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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"The entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks."
― Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites
10. Drums, Shadows and Flame
Gandalf had been right; when Kat opened her eyes, the cave was lit by a faint morning light, streaming down from a shaft in the ceiling. Just being able to see her surroundings made her feel good, optimistic even. They would manage this, and soon be out on the other side of the mine. She knew it.
Legolas' breathing told her he was awake too, and when she turned to look at him she saw he was calmly gazing at the strip of sunshine. He seemed unusually relaxed, obviously positively affected by the light as well.
"Suilad, miaulig nín," he murmured, turning his gaze to her.
I'm afraid I will mix it up with Westron, or I'd ask you to teach me that language. It's beautiful. What did you say? Apart from 'suilad', I remember that's a greeting.
'Miaulig nín' means 'my little cat' – from 'miaulin', a female cat, and the diminutive 'ig' to indicate your small size. He smirked.
I prefer vertically challenged, she scoffed. And besides, I'm a woman.
He ruffled her fur. "Adanig nín." My little human.
Kat broke eye contact, suddenly aware of a familiar, fuzzy feeling in her chest. Legolas' voice was always pleasant, but it was mesmerizing when he spoke his own language. In combination with that soft smile he was irresistible. And he had called her 'his'.
She mentally scolded herself; this was the worst time and place to acquire a crush on someone! Especially in this form. A cat fancying an elf was just... weird. Maybe, after all this was over she would be herself, and then... But it was no use thinking of that now.
Glancing at him again, she noticed his eyes were still on her, with a far too knowing look for her liking.
Oh, for Heaven's sake! Get a grip, woman.
/\_,,_/\ ( o _ O)
After breakfast, the company hurried off again, anxious to leave Moria behind them as soon as possible. Even Gimli admitted to being disappointed with the place, and of his relatives there had been no trace so far.
On the other end of the pillared cave was a wide corridor, and a shard of light spilled out from a half-open door to the right. Inside they found a dusty chamber, full of cobwebs, broken weapons and old bones, and in its center stood what looked like a square stone coffin. A bright beam shone upon it from another shaft in the ceiling, where a patch of clear sky was visible far above. The company blinked owlishly in the sunlight, dazzled after being so long in the dark.
