T/w: heavy swearing, mentions unaliving children
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The Savage let us into his living quarters into the morning, on behalf of Gandalf's persuasion. I sat with my back to a wall, not wanting to have my back to this beast.
He's taller then any sort of other man, almost a giant with long hair. He had noticed me as we both refused to accept the other.
"So you're the one they call Oakenshield," Beorn said to Thorin. "Tell me why do you travel with a Dragon's Whore?"
Thorin's eyes shot up angrily. "She is a fighter, I won't tolerate the disrespect."
"Has she told you about the war between our people, how they allowed a lost one, Ayzzar, he earned the reputation known as Frostbite, to kill my people?"
I spoke up. "You killed his rider in an ambush and tortured him, remember him? His name was Theron. My 14 year old cousin!?"
"My people was defending our lands from your bastard, he deserved to be killed. He was slaughtering innocents like it was a game! My sister was killed because of him!"
I jumped on the table, giving me some leverage for a fight. "Defending? You slaughtered an innocent boy. Did your father tell you his age? He was only fourteen!"
"We was doing the world a favor," he roared.
"A favor?" I growled. "By murdering a boy and then torturing his dragon? It's what made him Lost in the first place!"
"He was made a man when he made his choice to join your ranks of whores and bastards. You may have these Dwarves fooled but they will know your true nature. The real reason you want to enter the Mountian."
I scoff. "As if you are so high and mighty? I have every right to enter that Mountian and destroy the dragon. It's my blood given oath as a Tamer! You lack all honor Maggot! Your people has no sense of pride, no clanship! Drihüa nwek ŭbahna fiu-dẅen fëse!"
Your mother fucked a troll to make you!
I then turned to Gandalf. "I'm sorry Gandalf, I won't stay here where I am forced to be around the Blood Maggot. I will be outside till everyone decides to leave."
With that I jumped from the table and stormed outside.
I knew he would follow me.
"Go ahead and run Whore, it's all your people is good for!" He yelled.
I turned back to him. "I won't subject myself to an Orc's escaped pet!"
"Escaped pet? I was tortured!"
"They should have finished the job!"
"You little..." Beorn's eyes flashed gold as his form was starting to take form.
Alastor's shadow flew over me then he landed immediately in front of me. The ground shook from the weight. He had grown some since Bag End, not much but he is growing to become as powerful as his brothers.
His wing shielded me from the fight. They was nose to nose, stopping Beorn from shifting. Both growling wanting to fight.
Alastor had the last word, or more so in body language. A lone Shifter wasn't strong enough to overpower a dragon. Especially not the younger brother of Ayzzar, one of the more powerful Winterdrakes.
"Enough!" Gandalf came running out of the house. "Enough both of you! It has been over 200 years since that day. It has been more then enough time to set your differences aside. You two are the last of your races, once great allies of the North. Can you two be friends?"
"No!" Beorn and I yelled at him.
"I won't tolerate being disrespected by a bloodthirsty Savage," I growled.
"Likewise Whore," the Savage frowned.
Glaring at him, I then turned my attention to Gandalf. "Until he accepts that his people started the war I won't subject myself to his disrespect."
Gandalf was doing his best to mediate the situation but it was too late. "Save me from the pride of Tamers and the stubbornness of Dwarves," he said. "A feud based on nonsense."
"Nonsense? His people started the war!"
An arm to my waist made me turn my head. It was Thorin. "Go, meet us at the Elven Gate," he said. "I will handle this."
"But..."
"Ah no buts go."
I pulled away, letting out a scream of frustration, stomping to Alastor. Getting on his back I glared at the Savage for the last time before taking off.
Alastor growled in our mindlink. "Should have let me kill him Milady. I should have avenged my brothers from their tyranny."
"Yes, but I didn't want you to end up like Ajax and Ayzzar and I didn't want to start a fight with Thorin."
Alastor was the youngest of three brothers. Ayzzar known as Frostbite, and his brother Ajax the Blizard, had both been killed by the Shifters during the war. Alastor is last of his family line left alive.
I know that is why he we wanted to fight the Savage. The same reason I want to end Smaug. To avenge our families.
"Bah, the Dwarf King knows little about our life."
"I promise you, once we reclaim Erebor from Smaug we will take him to our homeland."
"Fair enough."
We landed just outside the gloomy forest that is Mirkwood. A dark spell lies beyond those trees but I waited for the others.
I did manage to catch some rabbits while waiting for the company. I skinned them to use their hides later but I gave the meat to Alastor. He deserved some food.
Whines of ponies got my attention. It was Thorin and the Company. They rode up without the Savage but I saw his form on the hill back towards his house.
Thorin dismounted and came up to me. "What was that about?"
"I warned you about our rivalry," I explained. My tone was harsh. "The dragon he was talking about? That was also Alastor's older brother. Both of his brothers is dead because of them." Venom came through, I didn't care. I was still angry at being told to leave.
"You endangered us. He could have killed all us."
"He had no ill will against you, it was all directed to me," I said. "Besides Alastor is growing, he'll be as big as his other brother Ajax in a few months. A lone Skin-Changer is no match against a dragon." I started to walk away from Thorin and towards the gate.
"Ira," Thorin grabbed my arm. "Don't walk away from me."
"Why? You of all people understand what happens when another race becomes your enemy."
"That is different."
"Different?" I wrestled my arm out of his grip and shoved him away from me. "What did he tell you? His side of it?"
"Yes. Said that your people purposely invaded his family's Lands to wipe out every one of them." Thorin looked hurt that I shoved him back away from me.
My tone was scary, snarling almost as I explained our side of the war. "They murdered my 14 year old cousin Thorin, we only invaded to retrieve his body and his dragon. They refused to give him back to us, calling him a war prize. When we found his body, they had him strung up in their Fight Pit as a trophy.
"His dragon we had to mercy kill because they tortured his rider infront of him. The same one I told you before the Goblins captured us. Do you think that just because we share a mindlink doesn't mean we just hear what the other thinks? We feel everything they feel. Pain, happiness, anger...it's all there."
I turned away feeling the tears starting to fall. "I was there when his people came in retaliation. The battle that made us forge the armistice. I ran in fear of them." I then moved my falling unbraided hair letting him see the scars that littered my back, runes tattooed around them. "His father almost killed me, did he tell you that? That his father almost murdered a five year old girl? Attacked her from behind while she was fleeing a battle she wanted no part of!"
I then turned to face Thorin seeing his face. He was hurt because I explained everything that had happened. Why I hated them.
He couldn't look at me now. Not since I showed him the scars of that day.
I then got back in Alastor's saddle. "Before you confront me on my hatred for another race, look at the reason why you hate Elves so damn much." I then led Alastor towards the gate, seething in my anger.
Mirkwood is damp and dark. Luckily Alastor's senses keep us on the path through, the Company follow Alastor through the forest.
It was disorienting to walk through the murk, sunlight barely crept into the trees.
I looked back not seeing the Company. They had completely lost the path. "Crid," I swore knowing I had to find them to get them out of the forest.