Title: Kulutaure
Author: Elf Catcher
Rating: PG
Summary: A horrible day in the life of Legolas told entirely from the POV of his faithful horse. Very funny!
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JRR Tolkien in this story. Please don't sue!
Feedback: Yes please! Gotta love it! Just send an e-mail to elvenpeace@yahoo.com, and make my day a happy one!
****
It started as a particularly boring day, actually. Very simple.
I woke up, feeling very good, and having had a wonderful night’s sleep. It seemed that my other fellow horses did too, because they were all nickering and whinnying softly in pleasure.
I am usually up the earliest, before anyone else, but today it felt so wonderful to sleep that I slept in late. Not that yesterday had exhausted me. In fact, nothing in the four days has exhausted me.
Maybe that was why I was so tired...
But then suddenly, I stopped in the middle of tossing my black, shiny mane over my neck, horrible realisation dawning over me.
Did I miss my master? Did he come down to the stables early in the morning to go for a ride and I was asleep? Oh, oatwagons! What if I missed him?
But then, I began to think about the fact that maybe I shouldn’t be worrying. After all, my master hadn’t been down to see me for four days. Four! All the other horses got taken out regularly. Me? Not even a small visit.
I was beginning to think that my elf had forgotten me all together.
Breakfast came late as well that morning, the usual, nutritious hay. But really. What would *one* day of oats hurt my usual diet?
Sometimes my master would come down with goodies that he saved for me...crunchy, raw carrots and maybe even a handful of oats or two.
My elf is very good to me.
But then why wasn’t he coming to visit me anymore?
Perhaps he was still angry with me for the time when I fell asleep while we were riding one night, and bashed into a tree.
But I was so tired, and it was after midnight! Surely my elf would understand that that was not my fault...
I waited there in my stall for about an hour, but there was no sign of him. Not that I was really expecting anything.
I began to get bored.
I tried to strike up a conversation with the mare next to me, but the moment that she tossed her head and nickered indignantly, I remembered that she was that certain mare that thinks that I’m all crazy over her and that she’s just too good for me.
Pfft. Mares. That’s all they want, is all the stallions to be trampling each other to get to them.
Perhaps one day I will find the right mare for me, but for now, I’m just fine with where I am. Right here in the royal stables of Mirkwood, with good food, and a wonderful master.
I *might* have felt inclined to call my master something *more* than wonderful at that moment, if he had only come out to pay me a visit!!!
Horses are generally very patient creatures. We can stand for hours without complaining, ride to battle with our masters and risk our own lives to save theirs, for all us horses love our masters and respect them greatly...unless of course that master mistreated you and starved you to death.
But I suppose I was unusually impatient for a horse then, because I felt like I was about to explode from boredom at that very moment.
The morning dragged on, and the usual riders came to take their horses out for a ride, and I craned my neck eagerly to try and see if my master was among them, but he was not.
Oatwagons, if that didn’t beat it all. Well, if he did come out a moment later, I would not speak to him. I would pull away if he tried to pet me, and I would kick him square in the stomach if he tried to take me out for a ride. It would serve him right!
Only a moment later after the mare next to me was taken away did I become immensely sorry for my thoughts. I swore right then to take back everything I said, and to try and be patient for my master, and trust that he would not forget me.
Three hours later, I began to doubt again.
I pawed the ground and whinnied impatiently, with half a mind to strike up such a commotion that my elf would come running out of that enormous building and try and help.
But of course, that would only make him mad at me, and then I could be stuck without a rider for the next two months. Maybe he would even find a new horse by then!
My mane, if that wouldn’t beat it all. I tried not to think about it.
Finally, around teatime that afternoon, (you can always tell when it is tea time because new smoke starts coming up from the chimney on the Enormous Building) I began to get tired of waiting once again, and decided to take a nap.
Perhaps that will help the time go faster. I decided, settling down on the fresh hay for a bit of shut-eye. Oh well. There was always tomorrow to hope for.
Just as I had closed my eyes, the sound of soft, very light footsteps coming towards the stable made my ears perk up.
Could it be?
No...it couldn’t...could it?
Surely there was some other horse that still did not have a rider besides me...
But then, I heard him. I heard my master’s voice. “Kul,” He called softly in that melodious voice of his. “Kul, are you sleeping?”
My heart did a flip-flop. He was here! Master Legolas had come for me!
Hearing his call though, I quickly shut my eyes again and pretended to be asleep. I would not let him get away with this if I could help it...
“Kul?” My elf’s head appeared in the stable, peering out curiously into my stall. “Kul, wake up sleepy-head! Do you want to go for a ride?”
I lazily pretended to yawn and stretch my neck carelessly, ignoring him otherwise.
My master’s expression turned to a teasing one. “Did you sleep all day, lazy one?” He questioned playfully.
I completely ignored him, pretending to be angry with him. I tossed my mane and let out a snort of dignity.
Master Legolas frowned and carefully climbed over the fence in front of my stall, jumping down lightly and then walking over to me, kneeling down and starting to stroke my neck. “Are you angry with me, mellonnin?” He questioned softly.
I gave another snort, shaking his hand off of my mane and looking away stubbornly.
He quickly withdrew his hand at my gesture, instead reaching for a small purse that he carried with him, slung over his shoulder. Opening the top carefully, he extended the pouch to me wordlessly.
I dared a small look towards the purse.
Oats! Wonderful fresh, crisp, tasty oats! Ohhh…I felt like I could drool. I had not had oats it what seemed like years...
I was just on the verge of making a lunge for it when I remembered my previous duty of pretending to be angry with my master.
I gave a nicker of disapproval and forced myself to turn away from the delicious sight.
My elf clucked his tongue and withdrew the purse as well, sighing lightly. “I know you are angry with me, Kulutaure.” He whispered, scooting back against the wall of the stall and drawing his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees. “But you must understand. I have been very busy lately. Men from Laketown came in a few days ago after a mistake in the trading party occurred.”
I snorted. I never liked those Laketown Men, but that was still no excuse to ignore me.
“And,” My master continued, “Adar gave me a whole mountain of research to do, not to mention the ten hour lecture that he gave me about not turning up late for all the meetings, and that for a penalty, I shall have to run the next debating meeting all on my own. And I don’t even know anything about those!”
My eyes narrowed slightly in confusion.
My master gave me a look. “And don’t you know how parents are?” He began to mimick his father’s voice in a mocking way, “’Legolas Greenleaf, what do you think you are doing showing up late for the meeting? Don’t you know you are *required* to be present for *each* of those meetings *on time* with not a second to spare? Well, I’ll have you know, boy, that I will not stand for it! Not for one single second!’” He said the last line with very enthusiastic irritation.
I blinked and gave a soft grunt out of...sympathy was it? I could tell at the time. I was too mixed up. It was getting harder and harder to pretend to be angry at him.
My master sighed miserably. “My life is such a mess, Kul.” He moaned, burying his face in his knees.
Now I *really* felt sorry for him. Maybe he *did* have a good excuse for not seeing me...
With not a moment more thought, I stood up from my comfortable spot on the hay, instead moving over to my rider and nudging his golden head comfortingly with my nose, letting him know that I understood.
At that gesture, my elf looked up, a small, rather tired smile on his face. “You have forgiven me then?” He asked.
I nickered quietly and nodded.
My master’s smile grew the slightest bit, and he swiftly wrapped his arms around my neck, squeezing me tight. He seemed so troubled and in need of comfort at the moment that the thought of telling him that he was choking me didn’t even enter my mind.
After a brief while, my elf stood up, looking happier than he had before. “I will tell you something mellonnin, if you promise not to tell another soul.” He said softly.
Like I would. I whinnied softly in response, moving closer to him, and perking my ear up.
Master Legolas giggled softly and whispered in my ear. “I am running away.”
My eyes bulged in their sockets. Running away? Did he mean like, in the same way horses do? Breaking out of their stall and running off into the woods because they hate where they are and never intend to come back? I gave him a rather distressed whinny of disapproval.
“No, no, do not worry, Kul.” My master soothed. “I am not *really* running away...I merely said it as such because I do not have permission to leave, wherever I am going.” He reached over to the wall where the bridle hung. “But I am not just going to stand around here for one single solitary second longer.” He said firmly, bringing the strange leather thing over to me. “I must get away for a while.”
I gave a snort of dislike as he stuck the bridle-object on my nose. I hate those things! Especially when they have those silver things that go in your mouth...
Obviously sensing my dislike, my elf chuckled and patted my neck. “Do not fret, mellonnin, it is the one *without* the silver-object.” He tugged on the bridle, which felt surprisingly comfortable, as if nothing was there. He grinned at my expression. “This is your comfortable one. Made for long, careless runs!” He seemed gleeful himself at the very idea, almost as much as I was.
He reached around the corner and pulled up a small pack that he had been hiding, strapping it carefully to my back and then opening the door to the stall quietly.
I was getting very excited. I day with my master at last! I had not been out to run in four days...it was going to be wonderful!
Master Legolas finally trotted over to me once again, this time grabbing hold of my mane and swinging up onto my back, light as a feather.
Surprisingly, the weight felt very good on my back, though it wasn’t much weight to deal with. I was eager to get a move on. Why did he have to keep shifting around like that?
After what seemed like hours, I felt his warm breath in my ear, and heard the wonderful, free words. “Run, Kul, run like the wind!”
And run I did. Taking off like a horse possessed, I tore out of the stable and into the forest.
Oh! How heavenly it was! To feel the wind whooshing through my hair again, see the trees and plants come and go in blurs of green and brown, hear the soft, delighted laughter of my rider as I go faster and faster.
I never wanted it to end. Not ever. I was in horse-heaven, and I just wanted to keep on going, and going and going forever and ever, just me and my master. No one around to bark orders at us or tell us to go here and do this and watch out for that.
I was beginning to wish that he would run away more often!
I ran for a very, very long time, going deeper and deeper into the forest but staying clear away from the south. Master Legolas did nothing with the reigns besides hold on. He was giving me complete control of where we were going, and how fast we went. Never had I felt so free!
I did not know exactly how long we ran, but soon I slowed down a bit, finally tiring enough to slow into a gentle walk. We both stood panting in the middle of the forest, myself from exhaustion and him from...well...the fast ride I guess.
Oh, did that feel good! Not any amount of sleep or stretching could have made me feel so refreshed and healthy.
My elf slid from my back and collapsed to the ground, laughing and laughing as if he were a careless elfling, looking exactly the opposite of the mournful creature that I had seen before.
Perhaps he felt just as free as I was. Free and happy.
At last, my master managed to stop guffawing long enough to catch his breath and wipe tears of joy from his eyes, grinning up at me. “Thank you, my friend.” He said softly, joyfully.
I nickered and gave him a playful nudge. It had been too long since it had been just the two of us out here, in the middle of the forest, with no one supervising us or telling us how ridiculous we were.
Immediately, to my surprise, instead of telling me to lay off or something, Master Legolas grinned wickedly and reached up, tugging on my mane for a moment or two, then backing up and looking very innocent.
That was my cue.
Lunging forward, and managed to get a nice mouthful of his blonde hair, giving it a tug. The satisfactory “Ouch!” from my master told me that I was victorious. I whinnied happily and backed up, ready for the comeback that was sure to be delivered.
Sure enough. It came. Swiftly.
My elf gave a strong warrior’s cry, the one that I hear him use whenever we are in battle, and he jumped at me, tugging firmly on one of my poor ears in revenge for my previous action.
Of course, I would not let him get away with that, and instead turned my head and bit him squarely on the ear.
He yelped in pain and I whinnied ecstatically in my mirth. That was excellent. He had not been expecting *that*!
Of course, he was ready, once again, with the new tail-pulling method that he had picked up only recently.
Hmmm...in return for that...a nice pinch on nose would do well...
About a half hour later, we were both sitting down in the shade of the trees, exhausted but happy. Both of us had already given each other some minor bruises in our little fight, and I was quite proud of myself. My master’s ear was already red and his nose already had nice purplish-black teeth marks on it. Maybe my tail was a little sore and my neck a little bruised...but at least I didn’t have anything to show.
I gave a silent, evil nicker at that. Yes, poor fragile elves! Not strong and withstanding like us horses...
I turned my head slightly to glance my rider, where he was lying down on the ground, using my back for a pillow, and found him sound asleep, a small smile of mirth still playing on his lips.
I gave a half-hearted, soft whinny of exasperation. What was I going to do with him? Falling asleep on a whim like that. Ha! He sure had a lot of growing up to do, and I would just have to guide him through it.
I twisted my neck around and nudged my sleeping master slightly in order to shift him into a more comfortable position on the ground, and he gave a small stir in his sleep, sighing comfortably and nestling down once again.
I shook my head softly. Surely even Asfolath or the great Shadowfax didn’t have as good of a rider as I had. He was practically just a colt himself, and I was one of his best friends.
Could I possibly ask for more?
With these thoughts in mind, I lowered my head down to the ground as well, resting up just a bit as long as things were quiet.
I shouldn’t have done that.
I must have dozed off after a while, for the next thing I knew, there was a sharp hissing sound through the air, and THUMP! Something black and sharp flew through the air and planted itself in the ground about an inch from my head.
Immediately, my ears pricked up at the sound of heavy, clomping, trampling feet, and the distinct smell of foul creatures of the south.
Whinnying in terror, I twisted my head around and nudged Master Legolas urgently with my nose, trying to wake him and whinnying insistently to him.
Obviously sensing my urgency, my elf’s head shot up, and he turned immediately in the direction of the noise.
I looked as well, and almost squeaked at the sight that I saw.
Orcs. Those foul, horrid creatures with no love for animals or nature or even elves were piling into the clearing that we were in, all brandishing those sharp, pointy objects and laughing and sneering at us.
My mane, we were warg-food!
My elf quickly took out his bow and arrows, beginning to shoot rapidly at the oncoming monsters.
I stayed back, not wishing to get in the way of his arrows, and keeping a wary eye on everything around me.
Why do I have the strangest feeling that this is not good? I thought both sarcastically and uneasily to myself.
Another black arrow whizzed by my neck, narrowly missing it.
Great.
Suddenly, Master Legolas turned urgently to me, saying in a serious, shaken voice. “Run Kulutaure! Hide yourself!” He ordered. “Go!”
I hesitated, though my mind was screaming for me to do just that. My heart told me to stay right where I was and help defend my elf, but he was having none of it.
“Go, mellonnin! Run!”
At last, I gave into his orders, and turned around, fleeing into the forest.
I would not go far. Oh no. I would not just leave my elf to die like that. I would be somewhere near…very near in case he should need me.
At that moment, that idea was a bit changed when a pack of vicious, drooling, huge wargs came bounding out of the forest, heading straight after me.
Naturally, I realised that this was not something I could overcome, and I ran for my life.
They were hot on my trail, and I began to panic. Would I get away? There had to be some way to get away from them…
At last, I saw it. A thick group of trees up ahead. Surely the Wargs would be too many to quickly fit in that small area...
I needn’t have worried. The moment I galloped into the forest, the trees themselves moved in together, creating a border to thick that the wargs were trapped outside.
Saved by the trees! I rejoiced to myself, offering thanks to the nearby plants for their service.
Then, I found a nicely hidden, tall-grassed spot in a thicket, and sat there, waiting.
****
Too long.
It had been too long.
The forest had grown quiet, and I no longer heard or saw any wargs running past.
Why had my master not come looking for me yet?
Perhaps there were many more than we had seen...perhaps he was simply delayed...
Or...
He might be in trouble.
I felt torn inside. My mind told me to keep hiding until he came, but my heart told me that he might need my help, and that I should go find him.
Actually, I tend to listen to my heart a great deal more than my mind, which is somewhat of a good thing and a bad thing, but it has helped me very much in my decisions, and so I stood up, starting to walk cautiously away from my hiding place and retracing my steps back towards the area where we had been ambushed.
I was quite surprised at how far I had run. Surely I could not have gotten this far in such a short period of time! Though at the moment I had been panicked, and that surely counted for something.
Still, I did not let this slow me, and I began to go a little faster as the way became more and more familiar.
At last, I saw the very trees that had been surrounding the clearing that we were in, and I eagerly pushed myself forward until I was standing there once again.
I gave a soft whinny of distress at what I saw.
Dead bodies, everywhere. All orcs, all with arrow wounds or even knife wounds...and that I should have been glad of...but the thing that troubled me was that I did not see my master. Not anywhere!
A fear, deeper than the fear that I had felt when the wargs were chasing me, crept its way into my heart. Was he...was my master...?
No. No he wasn’t. I told myself firmly. He was not dead. I would find him. I would find him very soon, and he would be just fine.
With a determined nicker, I began scanning the litter of dark, filthy bodies scattered across the ground, looking for a body that perhaps did not look so orcish, and had long, light-straw-colored hair.
I walked carefully around the bodies, careful not to step on a single one, (unless you count that one where I was *sure* it was an orc) and nudging a body here and there to try and find my elf.
Thankfully, there is a great difference between an elf and an orc...unlike mortals where you have to literally turn each body over onto its back and examine its face in order to determine whether it was human or not.
I kicked another body over, and nudged another with my nose, and then suddenly, my ears perked up again at a familiar sound.
More were coming.
I didn’t know how many, but there were more orcs coming!
I turned quickly and trotted over behind some bushes, instead peering out and waiting to see what they were up to.
A group of ten, I counted roughly, emerged from the forest, all surveying the damage with grotesque looks on their faces. It made me want to snort, but I kept my silence.
The orcs did not say a word, but simply started looking through the bodies, as if searching for the very same thing I was.
In the end, to my horror, I found out that that was exactly the case.
“Found im’!!!” One of the foul beasts bellowed to the others, and they all came running over to him, to the spot where he was kneeling beside something.
I *did* squeak then. It was my elf! Over, off to the edge of the clearing, was my elf. He was lying still on the ground, not moving a muscle. My mane, he *did* get hurt!
And from the looks of it, these other creatures were intending to do relatively the same thing.
“E’s still alive!” The leader of the bunch announced, and shouts of twisted glee came from the rest.
Then, the orc that had found my elf took him roughly by the shoulders, shaking him brutally and speaking loud, harsh words of the “Filth Speech”, as us horses call it, to him.
My eyes narrowed darkly on my face. How *dare* these vile creatures lay their hands on *my* elf!!! They could go and get their own elf. Why did they have to bother *mine*?
Suddenly, *my* elf gave a low moan of pain as he was manhandled, and this made the orcs seem all the more ecstatic.
The leader snarled something to my master, and then reached out to another orc for the spear that his companion held.
Immediately, something clicked in my brain, and I went charging into action.
Springing out of my hiding place without another thought, I vaulted for the evil beings with as much fierceness as any elven warrior’s horse possesses.
My mind was all a blur as I bore down upon the shocked orcs, turning this way and that and pounding them mercilessly. I kicked one square in the ribs and heard a satisfying crack, and another I pummeled mercilessly with my front hooves until I was sure he was dead. Then I trampled the rest, running them down until there was not a single one left. Perhaps if they had been more prepared they would have put up a bigger fight, but I pride myself to this day to having caught them off guard.
At last, they were all dead, and I could turn my full attention to my master.
He was lying on the ground, shaking like a leaf after a rainstorm and looking a little scared, bright red blood trickling down from a hurt somewhere along his hairline, and down his cheek. His eyes were not quite focused on me, and I began to dread what he was going to say...if he said anything at all.
But he did.
“Kul...” He whispered weakly to me, reaching up a trembling hand to stroke my nose. “Kul...I need you to listen to me.”
I nickered softly in response, offering him my full attention.
He swallowed hard for a moment before answering. “Kul... the orcs...the orcs c-cut me with something...” I could tell he was trying to explain this in I way that I could understand, but what he did not know, was that I was already beginning to understand, just by the way he was looking at me.
I had seen it before.
Still, he went on. “Th-they cut me w-with a knife…a knife that was dipped in their poison...y-you know it don’t you?” He seemed hopeful as he asked the question.
I nodded reassuringly to him. I most certainly did. I mean, how dumb could a horse be anyway?
My elf nodded slowly, still shaking like a chilled snowflake. “I-I need your help, mellonnin.” He whispered.
That was enough for me. I had seen enough, and heard enough. I dropped down to the ground beside, him, trying to get as low to his level as I could, then nickered quietly for him to climb on.
He hesitated for only a moment, and then finally grabbed onto my mane with frighteningly weak hands, groaning in pain and barely managing to push himself up onto my back.
Before I rose, I remembered something quite important about traveling, and turned my head around, managing to clamp my teeth on the hood of my elf’s cloak, and pull it up over his head. He had explained to me before that it was, “simply necessary” when he travels, and I still haven’t forgotten it.
With this accomplished, I carefully, slowly rose to my feet, so as not to cause my rider more pain, and I felt quite satisfied when he leaned down on my neck, choosing not to risk sitting up for fear of falling over.
I looked around the forest. Where were we? What would be the best choice, the closest healing spot for this new problem?
Immediately, my mind turned to Master Legolas’ friends. He takes me there lots of times to go visit them, and I do love that lovely-smelling valley called...um...well, I forget the name for now...but now wasn’t a time for remembering anyway.
I had to get my master some help, or he would die.
The very thought got me going at once, and I made up my mind swiftly that we were somewhere near the borders of the forest anyway, so I started off at a gentle but urgent gallop—gentle so as not to hurt my wounded rider, and urgently so as to get him to help as soon as possible.
I did not think for one second how tired I should be getting. Only that if I stopped, it could mean my elf’s life.
Out of the forest we sped, and off into the distance. After going to this valley and back so many times, I already knew the way well, but never before had I come this way looking for aid. Never had I thought I would need to!
On my back, my poor elf was gasping and whimpering in pain as we went, no matter how gentle I tried to be. How awful it must be to have poison running through your blood like that! How it must burn, and sting, and make your mind blur.
Finally, as night fell, I knew that we had to rest. We could not very well run in pitch black darkness...as there was no moon tonight to aid us on our journey.
I decided to make for the shelter of the trees nearby, not risking an open camp-out for fear of drawing enemy attention.
I prayed I was doing right as I made my way carefully into the grove of trees, perfectly comfortable with my woodland surroundings and looking around intently for a safe place to spend the night.
At first I thought I would never find it, but at last, I found a small thicket, similar to the one I had hidden in, over in the thickest part of the woods.
Gently, very gently, I lowered myself down onto my knees, gently helping my master to the ground, and nudging him carefully with my nose until he was safely in the thicket.
He shivered with cold and whimpered in pain, and I did my best to help by covering him with his cloak, along with a homemade blanket of leaves and grass that I gathered from the forest floor.
To add to this, I myself laid down next to him, pillowing his head on my back and allowing him to bury his face in my warm mane, satisfying myself slightly with the feeling of his shoulders rising and falling slightly with his soft breath.
I did not go to sleep that night. I was much too worried and much to alert for that. Instead, I kept my head up, and scanned our surroundings warily, feeling very protective over my elf at the moment and refusing to allow any more harm to come to him.
None did that night, but I was not regretting of my watchfulness even as the sun rose the next day, and I had not gotten a wink of sleep.
Then, we started off again. My master still had not awakened, so I somehow managed to shift him onto my back myself, then I stood up and started off into the wild again.
****
Time seemed to stay in place if it weren’t for the rising and falling of the sun and moon, and all that I could think about was the weakening elf that I bore.
He was growing weaker and paler as this poison worked its evil, and when I nudged his face with my nose, I was surprised at how hot it felt, even as he shivered at night.
I do not recall ever resting, or ever stopping to even eat or take a drink of water. All I wanted was to get my elf to safety, and see him well again.
Finally, at long, long last, I could see the valley up ahead of us.
I stood up on a cliff, overlooking it, feeling a sense of peace at the look of the elven kingdom. A very kind elf lived here, I knew. One with dark hair and a bright smile, and then there was that other dark-haired, younger elf who always brought me carrots...and seemed to have a surprising, confusing knack for being in two places at exactly the same moment.
And of course there was the human. He seemed to live with these elves, though that fact always confused me. Still, I didn’t dwell too much on that subject, for he was good to me and his horse was too. That counted for something.
By nightfall, we had reached the gates of the valley, and then the name came back to me.
Imladris.
Yes, Imladris! *That* was the name!
I went on right through the city, ignoring some of the stares that I got, and trotting right up the path that led to the House of...er...Ellon, was it? Is that what Master Legolas had called it? I couldn’t remember.
But all the same, once I got to the familiar spot, I started whinnying loudly. As loudly as I good, in fact, trying to get someone’s attention from inside the lighted house.
It took about two, torturous minutes for someone to *finally* come out of the house...and I saw right away that it was the elf who had a knack for being in two places at once, and sure enough, there he was, up to his old tricks already, for there indeed seemed to be two of him.
Both parts of this elf approached me, squinting at me through the dark.
I wanted to bite them. Kick them. Do *anything* to get them to notice that what I wanted them to see was the elf on my *back*!
I whinnied viciously and motioned frantically with my head towards my master, and at last, they seemed to get the message.
“Sweet Eru!” One part of the elf said.
“Legolas!” The other cried.
I felt the weight on my back lift as the first part of the elf slid my master off of my back and into his own arms, cradling him like a small child and shouting to the other part of himself. “Go get Adar! Quickly!” And as the other part-elf ran off, he disappeared into the house, taking my elf with him.
I snorted. All I could think of at that moment was that that dark-haired, strange elf better handle Master Legolas with care and heal him well! Otherwise, if anything ill should befall him, it would be all their fault.
Suddenly, after I had been standing still, staring at the house for about ten seconds, a familiar whinny came from the stables a few gallops off.
Sure enough. There was a white horse stabled in one of the stalls, beckoning wildly to me.
Great. Asfolath. I thought in distaste, starting to trudge over to the stables.
Suddenly, I suddenly realised with a bit of dread that I was extremely tired, incredibly hungry, and dying of thirst.
As I dropped myself down in the stall next to Asfolath and the other two horses, I managed to nicker all of this to them, and they immediately went to work.
Asfolath dug down into his food trough, clenching hay in his teeth and dropping it down into my stall, and repeating this several times until I had a nice pile. Then Hilmar, the human’s horse, shoved the water pail over to me with his nose, and I drank from it greedily.
After I had freshened up a bit, feeling grateful and extremely exhausted, I dropped off to sleep like a boulder with a dwarf attached to it.
****
I slept most of the next morning, and I would say it was around noon, judging by the sun, when I finally awoke... just in time to see Asfolath poke his nosy head above mine, whinnying a cheerful “good morning”.
I snorted in annoyance. Asfolath was a nice horse, really, but he still got on your nerves most of the time with his overly-positive attitude and his smug look whenever his shiny white coat and mane were being admired.
It made me want to start a hoof-fight with him. Maybe a little dirt on that “shiny white coat and mane” would bring him back down to earth!
But I was not in the mood to fight right now. Instead, I ate a meager breakfast, then, seeing as I was not locked into the stable as the others were, I trotted right out of there, ignoring the dismayed whinnies of the others, and heading over to the nearest window of the house.
Peering inside, I saw that I was looking at the hall, not the room I wanted, so I went over to the next window, but found that it was merely another empty guest-bedroom, and so I kept moving around and around the house, peering in each room, and then found with dismay that my elf was not in any one of them.
Oatwagons. He must have been upstairs.
Just my luck.
Suddenly, my ears perked up as the now frenzied whinnies and pleas for freedom came from the other horses, and I simply couldn’t resist.
Hay, I’m not one to follow orders so easily...not to mention the fact that no one had *told* me I couldn’t let the others out. Believe me, that little saying works all the time, another Escape-From-Trouble statement of my master’s.
And so, carefully searching out the latch that secured my fellow horses into their stalls, I finally found each one, gripped it in my teeth, and tugged upward.
My mane, was it easy.
In no time at all, all four of us were running free out in the wild plains of *Imladris*, having playful hoof-fights and galloping here and there like a bunch of colts.
It was good to see these three again...no matter how annoying they could be. All the fun we had helped me temporarily forget the pain inside of me from having my master wounded.
****
It was around sundown when the-elf-who-could-appear-in- two-different-places showed up to round us up and take us back home.
I had half a mind to follow Asfolath’s lead and put up a nice, fun fight before-hand, but I was much to anxious to get back and see how my master was coming along.
Thankfully, the elf who could appear in two places walked up to me on our way back, patting my neck and smiling reassuringly at me. “Do not worry, faithful one.” He said softly to me. “Your master is healing swiftly, and we shall have you both on your way home in a very short while.”
Never had more comforting words been spoken to me in my life.
Maybe these Noldor elves aren’t so strange after all.
****
The rest of the time we spent there was a great deal of both worry, and enjoyment.
I, the great Kulutaure, managed to get all of us horses free once again to run around in the wild once more, before the human ended up tying me up.
I started disliking him all over again after that.
But one afternoon while I was having a nice conversation with my fellow horses, I got a visitor.
He came running lightly out of the house, forgetting (as usual) to close the door behind him, and made right for the stables.
My heart soared when I saw the sun glint off the golden hair of the elf, and the familiar, bright smile.
“Kulutaure!” He cried happily, jumping right over the fence blocking my way out of the stall, and flinging his arms around my neck.
This surprised me only for a moment, then I rested my head down on his shoulder, returning the hug in full. How good it was to see him well...and most of all well and *alive*!
Finally Master Legolas drew back and smiled brightly, and also gratefully at me. “You saved my life, mellonnin.” He whispered, then, stroking my neck softly and soothingly, added quietly, “Hannon le.”
I blinked for a moment, then my eyes widened when I realised he was right. My mane, I had never thought of it that way! All I had thought about was getting him to safety...though what was I getting all mushy about? Of *course* I saved his life! It’s my duty as horse to his master! What, did he think I would just leave him there and go graze in the hills?
My mane, the minds of elves these days.
All the same, I was quite pleased at this praised, and nudged his chest affectionately in my of saying, “Don’t mention it.” Then, as an afterthought, I nudged him again, a bit firmer in my way of saying, “*Ever*”.
He laughed lightly and gave me another hug.
My mane, if I hadn’t been so relieved, happy, and bashful at the same time at that moment, I might have thought about how much trouble we were going to get into once we got home.
****
It took us two more days of having fun with our friends over in Imladris, me with my fellow horses, and my master with the-elf-that-could-appear-in-two-places-at-once and the human.
We had a splendid time, and we felt the most grateful for it once we were standing outside of home, looking into the forest with uncertainty, both thinking the same thing.
I knew that my elf was thinking about his father, but I was thinking about the other horses in the stable.
If I ever heard the end of this from that mare in the stall next to me, it would be a miracle sent from the heavens.
At last, my master took in a shaky, but firm breath, and said in a determined, but inwardly-struggling voice to me. “All right, Kul, let us go home.” And that was my cue to start forward.
Sure enough. The minute we got back, my elf barely had time to put me up in the stables and give me the oats that I had refused earlier before a servant came running out of the Enormous Building, looking extremely frantic.
“My lord!” He cried in that usual over-dramatic voice. “My lord, your father has been looking for you! He wishes to see you immediately!”
And before Master Legolas could even reply in the slightest, the servant seized him by the arm and dragged him away.
I glared after him, though I mustn’t have looked very fierce with my mouth jammed full of oats. I finally gave it up, swallowed my last bite, and settled back on the warm, familiar hay of my stall, and decided to take a refreshing nap after our long journey.
Unfortunately, that’s when I heard the dignified, snotty snort from beside me.
Oatwagons. I grumbled to myself. It’s the mare. But hay, I’m not one to complain. I should be grateful to hear such sounds from home after the little adventure I just had...if only the sounds were a little nicer.
Oh well. I thought dully. There’s always tomorrow.
At least I had gone for a ride...and a rather heated one at that.
The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was the enraged shouting from the Enormous Building, in the all-too familiar voice of my master’s father.
My poor elf. I hope he’ll be well enough to take me out again tomorrow.
Running away isn’t nearly as bad as I thought...if you do it correctly.
The End