Bofur's song and dance caused a huge mess in the court and severely disturbed the tidy and uptight elves but successfully made everyone else forget their cloudy thoughts, including Isil. After dinner, Elrond graciously opened his home to them for as long as they needed. They were all left to their own devices afterwards and the dwarves set about taking him up on the offer by making themselves at home. Isil, for her part, was a little lost as to what to do. She stuck by Gandalf while the dwarves went off and the attendants began the arduous task of cleanup until the wizard turned to her and said,

"Isil my dear I must speak to Lord Elrond about a few important matters privately, I'm afraid," he told her apologetically. The wolf drooped. She didn't fancy the idea of being left alone in unfamiliar territory. "Now now, do not look so glum." The wizard scanned the courtyard, settling on a small retreating form. "Why don't you join our hobbit friend on his tour of Rivendell? I'm sure he'd appreciate some company, he has been very quiet of late." With that, he patted her on the head, turned around, and walked off with one last parting statement. "Keep an eye on him for me, Isil."

The gold faced wolf watched him go before turning her attention to said hobbit friend. Maybe this time with Bilbo would be a good idea; she liked him very much, and she thought he could use another friend in the company. He was unused to the rugged lifestyle of the dwarves, something they often taunted him for, but he put in great effort to keep up with them. The hobbit was getting better and better at keeping up as each day went by, whether he realized it or not. Isil took off after him at a quick trot. Her spirits were lifting already. She had wanted to explore Rivendell and its beauty anyway.

Isil caught up with Bilbo in a matter of moments. Despite not approaching with stealth, he hadn't appeared to notice her, so she nudged his hand with her nose to get his attention.

"Oh!" Bilbo said, startled from a deep thought. "Isil, I didn't hear you following. Care to take a walk with me?" he asked, scratching her ear. The hobbit turned around and the silver wolf followed his gaze back to the remaining dwarves busying themselves with setting up camp or counting their supplies. "Well, come along. We shan't be missed much," he stated glumly, Isil noted.

'Poor fellow. Here he is, pulled from his home by a bunch of rough and tumble dwarves, all of whom expect him to know and do everything they do, then get bothered when he can't pick it up in a day. I feel for you, friend.' Since she could not articulate her sympathies in words, she nosed his hand again instead and was rewarded with another scratch behind the ear.

Their stroll was a pleasant one. The other elves in the sanctuary were rarely seen but the scenery made up for it. Bilbo, seemingly needing someone to vent to, started talking to her despite knowing she couldn't answer back. He started with idle chatter, comments about the location and weather, but the topic quickly changed to their dwarvish companions and his struggles to fit in.

"...Now that I'm here, I can't believe I left! What was I thinking, running from my home and my books and my armchair on the word of a wizard? And for what? Cold nights, sore feet, and no handkerchief! A foolish slip that's led to a heap of regret, that's for sure," he lamented, punctuating his words with waving hand gestures. Isil listened with empathetic ears. "I know most of them are trying at least a little to make me feel welcome, but I know they think I shouldn't be here either. I still catch Dwalin scowling over at me every time I slip up, even a little!"

'I hear that.' Isil mentally rolled her eyes. That guy could really stand to lighten up.

"And Thorin! Oh, do I feel like a fool every time I so much as stand near him. You should have heard him that night when he first arrived at Bag End. 'More like a grocer than a buglar,' hah! He was right all along." Bilbo closed his eyes and sighed. "It just hurts sometimes, you know? Every time he looks at me there is such contempt in his eyes that I can't help but look away. I should turn back while I still can, but I just want to impress him, prove myself for some foolish reason. I know it's silly; he's a stone wall and I've certainly got nothing to offer, but..." He sighed again, shoulders slumping in defeat.

While Bilbo sulked Isil couldn't help but feel confused. 'Yes, well, I suppose since he is the leader of this merry little band you'd want to prove yourself useful, but why... Oh. Oh. Ooohhh.' Sudden realization hit her. A sly grin steadily grew across the golden wolf's face as the pieces fell into place. Bilbo's attention was focused on the tiles in front of him as he walked forward, but from his periphery he noticed Isil staring him down. Puzzled, he stopped to give her his full attention.

"What?" he asked, perplexed. Her grin only widened. "What?" he repeated, "Why are you looking at me like -" His brow practically shot up to his hairline when he caught on to her implication. Sputtering and flushed cheeks soon followed after, along with fidgeting hands attempting to straighten out his vest. "Oh! Now don't you go – Of course it's not like – I- I mean...!"

'You like him!' Isil thought, leaning into his personal space to punctuate her musings. Bilbo gathered himself enough to wave her off.

"Now see here! Don't go getting any dotty ideas in your head like that. He's a dwarf king and I'm a gentlehobbit, and that's that. Now go, be off with you!" The wolf scampered down an alternate pathway from the hobbit as he shooed her away, huffing in laughter. As she loped out of sight she could hear Bilbo muttering in flustered irritation as he continued on his own way.

'Hm hm hm, this changes a few things,' Isil thought to herself. Her happy thoughts at the newly discovered crush were slowly overshadowed by darker ones. Bilbo's flame for Thorin was cute on the surface, but the chances that the dwarf king returning any feelings were slim to none. Meaning... her friend could get his heart broken. The wolf shook those unhappy thoughts from her mind. No. Bilbo was stronger than he looked. He could survive this. And who knows, maybe that blockhead Thorin will stop being dull long enough to properly reciprocate those feelings at some point. Stranger things have happened, she imagined.


The wolf continued her tour of Rivendell alone and untroubled. Several minutes after leaving Bilbo's side she caught the familiar sound of annoyed grumbling and heavy robes brushing on the ground. She bounded down the path toward the noise and almost collided with a distracted wizard's legs as he rushed down the walkway. He halted just before he barreled over the gold and white form, his face and aura deeply agitated.

"Ah! Pardon me, Isil. I did not see you there," Gandalf said to her. She barked and wagged her tail in a dog-like manner anyway, happy to see him again. "It is fortunate that I ran into you so quickly, I was looking for you," he added. Isil cocked her head, confused but intrigued. The wizard kneeled down to her level and spoke in almost a whisper, "I managed to excuse myself for a brief respite from my meeting with Lord Elrond. Based on what we discussed, I feel that coming consultations will... not go well, to say the least. So I've devised a contingency plan for the dwarves to continue on without me if they have to, temporarily." Isil felt her heart sink again.

'Continue on'? Without you? But why?' She whined, and Gandalf knew what was on her mind.

"I know that your bond with the dwarves is still... tenuous at best, so I will not force you to go on with them, should you choose not to." Isil's ears pricked up at that. She had a choice? That made things a little easier. Of course she would stay with Gandalf, like she noted earlier, she would not be missed. She hopped up to lick the wizard's nose, making her choice known. He laughed, then pat her neck. "Very well then, but if we must go through with this course and you stay you must keep this a secret. The elves will stop them if they find out."

Isil snorted. 'Who could I tell? As far as they're concerned, I can't speak.' Gandalf appeared to pick up on her thoughts, and a warning look entered his eyes.

"Do not be so quick to dismiss the elves and their talent at discovering secrets. There is a reason they appear all-knowing and worldly; they can speak to trees and animals, and many even have the power of foresight and the ability to read minds."

'Oh.' That made things more difficult. She nodded to Gandalf, conveying her understanding. He nodded back and stood.

"Now." The wizard brushed his robes down and appeared to steel himself for something unpleasant. "I am off to retrieve Bilbo. He and I have a delicate meeting with Lord Elrond and Thorin Oakenshield to attend." He rounded his shoulders and strolled off in the direction he came, leaving the wolf to her thoughts.


Isil wandered aimlessly around Rivendell, careful to avoid any further contact with elves. She was soon plucked from her musing by the sound of a pleasant breeze wafting through leaves. She had wandered into a breezy little circular courtyard surrounded by cool greenery. Flowering creeping vines cloaked the walls and ceiling and were growing long enough to inch along the floor and down the decorating statues. The air felt cleaner here, and she breathed in deeply, relishing the smell and atmosphere. She looked behind her and noted the contrast between the deepening oranges and reds of the quickly setting sun through the entrance and the crisp, cool interior. Quietly padding further inward to fully appreciate the designs of the elegant statues making up the pedestal and seats in the center of the enclosure, the gold and silver wolf felt the tension she picked up since leaving Gandalf's side earlier ease from her body. The old wizard was right. There were no enemies here; yes, old rivalries and conflicts, but also peace and quiet.

After she finished examining the pedestal, Isil walked back to the balcony. She stood up on her hind legs and rested her front paws on the fence, peering over the edge with curiosity. The drop was fairly steep and overlooked a stone pathway some forty feet down. The wolf glanced back over to the entrance, observing that the sun was barely a sliver on the horizon and vanished in moments. She dreamily considered returning soon. She should at least find some more food, since she was apparently going to be here for a while.

For nearly ten minutes she stood staring down from the balcony debating whether or not she should go back to camp or find food. So deep was Isil's inner back and forth that she did not see the figure gazing at her serenely near the circular set of benches near the entrance of the courtyard.

Decision finally made, the wolf stepped from the edge of the balcony only to nearly jump out of her skin when she saw that she was not alone. The wolf almost fell over herself in shock, but the face of her observer struck her still with its beauty. Her eyes were sea-breeze blue, her hair a golden wave, and she dressed in the finest looking gown Isil had ever seen. The woman smiled down warmly at the wolf, and Isil swallowed the butterflies she felt rising in her chest. The wolf was crouched down nearly to the ground, caught between the urge to flee from the elf that had snuck up on her and the desire to remain and stare at her more.

The golden haired elf laughed softly, then leaned down to offer her hand to the wolf. Isil's heart nearly stopped, and she hesitated, but could not resist the draw the woman had. She slowly inched forward until her nose was almost touching the elf's fingers. She sniffed cautiously, but the scents that greeted her snout were gentle and friendly. No trace of fear, tension, grime, nor blood in any ridge of print nor under nail, just calm yet unidentifiable fragrances. The fear gradually bled from Isil's posture. She cast her eyes upward and the elf's eyes softened even more.

"Do not be afraid, little one," she said with a honey voice that washed over the wolf's ears and body. Isil practically melted into the hand the elf offered, never taking her eyes from the beautiful woman's face. The woman laughed again as she ran fingers through the thick fur on the wolf's neck. The golden faced wolf signed in contentment, leaning into the touch.

'I am Galadriel, Lady of the Wood.' The voice she had just heard with her own two ears now echoed within Isil's head, and she stared wide-eyed at the elf before her. The wolf found herself too bewildered to pull away, and Galadriel continued on despite the confusion. 'I know who you are, little one; I know you can answer me.'

'How... did you know that?' Isil asked in her mind.

'I have foreseen it. You may not understand it for some time, but you have a role to play in this world,' was Galadriel's enigmatic answer. 'I also know that this form of speech is not the only one you are limited to. Let us talk with words in place of thoughts.'

The statement broke Isil from her trance-like state, and icy shock froze her veins. 'Wh-what?! I-I don't know what you're talking about, I can't-'

"Do not be afraid," she reassured again using her actual voice, "I promise, no harm will come to you." Galadriel's gaze was gentle, and despite her misgivings Isil believed her. The wolf, after a few more moments of consideration, retreated from the Lady to hunch over, then took a deep breath, and willed her body to change shape. The process was slow and careful; she did not know just how long it had been since she shifted, but it had been several months at the very least. Finally, after several minutes, she stood back on two legs for the first time in a long while.

Truth be told, there was little physical difference between how quadrupedal Isil and bipedal Isil looked. Though her body accommodated for a new center of gravity with altered hips and spine, she did not gain any actual height, and her legs changed little. Her forelegs were most the altered in this transformation, having shifted position somewhat to allow even greater movement from her shoulders. Wolfish front paws had elongated into fingers as dextrous as any other. The most significant part in the upright posture, however, is how the position grants the gift of speech.

Isil's eyes were cast downwards, unwilling to meet Galadriel's sight for fear that she might find disgust or terror in them. To her continued surprise she felt soft fingers under her chin, tipping her head back until she could look up at the kind face before her. The ethereal being beamed down at her, and she felt safe. She gestured to the bench beside them, and they both sat down to have a actual, revealing conversation.

"You said before," Isil began, slightly hoarse, "that you foresaw... me? What did you mean?" Her voice was rough, though it was partly from disuse and partly natural. The sound was soft, with an animalistic growl underlying her words.

"In my mind I saw your arrival to Middle Earth, and caught glimpses of your potential future," the Lady answered. "You were brought to this world for a purpose, Isil, by the highest of powers to prevent certain disaster. Though which disaster, I am not sure," she continued cryptically.

"Why me, though? Why was I chosen? And why can't I remember anything about myself? Who am I? Am I from another world?" Isil asked in rapid succession, desperate for clues.

"That, I am afraid, I cannot answer," Galadriel replied, genuinely sympathetic. "Even I am not privy to that information." She took the hands that Isil was anxiously wringing together into her own, to help calm her. "If your memories were taken, it must have been for a reason. Perhaps you needed to be focused on the mission placed upon you, with no outside distraction."

Isil wilted. Even if it was for a greater purpose, stealing the memories of her entire life felt cruel and unfair. The queen sensed her sadness.

"I also believe that if you were chosen, it must be because you are fully capable of the task at hand. The Valar would not have called upon you otherwise," Galadriel consoled.

The gold and silver wolf took a breath, trying to take the Lady's words to heart. When Isil didn't say anything more, the Lady inquired about something else.

"If you have known about your ability to talk, why have you not revealed it to your travel companions?"

Isil scoffed. "Look at me. I'm a monster to them. The night we met they were going to shoot me, even though I helped them fight a pack of bandits! Gandalf had to practically fight to keep their weapons down. If they found out what I really was, they'd turn on me in a second." Though she was pouring her heart out to a beautiful stranger, she reminded herself of the secrecy of the situation, and tactfully avoided any identifying details of the mission.

"Perhaps now, yes. But perhaps if you earned their trust the longer you travel with them, you will have enough of their trust to safely show yourself."

Isil scoffed again. "Yeah, right," she replied, dejected. Gentle fingertips once more touched her chin to guide her eye to Galadriel's.

"It would be a great burden lifted from your shoulders if you had at least one confidant amongst your companions. Consider it." The words got Isil to pondering the possibility. The Lady stood, and stepped away from the bench, her flowing gown trailing behind her. "I must attend an important council," she said before turning around, "Would you care to join me?" Isil was so deeply entranced by the ethereal elf that she barely even hesitated before scurrying off the bench to shift back into her four-legged form and glue herself to the Lady of the Wood's side to follow her wherever she was off to.


Simultaneously, a grey wizard was being guided by the lord of Rivendell to the same meeting, the White Council, to discuss the meddling wizard's troupe of dwarves.


A/N: If that sounded way gay near the end that was most definitely on purpose. Much like Ian McKellen I was smitten with Kate Blanchett and her portrayal of Galadriel and I wanted to convey that in my story through my character who totally digs Galadriel.

Up until this point I've been following the movie version pretty closely, but here's where it starts to diverge a little bit. I only have a super rough script of what happens next, but it's going to be like that for another chapter or two. Hopefully I'll have more differences later on, or at least something where I won't have to follow the movie script to a T.

I've gone back to touch up the previous chapters in a few areas, hopefully people didn't get notified of those when I did.