This is just to fill in some blank spots, show the progression of their relationship more, as well as touch upon other characters in the story that I haven't really expanded on yet (Gilni and Dis, Fili and Kili, perhaps Nori, and past Northern Clan stories). The second chapter to King Under the Mountain is almost done- It is so hard writing Bilbo!

Anyway, I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Hobbit or Middle Earth Verse.

The night was bitter cold on the plain the dwarves currently called their camp. The sky was clear and moonless, allowing hundreds of stars to twinkle down at the huddled mass of tents and fires. Except for the dozen or so soldiers placed around the boundaries on watch, the encampment was asleep.

Thorin had volunteered for first watch that night. Ever since he, Dwalin, and his father were captured by the human slavers, he had been unable to rest for a full night. The ordeal had left him tenser, more fully aware of how vulnerable his people were and the only way he could stopped those thoughts was to feel like he was accomplishing something, doing something to help keep them safe.

At the moment, keeping watch and letting one of his soldiers sleep was the best he could do.

Thorin sat with the fire to his back, not wanting the light to affect his night vision. Wrapping his cloak around himself, the eldest Durin prince shivered and settled more comfortably on the ground.

Gazing back out into the night, Thorin almost missed the two green pin-pricks of light hovering off to his right. Not knowing what creature was sizing him up, Thorin grasped the throwing axe lying by his side.

The green lights began to come towards him and Thorin, having raised the axe, quickly lowered it as the wolf Raiya crept into the little glow of his fire, her head down and eyes trained on him.

"You shouldn't be sneaking around little wolf." Thorin admonished it as it drew up closer to him and delicately sniffed his boots. "I almost killed you."

The wolf sat down by his side, it's mouth opening wide and tongue lolling out in a massive yawn, before laying down next to him.

Thorin wasn't sure what to make of that. It was the closest the wolf had been to him in a while, ever since it found him in the slaver's back room and had practically poked him to death with it's nose.

He contemplated pushing her away, making her go sleep next to some other sentry or even the pile of children she always seemed to wiggle into. A part of him briefly wondered if the wolf now viewed him as a dwarfling needing protection- it had certainly followed him very closely since the ill-fated trip to the town three weeks ago.

In his minds eye, he could picture Ariya standing in front of him, her arms crossed, informing him that of course her wolf viewed him as a dwarfling- he had managed to be caught off guard by a bunch of bumbling idiots! And then, after throwing in an insult about his fighting skills, she would have shot him a smirk and sauntered off, leaving him attempting to come up with an appropriate retort and trying not to stare at her hips.

Visibly shaking his head, Thorin couldn't help the thought that popped into it- that life would have always been an adventure with her around.

Thorin shook his head again. It was no use dwelling on the past.

The wolf shifted even further into his side, it's warm coat tickling his skin through a hole in his pants.

He would need to mend that tomorrow. Just one more item on his never-ending "Have to do list".

Against his better instincts, Thorin did not order the wolf to leave. He would never admit it but, the wolf was a comfort by his side, radiating both warmth and the security that, for now, there was nothing sinister around them.

They passed the rest of the shift like this, undisturbed except for the occasional hoot of an owl that would make the wolf's ears twitch.

Eventually, Dwalin came to relieve Thorin of his post. The wolf heard him approaching first, its head rising and turning in the larger dwarf's direction. Before Thorin knew it, the wolf was trotting off into the night and Dwalin was standing in it's place, clapping him on the shoulder and telling him to sleep. Grudgingly rising to his feet, Thorin made his way to the tent he shared with his family. He didn't see any sign of the wolf.

Thorin told himself that he wasn't disappointed by this.

The next night, the wolf sidled up to Thorin almost as soon as he took his post. It laid down with a slight huff- it's chin was pressed flat on the ground and little puffs of dirt were stirred up every time it exhaled.

Thorin merely glanced over at his possibly welcomed guest (not that he would admit it to anyone) before retrieving his war axe and proceeding to sharpen it. The watch passed quickly, with Thorin lost in his task and the wolf keeping keeping an ear out on their surroundings. Once it was time for Dwalin to relieve him, the wolf slipped away and Thorin went to bed, feeling more clear headed than he had in a while.

This continued for a week as the dwarves made their way across the plains. They were headed for a modest-sized village on the outskirts of Rohan, where there would be enough work for several blacksmiths, at least for a time.

There was a problem however. The wolf had slipped away in the late afternoon, two days ago. It hadn't been seen since. Thorin hadn't been worried when he saw it's black form ghosting along the plain. He had figured that it was off to hunt, perhaps deciding that it needed more food in the colder months. When he hadn't been joined by it for his watch that night, he had been disappointed. He would have even considered that he felt abandoned, if the thought hadn't been so preposterous. It was just a wolf for Mahal's sake.

But when the wolf failed to appear the next day, or the one after, Thorin began to truly worry. Perhaps it had been killed by one of the Rohirrim, thinking that it was hunting their livestock, or even by a larger animal. Thorin found himself sending up a silent prayer to Mahal that the wolf was just lost and would come trotting up to him, covered in burdock seeds and Valar knows what else.

Somehow, deep down, he knew that she wasn't lost.

If Thorin had delved deeper into his feelings, he would have become aware of something- something that a very small part of him had been slowly piecing together.

The way the wolf cocked its head and how similar it was to the way Ariya would when she was focusing on a new sword technique Dwalin would teach her, or listening to Dis explain a part of Dwarven history.

The way its green eyes would follow him and examine every move he made, the same way Ariya's would when she didn't think Thorin was aware of her.

The comfort that he found when it was next to him, the way that it seemed to worry over him- Thorin's subconscious mind had made the connection and it was currently screaming at him to go find her, that Ariya was the wolf and that he had to find her.

Of course, Thorin refused to delve that deep into his feelings. He felt that seeing how the wolf had lived most of it's life with Ariya, that it would be sure to pick up some of her characteristics, as he had told Dis days ago. So, he continued to lead his people on and secretly kept searching the plain for a black spot.

The wolf finally came back on the fourth night after it's disappearance. The dwarves had finally reached the end of the plain and were now in a lightly wooded area, making towards the Gap of Rohan, where the town of Roah was situated. Thorin was sitting by his watch fire, staring out into the night, when he saw familiar green eyes moving towards him. His relief was palpable and he instantly reached out a hand to the black beast, running it through it's fur when it got close enough. He carefully pulled a few thorns and clumps out of its coat and continued to pet it, inspecting it for any wounds or changes. The wolf stood patiently, allowing him to finish, before laying down next to him and placing its head in his lap. Thorin was surprised by the change in position, but didn't object. Placing his hand on the wolf's head, he resumed his sentry duty and felt the creature pass into a light sleep.

Ariya snuggled in more, breathing in Thorin's scent. Ever since the slavers town, she realized even more just how large a part of her life Thorin had become. She had sworn that nothing would happen again to cause him harm, which is why she had left for a few days.

She had travelled ahead of the dwarves and scouted out the town of Roah- plenty of work, no slavers, and trade opportunities. Snuggling in deeper to Thorin's side, Ariya felt herself drift off to a deeper sleep.

Everything would be fine for a while.