I love the feeling of a good hunt. There are few pleasures that can match its wonders. The rush of adrenaline, the fire in my veins, watching and feeling my prey’s last moment of life. The kill is the greatest sensation one can imagine, besides bathing in my hoard. I was a dragon, so it was natural. We were born to kill. We were born to fight. None could do better than me and that is why I am the last. They were weak, while I was strong.
But there was a small vexing problem. There was no suitable prey to be found on land. Oh yes, I could snack upon the wild deer, bears, or whatever sort of creatures that lurk in the forests, but that was just it. A snack that could barely fill my belly.
So I had to look elsewhere. There is only one place near Erabor where I could find a ‘decent’ meal: the lake. Hunting over the lake is simple as I only need to dip my head in at the right time. There were no annoying trees or other such greenery getting in my way. There was the fog, but I could simply peer right through it as though it wasn’t even there to begin with. No form of concealment can stop me.
The cool air felt wonderful underneath my wings. It had been years since I’ve last flown, so I could feel some discomfort in them. I paid it no heed. I was a dragon and nothing would keep me grounded. Not even my own body.
Through the fog, I spied upon the water beneath me. My wings gliding across the depths. My prey lay somewhere under the waves. Somewhere close….AHA!
With a simple lunge of my mighty jaws, I scooped out one of the rivers largest fish. It was easily twice the size of any of the miserable lakemen’s boats and fit snuggly in my jaws. The miserable fish wiggled in a vain attempt to escape my grip.
‘It is amusing how creatures always try to cling to life when death is inevitable. Does it not know that it lay in the maw of Smaug the terrible?’
I couldn’t help but snort in amusement. The mere thought of a fish actually thinking was ludicrous. I had more important things to wonder about, like feeding my new trinket. With a twist of my wings, I turned back to the shore, prize in jaws.
As the fish stopped wiggling and its life blood ran across my tongue, I remembered why I didn’t hunt over the lake often. The taste of fish did not suite me. When I was but a young drake, its mere presence made me want to spew. Over the centuries however, I learned to be tolerant of it. The race of men picked clean the land of big game. I had to make the best of what there was and thankfully they were not adept at fishing. The lake had enough prey to sate my hunger.
Landing on the shore, I threw back my might head and swallowed the fish whole. Resisting the urge to regurgitate, it settled in my belly without further problems. Now, I usually would have torn it apart first. It had been too long since I’ve last shredded a carcass, but fish were too messy. There bones too small and constantly get lodged in my gums. There had been one nasty bone that had plagued me for over a century. Thankfully, I had been able to dislodge it eventually.
I scanned the area around me. ‘Surely finding something for her to eat must be simple.’
I had seen my prey, however briefly, grazing upon the green beneath my claws. I did not care for its name. It mattered not. It was food the hooved animals loved to eat, but I was a dragon. I could not collect the ground greens. I was far too large and magnificent to perform such a feeble task. No, I had to find something larger. Something that would fill my trinket’s belly.
My gaze lingered on the forest. Food, while small, had always been plentiful there. ‘Perhaps she might be fond of meat.’
I sincerely doubted that an ‘alicorn’ could eat meat. She was a prey animal, whether she could talk or not. Thinking of her tearing into a fresh carcass both made me chuckle and to my amazement, found quite appealing. Perhaps it had been too long since I’ve seen a female tear into a fresh kill.
I tried not to think about it. None of the female dragons were strong enough to survive, else they would still be alive today. No, I was the last and I was proud of that fact. I had outlasted them all, even ones who ‘claimed’ to be far greater than Smaug the golden. No dragon was my equal. The rest had died, one way or the other. No being had killed me. A testament to my greatness.
I returned my thoughts back to the task at claw. ‘If I am to find her greenery, what should I bring her?’
I cared not if it were but a simple tree. I needed to feed…I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. With but a few steps, I reached the forest edge. I latched on to the small trunk of a tree with my massive jaws and pulled. It naturally came up from the ground, unable to resist my strength.
Pleased with myself for finding food for my trinket, I made a move to return to my lair. The sound of small wings beating against the breeze stopped me. I let loose the tree, allowing it to fall to the ground. I knew that sound anywhere.
“THRUSH!” I roared.
The small bird, a thrust by the tongue of men, came to rest on my snout. “My lord,” the infernal bird chirped in his language. “I have found you an excellent spot to hunt.”
I snorted, nearly sending the small nuisance flying. Thrush was my ever annoying scout. It was he who tells me of the outside world. I may not act like it and I loved my home, but my thoughts would sometimes linger on the goings about of the rest of the land. It was Thrush who told me of the tale of ‘Oakenshield’. I could not help but find it a humorous tale, but that was for another time.
“Really? Then where were you an hour ago. I had to fill my belly on the fish of the lake. You know better than most how I despise fish.”
Thrush gulped. “I apologize, King Smaug, lord under the mountain. My small wings can only carry me so fast.”
“Then learn to be quicker, or I shall find myself a new messenger.”
“May I ask, my lord,” the annoying bird chirped. “Why have you taken it upon yourself to root up that tree? Is there something I should know about?”
“You should know nothing, cretin,” I snarled. “If all was right in the world, thrushes would be forever silent, fretting about elsewhere in this world. But the world isn’t right, is it?”
“No, my lord.”
“No indeed,” I said with a small glare. “I am simply feeding my newest trinket. A winged unicorn that calls herself ‘Celestia’.”
“A winged unicorn, my lord?” The little bird was obviously staring at me in shock.
“Yes,” I couldn’t help but smile. There was no being on this earth that could say they had such a creature in their possession. It was I and I alone who held an ‘alicorn’ and that was how it was going to stay.
“I can surely find you something better than a tree to feed it, my lord,” Thrush fluttered off my snout. “Just say the word and it shall be found.”
“I need not your services, Thrush,” I growled. “A tree shall do her just fine…” As I leaned down to pick up the tree I had pulled from the ground, an idea struck me. “Keep an eye on the human barges, will you? If they bring in any oats or other greenery, I may consider ‘acquiring’ some for my trinket.”
“Yes, my lord,” Thrush bowed in the air and took off for the human town of ‘Laketown’.
I snorted as I took the tree in my jaws. ‘There are times I wish I could just burn that beast, but he would be no good to me dead.’
_____________________________________________________________________________
*Celestia*
Smaug’s home, as much as I didn’t want to admit, was indeed grandious. Never before had I felt such riches beneath my hooves. The architecture was amazing and I wished I could meet the original denizens of this place. Oh yes, I knew Smaug had taken up residence in someone else’s home. I just hoped against hope that he had done so after they had left. That was a fool’s wish, but nevertheless, I wish it to be so. Smaug appeared to be the type to take whatever he so desired as he had done the same to me.
I sighed. ‘That was a superb first introduction.’ I thought to myself with a little eyeroll.
The great headache I had felt earlier had subsided as well as the pain in the rest of my body. Yes, I still felt it and no doubt it would plague me for a long time to come, but it was manageable now. With it gone, I realized I had been a bit too confrontational. I had called out a dragon without any means to protect myself. That was a death wish if I ever heard of one.
I made a mental note to myself to try and keep my cool from now on. Dragons can easily be upset and their pride is something no one should mess with.
I briefly considered escape. Smaug was gone and no doubt he thought me unable to move far enough on my own. If he thought that, he was right. I was too weak and being cooped up inside this ‘under-city’ did nothing to help.
I am a being of the sun. I needed to be outside, soaking in my golden rays. I could heal on my own, but if I had to remain here, without any sort of light other than fire, it would take too long. My pain would go on and so would my inability
‘If I can just get Smaug to let me outside. Perhaps I could say I need some fresh air? No, he wouldn’t go for that. Hmmmm…Perhaps I could tell him the truth, or the partial truth. That I need to be outside occasionally for my health. I would not run and he could keep an eye on my at all times.’
I rather liked that plan, but now wasn’t the time to put it into motion. I had to wait for now. I was new here and Smaug would certainly have a wish for me to remain in his hoard for now. I had to get close to him. Get him to trust me. I felt terrible about the thought of using him, but I had to return home. My nation needed me. My friends and family needed me more.
My musings were cut short when I heard the unmistakable sound of Smaug returning. Craning my neck to view my captor, oh how much that sickened me, I was surprised to see a large tree in his grasp. Steeling myself, I did my best to keep still as he thundered over to me. Stopping just short of myself, he laid the tree before me.
“Eat.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “A tree?”
Smaug frowned. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find you a feast worthy of a king.”
There was a mocking tone to his voice and I hated it. There was nothing I could do though, so I just sighed. “A tree will do for now.”
Smaug snorted. “You are lucky I brought you anything at all.” Turning his head, he started to make his way elsewhere.
“Thank you,” I said.
Smaug stopped in his tracks and looked back at me. He looked so dumbfounded it was kind of funny. “What did you say?”
“I said, thank you,” I quirked my head to the side. “Hasn’t anyone thanked you before?”
Smaug was silent for a moment, regarding the question closely. “No…No one ever thanks Smaug, chiefest of calamities. They only curse my name and wish me dead.”
“Well maybe that should change. I mean, no one deserves death.”
Smaug huffed. “That is where you are wrong, Celestia. For all who I deem unworthy deserve my fire.”
“Maybe that’s why no one has thanked you before. If you perhaps showed some compassion….”
Smaug cut me off with a deep chuckle. “Compassion? I would expect something like that from prey, but not from me. I am death. I am without compassion for all are the same in my eyes.”
I eyed the tree. “I have to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Why did you bring the tree?” I inclined my head to peer into his eyes. He didn’t expect that question.
“Because you need to eat,” Smaug answered. “You are mine and I shall not have you die on me.”
“Oh? Is that it? You thought to feed me because I’m your jewel?”
“Yes,” Smaug was annoyed by my quarries. “Where are you going with this?”
“I believe that may be partially why you gave me a tree,” I started, smirking all the way. “But I know you also cared enough to think of me. You have some good in you.”
“I am a creature born of fire,” Smaug growled, lashing his tail about in agitation. “There is no good that can come from an inferno.”
“Ah, but sometimes the world needs an inferno to clear the rot and decay. How else can a forest stay healthy?”
“Enough!” Smaug roared. “You are insane to think that I would care about anything other than my hoard. I only keep you alive because you interest me. If I deem that interest gone, I will have no qualms with burning your hide.”
“If I become so uninteresting, I would think that would be the wisest decision,” I nodded. “Oh how droll would life be if I became a boring, old sod. Why, I couldn’t stand to live with myself like that.”
“How dare you mock me,” Smaug put his snout right up in my muzzle. I could feel his hot breath wash over me.
I didn’t flinch. “I am not a brainless oaf, Smaug. I know better than to mock you. I am simply trying to engage in a little friendly conversation.”
Smaug snorted in my face and turned away. “If that is what you consider a friendly conversation, then I want no part of it.”
I frowned. “Smaug, do not try and keep to yourself. Living a life alone will do you no good.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“Friendship,” I answered honestly.
Smaug’s laughter shook the cavern. “Friendship? What would the mighty Smaug do with friendship?”
“Perhaps nothing,” I shrugged. “Or perhaps you could find a little happiness.”
“I am happy,” Smaug spread his wings to emphasis his treasure. “I have the greatest hoard in all of middle-earth. I need nothing else.”
“Physical possessions can’t bring one happiness,” I chided him.
“I beg to differ, Celestia. Do you not possess a wealth of your own?”
“I do, but all the gold in Equestria pales in comparison to the love I share with my subjects.”
“How naïve you are,” Smaug grinned. “Maybe it is best you take some time away from your oh so precious subjects. I’m sure they will be delighted to be rid of you.”
“Why?” I glared at him.
“Oh, they may pretend to love you,” Smaug spat the word. “To care for you, but that is all a lie. They want nothing more than everything you possess. I can almost see them now, tearing your country apart in some vain pursuit for power and riches.”
“I pity you Smaug,” I sighed. “I really do. My subjects care for one another, not because of power and greed, but because of the bonds they share. They care for each other and that ‘care’ can be more powerful than your flame.”
“NONE CAN MATCH MY FLAME!” Smaug hollered. “Everything it touches burns. ‘Friendship’ holds not even the slightest candle to my power. Can you use it? Can it blaze away your foes with nothing but the power of friendship?”
“Sometimes,” I nodded.
Smaug just stared at me for what felt like the longest time. He looked both shocked and disbelieving of my answer. With a loud huff, he laid down. “I believe it is time again to rest. You, I want you to eat. You have your strength to regain after all. A weak trophy won’t do when held in my mighty claws.”
I smiled. “I’ll try my best.” I nibbled upon the leaves of the tree. They weren’t that good. They didn’t have the same flavor as the trees in my homeland and nor did it have any residual magic. So I couldn’t get it from my food either. I sighed inwardly.
‘This is going to take a while, might as well get used to it.’