Hello you beautiful and awesome reader! I have a new chapter for you. Hooraaaay!

CHAPTER 14

During one evening, after she found herself a sufficable place of camp hidden off the road, Alicia set her pack aside so that she could get some firewood. The forest around her was a peaceful calm with only the occasional buzzing bug or bird chirp that made another noise besides herself. She was alone, but not lonely. It was very easy to find dead branches scattered a bout thatshe broke with her feet or hands into smaller bundles to carry back. Easily her mind wandered to just what her friends were doing, or just how exactly was she going to get home. So easy was it to fall into automatic movement that she almost didn't notice that she was no longer alone. Alicia looked up just in time not to walk right into camp, but too late not to be noticed. Sniffing at her bag was the biggest wolf like creature she had ever seen. It never took it's eyes off her as it's large elongated head lowered to scent the air then back at her, it growled. Alicia was frozen as she gaped back at this grey and black furred creature. Was that what was called a warg? It certainly fit the description of 'huge wolf like creatures.'
It Growle even louder, eyes alight with clear 'i'm hunting you' gleam. The wolf let out a gutteral bark at her, making her flinch violently enough tp drop her wood. "Don't growl at me. Youre on my territory." She grumbled under her breath, eyebrow twitching.
The wolf prowled closer, ears flicked back, head lowered as he ventured even closer.
"Um, um.." Alicia stuttered, eyes scanning for something to use. On her though, she only had a knife and her hatchet. " Hey! back off!" SHe yelled at the wolf in her best imitation of a growl.

The wolf snorted at it, as if laughing at her attempt to scare it off. He jumped after her, forcing her to have to move or run. Running was the last thing she wanted to do. There was no way a human could out run a wolf, let alone a wolf big enough for a human to ride! What was she going to do squirrel her way up a tree?!
"AH!" The islander yelped when the wolf came too close. It seemed to be playing with her. So clearly the thing didn't even see her as much of a challenge either! How rude.
Alicia had no choice, to avoid it she had to move. To move meant the wolf got to chase her like prey.
She skittered around, trying not to get lost in the woods and stay away from the wolf at the same time. The warg or wolf like creature was really enjoying itself. It moved almost like he was herding her. If she went too far left or right it would jump ahead to block her. At one point she tripped over her own feet, tumbling to the ground.
As if her heart wasn't racing before, now it was going way overtime. Trying to get back up, she risked a glance over her shoulder.
The wolf behind her had this wide toothy grin on it's furry face, short barks emanating from it. The creature had the nerve to laugh at her! She sneered at him taking it's time catching up to her until she got up. Once again she tried to stand her ground, but the wolf forced her to move again.
She was beginning to get winded when suddenly she had burst into someone else's camp. A hunched over, bearded brunette man suddenly looked up at her in surprise, hand wrapped around his own weapon. They stared at each other for an awkward second until the growl of the wolf jolted her. " Run! Giant warg behind me!" She demanded.
The man stood up quickly, which turns out wasn't that tall, taking some defensive pose. Alicia went around the fire, turning to face the beast too. Guess this was where the stand off was going to be.
The beast easily pounced into the camp. It continued to growl as he eyed both the people with mild curiosity.
"Away with ye beastie!" The man yelled.
"Already tried that." Alicia huffed. She was about to say more until the man met the wolf head on. He brandished his mace and roared at it as the wolf howled. Alicia could only stop and stare at this crazy guy who just met a wolf that stood taller that him head on, but it turns out he was doing pretty well. They wrestled until the beast yelped and shook him off. It snorted at him and bolted back into the woods. " Well, I didn't try that."
The man's head whipped this way and that. " Humph. Ye best not come back or I'll have me a new cloak!" He grumped as he stowed away his weapons again. Dusting off his hands he peered up at her. " Are you alright there?"
"I am thank you." Alicia sighed in relief. " That warg thing. What did you, er, how did you make it go away finally?"
The man shrugged his shoulders. " I wouldn't go attacking any big beastie ye come across." He started in a warning tone. " But since it was but one animal, I just give it a few good hits that'll teach him what-for." The man slowly walked over to stand in front of her, eyeing her up and down.
"Are ye injured? Looks like ye took a scratch to yer leg there."
She looked down at what he was indicating, and saw that in fact there was a tear in the fabric on her right leg. "Oh. Just a scratch."
"Well, let's take a look at it lad. Don't want it getting infected." The man said as he kneeled down.
After a few seconds of his prodding the scratch and pulling out some jar to rub it's contents on her leg, he broke the peace. " What are ye doing out here by yourself?"
"Probably the same as you. Traveling." She said casually.
The man tilted his head back to give her an odd look, but changed expressions when he realized something else. " Oh! You're a lass! I thought you were a young lad! Forgive my lack of manners." He said, quickly looking back down to finish his job, stand up and grin. "Humri, at our service Miss." He said with a bow.
"Nice to meet you. Alicia, at yours." The lady smiled tiredly. " Thanks for helping my leg too."
Humri waved it off. "Think nothing of it. I just ate, but i can get some bacon cooking if yer still hungry."
"No thank you." Alicia smiled. " Actually, I ought to be going now. That warg probably scattered my pack all over the place, I should go back to my own camp." She said as she started to make her way. But Humri was frowning at her. "Are there others at yer camp then?"
"Uh, no." Alicia answered hesitantly.
"Then a lady should not be on her own. I may have scared that beastie off, but there are more about these woods." Humri insisted.
Alicia shook her head. "Then I should find a new place. I really don't want to intrude-"
"Nonsense! Come and stay." Humri interrupted. " And in the morning I can escort ye to where ever you were going." He smiled reassuringly at her. Something about that smile though, she didn't quite like how smug it was looking. Or at least smug was what she perceived it to be.
"I gotta go." Alicia insisted in a more serious tone.
Humri stood eerily still. " No my dear. Or the big bad wolf will get ye again. Stay with me, I shall keep ye safe." he almost purred.
Alicia grimaced in disgust, then turned on her heel and took off running again.
"You owe me lass!" she heard his voice behind her.
Alicia didn't bother looking back she ran into the woods in the general direction of the road. Suddenly her feet came out from under her, but this time it wasn't herself tripping up. Humri scrambled on top of her, grinning down in a greedy sort of manner. His nostrils were wide as he breathed deeply through them.
"Get offa' me you squinty eyed, screwed up in the head, sick freak!" Alicia bantered.
"Where are ye from anyway?" Humri ignored her. "Ye smell human, but of a different sort. Are ye from Rhu-ugh!" He received a very hard kick to his own groin making him groan and loosen his grip enough for her to push him off and scramble to get away.
However, just as she climbed up to make a get-away, the wolf had returned out of nowhere, purposefully running into her and knocking her back down. It was much quicker than Humri and was able to pin her down before she recovered enough to fight back.
The wolf snorted at her as she glared up at it. Then to her astonishment, the creature's form had begun to shift quickly. In three seconds the wolf was in the form of another shorter man with black and grey hair peering down at her with a studious stare. Alicia had no words to describe her shock other than to stare back.
The man's nose wrinkled. " For the record, I am a wolf. Not a stinking warg. I'd be dead 'afore an orc rides on my back." He growled. "You however, that can be negotiated."
"Uh no." Alicia issued. She reached up and gave his beard a mighty tug, causing him to grimace at the pain. She jabbed at his gut and leg, anything to make him get off but he was unmovable, and once again easily overpowered her to pin her down. Her hand accidentally caught a few loose strands from his long beard in her struggle. The dwarf jerked his head back to avoid her hand getting more tangled up. "Oi now. Ye must never touch a dwarf's beard without their consent lassie."
Humri recovered and walked into her view. " We'll teach her some proper manners." He grinned wickedly. " We should keep this one for ourselves aye?"
The grey and black dwarf hummed in agreement, one hand running along her arm. "Awful skinny wee thing."
Humri chuckled at her panicked look his chest expanding in deeper breaths he took as his shoulders rolled in an odd sultry manner that the rest of his body followed. The two stopped whatever they were about to do and looked up as if hearing something that Alicia didn't catch. they sniffed loudly and looked about frowning deeply. Humri glared back at her now with one hand around her throat. " I thought ye said ye were alone. WHo else is here?"
"What? No one." Alicia replied in confusion, she begun to gag as his grip went tighter.
"Who else is here?!" Humri demanded.
The stench was suddenly released tenfold in her panic and squirming.
"Ugh.." the other dwarf sneered. " Is that you?" he asked incredulously.
" I don't know." Aliicia replied.
After a few seconds she too could smell the horrid stench now that it was much stronger and she could have swron she just saw tiny pebbles dropping around them. One looked like it hit Humri's shoulder.
It was enough to make her pull a face too. The dwarves looked at each other then back at her. "Oh gross. Filthy human! Couldn't ye have taken care of all that 'afore ye bedded down for camp?!"
the other dwarf wave his hand in front of his face.
Alicia just blinked at him.
Humri pulled his own over exaggerated look. " On second thought, she's all yers." He got up and quickly backed away.
His companion gave him a deadpanned look. " This was your idea! You get back here and take her!"
More tiny pebbles were dropped, this time she saw a few. Now the other dwarf could take no more. The both of them flinched as if they were now in physical pain. His companion jerked off of her as if she had suddenly combusted, even looking at her as if she did, before joining his companion and the two hobbling away in disgruntlement still with hands over their noses.
Alicia sat up gaping after them. She had to move from her spot too, not wanting to smell the stench anymore either. " What...what just happened?" She asked herself.
More noises of footsteps heralded the approach of two more people completely shrouded in black , one tucking away a slingshot while the other shouldering her pack.
Alicia's hands flew up in defensive fists when they stepped into view.
"Don't fret now. We mean no trouble." The first said. The person took off her mask to reveal a middle aged woman. A human woman thank the heavens. The other figure took off his shroud to reveal a middle aged man. He was pocketing more of the tiny pebbles into a belt pouch. The man offered a small nod to her.
"Name's Nora. this here is Dremard. We saw this pack and heard the wolf howl, then your cries no doubt it was." The woman said. She held up her hands palm up when Alicia didn't relax. " It's alright I swear. We were on the road when we heard you."
"We should be getting back on the road and find a new place for camp before we lose what little light we've got left." Dremard said from the side.
Alicia sighed and finally dropped her defenses. They were truly being sincere. " Well, thank you. very much for coming to help."
Nora nodded. " Come. let's get back to the wagon and we can talk more."
Dremard offered to carry her pack again but Alicia politely refused. Wordlessly she followed them, a few steps behind sp that she could watch them. Thankfully they were fine with it. Sure enough, there was a small wagon there with a horse waiting patiently for their return.
Dremard took the driver's seat while Nora took the back and offered a spot for her. Hesitating only a second, she climbed on.
"We're going to find a new spot for the night, but you're welcome o leave if you truly wish. Though I advise against it." Nora said as she watched Alicia. " What's your name?"
"Alicia." The islander muttered. She glanced back down the road. " Those, what just happened?"
Nora swiped loose hair from her face. " Those dwarves." she said with a hint of distaste. " Their kind have been in a rather browbeat mood these recent years. And yet I can't seem to complain too much with the new jobs they made available for many folks." She sighed
"Never stopped me." Dremard said up ahead as he flicked the horse into a comfortable canter.
"You complain all the time about everything. The day could be just fine and you'd complain about it being too perfect." Nora retorted in light humor. She picked up a flask and took a pull.
"We caught them just in time before they used you for their sating rituals."
"Rit-rituals?" Alicia looked at them as if they were speaking another language. " What sating rituals?"
"They got four different names, but all are generally the same if you ask me." He said grumpily. "Most folks will call it sating or bonding. The dwarves don't have a lot of womenfolk in their community, so they like to come groping for ours. They say it's not the same as hiring a moll, but it really is." Dremard started ranting. " It's the alphas and the betas in their culture you gotta watch out for. They'll flirt or try to seduce you into becoming their own pets for one night of pleasure. that one night however, can turn to the rest of your life as they 'claim' you and you're 'marked'. All thanks to Thorin and his thirteen, his people think they own everything they step foot in or around."
Alicia was rigid in her seat. That name, where did she hear it from again? Her mind had other questions that demanded being answered first. "Claimed? Marked? And that only happens to all the women?"
Nora shook her head " Most dwarves are male, so you mostly hear it happen to women, but a female dwarf can come in and try the same thing too. They all need to be 'sated' every once in a while after all."
"Why? What is it and what happens if they don't?" Alicia really couldn't help but ask.
Nora swallowed a bite before explaining again. "Sating is an 'act of love'. That's what they'll tell ya.
Supposedly they can turn feral and their animal side takes over more, but from what I've seen anything could set that off."
"Eeegh.." Alicia couldn't help but grimace. "And what is marking and claiming imply?"
"Marking. There's two types. Scent marking and Bite marking. The scent marking is exactly that. They can put their scents on you and it stays depending on how often ya bathe of course and how much they slather on ya. Then there's the bite mark which can only happen when they're in their beast forms. Not sure how they change the difference between marking and just wanting to take a chunk out of ya, but that's the worst one. For if they bite ya, they've claimed ya for themselves and you must obey them. You become their slave."
Alicia did not care to hide her squeamish reaction to that. "Is that what they were going to do to me? How do you undo it?"
Nora sadly nodded her head. " Yes Miss. They wanted that, or at the least, some 'bonding time', with ya."
Dremard shook his head in disapproval, choosing to take the conversation from there." And aye. the bite mark is permanent. The only way to undo it is if you or they die. I heard that maybe if another alpha bite over the first one's successfully that could do it too, but I'm not sure about it. And plus that's trading one master for another really." Dremard cast a nasty scowl at the road.
Alicia had a haunted look on her face as she absorbed the information she had just learned.
Nora was quiet too, regarding her carefully. She leaned forth an inch in her own thoughts. " I've never heard of a human having such purple eyes before."
"Yes." the other lady's lips turned up just slightly. "Runs in the family I suppose."
Of course it ran in the family. How else did she have them? But the islander didn't really feel like explaining all her origins and such to anybody who didn't seem like it would help her situation. No offence to Nora and her apparent boy friend of course. Did they even call each other 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' here? At least they were a kind lot and once again she gave thanks to having helpful people around.
"Perhaps in you may have a good idea dressing as a man you know." Nora's voice tore her from her thoughts. "If you keep your head low, might be you could fool a few unwanted eyes."
Alicia's head bobbed subtly, eyebrows twitching with a one shoulder shrug. " I'll keep that in mind. Then maybe another name too? Like Ran, or Leto?"
Nora took another pull and passed it to Alicia to share. "Either is fine."
"Leto it is then." Alicia affirmed. she looked at the flask for a second, daring to take a small taste. At first it was a smooth taste that had a strong alcoholic burn to it. Alicia passed it back right after that first taste. Not quite her favor in alcohols but it wasn't horrendous either. " So what did you use to deter them?"
"Oh the stench pebbles?" Leo patted a pouch at her side. " Dwarves and hobbits have sensitive noses as you might well guess. A bad stench to us is bad to them too." She dug out a few and handed them to Alicia. "These are made from a red and white flower, biggest flower ya ever seen but the most horrid smellin' one too. So you smell a, certain stench, they'll leave ya alone like a plague."
Alicia examined the little pebbles and made the mistake of bringing them to her nose. Quickly she pulled back making Nora smile mischievously. The little pellet like pieces had awful odors that reminded her of rotten meat or bodily functions. Alicia half glared at Nora upon the realization.
"...Eeeew...You made me smell like I didn't make it to a privy?!"
Nora's head tilted back from a mirthful laugh, even Dremard snorted in a dry chortle.
"That's one way of putting it." Nora said between laughs. "But that wasn't the main intention no. Usually they just smell like rancid meat, but I suppose over time their smells can change."
"Uh huh." Alicia deadpanned, not believing her entirely. " I guess that's what Humri meant when he asked why I didn't 'take care of all that before I bedded down for camp? Apparently I had too much beans or...some accident.."
"Oi those longbeards were ugly. I'd soil myself too if I had those faces comin' to snog me." Dremard remarked.
Alicia's whole demeanor dropped sullenly, though she wouldn't complain too much. It was either that or whatever horrid things the dwarves would do...well, smelling like rotten eggs isn't so bad in comparison. After comfortable silence in riding, Alicia brought up conversation again. " So how much of all that you think is actually true and what's actually rumor. Because I've heard a LOT of rumors recently and it's getting hard to tell what's true or not."
Dremard pursed his lips. "Everything save what I disclaimed of being uncertain of already."
"You've actually seen all that happen?" Alicia tried again.
"We're not going to stand and watch longbeards have their desires met by unsuspecting folk for a night or such if we can help it." Nora answered. "If the person goes of their own accord though, well there's little we can do for that. But from how others come out of the inns to speak of it, often many behaviors being similar to the next...is hard to deny the proof there."
The next stretch of silence wasn't so much comfortable as it was awkward. Alicia's eyes trailed back towards the way she had came. A voice of indecision had her questioning if this was still a good idea. But the whole point of going was because it was by the sea, which implied there was some port somewhere which she could get to and hitch a ride. Were dwarves good sailors? She didn't remember hearing anything about it before.
When Dremard finall found a place he was 'less vocal' about, they all got down to set up, which also didn't take very long. The two had fallen into a familiar bantering of idle plans or nick knacks here and there.
While Alicia stretched her legs on the other side of the fire, more questions came to mind. "If they were bad dwarves, why did you let them go? why not arrest them? And you mentioned Thorin Oakensheild?" Alicia asked as she helped set up camp.
"Well, I wouldn't be completely adverse to laying those arse-munching-"
"Dremard!"
"Those bottom dwellers into the ground and save the world of two less shmucks, but that would also have made things more personal. Eventually their shmuck kin would find out and search for the culprits. Dwarves are like bees in that sense. Ya mess with one then the whole nest could come own on ya."
"And we could have tried to arrest them aye, if they kept harassing us. But I don't have much faith left in the constabulary of the town. They probably get paid a little extra to turn a blind eye if the longbeards overstep a line, to a point mind." Nora sighed.
"Thorin Oakenshield and his thirteen aye." Dremard moved to the next question. "Two years past they came back here, of what purpose for leaving at all I know not. Upon their return however, they had made plans to try to increase trade and pay and so forth in Ered Luin. It worked in significant increase in paid work. Paid work also led to more homes or better constructed homes being built. Many more Men came for the chance of a better life or refuge from orc raids. Some months later there were squabbling's happening about and now there is tension in the town."
Alicia frowned at the news. No place was perfect to begin with. " By tension you mean?"
"The dwarves have this haughty behavior about them, and the Men have an irritated behavior about them." The man said.
Nora stirred some beans in the small pot. "Aye. Two things that don't mix well."
Inwardly, Alicia groaned. Was she going to have to deal with that now too? What a drag.
Turning back now wasn't illogical, but if she had learned anything from her time here in Middle Earth thus far, it was to never believe or dash anything until you've seen for yourself. So onward she would go to see for herself. A familiar sound coming from on the other side of the fire spurred her into wanting to move faster, especially when this time it wasn't due to pellets.
"Aaaaw come off it Dremard!" Nora groaned.

The islander secretly smirked at the two's bickering before turning away to try and get some sleep.

Yes. I did it. Fart jokes. Honestly I got the idea when Naruto used to be real popular and i watched an episode where he had to fight Kiba(or Kiva?) and Farted in his face accidentally. (sorry if I got the name wrong, it's been years since I last saw that show)

And Yes! The flower that was used is a smaller, generic version based off the Indonesian flower 'Rafflesia arnoldii' which is the world's biggest flower and has a 'rotted meat' smell to it instead of aromatic smells most flowers do. And before anyone says anything about that not being the 'correct plant life of Middle Earth'... Guys...It's a fanfiction...we can have whatever we want. Don't worry. It's okay.

And don't worry guys! more of the company is coming up real soon!