Beastly || Legolas

eight

They walked for one day and one night, the forest seemingly endless. No light seemed to reach the ground there. Everything was in a perpetual state of gloom that made it difficult to follow the black cat through the trees. It was only due to Dwarves ability to see better in the dark compared to other races that kept them on the right track. But the more they walked the more the weight of the air seemed to suffocate them. The trees were claustrophobic, canopy seeming heavier than the stone of mines. It was only after they guessed that the end of the second day was passing that Namir stopped. He shifted back and stretched out his arms, wincing as his joints clicked.

"Rest here for a hour", He sighed as he pulled his clothes out of his pack and pulled them on. "Sleep. Exhaustion will only make the effect of the forest worse". He could feel the miasma lingering around them but his instincts were keeping his mid clear for now. Though he knew he'd have to shift back into cat form in a few hours so that he didn't become confused. The Dwarves all muttered as they sat down. Complaints and sighs filling the air as they began sharing out rations.

 "If you see any white stuff that looks like giant spider's webs, don't touch it", he warned as he found a comfortable place between the roots of a tree. He turned round in it a few times before curling up. Sword at his side and his pack as a pillow. The dwarves were all within his sight and he sighed sleepily. "Don't go anywhere", he instructed. "Stay". 

"Huh funny. A cat telling us to stay", Fili muttered and then began giggling hysterically. Namir gave him a look but chalked it up to the miasma messing with their heads. 

"I mean it!" He scowled. Then he let his eyes close and he drifted off the the sounds of the dwarves all arguing with each other. 

Namir woke to silence. He blinked blearily and sat up, eyes darting around. The dwarves and Bilbo were gone. There were scuff marks in the earth and one of the packs was lying on it's side, forgotten. He pushed himself into an instinctive crouch. One hand pulling his pack back over his shoulder while the other reached for his sword. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the smells in the air. The dwarves and Bilbo were the most prominent scents. Bilbo's for some reason led up a tree while the dwarves led to the left. But the part that made him concerned was the waft of spider drifting from the direction the dwarves had taken. He growled in frustration and unsheathed his sword. Spider webs were sticky and got caught in his claws, he'd have to use his blade to cut them. He set off after the dwarves, making a mental note to return for Bilbo once he had rescued the others. 

It did not take him long to find them. As he had suspected, they were strung up high in the canopy wrapped in webs like flies. Half a dozen spiders scuttling around them, pincers clicking as they talked to each other. He sighed and then blinked as one of them suddenly shrieked. He scaled one of the trees as quickly as he could until he reached the canopy. Bilbo had broken free from his webs and had killed one of the spiders with his sword. Namir leapt on to the branch the hobbit was standing on and snarled. "I said stay fucking put", he snapped as he twisted his sword and sliced a spider's head off. "You go and cut down the others", He ordered. Bilbo gave a shaky nod and hurried off as Namir continued to slay any approaching spider. The long sword moving fluidly as he twisted it around his arms, striking behind him and coming up to slice the next spider in half. 

It was a mesmerising battle to watch. Namir's arms were doing most of the work, feet steady and balance incredible as he let the spiders come to him. It served as a great distraction as Bilbo snuck around the webs and sliced the ones holding the dwarves down. They descended down to the forest floor, limbs already fighting the webs coating them. Once they were all down, Namir speared the spider attacking him and dodged the next one. "Grab your swords guys!" He called down and he leapt over a creature and flipped through the air onto a lower branch. He ended in a cat-like crouch and spun on one hand, legs flipping up to kick the next spider off balance. The arachnid screeched as it fell only to land on it's back and have Fili spear it with his sword.