𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐒: 𝑺𝑴𝑨𝑼𝑮 | FINISHED

~ch.16: Bard the bowman

❤︎
✩Tatsuo✩

The dwarves climb onto the rocky shore. Kili falls to his feet, exhausted. I land with bilbo soon after collapsing too due to the arrow. "are you okay?" bilbo asks me, and I hum, craning my neck to see at the arrow wound. It is still fresh and oozing blood. I wince and droop my wings, spreading them beside me. "what are you doing?" I heard bilbo ask, and I flicked my ear in his direction. A sign that says 'can't talk.' "Are you okay, Tatsuo?" I hear a new voice, and by its depth, it's thorin. I can't help but wonder how he knows my name, but I could care less. I finally grip the arrow with my teeth, wincing as I tug it out. soon it's out, and I spit it out, turning again to my spine and licking my wound. "I'm fine, master dwarf," I mutter between the licks and almost gag at the taste of blood on my tongue. The dwarves continue to talk about how they will get across this place. I soon end my licking fit and stretch my body; it's a little sore after laying for so long, then suddenly jumping into action.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it." I hear Balin say, and I sigh. He's right. I could always carry them in my dragon form, but they are dwarves; they don't fancy that type of beast. not yet. "So then we go around." bilbo says, and I snort. a hobbit isn't that smart, huh? But he's right. We could do that, but- "The orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight. We have no weapons to defend ourselves," my thought gets cut from my Dwalins voice. I pout btu ruffle my wings and turn my head to the dwarves seeing horin nods, troubled. He turns to Fili. "Fili, you have two minutes," he says, and I smile as I see the relieved expression on the younger dwarf. The dwarf called fili empties his water-filled boot into the river. Slowly, a BOWMAN steps forward on the rocks above the Company. He raises his bow, aiming toward Fili.

My ear twitch, and man's smell enters my nose, and I rise with surprising agility and speed. In a minute, the man is pinned down, me being the one who did it. "shoot them, and your dead," I hiss. I have already knocked the bow out of his hands, and now he's defenseless. the man stares at me in pure shock and fear. He raises his hands as a sign of defeat, and I slip off him, not bothering to hide my growls. Balin then comes up to us as the man I still need to know the name stands, dusting his clothes off. "Excuse me, but you're from Laketown if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?" the bowman stops dusting his closes and looks at him. he then climbs aboard his barge as the dwarves approach. you go over too. ¨

"What makes you think I will help you? By any means, that panther tried to kill me," I snorted. "I am sorry that for Mr. bargeman," I say, and my tail twitch. the man nods a little in my direction and then talks with Balin. "Those boots have seen better days."   blain says, and Bard begins loading the dwarves' empty barrels into his barge. "As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?" I tilt my head at Balin's words. a clever dwarf indeed.

♡
A/n

The orcs run beside the river to pursue the dwarves and the panther with wings. And in the woodland realm, Legolas and Tauriel have brought their captured orc to Thranduil's throneroom. As Legolas stands with his knife pressed to the orc's neck, Thranduil paces around it. "Such is the nature of evil. In the vast ignorance of the world, it festers and spreads, a shadow that grows in the dark. A sleepless malice as black as the oncoming wall of night. So it ever was; so will it always be. In time, all foul things come forth." he says and continues to pace. his son starts talking hard and cold. "You were tracking a company of thirteen dwarves and a winged panther. Why?" the orc chortels and spits out.

"Not the panther. Not any more. she took an arrow meant for the young one, the black-haired archer; we stuck her with a Morgul shaft." Legolas's eyes widen, and an image of the panther that saved him flies through his head. His face concertos in worry but then grows cold again. Tauriel notices this and clenches her jaw. if Legolas got bonded to the panther, it means much to him, and she hates seeing her friend sad. "Answer the question, filth." the orc snarls out " I do not answer to dogs, She-Elf!" in the black speech, and Legolas pushes the orc a bit as Tauriel whips out her knife.