A Ruby's Shine (Thorin Oakenshield X OC)

30. Eagle's Save Us

But, just as I was sure the orcs and wargs were about to jump on us and rip us to shreds, the dwarves of the company came running out of the flames, making me blink in shock as Dwalin brought his weapon down on the head of a warg, and others attacking, slashing, and pushing the orcs and wargs back as the flames spread more and more around us. I smiled brilliantly before I was forced against my will to sit.

My ankle could take no more, the intense burning pain from my ankle told me I might have pushed my ankle to it's last limit. I sat on the rock, using the moment of distraction the dwarves provided to turn and look at Thorin, seeing he looked pretty pale. I gritted my teeth, quickly reaching out and flipping his slack wrist and feeling for a pulse. I learned enough from Lord Elrond to know that palor on Thorin's face isn't a good sign.

I sighed quietly in relief, feeling a weak pulse. So he's still alive, but no doubt losing blood. I am unsure how much time he has got left, I don't know dwarves.

I suddenly heard the roaring sound of an approaching orc and turned to see one racing towards me, sword raised. I growled, swinging out with my sword and parrying the orc's strike, driving my sword through it's chest. A look of shock showed on the orc's face before it fell, dead. I turned my attention back to the battle, sword held out once more.

I looked around, spotting Fili and Kili taking on a few wargs, Dwalin bashing an orc into the ground and...

Bilbo, sprawled out on the grass, sword inches away from his hand and Azog atop his warg towering over him, the warg licked it's lips like it was eager to eat the hobbit. Probably is.

Panic for my new found friend rose through me.

"No!" I shouted, reaching out in Bilbo's direction, trying my hardest to get to my feet again without dropping my guard. My ankle refused, it refused everything till I nearly fell in the grass.

Then, Fairfin screeched above in joy and I felt the powerful, pride filled emotions of large, powerful creatures in the air above us, and around us. My eyes widened and a grin rose to my face as I realised we were surrounded by help.

Gandalf, he must have sent for them.

I laughed out my pure relief and joy at knowing we are all going to live, or hopefully all of us will live. Thorin's blood loss is worrisome. I sat up as best I could on the rock before, suddenly, I heard the great whoosh of massive wings and I found myself flying, large sharp talons carefully holding me as the massive bird flew me over the cliff, my eyes widening as I read it's intentions in it's emotions.

I yelped as it dropped me, the air rushing through my hair and rushing loudly in my ears until I grunted in pain as I landed jarringly on the back of another eagle circling below the cliff. I immediately clung on, not particularly eager to fall off and die. The feathers of the back of this large bird were slippery, but I wasn't about to grab handfuls of them and anger the giant bird... eagle?

I looked out as the eagle I am riding on rose up and over the cliff, showing the scene. I grinned, seeing massive beautiful eagles picking up dwarves left and right, flying out and dropping them onto the back of another eagle before flying back around, pushing down flaming trees on orcs and wargs or flapping their wings heavily to envelope wargs and orc in flames.

I smiled brightly, my aches and pains feeling like a thing of the past, surrounded in the powerful emotions of these rulers of the skies, I felt invisible. But, I didn't let that distract me, my eyes staying on Thorin, sprawled out on the rock still.

I am unsure if the eagle who I am riding on the back of picked up my emotions or I unintentionally telegraphed them, but the next second the eagle made a graceful turn, flying over the cliff, directly at Thorin. I hunched down, watching as the eagle slowed down over Thorin, me looking over the side to see it's talons carefully surround the dwarf king, lifting him up off the rock with his sword.

I didn't miss Thorin's oak branch shield falling off of Thorin's arm, the straps hanging loosely, the oak shield will fall off any moment. After hearing the story of that shield, I didn't want him to lose it. I gripped tighter onto the eagle with my legs, leaning out off it's back, the eagle seeming to understand my intentions as I held my sword out, gritting my teeth as I stretched my arm as far as I possibly could without falling.

I sighed, smiling as I caught the strap just on the very tip of my sword before it fell. Carefully, I lifted my sword, the strap moving down to the hilt of my sword where I leaned up on the back of the eagle, carefully pulling the strap off of my sword so I didn't cut it, placing the wood shield in my lap as I put my sword in its scabbard.

I held onto the shield so it wouldn't fall, throwing the strap over my shoulder. I was surprised at the weight of the branch and could even tell that is was made of sturdy ironwood, which explains how to withstood the fight with Azog that earned Thorin his name.

I looked behind me to the burning cliff as the eagle flew us away, feeling Fairfin's talon grab onto my shoulder as he landed. I watched as Azog raised his missing arm in a rage, roaring out his anger at losing his prey.

I ran my hand along the bumpy wood and over the hammered metal capping off the end of the shield. This very shield gave Thorin his name, Thorin Oakenshield, wouldn't do for him to lose it. With the danger now behind us and all of the eagles carrying everyone of the company, safe, I finally let myself feel the extent of my injuries and exhaustion.

I felt like I got run over by a hoard of wargs, stomped into the ground. Everything ached, burned, and stung. I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead down onto the giant eagle neck, it's feathers tickling my face as I relaxed for a moment, letting my guard down.

I am so, so tired... Everything aches with exhaustion... when had I last slept? I have no doubt been up for longer than 48 hours... I relaxed even more against the eagle neck, feeling my energy drastically dropping. Fairfin croaked quietly, worried most likely from what he sensed of my dull, sleepy emotions.

"Sleep, animal talker, I will not let you fall." I faintly heard a deep, loud voice say from below me, I felt the rumbling of the words through the eagle's body from below me. A vague part of me wondered if I was dreaming already, because eagle's don't talk. I faintly felt Fairfin crawl off my shoulder and under my cloak, into the inner pocket of my coat as I relaxed upon the back of the eagle.

Unconsciously, I hugged Thorin's oak shield to my chest, breathing in the unique mix of smells. While Thorin's shield is definitely not comfortable to sleep holding, I am too exhausted to care and I have slept in worse conditions, with no blankets on rocks. His shield smelled like wood, metal, pipeweed, and something distinctly male.

While unfamiliar to me, I found myself quickly crashing in what could not be described as sleep or as quickly as I crashed.

I did not dream at all as I slept.

Ohhh, I'm so loving how this story is turning out! I'm starting to let affections between them show, and I have no idea how I'm going to make this story play out. I'm just going with the flow. Tell me what you guys think in the comments, I enjoy reading them. Cya!

Edit: You know how crazy it is, to return back through the story you wrote exactly a year ago and see how much you have improved in writing in that time? Oh, ya, it's been exactly a year, today, the 11th of January, since I wrote this exact chapter. How amusing is that? But, back to what I was saying. I experienced this feeling with Reborn An Autobot when I worked on rewriting it, seeing the original chapter I imagined develop so much more than before. This is the most edited chapter yet. The original chapter held only 1764 words, which is extremely small chapter for my favorite story and character in a defining point in the movies. Now, this chapter holds 9557 words. That's the biggest jump yet and officially makes this story longer than my Reborn An Autobot story by exactly 1534 words. How funny is that.