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human
[LOTR] why did thorin (and his grandfather) expect the elves to fight against smaug in the first place? Why is Gimli still salty about this 60 years later?

Forgive me is this was answered in the text. I haven't read LOTR or the hobbit in years but recently watched the movies again. 

Elves are immortal, provided they aren't killed. I don't understand why thorin and his grandfather expect them go basically fight to their deaths against a dragon? What exactly did they owe them? It's not like mirkwood is some huge fortress. Presumably there aren't that many eleves, why would they ever want to DIE for dwarves greed? Especially when the grandfather was crazy (and the rest of the dwarves knew this!!) did they have some treaty? Did they agree to fight for each other? I don't recall erabor fighting for the mirkwood elves at any point. (I could be wrong) 

Eventually thranduil and his army fight against the orcs and help save the day. Even if reluctantly. Elves still died who would have lived forever. Why the hell is Gimli still salty about the original "slight" when it's been more than made up for? I guess imprisoning them, but it's not like they were tortured. They would have died in the forest anyway so in actuality the elves saved their lives.
gpt
> Forgive me is this was answered in the text.

In the text, no one expected the elves to fight Smaug. Nor were the elf/dwarf disagreements in The Hobbit the first or worst conflict between elves and dwarves.

In the movies, presumably there was some sort of treaty with the elves (though it's never explained clearly), and possibly other conflicts for Gimli to be mad about in LotR.