After they had been traveling for the most of the day and it began to get dark they stopped for the evening. None of the dwarves offered to help Eleona unpack and she didn't ask for any help either. The young woman was oddly taller then the other dwarves though she was obviously dwarvish. Thorin began to suspect she was keeping some important secret. Probably not important to the company but very possibly important to Eleona herself. Bombur had started to get the food out and a wide grin spread across his face since he had not eaten since noon and Bombur was a bottomless pit in regards to food. Most of the dwarves kept their own small private stash of sustenance for fear of Bombur eating all the supplies before they even got half way done with their journey. Kili, the one that had drawn his sword on Eleona earlier in Bilbo's house, and his brother, Fili, sat down by the fire and set about smoking their pipes. A couple hours before they had made camp Gandalf had gone off to scout ahead. Because of this most of the dwarves were slightly uncomfortable not having the great wizard with them and almost all of them took out their own pipes hoping to relax. Balin rose from beside the fire and went to across to were Eleona was sitting near the edge of the glowing embers. The light cast shadows on her face playing with the color of her skin and hair making them look warmer, but her eyes remained untouched by the blaze and they looked coldly at the flicker flames. They seemed almost empty as if she was a still pond without a ripple going through it. The water within stood silent and hollow. She looked up as Balin sat down beside her. But no surprise crossed her face.

"How old are you my dear?" Balin asked

"15." for some reason Eleona did not seem as hostile as she began to talk to him.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"The Iron Hills. I lived there till I was 10." Eleona told him slowly.

Balin looked over at her as she stared into the fire. She was indeed young, very young for a dwarf in fact, but her eyes looked ageless as if the mind of a old and ragged person, who had weathered many trials, had been forced into her to young body. Balin sat watching her for awhile and just sitting next to her until Kili spoke up.

"Do you find us so unappealing that you will sit only with Balin?" he directed at Eleona.

"I did not wish for company in the first place. But I will endure it."

Kili gave a small exasperated laugh. Then speaking to the other dwarves he said. "She has a sharp tongue on her does she not? It is a shock to me that she does not use it as a knife."

Eleona sat in silence ignoring the laughter of the dwarves. She did not show much emotions to others even if they knew her well enough. The times she had voiced her ideas she found that it would have been better to keep her mouth shut since most others took no notice of her misgivings or rather gave advice that she knew would do no good. Kili's words stung but she remained unmoved on the outside. The inner pond rippled only a tiny bit. Eleona had always felt that she could not confide in another for they rarely understood her and then only a part of her. She was good at keeping to herself and she preferred to be left alone with her thoughts. She got up and grabbed her bow from where it lay close to her scabbard.

"Where are you going?" Thorin asked. He had come over after hearing a bit of the talk near the camp fire.

"To hunt. I prefer fresh meat to the dried jerky your group carries."

To this Thorin said nothing and Eleona walked off. Taking her bow and quiver. She planed to hunt for some small game. She doubted there was any elk or deer around. But she also had gone hunting to get away from the others. Being around that many was suffocating to Eleona and being teased by Kili did not help. She often seemed unmovable but in her quiet heart she actually was hurt quiet easily but would not let on. Learning how unloving the world could be she moved on from things that hurt her.

Eleona quietly crept along picking up small movements in the foliage with her quick eyes. There was either a squirrel or other rodent rooting about. She silently nocked an arrow to her bowstring and drew in a low and long breath. She loved this time when hunting. She could feel the power as she opened up her chest, pulling the string back. The gray and white feather brushed her cheek. The strength in her shoulders ran through her body sending shivers of enjoyment down her spine. All this preparation was interrupted by a rumbly in the forest. The prey scampered off before Eleona could loose an arrow. She felt like cursing but held her tongue for she knew better to give away herself when something big, by the level of the noises, was wondering around. It was probably not friendly. She climbed a tree close behind her. As she sat in the branches she melded with them. Not making a movement and breathing so quietly that only and elf would have been able to hear it and barely at that. A revolting troll tromped into view of her tree. He seemed to be wearing what appeared to be an apron and reeked so unpleasantly that Eleona almost vomited. But she had not made her presence known by the involuntary movement that she had made to cover her mouth and nose. As the creature moved off into the foliage Eleona slipped swiftly down from the tree and followed it noiselessly.