Tevildo's Hunting Party by Elfhild

Tevildo's Hunting Party

Read Tevildo's Hunting Party

By Angmar and Elfhild

Nestled high upon a mountain cliff near to the brooding shadow of Angamandi stood the castle of Tevildo, that mighty cat who served as the chief of Melko's fiercest hunters. Built for the pleasure of cats and not the convenience of Elves or Men, the structure was not easily reached from the ground, for cats much desire to be upon high places where they can look out and observe all which lies within their domain. Upon one side the cliff was a sheer wall of rock, and the other side had been built up with tall terraces that rose ever higher the closer they came to the stone shelf where the fortress stood.

Upon the highest terrace, Tevildo, Prince of Cats, lay sunning himself, and the stone floor beneath his sleek, black form trembled softly from the thunderous sound of his purring. Curled up beside him was Miaulin, one of the many consorts in his clowder. Her eyes were an icy blue, the color of the winter sky, and her fur was as white as newly fallen snow, but her heart was as black as the night. A great number of Tevildo's thanes and retainers luxuriated nearby, the sunlight gleaming off their glossy coats as they idled the afternoon away in slothful repose. One of the cats, a brown tabby, purred so loudly in his sleep that his purrs sounded like the trilling of monstrous crickets, while another slumbering cat dreamed of the hunt, his powerful legs occasionally twitching as he imagined himself chasing down his prey.

Despite this peaceful idyll, Tevildo felt restless, and his mighty tail lashed the stone patio in agitated contemplation. His great whiskered maw frowned as he felt his belly rumble with hunger, and he longed for some new delicacy to sate his jaded hunger. He had grown weary of dining upon endless rats and mice, even the enormous ones, creatures of magic and darkness all, which he allowed to skulk about in his castle for his own sport. And then he was beset by a completely new and unexpected craving for a meat which he was certain would both fill his belly and satisfy his desire for the unique.

Turning to Miaulin, the Prince of Cats begins to discuss his latest scheme.

TEVILDO:        We shall catch an eagle of Manwë and cook it over the spit, the thralls tending to it and basting it with seasonings. But how shall we catch it? Capture it by a trap up in a tree?
MIAULIN:        My lord, hang a Noldo upon a mountain, and have your archers ready in hidden places.
TEVILDO:        How do I get the Noldo?
MIAULIN:        They are fey, my lord. Always one comes to the gates of Angamandi looking to fight.
TEVILDO:        But is the eagle worth that much trouble?
MIAULIN:        Subdue the Noldo and hang him from a precipice, and then we shall all dine upon eagle.
TEVILDO:        How hard are they to subdue?
MIAULIN:        Some more so than others.
TEVILDO:        How about a little elf? They should be easy to subdue.
MIAULIN:        An excellent idea, my lord. The eagle will take more pity upon it then.

Stealthily creeping through forest and mead, Miaulin makes her way to the northern borders of Hisilómë, where she draws near to a settlement of exiled Gnomes. She espies a young Noldo boy picking wildflowers in a field. The child has wandered far from the protection of his family, and will be easy prey for the huntress.  

Leaping from her hiding place amidst the tall grass, Miaulin pounces upon the unsuspecting child, knocking him backward upon the hard ground. The young Gnome screams and struggles vainly, but falls into a swoon when her jaws close gently around his neck. She carries him back by the scruff of his neck and clothing like a kitten.

Upon arriving at Tevildo's hall, she dumps the child at the mighty feet of the Prince of Cats and sits back upon her haunches, quite proud of her catch.

MIAULIN:        A spawn of the Noldoli, my lord, for the trap.
TEVILDO:        It looks good enough. Now help me drag it up the mountain.

Once more Miaulin takes the child by the scruff of the neck and clothing. Together the two cats proceed towards the Angorodin, the Mountains of Iron, which tower above the underground fastness of Angamandi. Terrible black fumes belch forth from the craggy summits, surrounding the peaks with an impenetrable shadowy gloom and the ever-present stench of brimstone.

Upon reaching their destination, Tevildo is overcome by dismay, for he realizes that they have brought nothing to secure the boy and thus prevent him from escaping back to his people! The Prince of Cats begins licking himself compulsively to hide his great embarrassment.

TEVILDO:        We forgot something. We have nothing to tie him with!
MIAULIN:        We need a hell-wrought chain, my lord.
TEVILDO:        We have to go back down and get one!
MIAULIN:        Shall I go my lord, and you guard the child?
TEVILDO:        I will guard the child.

Tevildo climbs to a ledge of rock with the child in his teeth, while Miaulin returns to the fortress to retrieve a hell-wrought chain which nothing can sever.

TEVILDO:          (He calls back down the mountain.)
Make sure it comes with a collar! And a lock!
MIAULIN:          (She stops and calls back.)
A collar, my lord? I thought we would hang the elf by its paw.
TEVILDO:          All right, get a wrist-sized collar. And bring more cats with you! We need help on this!

Miaulin fetches a wrist-sized collar and chain, hell-wrought and unbreakable by any hand of the Noldoli, and a hammer with which to drive it into the mountain. Then she returns with aforesaid supplies and a sizable band of cats.

TEVILDO:          With all of us working together, we can get him up quickly.
MIAULIN:          Who shall begin?
TEVILDO:          I will drag the elf up to this next ledge of rock. Hurry with the chain!

Tevildo guards the terrified Noldo boy while two other cats drive a stake to hold the chain into the rocky face of the mountain. Soon the chain is secure and ready to imprison the bait of the cats' cruel trap. Tevildo orders Miaulin to place the shackle upon the elf's wrist and then drop him over the edge. The whimpering boy falls to his knees, begging for mercy, but the cats only laugh and hiss at him.

With one push of a strong padded paw, the young Gnome is sent plunging over the edge, but the chain keeps him from meeting his death upon the rocks far below. Screams of agony tear themselves from the boy's throat, for the entire weight of his body is being supported by only one hand, and his shoulder feels as though it was dislocated by the fall.

THE CHILD:       O Manwë, O Varda, O Valar aid the Noldoli in their torment!

TEVILDO:          Did you all bring your bows?
THE OTHER CATS:    Yes, Lord Tevildo, we await ever at your service.
TEVILDO:          Do you have plenty of arrows?
THE OTHER CATS:   Aye, lord, we are well armed to shoot down any eagles that may come to aid this wretched Gnome.
TEVILDO:          Then let us all jump across the chasm to the other side and lie in wait.

The cats of Melko gracefully leap across the abyss, all landing upon their feet. Miaulin's heart twitters in her chest as she gazes upon her majestic Lord Tevildo in all his splendor and glory, and she sighs in anticipation when she thinks about the delicious feast she will share with her lord.

Tevildo hides behind a rock and readies arrow to fire. The other cats follow his lead, taking positions to fire upon the eagles which will surely come to rescue the child. The Noldo boy screams, his arm burning with fire, his wrist aching and starting to bleed. He wails and screams for help.

TEVILDO:          Do you see an eagle yet!   

The cats scan the heavens, but the sky seems to be clear.

TEVILDO:          How long do we have to wait? I am getting hungry!   

After some time has passed, the cats' sensitive ears hear the sound of sneaking footsteps below… It is the boy's father come to rescue him.

TEVILDO:          Do you hear anything? I do!
MIAULIN:          Aye, my lord, it is a Noldo, similar in appearance to the boy. Perhaps we should leave him unharmed, for the eagles will pity two elves more than one.
TEVILDO:          Do not harm him! They will both lure the eagle.

The cats lie in wait, muscles tense and tails twitching in anticipation. The Noldo father senses he is being watched by many eyes filled with malice, but he sees naught, for the cats of Melko are clever hunters. He climbs up to the precipice where his beloved son hangs, and tries to sever the hell-wrought chain, but to no avail...

TEVILDO:          Look at the fool try to cut the chain!

The Gnome frets in frustration that he can do nothing for his son. In his pain, the boy cries out to his father, begging him to slay him with his arrow. The father notches an arrow in his bow and says, "O Manwë, speed now this feathered shaft and aid the Noldoli in their peril!"

TEVILDO:          (To Miaulin) Did you see that, pusskins? The father is trying to kill his own son! He must want to get rid of him pretty badly.
MIAULIN:         The Gnome-folk are well known for their treachery and evil deeds. Did not they slay the Solosimpi and steal their ships?

Suddenly the cry of an eagle slices through the heavy air above the brooding mountains. Overhearing the desperate cries of the little boy, an eagle of Manwë has come to the aid of the two elves!

MIAULIN:        (Pointing) Look, an eagle!
TEVILDO:        An eagle! SHOOT NOW!
MIAULIN:        O MELKO speed now OUR feathered shafts and aid the CATS in their hunger!

The cats fire their missiles at the eagle, and the enormous bird falls to the ground, filled with arrows. The father and son look up in terror and dismay as the eagle plummets from the sky.

TEVILDO:        Come, we must hasten to the bottom before a wolf gets the eagle!
MIAULIN:        Aye, my lord! Let no wolf be first to eat our dinner!
 
The cats hasten down to where the slain eagle lies. They seize the massive bird in their teeth and begin to drag it back to Prince Tevildo's hall.

MIAULIN:        A fair trial for the kitchen thralls to cook this one, it shall be!

Momentarily forgotten by the cats, the father ponders how he might rescue his son. Though the sobbing boy begs for death, the father decides not to kill him, concluding that it would bring more of the curse of Mandos upon their heads. Instead, he cuts off the boy's hand and frees him from the chain in this gruesome fashion. Carrying his bleeding son, the father makes his escape from the Angorodin, and through long and weary paths do the two Gnomes return to Hisilómë. However, no one believes their story, and their people consider them ever after as thralls of Angamandi who have been set free to sew discord and do Melko's bidding.

In the great hall of Prince Tevildo, the cats await their lord's command ere commencing the feast.

Making quite the magnificent figure in his gleaming golden collar and recently groomed fur of ebony, Tevildo addresses the assembly, praising the cats for their success in bringing down one of the Thornhoth, the Great Eagles of the Gods. The lord of the feast proposes a toast to celebrate this momentous occasion.

TEVILDO:         To the Noldoli! They serve us a purpose and are the founders of the feast!
MIAULIN:         Aye, thank the Noldoli! They do have some use.
TEVILDO:         Thank you, Miaulin. That was most enjoyable.
MIAULIN:         (Purring with happiness) Ever a pleasure, my lord.
TEVILDO:         We must go hunting again soon.

At a command from their lord, the cats begin dining lustily upon the flesh of the eagle of Manwë. The shadowy chamber is soon filled with growling and hissing, chewing and purring. Fights over the meal break out, with the losers being driven back to cringe at the sides while the victors have first choice of the meat.
 
Though Prince Tevildo is pleased with the feast and the delicious new taste of eagle, he finds himself having difficulty chewing his supper. Despite all of the efforts of the cooks to tenderize the meat, it still remained tough and overly chewy, as though the bird was taking its vengeance upon the cats from the grave. The prince resolves to have words with Miaulë, the head cook, about this matter.

TEVILDO:          This was an Eagle of Manwë, an old tough bird!
MIAULIN:          An old tough bird from an old tough Vala, my lord. Melko rid us of them all!
TEVILDO:          May Manwë send a more tender one next time!
MIAULIN:          Perhaps we shall pray that Manwë send us more juicy prey, my lord.

Tevildo calls for wine to slake his thirst, for his mouth is dry and his fangs are sore after spending half the night chewing upon that tough, leathery bird. He then calls for a minstrel to distract himself from his irritation at Miaulë for not tenderizing the meat enough. A Noldoli thrall, dressed in rags, timidly begins to play a melancholy song upon his lute. Miaulin wishes that the Gnome would play a more rousing tune, but the captives always lament in their iron prison.

As Miaulin listens to the mournful dirge, her tail swishes through the air, twisting and undulating like a slithering snake. Tevildo intently watches the hypnotic movements of her tail, his eyes glazing over as though in a trance. Suddenly the Prince of Cats slumps in his chair and slides into the floor, where he lies upon his back with his eyes wide open. Miaulin goes over to him and licks his face gently, fearing that her lord has imbibed too much of the fruit of the vine. When he does not stir, she calls for the other cats to help her drag him to his bed. Soon Tevildo is taken to his royal bedchamber, where he is placed reverently upon a large cushion the color of fire. Miaulin sits beside him, looking over him with concern.

Suddenly the night is rent asunder by the sounds of Tevildo's screaming. Waking up with a start, he leaps from the bed and runs out of the room. He races through the corridors of his fortress in a state of terrified delirium, screeching and howling, great quantities of foam frothing from his mouth.

TEVILDO:          The eagle is flying in my stomach and is raking me with his talons and beak! Help, help! Someone rid me of the eagle! Oh, my stomach, my stomach!

When Miaulin finally catches up to Tevildo, the Prince of Cats is gagging and retching atop a finely crafted rug which had been woven in the Hells of Iron by the aching fingers of overworked Noldoli thralls. After a great struggle, Tevildo gives a mighty heave and the contents of his stomach are expelled at last. He sags to the ground and his fur turns gray. Whimpering at the sight, Miaulin goes to his side and nudges him gently with her nose. He tries to stagger to his feet, but falls back and begins moaning in anguish.

TEVILDO:         Help me! The Eagles are coming! The Eagles of the Lords of the West are at hand!
MIAULIN:         My lord, lean upon my side and I shall help you back to your bedchamber.
TEVILDO:         (He gets up and leans against her weakly, coughing and gagging all the way back.)
Take me to my bed or I shall soon shed this form!
MIAULIN:         My lord, do not say that!  
TEVILDO:         Do not let it be, or I will return to Melko, a stripped and vanquished fëa!
MIAULIN:         No, my lord.... never that... He would be... (She shudders slightly) …displeased.... at you losing your form after eating an eagle.
TEVILDO:         Put the blanket over me!

Miaulin gently lays a blanket upon her lord, praying that soon his gray fur will return to its usual lustre. She lies down on the cushion beside him, softly singing Melko's Song from the Music of the Ainur as a lullaby to cheer his spirits and aid his slumber. Tevildo finally falls asleep and his breathing returns to normal, although from time to time he cries out from nightmares in which the eagles have come to spirit him away to Taniquetil, where he will face the judgement of Manwë and the other Valar.

The ailing Prince of Cats sleeps for an entire day as his body slowly recovers from the terrible sickness brought on by eating the holy flesh of one of the sacred Thornhoth. Ever faithful, Miaulin does not leave his side, and spends the long hours curled up next to her lord. His fur, which had turned ashen gray, gradually returns to its glossy black color, and Miaulin begins purring with joy at the sight.

When morning comes at last, Tevildo's health is fully restored. He stirs from his slumber and stretches luxuriously, his long, lean body seeming to expand to new lengths as he deepens the stretch. His tail arcs high over his back, and his gleaming eyes turn to slits as his maw opens wide in an enormous, tongue-curling yawn.

After shaking himself off, the Prince of Cats turns to Miaulin and makes this grave pronouncement:

TEVILDO:          We must never eat another eagle again!
MIAULIN:          Aye, my lord, never again! Let them stay in their skies!

And never again did the Cats of Melko eat one of the Eagles of Manwë.

The End.