Justice for a Kitten
Justice for a Kitten
Author: sbyte
Betas: Jaiden - Thank you so very much! You are wonderful!
Big Fanny & Sweet T read the fic to ensure that it corresponds to the real life story.
*All remaining errors are my own.
Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Estel, Erestor, Glorfindel, Elrond (There are no pairings. This is not that kind of story.)
Fandom: LOTR, Genre: FCS, Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters and place names belong solely to Tolkien. I’m borrowing/playing with them for the sake of fan fiction.
Summary: The premise is straight from reality television. A man abused a dog in this manner. Here, the pet parent is Erestor, and his reaction is not hampered by US law. Honestly, it isn’t hampered by anything at all.
Justice for a Kitten
Elladan paused in the hall, took a deep breath and walked into Erestor’s office. “Erestor, I…”
“Elladan, you are back!” Erestor smiled and walked across the room to hug his young friend. “I thought you were going riding with…” The smile faltered when he took note of the nerves Elladan was trying to suppress. “What is wrong? Why are you here, Elladan? There is a problem, isn’t there?”
Softly, Elladan answered, “Your kitten was found, Erestor.”
Erestor’s face lit up. “Marvelous! Where was he hiding? You don’t have him with you. Did you put him in my room?”
“Erestor, he has been injured. Ada is taking a look at him.”
Erestor grinned. “Did he get a thorn playing where he shouldn’t? It has been a while since your ada…”
Sadly, Elladan said, “It is more serious than a thorn. I…”
Erestor’s smile faded, and he worriedly asked, “Did something bite him?”
“I can’t do this. You should come with me. Brace yourself, though. It is bad.” Elladan looked at his friend with concern. Erestor’s heart was huge and the kitten was his world. It broke his heart to know what he was about to be confronted with.
Noting Elladan’s expression, Erestor took off running down the hall toward Elrond’s office.
“Erestor, he isn’t in there. He is in the healing halls.”
“What! Why…?” Erestor wheeled around, and started running the other direction. When he reached the healing halls, he was startled to find Glorfindel and two of his lieutenants talking to one of the healers by the doorway. They stopped talking the minute he came into view. He totally ignored Glorfindel when he was addressed. Instead, he swept past them and into the room where he saw Elrond.
Elrond saw him, but was busy. “Erestor calm down and help me. I have to…”
Erestor paled when he saw his little friend. “What happened? Elrond?”
“He is alive; just sedated. I have to remove the eye, but must get as much of this off as possible before doing anything more.”
Erestor’s voice came out as a whisper. “What is the white substance on his face? What is covering his eye? Why are their bandages on my baby?
Elrond interrupted him, not having time to calm his friend. His healing skills were needed by the kitten much more than his empathy was needed by Erestor. “Estel bandaged a few cuts and scrapes while waiting for me to arrive. The bandaged areas don’t worry me. Right now, we have to focus on his face. Wax has dripped on his head and coated his left eye. I have to remove it as soon as possible. Now get a hold of yourself, and help me clean this up. Lay the ice on the wax on his face. Stay away from the eye. When the wax becomes brittle break it off. Be quick about it. While you do that, I am going to splint the broken leg. After that, move aside.”
Erestor was pale, and wanted to throw up. Instead, he cleaned the kitten’s face. Then he staggered back and leaned on a chair, watching in stunned silence as the little eye was removed. Tears fell unchecked while Elrond stitched the eye socket. Glorfindel walked over and stood with Erestor, but remained silent. He didn’t look forward to telling him how the kitten was injured.
Erestor didn’t wait for Glorfindel to find the words. “How did this happen? Was it an accident? No, I can see from your expression that it was not. Tell me then, what happened? It wasn’t orcs. They would have killed the kitten outright if they bothered to pay it heed at all. They torture elves, not animals. Wargs would have ignored him, as he is too small. Besides that, neither would have been anywhere near Imladris, and my kitten has never ventured beyond the orchard.”
Glorfindel pulled Erestor to one of the chairs set aside for visitors to the healing wing. “You need to sit down for this. I mean it, Erestor. Sit down.”
Erestor looked at the captain with big eyes. Slowly he lowered himself into the chair.
“The kitten was seen in the little human encampment just outside Imladris.”
Erestor coldly asked, “You are referring to the humans that Elrond allowed to wait out the winter here? The humans that dislike elves so much that they prefer to live in tents rather than guest quarters within our walls? These are the beings you are talking about?”
Glorfindel winced. With a few notable exceptions, Erestor held no love for humans. “Yes, that is the place I am referring to. Elladan and Elrohir were riding near the settlement, when a young man stepped into their path and asked for their help. He told them that he and a group of his friends witnessed something horrible, and their help was needed. Of course, the twins hurried to aid the man.
“What they learned next was something I might credit to Sauron.” Glorfindel paused and looked at the ground for a moment before taking a deep breath and delivering the news. “The group saw a young man with the kitten. How he got hold of it, they did not know. They could tell that it had cuts, but that isn’t what caught their attention. Had it not been for…” Glorfindel closed his eyes and pursed his lips. “The humans said that the man held the kitten, and dribbled hot wax over its face. They watched as he held the kitten’s eye open, and dripped wax into it. He continued dripping wax onto the kitten till one of them called out to him, asking what he was doing.”
“They had to ask? Why didn’t they stop him! Why those…”
Glorfindel shook his head. “Just listen to the rest. He tossed the kitten toward the bushes, and told them that he was bored. When he left, they retrieved the kitten. It was obvious to them that it would not survive without more medical aid than they had the skill to provide. That is when one of the group rushed away to seek out the first passing elf he saw. It happened to be the twins.”
As slowly as he had sat, Erestor arose. “Has the perpetrator been taken into custody? Do men punish wrongs done to animals, or is it an accepted practice among them? Estel has a great love of nature, but I don’t think he has fully accepted the fact that he isn’t an elf.”
“Humans do not condone cruelty to animals. The man does not reflect human values, Erestor. They think it is just as abhorrent as we do.” In his heart, Glorfindel wasn’t sure that was true.
Erestor spat, “No they don’t, or that monster would be in custody right now! A group of humans witnessed a man abusing a helpless kitten, and all they had the wits or desire to do is ask a question. From what you have said, the answer was obvious. It would have been a simple thing for them to subdue and detain the man. If what you say is true, he was alone. At the very least, they should have done that!”
Glorfindel heartily agreed but kept his feelings to himself. His job involved the enforcement of laws, and human adherence to elven law was a grey area. In a perfect world, Estel would have some measure of power over humans, and could handle the situation. His time had not yet come, though. He was just another ranger to them. This left Glorfindel in a delicate position.
“Do not doubt that the man responsible for the kitten’s injuries will be apprehended. Elrond and I have to talk about how best to handle the situation before any action can be taken against him, though. We don’t want to cause a rift with humans, yet do want to see justice done. Elrond will most likely speak with the leader of the humans about what is to be done. They will probably want to handle the matter themselves, rather than turn one of their own over to elves. Ironically, they feel much the same toward us, as you do toward them.”
Erestor’s mouth gaped. Incredulous, he asked, “You mean that the witnesses that took no action will not be punished?”
Glorfindel pursed his lips, and then conceded. “I doubt it, but you have to understand. Dealing with them is very different from dealing with elves. We have to let the humans take what action they deem proper in this instance.”
Erestor’s eyes flashed angrily. “The monster that did this may go unpunished because Elrond is afraid of making a group of bigoted humans angry?”
Glorfindel winced. “I wouldn’t put it that way! He will be punished. Justice just won’t be as swift as you might like. When Elrond has time to sort this all out and meet with the humans, action will be taken against the man.”
Erestor slowly nodded. “You know that the abuse of innocent animals is a red flag. He will commit more heinous crimes as the thrill of harming animals loses its luster. Perhaps it will be an elf the next time. Then what will Elrond do? What if it was one of the twins, rather than my kitten? Do you think he would care what the humans thought about elven justice?”
Glorfindel recognized the light in Erestor’s eyes, and well understood the rage. However, it was his job to keep the peace, or at the very least to try. “Kittens and elves are not one and the same. Don’t make this about the human race. It is the act of one man. Yes, I see the red flag, but you can’t punish a man for what he might do. You can only act on what he has done. He will be punished; just not today.”
“I see.” Erestor gracefully stood, and swept out of the room.
The twins and Estel had been standing in the doorway, and heard much of the discussion. They knew what happened better than Glorfindel, but hearing it still sickened them.
Once Erestor left, they approached Elrond. Estel looked at the kitten with the eye of a healer, and as he did so asked, “Ada, how is the kitten? Will he survive?” Elrond was his father in every way that counted, and, like the twins, he addressed him as such. That he was human didn’t enter into the equation.
“Everything that can be done for him has been done. It is in the hands of the Valar now. These are grievous wounds, and he is very young. I honestly don’t know if he will make it.”
“I fear for Erestor, if he does not.”
Elrond looked at his sons and then to where Glorfindel stood waiting for his attention. “You don’t need to worry for him. Human relations may take a rather large hit though.”
Estel asked, “You think they will resist the idea of punishing the man responsible for this horror?”
Elrond’s expression made his eldest think of a sly fox. He wasn’t that far off the mark.
Elrond answered, “I rather doubt they will dare intercede on his behalf. I know that I wouldn’t.” Although he didn’t say as much, he knew that the man’s punishment would not be delayed for his convenience. He was not going to alert anyone else, though. That man was about to learn the definition of elven justice, as doled out by an elf with no patience for human weakness.
For his part, Glorfindel understood the look in Elrond’s eyes. His lord knew something that they did not. However, he did not seem inclined to share. What Glorfindel wasn’t certain of was Erestor. The way he left gave him pause, but did not seem to alarm Elrond. Still, it was his job to attempt to keep the peace.
“Lord Elrond, did you take note of Erestor? His reaction was no more than what I expected, but the way he walked out of here makes me concerned. He won’t do anything stupid, will he?”
Elrond looked at his captain with a straight face and said, “Glorfindel, you can rest assured that his actions will not be guided by stupidity. He not only knows the laws, but drafted most of them. Why are you worried? Did he indicate that he was going to do something that you disapprove of?”
“It isn’t that. I just don’t want him to behave rashly. I don’t want to find out that he lashed out, and harmed the man.”
Elrond smirked. “Never fear, you will not find evidence of wrongdoings committed by him.”
Elladan raised his eyebrows and started to speak, but thought better of it. Estel was not quite as reticent. “He won’t kill the man, will he?”
“That wouldn’t be justice, Estel. It would be murder, and he does not condone such acts.”
Elrohir cocked his head. “Would he really consider ending that human’s life to be murder, or would it be more akin to putting down a rabid animal?”
Glorfindel and Elrond exchanged looks. Neither was certain of the answer to that question. It made Glorfindel quite a bit more uncomfortable than Elrond.
Elrond looked at the kitten, and back to his sons. “Your concern is misplaced. Tomorrow or the next day, when the kitten’s condition is more stable, I will speak with the humans about the man that committed the act. You can accompany me, if you wish.”
Before leaving, Elrohir said, “You never answered the question, Ada.”
“Gildor is probably the only elf on Arda that can answer that question with any degree of certainty, but you can rest assured that he would not.” Privately, Elrond knew that he could make a fairly good guess, himself.
Glorfindel sighed, and turned to leave. “I will go get him, and try to calm him down.”
Elrond squeezed Estel’s shoulder, and asked him to stay in case he needed assistance with the kitten. After they left, Estel said, “You are going to let them go after him? They won’t find him. It is a waste of time.”
Elrond nodded. “Yes, I know.”
“Do you think that he might kill the man?” Under his breath, the future king of men added, “Not that I would blame him.”
Elrond turned away and smiled. “No. I’m pretty sure that the man will wish for death, though.”
~Finis~
Postscript: What do you think Erestor did? I will let your imagination supply the answer as to what a pet parent would do, were they free to do as they wish.
Author: sbyte
Betas: Jaiden - Thank you so very much! You are wonderful!
Big Fanny & Sweet T read the fic to ensure that it corresponds to the real life story.
*All remaining errors are my own.
Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Estel, Erestor, Glorfindel, Elrond (There are no pairings. This is not that kind of story.)
Fandom: LOTR, Genre: FCS, Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters and place names belong solely to Tolkien. I’m borrowing/playing with them for the sake of fan fiction.
Summary: The premise is straight from reality television. A man abused a dog in this manner. Here, the pet parent is Erestor, and his reaction is not hampered by US law. Honestly, it isn’t hampered by anything at all.
Justice for a Kitten
Elladan paused in the hall, took a deep breath and walked into Erestor’s office. “Erestor, I…”
“Elladan, you are back!” Erestor smiled and walked across the room to hug his young friend. “I thought you were going riding with…” The smile faltered when he took note of the nerves Elladan was trying to suppress. “What is wrong? Why are you here, Elladan? There is a problem, isn’t there?”
Softly, Elladan answered, “Your kitten was found, Erestor.”
Erestor’s face lit up. “Marvelous! Where was he hiding? You don’t have him with you. Did you put him in my room?”
“Erestor, he has been injured. Ada is taking a look at him.”
Erestor grinned. “Did he get a thorn playing where he shouldn’t? It has been a while since your ada…”
Sadly, Elladan said, “It is more serious than a thorn. I…”
Erestor’s smile faded, and he worriedly asked, “Did something bite him?”
“I can’t do this. You should come with me. Brace yourself, though. It is bad.” Elladan looked at his friend with concern. Erestor’s heart was huge and the kitten was his world. It broke his heart to know what he was about to be confronted with.
Noting Elladan’s expression, Erestor took off running down the hall toward Elrond’s office.
“Erestor, he isn’t in there. He is in the healing halls.”
“What! Why…?” Erestor wheeled around, and started running the other direction. When he reached the healing halls, he was startled to find Glorfindel and two of his lieutenants talking to one of the healers by the doorway. They stopped talking the minute he came into view. He totally ignored Glorfindel when he was addressed. Instead, he swept past them and into the room where he saw Elrond.
Elrond saw him, but was busy. “Erestor calm down and help me. I have to…”
Erestor paled when he saw his little friend. “What happened? Elrond?”
“He is alive; just sedated. I have to remove the eye, but must get as much of this off as possible before doing anything more.”
Erestor’s voice came out as a whisper. “What is the white substance on his face? What is covering his eye? Why are their bandages on my baby?
Elrond interrupted him, not having time to calm his friend. His healing skills were needed by the kitten much more than his empathy was needed by Erestor. “Estel bandaged a few cuts and scrapes while waiting for me to arrive. The bandaged areas don’t worry me. Right now, we have to focus on his face. Wax has dripped on his head and coated his left eye. I have to remove it as soon as possible. Now get a hold of yourself, and help me clean this up. Lay the ice on the wax on his face. Stay away from the eye. When the wax becomes brittle break it off. Be quick about it. While you do that, I am going to splint the broken leg. After that, move aside.”
Erestor was pale, and wanted to throw up. Instead, he cleaned the kitten’s face. Then he staggered back and leaned on a chair, watching in stunned silence as the little eye was removed. Tears fell unchecked while Elrond stitched the eye socket. Glorfindel walked over and stood with Erestor, but remained silent. He didn’t look forward to telling him how the kitten was injured.
Erestor didn’t wait for Glorfindel to find the words. “How did this happen? Was it an accident? No, I can see from your expression that it was not. Tell me then, what happened? It wasn’t orcs. They would have killed the kitten outright if they bothered to pay it heed at all. They torture elves, not animals. Wargs would have ignored him, as he is too small. Besides that, neither would have been anywhere near Imladris, and my kitten has never ventured beyond the orchard.”
Glorfindel pulled Erestor to one of the chairs set aside for visitors to the healing wing. “You need to sit down for this. I mean it, Erestor. Sit down.”
Erestor looked at the captain with big eyes. Slowly he lowered himself into the chair.
“The kitten was seen in the little human encampment just outside Imladris.”
Erestor coldly asked, “You are referring to the humans that Elrond allowed to wait out the winter here? The humans that dislike elves so much that they prefer to live in tents rather than guest quarters within our walls? These are the beings you are talking about?”
Glorfindel winced. With a few notable exceptions, Erestor held no love for humans. “Yes, that is the place I am referring to. Elladan and Elrohir were riding near the settlement, when a young man stepped into their path and asked for their help. He told them that he and a group of his friends witnessed something horrible, and their help was needed. Of course, the twins hurried to aid the man.
“What they learned next was something I might credit to Sauron.” Glorfindel paused and looked at the ground for a moment before taking a deep breath and delivering the news. “The group saw a young man with the kitten. How he got hold of it, they did not know. They could tell that it had cuts, but that isn’t what caught their attention. Had it not been for…” Glorfindel closed his eyes and pursed his lips. “The humans said that the man held the kitten, and dribbled hot wax over its face. They watched as he held the kitten’s eye open, and dripped wax into it. He continued dripping wax onto the kitten till one of them called out to him, asking what he was doing.”
“They had to ask? Why didn’t they stop him! Why those…”
Glorfindel shook his head. “Just listen to the rest. He tossed the kitten toward the bushes, and told them that he was bored. When he left, they retrieved the kitten. It was obvious to them that it would not survive without more medical aid than they had the skill to provide. That is when one of the group rushed away to seek out the first passing elf he saw. It happened to be the twins.”
As slowly as he had sat, Erestor arose. “Has the perpetrator been taken into custody? Do men punish wrongs done to animals, or is it an accepted practice among them? Estel has a great love of nature, but I don’t think he has fully accepted the fact that he isn’t an elf.”
“Humans do not condone cruelty to animals. The man does not reflect human values, Erestor. They think it is just as abhorrent as we do.” In his heart, Glorfindel wasn’t sure that was true.
Erestor spat, “No they don’t, or that monster would be in custody right now! A group of humans witnessed a man abusing a helpless kitten, and all they had the wits or desire to do is ask a question. From what you have said, the answer was obvious. It would have been a simple thing for them to subdue and detain the man. If what you say is true, he was alone. At the very least, they should have done that!”
Glorfindel heartily agreed but kept his feelings to himself. His job involved the enforcement of laws, and human adherence to elven law was a grey area. In a perfect world, Estel would have some measure of power over humans, and could handle the situation. His time had not yet come, though. He was just another ranger to them. This left Glorfindel in a delicate position.
“Do not doubt that the man responsible for the kitten’s injuries will be apprehended. Elrond and I have to talk about how best to handle the situation before any action can be taken against him, though. We don’t want to cause a rift with humans, yet do want to see justice done. Elrond will most likely speak with the leader of the humans about what is to be done. They will probably want to handle the matter themselves, rather than turn one of their own over to elves. Ironically, they feel much the same toward us, as you do toward them.”
Erestor’s mouth gaped. Incredulous, he asked, “You mean that the witnesses that took no action will not be punished?”
Glorfindel pursed his lips, and then conceded. “I doubt it, but you have to understand. Dealing with them is very different from dealing with elves. We have to let the humans take what action they deem proper in this instance.”
Erestor’s eyes flashed angrily. “The monster that did this may go unpunished because Elrond is afraid of making a group of bigoted humans angry?”
Glorfindel winced. “I wouldn’t put it that way! He will be punished. Justice just won’t be as swift as you might like. When Elrond has time to sort this all out and meet with the humans, action will be taken against the man.”
Erestor slowly nodded. “You know that the abuse of innocent animals is a red flag. He will commit more heinous crimes as the thrill of harming animals loses its luster. Perhaps it will be an elf the next time. Then what will Elrond do? What if it was one of the twins, rather than my kitten? Do you think he would care what the humans thought about elven justice?”
Glorfindel recognized the light in Erestor’s eyes, and well understood the rage. However, it was his job to keep the peace, or at the very least to try. “Kittens and elves are not one and the same. Don’t make this about the human race. It is the act of one man. Yes, I see the red flag, but you can’t punish a man for what he might do. You can only act on what he has done. He will be punished; just not today.”
“I see.” Erestor gracefully stood, and swept out of the room.
The twins and Estel had been standing in the doorway, and heard much of the discussion. They knew what happened better than Glorfindel, but hearing it still sickened them.
Once Erestor left, they approached Elrond. Estel looked at the kitten with the eye of a healer, and as he did so asked, “Ada, how is the kitten? Will he survive?” Elrond was his father in every way that counted, and, like the twins, he addressed him as such. That he was human didn’t enter into the equation.
“Everything that can be done for him has been done. It is in the hands of the Valar now. These are grievous wounds, and he is very young. I honestly don’t know if he will make it.”
“I fear for Erestor, if he does not.”
Elrond looked at his sons and then to where Glorfindel stood waiting for his attention. “You don’t need to worry for him. Human relations may take a rather large hit though.”
Estel asked, “You think they will resist the idea of punishing the man responsible for this horror?”
Elrond’s expression made his eldest think of a sly fox. He wasn’t that far off the mark.
Elrond answered, “I rather doubt they will dare intercede on his behalf. I know that I wouldn’t.” Although he didn’t say as much, he knew that the man’s punishment would not be delayed for his convenience. He was not going to alert anyone else, though. That man was about to learn the definition of elven justice, as doled out by an elf with no patience for human weakness.
For his part, Glorfindel understood the look in Elrond’s eyes. His lord knew something that they did not. However, he did not seem inclined to share. What Glorfindel wasn’t certain of was Erestor. The way he left gave him pause, but did not seem to alarm Elrond. Still, it was his job to attempt to keep the peace.
“Lord Elrond, did you take note of Erestor? His reaction was no more than what I expected, but the way he walked out of here makes me concerned. He won’t do anything stupid, will he?”
Elrond looked at his captain with a straight face and said, “Glorfindel, you can rest assured that his actions will not be guided by stupidity. He not only knows the laws, but drafted most of them. Why are you worried? Did he indicate that he was going to do something that you disapprove of?”
“It isn’t that. I just don’t want him to behave rashly. I don’t want to find out that he lashed out, and harmed the man.”
Elrond smirked. “Never fear, you will not find evidence of wrongdoings committed by him.”
Elladan raised his eyebrows and started to speak, but thought better of it. Estel was not quite as reticent. “He won’t kill the man, will he?”
“That wouldn’t be justice, Estel. It would be murder, and he does not condone such acts.”
Elrohir cocked his head. “Would he really consider ending that human’s life to be murder, or would it be more akin to putting down a rabid animal?”
Glorfindel and Elrond exchanged looks. Neither was certain of the answer to that question. It made Glorfindel quite a bit more uncomfortable than Elrond.
Elrond looked at the kitten, and back to his sons. “Your concern is misplaced. Tomorrow or the next day, when the kitten’s condition is more stable, I will speak with the humans about the man that committed the act. You can accompany me, if you wish.”
Before leaving, Elrohir said, “You never answered the question, Ada.”
“Gildor is probably the only elf on Arda that can answer that question with any degree of certainty, but you can rest assured that he would not.” Privately, Elrond knew that he could make a fairly good guess, himself.
Glorfindel sighed, and turned to leave. “I will go get him, and try to calm him down.”
Elrond squeezed Estel’s shoulder, and asked him to stay in case he needed assistance with the kitten. After they left, Estel said, “You are going to let them go after him? They won’t find him. It is a waste of time.”
Elrond nodded. “Yes, I know.”
“Do you think that he might kill the man?” Under his breath, the future king of men added, “Not that I would blame him.”
Elrond turned away and smiled. “No. I’m pretty sure that the man will wish for death, though.”
~Finis~
Postscript: What do you think Erestor did? I will let your imagination supply the answer as to what a pet parent would do, were they free to do as they wish.