They walked for one day and one night, the forest seemingly endless. No light seemed to reach the ground there. Everything was in a perpetual state of gloom that made it difficult to follow the black cat through the trees. It was only due to Dwarves ability to see better in the dark compared to other races that kept them on the right track. But the more they walked the more the weight of the air seemed to suffocate them. The trees were claustrophobic, canopy seeming heavier than the stone of mines. It was only after they guessed that the end of the second day was passing that Namir stopped. He shifted back and stretched out his arms, wincing as his joints clicked.
"Rest here for a hour", He sighed as he pulled his clothes out of his pack and pulled them on. "Sleep. Exhaustion will only make the effect of the forest worse". He could feel the miasma lingering around them but his instincts were keeping his mid clear for now. Though he knew he'd have to shift back into cat form in a few hours so that he didn't become confused. The Dwarves all muttered as they sat down. Complaints and sighs filling the air as they began sharing out rations.
"If you see any white stuff that looks like giant spider's webs, don't touch it", he warned as he found a comfortable place between the roots of a tree. He turned round in it a few times before curling up. Sword at his side and his pack as a pillow. The dwarves were all within his sight and he sighed sleepily. "Don't go anywhere", he instructed. "Stay".
"Huh funny. A cat telling us to stay", Fili muttered and then began giggling hysterically. Namir gave him a look but chalked it up to the miasma messing with their heads.
"I mean it!" He scowled. Then he let his eyes close and he drifted off the the sounds of the dwarves all arguing with each other.
Namir woke to silence. He blinked blearily and sat up, eyes darting around. The dwarves and Bilbo were gone. There were scuff marks in the earth and one of the packs was lying on it's side, forgotten. He pushed himself into an instinctive crouch. One hand pulling his pack back over his shoulder while the other reached for his sword. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the smells in the air. The dwarves and Bilbo were the most prominent scents. Bilbo's for some reason led up a tree while the dwarves led to the left. But the part that made him concerned was the waft of spider drifting from the direction the dwarves had taken. He growled in frustration and unsheathed his sword. Spider webs were sticky and got caught in his claws, he'd have to use his blade to cut them. He set off after the dwarves, making a mental note to return for Bilbo once he had rescued the others.
It did not take him long to find them. As he had suspected, they were strung up high in the canopy wrapped in webs like flies. Half a dozen spiders scuttling around them, pincers clicking as they talked to each other. He sighed and then blinked as one of them suddenly shrieked. He scaled one of the trees as quickly as he could until he reached the canopy. Bilbo had broken free from his webs and had killed one of the spiders with his sword. Namir leapt on to the branch the hobbit was standing on and snarled. "I said stay fucking put", he snapped as he twisted his sword and sliced a spider's head off. "You go and cut down the others", He ordered. Bilbo gave a shaky nod and hurried off as Namir continued to slay any approaching spider. The long sword moving fluidly as he twisted it around his arms, striking behind him and coming up to slice the next spider in half.
It was a mesmerising battle to watch. Namir's arms were doing most of the work, feet steady and balance incredible as he let the spiders come to him. It served as a great distraction as Bilbo snuck around the webs and sliced the ones holding the dwarves down. They descended down to the forest floor, limbs already fighting the webs coating them. Once they were all down, Namir speared the spider attacking him and dodged the next one. "Grab your swords guys!" He called down and he leapt over a creature and flipped through the air onto a lower branch. He ended in a cat-like crouch and spun on one hand, legs flipping up to kick the next spider off balance. The arachnid screeched as it fell only to land on it's back and have Fili spear it with his sword.
Namir dropped from the canopy as the dwarves all drew their weapons. He landed in a front roll, sword flicking up as he rose. (Some of the dwarves were rather impressed that the lad didn't skewer himself doing that move). "Run!" he called. He could hear more spiders coming, their scuttling legs sent shivers up his spine despite the dozens of times he had faced them before. though, he had never seen this many at once. He waved and arm and began running, The dwarves on his heels. He heard the dying hisses of spiders behind him as his bare feet pounded against the earth. A spider lunged from above and would have gutted Dori if Namir hadn't back flipped last minute and throw his whole weight behind his sword. It cut through the dark creature like butter and the thing hit the ground already dead. He huffed as he pulled the blade free. "What are you looking at?" He scowled at the stunned Dwarf as he pushed his hair out of his face with his free hand. "I said, Run".
More spiders were crawling down from the trees. One landed on Bombur and the other dwarves all caught it's legs. Namir winced at the sound they made as the limbs were pulled apart. He was just slicing another spider's head off when the sounds of light feet made him look up. He smelt them before he saw them, which was surprising considering how much spider blood tainted the air, scents of nature and forest. He sighed and leant on his sword as he regained his breath. "Told you they smell nicer", he. Then he looked up and saw him.
At first he was nothing more than a blur of gold and green. It was weird looking at him through human eyes, having always seen him through the eyes of a cat which was coloured more by smells than sight. The eyes of a human were a lot less distracting but also didn't seem to give him credit. Namir whistled under his breath as he watched Legolas land on one spider then slide under another, the blade in his hands cutting it open as he went. When the elf was on his feet again, it was with a bow raise and an arrow pointed down at Thorin. Instantly the rest of the elf guard squad appeared between the trees, bows all aimed at the dwarves.
Namir smiled then leapt up, using the nearest trunk as a booster, into the branches where he promptly disembowelled another spider. The corpse teetered then fell off the branch. Legolas stepped aside to avoid being squashed then glanced up. Namir put down his sword and hooked his legs over the branch and swung upside down. The branch was low enough that Namir's gaze was on level with the blonde elf's. He smiled a wide sharp toothed grin. "Hello there Legolas", voice a purr. "Long time no see".
The elf frowned at him, blue eyes confused. He turned his gaze back to Thorin. "Do not think I will not kill you dwarf. It would be my pleasure".
"Drop your weapons", another elf ordered.
The dwarves all hesitated. Then a scream rung out. "Help!"
"Kili!" Fili cried, moving to run for his brother. The elf guards blocked his path. "Drop your weapons". Fili glared at them with no attempt to hide the hate in his gaze. Namir sat up and crossed his legs as he sheathed his sword, watching as a red headed she-elf marched Kili into view and dropped him with the others.
"Search them", Legolas ordered and the elves started rummaging through the Dwarves belongings. Namir grinned again when Legolas looked up at him. The elf was glaring, hand on his hunting knives. "Will you come down? Or shall I make you?"
"Ouch", Namir pouted. He pulled the sword from his back and dropped it to the ground. It landed with a thud, shortly followed by his pack. Then he dropped from the branch and landed in a crouch. "I have nothing else on me your highness", he smirked and held out his arms. Now that he was stood in front of the elf, he found that the elf and him were not too dissimilar in height. It was surprising, but Namir actually guessed that he might even be half an inch taller.
The elf glanced over his lack of clothes disdainfully, eyeing the dirt on his skin and the leaves in his hair. Namir looked like someone who had been robbed and then had to fight a bunch of giant spiders in the forest, which he guessed was half accurate. He certainly was filthy enough from sleeping on the dirt ground. The elf turned away and began to help search the dwarves. After insulting Gloin's wife and son, he fixed his attention to the red haired she-elf and they slipped into a conversation in elvish. Namir watched them curiously, only pausing to laugh at the elf searching Fili. The elf seemed to be getting more and more confused by each knife he found on the dwarf, while Fili just grew more fed up each time one was taken away. "How many knives do you have?" Namir chuckled.
"Enough", Fili grinned back. "You could probably do with a few more".
"My sword is not too bad, besides, why would I need more?" He bared his teeth and stuck out his fingers like claws. The blonde dwarf laughed.
"Fair point. Oh come one! That one too?" He threw up his hands as the elf found the small dagger hidden in his braids. Namir laughed.
One of the elves handed Legolas Thorin's blade. The prince held it up, the polished silver sending light reflecting across the ground. (Namir's eyes followed them but he remained still). He said something in elvish then switched to westeron. "Where did you get this?"
"It was given to me", Thorin stated in a voice thinly veiled by restraint.
Legolas swung the sword so that it pointed at Thorin's throat. "Not just a thief but a liar as well". Another word was shouted in elvish and the guards began heading them away.
One shoved Namir forwards and he walked calmly after the dwarves. "Wow", Nori laughed as he turned back to watch. "Never thought I'd see the day a cat got herded". Namir hissed at him as a few of the company laughed. Legolas watching the exchange with sharp eyes.
unedited
if you wanted to know what type of sword Namir uses and his fighting style then I based it off Geralt with his long swords, just with more acrobatics since Namir has cat reflexes.