The pain shooting through Riley's leg was a constant companion as their group had moved swiftly through dark tunnels, winding themselves out of the safety of the mountain. Jessika took the lead, holding a burning lamp at eye height to illuminate each step they took. Fain brought up the rear, just behind Riley, continuing in that formation even as they found the tunnel door, barely a crook in the stone, and made their way down the cliff face of Erebor and towards the forest Riley could see in the distance.

The moment the sunlight hit their faces from the dank depths of the tunnels, Riley's head had spun. When was the last time she had seen daylight? She felt like a worm or mole, some creature which had been buried in the soil so long it almost couldn't stand the light.

Riley had often thought about the things that she missed, a strong longing for the comfort of her room and apartment, for soft, colourful pyjamas and stupid rom coms. Every single day she wished that she had somehow had hundreds of tampons on her when they fell into that damn river, because the adjustment as a woman to the very backwards approach at managing menstruation was a nightmare. There was a hole in her heart when she thought about morning coffees, headphones, and the connection to what seemed like every inch of the world through the internet, but at this very moment she didn't miss anything more than her pair of sunglasses. The sun was high in the sky by now, just at the point where it was in their peripheral vision, and Riley was having little success adjusting.

At the very least, the air was cool, and the breeze brushing against her cheeks felt like it could almost peel her worries away.

Almost.

Shayla was out here somewhere, by herself. Riley did not doubt Shayla's abilities, she just doubted that her friend would be able to get out of strife by herself in a place that was still largely a fucking nightmare.

The ground beneath them shifted as the sun dropped further into the sky ahead, and the closer they found themselves to the looming forest of Mirkwood. The rocky and stone outcrop shifted into flat soil, which then changed into softer and almost muddy earth. The shift brought Jessika to a halt before them, as she knelt to run her hands across something on the ground.

"What is it? Did you find something?" Riley called, shifting past Ori and Bilbo quickly to look over Jessika's shoulder. She saw the Dwarven woman inspect the dirt with her fingertips, analysing the slight shape of a footprint beneath them.

"It is fine, Riley. Shayla passed through here, as expected. Fai, what do you think?" Fain moved past Riley, kneeling besides her sister and feeling the soil. He looked to the footprints ahead of the first, quiet for several moments.

Huffing in frustration, Fain stood abruptly to his feet and folded his arms across his broad chest.

"Why in Durin's name did she decide to run?" The scowl on his face indicated he was less than impressed with this turn of events. Riley shook her head in disbelief. Just when she thought Shayla couldn't be any more annoyingly stubborn, she just had to outdo herself.

"Two birds with one stone. Why does she have to be such an idiot!" Riley called out with a slight shrill.

"What does that mean, Miss Riley?" Ori asked politely with a small crumple in his brows and a quiver in his voice. Riley sighed again, looking before her at the forest.

"She's simultaneously trying to put distance between her and anyone who might be trying to take her back to Erebor and reducing the time it will take her to see her parents again. She's not going to stop running if she can help it; she is more used to physical endurance than anyone I know. Well, knew. I guess that changed when we came here." Riley palmed her eyes, digging her fingernails into either temple.

"Well, you're in luck. We are all in well enough shape that we can take up the chase." Fain said, looking to each of his kin, but turning back to Riley and eying her leg. "It is you I am concerned may slow us down."

"Fain!" Bilbo cried, glaring at his brother and lack of tact. Riley's head snapped upwards to glare Fain into oblivion.

"You have no fucking idea what I am capable of, wanker," Riley retorted, taking a step towards him.

Jessika quickly moved between them, pushing on Fain's chest in the process. He took a step back and just shook his head in distaste, turning towards the forest as though there were far more interesting happenings beyond them.

"Riley, excuse this zahar bund for his lack of thoughtfulness." Jessika glared at the back of his head, before returning her gaze to Riley. "But he is right. You are fit and healthy enough, if not for your injured leg. It has not gone unnoticed that you are struggling."

Fury flared within Riley, as she felt the inklings of what was to come.

They were trying to abandon her, to send her back.

She would be damned if she were to let that happen.

"Worry less about me and more about Shayla." Riley turned from Jessika and pushed past Fain with a hard shove of her shoulder into his.

Riley watched the tracks in the dirt, using them to guide her to the forest before them, ignoring the pack digging into her shoulders, and the pain throbbing down her leg. If they were already losing time on catching up to Shayla, she wasn't about to waste any more arguing with the others about whether she should continue with them.

"Fain, you are the thickest-headed troll I've ever had the displeasure to know." Bilbo whispered from the rear of the pack, hoping that Riley wouldn't hear from ahead as she stormed towards Mirkwood.

"I'm not wrong, am I Bilbo? If she wants us to find her friend before anything unbecoming occurs, Riley needs to turn back to Erebor." Fain threw a dark glance at his sister as she sighed. "I am not wrong."

"I don't disagree with you Fain! But your lack of sympathy towards her cause is less than favourable."

"I don't need to be sympathetic towards her cause, 'Ka. We just need to complete this mission successfully and bring them both back in one piece. I am being the voice of reason." Fain's voice edged with something more than annoyance. Jessika knew that the risk they had taken to find Shayla would only pay off if they were successful, though his apprehension stemming from the pressure was beginning to frustrate her.

"Well voice your reason with a little more warmth towards our kin." She whispered heatedly, lowering her voice. Fain did not take the hint and instead chose to raise his own.

"They are not our kin!" Ori took a step back slightly, glancing nervously between Fain and Riley's retreating form, and Bilbo opened his mouth to argue back but Jessika beat him by a mere moment.

"They are Humans from Mother and Uncle's lands! They are as much kin to us as the Dwarves are." Fain clenched his jaw, his blue eyes flashing shards of ice.

"Fine. But remember it is not just me who is counting on this mission succeeding. I am not the only one attempting to prove my worth." Fain offered a hollow glare at Bilbo, before following Riley with the same storm cloud above his head. Jessika just sighed again, and with a small grimace directed at Bilbo and Ori who stood at her side, she continued after them.

The shadow of the forest begun to stretch towards them, a slow and silent approach that did nothing to provide Riley the relief that at the very least the sun was now descending beyond Mirkwood. She had stormed towards the forest in a show of defiance and fierce determination, but with every step she drew nearer, she became more uncomfortable.

Riley continued for as long as she could, but when she felt as though she were within the grasp of the forest's shadow, she needed to stop. Her stomach churned, and despite the fury still brewing under the surface at Fain, she needed to reassure herself that she wasn't alone.

Just as she turned around, she found the others starting to slow several metres from her; Ori looked as though he had lost all blood flow, his cheeks as pale as a corpse. Fain and Jessika were scouring their surroundings, the unease setting off the very primal survival instincts within their minds. Each of them unsheathed swords, and Bilbo followed suit with a panicked expression on his face.

"The forest makes you feel this way. You know that there is something wrong with it, but you are still curious. Something about it calls to you." Ori whispered, barely audible.

Rustling blew through the pale and shimmering blue leaves, sending chills down Riley's spine.

"Did… Would Shayla have gone in?" Riley made out, the panic settling into her bones.

Jessika moved past and scoured the ground, following the footsteps still inlaid into the soft earth.

"No, she has turned North… But we have another problem. Fai, look." Fain scanned their surroundings once more before moving several paces with the direction of the footprints. His eyes darted to Jessika's, some communication racing between them before Riley verbalised the fear that was tangible now.

"What is it? What is going on?" Riley's heart was pounding through her throat, leaving her breathless. Fain glanced at her with the first sliver of sympathy in his eyes she thought she had witnessed.

"These are Shayla's footprints heading North, however there are two more sets of footprints… Larger, with a distinctive single, clawed digit at the top of the footwear." Ori inhaled sharply, and Bilbo's jaw slacked open.

"What does that mean?" Riley growled through clenched teeth. Jessika shifted herself, first tightening her pack against her back, and then gripping her sword more firmly within her grasp.

"It means she is being tracked by Orcs."

"What the fuck do yo-" Riley's words were cut short by the sound of a horn blowing in the distance, somewhere near where they had just abandoned Erebor.

"Oh no." Ori whispered, pulling a small Warhammer from his belt. Jessika and Fain looked at each other quickly, speaking at the same time.

"There is an attack on Dale."

"We need to make a decision right now."

Riley was frozen. Her fingers gripped achingly against the wooden staff, a thousand frantic thoughts and emotions bursting from her skull.

"There is no choice to make!" Fain yelled, looking between Jessika and Erebor with a sliver of panicked fear. "Even if we were to attempt a retreat to Erebor, anything could happen between now and then. They have their defences in place. Our only move is to follow Shayla and kill the Orcish scum in pursuit." Jessika nodded, turning to Riley, Bilbo and Ori. Her emerald eyes bore into each of their own, a combination of fear and determination rolling within the depths.

"Alright. We run."

Zahar Bund- Empty head

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all well, and happy new year!

I'm so ready to start amping up the suspense and the stakes! Let me know what you think, I always love to hear from y'all. Enjoy your weekend! xx