Alright, so glad that the last chapter got some positive reviews!

Time for some more Firiah, or at least some more Arriah. *Credit of ship name goes to the BugSlayer

Arriah woke slowly, blinking away the haze of sleep she swung her legs over her bed and-

Hold up. My bed? I thought that I'd fallen asleep in the cave... Oh...

Arriah smiled and stood.

"Fili."

Like it was so obvious. Hmmm...Wonder how Thorin's hair looks today? Doesn't matter to me, I can't even see it!

The huntress slowly went about getting dressed. Throwing on a tunic and some skin-tight leggings and ran a hand through her hair and headed for the dining hall.

Huh, no Gwae to wake me up today? Hey! That rhymed! I'm funny. Wonder what the twins are up to? Probably organizing their potions and stuff.

The huntress miraculously made it up the three steps into the dining hall without falling and was guided to a seat beside Bofur.

Wow, I actually woke up today. And I'm pretty sure Fili and I were up quite late too. Perhaps it was all that jam I had a few days ago? I think it's affecting me.

"Morning Bofur."

"Murnan l'ss."

"Huh?"

"Tirad. Slep."

"Uh, alright."

Arriah carefully went about preparing a plate for herself. Eggs. Toast. Sausage. Pancakes. Syrup on everything. The usual. She hummed in content and shoveled the pancakes into her mouth. The sausage's soon fell prey to the same fate. Then her eggs.

"Morning Miss Arriah."

"Morning Bilbo!"

He took a seat beside her.

"You seem rather cheerful this morning."

She grinned. "Yeah."

Like some sort of love-sick fool. Heh. Yeah right...Not yet at least. But don't give up Fili! I'm sure you'll have me swooning eventually.

"Uhm, Lady Arriah, excuse me?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry Bilbo! What were you saying?"

"I was just asking how you've been."

"Oh, fine. Actually. What about you?"

"Oh, quite fine. I love it here in Rivendell. There are so many gardens. This place is simply beautiful."

Arriah nodded in agreement.

"Although, I feel as though I've forgotten something. I think it was pretty important too."

"Oh? Well, not sure if I'd be any help."

"Ah, don't worry. I'll figure it out eventually."

Arriah nodded and filled up her plate once again.

"Morning everyone!"

A chorus of 'Morning Kili' resounded around the room.

"Morning Arriah."

The dwarf took the seat on the other side of her.

"Morning Kili."

Forks clattered against plates all around the dining hall.

"Y'know, Fili came back quite late last night."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Indeed."

Arriah grinned and chewed on another sausage.

"Thorin's hair looks lovely today."

"Did you tell him that it wasn't permanent?"

"Yeah. He almost actually hugged me."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

Arriah stood quietly in a clearing in the forest surrounding Rivendell. She took a deep breath, letting the forest overwhelm her senses. She needed to run. Not just run, but run. In her second skin.

Taking another beep breath and checking that no one was around she began to undress. Once she was done and had hidden away her clothes she stood quiet, un-moving.

I'm ready. I can do this.

Slowly she closed her eyes and let the familiar feeling of her second skin cloud over her. Bones gave slight 'clicks' and 'pops' and suddenly she was taller and bigger too.

Many in the past had envied her second skin, with good reason too. Big strong paws, connected to lean legs, made entirely for running, dug into the earth. Ears cupped forward, twitching at the slightest sound. A bushy tail swung back and forth and her heavy breaths were the only sound within the clearing now.

Her fur was beautiful. A creamy color on her under belly, tail, and on the inside of three of her legs, as well as the underside of her neck and at her the top of her snout was a beautiful orange which was joined by reds and golds further along her neck and back. At her hips the other colorswere joined by browns and whites in a sort of blotched pattern, which continued down her tail.

Mother always said that our second skin was just another being that your soul belonged to. She always said to take care of both of your skins too, because an injury could be carried on from one to another.

She opened her eyes.

And by some stroke of luck that isn't what happened to me.

Her now blue eyes took in the forest before her. Tall trees dominated the forest. The grass was a healthy green. The sky was a beautiful blue. She let out huff of a sort of relieved happiness.

I always fear that this is all just a crazy bunch of dreams. Maybe one day I'll wake up in my first skin, my sight clear as day, and be happily playing around with my younger brothers. Or maybe one day I'll wake to find that I'm blind in both my skins...No, these are not dreams. These are nightmares. No matter how happy some of them might make me, they are nightmares.

Because some of them gave her hope, but she's always reminded that she can't change he past. Which led her to hate such thoughts andpetty thoughts. The others just brought her great fear. They were just nightmares. They always would be.

The large wolf lifted a paw and put it forward. One after the other she put a paw forward until she was running at press-paw speed. Still not the fastest she could go, but it was the fastest pace ever recorded by the skin changers, and before she had come along it was considered an unbeatable record. She had been an incredible hunter once too. Her impeccable tracking skills and unbelievable speeds had made her the most efficient hunter in her village once, but she had lost her spark long ago.

But maybe I'll be able to find it again. I want to be strong again. I don't want to be afraid anymore.

The huntress breathed heavily as she raced through the forest. Trees and bushes blurred by her. Her paws slammed the ground, but it felt like she was floating. Twigs and small branches whacked her furred frame and the wind blew harshly, slightly blurring her vision.

She dug her paws into the ground and stopped at the edge of a rocky overlook. Vast plain stretched out in front of her.

Ah, this is where we were chased by those orc's.

The large wolf let out a huff and jumped down. Maneuvering through the rocks that jutted out of the small cliff face and landing on the ground below. But she did not run back towards where they had fought with and escape the trolls. No, instead she turned and continued slightly south-east, towards the Hoarwell river. Which is where Thorin would've made the decision to let her continue with the company or not. Had it not been for the trolls, Arriah might be at home now.

Glad I'm not though.

She continued for the river and upon reaching it drank her fill.

Now, to hunt. I'm starving.

The skin changer turned towards a bit of forest and quickly took to its shade, hoping for the element of surprise. She sniffed.

Deer, I want a deer...

Her ears twitched back and forth, her eyes looked over the forest before with a deadly calculating gaze. She shifted her haunches and began to creep forward. Zeroing in on a cluster of bushes.

There.

The creamy antlers of a young buck poked out of the bushes and now all of Arriah's senses were now focused on the deer. She lowered herself slightly, readying herself for a quick kill.

She jumped. Latching onto the bucks hindquarters as it tried to run. It kicked at her, slightly knocking the wind out of her. She growled loudly and planted her hind legs into the dirt, hoping to stop the buck, but it kicked out at her again. She stumbled slightly but kept her grip on the deer tight. She hauled her self forward, biting the back of the bucks neck and hoping to slow it down or stop it with her weight.

The deer stumbled but pressed on. Arriah let out a frustrated growl and quickly pulled back, planting her hind legs on the ground once again. This time she managed to flip the buck and quickly moved to it's neck. Biting down hard she crushed it's wind pipe and tore at the life giving artery in it's neck. She watched silently as the light faded from the deer's eyes.

Thank you.

She tore at the deer's skin with her claws easily and finished her meal quickly. Scavengers would finish off what was left of the corpse. Then other animals would take the bones. And so the deer's life would continue. It was the way of the wild. She could already hear the birds flying in.

"Kill! Kill! Wolf has made good kill!"

"Thank you wolf! Good kill!"

"Hungry! Wolf not! Good kill! Good kill!"

Arriah shook her head side to side, her fur ruffled to and fro, and licked the blood around her mouth away.

Yes, good kill.

The skin changer turned and dog-trotted back towards the forest's surrounding Rivendell. The sun had begun to set. Part's of the sky were already growing dark, but most of it had been turned into hues of pink and orange.

Upon reaching the clearing once again she sat and stared up at the sky. Submitting the sight to memory the wolf let out a long breath an slowly shifted back.

Fully clothed once again she turned and stood in the forest for a bit longer before turning and heading back to Rivendell.

So, a little skin changer action, sorry there was no Firiah in this chapter but that's just how it turned out. Anyway R&R!