Ok, I know it has been a while for this update but I have been really busy at work and school (full time for both do bear with me. But I have this chapter and chapter five to post so its a big update. I'll get chapter six out before the weekend since I will be on a camping trip dealing with twenty crazy little girl scouts.

And I have been forgetting to post it but I do not own The Hobbit (obviously). But my OCs are mine.


Chapter Four

I had let Puppy play in the water and given her another swimming lesson for a little while longer after she was cleaned. Nico and Sanity had gotten a set of their clothes washed, and I hung them up to dry by the campfire earlier. All of the men except Bombur, who was cooking the hog that Rider had gotten, had gone down stream to clean themselves up and were already on their way back. I pulled Puppy from the river, and picked up both of our old beach towels. Draping hers over her head and bundling her up from the late afternoon cool breeze, I picked her up and walked over to the campfire with mine draped over my shoulder.

"Stay there little one," I said putting her down on a log by Rider near the fire, a little ways from Kili and Fili.

Puppy wrapped the towel around her tighter, her teeth chattering, "Oookk."

I grabbed my rucksack real quick and changed behind the trees; pulling on my old black cargo skinny jeans and plain gray shirt over top of some clean undergarments. I deposited my rucksack back where it had originally rested and grabbed Puppy's pack. Rider came over and took my old wet clothes from me and took them over to Nico and Sanity.

"Alright Pup," I chuckled as she curled up as small as she could. "I have to wrestle with that hair of yours before it gets too dried."

I pulled her brush out of her bag and sat her on the ground in front of the log between my legs. Slowly and carefully I worked my way through her really tangled hair, muttering apologies every time she whimpered when I tugged a little too hard.

"What is the place you are from like?" Kili asked, looking to Rider as she walked back into the group and placed my boots down by the fire.

"Thanks, man," I smirked at her, "I forgot all about those."

She nodded in response to me and turned to Kili as she sat down next to me on the log, "Well before hell froze over it was really pretty. I lived out on a ranch with my mom and dad. Daily chores were to take care of the horses and livestock. Pretty simplistic life but I liked it. There was nothing better than taking my horse out and riding her through the hills and trees."

A whistle caught my attention from their conversation. Nico was motioning for me to bring them their mostly dry clothes over. I climbed out from behind Puppy and snagged their clothes for them. After I handed them their clothes I went back to the group by the fire. The sun was sinking and cooler air breezed through the trees. I scooped up Puppy and her bag and took her to the tree line to change her. Once she was changed we went back to the log and I had her sit in my lap as I decided what to do with her combed out hair.

"Rider, you had horses?" Puppy asked, looking over to the other.

"Yep, raised them, trained them, and raced them," she smiled over at Puppy.

"I never been on a horse before," Puppy noted. "Could you teach me sometime?"

Rider nodded, still smiling at the curious little girl in my lap as I began to French braid her long golden locks. Nico and Sanity came back into the campsite, giggling and plopped down onto the ground by us.

"Sanity? What did you use to be?" Puppy asked leaning forward. I gave her a little tug back.

"I was an artist," Sanity beamed. "My favorite stuff to do was creating Manga, which is like comics but in a different style. I could create a story to go along with the things I drew."

Puppy's eyes were wide and big with excitement, "Nico, what did you use to do?"

"I was a wildlife veterinarian."

"A veternimaian?" Puppy stumbled.

"Vet-er-nar-ian. I was an animal doctor. That's why I had some idea as to how to keep all of us nice and healthy," Nico chuckled at Puppy.

"Reaper?" Puppy asked, looking over her shoulder to me.

I stopped mid braid and looked back at her. Dread sunk in as I looked back at her. "I was…" I began and glanced around to the others. "I was nothing of any importance."

Puppy's brow furrowed at my response.

"How long have you lassies been together?" Bofur interjected.

"Ummm… A year, give or take a few months. Reaps and Pup have been together longer though," Sanity shrugged.

"And you are just now learning these things about each other?" Thorin crossed his arms over his chest.

"When you could die tomorrow it's best to not share too much, makes loss a little easier to deal with the loss," I shrugged. "You're able to get your mind focused on survival and not the dead body that was a friend."

Thorin's brow furrowed at my response.

"Back there, we were not friends," Rider piped up to help the explanation. "We were each other's meal tickets. It's easier to survive with multiple people that you can trust with your life than on your own."

Throin nodded his head slightly but then shook it, "I still do not fully understand."

"You probably never will," Sanity laughed. "We're pretty crazy if you haven't noticed."

"Speak for yourself," I laughed back at her.

"Food is ready," Bombur licked his lips eagerly as I finished braiding Puppy's hair and tied it off.

I patted her back, "Go get our mess kits."

Puppy bounced over to our rucksacks and grabbed all of our mess kits and skipped back over with them all in her arms. She handed them out as I ran the brush quickly though my hair, stopping in front of me while I tied it back into a messy bun again.

"We move out at first light in the morning," Thorin's voice thundered through the group. "Where we will be going will be dangerous, but we will escort you to the next place before leaving you."

"And where exactly is this next place?" I asked leaning forward on my knees.

"I have a dear friend who lives a little way away from here that you will be safe with my dear," Gandalf spoke up. "Beorn will keep you safe from the Orcs and other things in these woods."

"Orcs?" Puppy repeated as a screech came through the air from a distance away.

"The fuck was that?!" I jumped up from my spot looking around.

"That was some distance away my dear," Gandalf puffed some smoke from his pipe. "but that was indeed an Orc."

"Probably those hunting us," Dwalin growled from his spot next to Thorin.

I sent them a glare, "And you are now just telling us this because…?"

No one spoke up. I growled a little to myself before sitting back down on the log next to the now sitting Puppy who was munching away at her bowl of stew. I pulled my pack of cigarettes out of the front pocket of my jacket and put one in my mouth. My nerves were off the chart at the new information.

"Hey, Reaper? Last supply run did you find any cigs for me?" Nico eyed me from a few feet away.

"Choose your words wisely Reaps…" Rider chuckled in my ear.

"Uhhh… no. The shop I raided was out of Nico Time Cigs. Sorry girlie," I nervously laughed. "You can have some of mine…" I pulled one out of the pocket and held it out to her.

The expressions that crossed her face would have been priceless if it wasn't for the fact that I was bracing myself for her attack. Then suddenly she bolted at me and snatched the cigarette from my hand and ran off into the woods.

"Should we go after her?" Kili asked, confusion apparent of his face as well as the others.

"No way in hell," I laughed, puffing on my cigarette and putting the pack away. "Not unless you wanna die. She'll be back, don't worry."

"You do realize that she is going to raid you rucksack in the night, right?" Sanity laughed. "I can't wait to hear you scream bloody murder when you wake up from a hand moving in your makeshift pillow."

"Damn… I only got two packs left…" I grumbled.

"She'll kill them before you know it. You smoke for nerves, she smokes because she is addicted," Rider snapped her fingers.

I ran my free hand down my face, sighing.

"You smoke because of your nerves lass?" Balin asked from across the fire.

"Yea, after something bad happens or I get bad news I smoke," I shrugged. "Bad news now being that we might have landed in frying pan after being defrosted…"

"You have nothing to worry my dear," Gandalf moved behind me and put one of his big hands on my shoulder. "I have a friend who lives a little farther into the forest. I'm sure that he will allow us to stay a few days to get ourselves reorganized."

"Oh good," I growled, looking to Rider. "He has a friend."

Puppy smacked me upside the back of the head, "Be nice!" she scolded me.

I glared at her a little, "You know kid… you're five. Act like it."

She glared back at me till I was distracted by a hand snaking its way into my jacket pocket. I smacked it real hard and heard Nico yelp.

"Knock it off! You need to quit anyway!" I growled at her.

"Pot calling the kettle black?" She rubbed her hand as she humphed and sat down on the log near Bilbo.

"Dude, you'll die of lung cancer!"

"You smoke too miss high and mighty!"

"Not as fuckin' often as you!"

"Chill you two!" Sanity yelled over top of us from her spot by Fili. "Just relax. Everything will be ok, we just need to go with the flow, keep a set of eyes on our back, and our guard up. Right Rider?"

Rider slapped me on the shoulder, "Right."

"Now kiss and make up," Sanity giggled. I threw a small rock her way and she dodged it. "I am getting good at that!" She laughed and pointed at me.

I growled and stood up putting out my cig butt, "I'm going to bed. Come on Pup its past your bed time. Nico I'm happy to share but if I catch you trying to swipe… I'll break every bone in that hand. Capiche?"

Nico nodded her head slowly. Puppy was close to me but she suddenly jumped around and glared at Nico, "Swiper no swipey!"

Her squeaky little five year old voice broke all of us out into laughing. Even the guys were chuckling. Pup skipped back over to me as I laid out her sleeping bag and mine. It was going to be a long night.