The stories said that almost 90 years ago, Smaug a fire drake from the north attacked Erebor, the dwarf kingdom. At the time of his attack, Dale burned to the ground and dwarves were sent from Erebor and into the wilderness to find a new home. I had been saved in that great city not four years prior to his attack. The young prince Thorin son of Thrain had found me in the woods near Erebor. I had left the dwarf kingdom a year before Smaug came to the mountain, not realizing what was going to happen.

After the attack of the dragon, I had heard news of it, thanks to a raven who had found me. I had been in Dunland at the time, but when I got the news I was off, following the raven back to Erebor. The destruction was something I would never forget when I had arrived. Dale a once proud city was in ruins, and Erebor faired no better. From deep in the mountain I had heard the dragon in there as he had buried himself in the gold. Erebor had been my home for three years of my life, while the first part of it, I dared not to remember if I could help it.

Seeing it fall to the wrath of a dragon sent me off in search of Thorin and his people. They had not been hard to find at the time. My relief that the ones I held so dear had been unharmed sent joy through my body. I had refused to leave at that point and stayed with the dwarves I had come to know as family as they traveled in search of a new home. They settled in the Blue Mountains ten long years later. My choice to stay with them was not without its costs.

Often, I was called away by Lord Elrond who had expressed concern with my stay. A shifter still alive was easy prey for those who wanted one, and it was slowly coming to pass that I had to keep moving. I possessed magic and the ability to turn into any animal I wished. I never settled in one place at his request, and sometimes I stayed in another form so long that it was difficult to find my way back to human. My survival was something that was too important for the elf, and he stressed that many times. I had returned only a week prior to the great battle of Moria.

It had been the last time I had seen many I knew alive, including Thror himself. That had been a terrible time, saying goodbye to them as they marched off to battle. I had stayed behind with Dis to help her look after her two young children, and had stuck around long enough to see too few come home from the terrible war. Even with the powers I possessed, I was never made for fighting. I was to kind, and most happy looking after the wounded. I never forgot the look on Thorin's face when he had come back from that battle, when I had learned that his father, grandfather, and brother had all perished. Dis's husband had also fallen in that battle.

I had stayed with them for as long as I could before I had moved off again, after making sure they would be ok. Thorin had taken over leading his people, and he was a great leader at that. For the next 31 years, I would stop and see them when I could before things changed and Lord Elrond told me I had to disappear for good. The last time I had seen Thorin, he had not known I was telling him goodbye.

*An Unexpected Fate*

Over the course of the last 29 years, I grew curious about the dragon under the mountain. People who ventured in never came out, but they had just been human. My curiosity got the better of me one morning, and I found myself standing before the entrance to the mountain. It had been destroyed when the dragon had taken the mountain, but it was still easy for me to slip in. I knew the moment I stepped foot in this place that Smaug would know I was there.

The great hall was amazingly built. The detail in the stone was unlike any I had ever seen. This place was certainly worthwhile to visit; it stirred up long buried memories. I walked through and found my way to the large halls below, where the gold would be and I took note of where I was at. Dwarves were amazing at building things. They had turned the whole inside of the mountain into a city, and a large one at that.

Looking around for a moment, I then stepped out onto the stairs that led to the chambers below. It had been such a long time since I had been in this city. I was hiding from the world, and while I knew it was wrong to seek out the one being who had taken such a special place to me, I knew it wasn't like anyone knew what I was doing. I hadn't seen anyone apart from Lord Elrond in 30 years. Not even the dwarves who had once lived here, who were rumored to be no more. If Thorin was indeed dead, why not get myself into a little trouble. I had nothing left to do in my long life as it was.

As I got to the end of a flight of stairs, I looked down and I pursed my lips tightly to keep from gasping out loud. There were mountains of gold all through the cavern, and in some cases larger than some of the stairs. I knew beneath it all, lay Smaug himself. Enough gold to bury a dragon was impressive. Untying a sack on my belt, I grabbed a few coins and tossed them into the pile below and listened as they clinked loudly with whatever they hit. Moving to the edge of the staircase, I sat down and looked around for just a moment as coins began to move and fall. A loud breath echoed through the mountain and I smiled.

"No use in trying to surprise me," I said loudly. "Though I'm sure you knew I was here the moment I entered the mountain."

Gold began to move, like an avalanche as something moved beneath it. Tail spikes appeared first, and then the back as he rose from his treasure. His wings flung the coins from him with ease, and I watched his head come out of the treasure followed by the rest of the body. Smaug was an amazing dragon, and of course the first one I had ever seen. The stories of his appearance fell utterly short. His orange eyes fixed on where I sat and I let my breath out in a whooshing of air.

"If you knew," he rumbled deeply as he moved closer. "Then why are you still here?"

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as he came closer and I opened my little sack the rest of the way and dumped the remaining gold in to what he had in his collection. He watched them fall, and I looked over his body to see that coins were stuck to him in various places, adding to his armor.

"A gift," I said to him. "For not killing me just yet. I have no interest in the treasure; I just wanted to see the one who guards it."

"Oh did you now?" he asked inhaling a large breath as he came closer. "Flattery will not save your life, girl."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," I replied. "But at least it's honest flattery. The stories did not do justice; I had to lay eyes on the mighty dragon who took The Lonely Mountain."

He puffed his chest out in pride at the statement, and drew himself up so that I could see him fully. He had back feet, and his wings were attached to his claws. To see him in the light would give his scales almost a copper glow to go with his orange eyes.

"It will not permit you to live," he said with amusement as he lowered himself to me

. "If I am to die, then at least let me live long enough to have a conversation with Smaug the Terrible," I said with a smile.

He considered that for a moment, and then inhaled a large breath as he came up to me again. His jaw alone was huge, and slightly intimidating. "What are you, if I may ask?"

"I am a shifter," I replied honestly. "I can take the shape of any animal I choose."

His eyes sparkled with curiosity at my response. Smaug rumbled and put his muzzle close and inhaled again, and gave a growl. My hair blew off my neck from his breath, and I had to admit that was a bit terrifying.

"You are telling the truth," he smirked. "Most impressive. Show me."

"Only if you promise not to eat me," I countered as I stood up.

He sneered at me and tilted his head, "I will eat you when you no longer serve a purpose to me."

I weighed that a little, and then nodded. "I'll take that."

Backing from the edge of the stairs, I pushed myself in a transformation and took the form of a white wolf. It was one of the more common forms I took and the easiest. While I was powerful, I usually stuck with what was comfortable. Shaking my fur out, I stood firmly as Smaug came forward again to investigate before he rumbled loudly and backed away.

"Very impressive," he said in an honest tone. "And interesting, very interesting. I must say I find little that interests me these days."

"I'll keep that in mind," I smiled after I pushed myself back to my human form. "There used to be many of us, but not anymore. I'm honestly not sure if I'm the last, or if more remain."

Smaug considered me, that orange eye piercing me with such an intense stare I found that I couldn't look at him for too long. His large body settled down against his gold again, showing that he didn't view me as a threat. His neck arched up so that he could be level with me, which was not hard to do, given his size.

"Oh?" he asked curiously.

I sat down in front of him with a sigh. "When dark powers were ruling the land, many of my kind were taken and used. They were used for their powers, to turn in to anything. It was much easier than capturing whatever they needed. The stories of them being beaten and killed for amusement were what eventually happened to the others. I was lucky to escape back when my father had been alive. This all happened years before you attacked Erebor."

"Ah yes," he rumbled. "I do remember hearing stories of the darkness that spread over the land."

"I assume you must be one of the last dragons as well?" I asked cautiously.

Smaug bared his teeth at me, "It is possible. When I left, many were starving. Our leader had been killed; it was only a matter of time before they all died."

"It is much harder to kill a dragon than it is to kill one of us," I mused looking down at my knees. "We can live as long as elves, yet we can die from a bad injury. Most things we can heal pretty fast."

"Do you consider it a weakness? I could kill you with my fire if I wished it," he growled, glaring at me.

I smiled, "You could kill me that way. But I am also confident in my abilities to get away. I may look human, but I'm far faster and tougher than one. We may die the same, but it at least is a bit harder to kill a shifter. Then again, dragon fire would kill anything."

Smaug rumbled again as he bristled with pride at the statement. "No one can defeat me," he rumbled. "I am death."

"So noted," I replied and looked around the city for a moment. "So before you took the mountain, you lived in a clan?"

"I did," he snorted.

"What was it like?" I asked.

Smaug looked at me for a moment, and even the dragon couldn't help but answer my questions. I was simply curious, and nothing could threaten the beast, he knew that.

"Clan life was boring," he rumbled. "I'd much rather bury myself in my gold. I came from the North; it was much colder there than it is here."

I chuckled at his response, remembering that most dragons would rather hide away in mountains of gold, just like this one. I looked around again, and painted the map in my head for when I came back.

"Still feeling gracious?" I asked with an arch of my brow.

"Perhaps," Smaug looked at me with a soft growl.

"I hope to keep you curious, so that you can feed my own curiosity," I replied with a smile. "Let me live so I can return. Each time, I will bring a gift. Food or gold, maybe both."

The dragon looked at me for a moment, weighing his options. His chest glowed with fire, and I tensed to get ready to move if I had to. It paused suddenly, and disappeared and he lowered his head. "Very well," he rumbled. "But remember, I hold your life in my jaws." "I will remember," I nodded. "But hopefully you won't kill me."