The next day Fili woke up smelling a delicious aroma of baked eggs. They all got up and ate breakfast. When they told Mrs. Maise they were going out for the day and would probably skip lunch, she vaguely told them that means they are getting packed food for the trip.
Irniq showed up on time and without a moment of hesitation he led them into the woods.
"I wish I could go running in the woods, it would be faster that way." Nori hissed to Kili.
"Stop complaining." Fili hissed back to the red wolf.
"He's such a dick, he never shuts up!" Bofur taunted the wolf with a mean smirk.
Irniq glanced at them with a strange glare, but did not comment or add anything. Apart from comments about wildlife and the area they did not hear much from him, he didn't say anything about the tribe or his family, nothing personal in fact.
I'm beginning to think we shouldn't trust this man. Fili whispered to Kili.
I agree. He's got a lot to hide. Kili told him carefully.
Read him! Fili suddenly demanded feeling a need to know what the man was thinking.
Kili slowly entered the man's head as they were walking. He was good at it, no one could ever tell or feel it. The calm stroll much too slow for both vampires and all beasts gave him the perfect chance to focus.
He saw images of the village, he saw faces of many people dear to the man. Irniq loved his family, he loved his tribe. He loved them so much he would die for them.
He's ready to die, but I don't know why… Kili told Fili with a grim face.
It's a trap! Fili's instincts kicked in. He's consciously leading us to a trap!
The peaceful images in the man's head changed into rage. Kili saw what happened to the tribe years ago, the last time they encountered a vampire.
He knows what I am! Kili whispered to Fili. But he has no idea what you are, he just thinks you're my slave or something.
He tried to go through the images of gore and destruction. The tribe had been raided by a group of vampires, just like the wild vampires had attacked them, but it was years ago. He saw the faces of the wild vampires, but they were different from the vampires that attacked them.
A different group of wildlings attacked them years ago, and they somehow managed to kill them… Kili told Fili in a grim voice. I can't get to the bottom of his head, he's very well guarded! But one thing is sure he is leading us into a trap!
Fili tried to focus his own powers. He slowly saw a meadow where the man was probably leading them. Some people were waiting there.
He's leading us to his tribe members. Fili told him. But I can't tell if any of them can transform. Do you know how they killed the vampires last time?
Kili tried to reach in again, and he saw an image of a man sacrificing himself for him family. The man cut his wrists open, driving the wild vampires crazy. When the vampire bit him, he himself turned and killed the vampire in protection of his family.
I can't see if they can transform. I saw one turn himself into a vampire to protect his family… Kili told him.
So we're walking into vampires? Fili realized hesitantly. I'm not so sure.
Whatever it is, are we going to make it out? Kili asked the right question to make Fili focus on the perspective.
I feel pain… but yes we will. Fili told him.
Fili glanced at the quiet native American. He glanced back to Nori, Bofur and Beorn. All three men exchanged glares, and Fili felt confident they noticed something strange about their situation and knew about the danger. He nodded to them slowly.
I can't see if anyone can change here. Kili noticed grimly. But they must have a way to fight if they managed to defeat the wild vampires.
Dig deeper! Fili insisted. We're coming closer!
They began walking slowly making a gap between them and Irniq.
"Whatever may happen we're going to get out of it." Fili whispered to their friends.
When they reached the meadow they did not show any surprise seeing ten people wait for them there. There were three women and seven men. Some men were armed with traditional weapons or firearms. They were all native Americans, their small postures, dark hair and skin color easily gave it away.
They tried not to show anything and followed the man guiding them. Kili immediately identified that two of the people there who were in fact vampires. They were strong fighters, but not as old and experienced as him and Bofur.
"We will not heed and perish!" A small woman in the middle mumbled. "We have survived one attack and we will survive the next!"
"No one here has any ill intensions towards you." Fili carefully chose his words. "Contrary to your intentions towards us." He noticed in a grim voice picking up all the spite in the woman in front of him.
"A slave to a vampire cannot assure us of anything. The marks on your neck clearly indicate who you are." One of the older man spoke bitterly.
We should leave, it was a mistake to come here. Kili told his mate.
"Even now he is controlling your mind." The old woman in the middle spoke startling both Kili and Fili. "Dear child everything he has said to you was a lie. The day you met him he began toying with your emotions and feelings. But you're just a meal for him."
Fili glanced at the woman wondering about her words.
She must have some kind of abilities. Fili noticed.
She's scary… Kili agreed.
"You have no idea about what is between us." Fili told her firmly. He glanced at the people and quickly indentified the two vampires there.
"You harbor vampires as well, what's the difference between us and you?" He told them in a grave voice.
"They have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the tribe." One of the men spoke in a deep voice.
"And now does that make them anything less than they were before? Do you treat them any different?" Beorn noticed.
"You're one of us." Irniq spoke. "Clearly you do not know what sacrifice means to your tribe."
"All three of us are one of you." Beorn told them solemnly. "I'm from the Carrock tribe, and Fili and Nori are from the Khuzdul tribe."
"The more so you should be wise to abandon your ties to these beasts and let us eliminate them." The old woman spoke again.
Nori glanced at the people stunned by their prejudice and narrow-mindedness.
"Never." He spoke one short work with so much despise and spite, Bofur's heart jump with joy.
"Then you shall die alongside them." Irniq said grimly.
"With pleasure! What would my life be without my soul mate?" Nori gasped with emotion.
"No one is going to die." Fili spoke calmly and firmly.
"Let me show you how precious is the faithfulness of a vampire." Irniq spoke bitterly and cut his wrist.
The blood began flowing and staining his clothes and the ground around him. The tribe members looked surprised at the two vampires who didn't even flinch, their own vampires had problems remaining calm.
"That won't work." Fili noticed grimly.
"But this will." The old woman said with spite and lifted her hand.
"What is that?" Kili gasped and felt a wave of pain overcome his body. Bofur fell down the same moment he did. Then he realized Fili was on the ground as well clutching his head.
One of the men tended to Irniq's wound clearly mumbling something about the vampires getting what they had coming to them.
"Why is it hurting the human as well?" One of the men asked the woman.
"I'm not sure." The woman relied clearly surprised as well.
"Stop that!" Nori yelled at him. "You're killing them!"
"That's the idea!" The woman noticed dully.
"Fucking shit!" Fili gasped and consciously began building a wall between them and the woman. Whatever she was gripping it was a powerful magical object.
"It's not working the way it should!" One of the man noticed surprised the vampires were still alive.
"Strange it's like there is a barrier between us and them." The woman noticed. "Only powerful magic could cause something like that."
"I can't take this anymore…"Fili gasped towards shocked Beorn and Nori.
"Finish them off!" The woman ordered. "Kill them while they are weakened!"
"Don't you even dare!" Beorn yelled and in a swift move he turned into his real form striking fear in the people gathered there. Only the old woman didn't seem surprised and scared, but her eyes looked at him with some kind of amazement.
"How can you defend your natural enemy?" The woman asked the bear in a breaking voice.
"You are the enemy!" Nori yelled at her, and his voice turned into a growl. In front of their eyes in the place of the short man, they saw a huge red wolf with exposed fangs stand along the grizzly bear defending the two vampires.
The woman gasped surprised and lowered her hand, cancelling the effect the magical object had on Kili and Bofur.
"How is this possible?" She asked looking at the bear and wolf. "The last of your kind died!"
"Do we seem dead to you?" Fili asked with spite. "Just because the last people like this died in your tribe over a century ago, it doesn't mean we are anything less!"
"How can you know that?" She asked in a grim voice.
"That fancy thing might protect you from vampires and their powers, but it will not protect you from me." Fili replied and focused all his power on the woman. She went pale feeling the sudden psychic power press down on her.
"What are you?" She gasped surprised.
"I'm a wolf." He told her cockily. "I'm the heir of my tribe in all its pride and glory!" He said taking on his true form, the huge golden wolf striking even more fear than Beorn and Nori. In his wolf form he came up to Kili and gently licked his face, the vampire was clearly weakened and he hugged the wolf tightly.
"I'm fine, just a bit weak." Kili told the wolf with a sad smile. The wolf nudged him gently and faced the people yet again.
You will not hurt him! Fili told them in a telepathic message.
"No one would ever dare fight against a great spirit beast." The woman told the huge wolf confidently.
You almost killed him for fearing what he was… but it's me who you should fear… Fili told them. In this form my wolf is thinking only of ripping you to shreds for threatening my soul mate.
"He's a vampire, his kind should not exist any longer!" The woman spoke in a strong voice.
I don't care what you think, he's not a danger to anyone! Fili told them.
"Lower your weapons!" The woman ordered the men. "We will step down, if you do the same."
Fili glanced at the men, and slowly they all dropped their weapons to the ground. When they finally took a step back Fili turned back into his human form. He reached for his backpack and pulled out the second set of clothes he had packed.
"Shall we talk like people do, or do you prefer for us to leave without telling you why we sought you out?" Fili asked the woman seriously. Beorn and Nori were still in their animal forms, Bofur hanging on Nori's neck clearly exhausted with the difficult ordeal he had to face.
"We might as well talk." The woman told him. "Follow me." She told them. Beorn and Nori took back their human forms, got dressed and pulled Bofur along.