The large beast fell into step beside Gandalf's horse with Thorin just behind them on his own chocolate pony.

"You had me worried for a moment... I thought you had gotten caught up in other affairs!" The older man teased her, his eyes shinning with mirth. "Or instead of affairs, I should say in your case, just plain trouble!" The wizard mused.

He watched as the girl's normally smiling face was blank at the moment. She was thinking. Hard. And once she realized his words were directed towards her, the corners of her mouth twitched up ever so slightly.

"I am simply a woman traveling on my own to see the world..." She told him, as she smiled slightly. "How much trouble could I possibly get into?" Her blue eyes glistened with amusement just as his own had. However, after a moment passed the wizard sent her a knowing look and he inclined his eyebrows as he most certainly knew the answer. Her smile widened then at his look. "Nevermind... Do not answer that..."

Gandalf merely chuckled at her and patted his mare on the neck. Once he sobered, he then looked from his own horse to hers, a question pulling at the back of his mind. "So, this horse? May I ask what happened to the last creature I saw you riding?"

Ren glanced down as he asked her that and at the exact moment, the stallion suddenly became anxious and pranced slightly. "Petunia?" The woman immediately grit her teeth and yanked hard on the reins.

"Yes, quite a charming name. Lovely chestnut mare." Gandalf called to her as he watched her continue her battle against her stallion.

"She just got too old and started giving me fits! A very stubborn horse that one was!" Ren replied as she continued to fight against the mighty beast, the horse snorting angrily and whinnying loudly.

"And you believed that this one would give you fewer fits?" The wizard mused and the dwarf riding behind them couldn't help the amused smirk upon his face as she watched her struggle.

"He has proven to be a handful but that is only because he is very young and remarkably fast!" She grunted as one hand gripped the saddle horn and the other yanked on the reins. "I only got him last week so we're still in the training process as you can tell!" He tossed his head then and pranced in place. It was easy to see that he was rearing to go and wanted to run.

"Then I wish you all the luck with him! He seems to be a most fiery thing!" Gandalf smiled at her once more, his gray eyes kind and warm.

"He's not normally this anxious. I think it's because we galloped along the road all morning and he wants to just go again!" He calmed then slightly and for that, the woman was thankful, given that her arms had been growing tired of fighting him.

The black beast snorted loudly through his nose but seemed to calm slightly as he continued to walk alongside Mithrandir's mare.

Ren let the reins in her hand slacken slightly as she too breathed heavily. "See now?" She patted the stallion's thick neck. "Was that so hard?" The blonde woman chastised him. The horse didn't seem to understand her words but upon hearing her voice, his eyes flickered back towards her.

She simply rode along in silence for a moment, taking a deep breath and inhaling the fresh forest air around her. However, she was a bit confused when the older man who had been at her side dropped back in the group, leaving her ahead of the column and just before Thorin. "Carry on! You know this road well enough!" He called to her.

Unfurrowing her brow, she nodded slowly once again. Glancing back at Thorin for a moment, she swallowed her nerves and urged her horse forward back to the head of the Company. She was confident in herself and she didn't want him to know that she was uncertain as to if she should be leading the group of dwarves.

After all, she never really procured a title in their group and it hadn't been stated in the contract. So, she supposed that she could fill the role as guide for the moment.

But it wasn't long before Thorin's short legged pony caught up with her midnight black stallion. His eyes were dark and brooding as he came to walk alongside her. She only glanced over at him before facing forwards once again, having nothing to really say to him as they plodded along the path.

The two of them walked in silence for a long while, his pony snorting in annoyance as it tried to keep up with the long legged horse beside him. Just as she was about to turn and speak to the dwarf, her words were cut short as another voice sliced through the air.

"WAIT!" Ren's eyes picked up the quiet voice of the hobbit. "STOP! STOP!" It came again. Her horse nickered in confusion and he reared slightly once more as she pulled on his reins, getting him to stop. He was impatient and liked to keep the earth moving beneath his feet. Pawing at the ground, he threw his head about in frustration, some of his dark hair whipping her in the face. "We have to turn around!"

"What on Earth is the matter?" Came Gandalf's own confused voice.

"I forgot my handkerchief!" Bilbo cried. Ren only glowered slightly in his direction as she twisted back around in her saddle to gaze at him. That was the bad thing about halflings. They were very needy creatures. That was also a reason as to why she couldn't live among them in the end she decided.

"Here." Bofur said as he ripped part of his worn tunic off. "Use this!" He tossed it back and the hobbit caught it with a noise of disgust. A slight smirk now twitched at her lips. The simplicity of the dwarves balanced out the neediness of the hobbit.

All the other dwarves chuckled at Bofur's actions.

"Move on!" Thorin ordered from beside her. She managed to have her horse rooted in the same spot for a moment before she turned and let him catch up with the brooding dwarf lord.

Ren couldn't help but smile slightly as she listened to the hobbit complain about the make-shift handkerchief.

"What has you so amused?" A deep voice rumbled from her left and she turned to look at the dwarf lord who rode calmly at her side, his eyes looking up at her with question.

"I used to be like that you know..." She tossed her head back in the Bilbo's direction in answer to the dwarf's question. "When I first ventured out alone in the world, I forgot a wide number of important things."

Thorin nodded his head in understanding. "That is how it is for most everyone on their first venture out their door." He explained, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth slightly. "Though, I am actually quite amazed that my nephews seem to be adequately prepared. They were more than enthusiastic to come when I asked it of them."

"Everyone's first adventure is the most exciting." The woman added, flashing him a slight smile.

When she first set out from her home, Ren had forgotten the simple idea of a water skin. She had left hers back home and nothing could have forced her to go back, not that she would be allowed back in anyway. So she had to make do. She could almost hear Gandalf's words as clearly in her head as she was now as he gave the same speech to Bilbo.

"You'll have to manage without pocket handkerchiefs and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach your journey's end! You were born to the rolling hills and little river of the Shire! But home is now behind you, the world is ahead."

She smiled warmly at the thought. That was her first time meeting the wizard.

Going nearly a week without stumbling across a single body of water, she had nearly fainted from dehydration when a man with a pointed hat appeared before her, blocking out the sun with his tall hat and offered her water. Of course she had accepted without another thought and drank the entire thing in a few greedy gulps. She had just been a young thing back then, her legs were shaky and new like that of a new born fawn. But, she had long ago since become a doe and had grown into her legs.

She had so much more knowledge of the world and her naivety had long since passed.

Walking silently beside Thorin, the air between the two of them was not as thick as she first expected. The two of them at least seemed to be on better terms this morning. But even though neither of them was hostile any more, Ren couldn't shake the subtle feeling that he didn't like her. At all.

However, it seemed as though that didn't stop him from scrutinizing her the entire time.

Whenever the dark haired dwarf would steal a glance at her, he would always find her staring straight ahead, her eyes locked intently on the road before them. And she never looked back at him and that made his blood boil beyond imagine. She was doing a grand job of ignoring him.

And Thorin never was one that liked to be ignored.

Hours later, the group stopped for the night. The first night together on the road. They had already logged many miles on their ponies but the beasts were not weary in the slightest, for they seemed to be in better spirits than the dwarves did.

Kili and Fili had been assigned the job of taking care of all fourteen ponies. However, when the two horses became the center of the conversation, the two brothers shifted uneasily. Neither wanted to have to handle the large horses, seeing as though they would no doubt get stepped on and neither of them wanted to be crushed into a pancake, or, at least that was how Kili put it.

Sighing deeply, Ren stepped forward and volunteered to tend to the two horses of the group. Both brothers sent her a look of gratitude, knowing that they would properly thank her later.

All the dwarves groaned and protested as they slid from the saddles. Ren and Gandalf simply shared an amused look before she took the reins from the wizard and towed the horses away into the trees.

A few of the dwarves also handed her the reins to their ponies and promising them they would be well taken care of, she led them away.

Finding a suitable clearing filled with lush grass only a few yards away from the camp, she pulled a long length of rope from one of her saddlebags. Wrapping it around the base of an oak tree, she tied it to the bottom her horse's bridle, knowing that he would wander off if not tied down.

Setting to work unbuckling the two saddles and placing them on the ground, she gently slapped the black horse's rump. He was used to the affectionate gesture and simply lowered his head to the ground and began nibbling on the grass and a few flowers that dotted the landscape around his hooves.

Seeing that the dwarven brothers only had finished with five of the fourteen ponies, she wandered to the nearest one and quietly began to help. As she tugged the smaller saddle off the shorter horse before her, she placed it on the ground beside the steed. Running her hands through his thick mane, she now realized that this was Thorin's pony.

Also rubbing his long face, she then moved to work on another of the four legged creatures but the chocolate pony bobbed his head and nickered in her direction, wanting more pets from the taller being. She merely smiled before scratching his forehead and rubbing under his chin. He extended his neck out as he begged for more attention.

Ren only smiled before moving onto another stocky pony just beside him.

As she began to take care of this one, she felt a warm body brush up against her. Glancing over her shoulder, she only thought it was another pony but she was surprised to find both Kili and Fili were finishing the last few steeds together and the younger of the two had accidentally bumped into her.

Sighing through her nose, she swept the last saddle off and placed it on the ground beside the others.

"We never really got to thank you before." She heard one of the brothers say as she slipped the saddle blanket off of a little, white mare. It had been Fili. When she turned to look up at him, he plopped another saddle down right beside the one she had just finished with and he beamed at her.

"Horses just make us nervous... You know, them being so large and us being so... small." Kili added as he smiled sheepishly. This caused her to laugh quietly and both brothers smiled at one another.

"I completely understand. When I was younger, I used to be terrified of horses..." She said quietly as she returned to her saddle and untied a bag. The two dwarves watched with interest as she sat down on a fallen log and opened up the sack.

She had been silent for most of the day and now the dwarves were trying to get her to actually speak to them.

"And how did you come to not fear them any longer?" Kili continued to pry whilst his brother simply stood beside him in content silence. She only looked up at the two of them, a smile twitching at her lips.

"I got taller." This caused the boys to chuckle before Fili stopped and thought about her words again.

"You said that you were afraid when you were younger... Aren't you still young?" The blonde brother asked, curiosity beginning to pry at him. He still wasn't exactly sure to think about her, though he knew that she seemed friendly enough and he hoped that as the journey progressed, both he and his brother could find a friend in her.

She paused for a moment as if she had been caught but no panic crossed into her irises. She always seemed to keep herself level minded and she only blinked as she looked at Fili. It always seemed that she made sure her emotions were in check.

"When I was little." She clarified and righted herself immediately. Fili only narrowed his eyes slightly, his braided mustache twitching in thought. "Like when I was a child... so, as in... younger?" Kili didn't really seem to understand the difference so he simply shot his brother a questioning look. "But yes, I suppose I am... young."

The words sounded foreign on her tongue and she didn't like the bitter taste of them.

Groping around in the bag before her, she pulled her hand out to reveal a slightly aged but still red apple. The dwarves just looked at her with curiosity as she turned it over in her hands before holding it out to the dwarves. They only gave her a questionable look.

"It's for the ponies?" She stated and both brothers smiled in revelation. Tossing the first to Fili, she reached back inside the burlap sack and retrieved a few more apples. "You two can begin halving them if you like..." Fishing out another couple of the shiny fruit, Fili drew out his sword and began to expertly cut them in half.

After offering the apple pieces to all the ponies and horses, the three of them counted and checked to see that they each got a piece. Now that the ponies were all content with the little treat they got, they all quieted down and went back to nibbling on the grass provided.

Behind them, the other dwarves had gotten a fire roaring and it was the only thing lighting up the night.

The smell of food reached their nostrils immediately and the two dwarves began to make their way back through the dark and towards the fire, moaning the entire way. Bombur was cooking. And he was a brilliant cook.

Hearing nothing but silence behind them, Kili turned around and saw that Ren had not followed them and was simply shuffling her things around to appear like she was busy.

"Aren't you coming, my lady?" She looked up hearing his voice but shook her head slightly. In her hands she held a bristled brush to use on the ponies.

"I think it would be best if I stayed over here for a bit. I have this sneaking suspicion that most of the members of our group don't like me being here..." Kili glanced at Fili, silently asking his brother to help him. The blonde dwarf had also stopped and was now looking back at her.

"Don't be silly!" He added, waving his hand slightly in her direction, wanting her to dismiss her thoughts though in his heart, he knew that she was probably right. "Now come along!"

"I don't think so..." She said as she sat down on the ground beside her things, the brush still in her palms.

"Well... What are you going to do about food?" The younger of the two asked. Ren simply sighed deeply through her nose and looking back at her supplies.

"I'll be fine, Kili." She insisted as she stood up and approached one of the ponies after sliding her fingers beneath the strap on the brush. Both dwarves felt a bit guilty for leaving her out by herself but their stomachs were rumbling with hunger. Sharing a look, they let their starving stomachs get the best of them and they simply left to find food.

Later, after the fire had begun to grow dimmer and the dwarves were settling down for sleep, did Ren finally emerge from her hiding place near the ponies. Gandalf simply regarded her with kind eyes as she silently moved between the dozing dwarves.

Thorin watched her move across the clearing, bow in hand.

"Who is to take watch?" She asked, causing most of the dozing dwarves to startle awake. Bombur was the only unresponsive dwarf and he had already fallen into a deep sleep beside his brother.

Thorin pulled his pipe away from his mouth, the smoke floating around him before it lazily drifted off into the sky above. When he said nothing, she only grumbled before rolling her eyes.

She expected as such.

"I will take the first watch if none other shall take it." She finally said after another moment of silence between her and the dwarf lord. Most of the dwarves only looked to one another with uncertainty in their eyes. Upon seeing the looks passed between them, she sighed once more. "If anything were to happen, I would wake you immediately..." She reassured the brooding dwarf before her. He seemed to mull this thought over.

She was offering to keep watch and as he looked between his bleary eyed companions and the seemingly wide awake woman, he began to lean more in her favor. Maybe she could prove herself useful after all. Even if she only offered them extra time to sleep.

"Very well." He grumbled but looked around the clearing and found his old friend. "Dwalin." Said dwarf looked up. "You will take the second watch." The bald warrior nodded his head in agreement before settling in, wanting to get some sleep before it was his turn to.

She nodded to the King before placing the bow back across her shoulders. He then watched with fascination as she turned and climbed up the nearest oak tree with relative ease, her hands easily gripping the branches and hauling herself upward as if it were second nature. It was not long before she had taken up residence upon one of the thick branches towards the top.

Kicking her feet out on either side of the branch, she settled in and drew her bow from her back, along with an arrow which was only a precaution. Though she highly doubted that this close to the Shire, hardly any trouble would find them.

The dwarf lord simply rolled his eyes before situating himself against the soft foliage on the ground. Pulling his cloak around him, he stared up at the feet hanging over the edge, wondering if she would most certainly be able to remain awake and keep the foul creatures at bay.

Landing with a nearly silent thud, her boots met the ground and she straightened up, her eyes surveying the sleeping Company. Deciding that it would be best if she now found something to eat, she quietly approached the pot of stew that still being warmed beside the fire. Looking down into the cauldron, she found only a small amount left but it was food nonetheless.

Picking up a clean bowl that she had found alongside the others, she dipped it into the pot.

Hissing in pain when some stew got on her skin, she quickly placed it into her mouth and licked it clean in an attempt to keep herself quiet and not wake the others. Inspecting her finger, she found that a burn would not occur and she reached into her bag and fished out a spoon, one that she kept there for instances such as these.

Carefully stepping around the sleeping bodies that littered the forest floor, she quietly took a spot up near the edge of the camp where she could dine in silence but still watch over the Company members.

The dwarves around her snored loudly and yet she was still able to enjoy her small meal in peace. Where ever she could dine alone was a perfectly acceptable place to eat. Letting her ears tune into the other sounds of the forest, she made sure to listen for anything unnatural that would cause harm to their group.

A lone wolf howled in the far off distance but it was still loud enough to wake the hobbit. Smiling slightly to herself, she took another spoonful of soup and sat quietly, wondering if he would notice her now gone from the tree and just beside him.

He looked around, eyes wide and hair crazy. She suddenly had the sneaking suspicion that he had not even been asleep before.

She could remember the first night she slept in the darkness herself. She hadn't slept a wink but with her sharp ears, she had eventually learned the natural sounds of the forest and since then, years had passed and the sounds of nature had come to lull her into a deep sleep whenever the chance to rest came to her.

"What was that?" He asked her after he noticed her presence, his eyes still extremely wide. One would think that you could feel utterly protected in a Company of dwarves, a wizard, and a woman of the Wild but apparently that was not the case with little Bilbo.

He had trust issues.

"Twas simply a lone wolf singing his sad lament to the moon. There is nothing to fear, Master Baggins. Go back to sleep." She reassured him. The hobbit's fingers twitched as he wondered whether or not he should trust her. He saw the slight glimmer of amusement in her eyes before he sighed and lay back down on his bedroll.

Falling once more back into silence, she quietly finished her meal. Placing the bowl among the others, she quietly scurried back up the tree, unbeknownst to the eyes that had watched her ascent as he had before.

Leaning back against the tree trunk, she sighed through her nose before she focused her sharp eyes on the surroundings and waited for morning to come.

Ren would only come down from the tree once more when dawn had begun to break over the horizon. She watched the Company begin to awaken one by one, Gandalf first being the first. He simply looked up to the tree and saw her looking back down at him. The wizard smiled up at her.

Thorin would awaken after the wizard, his blue eyes immediately going up to the tree to find the boots hanging down and still swaying in the breeze. Now, he could only wonder if she was still awake but when he looked around for Dwalin, he found that the large warrior was still snoring loudly as he slept beside his brother.

Either his companion had fallen asleep on watch or he had never been awoken to begin with. Thorin was almost certain that it was the latter of the two.

Grumbling to himself, he rose and stretched before approaching his nephews who were cuddled together and snoring loudly in each other's ear. Placing his boot into his older heir's side, Fili startled awake which therefore woke up Kili. Telling them that they needed to wake, the two of them begrudgingly climbed to their feet and began to help him wake the rest of the Company.

Bilbo was the last to be woken and he sleepily sat up, not used to being awoken at such an early hour.

He was nearly startled out of his skin when a body dropped down from the tree beside him. Now fully awake, he watched as the blonde woman smiled down at him. Grabbing onto his waist coat, she hauled him up from the ground.

"You must learn to awaken early, Master Baggins. There is no time to sleep when taking part in an adventure!" She patted his shoulder before moving on. He let out a low groan, not enjoying the fact that she was already so awake when it was so early.

She nodded 'good morning' to both Kili and Fili as they had moved to begin preparing the ponies. They both seemed partially asleep but smiled back at her nonetheless. They were at least happy to get some sort of acknowledgment out of her.

It was not an hour later when the company was completely packed and ready to venture on once more.

Opting to ride back in the Company of the dwarves instead of at the head of it, her large horse snorted in annoyance. He liked to be at the front of the group without another horse before him. He was, what he considered himself, the leader of the ponies. And he wasn't happy being at the very tail end.

After they had come across a small stream a couple hours later, Bombur had insisted that they stop so he could clean the dishes. Thorin had only agreed to let them stop and give the ponies a good drink before they moved on and water would become scarcer.

Sliding from the back of her horse, Ren took the reins and led him over to the babbling waters.

Bombur had recruited the help of his brother and cousin to help him clear the bowls and spoons. As they dipped them into the water, Bofur stopped after he had washed out the sixteenth bowl. He was sure that their was, technically, only fifteen of them in the company. He was sure that the Lady Ren had had nothing to eat at supper last night but here he was, washing sixteen bowls.

But now as the dwarf sat and mulled things over a bit, he smiled to himself. She must have eaten sometime in the night. He laughed out loud. She was a sneaky one, that Lady Ren!

Simply putting the last bowl with the others, he placed them into his brother's bag and told him they were all accounted for and were ready for their next meal.

Looking out across the lands, she let the stallion drink before she dipped her own hand into the running water. Bringing it to her lips, she kept her eyes trained on the opposing river bank, daring not to glance down into the water.

Once Bombur had finished with the dishes, the group set out once more.

During the day, she pulled the reins on her horse back and forced him to ride at the very end of the group as she had that very morning. Of course, this left the large horse extremely cranky and moody, yet he complied and quietly rode behind the troop of ponies, deciding that he didn't want to fight against the tiny woman on his back. He was not one to question his rider. She was rather mean to him at times if he didn't listen to her.

They stopped for a very short lunch at midday.

Bilbo voiced his complaints upon slipping from the saddle once more. Actually, all of the dwarves seemed to be aggravated with their sore bottoms yet none of them, save the hobbit, decided to say something about it. They were too manly for that.

The woman only snickered at their pain as she ate an one of many apples she had found growing on a tree alongside the road. She had stopped for a few minutes and had parked her horse beneath a tree. Standing up in the stirrups, she had plucked a number of the shinning fruits and put them into the same bag as before. She would save most of them for the ponies when night fell upon the land.

After all, they were doing all the walking while their riders simply enjoyed the view. The Company members actually had it easy.

And as night fell, she once again fed the steeds their share of ripe apples. They happily accepted them and she laughed as they searched her hands for more. She was swarmed by the excitable ponies, all of them wishing for another few slices of the savory fruit.

Fili and Kili simply watched with content smiles as the ponies swarmed her for their apple half.

This caused her to laugh and her face to light up, the first real sign of her actual personality shining through the wall. Joy shown in her eyes as she patted all the steeds on the nose, for the love of an animal was one of the greatest love one could recieve.

They watched as the ponies continued to nuzzle her clothes in hopes of finding another treat when Kili suddenly had a thought.

"Should we name them?" Both his brother and the lady looked at him as if they questioned his sanity. "Cause I mean it does get a bit annoying when we say, 'Oi, Fili! Can you hand me that brown one's saddle!' and as you can see, we have three brown ponies..." Kili reasoned.

His brother titled his head to the side as he thought about his younger brother's words. "I suppose it makes sense..."

"What do you suggest for names?" Both looked at the woman as she continued to get swarmed by the ponies. She rubbed a few of them underneath their chins and they let out high pitched whinnies of contentment.

"Well..." Kili rubbed his chin in thought. "Thorin's little stallion should have a rather manly name like..."

"Bungo?" Fili suggested, looking for his little brother's approval. The dark haired dwarf mulled this over for a moment, tapping his chin once again. "I like it!" He said suddenly. Ren rubbed said chocolate pony's thick hair through her fingers, testing out his name on her tongue. It sounded right. Very regal for the little steed.

"Bilbo's little pony needs a simple name like..." Kili watched as the tiniest of the group simply stood off to the side, looking a bit sad yet innocent. "Myrtle!" Both dwarves laughed out loud, the older shoving his brother in the shoulder at his ridiculous suggestion.

"I actually find it quite endearing..." Came Ren's quiet voice. Both of them stopped laughing immediately and looked over to the blonde woman. Kili looked at her incredulously for a moment before seeing the serious look on her face.

"A-Alright..." He swallowed while his eyes gazed over the other horses. "Dwalin's little mare?"

"Daisy." Came her simple reply. Both brothers shared another look before smiling slightly and agreeing to give the certainly sweetest pony of the group the sweetest name. That pony would certainly have to be gentle if Dwalin was her rider.

And so on and so forth, the ponies came to be known as: Whiskey, Levi, Minty, Lady, Willow, Prince, Bungo, Myrtle, Daisy, Jack, Patch, Joey, Pepper, and Stormy. Gandalf's horse was now known as Blaze. And the only question left was what to call Ren's large stallion.

"He is a bit of an ass... Are you sure he is not a donkey?" Kili asked as all three of them stood beside one another in the darkness, watching as the large black horse lowered his ears and snorted dangerously at Willow and Jack when they were eating a patch of clover that he laid claim to.

"Kee, does he honestly look like a donkey?" Fili held his hands out when motioning to the horse. "Though, he is a bit of a bully..." The blonde dwarf scratched his chin in thought. "He goes about bossing the others around like he's the leader of the group. Kind of like..."

"Thorin?" Kili voiced his thought but received a strong smack on the back of his head. The dark haired dwarf simply snickered at the small joke he made and when he looked at his brother, also saw the amusement in his eyes. Also looking to Ren, her lips were also turned up slightly.

"I was going to say he acts like the chief but..." Fili murmured.

"And what's wrong with Chief?" Asked Kili, finding the name to rather suiting for the ass of a horse. Looking to Ren, he could almost see her thoughts behind her blue eyes which were illuminated by the fire through the trees. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her lips were pursed.

"It's suitable enough..." She finally said after a long few minutes.

"Then Chief it is!" Kili smiled at her, though he received none in return. His spirits fell a little at that, seeing as how she didn't ever really show much emotion. The only creatures she ever smiled around were the ponies.

As they had the night before, Kili and Fili's stomachs both growled from hunger. Sharing a look, the made to move off to the fire. Yet they were forgetting one thing. The older of the two stopped in his tracks this time and he placed a hand on Kili's shoulder.

"Lady Ren, why don't you come to eat supper with us?" She only shook her head before stroking Bungo's nose.

"I am not welcome in your company, Master dwarf..." She replied solemnly. Knowing that her habit bothered Kili as much as it did himself but the older brother could only nod his head in sadness before trudging towards the fire.

After the flame had begun to grow smaller and it began to flicker closer to the logs, Ren emerged from the darkness as she had the night before. Slowly approaching the kingly dwarf, she bowed her head in respect.

"I will take up watch again tonight..." She replied, her face impassive. Thorin simply looked up at her, taking in her facial features. Once again, she did not appear tired in the slightest and the rest of his troop was already asleep. "You took watch all night last night." He told her, an accusatory glint in his eyes. "You never woke Dwalin."

"I was fine." She told him. "I wasn't tired at all."

The dwarf only looked at her, a slight frown pulling at his features as he did so. This woman was very strange to him but the more he thought to himself, he figured that her being a Ranger, she was used to going a few days without sleeping.

Reluctantly nodding his head, the dark haired dwarf watched as she stood up and strode across a clearing before finding a suitable tree directly across the way from him.

"But, you will wake Dwalin this time." She stopped short just as she was reaching for one of the lower branches.

Ren turned back and looked at him but when she saw the commanding glint in his eyes, she knew that she should at least agree to his terms. Yes, she would agree but that didn't necessarily do as he said. She slowly nodded her head in understanding before she began to pull herself up the tree.

Watching her ascend towards the heavens once more, she was perched upon another wide branch with her boots hanging from both sides as she had the night before. Sighing through his nose, Thorin lay back against the tree behind him and closed his eyes, rather grateful for another full night's sleep.

He was not aware of how much time had passed when he heard her boots quietly coming back down the trunk as they scraped against the rough bark. Normally, he would have fallen asleep by then but it seemed as though his mind was waiting for the woman to come down from the tree, just as she had the night before.

Barely cracking open his eyes, he watched as she approached the pile of bowls once more, finding the lone clean one before dipping it into the pot as she had the night before. His lip twitched slightly as she sat down and contently dined on the small bit of stew that had been left.

And just as before, she placed her empty bowl back with the others and scrambled easily up the tree, leaving not a single trace of herself behind.

Hauling the hobbit to his feet once more, Ren pulled some leaves from his hair before patting him harshly on the back and proceeding to make her way to the horses. He blinked awake and his brain took a few moments to realize that he was standing upright once again.

Once again nodding her head in 'good morning' to the dwarven brothers, they yawned and sleepily replied with the same.

Thorin watched her as she quickly saddled both horses and four other ponies, his nephews lagging behind as they struggled to actually wake up. It still astounded him as to how she remained awake all night. Her eyes were open and aware as if she had slept wonderfully.

And just as the previous day, he had found Dwalin still sleeping when he woke.

Shaking his head, he righted himself and stretched out his back before heading towards Bombur for a small breakfast of berries they had found the previous afternoon. He would speak to her about the matter later.

Giving the dwarves their already chosen ponies, Kili, Fili, and Ren all had a handful of reins as they passed out the steeds to their masters.

Standing beside one another, Daisy, Bungo, and Willow only lazily nibbled on the grass below their feet, waiting patiently for their masters to emerge from the camp. As the dwarves came through the trees, Ren watched as the dwarves approached her for their ponies.

"Daisy." She told Dwalin as she handed him the reins to his gentle mare. He could only scowl at the name but otherwise said nothing else before mounting and guiding her back towards the road. Balin also approached her, coming for his little white mare. "Willow." She told him as he raised his leg up into the stirrup. She held the pony steady for him and once he was situated in the saddle, she handed the reins to him.

"Thank you, lassie!" The short dwarf told her, earning a respectable head bob from the woman. Seeing the exchange between the two, Thorin had his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes dark and brooding. Noticing the dark haired dwarf who was standing off to the side, Ren sighed and held the lead out to him.

"His name is Bungo..." She said quietly as her hand was still held aloft towards him. Thorin's eyes flicked between the leather reins and her face, figuring that she had helped to name all their ponies along with his nephews.

"Thank you." He replied quietly, taking the reins from her. His fingers briefly brushed against hers, the warmth radiating up her hand. However, they were gone as soon as they touched and the dwarf was soon up in the saddle upon his pony's back. She stroked the chocolate pony on the nose before brushing the dark hair from his eyes.

"You're welcome, Master Oakenshield." She bowed her head respectfully before stepping away from Bungo and was moving to her own prancing horse.

Thorin and Company was on the road in the next hour or so, most of the dwarves still yawning. The second day of the journey was always the hardest. Actually, no. The third day would be the hardest for the troop of dwarves, though none of them knew it.

Riding towards the back of the group once more, she listened intently for any noises of danger around. It wasn't until later that night that they would even get close to encountering danger.

"Uncle Thorin?" Turning his head towards his nephew, he gazed intently at the dark haired dwarf who had been surprisingly silent for most of the day.

"What is it, Kili?"

"It is about the Lady Ren..." Fili was also by the young dwarf's side, silently agreeing with his brother. He wanted to make sure that Kili didn't mess this up.

"What of her?"

"S-She doesn't feel as though she is wanted on this quest..." Thorin was not surprised in the slightest when his nephew brought up the issue of the lone female of their group. He only sighed through his nose.

"She is not wanted on this quest and she will not be wanted until she proves herself useful enough to continue with us on our journey." The kingly dwarf replied coldly, hardly skipping a beat.

Both brothers exchanged a look. No matter how much they didn't want to admit it, they liked her. Seeing the inkling of good naturedness and humor that she held behind her blue irises, they wished to discover who she really was. She was something different to them. Something unknown. And the brothers wished to know her.

Risking a look back at the lone female, Thorin could easily see her blonde hair contrasting against the dark coat of her horse as it shined in the sunlight. Her face was rather impassive, blue eyes trained on the surroundings around them. Always aware of any danger afoot. Always waiting.

As if feeling his eyes on her, she locked eyes with him momentarily before diverting her gaze back to the tree line, a slightly sad look upon her face.

You know what to do, read and review!

Chapter 4 is out everybody! I hope this adds to the awesome that is my hobbit tale! Stay tuned for more Ren goodness!

By the way, I got nine reviews for the last chapter! You guys are great!

Love,

Blue

P.S. Do you like Chief's name?

Kili: Are you sure he isn't a donkey? He sure is an ass... Lol. One of my favorite lines I've ever written.