Beastly || Legolas

Twenty nine

Watching Dwalin and Thorin slaughter the goblins was more boring than Namir anticipated. Fili and Kili had long snuck off into the ruins by the time all the goblins lay dead. When they were done, Thorin and Dwalin moved off. Namir following them unseen as the two Dwarves moved deeper into the ruins. There was another courtyard in the centre of the keep. A large empty space with a wall along side it that dropped off the edge of a cliff. Namir watched the two dwarves pace through the space from above. He had climbed silently to the top of a tower and was crouched on a ledge, tail swishing as his eyes picked out forms in the mist. Cat senses allowing him to see far more than any orc or dwarf in this fog. 

"Where is that Orc filth?" Thorin muttered as he peered over the cliff edge. Namir almost jumped in surprise as Bilbo appeared as if out of thin air in the middle of the courtyard. He hadn't heard nor smelt him coming. How the hell did the hobbit travel around invisible? 

"Thorin", Bilbo stated and the dwarf whirled. 

"Bilbo", there was audible relief and joy in the tone. 

"You have to leave here now. Azog has another army attacking from the north", Bilbo panted, out of breath. Namir felt sudden adrenaline at the information. Another army. They would be trapped here. "This watchtower will be completely surrounded. There'll be no way out".

"We are so close. The orc scum is in there", Dwalin seethed, gesturing with his axe to the ruins surrounding them. "I say we push on". 

"No!" Thorin grabbed him to stop him from moving further. "That's what he wants. He wants to draw us in. This is a trap".  He glanced around in sudden realisation. (If Namir was human, he would be clapping his hands sarcastically). "Find Fili and Kili. Call them back". 

"Thorin. Are you sure about this?" 

"Do it. We'll live to fight another day".

Namir smelt them before he saw them. A gust of wind and then the audible sounds of heavy feet on stone. He shifted on his ledge as drums began booming in the keep. Echoing off stone as the glow of fires lit shone off walls. He turned his head, ears pricking as the group below all caught their breath. Azog was the first to appear. The orc walking to the edge of a drop. The tower he was standing on had half fallen so that it's innards were exposed. He was drawing along a blonde figure by his hair. Thorin let out a gasp, surging forwards as few steps as Fili was held up and aloft over the drop. The blonde dwarf was struggling, forehead red with blood and unarmed. Azog growled something in Orcish, Namir didn't care what he was saying, as Fili dangled over the edge of the drop. 

"Go", the blonde called. Azog pulled back his arm, the one ending in a vicious blade. "Run!" 

The arm surged forwards to stab into Fili's back, but stopped as a black blur leapt down from above. Namir threw himself off his perch. Claws out as he caught Azog in the side, his weight making the massive orc stumble and fall over. Teeth sinking into the junction of his neck and shoulder as claws scraped across his face and arm. His hand let go and Fili screamed as he was dropped. There was a crack of bone but the shout of pain that followed told Namir the the dwarf was still alive. Azog roared with pain, now free hand shoving Namir in the chest as his blade swung up. The panther snarled as he rolled back. The white orc rising to his feet and descending on him with his blade raised. 

"Namir!" A shout. Bilbo, crying out in surprise. 

"Fili!" Thorin's voice. 

Namir dodged the sweep of the blade and it clanged against rock. Azog growled, one eye covered in black blood, the flesh of one shoulder bleeding heavily and claw marks scratching his armour. The panther hissed at him as more orcs charged forwards, then leapt off the edge. He fell from the same drop Fili did. Landing on his feet on a wall and jumping gracefully down to the bottom of the tower. Fili was lying on the snow covered stone, face pale with pain. Above, Azog roared something in orcish. 

"Namir", Fili muttered, voice raspy as the cat landed at his side. Kili was there too, half holding his brother up and letting him lean back against him. The blonde dwarf's legs were bent in awkward positions, bone visibly broken. But he was alive and breathing. Namir landed and shifted, bones moving and fur fading into skin. The black blood that had been matting his fur was sticky on his skin. It clung to his hair and covered his chin. He whipped it on the back of his hand as he stood, other hand pulling a pair of trousers from his bag and pulling them on. 

"Kili. Take your brother", he ordered. "Get out of here while you still can. There is another army coming from the north and we don't have long before they cut us off". 

"I want to kill that foul creature", Kili hissed. He moved and Fili groaned in pain. 

"If you go after Azog, both you and your brother will die", Namir stated as he unsheathed his sword. "Leave him to your uncle". At the mention of him, Thorin's voice echoed through the keep.

"Kili! Fili!" Boots against stone. 

"Come on", Namir huffed. "We don't have much time". The stench of orc was growing stronger. He bent down and grabbed Fili under the arms. Kili shifted and stood as Namir hauled Fili up. The blonde gasping in pain as he rested him over Kili's shoulder. "I'll watch our back. Go". 

Kili began walling briskly despite the weight of his brother on his back. Namir at his side as they made their way through the corridors and out towards the ice covered lake. There were no orcs in the underground corridors but they could hear the echoing sounds of fighting from above. Thorin and Dwalin charging Azog. Fili was silent and pale but alert as Kili carried him. The blonde had his hand on a knife and his eyes were darting around. "I owe you my life", the words were soft and quiet. Namir glanced at him for a second. 

"Consider it payback for the Arken stone", he offered. Fili winced. 

"Breaking it was what we all should have done. It was turning Thorin mad. No treasure is worth that". He fell silent as they reached the ice covered river. Kili grunted as he shifted his brother enough to raise two fingers to his mouth. A long whistle echoed over the mountain. Namir winced as it messed with his sensitive hearing. 

Almost immediately orcs came surging from above. Five of them charging down the steps towards them. Namir swung his sword and decapitated the first one before it had even gotten close to the dwarves. The next one was dismembered before it could strike. His sword moving with brutal efficiency and not a single blade touching him before all five lay dead at their feet. As the last one fell, two of the rams that had carried the dwarves up the mountain emerged from the mist. Their hooves steady on the ice. Namir flicked black blood onto the snow as Kili heaved his brother on to the back of one of the rams. 

"Go", Namir instructed. The sounds of clanging steel was growing louder and they all glanced up to see the figure of Thorin up in the keep. The hulking frame of Azog leaning over him as their blades clashed. Kili gritted his teeth and gripped the reins. Fili half slumped on his ram, clinging on with both hands. "Go", Namir repeated. "Get him out of here. Don't let the line of Durin fall today". Kili nodded at him then kicked the ram in the sides. The creature galloped off, Fili's following as they descended the mountain. 

Namir watched them until they were halfway down the mountain before he let out a sigh. He rolled his shoulders, wincing as it pulled on the arrow wound, then swung his sword round in a circle. Turning, he glanced up at the keep again where more orcs were spilling from it's depths. He raised his sword and grinned a black blood filled grin. 

unedited