To Love an Endangered Princess [Legolas Greenleaf Love]

No place to run, no place to hide

3 Months later>>>

            Saphira’s POV
            I ran through the Fangorn with a pack of my wolves under the cover of the night. Darkness was our cloak and the stars were our guides as we hunted for food and supplies. I had taken the form of a white wolf although I was rather small for a wolf. What can I say, I’ve always been short, and I was shorter than most of the pack here. The queen was quick to send us out to scout for food, it was scarce now that word had come to us that war was brewing between remaining orcs and all races. Even we weren’t safe, and I was given the orders to bring back as much food as I could so we could hide away just like we did so many years ago when the forces of Sauron were at large.

            One of the wolves paused and brought down a deer and I spotted a stag running towards the waterfall near Mirkwood. The creature was the biggest I had seen yet and without waiting for the rest of the patrol I dove after the creature, my fur bristling and teeth bared as I gave chase. I could hear the rest of my hunters racing after the stag as well, but I was way in the lead. The wind ruffled my hair as I thrust my legs forward and finally I gathered enough speed to launch myself through the air and leap onto the stag’s neck. The animal flew forwards and collapsed dead on the ground just inches from the river, which was the border of Mirkwood. I leapt off the dead animal and shook myself off with dust flying everywhere from my pelt. My fellow hunters caught up with me and they all gave me fierce licks and congratulated me for killing such a prize, one much bigger than me of course. It was not unusual though; they would do anything for me because I was the princess, although I really wished that they didn’t sometimes. I didn’t want to be idolized and symbolic, sometimes I wished that I were out of the spotlight and near the back hiding in the shadows.

            “My lady, do you want to head back to the palace now with the prize?” one of the wolves at my side asked me in wolf language and I thought a minute before acknowledging.

            “Of course young one, be careful not to let anyone catch your scent, prey like this is scarce now and this will probably help the young pups grow. Quickly now.” I urged a small portion of the pack to return to the palace with the kill while we tried our luck with the river. Maybe there would be some fish; they were rare and much desired by our pack for ages.

            We spread out along our sides of the river and perched at the edges looking into the water to scout for prey. There were many fish, but they were not easy to catch to begin with so we had to hurry.

            Almost instantly my jaws clamped over a wriggling silver fish and I tossed it up into the air before pinning it to the bank until it died. I really didn’t know how to fish to begin with, but it seemed like my approach was much better than my clan mates, seeing that they hadn’t even touched the water yet. A few eyed me with awe and others with jealousy, but either way I still had the first catch!

            “My lady, something stirs on the other side!” my head snapped upwards in alarm as one of the wolves nearby spotted something move on the borders of Mirkwood. I tensed up and I felt my anger start to grow. Out of all the borders to hunt on Mirkwood was the best, but why couldn’t Thranduil leave us alone? I sniffed at the air, tuning in my sense of smell until I caught a whiff of…what was that?

            “Be aware you guys, there is indeed something on the borders, just keep a keen eye, but don’t stop hunting. We need this food for us as badly as it sounds; the upcoming war will be long and hard for us.” No sooner had I finished my sentence, than an arrow soared out of the trees and headed directly at me!

            Time slowed considerably as I bunched my muscles up and leapt into the air to meet the shaft. My pack watched wide eyed as I nimbly twisted my body in thin air to get directly in the path of the arrow, and with a fluid movement I swiped the arrow out of the air and landed on top of it when I hit the ground again. The distinctive snap of the wood beneath me seemed to snap my pack out of it and they leapt quickly over toward me and blocked my flank and head from whatever was on the other side.

            My view of whomever it was who shot the arrow was obscured and I slunk away from the riverbed at one of my wolf’s orders. He nudged my flank slowly towards the forest and safety, and I looked at him gratefully before slinking off. The wolves would keep the person busy long enough for me to get back to the mountain without being seen. I got as far as a couple paces before I heard a twig snap from twenty paces to my right and I saw a flash of Mirkwoodian clothing and that was all I needed to see before I turned tail and fled.

            I let out a wail, a howl that sent shivers through the trees with such force and anguish that it was sure to arouse my pack’s attention as I ran. I heard pursuing footsteps and my mind clouded on whether to turn and fight or keep running; I chose to keep going. My paws thudded lightly on the earth as I raced along, and I could hear the blood roaring in my ears as well as the cries of my pack mates running to my aid from a distance. Yet somehow I knew, that it wasn’t going to be enough; and I could feel my pursuer gaining on me little by little, and I was the one on four legs!

            “Run my lady, run!” I heard a shriek from the nearest pack member and I urged my legs to run faster than I ever did before, and then something careened into my side flank and sent me sprawling off course. I kept running though, even though I was now off course and heading away from the Misty Mountains. There was a bunch of scrabbling from behind me but I didn’t even glance over my shoulder to look and I continued to dash away. My endurance was exceptional, but my speed wasn’t nearly as good, and I was struggling to keep up a fast pace. There were some cliffs near the edges of the far Misty Mountains that I was approaching, and I had to slow down a lot just to avoid sailing clean off the edges, and I finally became cornered at a dead end with ledges too high for me to climb up too. My paws grated heavily on the think slabs of rock as I tried again and again to sink my claws into a sustainable groove but it was just not possible. I felt compelled to merge into my human form, but that would put me in even more danger since I was already basically caught. The footsteps came nearer and nearer and I let out a long growl and I bunched up my muscles ready to attack, and then a huge stag rounded the corner, with the king of Mirkwood sitting astride it. Oh good grief I am so screwed.