Vega slinked across the ground as she watched the backs of her friends, they had just come upon the walls of the mines, and ever since she was feeling very uncomfortable. Something wasn't right in this area, it took her awhile to figure it out, it was the absence of noise, no flutter or cries of bats and other birds that should have been nestling in the trees. No the entire area around the lake and the mountain were completely devoid of life. She didn't like it at all, she was so tense that she jumped when Aragon pace a comforting hand on her head.
"What has got you so on edge sister?"
"There is no sound, not animals. Not even the chirps of bugs, I do not like it." Vega replied.
"I agree something foul resides here we should move on." Legolas said coming up to them. Aragorn did a slow circle observing their surroundings, he didn't see anything to be to on guard about but he had learned to trust those two's instincts long ago. So he kept his guard up and did his best not to disturb anything as he helped Sam release the pony Bill.
Vega perched on a rock beside Legolas each facing a different way keeping a strict look out, neither liked this place and would be happy when Gandalf finally remembered the password into the mines. Even though the enclosed space of the mines wasn't something they looked forward to either.
"What are you going to do then?" Pip asked innocently as Gandalf unsuccessfully tried to open the doors to the mines.
"Knock your head against it, and if that dose not suffice I will try to find the words." Gandalf snapped angrily at the naive hobbit. Vega felt a little bad for Pip but couldn't drum up enough sympathy to leave her look out point to comfort him. Some time passed and Gandalf sat on a rock chewing the end of his pipe as he looked at the door like it would magically open if he stared hard enough.
Vega jumped and spun at the sound of a large splash in the water, every nerve on end, only to find the supposed threat was Mary and Pipen throwing rocks into the lake. But something in the air changed and her nerves increased again, Legolas felt it too and unconsciously placed a hand on the felines shoulders, she leaned into his leg as she called to Aragorn.
"Stop them." She gestured her brother to the hobbits and he caught Pip's wrist before he tossed another large stone into the water.
"Do not disturbed the water." he whispered uneasily, he felt the change in the air as well, him and Boromir pulled the two away from the waters edge and back onto the shore keeping a close eye on the waters surface.
"It's a riddle. Speak friend and enter. Gandalf what's the elvish word for friend?" Frodo asked as he looked at the door again.
"Meolln." Gandalf said and the doors creaked open. Gandalf laughed at the simplicity of it and lead them into the mine. Legolas and Vega walked in quickly thinking nothing could be worse than what ever was outside, until the smell hit her nose.
"Soon master elf you will experience the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This is my cousins Balins home, and they call it a mine. A mine!"
Legolas felt Vega freeze beside him and her fur bristle as she hunched down and hiss loudly an growled threateningly.
"This is no mine, it's a tomb." Boromir stated as Gandalf staff aluminate the dwarf bodies that littered the floor. Vega hissed again ears and eyes constantly looking for danger. Legolas ran to the nearest body and pulled out an arrow before tossing it onto the ground disgusted.
"Goblins!" He said and nocked an arrow in his own bow as they all began to back out of the mine.
"We should never have come here, we make for the gap of Rohan, get out, out!" Boromir yelled and it was over laid with a splashing and slithering sound in Vega's ears. Standing up and turning to the sound she let out a yell as a large tentacle wrapped around Frodo's foot pulling him off his feet and towards the water.
"Strider!" Sam yelled and both Vega and Aragorn leapt at the creature trying to sever the tentacle and release their friend. After releasing the one tentacle several more shot from the water and Frodo was pulled up into the air. There was nothing Vega could do now so instead settled for swiping at the tentacles that came after the other three hobbits, her claws doing quick work on the slippery limbs. Legolas shot arrows and the two men hacked away at the limbs but there were to many and the creature's head surfaced ready to swallow Frodo whole.
"Into the mine!" Vega yelled at the hobbits, before using her quick agility to run up a downed tentacle and launch herself at the creatures head with an enraged roar and claws out stretched. She landed squarely on the beasts head and bug her claws into its slippery flesh, using her powerful hind legs to tare and gouge the creature. It let out a cry of pain and outrage as Aragorn finally succeed in severing the tentacle that held Frodo aloft and he fell straight into Boromir's arms.
"Into the mines!" Gandalf yelled, and with that and the relief that Frodo was safe it distracted Vega enough that the creature finally ride her of him tossing her hard into one of the trees that grew out of the water. With a yowl of pain she saw white spots explode in her vision and her body temporarily paralyze from the shock as she landed in deep water.
"Legolas!" Vega let out a panicked screech as she tried to stay afloat, her feline body not having enough fat on it to enable swimming above water. And if she stayed in the water the creature would kill her quickly. "Aragorn!"