Pure, unadulterated fluff. You have been warned. Please let me know what you think! Good or bad, I would love to hear from you!
The remainder of the day passed rather slowly for the werewolf, which was a delightful and most welcome change of pace after the chaos of the previous few weeks' events. Who would have thought that taking down three mountain trolls could have escalated into a cursed outcast such as herself finding a pack, of whom the alpha also happened to be a king, and that said pack was on a quest to find a mountain that contained a dragon to reclaim their home? When the alpha had first spoken of the wyrm, Asta had been far too distracted by the possibility of losing her newfound pack that she had hardly registered what the dwarf had told her, but now that she had a moment to think on it, she wondered what any of their chances were against an actual, living, fire breathing dragon that could melt the flesh off their bones in the blink of an eye.
She pondered the possible suicidal tendencies of her entire pack for willingly doing such a thing as she finished her food, before rising and making her way back outside. The grass and fresh air earlier had been absolutely wonderful, and she fully intended to take full advantage of this respite while it lasted. When she stepped out of the gate of the protective wall that surrounded Beorn's house, she instinctively lifted her nose and scented the wind, catching the scent of fresh honey, bees, the woods, and… Thorin and Bilba? Curious, she padded silently along the outside of the wall a short way, until, there in the field, picking flowers, sat the hobbit lass, appearing perfectly at ease. Standing only a few feet away, the dwarf king looked somewhat uncomfortable, but he appeared to be engaged in a conversation with Bilba.
Asta may be half wolf, but even she knew better than to eavesdrop on a pair who cast (not so subtle) glances at each other in such a fashion, not to mention that one of the two was her first pack mate, and the other her alpha. She did not have a death wish, thank you very much. The werewolf quickly switched directions, moving to the opposite side of the wall, remaining close, but venturing a short distance into the soft grass dotted with wildflowers. She wiggled her toes, enjoying the sensation of the fresh sweet softness beneath her bare feet, even as she wondered what she would do for footwear now. These idle, insignificant worries were almost a relief, and her wolf was nearly purring in contentment within her at the lack of threat.
Just then, a thought struck her, and that peace was gone as quickly as it had come. Her pack was still hunted, and though they might be under the protection of the bear for now, the Pale Orc could not have given up so easily. The last time she had caught his scent had been shortly before her own fight with Beorn, and it seemed that the orc pack wisely feared the powerful bear shifter, which would explain the invisible circle of safety that extended around Beorn's home for a short distance. It appeared that the pack would be safe under his protection, so long as they did not stray too far. She surmised that the dwarves had already been told as much, else she very much doubted Thorin would risk his life or Bilba's by venturing beyond the gate.
Asta glanced about herself for a moment, ensuring that she was unobserved, before allowing just her face to transform, her fangs elongating, eyes lighting up, and nose lengthening slightly. Drawing in a deep, deliberate breath, she was able to catch the very faint stench of orc, and her eyes widened slightly at the distance. It would appear the Orcs were wary indeed of Beorn. The scent was so faint, it seemed as though the Orcs had… left? Why would they leave their prey, rather than waiting until the pack was no longer under Beorn's protection?
"Asta?" The werewolf jumped in surprise at her name, immediately shifting back to full human, before turning, wondering why she had neither heard nor smelled the approach of one of her pack. Yet when she turned, there was none nearby. She tilted her head, confused, but then heard the soft query again. "Asta? You can hear me, can you not?" The werewolf was concerned for only a moment, before her mind caught up and she recognized the voice. "Mr. Gandalf?"
She turned to look back toward the wall, and against the gate, the wizard leaned casually, calmly smoking his pipe. Even from that distance, she could see a spark of good humor in his eyes. Asta felt herself smiling in response, and darted closer to the wizard on light feet. "So you are indeed with us again. You had us all quite concerned when you fell behind."
The werewolf ducked her head, nodding. "Aye, though it was never my intention, I assure you." Gandalf chuckled at that, "I suppose not, no. How are you feeling, scieppan?"
"Well enough, sir. My other half has granted me healing enough to keep me alive, and I am as close to fully recovered as I can be for now."
"Good. You shall need your strength, for your journey will continue soon, and dark times lie ahead. Protect your pack, for they shall need your support in their travels, but do not fear to ask for their help should you need it. You are no longer alone."
With that, the wizard turned, and casually strode back into the gate, humming softly to himself. Asta stood staring after him for a moment, touched by the encouragement, when the heavy tread of dwarven footsteps alerted her to the alpha's approach. She quickly stepped to the side, glancing behind her, only to see Bilba standing a few feet away, looking peeved, and Thorin stalking straight towards the gate, ignoring the werewolf and the hobbit alike. Despite his obvious rage, he paused beside Asta, looking her over briefly, before nodding slightly in acknowledgement and continuing inside, with nary a glance back at the hobbit. Asta bowed in return to his nod, then looked after him in mild amusement as Bilba came to stand by her side with a huff.
"Did you have a bit of a lovers' quarrel, my friend?" she murmured to the hobbit, when she was certain that the alpha was out of hearing range. "What? No! Thorin and I aren't… we…" Bilba was reduced to sputtering, entirely unable to speak coherently at such a question. When she regained her composure, and opened her mouth to refute any such thing, Asta shook her head, her mirth finally getting the better of her as she began to laugh. "I jest, Bilba. 'Twas only a jest." The hobbit managed to glare at the honest-to-Yavanna giggling werewolf for all of five seconds before she found herself joining in.
"Hardly a worthy jest, Asta" she remonstrated, even as she chuckled. The wolf only shrugged, giddy with joy at her pack's safety and happiness, having missed such joviality in the past few weeks. She found herself blinking in surprise when the hobbit moved, swifter than the unprepared wolf's eyes could follow, as Bilba flung herself at Asta, wrapping surprisingly strong arms around her waist. "I'm so glad you are safe…" Bilba murmured, burying her face in the human's tunic. Asta dropped immediately to one knee so as to embrace the hobbit in turn, breathing in her scent. Pack safe. Happy. Warm. Her wolf was extremely pleased.
When they drew back, both smiling genuinely, Asta glanced up towards the house, and noticed the alpha speaking with Dwalin, just inside the doorway, though his sharp eyes were clearly upon the hobbit. "All jests aside, may I ask what happened with Thorin?" the werewolf queried, raising an eyebrow when the hobbit's happy expression slid right off into a scowl. "It was nothing. He worries needlessly." Asta followed the hobbit's gaze to the field, and understood. "He doesn't want you outside alone? For fear of the Orcs' return? Surely he knows that they fear our host?" Bilba nodded. "However, as I am a hobbit, clearly I am incapable of defending myself, or running twenty yards to safety by myself, and must always be protected by a big strong dwarf!"
She was nearly shouting at the end, and Asta was torn between secondhand annoyance at how Bilba had been treated, and amusement at Thorin's (understandable) over protectiveness. With a sweeping, exaggerated bow, Asta spoke, "In that case, might I offer you a guard as you go about your quest to collect flowers, Lady Baggins? No foe shall get past me to harm you!" Both hobbit and werewolf chuckled at that, knowing it to be true, even if said in jest. Bilba accepted, equally sarcastically, and they meandered back out into the field, the setting sun painting a gorgeous backdrop in the western sky.
Bilba collected her bouquet that she had dropped earlier, and knelt to pick a few more, conversing with her 'guard' all the while. She spoke of the events that had occurred while Asta was absent; of how the Pale Orc and his pack had chased them, and then Beorn had taken up the hunt, before Asta had reappeared. The werewolf, reminded of the hobbit's own absence in Goblin Town, questioned Bilba regarding her disappearance then.
Bilba told her readily enough of her fall, and the frightening creature that had called itself 'Gollum', but she seemed strangely hesitant to speak further when questioned about the game of riddles. Asta, curious after having been told of these riddles in the dark, had asked what truly had been in her pocket, and when the hobbit answered, it was the first time she had ever lied to the wolf. Her heartbeat faltered slightly, a tell the wolf relied upon to know when one was lying, and she physically stumbled back a step at being lied to by her packmate.
For her part, Bilba had thought quickly, and answered Asta's query with the reply of, "Why, Bofur's own pocket, of course! He tore it off of his coat, and gave it to me to use as a handkerchief, of all things, and I have kept it with me ever since." Asta could tell that at least part of her answer was the truth, but there was a lie in there nonetheless.
At the realization that Bilba felt she needed to lie to her, Asta began to growl, lowly at first, but gradually growing louder and louder until she was nearly vibrating with it, her fangs elongating and her eyes sparking into a glow. Bilba's eyes widened in surprise, and she glanced fearfully back towards the house, before muttering quickly, "Asta! What do you think you're doing?! What if one of the Company sees you?"
The werewolf shook her head, fear in her own eyes, as the shift took over her. She fought it, tooth and nail, but the wolf would not be denied, and soon, claws had replaced her fingertips, her hands becoming paws, and the borrowed clothing slid right off as her bones broke and reformed into the wolf. Fur sprouted all along her body, and within seconds, a giant black wolf stood towering over the hobbit, confusion clear in her eyes. The hobbit cautiously reached out to her, whispering, "Asta? Are you alright?"
The wolf ceased her growling immediately; gently pressing her nose into the hobbit's trembling hand in reassurance, and then looked up. Night had fallen, and there, hanging low in the sky, shone the light of the waxing moon. It was the night before the full moon, and one of three nights in a month where Asta was forced to shift. Bilba followed her gaze, and when she saw the moon, her mouth fell open in an 'oh' of surprise and sudden realization. "Tomorrow's the full moon, isn't it?" she asked the wolf, looking back to her for confirmation.
Asta nodded, relieved that her unexpected and unprompted shift had been nothing more than the moon's power taking hold. Given the events of the past few days, it was unsurprising that she had lost track of the lunar cycle for the first time in years, though she vowed to herself to never let it happen again, lest the dwarves catch her at an inopportune time and discover her secret. Now, however, the wolf tugged at her mind, and the human let herself go, knowing that she had little enough choice, and that her body and mind would be her own once more in the morning.
Bilba, meanwhile, took a moment to simply look over the wolf; no matter how many times she had seen Asta shifted, the tall, fearsome creature just did not seem to match up with the (usually) timid human she knew. Tentatively, (for though she had gotten over her fear of the wolf years ago, it was still nerve-wracking for the hobbit to be so near to such a powerful and dangerous creature) she reached out again, and laid her hand on Asta's shoulder, letting her fingers sink into the silky fur when the wolf did not react. Bilba found herself absently petting the wolf, when she turned and looked at the hobbit, amusement clear in her eyes even in her wolf form, and the hobbit jerked her hand back, muttering an embarrassed apology.
However, the wolf followed her, nudging against her for more contact, and the hobbit resumed her petting, amused when Asta's tongue lolled out contentedly. Bilba had read in her mother's books that wolves were very tactile creatures with their packs, and did not fare well alone, so it made sense that Asta would enjoy contact while in her wolf form. Although the human was usually fairly quiet and shy, never initiating a hug or even a handshake, she always seemed more than happy to reciprocate when the hobbit made the first move. Bilba had even noticed Bifur and Bofur clasping forearms with her, and knew then that Asta had truly accepted the dwarves as her pack, even if she was still rather wary around the alpha.
She was shaken from her thoughts when the wolf pulled out from under her hand, only to, more swiftly than the eye could follow, circle around the hobbit and nudge her in the back, hard enough to cause her to take a step forward for balance. "Asta! What are you doing?" she demanded, trying to turn to face the wolf, only to receive another push that sent her stumbling forward again. The wolf then darted past her, pausing a few feet in front of her and wagging her tail, going into a half-crouch, with her forelegs stretched out and her back legs still straight, back end in the air.
"Oh! You want to play, hm? Alright then!" the hobbit cried out, and with a battle cry only a hobbit could produce, she leapt playfully at the wolf, knowing even before she moved that the wolf could run all the way up to Beorn's house and back by the time the hobbit reached where she had been. However, the wolf stood stock-still until the barest instant before the hobbit could touch her before darting away, running a circle around the hobbit before half-crouching again, her tail wagging non-stop.