Enjoy. The points of view should be longer next chapter.

Chapter 2: Tracking

Fili was half out of his mind with worry. They had all been captured with two exceptions; the hobbit, and his brother. While Bilbo was well within the abilities to seemingly disappear until an opportune moment presented itself, the blonde was far more concerned about the safety of his younger brother.

Kili's skill in both sword and bow was adequate enough, but if he went up against any one of these elves, he would be sure to lose. Even Dwalin and Thorin hadn't been able to withstand one elf for more than a few moments.

Being blindfolded did not help the matter either as he had no idea where he was going, probably the blasted elves' plan. His only condolence was the fact that no one seemed to be substantially hurt and they had a means of escape, unless, of course, both Bilbo and Kili were captured. Either way, in his current position, Fili could only pray.

Kili dropped to one knee and looked around the place, searching for any signs that the trail he was following was a fake. It had been blatantly obvious so far, what with twelve heavyset, bound dwarves making their way reluctantly forward, Kili's task couldn't be easier. But elves were not to be underestimated; they were both sly and intelligent meaning that things he would otherwise take at face value he would second guess.

Another reason for inspecting the trail was to see if he could determine the number of elves that belonged to the group. If he could gauge how many potential enemies he would be facing it would help him to come up with a plan later on. Bending closer he saw a footprint that belonged to neither elf nor dwarf. The track seemed to be more recent than the rest meaning only one thing. Sitting back on his heels, Kili smiled. Trust Bilbo Baggins to evade capture yet again.

The young dwarf immediately sobered knowing that he did not have time to waste. If he was going to free the company, he needed to do it while they were still in the forest, before they reached wherever the elves were taking them.

As he stood, he wished that Thorin or Fili were with him, or even Dwalin; they always seemed to know what they were doing, guided by some mysterious force with every step they took. Thorin and Fili were the rock to his world; calm, steadfast, and always there. Right now he was lost. Even if he did catch up to the company, he had no idea how to set them free.

Looking at the hobbit's footprint a thought came to him. Maybe he could locate the burglar and together they could devise a plan. Bilbo had proven himself to be quite cunning after all.

Setting his mind, Kili began to walk again, at a much faster pace than before, following the hobbit's, and ultimately the company's trail.

Tauriel rolled her neck, aching from keeping it and her back in the same position for so long. The dwarf was proving to be harder to track then she had first thought.

Unlike his companions, the dwarf's footprints were far lighter and harder to identify in the dwindling light. If that gave any indication of his size and weight though, it was looking up. The dwarf appeared to be smaller than the others they had captured meaning that she would be able to use less force to subdue him. It also meant she wouldn't even have the slightest chance of needing backup to bring him in, assuming the dwarf was a male, which was most likely the case.

She had gone back to the clearing and had picked up the trail from the chaotic mess of prints from the clearing. They had appeared to be fresher than the rest but that was to be expected. If he had run off when they had first attacked, he most certainly would have returned to try and pick up the tracks of his company. What surprised her was the skill of his tracking.

The dwarf seemed to pay attention to the detail around him, not just the obvious. He was covering all the bases. Impressive, even for a dwarf.

Looking up at the sky, Tauriel realised she needed to find this dwarf and fast. She was one of the best trackers, but in the dark even she couldn't make much progress. Luckily for her it meant the dwarf wouldn't be able to either. She would have preferred to have this finished by nightfall but it was looking less and less likely.

Her quarry had a good head start on her; around a half day, probably less but not by much. Frustratingly she had lost a lot of time going back to the clearing, allowing him more time to get away. There was nothing that could be done about that though, except to up her game which is exactly what she was doing.

Legolas signalled for the group to halt as they came outside the gates. A head popped over the top.

"We want to come in," Legolas said in a clear voice. The elf at the gate looked towards the captives.

"Who are they?"

"Trespassers. We are bringing them in."

The elf at the gates nodded, accepting his response, and disappeared. A moment later the gate opened and the group was ushered in. The blindfolds on the dwarves were removed and they blinked in the change of light. Their expressions were far from pleased; one or two slightly worried and the expression on the face of Thorin Oakenshield was beyond outraged. Legolas held back a smile. Dwarves were usually stoic in nature and to have the ability to affect one like this was somewhat of an accomplishment.

"Keep moving," one of the elves that had come in barked. The dwarves begrudgingly followed the order. Watching them go, Legolas followed suit, thinking to himself. Interrogating these dwarves was not going to be easy if their rapidly darkening moods was anything to go by.

Bilbo silently slipped in through the gates, cursing his luck as they closed behind him. Now he had to get the company out of a place swarming with elves. How he didn't know which was great.

He paused for moment, breathing and fiddling with the ring on his finger. Looking up, he started. He began to run, almost crashing into several elves, swerving at the last moment. He got through the two doors just as they crashed closed. He let lose the breath he had been holding and continued to follow the group he had almost lost.

Entering though another pair of doors, he came to a stop in what was a large chamber, much like a throne room. In the centre at the back sat a throne and upon that throne perched an elf that looked very much like another the hobbit had seen.

"And what are these dwarves doing here son?"

Bilbo watched as the fair-haired captor stepped forward.

The figure smiled as it brushed a few stray leaves of a recent track. Sniffing the air, it's smile widened. Definitely dwarf, and, from the looks of it, alone. Perfect. Capture would be easy.

Standing, another pair of tracks caught the being's eye. Bending closer, trained eyes scanned the ground. The prints were larger than a dwarf's yet more feminine than those of a fully grown male human or elf. Female and most likely an elf; humans didn't usually come into these woods from the rumours that had been spread.

The figure looked at the directions the tracks were going. They ran almost parallel to those he had been originally following, yet they appeared to be fresher. The elf was presumably tracking the dwarf. Interesting.

Standing the scout turned back towards the group behind him. He signalled for them to move forward, glancing up at the sky as he did so. It was darkening, near night meaning they would have to stop for lack of light. He was confident the trail would still be there when they started again. Soon they would catch up with their prey, sometime tomorrow most likely. Once they had done that, finding the company of dwarves would be a walk in the park.

Falling back into the first ranks, the scout watched as his leader made his way forward. His presence was demanding and intimidating, his reputation proceeding him. As a leader of a pack of bloodthirsty orcs, these traits are what probably kept him from being murdered in the night. That and the fact he was one of the most trusted commanders of Azog, belonging to the pale orc's inner most circle.

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