Nerina lay in her bed trying to force herself to sleep. She sighed bitterly into her pillow when hours passed and her mind would still not let her rest. Her thoughts were uneasy. She missed her father. She missed Mirkwood and the wooden halls of her home. The smell of food being cooked in the kitchen, the sounds of laughter at The Gates of Summer Celebration. Most of all she missed the how the stars twinkled in the skylights throughout the palace. Tears welled in her eyes. She huffed and threw one of her pillows across the room, it landed at the foot of the curtains leading out to her small balcony. She walked across the room to pick it up when she noticed twinkling in the sky.

The stars, her heart temporarily swelled. If she could not have her home she could at least have her stars. She walked out onto the small balcony, her silk gown billowed in the cool night breeze. The stars looked as if they had been painted across the sky, twinkling like fireflies. Nothing ever compared to their beauty. It never ceased to amaze her how even on the darkest of nights one tiny little star could shine brightly enough to fend off the complete darkness.

Talion flew through the night, he tried to throw thoughts of Nerina from his head. The idea of her pinned against a wall sighing his name crept its way into the front of his mind. He shook his head furiously and landed on the roof of the tavern. He had to compose himself, he had a job to do. He needed to hunt, to have the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. It normally took a whole battalion to hunt enough meat for the village. However this evening Talion decided to go alone, he did not want his soldiers to see him distracted.

As she stood there gazing off into the night her attention was averted. Something shot across the sky quickly, a dark moving blur quick as a whip. It wasn't till the black blur stilled, that she was able to see what it was. A great black dragon, at least twice the size of Neve if not bigger. It landed on the roof of one of the village buildings and perched with its wings half stretched out as if to keep its balance.

The dragon's scales were a shade of black so dark it seemed to fade against the night sky. It had one strip of gold scales that went straight down its back. Its wing span had to be the length of her entire bedroom, with a steel gray like tint to them.

"Talion" she breathed her voice a low whisper.

That sweet breath reached his ears. Her whisper barely audible. He knew Nerina was watching him.

The dragon's head snapped in her direction. Nerina quickly backed in behind the curtains and put her back to the nearest wall covering her mouth.

Talion spread his wings and flew up to her balcony, hovering above the ledge as he changed into his human form then stepped down to the floor and walked into her room. His foot hit the pillow that she had flown across the room.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd not throw my bed pillows across the room. They're very high quality." He said bending over and picking it up.

"I was going to get it I just got distracted." she said walking past him and snatching it from his hand and placing it back on the bed.

"Distracted? by what my dear?" his voice once again that sultry tone

"That is none of your concern." she spat

He stepped up to her close to her, causing her head to spin. The smell of desire reached Talion's nostrils and it took every ounce of restraint he had to keep his hands by his side.

"What was it you told me earlier? Oh, that's right stop being so nasty."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be. I guess I am just tired and stressed. Everything that's happened the last few days is catching up with me." she said meekly as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

Her eyes lowered to the floor and he could see sadness form on her face. How he longed to pull her lips to his and drown every worry from her body, to touch and caress her till her mind fell from time and space.

"What were you doing out there?" she inquired with eyes staring up at him.

"Taking a break from my human form and hunting ."

"Hunting what?"

"Deer mostly. We need an abundant amount of meat to feed the village."

"Oh, well I'll let you get back to it. I should probably try and get some rest."

"Come with me." he breathed before he realized what he was doing the words had left his mouth.

"What? You couldn't stand me this morning and now you want to go out hunting together? Is this a joke?"

"Well, I thought about what you said. I figured you don't want to be cooped up for the next two days and I could use the help. I'd get the work done in half the time. Or you could stay in here for the next two days."

"Fine I'll go, but I'm walking."

"No, you're not. It would take us all night and we don't have time for that. Hurry up and get dressed."

"I'm not dressing while you're standing there."

"Fine, then I'll turn around hurry up."

Nerina shimmied out of her silk gown and quickly changed into her clothes grabbing her daggers and bow and arrows as well.

She walked past Talion to the edge of the balcony looking back at him over her shoulder.

"That was fast."

"Do me a favor, don't throw me in the air like your brother did and don't fly so fast."

"You take the fun out of everything." he said hoping over the balcony and changing into a dragon. He waited for her to jump down on to his back then off they flew into the night.

This time Nerina was able to sit up while Talion was flying. She stretched her arms out like she was touching the stars. A smile spread across her face, exhilaration sparked in her soul as they flew out of the valley and over the mountains.

It didn't last long though Talion had been gazing at the ground and spotted a pack of orcs moving through the forest. He dived, quickly without warning and Nerina grasped at his back as the air was sucked from her lungs and her stomach rose through her throat. He silently flew up behind the orc pack low to the tree line and popped Nerina off his back so she had to jump to the ground below as he changed form and landed behind her. Nerina was panting and attempting to get her legs to stop shaking. She had never dropped from that great a height before.

Talion put his hand over her mouth and pulled her into him behind a nearby tree.

"Be quiet!" he hissed in her ear as he peered around the tree trunk. The orcs hadn't noticed them yet.

He nodded his head in the direction of the orcs and started to silently stalk behind them. Nerina followed, her bow and arrow at the ready. Talion snuck up behind the orc nearest to them. His hands changed to dragon claws. He quickly covered the orc's mouth with one hand while using his claw to pierce through the orcs back. When he found it's beating heart he wrapped his hand around it and yanked it out. The smell of blood made the pupils of his eyes form into narrow black slits. His mouth began to water as fangs replaced human teeth. He continued this process on two other orcs, moving stealthily. Just then, Nerina saw it out of the corner of her eye, a large orc on the back of a warg, headed straight for Talion.

She loosed an arrow at the warg hitting it in the side and then one into the orc's head killing it, but the warg got up and headed towards her. Nerina replaced her bow with her two daggers and ran straight towards the warg. When she got close she back flipped over it while depositing both her daggers in the top of the wargs head using it for leverage to stick her landing. She then threw one dagger at an orc's heart killing it and then loosed another arrow through the last orcs back.

"Well alright then." Talion said as he wiped the blood off on the shirt of the last orc he killed.

Nerina shrugged and wiped off her blades.

"These orc packs are moving too close to our borders I don't like it. Something is wrong. They have to be coming down from Gundabad. I want to know why."

"Avarice." Nerina said simply

"Maybe so. I will deal with that later for now let's finish hunting."

Talion and Nerina continued the rest of their hunt through out the night without a word to each Talion was satisfied they dropped their kill in the main courtyard of the palace to be skinned and prepared by the butcher in the morning. Talion dropped Nerina off on her balcony and changed into human form.

"Thanks for your help. That was much smoother than me trying to do all that myself."

"You're welcome, thanks for letting me go I guess." Nerina turned to walk into her room.

"Hey, Nerina!" He called after her

"Yes?" she asked turning around.

"You just might be warrior material after all." he said smirking. Then he took one hand and grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her lips into his hard. His other hand traveled down to the small of her back and pulled the rest of her body into him. Nerina's head began to spin. Her immediate reaction was to push him away but as her hands pressed against the hardened muscles of his chest her body gave in. Talion felt himself growing hard. He knew he had to leave before he lost control and before she had any time to say a word, he turned ran off the balcony and flew off to his chambers.