Chapter 7: Greenwood the Great.
One month before Lucina's arrival.
Nah's head spun. She raised her hand to her head and idly massaged her temples. With reluctance, she opened her eyes, grimacing against the brightness that filled her vision. The first thing she noticed, other than that she was laying down on her back, was the canopies of tall trees rising high into the air. The bright sun glittered through their green leaves and she could hear the soft rustling of the leaves in the wind. Birds sang into the air, and she could hear a flowing stream nearby.
She sat up, her eyes scanning all around the thick and green forest that surrounded her, the density of which she was wholly unused to. The future could never bear much nature with Grima's taint choking the very soil of the world, and only the hardiest of trees remained. She should have felt at ease by the greenery but instead she felt constricted. If the forest wasn't worrying enough, she also had to deal with the fact that none of her friends appeared to be anywhere in sight.
"Hello?" she called out, "is anyone there?" No reply came.
She rose up to her feet and cupped her hands together, "Hellooo!" she called again, "Lucina, Owain, anyone?" once again, nothing. She shut her eyes and focused inwards.
'Can you hear me, Naga? Sorry for being so informal, but it's kind of an emergency!' She waited for a moment, but only nature responded.
Nah heaved a deep sigh, it seemed that she was truly alone, again. Not that she wasn't used to it, but it would have been nice to have at least someone around. Though she recalled Lucina warning them about this very thing happening. Nah looked about her, once again frowning at the tightness of the forest. Her first order of business was to escape the confines of the vegetation, and only then could she worry about finding another soul.
She began to navigate the dense forest, sticking to following the nearby river upstream. The stream was rather narrow, perhaps only seven feet wide, and in itself fairly shallow. Large stones peeked out from the bottom of the water, close enough together that Nah was able to playfully hop between them as she passed.
An hour went as Nah walked along the riverbed, yet the thickness of the foliage had not let up. She could of course simply turn into her dragon form and fly high above the trees, but Nah decided to face the underbrush on foot. She had long gotten used to it by now, and found the glimmering greenery to be quite relaxing. The trees provided a reliving respite from the sun, and the gentle breeze that wafted through the leaves did not add any chill. Natural sounds of animals and insects added to a most soothing ambience. it was overall a pleasant experience. The best part about it though, was that there wasn't the awful feeling of Grima's taint that seemed ever present in the future. And it was that very same lack of taint that she was able to tell that this was indeed the past.
Another thirty or so minutes of walking and Nah decided it was time for a rest. She stepped away from the river and traveled a bit inland. Surprisingly, she found a small clearing in the forest and situated in the centre was a towering tree rising far above the others, its sprawling branches were able to cover the entirety of the clearing, blanketing the ground with shade. The short grass that lay underneath made this quite an alluring resting spot for Nah.
She sat down against the wide trunk with her legs stretched out, just simply basking in the surrounding calmness. It felt nice not having to worry about Risen ambushes for once, though she wished she had someone here to share it with.
Time went on as Nah sat and enjoyed the sights and sound of nature; the calming tones of green, the birds singing sweet lullabies in the air, and the comfortable breeze that rustled the leaves. It was so soothing to her that she was suddenly finding it quite hard to keep her eyes open, but she welcomed it, a nap was exactly what she needed right now. She got comfortable against the tree, finally finding a position where the thick roots didn't dig into her back. She shut her eyes and waited until at last she slipped into a peaceful sleep.
Nah felt she had only slept for a few minutes when she jolted awake. The sky was no longer bright and blue as the sun was beginning to set. She stood up and brushed herself off, picking fallen leaves from her green hair. She would have to find somewhere safer for a shelter, perhaps start a fire soon. With the sun setting, she knew her travels were done for today.
Nah searched around for shelter, the tree was a decent resting place, though too exposed for her liking. The ground was sloping, but no large hills or caves seemed to be nearby, so finding respite in a cavern was out of the question. Perhaps maybe then the branches above? She shook her head, she needed the warmth of a fire, and none could be lit in a tree.
"I'll just stay put," she said, finally coming to a decision.
Firewood was easy to find enough, as dried branches were abundant in the underbrush around the clearing. Now came the arduous task of actually lighting it. From her traveling bag she produced a flint and steel. Lucina had given it to her, just in case, which proved handy now. She struck the stone a few times, seeing sparks fly but no flame. She tried again but had little fortune.
Nah gave an annoyed huff as she struck the stone again and again until she threw the stone aside in her frustration. She'd seen Lucina light a fire hundreds of times, so how could it be so difficult? She gave a deep sigh and rose to search for the discarded flint.
She heard a sound, a snapping of a twig in the underbrush. Nah froze, and her hairs stood on end. Was it a harmless deer, a wolf maybe? She didn't know, but her most primal instincts were telling her something was amiss. Danger had to be near.
She smelled it first. A horrible, rotten scent that made her crinkle up her face in disgust and she plugged her nose tightly, 'Eugh! What is that stench!?'
Then, she heard it, the heavy ruffling from a rather sizable creature scurrying amongst the thick underbrush. Low growling and an almost guttural coughing sound that could not come from any animal rang out into the air. Nah swung on her heel to better face the direction of the danger. Her dragon stone was ready in her hand. The bushes parted for a moment and Nah could see light glint off two gleaming and bulbous eyes. Whatever creature was there, its sights were directly on her.
"Be brave, Nah, be brave," she told herself, but that did little to ease her fear.
She fixed her wide eyed gaze on the bushes, and held tightly onto her dragon stone. Two slender and pale hands peeked out from the bushes, slowly parting its twigs and leaves. Her face curled in disgust as she saw what she could only describe as a gangling creature crawl out from the foliage. It was man shaped, but much smaller. It had pale skin and walked hunched on all fours, wearing only a simple brown loincloth. Big, blue eyes from its almost bald head stalked her.
"Little Sheee-Elfss," it spoke in a sing song voice.
The creature continued to approach, keeping its eyes trained on her, but every so often it jerked its head towards the trees, as if he was watching for something she couldn't see. And as he got closer, his scent became more intense. It was laced with an intent for mischief, and the smallest hint of fear. She covered her nose tightly, trying ever so desperately to lessen the rancid odour on her sensitive nose.
"Why is it alone?" it said, "very dangerous here, very nassty things in the forest. Full of…" it paused and gave her a sidelong glance "...enemies." The creature then produced another guttural retch from its throat.
"Wh-what enemies?" The creature stayed silent as it slowly circled her, all the while having the creepiest grin she'd ever seen plastered on its face. She rose her dragon stone to the forefront, "If you don't tell me what these enemies are then I'll melt you with my breath!"
"It will see soon, precious, yes it will see!" The creature seemed to be almost excited at whatever he alluded to, but would say no more. It then bolted up the tall tree towards the very top and watched the horizon like a stalwart sentinel.
She had to leave, now. If not for whatever enemies it spoke about, then just to get away from this disturbing little creature. She took two small steps backwards, still watching the leaves of the tree where she knew the creatures lurked. Then another step, and another, until at last she stood with her back just before the outer ring of trees. With a deep breath she swung herself around and - "Eek!"
Nah yelped and stumbled backwards as she came face to face with an arrow drawn directly at her head. Then more seemed to appear from nowhere, all pointed at her, strung in large bows and held by tall beings that surrounded her.
Her eyes then drifted from their pointed arrows to their faces and Nah could do nothing but stare in awe. They were possibly the most beautiful people she'd ever seen. They each had long flowing hair of brown or red, which flowed down onto their cloaks like silk. Their skin, free of any mark or blemish, had an almost glow to it that made Nah stare in wonder. Their tall and slender forms seemed elegant, yet strong. Their lovely scents bore no trace of ill intentions, and she knew then that those arrows would never leave their strings, they would not harm her. As she scanned their fair faces a most striking feature made itself clear to her: They all had pointed ears.
'Are these...Manaketes?' she wondered. It was a possibility, this was the past after all. There most certainly had to have been a few roaming about before Grima. Though their ears didn't have as much of a point as hers, and they carried simple weapons, no dragon stones in sight. Adding along the lack of green in their hair colours, Nah was not so sure that they were actually from her lost race.
But there was something about them, something...different. She couldn't quite say what it was, but she felt a sort of tingling feeling while in their presence, almost like magic. They also felt old, ancient even, and incredibly otherworldly.
It was then that another of these tall beings sauntered into the encirclement and all of the warriors relaxed their bows and stood at attention, quietly observing Nah with faint curiosity. The newcomer, much like the others, was fair and beautiful to behold. He had long golden blond hair, and upon his brow sat a circlet of silver shaped in the manner of twisted vines. He smiled kindly at Nah.
"Mae g'ovannen!" he said.
Nah narrowed her brows at the foreign words. At first she thought she misheard him, but with his clear voice and Nah's sharp hearing that could not be the case. "Um, what?" she said, hoping dearly that he spoke her tongue.
The possible Manakete chuckled, "It is a greeting in our language. You may translate it as, 'Well met!'"
Nah breathed a short sigh, relieved to hear him speak her language, "Alright, well my-go-vonanan to you too, I guess." She probably had butchered that, as she could tell from the light chuckles from the group. Though she had no clue what language he was speaking.
Her brightening mood was interrupted when the branches of the tall tree above her began to shake, creaking and cracking as if from a strong wind. A reminder of the ill creature that stalked from above. And how could she forget the odor. The blond one must have noticed her sudden wariness, as he then stepped over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Fret not, young one," he spoke, "the creature Gollum will not hurt you while we are here."
"You know him?" she asked, but kept her gaze steady towards the treetops. The reassuring presence of everyone else made her certainly feel a lot safer, but Nah was no fool to think she was completely free from harm. The creature gollum stared down at them, his face scrunching up into a hateful visage and he quietly hissed as a rabid feline would.
"Indeed," said the blond one, "He is our prisoner."
"Prisoner?" she questioned, eyeing the creature with a puzzled look. She didn't see any shackles or chains on him, and he seemed to be allowed to roam on his own accord, "If he is your prisoner then why isn't he, you know, in prison?"
The blond one gazed towards the treetops with a look that was half pity and half disgust.
"He is a pitiful creature, really," he began, "And it was by instruction of one who is wiser than us that Gollum be shown tenderness and mercy, for his previous captors were not so. He believed that it was not by Gollum's own accord that he became the retch he is today, for a powerful evil had long corrupted his heart, of which we cannot say for certainty. But if we shackle him, and keep him locked behind gates of iron, then never can he heal from that which had ensnared him for so long."
Nah nodded in understanding. That Gollum creature, which had quite a fitting name, did seem rather pitiful. She could see Gollum's gaze was fixed beyond the treetops, searching far into the horizon. His scent seemed to change, and she could sense his worry, fear, anxiety, and sadness even. Though that all seemed to shift into vile hatred and bitterness as Gollum looked back down at them.
"We hates them, hates them!" he hissed under his breath, but Nah heard him clear as day. Whatever pity she had was quickly dispelling. This was clearly a creature brimming with malice and hatred, and she would be a fool to even try and see him as anything else.
The blond one then spoke again "I must ask you, what exactly are you doing here alone in this forest?"
"Well, it's actually quite an interesting story because...I don't really know."
He laughed, "You are lost then?"
"I think so."
"And where is it you were trying to reach?" he asked.
"To my home in Ylisse."
The blond one furrowed his brows as he turned to the others, conversing in this strange, yet enchanting language. The conversation ceased and he looked back towards her, "Forgive us, young one, we do not know that land."
Nah felt a pit forming in her stomach, she didn't know much about Ylisse, but she knew that it was a land known throughout the whole continent, and even the entirety of Valm. That could only mean she had arrived on an entirely different continent, alone, and far away from all her friends.
The blond one bent down to be almost eye level with her, and he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Do not fret," he said, "Perhaps your land lies where we go not, in the world of men. For there are many realms they hold that we have little knowledge of. Seldom do we travel beyond the forest borders, only in times of great need." He gave her shoulder a little pat then rose to his full height. Her home was indeed ruled by mankind, so she guessed it was possible that they were just an ignorant bunch. Though that confirmed her earlier suspicions, these were not of the races of men. Then that could mean...perhaps is was possible...
"So, um… are you Manaketes?" she asked hopefully.
The blond one quirked an eyebrow, "Manaketes?" he asked, seemingly confused, "I do not believe so. We are Elves, young one, Elves of Mirkwood. And this is Mirkwood, if that was not clear enough."
Nah instantly deflated, so they weren't her kin after all. Nah would have liked to connect with her lost heritage, one that she didn't know much about save for legends and rumours, but it seemed she'd have to wait until she found her mother. A more pressing matter were these 'Elves,' as they called themselves. Nah had simply never heard of them. They were not taguel, they were not manaketes, and they were certainly not of the races of men. Had she just rediscovered a people long forgotten by the world?
But the Elves seemed more curious about her, she could hear their whispers in their strange yet enchanting language, their keen eyes observing her.
"You yourself are a Manakete, is that right?" asked the blond elf.
"Yes... Well, only half. My father was a man and my mother was a full Manakete."
The Elves now seemed even more interested, their whispers turning into quiet discussions. "How interesting, I do not believe I have ever met a Manakete before, nor have I ever heard of your race," the blond elf said.
"Well, I haven't heard of elves either."
"Well then!" he said with a smile forming on his face, "We must introduce ourselves, I think. I am Legolas, son of Thranduil. And what is your name?"
"Nah," she replied.
Legolas frowned, "If I have offended you then I do apologize, but please tell me at least your name-"
"–No, Nah is my name!"
"...Ah," he said after an awkward pause, "I see."
He cleared his throat to try and rid some of the awkwardness from the air, and finally he seemed to compose himself. He straightened out his posture and raised a hand up high as if to address a formal gathering. Then in his soft voice he spoke, "Let this then be the first meeting of Elves and Manaketes. On behalf of the Elven King: Len suilon, nathlo na Taur-nu-Fuin! I greet you, and welcome you to the Woodland Realm!" He crossed his arm over his chest and bowed forward, the other elves following suit.
Nah replied with a curtsey, "It is a pleasure to be in your acquaintance."
"Shall we commemorate this occasion with food and drink?" he asked cheerfully.
Almost on cue, her stomach began to audibly growl. Nah gave only a sheepish smile, "I guess I'm a little hungry," she said. A lie, she was absolutely famished.
The elves laughed and Legolas gestured for her to follow, "Come then, we have plenty for you to eat."
He turned towards the elves and said in a clear voice, "Nartho i noer! Boe i annam vann a nethal vin!" A chorus of agreeing voices rang out and the elves prepared to leave.
She walked with Legolas and a few others, as there had to remain some to guard Gollum. They led her away from the clearing, travelling for perhaps half an hour, and stopped when they reached an area beside a flowing stream. The sun passed into the evening now, and the forest grew darker, but she could still see plenty with her heightened nighttime vision.
"I am sure this is far enough," said Legolas. Nah sniffed the air, still smelling the faintest hint of that creature, though it could be easily ignored. The Elves began to unravel their packs. Others began the task of finding fuel for a fire and soon enough the group sat around a cheerful blaze. An Elf came around to her with a cloth full of some foodstuffs.
"If we were back in the halls of the Elvenking we could have hosted you with more pleasant fare," the elf said regrettably.
Nah took the cloth from him and set it about her lap. She saw soft and exquisite looking bread, berries, and other fruits. She smiled, "This is way better than anything I've eaten for a long time now, thank you," she said with a bow of her head. As she took the first sheepish bite of the bread, her eyes grew wide.
"This, what is this?" she said, amazed.
Legolas laughed. "It is just a simple loaf."
Nah inspected it in her hand, "Really?" she said. She'd eaten bread thousands of times, she'd even tried some made by the royal bakers in Ylisstol, but all those loaves paled in comparison to the pure deliciousness of this elvish bread. She reached for some of the fruits, and popped a few berries in her mouth. She closed her eyes in bliss as she tasted a sweetness far superior than any wild berries in all of Ylisse. A gourd of water was also given to her, and the water contained within was somehow even better than a fresh mountain stream.
"What can you tell us about Manaketes, by the way?" Legolas suddenly asked, pulling her from her trance.
Nah made sure to swallow her food before speaking, "Well, the first thing I should say is that we are a race of dragons who can shift into human forms."
There was a light chuckle amongst the elves at her response.
"A race of dragons you say?" Legolas said in a tone that suggested he didn't very much believe her at all.
"You don't believe me?"
"We know dragons quite well, and we have never known any to be young maidens with green hair," said Legolas.
"Well, it's true!" she said.
"My dear, dragons are creatures of evil, and you are not so. They certainly do not shift forms as you say. And please," he said, his voice suddenly becoming serious, "they are not a thing to jest about."
"My lord, perhaps she can change forms akin to Beorn?" said an elf.
"Yes, but Beorn and his descendants change into great bears, not dragons," another elf chimed in.
"Perhaps she can shift into a great lizard that others have remarked looked like dragons? After all, many creatures there are of this world that we do not know," speculated another.
They continued to discuss the possibilities amongst themselves, shifting now to their own language.
"Everyone, please! How about I just show you?" Nah suggested, earning the undivided attention of the group.
"As you wish, we are eager to see," said Legolas, "For we indeed have noticed something strange about you, young Nah. Your spirit tells of a power that is..unknown to this world. We felt it when we first saw you."
Choosing to ignore whatever he meant by that, Nah stood up, "Alright then, watch carefully, I'm only going to do this once!" She stepped a great many paces back so she had enough room, lest she knock over any trees. She then displayed the dragon stone towards them and was about to begin drawing power from it.
Suddenly, a chilling wind blew from the north, rustling the leaves of the trees and stringing her locks across her face, but along with it came a scent that made her falter a bit. First off, the smell was horrible, absolutely rancid, and far worse than that Gollum creature. But it was also so overbearingly evil that she was shaken to her very core, and she felt it in her heart a powerful murderous intent.
"Uugh, do any of you smell that?" She wanted to vomit from such an overbearing odour. Legolas curiously sniffed the air and his eyes became wide. Suddenly, an arrow came ripping through the air and struck a tree right beside his head.
"Yrch!" he shouted, but the other elves were already alert; they fitted arrows to their strings and loosed volleys faster than Nah could keep up with. She could hear the squeals of whatever they seemed to hit that was in the bushes. Legolas pulled her back and two more elves stood at either side of her, shooting arrows from their tall bows.
Finally their assailants made themselves known, ripping through bushes with beastly war cries and brutal weapons in hand. Nah grimaced at the very sight of them. They were unnerving creatures that lolloped across the ground, biting and snarling as they came. Their skin was an unpleasant green and their big yellow eyes showed their beastly nature. They were not Risen, she could tell, as their bodies did not disintegrate when they fell.
The elves clashed with them, producing swords with glowing blue blades from underneath their cloaks. Nah watched in silent amazement as the Elves unleashed their masterful swordsmanship on their enemy. Which to Nah's eyes, looked more like a dance than anything else, their swords humming through the air with speed and precision that would put Lucina to shame. And that Legolas, his archery was the greatest she'd ever seen. Each arrow that loosed from his bow found its mark in Orc necks, and he shot one, sometimes two or three at a time, never missing.
These creatures were no match for them. They were each only a little taller than Nah herself and their skill with whatever weapons they carried was laughable at best, The Elves cut through them like carving a cake. Though what the orcs lacked in skill they made up for in numbers, it seemed, as an endless stream of these creatures appeared from the deep woods.
All of a sudden Nah could smell an overpowering and rancid odour from behind her. But she could not react in time when a few of those creatures leapt from behind the trees and assaulted the two elves guarding her. One then came and grabbed a hold of her leg, dragging her to the forest. Nah shrieked as her dragon stone flung from her hands and she could do nothing but claw at the ground.
It stopped and climbed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. It roared ferociously in her face, raising a dagger into the air. Though that was all it could do before an arrow promptly pierced its skull, and Nah was able to tear herself from its now loosened grip. She scampered back on the ground and into the arms of an Elf, holding tightly onto his cloak. Her heart felt like it could burst from her chest, and she could not stop the tears from flowing from her eyes.
"Av'osto, nettëna-îdh, av'osto," the elf repeated softly to her. The voice, like silk, was far more feminine than the others, and higher pitched. When finally she processed his words, though foreign, she for some reason felt the fear in her heart replaced with calming tranquility.
She looked up at the elf, finally realizing that 'he' was actually a 'she'. The red haired elf maiden smiled warmly at her and helped her to her feet.
Nah wiped her tears from her eyes and looked around her, seeing only the concerned faces of the elves. The orcs were gone, their fallen bodies staining the forest floor, yet the Elves had amazingly not taken a single casualty.
Legolas approached her, "Are you unhurt?"
"Y-yeah," she replied, still a bit unnerved. "What were those things? They smelled horrible, and felt incredibly evil."
"They are Orcs," he said, disgust and hatred clear in his voice, "These are only but a taste of the dangers that awaited you deep in the forests of Mirkwood. Though it is strange for them to be so close to our borders. Alas, the shadow of Dol Guldur has grown much in these days."
"Well, it's a good thing you found me then, huh?"
"Indeed it was," he said as he seemed to notice something on the ground, "Ah, you have dropped your jewel." He went to pick it up but as soon as his fingers brushed against it, his hand suddenly jerked back as if he touched a still hot pan.
"There is a strange power in this stone." He said almost faintly.
Nah went over and picked it up herself. "Oh, that's my dragon stone, this is how I can turn into a dragon."
He stared at her with a look she couldn't quite read, he seemed wary, but intrigued at the same time. "Dragon stone," he muttered, testing the words on his own lips.
He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the beastly cries of orcs could be heard in the distance, moving away from the company. He turned back towards his elves, "Tolo hi!" he shouted to them and they all began racing off into the trees.
"Come, Nah! We must hurry!" Nah nodded and set off with them. They ran through the trees, and Nah was finding it quite hard to keep up.
'I should just switch to my dragon form,' she thought.
Finally they reached the clearing and the Elves all gasped in horror. The three elves that watched Gollum were slain, the creature nowhere to be seen. There seemed to be only a few bodies of orcs that surrounded them, but a great many weapons were discarded all around, far more than the bodies that were seen present.
They stood before their fallen brethren in silence. They did not weep, but Nah could see a sadness in their eyes greater than any tears could show.
Pulling her eyes away from the heart wrenching scene, Nah noticed a shield that lay close to a fallen orc. It was painted dark blue, though was clearly in an abysmal state, the wood was chipped and scratched, and almost cleaved in two down the centre. As she looked at it she felt a sense of familiarity, a white crest was painted on its centre that looked remarkably like the brand of the exalt.
Nah narrowed her eyes, it was definitely the brand. Though what was it doing here and who could have carried it? Certainly orcs did not themselves steal it, that would mean they were a foe known to Ylisse. But she'd never heard of them.
Then Nah felt it in her heart, and she stumbled onto her knees. A familiar dread coursed through her veins, and a sensation she felt for so many years washed over her; the taint of Grima was heavy in the air. The elves sensed it too; arrows were fitted to their strings and they scanned the dark underbrush. Inhuman moans echoed through the forest, seeming to originate from behind her and Nah swung around to finally see what she'd been dreading all this time.
Red eyes, purple smoke, black forms. She saw them shuffling through the trees towards them. Some garbed in simple leather armour, others in the uniform of Ylissean men at arms. Spears, axes, and swords, they held them strong in their hands. One of the risen was dragging the corpse of a slain orc.
Nah furrowed her brows, none of this made any sense, this was the past, there wasn't supposed to be any risen in the past! Nah's eyes widened as she considered the possibility that they could have followed through the gate. Then that meant they were appearing around the world at random just as her and her friends. But here and now there were more than twenty risen gathered before them, Nah stood at the forefront and the elves behind her.
Nostrils flaring, her fists were clenched at her side. Just the very sight of Grima's corruption struck her with so hot an anger she felt she could burn up from the inside. There was nothing she hated more than risen, or Grima. So much had been lost because of them, and she would not lose anymore!
The elves were immediately up and ready, arrows flew from their bows, striking the risen all across their bodies. The force of which jerked their bodies back, but they kept moving forward seemingly unfazed.
Shouts of confusion rang from the elves and they drew their swords, their blades no longer emitting a pale blue glow. An elf tried to pull her away but Nah ripped free from his grasp.
"Everyone stay back!" she roared, "I'll deal with them!" She heard Legolas protesting her command, but she ignored him.
With her dragon stone firm in her hands, Nah raised it to the sky. The stone glowed bright green as Nah channeled its power into her, feeling it course through her veins. All she heard next was a collective gasp from the elves as a bright light consumed her, changing her form. The light dimmed and shattered like glass and out appeared Nah as a tall red dragon, strong and elegant in form. A great ferocious roar echoed from her mouth and for a moment, the Risen stopped in their tracks.
She gathered a great ball of flame into her maw, but then decided against it. Fire in a forest was not the best of ideas. Instead she lunged forward, her sharp claws tearing the Risen into clouds of smoke and ash. Her tail lashed out, swiping away any that tried to get around her.
Blades bounced uselessly off her hard scales, and no Risen was spared from her vicious rage as she tore them apart bit by bit until the last of them was ripped into a fading cloud of smoke. One more mighty roar bellowed from Nah's mouth, echoing into the forest. It served well to release the last bit of anger that still lingered in her, and now Nah was able to release her dragon form as she transformed back into her regular self.
Nah observed the damage, panting hard from exertion. Toppled trunks of trees lay scattered about, the earth underneath them ripped up and giant claw marks marred the ground. Nah let out a sheepish laugh; she tended to be a bit destructive while in her dragon form, she couldn't seem to help it. Especially when she was all worked up like that. She was just happy she had enough sense to not set the whole forest ablaze.
She looked back towards the elves and all she could see was their shocked and wide eyed faces as they stared at her. Then, as swift as the wind, they knocked arrows into their bows and drew them back, all pointed directly at her.
Nah froze, "U-um, is everything alright?"
"Enwenno hîn!" Legolas shouted, and suddenly Nah felt her dragon stone be ripped from her hands.
"Hey! Give that back!" She tried to reach for it but two more elves grabbed her by the arms, holding her back.
"What's the meaning of this!?" she protested, struggling against their grips. "Unhand me!"
Legolas came in her view and he stared back down at her, his face emotionless. "Forgive me, Nah. Now that we have seen your abilities, we must take precautions."
"Precautions? Why? All I did was use my dragon form against the Risen! I have full control of myself, I would never attack you!"
"Dragons were born of corruption from an enemy long forgotten by the world," he said, "We have to know that you are not a threat to our realm, and the Elvenking will be the one to decide that. For he has seen dragon fire many times in ages past."
"But it was only for the Risen!" she pleaded, but Legolas ignored her, walking away and spouting orders to the other elves.
Nah could only scowl at him as she felt a bond being quickly tied around her hands, and she was shuffled away into the forest.