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Predator or Prey
CHAPTER ONE.
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Selene Drakos, one of the last few skin-changers of the Middle East had just arrived at the front step of Bilbo Baggin's house. It was dark by the time she arrived, most of the hobbits of the Shire were already inside their homes, eating their supper, making it easier for her to walk by without scaring anyone.
Yes, she scared people because she was a dragon. No one in the Middle East was fond of dragons, hence why she went into hiding several years ago. No one could find her at all. Most of the people wanted her dead and the others? They wanted her blood.
A dragon's blood is very special. It can be used for spells, witchcraft and to create stronger and better monsters in the Middle East. Not only can it used for magic, but it can heal those who are wounded too. Depending on the wound, the blood of a dragon could be healed in seconds, minutes or hours.
However, Selene's blood was much more special. Her blood can do the same things a general dragon's blood can do, but it can also do much, much more. Since Selene was a skin-changer, her dragon abilities enhanced her abilities as a human, making her much more stronger and faster than any Man. Her blood can heal not only wounds, it also can heal fevers, sickness and diseases; something the regular blood of a Dragon cannot do.
Many people believed, that her blood could also bring back the dead and the rumors became big. It forced Selene into hiding as far away as possible. She did not want anyone to find her just to kill her for her blood.
But now, after many, many years... Selene was back, called upon by Gandalf the Grey to accompany the quest he had told her about a week ago.
Selene rung the doorbell, adjusting her dress as she waited for the door to open. She took the chance to admire how tiny the hobbit's home was. Though, she was not any big herself, standing at five foot and six inches. Most would have mistaken her as an extremely tall dwarf. They wondered how a woman so small could turn into a beast so large. It was not clear to them.
The door opened, revealing Gandalf who greeted her, "Selene,"
"Gandalf." She smirked, knowing exactly why he came to the door. Selene had a short-temper, so her getting angry could easily trigger her to shift into a dragon. She could kill anyone before they would even realize that they were dead. But little did Gandalf know, Selene had been working on controlling her temper for years.
After the death of Selene's father and the disappearance of her mother, she was taken in under Gandalf's care. She knew that when she was younger, she always gave Gandalf a bad reputation for the girl did not get along with others very well; she was also reckless and caused a lot of trouble. She was happy the wizard had a lot of patience for her. He taught her the rights from wrong and she learned and grew from it as time passed.
"Please be on your best behavior, Selene." The wizard looked at her sternly.
Selene rolled her eyes, "I know, Gandalf. You do not need to keep telling me this." The cold wind blew by, making her hair get into her eyes. She had to hold it back by her ear to keep it still. She then noticed that Gandalf had stepped away from the door, which was a sign for her to get inside.
Releasing her hair, she walked into the home, Gandalf shutting the door gently behind her. She watched the man who had taken care of her, enter the room on her left. Before he could disappear from her sight, he turned back to wave her over. She complied and joined him, smelling the fear and curiosity when she walked into the small room. Surrounding the long table, were thirteen dwarves and in the corner next to Gandalf was the hobbit.
"Who is this?" The dwarf at the head of the table asked Gandalf. He had long, black hair. His facial features were strong; bushy eyebrows, a nice groomed beard, sharp nose and eyes blue like the ocean. He had the voice of a king, calm and authoritative.
Gandalf pointed at her while she grabbed a stool from where the hobbit stood and placed it beside the long-haired dwarf, who pinched the bridge of his nose. "Everyone, this is Selene Drakos. Selene, this is Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin. His kin," Gandalf named the other dwarves off one by one and Selene tried her best to match their names to their face. "And finally, our host, Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf gestured to at the hobbit behind her.
Bofur, the dwarf who wore a hat, gaped at her. "Selene Drakos... The dragon-woman. The rumors are false, you are still alive."
Selene raised an eyebrow, "When was I slain?" Her tone came out more bluntly than expected.
"Not anytime soon, Lady Selene." Bofur bowed his head. "There have been stories being spread around that you were slain by the Elven King, Thranduil of the Woodland Realm."
A scoff came from the dragon-woman, "I would never die at the hands of an elf. If anything, I would rather be slain by an Orc than him. Or..." She placed her left elbow onto the wooden table, then leaned against her hand, smirking at Thorin. "Have this handsome dwarf, right here, slay me instead." She moved her free hand to touch Thorin's clothed biceps, her gold eyes meeting his blue ones. She shot him a quick wink before he shoved her hand off him.
Selene was a big flirt and she knew that. Whether it be a man or a woman, Selene would still flirt. It didn't matter to her. She was single after all, so why not?
Gandalf shook his head at Selene's playful banter and motioned for Balin to change the subject.
"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin?" Balin asked Thorin after he took a bite of the stew in his bowl. "Did they all come?" Balin added.
Selene listened to the two talk while grabbing a large, sweet potato from the plate in front of her. She peeled off the skin and ate, making little noise.
Thorin nodded, "Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms."
"Ah, all of them!" Balin smiled.
Dwalin spoke up this time, "And what did the dwarves of the Iron Hills say?" All the heads turned to Thorin, waiting for his answer. "Is Dain with us?"
Thorin took a deep breath then exhaled, "They will not come." The dwarves around the table all frowned, some of them even groaned sadly. "They say that this quest is ours and ours alone." He sighed heavily again.
Bilbo poked his head in between Selene's and Gandalf's shoulders, "You're going on a quest?" No reply.
"Bilbo, my dear fellow," Gandalf cleared his throat. "let us have a little more light." Bilbo nodded and walked off. Gandalf scooted in closer towards the table, the others around did the same. "Far to the East, over ranges and rivers..." Gandalf unfolded a map he took out from his pocket. "Beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak." He placed the map on the table in front of Selene and Thorin.
Selene noticed the drawing of a Smaug over the mountain's peak and narrowed her eyes. Were they going to have her defeat Smaug? Was that why she was invited?
Bilbo came back with another candle in hand and peeked over Selene's shoulder as he read "The Lonely Mountain."
"Aye, Oin has read the portents, and the portents says it is time!" Gloin spoke confidently. Selene noticed Dori rolling his eyes and snickered at him quietly. "Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain, as it was foretold." He said, turning to look at Fíli, Kíli and Bombur. "When the birds of Yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end." Gloin repeated the line he remembered.
"Uh... What beast?" Bilbo asked, hesitantly. He was looking more specifically at Gandalf.
Selene heard Thorin sigh in irritation next to her. She kicked his leg, not liking how he treated the naive hobbit, but played it off as if she was stretching. When he turned to examine her with narrowed eyes, she fluttered her eyes at him innocently.
"That would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible." Bofur answered. "Chiefest and greatest calamity of our age." He took a hit from his pipe before continuing, "Airborne fire-breather. Teeth like razors. Claws like meat hooks. Extremely fond of precious metals."
"Yes, I know what a dragon is." Bilbo sassed, then focused his gaze on Selene. "There is one in my home, sitting right in front of me." They all knew who he was talking about.
Selene raised her hand, "That would be me." She faked a smile at all the dwarves who glanced at her. "But I'm a much better dragon than he is."
"What do you mean?" Bilbo asked softly.
Selene peeked around her potato as she answered, "He kills the innocent. I do not."
She never killed innocent people. Despite the fact that black dragons were known for loving violence and blood spills, no matter if their targets were innocent or not. If it weren't for her mother - before she went missing - and Gandalf teaching her the rights from wrong, Selene knew deep down that she would have turned into a malicious, blood thirsty dragon.
The sound of a wooden chair being scraped against wooden floor captured Selene's attention. Ori had stood up with confidence and said, "I'm not afraid. I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of dwarvish iron right up his jacksie!" He slammed his small fist on the table.
"Sit down." Dori grabbed the young dwarf by his clothing and forced him down, the same time as Nori shouted, "Good lad, Ori!"
Balin shook his head, "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us... but we number just thirteen." He said with a frown. "And not thirteen of the best... Nor brightest."
"'Ere! Who are you calling dim?" Nori questioned Bali, very offended. And within a a few seconds, all the dwarves began talking over each other.
"Sorry, what did he say?" Another dwarf with an ear trumpet asked.
Fíli, the blond, slammed his fist down on the table. "We may be few in number... but we're fighters. All of us!" He slammed both of his hands down on the table this time, "To the last dwarf!"
His brother, Kíli, joined in. "And you forget, we have a wizard and a dragon in our company. Gandalf and Lady Selene will have killed hundreds of dragons in their time."
Selene felt waves of happiness come off from the brunet. She was sure it was because of the fact that the Company had two experienced people with them.
Gandalf's eyes widened in shock, "Oh, well, no. I-I- I wouldn't say-" He tried to stop Kíli, but the young dwarf did not. He continued to ramble on and on with joy.
"How many then?" Dori asked.
Gandalf was caught off guard. He thought that the conversation would be over already. He was wrong. "What?"
"Well, how many dragons have you killed?" Dori repeated. "And you, Lady Selene, how many have you killed?"
From her left, Selene could hear Gandalf coughing roughly. She knew he had no answer to that. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the wizard.
"Go on, give us a number." Dori encouraged the wizard and the skin-changer.
"Well," Selene took over, covering for Gandalf. "my mother told me when I was child that there weren't really any dragons in my day nor hers, nor her parents. I don't believe Gandalf killed any either. But I could be wrong," She shrugged, sharing a glance with Gandalf.
Suddenly, the dwarves all began shouting at each other. Selene watched them in amusement. She had no idea what they were arguing about, but she liked it.
Bilbo had tried to stop their arguing, it did not work since his voice was too soft and low for them to hear. Thorin interfered and yelled at the dwarves to stop as he got up from his seat. Immediately, the shouting ended.
"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too?" Thorin stared at his kin. "Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look East to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk." He placed his hands on the table, leaning in to his kind so they could listen. "Perhaps the vast wealth our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?!" Thorin grinned proudly at his kind when they cheered, agreeing with him to reclaim their home.
Balin stopped their cheering with his words, reminding them that the front gate to the mountain was sealed. He shared multiple looks with his kin and said, "There is no way into the mountain."
"That my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.
Thorin watched the wizard the twirl the key around his hand, very shocked at the sight of it. "How came you by this?"
"It was given to me by your father. By Thráin, for safekeeping. It is yours now." Gandalf held out the key for the Dwarf King. Selene leaned back on her stool, trying her best not to get in the way of the two and also trying not to fall off her seat.
"If there is a key..." Fíli began, "There must be a door."
Gandalf gave Fíli a look, silently telling him that he was correct. He pointed at the map with his pipe, "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."
Kíli smiled at his brother then to the others. "There's another way in."
"Well, only if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf sighed as he replied to Kíli. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there others on Middle-Earth who can."
"Does Lady Selene have the skill to find it?" Fíli chirped up, all eyes landed on her.
She hadn't spoken a word since she answered Dori's question. The dragon-woman was sitting quietly, observing the dwarves and Gandalf converse. But once Fíli said her name, she glanced up at the others who were looking at her.
"Hm?" Selene was confused.
"No, she does not, Master Fíli." Gandalf answered. "She was not born at the time this map was made." That made the dwarves stare at her once again. Selene had a feeling they thought she was as old as Gandalf, for that was why they asked how many dragons she had killed in her life.
"Lady Selene, how old are you?" Gloin asked, but Gandalf waved it off, wanting to get back to the subject they were talking about.
The grey wizard looked determined to start and finish the quest, "The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."
"That's why we need a burglar!" Ori concluded, his eyes moving onto Bilbo who stepped forward behind Selene.
Bilbo nodded, "Hmm!" He hummed. "And a good one too. An expert, I'd imagine." He pulled on the straps of his suspender shorts.
"And are you?" Gloin asked.
Everyone turned their attention on the hobbit, the latter looking behind him as if Gloin was talking to someone else.
"Am I what?" Bilbo responded.
Selene face-palmed herself, almost bursting into laughter at the clueless hobbit.
"He said he's an expert!" Oin declared with a small chuckle.
"Me? No. No, no, no. I'm not a burglar." Bilbo argued, "I've never stolen a thing in my life."
Balin huffed softly, "Well, I'm afraid I have to agree with Mister Baggins. He's hardly burglar material."
"Nope." Bilbo agreed with the dwarf. He stood behind Selene and Thorin.
Dwalin, the bald-headed dwarf sitting on Gandalf's left, nodded at Balin's words. "Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves."
Another argument erupted from the dwarves. From left to right, some agreed that Bilbo would be too much of a burden to protect from harm and some disagreed that Bilbo could handle his own.
Selene noticed Gandalf shaking, the room began to rumble when the dwarves continued arguing until Gandalf bellowed at them to stop. "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." The dwarves and Bilbo all gawked at the wizard, surprised at his sudden dark power. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most, if they choose. And, while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us an advantage."
Bilbo was stuttering behind her, trying to find the right words for Gandalf. Probably, to remind the wizard he did not want to be part of the quest. That's what Selene figured.
The wizard gazed down upon Thorin, who did the same but up. "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this Company, and I have chosen Mister Baggins." Gandalf sat back down in his seat. "There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest. And he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself. You must trust me on this." He spoke directly to Thorin.
"Very well." Thorin said, "We will do it your way."
"No, no-" Gandalf started but did not finish on time.
"Give them the contract." Thorin told Balin.
Balin got up onto his feet, holding out two folded sheets of paper for the hobbit and the skin-changer. "It's just the usual. Summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." He handed Bilbo's contract to Thorin, who passed it to Bilbo roughly as the latter asked, "Funeral arrangements?"
Selene reached for her own contract, unfolding it and skimmed through the words. She heard Thorin rise from his seat, to whisper in Gandalf's ear about not being able to guarantee Bilbo's safety. If he wouldn't, Selene could, she won't mind it either.
"Pen, please." Selene did not look up from the contract and held her hand out, waiting for a pen to be placed in her hand. She heard Gandalf shuffling around, then the sound of glass - Selene guessed that would be the jar of ink - softly placed on the table. Then the sound of the cap being lift open, nothing else after that as she felt a pen in her hand, seconds later. And as neat as possible, she signed the contract: Selene Drakos.
When she finished, she gave back the contract to Balin who thanked her and put the contract away. Everyone now waited on Bilbo.
"Terms: cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one-fourteenth of total profit, if any. Hm, seems fair." Bilbo read word for word of the contract out loud. "Present Company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof, including, but not limited to lacerations... Evisceration... Incineration?" Bilbo's eyes shot up really wide, Selene practically thought his eyes were going to fall out of his sockets.
"Oh, aye." Bofur nodded. "He'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." He said as if it was nothing.
Selene felt waves of fear coming off Bilbo when he suddenly whimpered at the thought.
"You all right, laddie?" Balin peered at the hobbit.
Bilbo bent over slightly, his hands resting on his knees. "Yeah," He breathed heavily, "feel a bit faint."
"Think furnace with wings." Bofur added.
"Air. I-I-I need air." Bilbo huffed.
Bofur continued on, "Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash."
Bilbo grunted. Breathing in and out, heavily as he thought about Bofur's words. "Nope." The hobbit fainted.
"Oh, very helpful, Bofur." Gandalf said to the dwarf, sarcasm laced in his tone. "Selene, make some tea for when he awakens."
Selene did as she was told, brushing past Thorin and Bofur to the hobbit's small kitchen as Gandalf picked up Bilbo and moved him to the furniture near the fireplace.
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boom first chap! how was it? what do you think of selene?
lmk if there any grammar mistakes or mistakes in general! this goes for my previous chapters and my future chapters.
vote/comment, appreciate the feedback.