"~Black Speech.~"
Chapter 6: And I Call It, It's Mine
Waiting patiently at the hidden entrance to Imladris, Yúla shifted a bit in excitement.
The thought of what she was about to do awakened something deep within her that she didn't know was there. Hunting instincts left long unchallenged since she grew larger were beginning to sing their violent songs deep within her.
She knew what this feeling was deep down. The thrill of the hunt and anticipation of a real battle for the first time in decades. Not since she was smaller under the threat of packs of spiders as large as she was did she feel the blood in her veins sing as clearly as it did now.
This 'darkness' will be no match for me, no matter what it is!
"Sorry I'm a bit late!"
Hearing the familiar voice coming from the tiny cave entrance, a bright and fierce smile filled her face. She has been waiting for far longer than what should be expected for someone to get some furs for a flight, but her mind was occupied too much anyway for her to get angry over it.
Examining her friend, she saw him making his way out of the cave entrance to the hidden pass. Remembering the time that she was stuck in there when she arrived, she snorted in amusement.
I'd like to see Gandalf stump me on a riddle now!
The elf seemed to be wearing some heavier clothing this time and a pack on his back. This time, along with his sword, he had one of those elven stick-throwers they were so fond of and a quiver with some ammunition. All in all, he looked far more prepared for a journey this time.
"It is no issue. After all, it isn't like my new home is going anywhere!"
Smiling, the elf strode a bit nervously over to her.
"Shall we be off then?"
Smiling, she got to her feet. Stretching out her muscles in preparation for the long flight, she reached out with a forepaw to the elf. Attempting to grab hold of him carefully, the surprisingly agile Ídhaiamrûn dodged her attempted grapple.
An awkward silence filled the area for a moment as the elf seemed confused at her actions.
"Yúla, what are you doing?"
Blinking owlishly, the dragoness shook her paw a bit before placing it back down onto the grassy ground.
"You wish to fly, correct?"
He shifted a bit as he gestured to the razor sharp talons that were now firmly planted below the dragon.
"Yes… However, I thought I would be riding on your back…"
Confused, the dragoness tilted her head.
"Why would you wish to do that? If I hold you in my paws, there is no chance of you falling. If you ride on my back, my armored scales and the shifting winds might prevent me from feeling if you fall off or not."
Snaking her head down, she brought her sapphire eye down to him to fix him with a condescending glance.
"On my back, it will entirely be up to you to remain on me during flight, as in my claws I will not drop you."
The elf smiled into her slit pupil, seemingly proud in his strange request.
"All my long life I've wanted to experience the wonders of flight. From the ground, it always feels like those soaring high above are… free. More free than I could ever be."
He closed the small bit of distance to her face and placed a hand on what might be considered her cheek and a pleading tone entered his voice.
"I wish to feel that freedom, and if that comes with a risk of falling then I take that risk willingly. Please my friend, share the gift of flight with me, as I fear being locked in a prison of your talons will spoil the experience."
The plea did not fall on deaf ears, as Yúla was well aware of the joys of flying. She never quite gave up her young childish claim of dominion over the skies, and this would be the first time she was able to share that wondrous feeling with someone she cared about.
Without another word, she makes a ramp to her back with one of her large leathery wings. Dropping her underbelly to the ground, she attempted to make the obstacle her small friend had getting onto her back as easy as possible for him.
"Do try and keep hold of one of my neck spines and stay close to the base of my wings. If you fall, scream as loudly as you can. I will not be able to forgive myself if this decision ends with me losing one of the few people whose friendship I treasure."
A beaming smile once again replaced the nervous and pleading one that was there prior. Doing the closest thing that the nearly perfectly balanced elf could do to a scramble onto her back, he began to ramble.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you thrice! I, I just… I never thought you would allow me, or anyone else for that matter, to ride upon you. This is so exciting!"
Growling even as she felt him step off her wing membrane, she arched her neck back so one eye could see him.
"This is not a holiday my friend, for in only a few days time, we will be there.
Pulling herself up and spreading her wings, she prepared herself to leap into the air.
"Hang on!"
Yúla could have sworn that she felt the tight grip of the fell on one of her neck spines tighten, but she paid it no mind as she leapt into the skies. The nearby dry evergreen trees shook and snapped at the sheer amount of displaced air her wings shifted as she took to the skies. Flap after flap, her mighty wings beat in a synchronized rhythm as she gained altitude.
Surprisingly enough, her elven friend didn't scream as she thought he might when she began her ascent. Unlike what she thought, she could actually feel him on her back even through her armored scales. She didn't quite know how, but she was thankful that she had a bit of reassurance that if he fell she could probably catch him.
Eventually, she broke through the cloud layer, passing through it before rising above.
This place up here, above all the lands below, was hers. Its been hers as long as she could remember. No one could invade the sky. No one could attack the clouds. No one could land an arrow or hurtful word high enough to hit her here.
The sun was high overhead, showing each and every detail of the fluffy clouds surrounding them, like a vast plains of moisture with some holes within it to the lands below.
Even with the wind rushing past her ears, she could hear the stunned voice of her friend call from behind her.
"It... is so beautiful!"
Pure happiness rose up from within her at those words. Those two words were all she needed to know that bringing Ídhaiamrûn with her was well worth it. Now she had someone to share the skies with, someone she could show the wonder of the clouds and winds with!
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the indentation of the valley of Imladris showing through a hole in the clouds. Feeling a bit vengeful to the elves that shunned her for so long, she turned toward it and began a shallow dive.
I can give Ídhaiamrûn a wonderful view of his home from above! Perfect!
Leveling out, it took less than a minute before she was overhead. Circling the valley, she tilted her body so her friend could get a good view.
Looking at the city from above like this, she agreed. The occupants didn't seem to think the same thing of her circling overhead however, as she could see several of them pointing and even a few taking cover.
But the dragoness cared not.
Roaring loudly, she began to pick up speed as she headed east. Letting out a large breath of fire into the air to the side so as not to harm her friend, she marked her departure with a torrent of fire that matched the sun for only a moment.
She was sure the elves below didn't appreciate the fiery gesture, but she cared not for these judgemental elves anymore.
Her new home awaits.
-OtWoF-
The large ornate gates of Moria were a sight to behold. The absolutely massive doors showing the entrance to the greatest dwarven kingdom, long since abandoned by its original inhabitants.
None of that particularly mattered to the firedrake, as her mind was focused entirely on the size of the door itself.
Even if I grow to three times my size, those will still fit me comfortably! This place is perfect!
Her excitement at this revelation could not be overstated. All that was left now was to claim it for her own. After a quick look, she could almost say that the place was still abandoned if it wasn't for the fact that the gates were wide open.
The elf on her back spoke up, wiggling one of her neck spines to get her attention.
"This is obviously a trap of some kind. Think the darkness you were warned about is the cause?"
Snorting a bit of smoke in amusement, she began to lower herself to the ground.
"Even if it is, I don't think this trap was intended for me."
Making a ramp out of her left wing, she felt as the elf slid himself to the ground. She noticed that he was a bit shaky as he placed himself onto solid ground, leaning himself up against a nearby rock to regain his bearings.
She was proud of her elven friend. After only a short time adjusting to the changing winds and her muscle movements while flying, he began to fully enjoy the experience. Even as she flew high over the snowy mountain passes, she felt his hand tighten on her neck spine for every wonderful sight or scenic view she passed over.
She was happy she could bring the joys of the skies to another, but now?
"No, I suppose not."
Shaking her thoughts off, she fixed the elf with a stern gaze. Getting her friend's attention, she lets out a soft puff of smoke in his direction.
"Do not enter this place, my friend. I wouldn't forgive myself for bringing you here if you were killed inside."
His attention was quickly turned from attempting to find a good spot to sit to her stern face. Before he could voice his protests, she continued.
"What I am about to do is no different than what Smaug did at the Lonely Mountain. I will be taking this place by force, and I need to know that you will be safe once I begin."
Shifting her weight a bit, she raised herself to her feet but kept her eye placed firmly on him.
"No matter how well you can… Paint… with the small metal tooth you call a sword, I will be leaving you outside these gates for your own safety."
Unsurprisingly, the elf began to protest her decision.
"Surely I can-"
"No."
Her tone allowed no arguments, but only after a moment her ironclad resolve crumbled and she dipped her head.
"Please?"
Reluctantly, the elf slumped against a tree. Yúla, satisfied that the elf wouldn't follow her in, turned back towards the entrance.
"You will be safe, right?"
Yúla felt the singing of her instincts, screaming at her to conquer whatever might be inside. The thrill of the battle she might face was pumping through her blood with each heartbeat.
"They won't be."
-OtWoF-
It was quiet.
The entrance to the abandoned kingdom was covered in intricate carven stone. Dwarven heads of kings long since passed were shown throughout the entire main passageway leading into the kingdom. The dark stone halls were definitely large enough to fit her comfortably, but there was an eerie quietness filling these halls.
It wasn't a silence depicting a lack of sound, but more like a calm before a storm. Yúla couldn't quite place it, but as she heard the echoes of her claws tapping on ancient stone floors resounding through the seemingly empty kingdom, she knew something was waiting… Sleeping…
She knew that it would be best to take things a bit slow until something happened. Remaining calm but alert as she made her way through the halls. Dark inky blackness surrounded her broken only by her own chest glowing bright orange as she stoaked her fire.
One step after another, she continued on.
Eventually, she came to a bridge… if it could even be called that.
Immediately she knew she wouldn't be able to cross it. A quick look at the gap itself told her that she could easily clear it by jumping. Tensing her muscles, she gave one mighty leap and a flap of her wings. Easily crossing the gap, she landed with a loud thud that echoed across the entire cavern in front of her.
Dust and debris fell from the ceiling as her massive form impacted the floor. Shaking offthe dust using her wings to create a gust to clean herself off, she turned her attention to the room she found herself in.
Looking around, she was in awe of the sheer craftsmanship of the stonework. A large hallway leading into a vast cavern with several different staircases leading to who knows where. Each one was massive enough for her to fit in with ease, further showing that this was the place for her.
Picking one at random, she began her ascent up one of the carven stone walkways. Upon clearing some unknown barrier, an absolutely massive cavern showed itself to her.
The stonework of the dwarves was unmatched. She was sure of it now.
Carved into the walls of the massive cave was what could only be considered a city. Floor after floor of… dwellings if her eyes were not mistaken were carved into the walls around her. These were overlooking a vast network of stairs crossing the nearly infinitely deep pit below.
This room itself could house tens of thousands, and I picked one at random!
She could almost imagine this city at its prime, housing an uncountable number of dwarves within. However, she also noted that she would be able to fly within its vast open spaces, if only for a short while.
She knew now that this place absolutely had to have some kind of noble's quarters or even a king's suite. She knew she could house guests within, letting her know that she needn't be alone in this vast darkness.
Halfway up one of the grand staircases, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Far off into the darkness along one of the corridors overlooking the staircase, she saw something. It was small, but was moving quickly as it hurried to some unknown destination. Scenting the air, she caught a faint but deeply foul scent.
Definitely not an elf or man… Unless dwarves smell like rotten meat and unwashed flesh, that had to have been an orc.
It was the first real sign other than hints and feelings that she wasn't alone.
Ignoring the strange thing, she continued to follow the staircase up to its peak. She knew that all these vast webbings of stairs needed to lead up to something, she hastened her journey. Absolutely delighted that the stonework of the dwarves managed to hold her weight with ease even all these years later, she reached the top and poked her head out.
Darkness.
A deep unrelenting darkness shrouded the area in front of her. Except for the immediate area around her due to her glowing scales, she couldn't see a thing.
Perhaps this is what Galadriel spoke of? If I can't see in here, surely she can't either!
Deciding to remedy that, she began to breathe out a torrent of flames. Once she did, her breath was stolen from her which caused her to only get a small glimpse.
A vast massive cavern held up by pillars thrice her size and shaped like stone trees seemed to hold up the weight of an entire mountain. Line after line of them, leading towards different directions in a seemingly endless room.
This… this is…
She began to explore the room, rushing off in a random direction in a strange sort of gallop.
I can run in here!
Placing a claw on one of the pillars, she noted that it was strong. Far too strong for her to accidentally topple and crush herself. Deciding to give it a better test, she smacked the pillar with her tail.
Other than another showering of dust, the stonework held strong.
I can't accidentally destroy this place!
Focusing her attention on the ground, she found that the hard stone floor was sturdy. No carved gashes from her claws into the environment. No damaged trees or shrubs.
I can fully stretch out here!
Smelling fresh air, she followed it to a nearby opening. Finding yet another staircase, she climbed it as fast as she could in her excitement and found that it led to an opening in the mountain.
This hidden outcropping was placed atop a sheer cliff face and overlooked one of the three mountains that made up the immediate area.
The valley below was isolated. No path crossed through it, leading it to be completely isolated. Sure, only mountain goats and similar tough animals lived here, but she could walk the lands openly here.
I can fly here!
Spinning back around she began to make her way back to the massive cavern with the pillars.
Searching the area, lighting the darkness with her fire every once and a while, she eventually came across an absolutely massive room.
An absolutely massive archway skillfully and lovingly carved out of the mountain led into a room that held a stone throne. This room, just like the cavern prior, had plenty of room for her to move around.
This place is absolutely perfect!
There was a red dusty carpet and several drapes around large stone statues depicting some dwarven king of old or another. Yúla didn't care about any of that however, as she knew immediately that this place would be her nest.
The dwarves sure built things big, didn't they?
She felt a bit strange. This was supposed to be an act of conquest! Finding the throne room, and even the entire kingdom empty was a bit of a disappointment.
Oh well, time to make this place my own.
She began by shredding the carpet. The itchy fuzzy thing was a nuisance to her, and served no purpose. Piling the thing up at the entrance, she casually set it ablaze.
Next, she decided to start her nest. Admiring the polished stonework of the completely flat floor for a moment, she smiled.
Then immediately ruined it as she began to breathe fire upon it.
Roasting the ground until it was red hot, she began to lick the molten rocks to form a concave surface. As she had no gold to speak of at the moment, the most comfortable she can get is a stone bowl.
In her excitement for her discovery, her tail whipped around and struck one of the strange dwarven statues. Cracking and shattering at the leg, the statue fell to the floor in a large crash. The floor shook and the sound reverberated throughout the caverns similarly enough to when she cleared the gap earlier. Paying it no mind, she continued to mould her nest with fire and stone.
Boom.
Blinking, she realized that noise was definitely not an echo of the statue crashing. In fact, it sounded like a drum.
Boom.
Halting her fire, she turned to the door with her eyes narrowed. Who was banging drums in her new home?
Boom.
Growling, her thoughts turned to that single orc she saw earlier. Perhaps there were more?
Moving into the archway, she was met with a strange sight.
She was able to immediately make the intruders out, as the burning carpet lit the area up nicely. Crawling from what appeared to be every surface in the entire cavern, was a massive army of orcs, goblins, and trolls. All of them had their attention firmly placed on her, as they froze in place.
It seemed as if they didn't expect her to be here, as the goblins appeared instantly terrified of her presence. The orcs appeared similarly scared, with several of them holding their shaky crewdly made short bows in her direction.
Scanning the army, she noted that the drums were actually being played by several cave trolls. The barrel-like instruments strapped across their shoulders as they banged away carelessly.
"~All halt!~"
The words were strange, as it was in a language that she knew for a fact she has never learned before, and yet she comprehended it without issue.
In fact, she knew she could speak it fluently. Something in her mind supplied her with the name, telling her it was something she knew due to her unique heritage.
Black speech.
The gruff and angry words did their work as the drums halted as the army, lead by a single pale orc astride a white warg stepped forward. The warrior appeared far more confident than his army did. Even across all of their faces, she knew they were nervous.
She could smell it on them.
Something instinctual and deep within her began to sing. A harmony promising death and fire filling her veins as she stared down the orcs.
No, not orcs. Not an army. Not warriors.
Prey.
"~Mighty dragon, we welcome you to-~"
"~Attack, and I will kill you.~"
Her threatening voice rang through the caverns, echoing off of the unseen walls in the distance.
"~Flee, and I will chase you.~"
The orc and goblin armies shifted, a few turning to their pale leader in obvious panic.
"~Stay, and I will hunt you.~"
Flaring her horns and spines out to their full length, she spread her wings as far as they could go. A fierce delight went through her when she realized that the roof was large enough to house her like this.
Her chest grew to an ominous orange as she saw the army before her begin to shake in fear. She had a strange sort of respect for the pale leader who stood firm despite the obvious catastrophic threat in front of him, but it mattered not.
Baring her teeth, ready to begin the battle she knew now she was born to fight, she gave them the last choice they would ever make.
"~Choose now how you will die.~"
A moment of tense silence came and went before the battle began.
The pale orc let out a puny roar, urging his warg and his army forward. The wolf-creature uneasily charged her as the orc raised a crude mace in her direction.
Mistake.
The leader of the orcish army was the first casualty of the battle, as she casually stepped on him as she began to advance. The loud crash of the flattened orc and scraping of his bent armor across the floor as she swept him aside was all it took to start the battle.
Several reactions within the army rose up at this turn of events.
The loyal orcs followed their leader, charging towards what was undoubtedly their untimely demise. The trolls stood still, unsure of what to do now that their leadership was gone, and the goblins? The goblins tripped over themselves and others to flee, causing complete and utter chaos.
And thus Yúla knew the battle was over before it even began.
Taking in a deep and fueling breath, her sharp eyes caught sight of her glowing silhouette in the fearful eyes of hundreds.
Unleashing her fire upon the fleeing crowd, the screams of those on the edges rang through the cavern. She saw as she closed her maw that the only ones saved from her inferno were those that hid behind the many pillars in the room.
Several crewd arrows clanked against the scales of her left flank harmlessly. Slowly, she turned her head towards a particularly organized group of orcs. The moment her sapphire eye locked onto them, she saw utter terror fill their faces even through their helmets.
A quick flick of her tail was all it took to squash them, their bodies being flung into a fleeing group of goblins, who were then engulfed in another torrent of flames.
Finding a particularly stupid troll still banging away on its drum, she snakes her head over and sunk her teeth into its torso. The head and most of its chest in her mouth, the troll began to struggle.
But not for long.
Biting down hard, Yúla lifted her head up and brought the troll with her. In the air, the flailing stopped as her teeth pierced too many of its internal organs.
Then she started to shake, reminding her of how she used to use the same tactic on the spiders to get a small enough chunk of flesh to eat.
The body of the troll separated from the sheer pressing force of her jaws mixed with the stress of her head swinging back and forth, falling apart and being flung into the fleeing crowd. She paused for only a moment as she snapped her mighty jaws together, chewing and swallowing the torso of the once great beast before moving on to her next prey.
Something in her head clicked as she saw the goblins stumbling over the blazing inferno of bodies, screaming in terror from her as she advanced towards them.
This is why the elves feared her. This is why she was considered a monster. This is why she was created.
It wasn't the fact that she could annihilate an army with ease. It was the fact that she enjoyed it.
"~You can not hide from my fire!~"
She made her way through her home, slaughtering the intruders with impunity. Sweeping downward through her grand halls as she chased any poor orc that dared intrude upon these caves.
Smoke and fire lit the previous darkness, allowing her to see more and more of what was previously unseen to her. She knew she needed to protect the beauty of her new home, as her friends would most likely enjoy the ancient city.
"~Send word to Dol Guldur of what is happening! Move the dwarven plunder out as fast as you can!~"
Plunder?
Snapping her attention to the orc who said that, she realized that a small group of them were beginning to sprint their way down one of the large staircases.
Her cunning mind instantly went to how she could achieve her newfound goal of taking whatever plunder these intruders dared to try and take from her home.
She easily came up with a solution.
They will need to cross that tiny bridge eventually, won't they?
Hopping over the stunned orcs, she flared her wings and glided down to the correct floor. Casually setting fire to several orcs on the staircases on the way down, she laughed maniacally as the screams of her victims echoed through the cavernous room.
Her eidetic memory told her exactly where she needed to go, landing at the same entrance she entered in. Slithering her way in the archway like a great serpent, she specifically aimed her steps to squash as many of the fleeing prey as possible.
The vast passageway toward the bridge was absolutely cluttered with fleeing orcs. All of them instantly panicked at the sight of her massive form entering the room, casually stepping on and squishing dozens of orcs in the process.
Clearing the masses out with a quick conflagration, the remaining orcs that were untouched by the fire all made their way toward the tiny bridge. None of them seemed to be all that worried about each other as they pushed and shoved their way onto it and across it, nearly half of them falling into the black abyss below.
"~You think you can escape me?~"
That bridge seemed to be the only way in or out of this place, and she knew she could easily cross the gap without it… but they couldn't.
Closing the distance, her terrifying silhouette hovered over the bridge, a toothy smile going across it as she turned back around. Wrapping her tail around the middle of the tiny bridge, she yanked upward against the arch. With no resistance to her massive strength, the bridge crumbled behind her, falling into the nothingness below.
It was about that time that the carts full of gold showed up.
Gold, mithril, and strange gems pulled by carts behind wargs were brought in. Dozens upon dozens as far as she could tell. However, the orcs bringing them very quickly noticed her handiwork.
They knew it was over.
Their blades could not pierce her. Their arrows could not damage her. Their numbers meant nothing. Their ferocity was outmatched.
"~This place will become your tomb.~"
Some threw down their arms, and were met with her claws. Some fought anyway, and were met with her fire. Others fled into the caves to hide, doomed to starve as there was no way out now.
But some? Some had a plan, one she didn't know about.
"~Wake the demon! Wake the demon!~"
Even as she clawed her prey free of the cart it was attached to and swallowed a smoldering warg whole, the charred meat sliding down her throat to meet the other souls doomed to be her sustenance, she didn't care. Their plans meant nothing. Their death throes meant nothing. With the bridge down, this place was hers. It was only a matter of time now.
Ignoring the fleeing orcs, she piled up the dozens of wagons up near a corner far away from the gaping abyss.
Couldn't have my plunder falling into the nothingness, now can I?
Grruummmmm.
A voice like half-burnt cinders being crunched underfoot roared through the area. Dark and terrible magic filled the air like a thick blanket around her, drawing her attention immediately. Spinning her head around to stare down the long and deep passageway, she felt a dark and foreboding presence approaching.
Suddenly, she was under an unseen assault. Something dark attempted to seep corruption deep into her mind, as she could feel the tendrils of some kind of magic attempting to poke and prod her thoughts, but despite the obvious power it held, it didn't succeed.
A dragon's mind is not so easily bent, and a dragon's body is resistant to most magic. They were bred and formed to combat the host of Valinor after all. Magic rebounded off a dragon's scales as well as any arrow would.
In the end, all the strange black spell did was turn her attention fully towards the new threat as a new string of words filled the area.
The smoke from her own fires seemed to grow more dense as it sank from the tall ceiling to the floor, obscuring her vision.
Most would be scared. Most would flee. She could even hear the terrified whispers of the orcs trapped in the caverns between her and whatever was coming.
Yúla was not most.
As a deep grumbling rang through the entire cave system behind her, she felt her spirit soar in happiness. Her mind easily supplied her with the conclusion that something much more threatening than the small orcs she had been slaughtering was coming, and she was ready for it.
Spinning around, she began to scan her surroundings. She was in some sort of grand hall with pillars leading in almost every direction. The area was well lit due to the fact that her fire was still burning several piles of orc bodies in the area, but the smoke obscured most of her eyesight.
A strange smell filled her nose, drawing her attention. Smoke and burned flesh were obviously the most present, but a small undercurrent of brimstone filled the air now. She didn't know what this thing was, but if it expected her to be scared of a little sulfur and fire, it was in for a surprise.
Spreading her limbs out and tensing her muscles, she took in a deep breath as her fire filled her chest yet again. The edges of her mouth curved upward as she released her breath in an earth shaking roar of challenge.
The echoes of her battle fury resounded through the area for a moment after she heard a response. A similar roar came back, her keen hearing gaining a rough location for her new prey. Turning that direction, she saw that the entire corridor was lit up with flames, and not just from the smoldering bodies.
After only a moment, a relatively massive creature stepped through the smoke. The strange thing was much larger than anything she had seen up to this point. It was only slightly shorter than herself, but as it stood on two legs the dragoness knew it was much lighter. The creature itself didn't seem to have any sort of hide or skin, a black inky shadow wrapping around it as some strange form of armor.
The whip that was made out of fire was noticeable, letting Yúla know exactly what it was she was dealing with.
During her stay in Rivendell, she learned about all sorts of creatures. The balrogs, however, were one such creature that she had someone with a first hand account tell her of. Glorfindel told her extensive details about his fight with a balrog in the first age, and this thing definitely fit the bill.
Yúla knew that this was an extremely dangerous opponent, one that she should focus her entire attention upon. This thing could harm her, or even kill her if given the chance. She held no delusions that she was entirely invulnerable, as many of her kin had fallen before to such a belief.
Did that stop her from feeling excited?
The creature let out a roar that sounded like an ancient volcanic eruption, a roar that Yúla matched with the fury of a hurricane.
Of course not! This was the battle she was waiting for!
Wasting no time, she charged it with her claws outstretched and maw wide.
A sword made of shadow and flame appeared in the arm opposite of the whip. Dodging the bite, the creature brought down the sword on where her head was. Seeing the attack coming, she used one of her wings to shove the creature to the side, sending it stumbling back and preventing the blow from landing.
With Yúla being relatively on balance still, she shifted her weight and pounced, her black talons outstretched and aiming toward the creature's midsection. She wished to rip this thing to shreds, a feral snarl leaving her lips, but the creature had other plans.
The fiery whip wrapped itself around her, somehow moving without the balrog even moving his arm. Wrapping around both of Yúla's forepaws, the whip pulled her limbs together even as it sidestepped her.
Landing on her face with both of her paws tied, she struggled against her magical bonds. Using her impressive strength, she ripped the fiery magic in her bonds apart, creating a small explosion of sparks and shadow.
Before she could get to her feet, she felt something impact the back of her head which stunned her for a moment. She felt something she hasn't felt before as the impact caused her to see stars for a moment.
Pain.
Feeling something lifting her onto her side, she looked down to see as the shadow-creature was pulling back its flaming sword in an attempt to stab at her relatively soft underbelly.
That would kill her, she had no doubt.
Whipping her tail around, she smashed her spiny tail into the creature's face with as much force as she could muster. Catching it off guard, she sent the creature toppling to the floor as a trail of smoky shadow followed its fall and obscured it from her sight.
She knew she stunned it, but not for long.
Taking in a deep breath, she unleashed an inferno upon it as it retreated. The entire hallway filled with the flames deep within her. The blaze caused several orc onlookers to begin to scream, unfortunate collateral in her fiery assault.
It didn't do a thing.
Other than gaining an exact location for her prey, as the shadowy blackness retreated away from it, she noticed it didn't even try to dodge. The fires licked and hugged the balrog, like a old friend welcoming them home.
Getting to her feet, she readied herself for another clash.
In the same amount of time it took her to regain her bearings and begin to scan her surroundings, she saw its fiery eyes and open maw roar, yet another challenge from deep within the smoke and fire.
Yúla idly noted that its whip was back, seemingly reformed by whatever black magic this creature contained.
The fight continued as such for a time with neither of them gaining or losing any ground. It wasn't long before the two of them seemed to be at an impasse. The creature couldn't do any significant damage with its fiery whip or shadowy sword to her scales, making her only weak point her relatively soft underbelly below her well armored chest. He needed to get her on her side or back to kill her, but she was noticeably larger than him and was far more alert of his tactics now, so his options on that front were limited.
To her advantage, the area they decided to battle upon was flat with the only terrain being the large walls or open hallways they could potentially be driven into. There were no surprise advantages due to the environment that the thing could use as leverage to tip her over, and the walls in conjunction with the mighty wings on her back could easily be used to stop a fall and steady her balance if he tried.
Yúla had far more options as it was. All she needed to do was get her mouth or talons around the thing and their destructive fight was over. The issue on that front was how surprisingly agile and resourceful the thing seemed to be. It kept using its magic and spells to obscure itself to dodge and remain untouched. Its whip was an issue, but not due to any damage it could do to her. The stupid thing kept using the weapon to pull or shift one of her legs so she just barely missed her strikes or lost balance and needed to correct herself to not fall over.
She thought that maybe she could throw it into the abyss, but she didn't know if it could climb back up or not. She couldn't risk the creature surviving and returning while she was sleeping.
No, this fight ends here, one way or another!
The two of them began to circle each other in the large hallway, inky dense shadow following the creature, and smoky hot air following her.
She didn't have a plan. She didn't have any idea other than what she was doing to defeat this thing. They were evenly matched, as her strength and ferocity was countered by the balrog's skill and magic.
She needed an upper hand. Something that could turn the tide. Even something small could-
An arrow whizzed through the air from the side, cutting through the shadowy cloak and striking the balrog in the eye.
"Hey, you! Get away from her!"
It was then that the creature made a fatal mistake.
It was for only a second, not much time at all considering how quickly she needed to react to capitalize on it, but the balrog disbanded the magic in his fiery whip as he reached up to pull the arrow out.
The same honed muscles from years of hunting and decades of playing with Glorfindel sprung, soaring through the air like lightning as she crashed into the balrog. He attempted to block, but his whip was gone. He attempted to dodge, but she caught him. He raised his arm to shield himself, but his arm was her target anyway.
Clamping down with her mouth onto the arm that held the shadowy sword, she bit down hard.
She felt something crack under her teeth as the smoky and chalky rubble this thing had as a replacement for flesh held no resistance for her teeth. She noted that the thing tasted absolutely horrid, but she paid that no mind. Now that she had him, it was over.
Pushing with all her might, she toppled the creature to the ground, still latched onto the arm. From her spot latched on to its upper arm, she could see two dark and hateful eyes staring at her as it began to reform its whip again, roaring an infernal fury straight into her ear.
The roar made her ears ring, but she had other plans for it which didn't require hearing.
Using her mighty neck, she shook the creature similar to how she killed the troll not too long ago. Sliding along the ground, the balrog slammed against the wall several times before eventually, its arm gave way and it slumped against the wall with its back facing upward.
She was a shark, smelling blood in the water. Her prey was wounded now, missing a limb and weakened.
Spitting the smoky limb away, she pounced on the downed form, landing on its back with her full weight even as it tried to get to its feet. Looking down on it, she almost felt bad for what she was about to do.
Almost.
A deep snarl left her muzzle as she latched her mouth on the back of its neck, pinning it to the ground under her. Digging her claws deep into the shoulder of the creature, she shredded it. One swipe and another and another, digging molten flesh out from its body like dirt below her feet until there was naught but a head left.
When the shadows ceased and the fire died, she knew she had won.
Standing over her foe victorious, she turned to the open passageway. Fires and smoke still covered the area, showing her the absolutely defeated forms of the scattered orcs that remained.
That balrog was their last hope, and she ended it.
The roar of victory that she unleashed shook the entire mines, the caverns echoing her battle fury all the way to the western entrance as pure bliss filled her.
The orcs fled. To where? She knew not, as there was no longer a way out. It matters not, her victory here was a total one. She could hunt them later.
Turning her head back across the pit, she quickly crossed the distance with another mighty leap. Landing in front of her friend, her tail quickly wrapped itself around him followed quickly by the rest of her mighty body and her wing to top the coil, sealing him away from any stray arrows.
Poking her head through the coils of her tail, she began to interrogate her friend about why he would come so close to danger. Snarling out a threatening accusation, she bared her teeth at him.
"I told you to stay outside. These orcs could have hurt you, or killed you!"
Despite the situation, her elf smiled. He didn't seem to care in the slightest that his draconic friend wrapped entirely around him, smoking and covered completely in orc, goblin, and troll blood, snarling in adrenaline induced rage at him. No, he knew that she would never hurt him no matter what.
And he was right.
While the silence he gave her infuriated the dragoness to no end, he slowly proceeded to slowly reach into his pack and pull out his small harp. Smiling over to the protruding form of her face and muzzle, he began to play.
The soft tone of the song was one he played just for her. Her friend played the familiar song over the years of their friendship, reminding her of a sunset over a cloudy Rivendell. Of soft rain curled up around the treasures she was given. It was the song he played on quiet nights he spent with her as he fell asleep leaning against her.
Calm. Peace. Serenity.
Slowly, the adrenaline left her system, leaving her exhausted. Her rapid and short gasps slowed, being replaced by deep and relaxed breaths. She wished for sleep, and he knew it well as he strummed his instrument with practiced professionalism.
Even as her eyes began to droop, she thought back to everything she just did. Even if they didn't know it, she proved the opinions of those elves back in Rivendell correct with her actions, slaughtering and killing with a joyous bloodlust as crowds fled before her.
She gave her friend a pleading look, begging for forgiveness as she knew he would feel the same way if only he knew. Perhaps he did, as he saw the tail end of it.
"I'm sorry. I didn't… I'm not a monst-"
He glanced up to her, making direct eye contact with the pleading dragoness. Looking at her from where he was, he smiled up to her. With that small gesture, she felt her heart slow its rapid beating as her fiery rage was replaced immediately with the soft warmth she only ever felt from those she was closest to.
Before she knew it, the siren's call of unconsciousness caused her eyes to close. Slowly, she began to succumb to her exhaustion, but she heard him say something softly just before it overtook her.
"Sleep now, dear Yúla, for you are in the company of one who loves you for who you are, not what you are."
-Author's Note-
Well, that was fun.
I promised this fic being about a dragon doing dragon things, and I feel like I delivered. She straight up nom'd that troll!
Before anyone asks for clarification, yes, she casually stepped on Azog the Defiler, killed the Durin's Bane, stopped the treasure within Moria from being sent to Sauron, and annihilated both the orc army that was (in canon) at war with dwarves for several years, and the bridge that Gandalf said his best line on.
Who likes AU? I do.
The sheer massive butterfly effect of this chapter is insane. In fact, it isn't a butterfly flapping it's wings anymore. It's a dragon! Let's see how big of a hurricane we can make now eh?!?
I already planned out a bunch of the repercussions of this insanity, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what all the ramifications are. Even for the pre war of the ring lore, this is massive.
With no Azog, one dwarven ring remains with the dwarves and Thorin's grandfather keeps his head. With no orc dwarf war, Durin's folk have a larger army. With no Durin's bane, Gandalf remains gray. With no bolg (since I just killed the dad with a stomp) no orcs in the battle of five armies. With the bridge gone, the fellowship will need to wake her up to cross… if they even go through Moria at all.
Not to mention the events that happen inside Moria alone without any of the mainline lore, like Balin's company, how Aragorn and Gandalf look for Gollum in Moria for a while, Sauron placing a contingent of orcs in here, and a bunch more I don't want to fully spoil…
Yeah. This chapter changed a bunch. If you expected "canon but slightly different. Feat: dragon" then this isn't the fanfic for you. Welcome aboard the crazy train that is my overactive imagination. Keep all hands and feet inside the cart at all times, as it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
At this point, I'm not even sure how Bilbo will end up with the ring, as Durin's folk having a larger army would be their immediate solution to Smaug. Regroup, forge weapons to kill dragons specifically and attack Smaug… or maybe not?
Honestly, I still need to work through exactly what I just did to the timeline. As I still don't have someone who knows the lore better than I to help me out, I would very much like to extend the offer again. Send me a PM and I'll send you my discord info, since that's where I spend most of my time with my friends on video games and what not.
Oh, and just so we are at an understanding here, fully grown dragon (which Yúla isn't yet) beats a balrog. I don't care what others say. Winged dragons were specifically bred by Morgoth to take down Maiar and even to push back the big boi Valar during the war of wrath, making them resistant to their magic. When the war of wrath happened, who almost single handedly pushed them back? Ancalagon. Who didn't? Balrogs. Gg.
(Also I like dragons more.)
As always, read and review, and if you enjoyed this even half as much as I did writing it, consider giving me a follow and a favorite