The Promise
It was a beautiful spring day in Mirkwood, formally Greenwood the Great but, when darkness claimed almost the whole forest thanks to the powers of the Dark Lord. Most of the wood elves that lived there started calling id Mirkwod. Every tree and plant in palace garden was in bloom, filling the entire garden with various fresh scents.
In the kings' Thranduils' palace throne room were echoing pleads of the kings' youngest son.
"Please ada." the young prince said.
"No." was the kings' sharp answer.
"But ada. You promised me that when I can go to Imladris when I will be old enough to go there for a longer amount of time." the young elf said. He was around fifteen in human years but, he looked much younger.
"You are still an elfling Legolas."
"I am not." Legolas protested and a silent chuckle could be heard from somewhere in the room, behind the young prince.
"You think this is funny?" the young golden haired elf growled and his ocean blue eyes glared at the bluish white feline behind him.
Aye. Was her unsuspected answer and her sky blue eyes smiled even more.
"So would you mind and help me with this?" and he threw her an annoyed look.
I do not know. Maybe. And she pretended to be thinking.
"Luin!" Legolas exclaimed.
I try. And she smiled at Legolas.
She stood up and walked beside the young elf, she was visibly higher than Legolas was. Her shoulders were in the height as Legolas' were but, she was not fully grown yet but, was growing slower that she would when she was a mortal being. And she bowed to the king.
My good King Thranduil. You know that you can not break your promise to your youngest son. It was his wish, to go to Imladris, when he reaches the age of millennium and a half.
"I know that, my good Luin but, I feel that something bad is going to happen to him." the King said with a sad look.
But he will not go alone, my king. I will be there to protect him and also Haldir of Lórien. She smiled at him.
"What? Haldir?" the king asked.
Aye, my King. And the smile on her face widened.
"And how do you know?"
I have my scout. And a little red robin flew around Thranduils' head and landed near Luins' left ear. He also made a certain promise to our tithen lass. She said. Luin was slowly learning the elvish and common language, and also how to speak to other beings, which were not elves, as men and dwarves were, to communicate with her.
"Do not call me that!" Legolas said with an angry look. "I am not an elfling anymore."
I know. I know you are a great warrior. She looked at him with a playful smile. She knew that Legolas was a warrior in training but, he was really good. Especially with a bow.
Even the King could not hide his smile when he heard the jesting from the felines' side. He knew that the relation between her and his son was great. And also that Luin gain the gift of immortality from Elbereth, to stay with his youngest son forever.
Come on Legolas. Luin suddenly said. Your training with Hylama starts around this time. And she gently grabbed Legolas' sleeve. She also served as a remainder to Legolas, or better say as a timetable, sometimes.
"Go ion nin, or he will be angry that you are late. We will talk about this later." Thranduil said.
"Okay, ada. Let's go Luin." and he stroked Luin. "Hannon le." he said.
Luin lowered herself to the ground and allowed Legolas to mount her. He was sometimes using her also as his mount. But he also had his stallion, Ninim or also called Snow tear, because of his pure snow white color. He was one of the descendants of Shadowfax. So Legolas was more using him as her to travel somewhere. But she did not mind this. She was happy to have him so close to her and loved it.
Legolas seated himself on her back and clutched her fur, when she rose. "Bye, ada, till later." the prince smiled at the King.
And off we go. She happily said, took off and dashed out of the throne room.
They were running through the hall and the surprised elves, which were unfortunately in the hall. Some of them were screaming the others were just staring at the youngsters.
When they entered the training ground, they both cold saw Hylama standing and the further edge of the training ground, an angry frown spreading through his beautiful pale face, his green gaze rooted on them. His light brown hair had warrior braids in it and part of it was hanging freely on his back.
When Luin and Legolas got to him Luin bowed. "Good day, Hylama." she said in elvish and out laud to lighten his mood. And Hylama was very surprised, for it was the first time when she used elvish aloud in front of him.
"And good day to you too, Luin and Legolas. You are getting better in spoken language Luin." he said and bowed to them.
Hannon le. She smiled and hidden her face, because she blushed but, it was not seen under her fur.
"But you are still late."
"We know and we are very sorry, Hylama, but we were delayed by my father." the young prince said.
"And what happened?" the warrior asked.
"Well ada promised me that I can go to Rivendell for a longer amount of time but, when I and Luin wanted to go to Imladris, ada did not permit us to go." Legolas sadly said.
"Worry not, my young prince he will let you go there." Hylama said and placed a reassuring hand on the young princes' shoulder.
Legolas' ocean blue eyes met the warriors' green. "You think?"
"Aye." and he smiled. "And now, let's go training."
Luin walked to her favorite oak tree and she on the climbed to the lowest branch, where she laid down and was watching her friend practice with the sword and his twin knives with Hylama.
In the warm spring sun rays she dozed off. One of her hind legs hung down from the branch together with her very long tail, front paws under her head, her face still facing the training ground.
"Luin?" suddenly came a soft voice from somewhere under the tree.
Luin slowly opened her eyes and looked down. She saw the light brown haired elf standing under her branch. Aye?
"Can you lend us a paw? And help Legolas with the training?" the warrior asked.
The feline stood up on the thick enough branch and jumped down on the ground cowered with soft new grass. She stretched her body. Sure I can. What do you need? She asked with a smile.
"Legolas needs to practice close fight against a big…" Hylama hesitated. He did not want to somehow offend the big feline.
Say it I will not be offended. She smiled at him.
He was shocked and thought that she somehow read his mind. "Well against a big… beast like you. No offence."
None done. The feline answered.
Then he took two twin knives from the ground. They looked the same as Legolas had but, the blades on the knives were blunt. And handed them to Legolas.
So I have to attack him and Legolas has to protect himself from my assaults?
"Aye but," he lifted his finger. "You can not hurt each other. Legolas has blunted blades so he will not hurt you. And you must promise me that you will not injure my prince. Your claws must be hidden."
I know that. And besides I will not do anything that can hurt my brother." She said.
"If you two understand what I said." he said and looked on the pair now standing beside each other, and they both nodded. "Take your stance." the young elf and the young feline faced each other and took a battle stance. "Begin!" the warrior elf commanded.
Luin started circling around the young prince, like a normal feral creature would do but, she was taking this more like a game like she used to play with her siblings back those years in her mothers' den.
Legolas was watching the feline with his bright blue gaze. Waiting for her to make the first move. He knew she was looking for an opening to pounce on him. He looked to her sky blue eyes and he could saw the playful spark in them. She moved closer to him in somehow crouched position and he gripped tighter the twin knives. And she jumped with a roar.
Every elf, which was in the training grounds turned to look what was happening in the corner. What they saw shocked them.
Luin was standing on her hind paws, her front were on the princes' blunted blades. Legolas looked at her front paws and they looked like paws of a stuffed toy cat, he got from Haldir when he was younger, which looked like Luin. They were so soft without her claws. Legolas still had the stuffed cat in his room on his bed because Haldir made it for him, with little help of lady Galadriel and her maidens.
Luin was towering over the young elf. Their strength seemed to be matched but, their weight was not. Legolas was light but, all the muscles in Luins' body made her heavier, so Legolas had much to do not to lose his footing.
They were looking eye to eye when Legolas gathered his strength and pushed the feline away. Then she tried to bite him as a warg but Legolas jumped away. She turned and pounced on him again. Legolas parried with one of the twin knives, and with the other he brushed her side. She jumped away.
You got me. She smiled. But I am not done yet. You just made me mad. She laughed and with a playful roar she jumped on him again.
"I know." he also laughed.
Some of the training elves came and stood besides Hylama to look what was going on. When they were close enough some gasped at what they saw. One of the frightened elves asked Hylama.
"What is going on here? What is the cat doing to the prince! She will kill him!" the frightened elf shouted and wanted to stand between Luin and Legolas. But, Hylama grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"They are just training." he said with reassuring smile. "Look." and he pointed on the felines' paws. "She would never hurt the prince. She does not have her claws out."
The elf looked closely and nodded when he saw the smooth front paws.
Suddenly all of the elves could feel awkward feeling coming from somewhere behind the fighting pair.
Luin stopped in the middle of her attack when she smelled something. Something bad. Her eyes narrowed to a straight line looking somewhere behind Legolas. She showed her bare teeth and started growling loudly. She fully extended her claws.
Legolas saw the sudden change in his friend. She was no more playful but, feral. She was looking on him. He gripped the knives even tighter if it could be.
No not him he realized but, behind him.
And then he felt it. He turned around and saw two yellow eyes of a warg watching him. "Legolas!" he heard Hylamas' horror-stricken shout and lots of gasps. He knew that he can not fight with blunted blades. So he took a retreating step but, each step Legolas took the warg made it too. Until Legolas got to Luin. And when the warg stepped closer, she stepped between them and raised her head, her fur was already standing up so it made her even bigger. Now her size was bigger than a warg so not every beast attacked her.
Back away or die, mutt! She growled at him and even Legolas could not understand what she said.
No! Never pussycat! He barked and jumped on the young prince.
She swiped with her large front paw and the warg landed on his side far away from the prince.
Legolas stared at his feline friend with amazement. 'She did not use all her strength during the training.' He thought.
Luin was standing on her previous spot and watched the warg getting up from the ground. She growled at him as the warg did, and she attacked him.
Her sharp claws and strong jaws were tearing the wargs' fur out in wide patches, if it can be called fur, shoving sometimes his gray skin but, mostly it was muscles stained with black blood and white bones underneath the skin.
She brought the warg on the ground by grabbing his leg, and when the foul beast was laying she twisted it. A sickening crack could be heard around, when the bone could not stand the force she used.
The warg yelped in pain and pushed the feline off him and backed away limping.
But Luin did not give up that easily. She jumped from the side on his back. She used all the force when she was landing, which the foul beasts' back could not take and gave up under her. She broke his spine and the warg fell limply on the ground.
She stepped to him. I said back away or die mutt. But you did not listen. And now you have what you wanted.
The warg looked her with a look full of hatred but said nothing.
Then she tore his throat to grant him a quick death.
She looked at her brother. Are you okay, Legolas? She asked.
"I am fine. Are you?" he asked.
Aye I am fine. She smiled at him when Legolas ran to her and started looking for any kinds of wounds. When he found none he hugged her.
"I am so glad to know you are not hurt." he realized something and pushed away from the feline. "Why you did not fight with full strength with me?" he asked.
I did not want to hurt you. The ashamed cat said.
"I understand." he smiled and turned to Hylama. "Can we go and clean up?" he asked.
"Aye, go now. It was too much action for you two for now." he smiled at them.
"Hannon le." Legolas said.
Legolas walked to Luin, but did not mount her as he usually did. They were both tired so they both walked to the direction of the palace. They both looked worn out but, Luin looked like she ended in a black mud, because of the black blood staining her normally bluish white fur, which was now standing in all directions.
