn trailed off as he realized Firefly was watching the elf intently. As he looked on, the elf reached out to tap the horse's leg, and Firefly took another step forward so that he was even more completely shielding the two. When that was done, Jay turned back to the storm.

Alahn blinked. "Smart elf," he corrected himself, feeling a little ashamed that he had not thought of that.

Lightning flashed, lighting up Jay's pale eyes.

. . . . . .

They passed the night huddled against the tree, shielded only by an increasingly unhappy horse. Eventually, Jay draped his cloak—which, along with the other supplies he needed, had mysteriously appeared next to him sometime during their first night in the wilderness, and Jay wasn't telling how they got there—over the stallion, but it was too small to do much good. They ate cold (and soggy) biscuits and went to sleep, or at least Alahn did. He never could tell when the elf fell asleep.

The wind and rain stopped sometime during the night, leaving pools of water hidden under the grass wherever there was a dip in the ground. Alahn was not overly excited about traveling, but the clouds were still an ominous gray and he was sure there had to be a better shelter somewhere in the rocky hills. "Come on, elf," he said, putting on Firefly's halter—he left the horse untied at night, trusting his old friend to stay nearby. He would lead the horse at first so that Firefly did not have to carry him over the slippery ground; his boots were waterproof, anyway. The two started out, the ground making an unpleasant squelching sound with every step.

Jay did not budge.

Alahn realized this before long—he was developing a sixth sense that told him if his friend was there or not—and turned around. "Elf! We're leaving!"

Jay narrowed his eyes.

"I'll go without you," Alahn threatened. Then, "Okay, fine! I'm leaving now!" He took a few steps away with the horse, then glanced back out of the corner of his eye. The elf had not moved an inch. "Firefly's going, too!" he added. He waited, but that got more reaction than anything else had. He was spending a lot of time losing arguments, he thought. Well, he'd win this one. He'd just keep going, and the elf would catch up before he was over the next rock pile. "Goodbye!" he called back as went. "Nice knowing you, elf! Have fun out here by yourself! It's too bad I have all the foo—WHOA!" Firefly shied back at the splash that resulted from the human's not-so-graceful plunge into a hidden puddle.

Alahn muttered insults as the puddle as he hauled himself back up. As if the elf needed any more reason to be difficult. "That was my fault!" he yelled over his shoulder. "That would never have happened if I had watched where I was going!" Oh, how he hated this land. He liked Jay, but the elf was just impossible. He was halfway to the rock-hill now, and the elf was still under the tree. Well, he'd come soon. Jay would know being in the wilderness alone was not smart.

As a matter of fact, Jay did know that. He also knew Alahn would not leave him behind. The human always stopped and looked for him whenever he was out of sight; logic dictated the same thing would happen now. Alahn would come back for him.

Alahn reached the crest of the rock pile and looked back. He could see the dark spot that was the elf still under the scraggly tree. "GOODBYE!" he shouted. Then he led Firefly over the rocks.

Jay waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Alahn, standing just far enough over the rocky hill that Jay could not see Firefly, groaned. The stubborn elf was going to stay there forever. Fine, he thought to himself. He would let Jay win, just this once. They went back.

As soon as they were reached the tree, Jay stood as if nothing had happened, vaulted gracefully onto Firefly's back, and waited for Alahn to lead the stallion.

"Stubborn elf," Alahn grumbled.