What's this? Two updates in one week? Is the sky falling?! It's short, not to mention a filler chapter, but an update is an update, no?

I promise you, the next chapter is full of excitement! Battle and blood galore! I just couldn't fit this little tidbit into it.

Standard disclaimer thingy


"Well, I'd say it's about time we find some shelter, eh?" Balin joked lamely as the dwarves attempted to understand everything that they had just been through. He was met with noncommittal grunts and mutterings as his companions rubbed their aches and calmed their trembling.

"Where's the hobbit?" Ori asked, and everyone's heads whipped up to look around. Balin carefully re-counted who was present with the group, and came up short of two.

"And Leo." Fili frowned, exchanging worried looks with his brother.

Panic struck fast as the two young dwarves leapt up and began looking around the area, soon followed by everyone else.

"There!" Dwalin exclaimed, pointing down the mountain path.

Everyone followed the direction of his finger, noticing a sopping and shivering hobbit accompanied by a hooded figure that could only be Leo. Both were soaked to the bone, thought it was easier to judge how Bilbo fared than Leo, who still manage to hide herself beneath her cloak. The hobbit, however, looked like his heart might stop at any minute, with eyes wide open with fear, a pale and worn face, and his whole body shaking from the cold. He was quite a pitiful sight, the poor little guy.

"Leo is limping…" Kili murmured to his brother, the two of them narrowing their eyes at the woman, knowing that she would probably ignore whatever the injury might be.

"It might just be a bruise." Fili replied.

"Or it might not." Kili muttered.

Their conversation was interrupted by Dwalin's loud and booming voice.

"I thought we lost our burglar." The big dwarf joked in relief.

The sudden volume of Dwalin's voice seemed to shock the poor hobbit, as the little man jumped in surprise and slipped on a loose rock, nearly falling over the edge of the cliff for the fourth time that day. Luckily, Leo easily caught his coat and hauled him back to his feet before he tipped off the edge of the path.

Both dwarf princes winced at the clumsy display as Thorin looked over with a dark, disgusted scowl and opened his mouth.

"He's been lost ever since he left home!" The king stated scathingly. "He should never have come. He has no place amongst us."

By now most of the group had become accustomed to the cute little hobbit, and so most of the other dwarves frowned at Thorin's hostility. It was rather uncalled for, especially after the crazy ordeal they had just been through.

To Fili and Kili's surprise, instead of leaping to Bilbo's defense, Leo remained silent. They eyed her discreetly, but her face was hidden beneath the impenetrable darkness of her cowl. Did something happen to her? It was not like the woman to be so quiet, especially when Thorin was being an asshole.

"Come on." Thorin's voice interrupted the tense atmosphere. "We must find a place to rest."

They traveled up the mountain path for another hour or so before they came upon a large crag in the side of the cliff face. Upon inspection, they were all relieved to find out that the hole led to a rather large and empty cavern, big enough to fit all of them within, providing shelter from the storm.

"Search the back." Thorin ordered. "Caves in the mountains may be occupied."

Dwalin glanced over his shoulder to Bifur, and with a nod the two dwarves lit one of the surviving lanterns and went further into the cave. Meanwhile, the rest of the company filed inside, kicking away debris and dusting off the floor to put their sleeping rolls down. Gloin somehow found a few good-sized sticks and placed them in the center of the cave.

"Right then! Let's get a fire started –"

"No, no fires." Thorin interrupted him. "Not in this place."

Gloin practically pouted at that.

"Get some sleep." The king told his men. "We start at first light."

Balin stiffened at that and hurried over to Thorin.

"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us!" He protested in a low voice, giving the king a disapproving glare. "That was the plan!"

"Plans change." Thorin muttered, earning himself a harsh look from his elder.

{::... ҉ ..::}

Meanwhile, across the cave, the last of the company filed in – namely Leo and Bilbo. The hobbit kept sending worried glances towards the woman, her continued silence unusual.

Leo froze when they entered the cavern, body tensing as she narrowed her eyes. Bilbo paused as she did, watching her closely. He had long ago learned to trust the woman's instincts. When Leo lifted her head and sniffed, his anxiety increased.

"We should move on." Leo stated resolutely. The dwarves all paused to stare at her like she was crazy.

"After the day we just had?!" Gloin scoffed. "I ain't as young as I used to be lassie!"

The others expressed similar remarks, although Balin paused to consider her words. It seemed Bilbo was not the only one who was learning to take Leo's warnings seriously.

Thorin rounded on her with a dark look. "If I push my men any further, they may collapse!" He growled. "Don't get cocky just because you were right about the mountain pass!"

Ha! So you admit that I was right! Leo cheered in her head for a moment, but her face remained serious.

"It is dangerous here." She told Thorin just as he fininshed assigning men to the night watch.

"The cave is empty and there is no sign of any recent inhabitants." The king scoffed, and then narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. "Maybe you are here to hinder my quest!"

"Oh. My. Gods!" Leo snapped in exasperation as she turned around and tossed her hands in the air. "Why do I even bother anymore?"

She stomped away from the king, heading towards the exit. "I'm done. Do whatever you like, oh stunted one. See if I care!"

Bilbo's eyes widened at that, and he scampered after her, intent on calming the woman down. However someone else intercepted her first.

Leo's brows rose as Balin stepped into her path, a disturbed look on his face, his gaze glued to hers.

"Tell me, lass," He spoke to her lowly, so as not to draw attention from the other dwarves. "Why are you so adamant about not camping here?"

The woman crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at him. "I think Thorin has made it clear that my voice holds no sway here."

Balin sent her a scolding look. "Not all dwarves are stubborn fools."

She sent him a disbelieving look.

"Your intuition has been correct thus far." Balin said, much to her surprise. "But Thorin needs proof if you are to convince him to leave this place."

Leo's expression shifted to a blank slate, unreadable save for the thinning of her lips. "I don't have proof." She muttered.

"There has to be something." The old dwarf murmured. "Why do you not want to stay here in the first place? Why are you so sure that this is a bad idea?"

Leo's eyes shifted nervously as she let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't tell you."

Balin's brow furrowed. "What? Why not?"

"I just can't!" Leo hissed. What could she say? 'My enhanced sense of smell can scent goblins in this seemingly empty cave'?

Yeah, that would raise a lot of questions that she didn't want to answer at the moment. Bilbo had already seen her eyes change color, not to mention she could smell blood from the cuts her claws had cut into his skin from when he had helped her.

The dwarf shook his head. "You can't convince Thorin simply because you have a gut feeling!"

"Then maybe he should learn from his mistakes for once and listen to the only fucking voice of reason in this company!" Leo snarled as she stood up straight and walked around Balin towards the entrance hole, clearly intending to leave.

Bilbo gasped and scampered after her.

"Leo!"

She kept walking.

"Leo wait!"

The woman paused just as she stepped out of the cavern, turning around to look down at him

"Are you… are you leaving?" He asked in a small voice.

"What does it look like?" Leo snapped. Bilbo came to a stop next to her leg, looking up at her with those irresistible big brown eyes of his. She felt her resolve waver at the force of the puppy-eyes.

She felt her heart clench at the sight. With a sigh, Leo knelt down in front of him, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I apologize, little one. That was uncalled for."

Bilbo's face showed the myriad of emotions as they flashed through his head: devastation, sadness, loneliness. The last one was the worst, as she felt bad for leaving him in a place where he was clearly unwanted. At least he had managed to make a few friends among the dwarves.

"You don't have to go!" Bilbo protested. "Just ignore Thorin like you always have! Put him in his place!"

Leo gave a low chuckled. "It doesn't work like that, hun. I can only take his defiance for so long. And if I keep baiting him, he would formally kick me out of the group. Then how would I have the last word?"

She gave him a wry smirk, but the hobbit's expression remained somber. The curl of her lips faded as she patted his curls sadly.

"C– Can't I come with you?" Bilbo asked her hopefully.

A guilty look crossed her face as she looked away from his watery eyes.

"No." She murmured sadly. "The way I travel will be… too dangerous for you."

The hobbit frowned at that. "Then why are you going alone?"

Leo sighed and rocked back on her heels. "I'm sorry Bilbo. I can't explain it. Just… stay here. The dwarves will keep you safe." Her eyes narrowed and flashed gold, and this time Bilbo was sure to catch it. "At least, they better keep you safe. Or else."

A little smile tugged at his lips at her protectiveness. Bilbo glanced back at the others, noticing that most of the dwarves had already hunkered down for the night, curling up in their damp blankets and falling into an exhausted sleep. A few were already snoring.

"I go now." Leo whispered, standing up slowly, the only sound she made being the softest creak of leather.

Bilbo stay where he stood, watching her with a forlorn expression, shoulders slumped, eyes pleading for her to come back.

Like a puppy. A little voice in her head tittered despite her own solemn mood.

"Stay safe, Bilbo." She murmured as she stepped out onto the mountain path.

How long had it been since she had said goodbye so glumly? Or since anyone had been sad to see her go in the first place? When was the last time she had had someone to say goodbye to? Far too long, obviously. She couldn't even remember the last time anyone had ever cared about such things for her.

With this in mind, Leo glanced back and cautioned the hobbit.

"Keep your eyes on your blade, little one, and heed the warning."

Bilbo's face scrunched up in that cute little manner of his in confusion as she turned around and began to continue down the mountain pass.

{::... ҉ ..::}

The lost look on the hobbit's face haunted her mind's eye as Leo tread quietly on the path. Her footsteps made nary a sound, her clothes whispering gently as the fabrics brush against each other, shush shush, the leather soles of her boots creaking softly every so often, brrt brrt.

Overhead the storm had waned as it moved on, the rain decreasing until it was a barely-noticeable drizzle. The sky occasionally flashed with far-off lightning, the thunder rolling lowly in the distance. The fog rose from the canyon below and filled up the space between the mountains, muting sound until it felt like the whole world had become deaf.

The overall silence was… disconcerting. Which was ridiculous for her, as Leo was long used to traveling alone. She should be used to the quiet, alert for sounds and scents that may serve as early warning signs for attack.

Yet somehow, after traveling for so long among the company, she felt… off. And dare she say it, vulnerable.

Leo scowled as she mentally chided herself at such a pathetic thought. She was better off without those pesky dwarves! So loud, so noticeable, boots stomping, heavy footfalls that could be heard a mile away, panting and heaving, equipment clanking, talking and laughing raucously… The list went on!

You don't need anyone. Leo chastised herself. You've been on your own for as long as you can remember. Why should that change in a few weeks?

Besides, Leo continued to tell herself, They'll be fine. Bilbo will be fine. It was just goblins. Those things are like humanoid cockroaches. Their barely smart enough to be considered sentient. And the dwarves fight well enough to take down a small tribe. Besides, goblins are stupid as hell. What harm can they do?

(Famous last words)

Leo glanced at the sky from beneath her hood and frowned as another bout of lightning raced across the sky.

When will this wretched storm clear? She thought grumpily.

A low rumble sounded.

At first she just assumed that it was the thunder, but then the rock beneath her feet shuddered ever-so-slightly. Leo's eyes snapped down to the ground, and then up as she searched for the source of the quake.

It better not be another fucking rock giant!

The reverberations slowed to a gradual halt, but now Leo was suspicious. She glanced around to double-check for any hulking masses of walking stone, but the coast seemed to be clear.

Maybe that was the sound of a rock giant snoring? Leo snickered at the thought as she continued onward into the fog, clueless about the danger the company was now in.


Hehehe famous last words. Please leave a review!