LOTR: Shire Dragons - Pippin Took FF

Chapter 31

"Uryté!" Mallyra yelled, waving her arms frantically as she looked up into the night sky. By now, the rest of the party had gathered around both Mallyra and Pippin, and too were watching as the glistening shadow drew closer and closer. There was another gust of wind, followed by an almighty thud, as the dragon's feet made contact with the ground beside them, causing the long grass to ripple in waves. Mallyra ran as fast as she could, before almost ploughing into the forearm of the mighty beast.

"Good evening, Mallyra," the dragon chuckled. Mallyra smiled as her face made contact with the soft scales, which was an extremely weird sensation.

"I've missed you.." Mallyra murmered, peering up at the long neck, topped with an elongated snout. There was a quiet mumble from above her, causing Mallyra to look up. To her surprise, Samwise's mop of golden hair appeared over Uryté's shoulder.

"Sam!" The hobbits chorused, each one of their faces beaming, Frodo especially.
They all watched, as the hobbit tentatively slid down the silver forearm, and tumbled onto the soft ground beneath his feet. Sam was greeted by several large hugs from his dear friends, including Aiwendil, who also had a broad smile across his face.

The party settled rather quickly, Uryté wrapping slender body around the party, providing cover from the now chilling evening breeze. Aiwendil sat by Uryté's head, as he told her of everything that had happened without her presence. Sam was sat beside Frodo, both chuckling heartily at something Frodo had said. Merry sat by the fire, talking Uryté as well, as he was increasingly interested in her history. Pippin sat beside Mallyra, with his arm loosly draped across her shoulder Mallyra had her head rested on Uryté's side, her eyes closed as her head moved gently with every one of the dragon's breaths. Pippin smiled down at her, blushing lightly.

"How much futher is it to the Iron hills?" Frodo asked Uryté. The dragon lifted her head,

"Now that I am of my natural form, we can fly which will drastically reduce the amount of time it will take. We have to simply glide over the lonely mountain, over many plains, and the Iron hills will be in sight. I estimate it will take at least 3 hours of flight." She said softly. Frodo thought for a moment,

"And what happens when we reach the Iron hills?" He asked.

"Then we find Vasuka's lair and destroy him once and for all." Aiwendil said solumnly. An odd silence fell over the party, before Pippin spoke up,

"And then we get to go home?" He asked, causing Merry to chuckle to himself.

"Yes Pip, we get to go home," he smiled towards his friend. Pippin turned to Mallyra, only to see that she'd fallen asleep, her eyelids fluttering slightly. He smiled, before settling down beside her, gently placing his arm around her waist, as he too welcomed sleep.

*****
The next morning, the party awoke to a layer of frost dusted around them, making the idea of waking up even harder. Pippin yawned, stretching his arms. The rest of the party had woken before him, even Mallyra was up and ready to leave. It wasn't too long before everyone was ready, including Uryté, who had rested her wings enough for the journey ahead.

"Are you ready to fly, hobbits?" Uryté smiled. Mallyra nodded quickly, her stomach churning. Pippin smiled across at her, as he clambered up the silver forearm. After nestling between two ridges, Pippin held out his hand to Mallyra, gesturing that she were to copy his actions. Hesitantly, Mallyra began to climb the scaled arm, her heart pounding in her chest. Once she was upon the dragon's haunches, Mallyra pulled herself to Pippin's side and then settled between the ridges behind him. The others were quick to follow, making sure that Sam was not the one on the end and that he was safely secure. With each of Uryté's mighty breaths, the hobbits moved up and down. Mallyra shuddered again, a broad smile beginning to form on her lips. The dragon turned her colossal head to look at the party.

"Brace yourself," she purred in her silvery voice. Not a second later, the dragon began to pace forward, each movement of each muscle being felt by the beings upon her back. Soon enough, the pace turned into short bounds, each one gathering up speed. Mallyra's heart was in her mouth, as was Merry's. They were the only two who hadn't experienced riding on a dragon's back, and now here they were nestled between the ridges of a huge reptilian back. With an almighty force forward, the dragon's powerful hindlegs thrust them up into the crisp morning air.

With three beats of the great, leathery wings, the dragon steadied herself, and began to glide effortlessly. The wind whipped furiously at Mallyra's thick hair, as she clung on tightly to the ridge in front of her. She'd never been scared of heights, and quite enjoyed being high up at times, but this was different. It was a sort of gut wrenching experience, one she was sure she wouldn't forget. She felt herself tensen, and probably would have remained that way the entire flight, if Pippin's scarf hadn't whirled backwards and smacked her in the face. The mop of curls spun almost immediately, only to see a flustered Mallyra pull the scarf from her face, smile widely and the clutch it in her left hand. Pippin breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment there he thought he'd lost his beloved scarf. He smiled to himself as he watch Mallyra hold it in her hand, as it seemed to offer her a sense of comfort. Pippin lent further out from where he was sat, to catch a glimpse of the rest of the party, and was met by a scornful look from Aiwendil, as well as a hand gesture to suggest he turn back around. The hobbit pouted, before spinning around to be met with the sight of Uryté's long slender neck. This was going to be a long flight.

Hour after hour passed, and their landing couldn't have come sooner for Frodo, especially as the long flight had sent his groin and backside into a state of numbness. He did enjoy flying, even more so when they silently passed over Erebor. Frodo smiled at the thought of his uncle, Bilbo, who had saved the mountain not 60 years ago. The landing was smoother than expected, as the surrounding area wasn't exactly pleasant. The ground was near enough barred, with the odd tuft of grass protruding through the rocky surface.

"Nice place.." Merry remarked, as they jolted to a halt. One by one, each member of their party slid down the silvery forearm and landed with a thud on the dirt.

"These are the Iron Hills, Merry. They're not renowned for their beauty." Aiwendil said quietly, looking around. "And I am certain that Vasuka's presence in these mountains is making the landscape even more barren." He continued. Mallyra looked up at him, now stood with Pippin's scarf wrapped around her neck. She shuddered. Her slightly anxiety had increased further on the ride and wasn't helped at all by Sam's attempt to comfort her, which was a simple hand placed on her shoulder. Mallyra looked up at dragon beside her, and then glanced across at Pippin. They were so close to the dragon that had haunted her dreams, and she was in no way prepared for what she was going to be met with.