Raven felt her stomach twist uneasily when she reached down to grab her bag. Hand hovering, Raven's ears perked up when she heard the vibrations of a sled being pulled against the ground; multiple paws lightly pounding against the ground. "Someone's coming!" Raven yelled and the Dwarves banned together just as the unexpected guest came riding into view on a wood sled pulled by a team of Rabbits.
Standing on the back of the sled, a man was about Bilbo's height, wearing a brown fur robe, a fur hat covering a head of long silver hair. The shoes covering the man's feet looked more like brown slippers that curled at the tip. In one hand, the short man held a staff similar to Gandalf's, and his silver beard was almost stomach length. And his eyes were full of fear. "Thieves! Fire! Murderers!" The man yelled while the sled came to a halt. "Radagast!" Raven and Gandalf exclaimed with excitement. "Radagast The Brown!" Gandalf introduced.
Radagast greeted Gandalf with a handshake and then greeted Raven with a hug. No sooner then Raven let go, a small black nose poked out of Radagast's brown robe, followed by a small head, black beady eyes looked up at Raven expectantly. "Sebastian!" Raven cried with excitement and the Hedgehog crawled out of Radagast's robe and then snuggled in Raven's arms after Raven took him in her hands.
"Looks like Raven loves other fury critters besides our uncle!" Fili teased and the Princes snickered.
Raven met Thorin's gaze while she gently ran her hand along Sebastian's quills. She laughed when Thorin glared at his nephews.
While Radagast talked to Gandalf about a Necromancer, Bilbo and Ori walked up beside Raven to peer at Sebastian, the Hedgehog snuggled in Raven's arms. "Sebastian is adorable," Ori told Raven and the Hedgehog bopped Ori's hand when the young Dwarf pet his head.
"Cuter and less smellier than Thorin, Fili and Kili, I suppose," Raven added. That earned her laughter from Bilbo and the other Dwarves; Thorin giving Raven a frown when she met his eyes again while Fili and Kili exclaimed, "hey!" Bilbo now scratching Sebastian's head with his finger tips.
Thorin watched while Raven held the tiny animal in her arms, a smile on her face while she looked at the animal with love in her eyes. Bilbo and Ori resting a chin on either of her shoulders. Absentmindedly, Thorin closed the distance between them, both Bilbo and Ori took a step back at Thorin's approach. Thorin watched Raven look up at him, her eyes still full of love and her lips still smiling. They way Raven looked up at him caused Thorin to catch his breath. Thorin silently cursed Fairen. He kept trying to push aside whatever feelings he had for the woman in front of him, but Raven unknowingly reminded him and kept reminding him. "Do you want to hold him?" Raven asked, nodding down to Sebastian then looking back up at Thorin. Thorin felt his heart and breath catch when Raven asked him, because they way she asked him, was the same way a wife asks her husband if he wants to hold their newborn child.
Thorin stated, "I'm surprised no man has picked you up yet. Do you not want a family?"
Thorin watched Raven's beautiful lips part but never utter a sound because her face grew serious. In those beautiful eyes, Thorin watched the gentleness of the woman be put to sleep when the danger of the Vampire took over; eyes filling with the look of a predator. Raven slightly turned her head; tilting slightly to one side. Raven's ears picked up more, very faint vibrations that were far away, but sounded close due to her sense of hearing being heightened - stronger. The vibrations were getting closer and closer. Raven's nose twitched when a familiar smell of musty, dirty animal fur blew past she and everyone else on the breeze that gently ruffled the hair on everyone's heads and their beards. Wargs!
"Radagast! Gandalf!" Raven called. The two Wizards had moved away from the group to talk more privately about Radagast's Necromancer.
"What's wrong?" Thorin asked, absentmindedly placing a hand on Raven's shoulder as the two Wizards rushed to Raven's side. "What's wrong?" Everyone repeated Thorin's question while Raven handed a sleeping Sebastian back to Radagast. "We're being hunted." Raven barely got the words past her lips when the air was filled by multiple howls while Raven drew a throwing knife then, turning her attention to the top of the hill, Raven threw her throwing knife just as a Warg appeared at the top, growling, but ended up lifelessly rolling to the bottom of the hill when Raven's throwing knife embedded into the Warg's neck. Another Warg attacked behind but Thorin killed it.
"Warg scouts," Thorin explained, "which means an Orc pack isn't far behind."
"I'll draw them off," Radagast told them.
"These are Gundanad Wargs!" Gandalf protested. "They will outrun you!"
"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits!" Radagast fired back. "I'd like to see them try." Radagast needed the discussion with determination in his eyes.
Everyone watched Radagast ride out onto the Wide Plains with Orcs chasing after him on their Wargs' backs. "Come on!" Gandalf ordered and everyone took off in a sprint. But Radagast rode around in circles that kept forcing the company to run back and forth while trying not to be seen.
Raven's nose twitches like before when the scent of Warg blows on the air while the company clamors against a tall rock; Orc and Warg appearing at the top. "When you go fishing what's the most important thing to remember?" Raven asked suddenly while everyone pressed their backs against the talk rock, looking at her like they couldn't believe she was talking about fishing. "We don't fish," Thorin replied.
"It's the quantity of the bait," Raven explained, not hearing Thorin until he whispered, "don't do it," when he realized what Raven was thinking.
"Are you worried about me?" Raven asked.
"None of our aim isn't what it used to be," Thorin stated.
"Then get close enough before you guys kill," Raven argued and sprinted out into the open before Thorin had a chance to protest, stopping at one league and then turned to face the Orc and Warg who were facing the other way; catching a glimmer of worry and dislike in the eyes of the company members - Thorin's especially.
"Hey! Handsome!" Raven called to the Orc. Raven hoped to be the first one the Orc and Warg would see so they would forget about Bilbo and the Dwarves, who looked at her as if she had developed a poor taste for males. Her plan worked because the Warg jumped off the tall rock and landed on the ground in front of the company. Raven cupped her hands around her mouth to make her voice louder. "I meant the Warg!" Raven yelled and the Orc nudged the Warg in its sides and the animal chased after Raven.
Kili put an arrow to his now and released! The Warg chasing Raven wasn't far from the tall rock when it slowed to a limp after Kili's arrow embedded into the Warg's hind leg. Raven sent a throwing knife sailing through the air to embed itself in the Orc's neck when she turned her head to look back. The Orc fell dead to the ground but the rest of the Orc pack had heard the Warg's cries when the Dwarves took the animal's life.
"Run!" Raven yelled right when Thorin was about to do the same. Thorin and the Dwarves follow Raven across the plains. But the Orcs had a backup plan: closing in on the company out in the open plains a league or two from any rocks to take cover behind. Or so they thought, because Gandalf had disappeared into a cave in the rock formation that was not far from the company.
Raven also had a back up plan of her own: putting a shield barrier over the company so no one could get in or out of the shimmering clear barrier. Separating herself from the others. "Raven!" Thorin's deep voice booms when he sees what she's up to when he and the others watch as the shimmering barrier encases them so they couldn't be hurt. All except for her.
Raven had ended up standing next to Thorin when the group got ready to fight before she cast her protection barrier. Raven, still keeping her eyes on the advancing Wargs carrying the Orcs, told Thorin, "Thorin, trust me just as I have trusted you." Thorin saw Raven's gaze finally meet his. Raven could tell the Dwarf did not like the thought he saw in her eyes, but due to her determination and the way her purple eyes assured him everything will be fine, Thorin nodded. "Give them hell." Raven grinned. "You can chew me out for making you nervous after we reach Rivendell," Raven told Thorin, and saw in those blue eyes of his that he planned on doing just that.
Raven turned back to the advancing Orc pack that had closed in on the group even more. Deciding to give the group and the Orc pack a show, Raven put her index finger and middle finger together to form an odd T.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Raven cried. The air was filled with a lot of whoas from the group; mouths hanging open in awe when a lot of Raven clones appeared. Raven turned to her clones. "The Dwarves are trying to get to Rivendell, but we're trapped by the Orcs advancing in on us on their Wargs. So they need help," Raven spoke while pointing to the Orc pack closing in on the Dwarves in a circle formation. The Raven clones faced the Orcs riding on Wargs. "So let's give them a way out!" Raven yelled. "RIGHT!!!!" All Raven clones shouted in unison, and attacked the advancing Wargs and Orcs after Raven shouted, "let's go!"
Raven and a few of her clones kept close to the barrier, working on clearing a path on her left. The direction the group needed to run in order to disappear safely down into the cave in the rock formation after Gandalf. Raven and her clones finally took the the life of the fourth Orc and Warg that had advanced from behind the rock formation in the direction the company needed to go; path clear as Gandalf poked his head out and shouted, "this way you fools!" Just as Raven took down the barrier.
After the barrier was down, Raven and her clones banned together to stall the remaining Orcs and Wargs while the group ran for cover in the rock formation, Thorin standing near the entrance while ushering everyone in. An arrow from Kili's bow embedded itself into the neck of the Orc riding the Warg that made a mad dash for the company - a few of Raven's clones embedding throwing knives in the Warg's neck for good measure.
"Raven!" Thorin's deep voice called when Raven and her clones were close to the entrance of the rock formation. Raven paused to look back at Thorin while her clones still attacked. "Go on, Thorin! I'll be right behind you!" Raven called back.
"You better catch up you hear?!" Thorin yelled. Thorin watched Raven give him a thumbs up after turning her attention back to the fight. Thorin jumps down in the hole and slides to the bottom while Raven fends off the Orcs and Wargs, backing up closer and closer to the hole's entrance that leads down under the rock formation.
Suddenly a horn blares and Elves riding horses, ride onto the plains toward the last of the Orcs astride their Wargs - Raven killing an Orc when the creature flies off its Warg in her direction when the animal is struck dead by a spear. Raven let's the dead Orc fall down into the hole after slitting it's throat after an Elf strikes the creature also. The three Orcs flee from the Elves.
Dwalin, who had moved ahead called, "there's a path up a head. Do we follow it or not?!"
"Follow it of course!" Bofur calls back and the Dwarves follow - except for Thorin who looks back up to see Raven still standing very close to the entrance. Thorin is about to call up to her when Gandalf puts a hand on Thorin's shoulder. "Raven will come." The Wizard walked onwards, Thorin following after him after glancing back up at Raven one more time.
Raven watched the remaining Orcs flee for their lives while the Elves rode back and forth in front of her, and the hidden passageway. Raven looked to the Elf King and gave a smile of thanks.
"Are you alright?" asked the Elf King after saying hello to his daughter.
Raven walked up to the horse to talk with her father. "I'm fine, father," Raven assures. She clutches the Elf King's hand after he lovingly cups her cheek, glad that his daughter was unharmed. "Do you want a ride?" asks the Elf King. Raven shakes her head no. "I promised Thorin I would catch up when I'm able too." After the Elf King gave an understanding nod, Raven kissed her father's hand then turned and jumped down into the hole to catch up with the group.
Raven makes her way through the passage and catches up with the group in time to hear Gandalf argue with Thorin, "you have no enemy here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself," then continues, "of course they will! But we have questions that need to be answered," after Thorin tried arguing that the Elves will try and stop them from carrying out the quest. Raven saw Thorin not liking the idea by the way he sighed while looking down, hearing the Wizard add, "if we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact. And respect. And no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me." Gandalf decided just as Raven smiled while she walked into view.
Raven didn't get the chance to greet Bilbo and the Dwarves because they all surrounded her in one giant hug. "Hi," Raven managed to get out while the Dwarves hugged her one by one after Bilbo.
"You are crazy lass!" Kili exclaimed.
"Crazy and badass," added Fili.
"Why do you look so excited?" Kili asked when he noticed the happy look on Raven's face.
Raven couldn't resist going through that open door. Well she could, but what's the point if not being able to tease the Dwarves! "Three words, Kili. Smoking. Hot. Elves!" Raven grinned when the whole company gave gagging sounds and grossed out moans. Raven even noticed Thorin trying not to choke on his own tongue. "Well, Elves are known to be good looking," Ori carefully added matter of factly. The young Dwarf gave a shy smile. Raven smiled. "Mainly I'm just happy to be home for a few days," Raven tells Ori and Bilbo while she leads the way down the stairs to the city of beautiful buildings connected by bridges, hidden among nature and waterfalls.
Thorin, following behind at the very end, still brooded over Raven fighting tooth and nail back on the Wide Plains. Not because he didn't think Raven could take care of herself - she could protect herself just fine! No, Thorin still brooded because he couldn't fight against the fact he was falling in love with Raven! Thorin knew - whether Fairen told him or not, that Raven was meant for him. He would still reach that realization. Thorin couldn't deny that fact anymore. Raven was truly a sight to behold, whether she was sleeping - if she did sleep, washing their dirty laundry, fighting - especially when she was fighting. Thorin's memory brought him back to the moment he watched Raven stand toe to toe with the Trolls, then the moment he watched Raven stand her ground on the Wide Plains, fighting tooth and nail against the Orc pack to protect him, Bilbo and the rest of the company.
Even now, while watching Raven lead the company down to the Elven city, the way she carried herself with such determination and leadership, confidently. Thorin couldn't deny the magnetic pull of his heart when he looked at her. Thorin gave a sigh that caught Dwalin's and Balin's attention and the two Dwarves fell back to walk beside him.
"Are ya alright?" Dwalin asked.
"You gave a big sigh," Balin added.
"I'm fine," Thorin assured them.
Raven led Bilbo and the Dwarves across a narrow bridge with two tall Elven soldier statues at the end. After exiting the bridge, everyone gathered together while looking around while waiting for someone.
"Mithrandir!" A voice calls from behind. An Elf with long chestnut brown hair descended the stairs.
"Lindir!" Gandalf greeted him with a smile, the Elf greeting the Wizard by moving his hand towards Gandalf after putting it over his heart. He was handsome with his chestnut brown hair and brown eyes.
After talking with Gandalf, Lindir's brown eyes move in Raven's direction and he walked up and embraces Raven in a hug. "Hi, little sister," Lindir greeted, lifting Raven off the ground and spinning her in a circle. Thorin's brows furrowed at the Elf hugging Raven. His heart clenched despite the Elf calling Raven sister. Raven must have used her powers to make herself taller since Thorin noticed that the Elf didn't have to bend down very far to pick her up.
Behind the company, the sounds of horns filled the air to announce the Elves arriving on horseback. "Close ranks!" Thorin shouts and Bilbo is pulled into the center of the company who now surrounded him, holding their weapons in defense. The Elves circle their horses around the Dwarves while Gandalf and Raven share a look that said: silly and stupid Dwarves!
"Gandalf!" The Elf King exclaims with a smile and a kind look on his face. The Elf King had long, silky black hair and dark eyes.
"Lord Elrond!" Gandalf greets the Elf King, really happy to see him.
Lord Elrond turns to Thorin after Gandalf tells him that they're the ones who unintentionally drew the Orcs to the borders of the Elven kingdom. Elrond greets Thorin with a smile. "Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain." Tone polite. Raven noticed Thorin was feeling a bit uneasy. Answering, "I don't believe we have met."
"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain."
"Indeed. He made no mention of you." Thorin's behavior caused Raven to roll her eyes. Then Elrond offers the Dwarves food in the Elvish tongue.
When Gloin exclaims about Lord Elrond offering the Dwarves insult, Gandalf explains Lord Elrond is offering them food. Of course the Dwarves discuss the offer amongst each other which causes Raven to share another look with Gandalf: silly Dwarves! Gloin tells Elrond, "well, in that case lead on."
Elrond smiles and then he and Thorin turn to face Raven. Thorin watched Elrond pull his daughter into a hug and press a kiss to the top of her head after greeting her with a kind hello and kissing her cheeks. Thorin watched the woman he fell in love with, take one of her father's hands and press his hand against her lips. Raven's simple act of love and kindness caused Thorin's breath to catch in his throat, his heart giving a pull. Thorin wondered if Raven would ever kid his hand like that someday - along with his cheek that Thorin saw Raven do to her father after kissing his hand.
"How is Aria?" Raven asked but turned when her ears caught the vibrations of soft approaching feet, and her eyes met the hazel eyes of the younger woman approaching her - more like running when the young woman saw her older sister.
Raven ran up to greet her younger sister, pulling her into a hug while she wept. "I'm okay, Aria," Raven assured her younger sister, knowing the tears were the result of fear Aria felt while her older sister was gone. "I know, but I still couldn't shake the thought of you possibly lying dead in a ditch somewhere, or taken captive in a depraved town somewhere along the road!"
Aria released her older sister and gave a smile after wiping her tears. Dwalin, who had been standing silently beside Thorin, spoke up, "ya don't need to worry about yer sister, lass. She's been in good hands." Dwalin's fierce eyes took in Aria: long brown hair, beautiful olive toned skin, beautiful hazel brown eyes framed by long brown eyelashes and eyebrows. Kindness filled Aria's eyes when they met Dwalin's gaze, accented by a kind smile. Raven saw Aria's eyes widen when she met Dwalin's gaze, but quickly regained her composure and gave the Dwarf a curtsy.
"Aria, this is Dwalin. Dwalin, this is my sister, Aria," Raven introduced. After Dwalin gave Aria a respectful bow, Raven turned to Thorin. "Aria, this is Thorin, the leader of the company." Aria gave Thorin a curtsy and a kind hello. "You were right, sister. He is handsome," Aria commented and Thorin smiled when he saw Raven's cheeks turn red. Aria giggled.
"Now, how about that food?" Oin and Gloin asked in unison, causing everyone to jump.
"Lead the way, Lindir," Elrond kindly ordered. Thorin grabbed Raven's hand before she could follow after Aria. When Aria noticed, Raven told her, "follow Dwalin and the others to dinner." Raven watched her sister give a respectful bow with her head and then run up to Bilbo and begin conversing with the Hobbit while Dwalin walked beside her.
"Ow!" Raven hissed at Thorin due to roughly grabbing her. Thorin let go but his tone remained angry. "What we're you doing?! Do you realize you could have gotten yourself killed?! Do you even realize how deeply it bothers me to even think about seeing you severely hurt?!" Thorin hissed.
"I can't be killed, Thorin."
"That doesn't make me feel any better, because you can be severely hurt!" Thorin snapped. Gesturing to Lindir, Thorin bit out, "I know he's family to you, but he's also an Elf and you shouldn't be conspiring with him or his kin!"
Seeing the opportunity, Kili said, "Raven, Lindir seems to be just as smitten with you as you are with him!" Kili exclaims, teasingly, not helping Thorin's mood.
"Shut up, Kili!" Thorin snaps at his nephew, making him run off.
"Don't tell me you're becoming jealous, Thorin Oakenshield?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not jealous." Raven laughed softly when he grumbled then ran up to fall into step beside Aria after Dwalin moved to walk behind her younger sister, and conversed with both Aria and Bilbo. Thorin knew Raven knew his heart gave a beat to indicate Thorin was lying when she had slightly tilted her head to listen. Thorin sighed. He was definitely in love with Raven and he needed to figure out how to tell her while in Rivendell, before someone else tried taking her from him!
Later that night, when the three Orcs returned, Azog's frustrations grew when he heard that the Orcs had lost the Dwarves because of the Elves ambushing them while the King's daughter stood her ground against the Orc pack, fighting tooth and nail to protect Thorin and the other Dwarves along with a Hobbit. Azog had seen the King's daughter once - Raven, her name he had learned. That woman possessed so many fighting skills! What piqued Azog's interest the most, was now finding out that his long-time foe, Thorin Oakenshield, had fallen in love with her - making Raven Thorin's perfect weakness. Azog also learned that Raven was fighting to hide her feelings for the Dwarf Prince because of being a Vampire. Raven and Thorin were each other's weakness, and Azog, after letting the Wargs have the Orc packs lead Orc for dinner, he dipped some of his arrows and his right hand Orc's whip in the dark, stinky liquid known as Deadman's Blood - a tool used to weaken a Vampire in order to make the killing blow a lot easier! A cheating trick to make the creature suffer just to make the killing blow easier. Azog would definitely destroy Thorin by taking down the woman he fell in love with! Azog handed the whip to his right hand Orc and after placing his arrows in the holster he had strapped to his back, led his right hand Orc and the other Orcs out to hunt down Raven and the company of Dwarves to carry out his plan!