A/N: I should warn everyone that this chapter contains some graphic imagery. Also, there is a small implication of nudity towards the end. But it's not too bad.


~Fight & Flight~


A healer and an eagle, alone in the Wild
In an untamed world so easily riled
Protecting each other, as only they could
For loyalty was something they both understood
But as the journey goes on, the truth becomes clearer;
Deep in the shadows, dark things draw nearer


Edlyn awoke early the next morning to the irritating sensation of something tickling her face and nose as well as the sensation of something heavy on her chest. For one panic filled moment, she forgot where she was. Her heart jumped and reflex took over as she frantically struggled to free herself from whatever it was that on top of her. She managed to pull herself out from under whatever it was, sneezing and sputtering as she did, leaping to her feet to see what was going on.

Relief flooded her entire being. "Oh, yeah." She said quietly with a sheepish giggle when she saw Faen still sleeping on the ground, suddenly remembering that she had fallen asleep under her wing last night. That was what had woken her up. At the moment, Edlyn was somewhat thankful that there wasn't anyone else currently there because she probably looked ridiculous for panicking about it.

Edlyn looked at Faen for a moment. Her sudden and frantic movements hadn't woken her at all for she was still sound asleep. Poor thing must have been up most of the night trying to keep a lookout for danger. She stirred and tucked her head under her wing before going still again. The healer decided to let her sleep a bit more since the sun was just beginning to rise and it was still a bit early. Besides, she looked so peaceful when she was asleep.

Eventually, Edlyn decided to look on ahead to see if she could find a good trail that led to the stream. She figured she would eat when she got back. Knowing that it was not safe to go off without some way to protect herself, she grabbed her sword and secured it tightly on her back. She also grabbed Fili's knives and tucked them somewhere on her person where she would have easy access. She turned and made her way into the woods to search for a trail.

It took Edlyn a while to finally find the stream. But she was incredibly relieved when she did. She knew which way to go since she made a point to mark the trail she took by carving certain symbols into the trees with the knives she had with her. Once she found the stream, she turned and made her way back to Faen, following the trail she made.

She had only gone a little ways when suddenly, she heard the sound of a twig snapping and rustling in the bushes. She whipped around, her eyes darting every which way to see what had caused it. She heard more rustling and spun around again, her fingers wrapped around the hilt of her sword.

"Show yourself." She demanded. There was no answer.

Edlyn stayed completely still with her hand still on her sword. There was nothing but silence, and it unnerved her. After a few moments, she slowly took her hand away from her sword and was about to turn around and head back down the trail when suddenly, she was grabbed from behind. A big, black hand that reeked of death and disease was clapped over her mouth to prevent her from crying out as she was thrown violently against a tree. Another arm was pressed against her chest, preventing her from moving. She looked up at her attacker and came face to face with a big, dark-skinned orc, who stared down at her with a wicked, toothy grin.

"Well, whatta ya know? The little imp was right." He said in his native tongue.

Edlyn didn't understand what he was saying nor did she care. She struggled against his hold but he just laughed as he held onto her tighter. Suddenly, she heard a familiar howl and saw a small group of Wargs and their riders approaching.

"Hey, Vragar! Look who I caught!" Her captor said.

One of the orcs dismounted his steed and walked towards them. He was a bit shorter than the rest (from what Edlyn could see) with muddy brown skin and pale blue eyes. He had an ape-like face complete with a nose ring and a Mohawk made out of long dreadlocks. He had a bow and a quiver on his back and he walked with a bit of a waddle.

"Ah, yes." He said. "Caught our prey, you have. I told you it was the female, I did." He looked at Edlyn. "So far from your companions, you are. Where's your eagle friend? No doubt died of its wound, it had. All alone now, you must be. Don't worry, you're not alone now. We'll keep you company, we will." He gave her a wicked grin.

"What are we going to do with her, Vragar?" Asked the orc who was holding the young healer. "Can we kill her?" His grip on her tightened.

"No." Vragar replied. "We will take her back to Azog."

"What? Why?" The orc asked.

"Because..." Vragar said. "Azog said that I may do what I wished with my prey when I find them, he did. And I want to take her to him; so that he can see what I have accomplished. Then you can kill her, you can!"

The orc nodded then pulled Edlyn against his chest, holding onto her tight with his hand still over her mouth. She fought against his hold as he started dragging her over to his Warg.

"Wait a minute." Vragar said as he quickly removed her sword and tossed it aside. "Thought you could get away with this, did ya?" He said. "Let's go!" He ordered.

The orc that held Edlyn continued to drag her towards his Warg, and the closer they got, the more she fought against his grip.

"STOP FIGHTING!" Vragar yelled at her, this time in the common tongue, making her stop dead. "If you continue to fight, I'll gut you myself, I will!" He said furiously.

Edlyn stared at him wide-eyed and completely still as he glared at her. Then he turned and walked back to his Warg and the orc followed suit. The healer knew she had to get away from them and quick! But how? She had an idea and she knew she wouldn't like it, but she had no other choice at the moment.

Opening her mouth, Edlyn bit down on the orc's hand, biting as hard as she could. Orc flesh was the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted, but she endured it as she held onto him tight as a leech. The orc let out a shriek of pain and let go of her, throwing her to ground. He stumbled back; clutching his hand in pain as Edlyn quickly got up and tackled him to the ground before he had a chance to react. The commotion caused Vragar to turn around just in time to see her attack the orc while the other Warg riders shifted on their steeds. As soon as she pinned the orc down, Edlyn whipped out one of Fili's knives that was very well hidden and held it to the orc's throat.

Suddenly, something hard hit her on the back of the head and everything went black.


When Edlyn awoke, the first thing she noticed was that there was something clamped around her middle. The next thing she noticed was the wind blowing hard in her face and whipping her hair around. Next, she noticed the glare of the sun right in her face, and when she raised her arm to shield her eyes, she became aware that her limbs were dangling. That was quickly followed by the stomach dropping feeling of weightlessness and she soon realized that she was not on solid ground. When her vision cleared, she saw sights moving around her, and...below her? What?

It took a while for Edlyn's brain to put the pieces together. But, she soon figured out what was going on when she was alerted to the flapping of large wings and a familiar glint of gold right above her head. Then, she knew what was happening.

It was an eagle! She was in clamped in the talons of an eagle and it was carrying her through the air! And it wasn't just any eagle, as she found out when she looked up and caught a glimpse of the bandage wrapped around its right wing.

"FAEN!" she shouted. It was Faen! Faen was the one who was carrying her! Faen was the one who was flying!

Wait a second. Faen was flying? Why was she flying? She's not supposed to be flying; her injury wasn't healed yet.

"Hold on, mouse!" Faen shouted. "We're almost there!" Her voice was strained and Edlyn knew she was in pain. No surprise there.

She looked around but didn't see any other eagles around; therefore Faen must have been alone. So, she wondered, what happened to the orcs who had captured her?

Again, to know that, we must take a step back.


Faen woke up that morning and the first thing she noticed was that Edlyn was nowhere to be found.

"Mouse? Mouse, where are you?" She called. There was no answer. Then she noticed that the healer's weapons were missing. "Edlyn?!" She called again. Still, no answer. A bad feeling formed in her chest as she searched around for her, calling her name.

Suddenly, she heard the bone chilling howl of a Warg in the distance and fear gripped her. She charged off into the forest towards the sound of the Wargs, eventually finding that trail Edlyn had marked. It didn't take her long to finally see them; a party of about five or six Wargs and their riders, two of which were leaning over Edlyn's unconscious body after Vragar had hit her on the back of the head with the hilt of his dagger.

"There. Now she won't fight back, she won't." Vragar said.

"Let me kill her, please." Said the orc that Edlyn had attacked.

"No!" Vragar shouted. "We take her back to Azog, we will. Now grab her."

From where she was, Faen could not tell whether Edlyn was even alive or not, nor did she care at the moment. So great was her fury at seeing her in the hands of those vile creatures that her hatred for them burned a hundred fold. Letting out a loud, angry, unearthly screech, she burst through the trees and knocked down the first Warg she encountered, grabbing the rider in her beak and throwing him hard against a tree with a sickening thud, killing him instantly. The Warg itself shrieked and howled as Faen ripped it apart with her talons. It was a horrifying sound and the rest of the hunting party fell away in fright.

But Faen did not show restraint for their fear; she attacked them too. The wrath of the Great Eagles burned inside her like a fierce fire as she continued to throw orcs against rocks and trees and tear Wargs apart with her claws and beak. Their horrifying dying screams filled the air and their flesh and blood splattered everywhere, but Faen paid no mind to it, nor did she pay attention to the pain in her wing. The only thing on her mind was saving Edlyn.

Finally, Faen stopped, noticing that there was no one left for her to attack. Every member of the hunting party was dead; she had killed them all in her fury. Their corpses lay scattered all around her and their blood was smeared all over her face and body. She walked over to Edlyn and nudged her with her beak .

"Edlyn, are you alright?" She asked.

Edlyn did not answer nor did she open her eyes. But the eagle could feel her breath on her beak so she knew she was not dead, just unconscious. Faen looked around at the carnage around her. She figured that there was most likely more orcs where these guys came from. She had to get them out of here; she had to get them to the Carrock. There was only one way to get them there as soon as possible; she had to fly there. She knew that her wing wasn't healed yet and that it would be a painful journey. But, it would not be long for the Carrock was not that far away. She could make it; she had to.

Turning, she picked up Edlyn's sword and the knife she had dropped in one talon then very gently picked Edlyn up in the other. As she did, she took a deep breath and pushed herself off the ground. The take-off was rough and there was pain, but she held it back as best as she could, trying to focus on the flight. After gaining some height, she turned towards the East and carried her off to the Carrock.


Faen didn't know it, but she had not succeeded in killing every member of the hunting party. There was one who got away.

Almost as soon Faen came bursting through the trees, Vragar leapt onto his Warg and bolted. He had tried to fire a few arrows to bring the eagle down, but she dodged them. Her fury frightened him so much that he turned and ran away, leaving his companions to their fate, for he was coward, as even the greatest of simpletons could see.

But, he was also very prideful and he did not wish to be seen as the coward he truly was. So, when he finally caught up to Azog after he ran off, rather than telling him the truth, he lied to the pale orc, for he was a liar as well as a coward. He told him that he was forced to kill both the eagle and the she-man and burn their bodies after the eagle had gone on a rampage and slaughtered the others while he barely escaped with his life.

Azog didn't fully believe him, but since Edlyn was of little importance to him, he let it go. Vragar was overjoyed that he had gotten away with it, not knowing that that lie was going cause serious problems for him later.


After several minutes, Faen set Edlyn and her weapons down on the top of a giant rock formation right before landing herself and collapsing in total exhaustion. Edlyn scrambled to her feet, her head throbbing and swimming after the hit it took as she staggered over to Faen to see if she was alright, feeling a mixture of concern and frustration.

"It hurts. It hurts." She heard the eagle mutter under her breath.

"Well, of course it hurts!" Edlyn yelled, feeling a bit angered. "What do you think you're doing? You not supposed to be flying, Faen. Your wing isn't healed yet."

"Is THAT the thanks I get for saving you? This was the only way for me to get you out of danger."

"You're supposed to be healing. If you ever want to recover you have to be more careful. Now you've most likely made the injury worse."

Faen didn't say anything.

"Let me take a look at it." Edlyn walked over to her wing and she let her look at it.

Just as she had feared, Faen's forbidden flight had caused the wound to open up a bit more. Using the last of the Athelas that she had in the pouch on her belt, Edlyn cleaned and bandaged the wound again. As she did, she looked at Faen, noticing how quiet she was. Her head was hanging and she looked remorseful. Guilt formed in the young healer's chest, suddenly realizing how ungrateful she was being.

"By the way..." She said. "...thank you for saving my life."

Faen looked at her. "You're welcome. And thank you." She said. Edlyn nodded her reply and a silence fell over them both. When she was done, she took a step back.

"There." She said. "I did what I can. The only thing left is to let it heal and take it easy. That means no more flying, do you hear me?"

Faen nodded. "I guess that means we're walking from here."

"Indeed. Where are we anyway?"

"This is the Carrock."

Edlyn's heart leapt. "Really?"

"Yes." Faen said. "And look." She lifted her head and stared off towards the East. Edlyn followed her gaze and saw, far in the distance, the dark outline of a mountain just on the horizon.

The young healer stared at it in awe. "Is that...?"

"Yes." Faen said. "Erebor, the great kingdom of the dwarves, and your destination."

Edlyn turned and looked at her. "Thank you, Faen. Thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms around the eagle's neck and hugged her tight.

"Alright alright! You're welcome, mouse." She said with a laugh. She let go of her. "Now, we best get going."

"Are you sure that you want to continue on with me. You said your kin wouldn't dare venture beyond this point, so I don't know if you would."

"I don't have a choice, mouse. I promised you that I would help you find your friends, even if that means I'd have to walk all the way to Erebor with you. And I will if I have to. Besides, I can't really be on my own. Not with this injury."

"Well then, let's go."

Slinging her sword onto her back and tucking the knife into her belt, the two of them made their way down the steps to the river below. They walked to the ford and Edlyn removed her clothes to bathe in the clear water. Faen bathed with her since she was still covered in blood after killing all those orcs and Wargs.

When she was done, Edlyn dried herself off in the sun and Faen sat next to her preening her feathers. The human didn't feel at all uncomfortable with taking her clothes off in front of the eagle. She was a female also and she didn't seem to mind anyway. All she did was make a comment about how funny humans looked without their clothes on since they didn't have any feathers. Edlyn just laughed and agreed with her as she brushed her long, dark hair out with her fingers then braided it. After she was done, she put her clothes on then she and Faen continued on their journey East.

Neither of them knew that they were not out of danger yet. The worst was still yet to come.


A/N: Um, I realize that it's probably impossible for Vragar to catch up with Azog that quickly but bear with me please.

Music:

The music that plays when Edlyn gets caught by Vragar is Blood Night by Adrian von Ziegler.

The music that plays when Faen attacks the Warg riders is Into the Eternal Twilight by Immediate Music.

The first minute and twenty seconds of Lumina by BrunuhVille plays during Faen's flight to the Carrock.

(songs belongs to their respective owners)