Beastly || Legolas

nineteen

Namir extended the iron arrow out towards Bard with a grin. Then his grin faltered and his eyes widened. "Look out!" He cried out as he threw himself forwards and pushed Bard to the floor. Smaug swooping down above them, claws tearing the bell from the tower and ripping the wood apart as he flew overhead. Both Namir and Bard threw up their hands to cover their heads as the splinters rained over them. 

Namir curled up protectively as the wood bruised his skin, the wound in his stomach throbbing and sore. When the weight on top of him grew still, he pushed himself up. At his side, Bard was sitting up and picking up the iron arrow from where it had landed between them. Namir shook the splinters and dust from his hair and looked out to the town just as Smaug glided down. The dragon landed in the flaming wreckage of the edge of the town. His weight crushing the houses under his claws and the fire glinting off his gold eyes. Namir stood up, uncaring of his nakedness to gaze over Bard's shoulder as the dragon turned his head to fix his eyes on them. 

When the beast spoke, it was a deep, rasping voice that carried fire and vengeful pain. "Who are you that would stand against me?" The golden eyes were unblinking and Namir met the gaze with his own slit eyed stare. There was a low rumbling in his throat, a yowling sharp growl that was distinctly the sound of a cat being threatened. It was almost a soft sound compared to all the death around them, but it was still sharp and angry. If he was in panther form, his ears would be pulled back in a bared toothed snarl. His human lips curled as the growl built. 

Smaug flicked his gaze from Bard to Namir at the sound. "A man and something else. You look like a man but you don't smell like one. Another strange creature. I wonder if you will taste the same when sink my teeth into your flesh". The dragon roared and Namir hissed sharply. At his side, Bard reached for his bow only to find the wood broken in two. "Now that is a pity", Smaug's voice was smug. "What will you do now? Bowman. You are forsaken. No help will come". Smaug took a step forwards, clawed wings crushing roof tops. 

Bard was looking around desperately, trying to think of a solution. Namir glanced over the rubble of the clock tower and his eyes alighted on the beams. Before he could speak, Smaug interrupted. "Is this your home? You cannot save it from the fire. It will all burn! With you and your friend along with it". 

"The beams", Namir hissed. "Make a bigger bow". Bard's eyes lit up and he drove one end of his bow into the wood before doing the same with the other end. It dug deep into the old wood and held steady. 

"You're going to have to act as the guide", He stated. "Kneel there". Namir was too tall to stand so he hopped over and turned his back to the dragon before dropping to one knee as  Bard rested the iron arrow from his shoulder. Every instinct was screaming at him to not turn his back to the threat but Namir gritted his teeth and ignored them. Watching as Bard notched the arrow and pulled back. "Stay still", he warned. Namir gave a slight nod, freezing in place. 

"Tell me, wretch", Smaug's voice echoed over the burning city. "How now shall you challenge me? You have nothing left". Bard must have seen something that gave him hope as Namir watched his eyes light up for a second.

"But your death!" There was an earth shattering roar and the thud of crushed houses as Smaug leapt towards them. Namir shook slightly from the pure fight or flight impose that the roar triggered. The animal part of him was telling him to run, flee from the larger predator. But he remained still. 

"A little to your left", Bard muttered. Namir shifted slightly and the man nodded. "Good. What are you going to do if you survive this?" 

Behind him, Namir could hear Smaug growing closer. But he allowed a slight smile to tug at his lips. "Kiss my elf and reunite with my father". Bard's eyes met his for a second and the man nodded at him. 

"He must be proud to have you as a son". 

"And your children are  proud to have you as a father". 

Namir smiled slightly and he and Bard shared a nod. Just as Small reared u behind them to lunge, Bard let go. Namir couldn't help but gasp as the arrow shot past his face and aimed true. He turned just in time to watch the iron embed itself into Smaug's chest. The creature let out a ghastly shriek as the lunge turned into a fall. Momentum carrying him into the side of the tower. "Hold on!" Namir yelled as he and Bard grabbed at the beams. The tower foundations splintered and then the whole thing toppled, Namir screaming as they fell. The icy water below hitting them like a wall. 

Up above the dragon climbed desperately into the air. Wings clawing himself higher as he screamed. Then the life left his eyes and the great beast fell. The body hitting the water with a great splash and sinking below the waves. In the sky, the red light of dawn began to tinge the clouds.

Namir swam with strong strokes. The cold water seeking to steal the warmth from limbs as he paddled. He broke the surface with a gasp, hands pulling him up onto the wreckage of what had been a house on the edge of Laketown. He gasped air greedily, one arm pulling the limp body of Bard up with him. The man choked as his face met the air. Lungs expelling water and hands clawing at the wood. Namir helped heave him up before lifting himself up onto the remains of the wooden floor. This house had been mostly destroyed but was luckily not still burning. Some parts of Laketown were caught ablaze with fire that would soon spread. 

Namir shook the water off his body and stumbled towards the wreckage of a bedroom. There was a hall open trunk at the end of the bed and fabric was strewn everywhere with signs of hasty packing. He pulled out a pair of trousers and shook the dust and soot off them before pulling them on. They were too big round the waist and two short in the leg but he managed to find a piece of rope to act as a belt to hold them up. While he was doing this, Bard spent the time lying on his back and simply breathing deeply. His clothes were soaked and he was shivering from cold. Namir scooped up some more clothes and flung them at him. "Get changed before you die of cold". 

"Thank you", Bard muttered as he slowly heaved himself up. Namir turned his back and began looking through the wreckage while the man changed. The clothes weren't that different from what the man was wearing before and they fit him better than they did Namir. Bard glanced at Namir with a frown. "Do you ever wear a shirt? Or shoes for that matter". 

"Not if I can help it", Namir retorted. "Skin-changers run hotter than most species anyway". That was true, he was already mostly dry. He pointed over at a small floating raft. "We can use that to row to shore. Come on. Your children are waiting". With that, he climbed over the rubble and seated himself cross legged on one end of the raft. Bard snatched up a beam to use as an oar and stood on the back. 

"Are you going to help?" He asked as he began rowing. Namir yawned and stretched, it had been an eventful night. 

"Nope". 

"I should have expected that from a cat". Bard chuckled as they followed the boats carrying  other survivors towards the shore. 

unedited

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