Hello everyone, and happy Monday! A quick question for those who have subscribed to this story; did you receive an email alert for the last chapter? I didn't receive one when I posted so I wondered if there was a glitch. If you didn't see an email for last chapter, maybe just go back to chapter 26 to make sure you have read it before continuing xxx

The bitter air lashed at Shayla's cheeks and sweat-soaked forehead as she jogged across the barren land before her. Her back ached with the weight of the packs on her shoulders, and her leg felt bruised with the repetitious contact of the sheath and sword at her waist, but she didn't relent. She wouldn't.

She thought about removing her thick coat for what must have been the thousandth time, but she didn't want to risk losing it. The nights had proven almost icy when she had been atop Erebor, basking under the starlight, and she knew she could not survive without it.

It had taken her no more than an hour to collect everything she thought she would need, and then some. She had a rucksack bursting at the seams with mostly dried and non-perishables she stole from the King's Chambers, and another rucksack with a dozen or so water skins, some basic camping equipment, some medicines from Amelia's stores and a sleeping pack.

Shayla had hated herself for stealing so many things from who had become her friends, but she had attempted to justify it a hundred times by telling herself they were going to steal six times this amount had their original plan stuck.

All in all, she was leaving them with more than they would have had.

With her old hiking boots on foot and following Bilbo's maps, she had traversed her way through a seldom used tunnel system, snaking downwards until it met what seemed like a tiny crevice in the rockface. Shayla had felt the chill of the night breeze against her face, and she had known she was in the right place.

She pushed her weight against the wall, feeling a shift beneath her. The wall had buckled, and a tiny door made itself apparent, an opening only small enough for her to push herself through and pull her rucksacks behind her.

As she had scanned the area around her, the ground thankfully lit by the sliver of moonlight in the sky, she saw why the watch post had not found much use; it was far too low to the ground, and barely provided a vantage point. Still, there were at least a couple of metres until she found herself on solid ground, so she had climbed downwards as silently as she could.

That had been the easiest part. Once Shayla had found herself on that solid ground, she had not stopped running.

It had been what felt like hours until the sun begun to rise over the horizon, but it wasn't until Shayla found herself nearing the forest that had been her beacon, did she slow. It wouldn't take long for the others to know she was gone, and she wanted, no- needed- to be as far away from them as possible.

She couldn't let them take her back.

Shayla walked to the very edge of the forest, ignoring the trepidation she felt. The trees before her curled and contorted before her, twisting purples and browns into one, until the shadows behind the foliage shimmered. Goosebumps pricked at the back of her neck, and she closed her eyes and remembered what Ori had said. The Mirkwood Forest was dangerous, more dangerous than she could anticipate. She couldn't enter, and a feeling of relief washed over her. The writhing behind the bark repulsed her, and had she needed to travel through Mirkwood, she may have just decided to turn back to Erebor.

Thankfully, she needed to head North along the Forest, following it around until it shifted West, then South. There was no reason she needed to go into the darkness that was shifting before her. It would be a guide, nothing else.

Shayla turned on the spot and finally opened her eyes again, choosing to focus on the behemoth that had been at her back as she ran. Erebor looked spectacular in the morning light. Rays of morning sunshine begun to hit it from the east and caused it to glow, the onyx rock radiating a deep orange, as though the sun had lit a match and set it alight.

It was breathtaking, and it felt as though the sight smothered the fear inside Shayla's chest, a heavy presence that had been slowly expanding and filling her lungs. Instead, something warm settled within herself and she chose to focus on that.

Shayla took some time to relieve herself just by the forests edge, not daring to move closer than she needed to, and pulled out several pieces of fresh ham and baked bread.

Bilbo had warned that it could take at least two months to traverse the wilderness to find the Elves who could help her get home, but she refused to let it take her that long. She wasn't sure how, but she would do whatever it took to get there sooner. She wouldn't allow her family to suffer with not knowing for any longer than that.

Her main concern was her food supplies; she filled her pack full of mostly non-perishables, but she knew that it wouldn't last her long, regardless of how well she rationed. Shayla knew she could hunt, and she knew she could forage for bush food, but what was edible here? What was toxic?

The violent anxiety in her chest returned, and it was overwhelming. Had she thought this through enough?

She smacked her head lightly as she finished off the piece of bread. Why didn't she give herself more time to prepare? She should have grilled the others for this information.

She should have bided her time, collected information, and prepared herself. Why did she have to jump at the first change of plan?

You couldn't have kept it a secret, she reminded herself gently. You wouldn't have made it out of the mountain had you given it even a day longer.

Sighing, she opened one of the water packs she had been carrying and took a swig of water. She must be careful with this too. She knew Bilbo had anticipated ice and snow as they travelled further North, as well as water all the way through on the Western edges of Mirkwood, allowing a water source, but she wasn't sure how long it would take for her to get there.

Readjusting her packs, she absorbed the sight of Erebor once more before she begun to jog again.

My apologies for another short chapter! I'm attempting to push out regular chapters, regardless of their length.

Thank you so much for your review Jillian Baade! I love hearing feedback from my aussie pals and how they find my stories :D Yesss me too! It was really important to me to show more than just one perspective of the OC's lives before finding themselves in Middle Earth, and I hoped that through Shayla, readers from across the world could see how beautiful and resilient Aboriginal Culture and Mob are. :D

Thanks again for the love my lovelies! Will be aiming to get another chapter out by the end of this week, but it is my birthday in a few days so I will see how that goes :D xx