Four Months Later

She crouched. Spreading the dirt and downtrodden vegetation with her fingers as studied the ground, scanning the obscure trails that riddled the forest floor. Her ability to read these miscallenous prints not even coming close to compare the skill of those from whom she'd received her little knowledge of tracking, her frowning at the frustrating mess that were the vestige which made it hard for her to determine to which direction the creatures had ran, but after a moment of deliberation she turned her sights to the edge of the forest. The direction the Warg tracks were the most distinguishable, hence perhaps telling her the correct way to go, and regardless of being consciously aware of her waned equipment and that she had not much else to go on than a mere chance she took off running again. After the Orcs that had passed by there not but a couple of hours ago, her to have remained not but half a day behind them mostly due to mere dumb luck. The Orc patrol to have managed to elude her for days after finally catching a whiff of her tracking them after a few weeks in of her pursuit and trying to lead her astray by taking a pass of Hollin across the Misty Mountains and luring her as far as outskirts of Lorién even, before disappearing again. For her surprise however not planting an ambush for her, but only returning back to the west side of the mountains, which like many times before told her the Orcs to have a reason to always double back there. No matter the routes they took while trying to shake her off always ending up circling the tract around Cardolan and Rhudaur, never stopping, but never either straying far from it. Proximately 49 days her to have followed them across the wilderness, along the Bruinen and the mountain range to Ettenmoors and back, just to uncover what they were up to...still none the wiser, at the expense of the loss of most of her arrows without a possibility to replenish them in case of not wishing to lose track of her quarry. Her decision to track down he band of creatures frustrating her more by each passing day, since despite of what she had hoped, not many chances had come by for her to even plan to trap the Orcs to catch at least one of them to get to the bottom of their reasons to swarm about the area. Them usually managing to remain a step or two ahead of her…Until these past few days, and now…she was catching up to them. But it seemed she would be forced to let them out of her sights this time willingly.

She'd started to gain on the Warg-riders after stumbling upon their tracks again around the hills edging the High Pass, to have not remained unspotted by her despite of the Orcs' clear intent of passing there in secret to anyone trailing after them by following mostly the lower cliffs instead of moving on the open terrain, but she'd spent too many days scanning every inch of her surroundings to miss the distinct traces of Warg prints. Even if they were mere scrapes of claws on rock, but delighted of her discovery after days of wasting her efforts in trying to come upon the Orcs again she'd instantly headed out after them, soon enough finding more distinguishable tracks from further south-east and hence reducing the distance between her and her quarry in the following days significantly when the Orcs hadn't seemed to bother to even try to move discreetly any longer. Making them easy to pinpoint even without the knowledge of their heading, as their successful trick of eluding her had made the Orcs unafraid of being further followed.

She truly didn't understand what was going on. What had made this particular band of Orcs so keen on remaining at this particular area that they hadn't moved too far from it even while continuously pressured by her attempts of pursuit, daring to draw attention to themselves so openly? What, after such a long time of solely coming after her had made them abandon their decades old chase and leave her be completely? It must've been something truly important, since she hadn't come across even one Orc in the past three months that would've been interested of capturing her or at least willing to regard her as anything but a bypassable encounter, and this unexpected repose made her but suspicious…And made her think that perhaps these Orcs had their focus on another prize entirely, which would've perfectly explained why she was allowed to roam about these lands do freely unlike she never had.

The traveler halted at the sound of startled birds abandoning their hideout of a nearby thicket, her ears peeled to detect any possible noise of anything approaching as she slipped behind a proximate three trunk, although nothing of danger should've lurked out there since the Orcs were still about an hour away from her current location as could be deduced by the not so remote howls of the beasts coming from the other end of the woods…Which however didn't mean they hadn't left behind a Warg-rider or two to make sure they weren't in fact trailed by their persistent shadow. Out of habit her hand rising to rest onto the arc of her bow as she waited the needed seconds to determinate whether to have reason to draw it, and once she saw a fox to hurdle out of that same thicket the birds had flung out of a moment ago she released her breath and stepped out. Checking the ground again for direction before set out running again, determined to gain on them this time around and certain of it should she not slow down at any turn or if she wouldn't meet with any unexpected surprises along the way. Possibility of that however close to none, as the Orcs hadn't paid any mind in keeping her from following them, simply practically running away from her instead. Which would end today. Today, she would get answers.

In the following hour she ran across the forest, about half an hour later just as she had suspected being able to detect the howls of twenty to twenty-five Wargs ahead of her, the noise of the beasts sprinting through the terrain so clamorous that all she had to do was to follow the distinct sounds of their large paws scrabbling the ground as their riders hounded them forward. The bawling of the beasts resonating sharply from the nearby mountains and making it seem as if the whole forest was bustling with more of their kind. Her quickening her chase the closer she realized to come to the creatures who seemed to have doubled in number since the last time she'd come upon any clear tracks to follow, and after some time of continuing to run to the same direction as the Orcs were heading she strayed from the path. Choosing a short-cut that she determined to take her out of that forest faster than the Orcs, the increased pace of their mounts and the clamoring hollers of both the creatures and their beasts signaling something else to be amiss here, since she doubted the Orcs to have somehow realized her to be after them again and to be fleeing just from her in such hurry. It almost seeming like the Orcs to be after something themselves as the Wargs scurried through the trees with ferocious speed, in clear hunt of something, it soon becoming obvious something to have drawn the Orcs' attention.

After a short distance she spotted a large boulder pushing out of the ground, this rocky hillock reaching as high as the treetops and above them, so directing her run over to it she hopped onto the moss covered wall of stone and clambered up the hill, to gain a vantage point for herself to oversee the current location of the Orcs. After allowing her eyes to scour the nearby area by the edge of the forest as assumed finding a handful of the Warg-riders to be guarding the side of the woods, while the rest of their unit sauntered a bit farther away. The ugly beasts sniffing the air and growling furiously as they lurked by the outmost trees, in clear wait of something to emerge from between them, and indeed after a brief moment of waiting the traveler watched how the trees leading towards the end of the forest swayed as something rushed out from the forest. A man, peculiar looking one darting out of the forest while riding a sled pulled by a dozen rabbits, closely chased by a few more Warg-Riders as the rabbits took off to the direction of the deserted plain that spread in front of the Trollshaws. The traveler pausing to give the odd spectacle a fleeting wondering look until swiftly realized the Orcs' attention to have been apparently drawn to that bearded man dressed into weathered, brown robes, who then turned around to taunt at the Orcs trailing after him. Her frowning upon following all of the Orcs to instantly dispatch after the sled that moved on dry ground in amazing speed, the rabbits making it actually hard for the monstrous wolves to keep up as led by the man steering the sled they led the Wargs into a quick-paced chase. Threading amongst the rocks and larger boulders littering the plain, the traveler being then able to see every last one of those over twenty Wargs to be scampering after the fleeing old man, but having seen enough she rapidly ran to the other side of the hillock and begun to climb down. Intent on following close behind them, while swiftly realizing where she currently was by the familiarity of this place that abruptly hit her after such a long time of last being there…If she remembered correctly the secret entrance to the Elven realm located not far from there.

As she dashed after the receding creatures, crossing the plain and sprinting between two cluster of pointy cliffs and peering after the man on a sled to see him to be indeed luring all of the Warg-riders after himself and into the opposite direction from the woods, sudden rustling sound then claimed her attention, and mistakenly thinking the source as another Warg she claimed her bow and twirled around one of her last arrows notched. Only to be surprised yet again when instead of an attacking Warg and its rider she then behold how a gang of people appeared from behind the second huddle of cliffs. Her taking back a step to blend with the scenery as in sudden interest she watched the rather short individuals to scuttle down the hill and run after a significantly larger man on the lead. This man reminding greatly the other one currently and apparently intently leading the Orcs astray, while this man in grey robes was guiding his fourteen companions forward…As she now realized to the opposite direction of where the Wargs had ran a moment before, and after releasing the tension of her bow and quickly pushing the arrow back into her quiver she came to see those little men to not be men at all, but dwarves. Armed, heavily equipped dwarves at that. Her frowning again at the rare sight of thirteen of them running after a what she then could only assume as a wizard once she also took off running to their direction and took notice of the staff he clenched in his hand, lastly her eyes however falling onto a even tinier individual close on the wizard's trail and finding him even more peculiar at the realization of him being an actual hobbit so far from Bree. The traveler raising her hood to cover her face as she jumped onto another rocky hill and crouched upon once more coming to a halt, to watch how this strange company remained close to the long row of cliffs while running down a fell, a clear heading in mind, until they stopped at the sight of the sled swooping right past them a small distance away…The Orcs not far behind, and as she observed the wizard to usher the trapped dwarves to change course and double back, she suddenly came to consider that perhaps it was them that she was to thank for these months of remaining unbothered by any Orc patrols…Since these men seemed too eager to get away from them to be mere wayfarers who'd happened to earn the wrath of an entire pack of Warg-Riders by accident, the more she thought of it the more sense this making.

As the entourage kept on running forward, across the plain while remaining in the shelter of the cliffs as much as possible, the traveler followed them and ran beside them, remaining hidden as sprinted around the boulders they used as cover. Understanding them to be nearing the secret entrance all the while more the longer the old man kept on running what it at first seemed aimlessly, but after a while clearly intentionally choosing his route while evading the Orcs. As the company once again stopped to allow the unexpectedly appeared Wargs to pass them, one of the dwarves pulling one of his comrades back from his packback to prevent him from darting straight in middle of the passing Warg-riders, her running farther forward and positioning herself behind another boulder. To watch how after a moment of wait the wizard told the dwarves to move out, one of them however remaining by his side to level a highly skeptical look at him, as if challenging the direction they were hounded by the leading wizard, as was the traveler observing their escape with her own suspicions. The approaching barks however then causing her to gaze on her left and see that one of the Warg-riders slowed down his beast just as the last of the company's members left the shelter of the cliff. Her squinting to see whether or not the Orcs had spotted the fleeing individuals disappearing into the surroundings, but as instead of following after the rest of the Orcs that were still hoodwinked by the this point obvious decoy, she saw how the Orc drove his Warg to change direction. Heading where the dwarves had scampered, with a frown her slipping behind the boulder to gain shelter for herself as she ran from a rock to another, upon having the advantage of moving alone instead of in a large group as the escaping dwarves, she had circled forward of them long before they had even raced across the glade and climbed up the following hill. As the pursuing band of Orcs once more forced the sled to come back around and lunge to the direction of their current location again, the company hurrying to crouch beside a low cliff to remain hidden. Just before the strayed Orc reached them, and for the chagrin of the traveler sicced his Warg to jump onto the cliff, her observing the Orc to search his surroundings as slowly notched an arrow.

She stared at the creature intently as glanced down at the rocky mound behind the dwarves were currently hiding, sliding her fingers over the arrow's feathered head as positioned it against the side of the boulder. Aiming for the Warg's neck, as clearly aware of the proximity of his quarry the Orc unsheathed its weapon, but a moment away from discovering them from the bottom of its beast's feet. However her interference proving to be most unneeded as in the following moment she behold how an arrow indeed pierced the Warg's neck, although not hers, causing it to roar in agony as a second arrow was shot and it flew past the beast and it rolled over to the side and threw the taken aback rider off its back. The traveler once more un-arming her bow as believed the dwarves to manage, upon glancing back to see how the survived Orc was met with two emerging dwarves. The unfortunate attention the wounded Warg's howls had drawn then naturally causing the rest of the Warg-riders to stop their meaningless chase after the sled, and the traveler dashed forth to climb onto another low boulder. To see how now all of the Wargs were starting to head back, to discover the mutilated corpses of one of their own and the its dead beast, that were completely slain by the united strikes of the dwarves' weapons. The traveler casting a jaded look at the entourage after following the Orcs to regroup and charge to their direction lured by the previous racket, forcing the dwarves to double back again once the echoes of the Wargs' barks signaled them to be now chased by a great number of them. All gaining on them fast, the wizard ordering them to run as the traveler also abandoned her spot and hurtled across the plains, the surrounding landscape changing and turning more mountaneous, signaling the nearing of the hidden Realm but also allowing her to continue to run after the dwarves unseen. Or so she thought, but after keeping on running at the other side of the hill that now blocked her view of the fleeing dwarves and their comrades, she spotted to have gained company. Total of five Warg-riders trailing after her, the creatures to have sniffed her out during the chase, her releasing a sigh at the sight of her pursuers as she quickly ran over the few hills separating her from the slope awaiting at the other side. Halting to draw her bow despite of the glaring disadvantage she was in. Well, it was her own fault for getting involved when she shouldn't have…And right now she greatly felt that she should've just let her own chase go once she'd realized these Orcs to be busy capturing these dwarves instead of her, as quite frankly…whatever this was, it certainly had nothing to do with her. And she should've only been glad to have gained a breather from the never-ending chase.

She shot down a few beasts and their riders, before abandoned her bow to exchange it for a knife, not bothering with a large blade just because of a few Orcs she was too accustomed to kill to waste an effort. Despite of giving her weapon a slightly evaluating look due to its worn appearance running to receive the momentarily taken aback creatures, and allowed the two remaining beasts to devour one another after dodging the fangs of the other. Once the Wargs were busy biting at each other in the misconception of mauling their prey, her striking down their riders swiftly by sticking the blade into the throat of the other before finishing its comrade with its own confiscated steel. After watching the beheaded body of the last Orc to fall hopping over the other Warg once the second one tried to attack her, making the mistake of biting down the other beast again, which caused it to actually lunge at the other Warg to have it back down. The traveler swiftly swinging the knife around to neatly sink it into its skull before crouching and preventing the still alive creature from tackling her. Raising the Orc blade in the time it took for the Warg to turn around and sent it flying towards it, the blade sinking into its chest and slaying it.

The howls of the Wargs seemed but to increase as she then instantly continued to run, to the assumed direction the strange company had headed to, and as she kept glancing around her while meandering amongst the slopey landscape but occasionally broken by a group of spruces pushing out of the ground, she could see Wargs approaching from almost every direction now. Soon as seemingly had been the purpose of this directionless chase across the plains, cornering the dwarves from all sides and making it impossible for them to run once they had no more places to hide in. And by the look of the nearing enemy and what laid then ahead, she figured it wouldn't be long. Her hearing then more distant screams of the panicked dwarves who'd by then been chased in front of another boulder, large, flat glade surrounding them, that enabled them to see the Warg-riders to emerge from behind the surroundings hills one by one. Slowly, as the Orcs begun to approach, the thirteen members of the company drawing their weapons, preparing to defend themselves against their pursuers despite of the evident disadvantage they were now faced with. Their chances of victory close to none, but as stubborn as dwarves were they refused to admit defeat even if it meant handing over their lives themselves. The traveler crossing the last plain that separated her from the apparent spot the dwarves had been outflanked to, to the actual vicinity of the secret entrance as she was soon to notice, and now she could distinctly hear their exchange from the other side of the hill. Readying her knife as spotted the stray Wargs that had lost their riders at some point during the prolonged chase, currently approaching the unsuspecting dwarves from behind.

"There's more coming!"

"Kili! Shoot them!"

The traveler attacked and plunged the knife directly into the throat of the first Warg that she came upon, to prevent its agonized whimpers to alert the other beasts of her presence, but once the heavy carcass of the creature fell onto the ground the two other Wargs doubled back and begun to approach. Her leering back at the growling beasts that attempted to circle her, to corner her between them, but once the other one lunged at her she simply twirled around and sank the blade into the creature's back, paralyzing it, the animal dropping down to give room for the second beast as it jumped at her. Only to be swept off its feet by her as she swiftly dropped to one knee to avoid contact with the Warg's claws until sheathed her dagger, taking hold of the weapon strapped to her back, and with a swift twirl lashed it at the creature. In a blink of an eye the weapon slicing through the Warg's torso and threw the beast to the side. The Warg collapsing onto the wounded beast, gnarly gash running across its chest, and with a single look given to it to confirm it was dead the traveler now swung the weapon around to cut down the still alive one. The feather light weight of her robust weapon once again feeling so comforting in her hands as she then instantly ran up the hill, listening to the sound of arrows flying across the air as the dwarves continued to announce their current predicament to one another.

"We're surrounded!"

"Where's Gandalf? He's abandoned us!"

Gandalf? Well, there was a name she surely recognized, if not the man himself…Proving that indeed this band of dwarves was led by a wizard and why he seemed to have known to take them straight to the entrance to the Hidden Valley which but a few knew about, but for what purpose they along with a hobbit had gotten together to flee from Orcs in clear mind of hunting them down she did not know. But not wondering upon their identity further the traveler raced the rest of the way up the hill, to have a view of the situation currently at play, watching the surrounded dwarves who were beginning to retreat into one group the closer the approaching Warg-riders got. All their weapons drawn, one of the youngest dwarves shooting his final arrow as one of his comrades launched a rock and flung it straight at the head of the Orc commander's Warg with his slingshot, however barely fazing neither the beast or its rider and led by them the rest of the Orcs didn't waver either at the face of the dwarves' defiance. Peculiar being that now that she eyed at the group, she noticed that the fourteenth member of the entourage was missing, the wizard to have indeed disappeared, but it was then easily explained once she thought a moment. Memories taking her back to a time when she herself had stood beside that boulder of rock, confronted by an enemy while waiting to gain entrance to the refuge just beyond those nearby mountains, like these dwarves on the run for her life and fighting for her survival…as well as someone else's.

"Hold your ground!" one of the dwarves shouted, commanded more like while raising his own delicate weapon. The way sunlight reflected from the fine metal causing the traveler's eye to instantly recognize its design as something of great familiarity with a single glance, and upon quirking an eyebrow at the dwarf man's actual possession of an Elvish blade she watched him to stand at the head of his own group. The very natural act of standing against the Orc pack first signaling him to be the real leader of this company if the very air around him didn't already provide an impression of an imposing, eminent individual, prepared to fend for his comrades with his life. The other dwarves however then siding themselves with his as waited for the Orcs to attack, getting driven further towards the boulder, and upon witnessing the very doom that awaited the dwarves by the sight of all the Orcs still in wait of slaying them the traveler took this as her chance. Despite having no reason to do so leaping off from the boulder, and for the following bemusement of the thirteen individuals landed in middle of them, gathering but surprised and baffled looks from them as she then pushed past the dwarves. Charging at the Orc commander, and once the Warg tried to take a bite out of her upon lunging at her ferociously with a leap, she dropped down with a twirl and cut the creature to its side. Flipping the knife around while her free hand grabbed the taken aback Orc's wrist, the befuddled dwarves watching how she guided the Orc's hand so that it practically stabbed itself, lastly claiming the deceased creature's weapon to plunge it into the Warg hilt deep. Killing the beast.

Thorin and his company stared at the cloaked figure in a loss of words, so confused that not even a thought of whether they were a friend or a foe even crossed their minds as they now stared at the tall stranger while the Warg she'd just slain dropped to her feet with a curt agonized yelp. Bilbo simply standing there gawking the most baffled out of them all due to the appearance of this person, whom they however couldn't see much of thanks to that cloak she had put on as if to purposefully hide her appearance from them, but it didn't seem to hinder her movements at all, as this unexpected ally of theirs simply cast a brief look to their way before turned around. The dwarves and the hobbit following how the traveler dispatched two more Wargs with their riders once they instantly came at her upon witnessing the death of their commander. Her attacks not even attacks, but mere suave movements that told of great experience if not in combat but extensive familiarity with weapons that made her moves as effortless as breathing. Not graceful per se as could've been expected by her lean figure, as even a single lunge of her knife had a more aggressive flair to it, full of precision and ruthlessness she undoubtedly showed to anyone challenged by her blade, and she truly let it show in the way she annihilated those Orcs. Despite of not certainly feeling sympathy over those creatures of pure evil, Bilbo actually flinching at the sight of the unmerciful blows this stranger used to quickly dispatch her opponents, but no matter how fast she was to slay those Warg-riders neither the dwarves watching her fight nor she had enough time to prepare for the incoming attack. After thrusting the corpse of the Orc she'd lastly killed aside, the traveler getting surprised herself as immediately another Warg made a jump at her. Her hearing the warning outcry of the hobbit from behind her as her eyes widened and she automatically raised her knife, it luckily finding its target in the nick of time and preventing the beast from fully weighing down on her by sinking into the base of its neck.

However despite of releasing a growl of clear anguish the wolf like abomination only snarled at her, ignoring the knife as pressed against her while inched itself closer to her, but with an angry grimace the traveler refused to be tackled fully by the creature, plunging the knife deeper into the beast's flesh and caused it to cringe back, just enough for an unexpected arrow to fly by her head and sink into the chest of the Warg. Although taken aback by the sudden assistant of the young dwarf archer who'd happened to have one more arrow to spare for her aid, but after glancing back and seeing her own quiver on the ground at his feet that had come off during the beast's attack, the traveler then only rose with a single nimble move as another stone fired from the other dwarf's slingshot caused the wounded creature to finally retreat. This animal however proving much harder to kill than an average Warg as despite of the injuries it had sustained it still turned its sights on her. While its rider attempted to string an arrow of its own to shoot her and was only killed itself by the second arrow of the interfering dwarf prince, the Warg paid no heed to its rider and simply focused on the traveler. Her extending the knife in front of her in wait of the beast to come at her, and once it did she simply jumped back, and once it took a bite of mere air instead of her shoulder it had intended to sink its teeth in, she dug the knife into its head. Finally killing it, however as she made an instant move of retrieving her weapon once the Warg fell flat down onto the ground, for the horror of the spectators behind her and chagrin of her the greatly strained blade that had accompanied her for so many years wore out. The blade reaching its breaking point and downright shattering while still imbedded into the flesh of the Warg, the traveler giving her weapon a bemused look despite of to have known to expect this, before her eyes flickered down to take in the shards of the splintered metal still imbedded into the creature. To distract her enough not to notice the approaching Warg-rider who had driven its beast to attack her the minute it had seen her lose her weapon, but regardless of the fear of the Dwarves and especially Bilbo so riveted to oversee her previous fight, she did not succumb to become the prey of the beast. Kili not being fast enough to notch the final arrow within the quiver as the Warg attacked and attempted to bite the stranger's head off. Jumping at her, and as her eyes focused on the leaping beast at the realization of getting defeated she simply dropped the useless hilt of the knife. For the shock of the company allowing herself this time to be completely taken down by the creature.

For a few seconds she stared at the creature square in the eye as it growled down at her. The traveler not flinching at the sight of the Warg revealing its teeth at her, breathing in the revolting smell of its breath as some of its drool dripped onto her face. Its sharp claws digging into her chest, but just as it prepared to bite her she raised an arm. Deepening her stare as locked the beast's eyes into hers, positioning her hand above its head before slowly placed her fingers against it, the moment her palm made contact with the creature the dwarves and Bilbo following how the Warg halted. Its teeth mere an inch away from the stranger's throat, and after a brief moment they saw how the fingertips pressed into the creature's fur begun to glow. Strange reddish tint to them, as if light would've entered her hand and brought out the veins below her skin, causing them to catch fire and shine through the moment she seemed to be connected with the creature. All of them simply watching in even greater perplexion as it was then when the Warg abruptly retreated after getting subjected to the relentless stare of the traveler, it releasing her from under its weight and her hand moved to hover above its forehead as she rose back to her feet, never breaking the stare between herself and the beast, as the Orc on its back then drew its weapon. Equally confused as the company by the fact that the Warg hadn't already killed her, but despite of his shock of to have witnessed this cloaked figure to use some sort of trick he could only assume as magic Fili was this time around swift to recover from it upon seeing the Orc to reveal its blade. Searching the ground for the remains of the traveler's knife, and upon locating it he strode over to it and claimed it, flinging it towards the Orc as it was about to swing its blade at the traveler. The sharp stump of the broken weapon long enough to delve into the Orc's torso and rendering it momentarily incapacitated, as long as it took for the traveler to finish with connecting with the creature's mind and she released the beast from under her control. Withdrawing her hand and stepped back from the Warg, utterly calmly and in no fear of getting overpowered again, as the creature shook its head as if trying to break free of whatever the stranger had been doing to it. In a manner of a second however it turning towards the Orc on its back, and for the following shock of everyone it next released a horrifying growl. Instead of the traveler attacking its rider, jerking the Orc from the saddle and begun to maul it. Shaken by the sight the dwarves dropping their weapons briefly as watched the creature to finish off the Orc before the beast focused on the other of its kind around it, as if forgotten that its real prey was standing right behind it taking a stance, before assaulted the other Warg-riders sauntering a little farther away. To have stopped approaching the minute they'd behold one of their own to be killed by its own Warg right after this stranger had appeared to apparently defend the dwarves, and due to this unexpected turn the Warg continued to attack them as long as it took for the Orcs to regroup. Beginning to fire arrows and slice at the rampant beast to bring it down.

"What is happening?" Fili asked, frowning at the sight of the Orcs getting savagely mutilated by the raving Warg after glancing at the silent figure of the stranger cautiously. The traveler turning her head a little to the side upon hearing his quizzical words full of expected wonder bordering fear she'd heard all too many times in a situation like this. "Why is it attacking the Orcs and not us?"

"Does it matter? It's taking care of the problem for us, whatever it was that made it do it", his brother Kili replied, however also then casting a knowing look towards the stranger and raised his eyebrows slightly in realization of his own, to have also born witness to the way the beast had instantly attacked the Ocs after getting touched by her. "Or who."

"This way you fools!" Gandalf's voice suddenly cried out from somewhere behind them, surprised the dwarves and Bilbo turning around as quite frankly they had already forgotten the disappearance of the wizard. Upon turning their backs to the Orcs struggling to fend against the ferocious Warg them seeing him to have indeed returned, standing behind a smaller rock that stood between them and the boulder. The traveler then also turning to see how the wizard had indeed managed to open the secret passage, signaling the company to hurriedly enter through the gap opened to the ground, before entering himself. Thorin wasting no time in much considering where exactly such passage would lead to as he instantly sprinted towards the entrance, ordering his fellow dwarves to go after Gandalf as hopped onto the rock. To make sure his companions would make it through safely, one by one the dwarves and the hobbit entering the small shaft and slid down to safety.

After briefly observing the dwarves to vanish into the secret passage, the traveler whipped around at the thundering sound of an approaching Warg-rider, the Orcs to have immediately forgotten their momentary frenzy upon seeing the dwarves escaping their clutches through the path the wizard had uncovered. The Warg however simply jumping past her in order to attack Thorin, but the dwarf simply swung his blade at it, killing it instantly. Leaving the Orc for the traveler to deal with and before the creature could rise she claimed its sword, beheading it, before twirling around and throwing the crooked weapon straight into another Warg scampering to their direction. Running towards it to pull the sword out of its corpse to deflect an attack of its rider who'd been clever enough to abandon its mount the moment it had gotten impaled, the last of her arrows continuing to fly through the air as the dwarf prince continued to buy his comrades more time by shooting the beings coming from their left. Dawdling his own escape, and after a while of warding off the Orcs Thorin shot his nephew an earnest look, his eyes shifting from the stranger battling with another Orc to the young dwarf, where she turned to follow the last of them to glide down the shaft after slicing through the Orc's torso. Thorin shouting at Kili to run to safety, and the traveler watched him sprint past her, Kili casting her a fleeting look as he saw her to extend a swift hand to reclaim the last of her arrows that remained in the quiver when she next spotted a new Warg-rider to begin to give chase to the dwarf prince. Quickly catching up to him, but just as she took out her bow and armed it to shoot the beast, abrupt sound of Elven horns cut through the clamor of the Orcs. The traveler halting upon raising her gaze to see how about a dozen of elves rode to sight from behind the nearby hill and lunged at the remaining Orcs after a volley of sharply aimed arrows had swooped down from the sky to plunge into the skulking creatures, surrounding them and hounding them into a single group before beginning to dispatch them. In a blink of an eye over a half of the still alive Orcs getting killed at the hands of these unexpectedly appeared elves, which after a curt moment of inspection were clearly from Imladris by the look of the craftsmanship of their armor and weapons. Proving that the opening of the secret passage hadn't indeed been left unnoticed by the elf governing over the Hidden Valley, sending these elves to deal with the ruckus at their back door.

The traveler unstrung her bow as one glance made towards the still open passage told her all of the company to have gone through by then. As the brief skirmish in front of her was coming to its end her watching intently the elves to wipe out the rest of the Warg-riders, until she spotted a certain Orc to barely escape death by allowing his beast to receive the spear flung at it. Dropping from the saddle just as the weapon darted across the air and made contact with the Warg, but upon witnessing the Orc to plan to flee the traveler stepped over to block the creature's path as it was about to make way towards the open plain. The Orc snarling at her and instantly drew a knife, trying to use it to delve it into her torso, but she simply dodged the attack by using her bow to fling the creature's hand in the air in middle of its lunge. In a swift motion ducking upon twirling around and swooping under the Orc's hoisted arm to stand behind it until quickly re-notched the final arrow and shot it at the creature. It finding its specific target at the Orc's neck, and due to the momentum of the hit it staggered forward until finally collapsed against the rock edging the secret passage, slipping over it. The dwarves readying themselves for whatever was coming down the shaft after simply standing at the base of it and listening to the distinct sounds of battle, but only got surprised as the body of the Orc rolled down the steep slant until it landed at the feet of Thorin. Him staring down at the arrow sticking out of its torso, and despite it to have snapped in two during the Orc's tumble the dwarf found it actually familiar as he looked upon the coloring of it. As he then crouched down to pull the pointy end of the black arrow out to confirm his suspicions of to have seen such arrows before, the company getting next taken aback again by the traveler who'd been quick to hop within the shaft herself, sliding down until landed next to Thorin and the gruesome corpse smoothly. Her eyes snapping up from the deceased Orc to the dark haired dwarf who was busy inspecting the arrowhead, until realization eased the thoughtful severity of his face. The dwarf finally piecing together what had just happened above ground as he and the others then finally saw the traveler to reveal her face once she straightened to her full height, dropping her hood to expose her braided raven black locks and face of a woman for the further surprise of the members of the company who took her dark features in. To have not believed her to be a woman after seeing her fight more like a man, but her clear meticulous faculty in it was then instantly explained as Thorin looked up to her and saw the pointy ends of her ears. His features growing grim instantly as he eyed at her, even contempt lacing his voice when he then ended the silence upon reaching the correct conclusion about whom he'd just overheard to have attacked the remaining Orcs. Flicking the arrow out of his grasp heatedly as locked eyes with the traveler, raising a half annoyed, half understanding eyebrow.

"Elves."

The traveler simply stared back at Thorin silently, who despite of his clear hatred for her kind was soon fazed by her height. Not openly letting it show, but she could tell the dwarf to give her an odd look-over upon realizing her to stand several inches higher than him, and distinctly higher than an average elf did, and as the others then also examined her they found her to be altogether very peculiar looking for a common elf. For a she-elf especially, her being indeed much taller than many other elves they'd ever seen, rivaling even Gandalf in that aspect, and although she was givenly beautiful as all of her kin were, her beauty was somewhat unusual. Her features quirky and atypical but what most had an effect on Thorin, who wasn't the type to be taken aback by a mere beautiful face, elf or not, were her eyes. Bright green eyes that he then instantly remembered to have gazed into before, him casting one more glance down at the broken arrowhead as a memory from some months past came flooding into his mind, him once more sizing up the elf woman and measuring her built. Her appearance and the effects she bore with her person then signaling more than clearly that he had indeed crossed paths with her before and in fact seemed to owe her more than from her just given assistance with the Orcs.

"It is you", Thorin stated, dryly, at first blinking at the quiet elf in surprise as earned some baffled looks from his fellow dwarves upon him actually acknowledging this she-elf, until the traveler saw his taken aback expression to morph into wonder and most importantly the common distrust and suspicion his kind was known to harbor towards elves…And which one single look given at his sour appearance told him to feel towards her kin especially, for this hardly surprising reason her not saying anything even now as only looked back at Thorin. Also swiftly measuring him upon also reaching a conclusion of to have also seen him before, and as her eyes roamed about the faces of the rest of the company shortly and lastly landed on Gandalf she remembered. That night at Bree when she had stopped those bounty hunters from claiming their reward promised for this particular dwarf's head, and as it then became perfectly clear why those Orcs had attacked this entourage the traveler gazed down at Thorin in another realization. Her focus however now getting drawn to Kili who was still in possession of her quiver, Fili and the other dwarves giving her room in their shared sense of stunner as at that moment she lost interest in Thorin and stepped over the Orc's corpse to get to his nephew. Fili's eyes glued to her silhouette and he then frowned at the sight of the strange burn mark like scarring he noticed on the side of her forehead that left a ghastly blemish to her otherwise flawless features, where the traveler extended her hand towards his brother. Quirking an eyebrow of her own at his quizzical expression upon staring down at the object in his hold, which pretty much was the only shift enlivening her altogether highly guarded and deadpan mien.

"It was not a gift for you to keep."

Having not to be said more Kili met the elf woman's eyes tensely as handed the quiver back to her, and immediately after reclaiming her property she was swift to turn her back to the members of the company and knowingly begun to follow the path that seemed to lead further within the mountain they assumed to be currently in due to the rocky walls surrounding them. The dwarves dodging to the sides as she went along, the strange, robust weapon with double blades strapped to her back unlike they'd seen wielded by any race they'd encountered threatening to scrape them as she passed, and even Gandalf gave such an odd weapon a long, measuring look. Surprisingly not either familiar with the likes of it, for it wasn't elven nor human type weapon, but neither did it look like the weapons crafted by the smiths of dwarves…as peculiar as was its wielder whom they all now watched to begin to follow the narrow slit in the mountain that marked their sole path towards whatever place it lead to. Unlike the dwarves seeming to know perfectly where they were, and the she-elf didn't turn to cast them a single look. Disappearing behind a corner as did soon her light footsteps when Dwalin finally strode to the end of the pathway to gaze beyond, greeted by a sight of only another similar long passage within the rock.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads", he hollered, despite of trying neither seeing the elf woman anywhere to ease to make the decision of whether it was wise to continue. Thorin, whose focus had been shifted back to Gandalf now turning his peeved eyes over to Dwalin, who met his gaze then, hesitant. "Do we follow it or not?"

"Follow it of course!" Bofur replied, making the decision for all of them and then pushed through the others to be the first to follow Dwalin. Soon enough Bombur and Óin following right after him, which eventually lured the rest of the company to join as well due to the encouraging nod of Thorin, although he was the most reluctant to go after the she-elf. Gandalf watching the dwarves to gather their effects until send them off with a concurring tilt of his head, being the last one to follow with Bilbo.

"I think that would be wise."

Daylight streamed down from the sky that indeed hadn't been excavated within the mountain itself, easing a little the feel of claustrophobia as the company continued to venture through the meandering pathways. At times the narrow spaces becoming a bit of a challenge for the more hefty dwarves to make headway in, but they pushed on. Not any wiser to where they were heading, where Thorin had his suspicions but was in far too foul of a mood to make them known to the rest of them…As confused as were the others of their current whereabouts Bilbo being the first to take it into discussion, gazing upward at the wizard walking by his side in bewilderment.

"Gandalf? Where are we?"

"You can feel it?" Gandalf asked, coming to a halt for the hobbit to turn around to face him. Surprised but also relieved of not to be imagining things Bilbo nodding with a hint of smile, to have had this odd feeling about this place ever since gliding down that shaft into safety and beginning their journey through the mountain.

"Yes. It feels like…well like magic", he admitted, in hesitation and his voice had been filled with disbelief that then caused the wizard to level a matter-of-fact look at him, for indeed Bilbo's senses had been correct. The hint of smile the hobbit saw playing on Gandalf's lips confirming it.

"That's exactly what it is. A very powerful magic."

Bilbo gazed back at Gandalf. Confused by what he had meant by that, but wasn't given a chance to ask, as Fili who had heard their conversation due to the echo that was causing their words to bounce off from the rocky walls spoke up. Claiming the attention of the rest of the company.

"That she-elf used magic. We all saw it", he remarked, contemplatively as his forehead furrowed for wonder and awe once he thought back to the moment that elf had practically controlled the Warg that had been about to kill her. Forcing the beast to attack its rider, in dismay of this him now exchanging a look with his brother who shared his sentiments…as did the others.

"You saw her use magic? What kind of magic?" Gandalf asked, interested, as the only one who hadn't been present to see the she-elf to be at first tackled by the beast before she somehow forced it to back down. The wizard leaving Bilbo's side to walk closer to Fili who looked up to him, Thorin however answering in his nephew's stead.

"I don't know. But I'm not sure do I feel comfortable with her as long as I don't."

"What did she do exactly?" Gandalf inquired, now positively intrigued by their coincidental new acquaintance, whom also he had realized to have crossed paths with back in Bree some months past, for he knew better than anyone no other beings to tamper with the power of spells and magic than wizards such as himself…And the servants of evil, which however was out of the question when she was an elf, and Gandalf didn't sense anything sinister from her. However him not denying to get a very strange feeling from her, which only added to his suddenly awoken interest in her.

"She made that Warg to attack its own rider. That one which tried to eat her", Kili explained, causing the wizard then to pause for the bafflement of them all.

"Mind control."

"You know of it? Can you do it?" Thorin queried, confronting the wizard in interest himself as like his fellow dwarves had been as dismayed by the she-elf's apparent abilities that she hadn't utilized during their first meeting. Not sure did he find it reassuring to have a second chance meeting with her, especially this close to an elven realm. Gandalf only gifting him with a fleeting glance until continued to walk forward, Bilbo and Thorin following where his reply caused Fili to come to a halt himself. The young dwarf prince not admitting it, but he in fact found himself rather transfixed by the topic as well...as much as the woman related to it, as the very scar on her face told him her to be far from a common elf.

"I know it can be done…Just don't know anyone who would be capable or willing of using such a power."

"So does that mean she's trouble, then?" Thorin asked, givenly suspicious, as indeed such ability seemed like one greatly preferred by the likes of their enemies. But the serene expression of the wizard's devoid of any hint of qualm soothed his such concerns once he saw Gandalf to shake his head, pensive himself however as Gandalf's thoughts went back to the equally odd weapon in the she-elf's possession…Which while added to the peculiar fact of her knowing how to cast complicated magic such as one used for mind-control would suggest her to have come somewhere beyond the borders of Middle-Earth…which in itself went against the fact that she was an elf and used the common tongue frequented all throughout the land.

"Not necessarily…She might turn out to be very useful indeed to have at hand."

"You speak as if you were planning on inviting her to the company", Bilbo commented, earning sharp glances from the dwarves until they then cast dubious looks up to the wizard who simply locked gazes with Bilbo. Not admitting or denying it, and that ever so elusive and equivocal expression he often wore caused the hobbit to indeed remain doubtful of the wizard's previous remark…Even though they had only met the she-elf just now, and he wasn't quite sure could that count as an actual meeting…For they didn't even know her name.

"One can never know…For not all meetings as fleeting as they may be end in final parting."

"There's light ahead."

Dwalin's voice lured Bilbo to shift his focus from Gandalf to the rest of the company, them all to have stopped at the sight of indeed light coming at the end of the current tunnel they'd ventured in after the passages had become enclosed and blocked out the daylight. But now they all headed towards it in hopes of finding an exit and indeed they did, one by one the dwarves pushed past the narrow end of the passage that then opened to a more open space. As Dwalin led his comrades forward and walked a few steps forward only to find himself descending steps that nature had molded into the solid rock, until he raised his gaze and was greeted by the sight in front of them. The company members all gathering onto the small ledge on top of Dwalin was standing and became equally mesmerized by the view that spread in front of them, lastly Bilbo peeking around the corner to see the valley they'd stumbled upon. His eyes first locating the waterfalls that snaked along the walls of the mountains on the opposing side as they did cascade from the cliffs at the bottom of the valley on top of a beautiful city had been built. The white buildings that had been scattered onto the cliffs amongst the trees that grew at the base of the mountains reflecting the light of the setting sun gracefully as the hobbit let his eyes wander about the magnificent abode of the elves. Numerous bridges connecting the several pillared buildings and courtyards and offering the sole means of entrance to the city, the very ledge they were standing on also changing into a long staircase that edged the mountain they had just ventured through, and eventually led to a bridge far below. After marveling over the beauty of the elven realm and taking in this idyllic setting popping out of the green of nature that seemed to be in its full bloom despite of the fact that the late summer had long since begun to border towards autumn, Bilbo peeling his eyes off the wonderful sight to trace the steps with his eyes, until they finally traveled along the bridges all the way to the apparent main entrance before his gaze was cast to the faraway horizon that was as breathtaking as the city. Grand river in which the several waterfalls joined at the very base of the valley running through a forest that grew at the bottom, and that had spread all the way to the surrounding cliff sides, like the very vicinity of the ledge they currently occupied. Gandalf having not to even speak for the hobbit to already know the place the wizard had brought them to, for there could only be one such an enchanting place in this part of Middle-Earth.

"The valley of Imladris. In common tongue it is known by another name", Gandalf informed, fascinated sigh escaping Bilbo's lips as he returned his attention back to the elven city. Not being able to keep his excitement from being mirrored to his voice, as after all, he had always wanted to see this valley in his life…and now he was standing just on the outskirts of it.

"Rivendell."

Now that the amazement of bearing witness to the famed elven realm for the first time had passed, the majority of the dwarves didn't continue to share the hobbit's enthusiasm and instead the general mood turned rather sour as they now gauged at the city when Gandalf continued…In every way oblivious to the dwarves' displeasure of finding themselves at the doorstep of elves, even if it had saved them from the orc pack.

"Here lies the last homely house east of the sea", Gandalf announced, Thorin however only glaring at the wizard. Bilbo then suddenly spotting the elf woman, who in fact hadn't went on her way to walk down the steps, but had also stopped to gaze upon the city of Rivendell. Standing a small distance away from them at the stairs, but whose attention was then drawn to them briefly when Thorin spoke up, indignant.

"This was your plan all along. To seek refuge with our enemy", he accused, Gandalf simply meeting his vexed gaze in disagreement. Unfazed by his irritation.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself", he replied, Thorin narrowing his eyes darkly.

"You think the elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will."

Silent, but still clear, brief sound of laughter caught the dwarves' attention and they turned to see the elf woman to cast them a cursory glance at the sound of the wizard's response until her features once more assumed their stoic state as she finally took off. Starting to descend the stairs and headed for the city,

"…but we have questions that need to be answered", Gandalf continued, his matter-of-fact tone and the fact that he was after all right causing Thorin then to sigh in defeat. After all knowing the wizard to have his reasons and that bringing them here would come to serve their purpose no matter how much it displeased him….