A Ruby's Shine (Thorin Oakenshield X OC)

31. Talking With A Wise Eagle

I twitched my nose, breathing in the funny smell of wood and pipeweed, feeling fast blowing wind racing through my hair, the whistling of the wind echoing in my ears. I mumbled quietly, too exhausted to think as I drew the object in my arms closer, frowning as the cold touch of metal touched my cheek.

My mind was sluggish in remembering why I am holding something with metal on it. I breathed in the smell, picking up a smoky scent among the smell of wood and pipeweed, I also picked up leather... and something very distinctly male.

I blinked my eyes open, confused by that, looking down and seeing I was hugging a funny branch with cuts and slices in it, two capped off ends of hammered metal over the wood. I tilted my head a bit in confusion and fascination at the two diamond shapes hammered into the metal, then the hollowed out end of the branch for one's arm to fit into, thick straps of leather to hold it to one's arm. The wood looked like it had seen many battles.

Where did I get this?

My mind was very sluggish, a feeling I am not used to. I am usually a very light sleeper and immediately know where I am and why I am there the minute I wake up, if I don't have nightmares.

Yet, this time, my sleepy mind just wasn't quite catching up on events...

Right, this shield belongs to a friend, right. I... stopped it from falling... off the giant eagle.

Suddenly the whole day came rushing back to me, including Thorin's pale face from blood loss and a concussion. I sat up quick, lifting my head off of the eagle's feathery soft back. I looked around, seeing the other eagles flying around for but a moment.

Then I winced.

Oh, ow, by the Valar... everything hurts. I have dealt with bruises and cuts of all kinds before, I have had my arm mauled by a warg and I even stepped on a knife once as well as had a mug smashed over my head, but I don't think I have felt pain this acutely before. I can't feel my ankle, I don't know if I should consider that a blessing or worrying. My shoulder muscles all the way up into my neck and down to my elbow aches awfully, the deep cut on my arm stinging pretty good too. Every muscle in my legs burned from being pushed to support me and pull off maneuvers one should not do with a horribly twisted ankle.

I just hope I didn't break my ankle, because that would suck. I have broken my wrist before and that was not a picnic. I am pretty sure that every inch of my legs are covered in bruises, as well as cuts and scrapes. My hands seem to be the only part of me that isn't in extreme pain, but by what I can see of them, the bindings are probably stuck to the scabbing over the cuts and scrapes that were probably reopened quite a few times through Goblin Town and then the orc cliff situation.

I looked up to see some of my hair sticking straight up, despite the wind. I stared at it for a second before groaning in annoyance.

Hilariously, this is the part that annoys me the most. Either the wind, the fighting, or that damn orc made me lose my red cloth somewhere along the way. Now, my insane hair is free to fly around as it pleases, like it has a mind of it's own and plans to annoy me by getting in my vision and tickling my face.

I am very, very tempted to shear it off right here and now to prevent the annoyance. Would save me a lot of frustration in the future. I shaded my eyes as I pushed the offending hair back, only for it to immediately pop back into the same place.

Temptation to shear it off is rising...

The morning rising sun is bright and blinding as I look around, seeing tall hills and small mountains below us, covered in green. I didn't recognise the land, but this far east there is plenty I will not recognise. From here on out, I am out of my element and I will be of little help on known paths.