Beastly || Legolas

twenty one

The walk to Erebor was quiet. Namir had stripped off his ill-fitting trousers and padded along I cat form between Kili and Fili as the lake dropped away behind them. Bofur had tied the trousers to his back and led the way as they headed closer to the mountain entrance, their strides speeding up. When the stone doors came into view, the dwarves began running. The ramparts were empty and the stone doors broken down the middle. Namir easily kept pace with them as they crossed the bridge and stopped in the open doorway. 

"Hello?" Bofur called, voice echoing out into the underground city. "Bombur? Bifer?" Namir nudged past him and sniffed the air. The entrance was full of stone rubble and the air stunk of metal, dragon and death. The stench caused Namir to sneeze and snarl at the unpleasantness. He had never seen a dwarf city before but he decided that he didn't lie this place. Dragon stench filled every corner and the air was stale. No scent of green or breeze. It smelt like a tomb. 

Distantly, there was a familiar scent of the rest of the company. Namir sniffed again, inwardly wrenching at the horrible smell, and began to walk forwards. "Anybody?" Kili's voice bounded around him. Namir turned and flicked his tail at them in wait. The four dwarves exchanged glances before following him deeper into the mines as the panther followed the scent. 

Inside Erebor was a maze of stone corridors, massive halls and long flights of stairs leading ever down into the darkness. They were all uneasily quiet as they made their way down. Namir leading the way, paws silent on the stone. Every few minutes Bofur would call out but no answer was forth coming. The continuing lack of answer was putting them on on edge with worry. Had the other's died? Did Smaug eat them all? 

"Wait!" a voice echoed up to them as they walked down a steep staircase. The caves around them were massive, so big that the light didn't reach the ends. Stairs built of stone arched up without support in a maze of interconnecting paths. Namir stopped as the voice echoed again, this time the sound familiar. "Wait!" 

"It's Bilbo!" Kili exclaimed. 

"He survived!" Bofur cried out as they all sped up. Namir leapt down the steps two at a time as they all hurried. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the familiar hobbit came bursting round the corner of the corridor. He came running towards them, one hand outstretched. 

"Stop! Stop! Stop". He  skidded to a halt in front of them, voice dropping low and carrying a urgency. "You need to leave. We all need to leave". 

"We only just got here", Bofur frowned. 

"I tried talking to him but he won't listen", Bilbo huffed.

"What do you mean laddie?" Oin asked. 

"Thorin!" The name echoed softly and Bilbo jumped before lowering his voice again. "Thorin. He's been down there for days. He doesn't sleep. He barely eats. He's not been himself, not at all". He gestured with one finger to the area around him. "It's this, its this place. I think a sickness lies upon it". 

Fili had spotted something. He brushed passed Namir and Kili and the cat flicked his tail against the dwarf's leg. Kili glanced at his brother. "What kind of sickness?" His attention then fixed on the blonde as Fili began skipping hurriedly down the stairs to their right. 

"Fili. Fili!" Bilbo called after him. Fili didn't listen and the hobbit gave chase. Namir and the other three running after them as they descended. As Namir ran, he caught the glimpse of a golden light seeming to emanate ahead. The stench of dragon was growing thicker down here too, heavy enough that the dwarves must smell by now. They didn't seem to care. 

Fili came to a stop on a ledge and they almost ran into him. The blonde seemed to transfixed by something. Something that the other three dwarves froze at the sight of. Namir wandered round their legs to sit at their side and stare down on the mountains of gold. It covered the floors as far as he could see. The yellow light was the gold reflecting candlelight up over the stone until it seemed like there whole floor was glowing. Treasure beyond anything anyone could have imagined lay at their feet and Namir realised why the dwarves were silent. It was everything a dwarf could dream. Namir might have been fixated too if the dragon stench permeating every coin didn't make his nose scrunch up in revolt.

A clink of clotting coins stole their attention. Thorin was below them, waling across the gold. There was something different about him. A heavy blue cloak of fur lay draped over his shoulders. He walked slowly, voice echoing as he muttered to himself. "Gold. Gold beyond measure. Gold beyond sorrow and grief". The words echoed up to them, regardless of how softly Thorin spoke. Then the dwarf looked up and his eyes found them standing silently above. Namir saw his eyes and he realised what Bilbo had been trying to warn them about. This was not the Thorin they knew. 

"Behold the great treasure hold of Thror", he greeted. Then he scooped something up and threw it. It sailed through the air, light sparkling off the red surface, and Fili caught it in both hands. When he uncapped his palms, Namir could see a ruby the size of a fist lying in them. "Welcome", Thorin spread his arms out wide. "My sister-sons to the kingdom of Erebor". 

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They found the others in a chamber just two corridors away from where they had found Bilbo. It must have been a food hall as dust covered bowls still sat at some of the tables. The rest of the company greeted him with pats to the head. Ori scratching his ears, Dwalin's large hands patting his his back. Namir let a rumble fill his throat, not quiet a purr but something contented. He was glad to see them safe and they were the same. But it did not last long. Thorin interrupted the reunion with a harsh command. "Enough of that. We need to get searching for the Arken stone". The group all let out mutters of disappointment but obediently turned towards the piles of gold below. 

Namir sniffed loudly as the dwarves began walking away. There was a sound as he shifted back, one hand grabbing his trousers from Bofur's back and pulling them on. Once he was dressed he looked down at Thorin. "You may honour your side of our agreement now". 

"What agreement is that skin-changer?" Thorin's voice was cold and sharp. 

Namir frowned, cat eyes steely. "You said that I would have free roam of Erebor. And that I could choose one thing to claim as my prise. My reward for offering you help and aid". 

Thorin glared at him distrustfully. "Your father would have sooner killed us than help us if there weren't a pack of orcs on our tail". His tone was full of vitriol, spitting the words. "Why should I reward you?" 

"I led you through the forest", Namir hissed. 

"You led us into capture by elves!" Thorin snapped back, the words booming around them in echos. 

"That was your own fault. You gave me your word". 

"Very well". Thorin snarled, shoulders tense and eyes dark. "You may roam these halls. Explore but I do not owe you more than that". 

"You promised me one thing!" Namir growled, temper rising. "One thing. Is that so hard for the king of such vast wealth to offer to the race of skin-changers?"

"What race?" Thorin barked out a harsh laugh. "You are all dead. None left except you and your beastly father". 

Namir let out a vicious snarl at the insult. "My father was right about you. Dwarves are nothing but greedy, ignorant fools. Content to live in their dark holes and ignore the world. But Mark this Thorin, people will come calling for far more than I am asking. They will take this place by force and you would rather watch your kin die than learn to share? Pathetic". He spit the last word with such distain that even the echos seemed to be angry. His eyes were unblinking as he stared down at the dwarf. The gaze uncaring and far colder than any Thorin could amass. 

Namir hissed one last time before turning and stalking from the room. Feet silent on stone as his shadow vanished round the corner. As he walked, he grinned lazily and stretched out his arms. Thorin could dig his hole deep enough to bury himself for all he cared, if the dwarf was not going to give him a prize. Then Namir was just going to take one. He was a cat after all, he never listened to orders or rules. He had the full run of this underground city to find what he wanted. He just hoped that Legolas would like the courting gift he was planning. 

unedited

Thorin can rage all he wants but Namir doesn't give a shit.