Namir woke with a sharp hiss, hand smacking away the fingers probing at his side. The sharp movement made him screech in pain and he fell back onto the blanket. "Ow ow fuck", He huffed as the fingers resumed their probing. They prodded the wound again and he whimpered as the bandages were retied. He blinked up to see the face of Bard's oldest child. The daughter had brown hair and was wiping some cream from her hands.
"Your wound is infected and you've lost a lot of blood", She stated. "Don't get up Mr elf. You need to rest".
"Where are the others?" He asked. He couldn't see any of the dwarves, only the other two children. The youngest girl was crouched at his other side, staring at him curiously.
"They've gone", the boy replied. "Da will be back soon though".
Namir sighed slowly. He doubted the dwarves needed him anymore. His role was to guide them through the forest of Mirkwood and they had left the forest behind. They had to reach the mountain by the end of Durin's day and they could not afford to take Namir with them, as injured as he was. It was just his luck. He glanced round the small house again. They had laid him on a blanket next to the stove and the warmth was much needed.
"So are you an elf?" The little girl asked curiously. "You have weird eyes, like a cat. Do all elves have eyes like yours?"
Namir turned his head, feeling feverish and pale. He had over done it but he still smiled at the child. "No. I am the only person in this whole world with eyes like this. Do you want to know why?" The little girl nodded and he saw the other children approach to listen to him. Namir dropped his voice to a whisper. "That's because I am only half elf".
"What's your other half?" The boy spoke up. He had sat down on one of the wooden chairs and was watching Namir interact with his sisters protectively. Not that he needed to, Namir would never harm children.
"Skin-changer", Namir whispered like it was a secret.
"But da says that Skin-changers only exist in books", The oldest girl declared. "They're men who can turn into giant fearsome beasts".
"My father can. I am still young yet", Namir chuckled. "He lives beyond the Mirkwood".
"What do you change into?" Youngest girl asked eagerly.
"I'm secretly a big black cat". He waved an arm at their dining table. "As big as your table". The girl gasped in delight.
"Can you show me?"
"Not while I'm injured", Namir stated. "And I don't want to scare your da when he comes back".
"How'd you get shot?" The boy voiced. Namir glanced over at him.
"An elf shot me. I think I scared him. It is not exactly common to see a big black cat even for elves".
"Do the elves not like you then?" The oldest girl asked in concern. "Laketown cannot make enemies with the elves or da will loose his job".
"No. No", Namir reassured. "I am friends with the prince of Mirkwood. The elf that shot me was just scared and it was an accident".
"An accident that had you passing out from bloodloss", the boy pointed out with all the sarcasm of a teenager.
"You're friends with the elf prince?" The little girl gasped. "Are they like the stories?"
Namir was saved from having to work out how to answer that by the banging of the door. Bard stormed in and slammed the door behind him. He seemed surprised to see Namir awake but was visibly relieved to see the man still on the floor and his children unharmed. "Your dwarf friends are going to bring ruin to this town", Bard stated. "The master has agreed to help them and they will set out in the morning. So you might want to get up and go after them".
"I'm pretty comfortable here", Namir made a point of not moving. "My own contract with the dwarves is over. I will go after them in due time".
"Da", the youngest girl hopped to her feet and ran over to Bard. "He says he's a cat. A skin-changer like our stories!"
Bard glanced over at Namir again. "I thought they were extinct".
"They are. It's just me and my father now", Namir stated. "I can pay you another coin to stay a couple of days, just until the infection has run it's course".
"Alright", Bard nodded. "But you are to not harm my children".
Namir looked offended and made a growling noise. "I would never harm cubs". The honesty in his voice must have done it as Bard relaxed.
"Alright Namir. This is my son, Bain. And my daughters, Sigrid and Tilda". Each child nodded as their names were spoken. Namir chirped and offered them a wave.
"You even make noises like a cat", Tilda giggled. Namir blinked slowly and curled up closer to the stove as the family began moving around him. He dozed, purrs rumbling through his ribs as as the humans cooked dinner. He was offered a bowl of fish broth at one point and he managed to push himself up onto his elbows to down it eagerly. As soon as it was finished, he was back in his blanket and falling asleep in front of the crackling fire.
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A sharp knocking on the door woke him up. He stirred, listening to the heavy footsteps of Bard's boots. The children were also up and about despite the sun having just risen. Bard pulled open the door and almost immediately shut it again. "Wait!" a familiar voice called. "We just wanted to see Namir. Is he still here?" Namir pushed himself to sit up with a groan. His hand cupping the fresh bandages as he peered at the door. Four familiar scents wafting back to him.
"Bofur? Fili, Kili? Bifer?" He called in confusion.
"Namir!" Bard found himself being pushed aside as the four dwarves stormed in and assembled round where Namir was sitting.
"I thought you guys left for the mountain already", Namir grinned weakly. His skin was still pale with fever and he still felt ill but not as bad as the day before.
"I slept in and missed the boat", Bofur admitted sheepishly.
"I got into an argument with Thorin. We promised to take you to the mountain with us and if you hadn't opened the river gates then it would be me left behind with an injury. It was not fair", Kili scowled. The young dwarf was so honourable and kindhearted that it was sweet.
"I refused to go without Kili", Fili shrugged. Namir rolled his eyes.
"I thought I'd stay with them and check on your wounds", Bifer grunted. Namir smiled widely.
"Thank you for staying with me", He replied with a happy rumble.
"I did not invite you here and I've had quite enough with dwarves", Bard stated angrily from above them. The man was glaring down at the dwarves and Namir wondered what Thorin had done to piss the man off so much. (It had to be Thorin. The dwarf had a talent of offending people).
"We are just here to make sure that Namir is alright. We can't let the last of the skin-changers die on our watch!" Kili exclaimed. Bard looked frustrated.
"Fine!" He exclaimed. "But you're all sleeping on the floor and Namir will owe me another gold coin". He stormed across the room and was heard in one of the curtained off bedrooms grumbling to himself.
"Ignore Da", Sigrid smiled at them. "Along as you all don't cause any more trouble then it will be okay. Do you want any more blankets?" She bustled around grabbing more blankets for the four dwarves. During which, Tilda crept up to Namir with a hairbrush.
"Can I brush your hair? You have hair as long as Da's, dark too, but he doesn't let me braid it very often. Can I braid yours?" Her eyes were beseeching in the way that all small children used when they were trying to get what they wanted. Namir nodded and she settled happily behind him with the brush. It took a while for her to get all the knots out (he hadn't brushed his hair in almost a week), but when the bristles were running smoothly through the strands, he began to purr. A contented rumbling starting in his chest as he closed his eyes. The dwarves all chuckled as they watched, Tilda giggling as she braided the strands childishly. Namir fell asleep like that. Warm and safe for the moment.
unedited
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Beastly || Legolas
Fanfiction"There is a monster in all of us. I just happen to be in tune with mine". Legolas x male oc The hobbit trilogy
