Unexpectedly turned into a cat, Kat falls into Middle-earth with the mission to prevent a death. In a feline form she can only communicate with the elf Legolas - and that he is such an attractive specimen is certainly not helpful...
A humorous (but...
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"Racism was not a problem on the Discworld, because—what with trolls and dwarfs and so on—speciesism was more interesting."
— Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad
16. Leaving Lothlórien
"Would you look at that! How pretty." Gimli filled his hands with smooth stones from the bottom of a small stream, and proudly presented them to Kat and Legolas.
They listened politely while he told their names and characteristics. "This one is gneiss. Very common. It's striped, as you see there on the other side, and that's how you separate it from the spotted granite, which I have one here. The granite is often pink like that. Oh, and the white band on that larger gneiss stone is milky quartz. If we're lucky I'll find one of clear quartz, which can be shaped into very nice prisms. For jewellery and such."
"How exciting." Legolas did not quite manage to keep a straight face.
"Aye, isn't it?" The dwarf good-naturedly ignored the other's smirk. He seemed to feel about minerals the way Legolas did about trees, but Kat actually found his mineralogy lessons quite interesting – and Legolas plant lessons too, for that matter. Who would have thought trees greedily breathed back in the oxygen they had created, using most of it themselves? This and other tree-and-stone related things she had learned today.
It was such a relief to be away from the confinement of the garden, and Kat had enjoyed herself immensely so far. Looking back, this was probably the best day she had had on the entire journey – beginning with that surprise gift from Legolas this morning, and continuing with a lovely tour through Lothlórien.
Legolas and Gimli were very enthusiastic guides, who showed her all the beautiful places they had previously discovered. It was strange to think that only a couple of weeks earlier, the two of them had almost been enemies – for no other reason than an ancient feud between their peoples.
Kat could see why Legolas had warmed up to the dwarf, for underneath his rough surface, Gimli proved to be a warm, caring person, and a good listener. She had thought him grumpy before, but maybe he was just introverted.
They followed the stream for a while, stopping now and then to let Gimli add to his growing rock collection, until they entered a sunny glade full of the pretty golden flowers which seemed so common in Lothlórien.
"Ah! They remind me of her hair." Gimli picked one and placed it behind his ear.
Kat smiled inwardly. She could never have guessed the hardened dwarf warrior was such a romantic at heart. He seemed to have quite a serious crush on Galadriel.
Legolas, who had seated himself on a fallen log, frowned slightly. "Why did you pick it? Now it cannot make any seeds and spread."
"Sorry, my lad. Didn't consider that." Gimli's apologetic smile did not look very sincere, and Kat suspected he too found the elf's obsession with everything living rather cute. Why he had begun calling Legolas 'lad' was beyond her comprehension, however; he was both taller and many times older. Perhaps it was the beardless chin that prompted it?
