we live like thieves
     kings among men

It was one of those cute rare moment between the two. One that Haldir would call on to remember that the gold actually cared for him. One of those that others rarely saw for the gold usual kept such displays of childish play hidden purposefully. It’s hard to be afraid of a threat if you knew the other played with a deer. And yet, he did here now. Because he was more complicated of a creature than most gave him credit for. Not that he would ever correct them of course.

They were dashing along quite happily, kicking up their heels, and only slipping on ice once in a while. The gold hadn’t kept up his morning runs, and found, against the snow’s resistance, himself tire more easily. He’d have to work on that. It seemed without the demands of a herd he hadn’t been keeping up his skills in that area. Still, he cantered on through the woods, with Haldir at last fully giving in and tearing in front, shaking his antlered head. His lighter body with its limbs built into natural springs found the going much easier, and he laughed- that was when they passed the thicket.

It absolutely screeches out at him. One second a happy Hallmark moment, the next they were in a Stephen King movie. Typical. The darks stag, slams on the brakes, moon eyes going wide with fright. The gold, startled as well, does the opposite and charges forward. “Mists.” He hisses. Haldir was not as defenseless and he used to be, nor had those lessons in defense long ago been wasted. He knew the crown he bore held threats of its own. A dark mist already swirls, whipped up in circling spirals by its magic, surrounding the deer. In its dark trap not only waited a shaking head of antlers, but the loss of concentration.

Yet never does the deer stand alone. Within him the gold reaches pulls on the hot strings of his own trick card. Did it even work on- was that an owl? Attacking a deer? The realization of the situations absolute absurdity caught up with him, but the magic was already released, sent to blind the creature. The confusion though did make the gold pull up, his cloven hooves only slightly skidding on one patch of ice. Head tosses up to keep his balance as he barely stops before the growing dark mists. He knew he didn’t get a lot of sleep the night before. He knew he was in a rather strange mood. He knew the morning mists were full of….oddities. But seriously, what the fuck?


"Talk?"