Hello dear readers! I'm sorry for the delay, I'm quite busy at the moment, so updates will probably come a bit irregularly for a while, though I'll try to keep 'em coming as fast as I can :)

kaia: Yes, father to the rescue indeed :D Well, he did say he was going to hunt some orc, so at least he did his job right :D I'm glad you liked it!

Dalonega Noquisi: I'm glad you liked it! That was indeed a thing that people want from them. We'll get into that a tiny bit in this chapter :)

superhyperjan: Haha! :D Well, wolf girl has a few surprises up her sleeve, doesn't she? xD I'm glad you like it!

BlackBaccaraRose: I won't get into it in this chapter, but I can tell you that they saw about the same thing that Kili did :)

Akilah Swiftblade: A plot twist happened :D You'll see in this chapter what it's all about :D

Hiding in the Shadow: I'm glad you liked it! :D Don't worry, Arkin knows what's up. He always does, doesn't he? Well, at least more than Tarya does :D

Kaity. Laity: Ah, thank you very much! I'm flattered you like my writing so much! :) Aww, no, I wouldn't kill him off just like that, he still has some things to go through :D And as to what happened… well, let's see :D

Thanks also to 12reader, ZabuzasGirl, AryaNimera, Daybreak96, FleurSuoh, jesskalynn4, DwarvenWarrior and Ammaviel for your reviews!

Thanks to the people who followed and favorited and all!

And now go ahead, read, leave a comment if you please, I'd like to read what you think! :D

Tarya could only watch as Oin and Fili helped Kili up from the floor, leading him over to the bed so Oin could take a look at his leg. Kili seemed already a bit more awake now, answering Fili's questions of how he was feeling quietly. He was still pale and a bit dazed but he seemed to be fine otherwise. He seemed to be perfectly healed, Tarya thought with no short amount of amazement – healed by her. She didn't know how she'd done it. It had been as if her body was acting on its own, as if the fire within her – or the power, she didn't know – had taken control to save Kili.

The Amarok was ripped out of her thoughts when she saw a hand appear in front of her face and looking up, she could see Bofur smiling down at her warmly, the Kingsfoil still held in his other hand as if he was not sure what to do with it now. "Come on, lass, no use in sitting around on the floor, is there?"

Tarya took the dwarf's hand after a moment's hesitation, her gaze shortly wandering over the room, only now truly realizing what had happened. Several dead orcs splattered the floor of the little house, Bard's children were standing rather awkwardly huddled together in a corner, obviously still shaken by the attack.

"You killed them all," Bain muttered almost as if to himself, eyes wide and voice slightly higher than usual due to his shocked state. Tarya shortly glanced at the boy before her gaze found Legolas as he spoke up.

"There are more," the blond elf said, his gaze resting on Tarya heavily, though he was already moving towards the door to hunt down the remaining orcs that had escaped. Tarya frowned shortly as she realized that they were probably making for the mountain. The Amarok caught Tauriel's gaze then as she moved to follow her blond friend. The redhead shortly hesitated before she turned around once more and looked at Tarya with a small hesitant smile.

"I have heard of the power of Amaroks," Tauriel muttered lowly, her gaze shortly flicking to Arkin before she looked at Tarya again. "But truly, this was an honour to witness."

Tarya just inclined her head slightly at the elf, not knowing what to say in reply. But she didn't have to answer, for Legolas beat her to it, urging from the door.

"Tauriel! Come."

The redhead glanced over her shoulder, nodding at her friend before she shortly looked back over and her gaze found the human Amarok again. Tauriel inclined her head at her, smiling slightly before she turned around and walked past Legolas out of the room.

"Arkin," the blond elf then said and it was only then that Tarya realized that the grey wolf was still standing in the middle of the room, not making any move to follow his elven friends. She looked at her father as he shortly glanced at Legolas before he slowly made a few steps further into the room and towards her. Tarya was quite surprised at his action to say the least, though she didn't say anything as wolf and elf held gazes for a moment. It was a few seconds before Legolas nodded hesitantly, sending both Arkin and Tarya a lingering look before he swiftly turned around and disappeared out of the door.

Tarya just stood frozen in her spot for a moment, staring at her father in surprise who returned her gaze calmly without saying anything. She suddenly heard Oin gasp in surprise then and quickly turned around as confused mumbles erupted from the little group around the bed.

It was just a second later that she found all their gazes on her and she shortly raised her eyebrows as Oin motioned her to come closer. With a small glance towards her father, she walked over to the bed where her companions waited, Arkin following slowly.

"This is impossible," Oin grumbled, gaze now set hardly on Kili's leg again. Fili and Bofur, as well as the patient himself, were just staring at the wound with deep frowns on their faces, though Kili glanced up at her with a warm look in his eyes as she came to stand by the bed.

"What is it?" Tarya asked as she stepped up next to Oin, sending Kili a small smile when she caught him looking at her.

"This!" Oin exclaimed, pointing almost accusingly at the brunet's thigh. "Look at this! The wound has almost healed completely!"

Tarya followed Oin's gaze and her eyes widened slightly upon seeing the faint pink scar that now resided where before a blackened and infested wound had been. Tentatively and without actually thinking about it, she reached out and brushed her fingers softly over the healed skin, looking up at Kili as he twitched slightly beneath her touch.

"Does it hurt?" she asked and the brunet just slowly shook his head, eyes never leaving hers.

"No, just… a bit sore, is all," he replied, his voice a bit hoarse as he stared at her intently. Tarya's brows drew together slightly before suddenly another voice chimed in, one that only she could understand.

'I told you your powers were there to protect the ones you love,' Arkin rumbled and Tarya glanced at him questioningly as her friends just shot the wolf wary looks.

"What do you mean by that?"

Arkin huffed slightly and Tarya once again felt like she was missing something rather important.

'You shared his pain,' her father said and Tarya just frowned in reply. 'We are Amaroks, Tarya, our wounds heal faster than those of other creatures. Your body shared this power with the dwarf. His wound healed the way ours do, yet yours will not.'

He inclined his head slightly at her injured arm where she had been slashed with an orc blade and Tarya shortly glanced at her arm, slowly rolling up the sleeve of her tunic to her shoulder, wincing slightly as the material scratched over the injury.

"By Mahal, lass, we'll have to bind that!" Oin immediately exclaimed upon noticing the rather nasty gash on her arm, though Tarya didn't pay much heed to it. She just looked from Arkin to the little group of dwarfs next to her who were all glancing between her and the grey wolf, not knowing what was going on.

"It's not healing," she muttered quietly to herself, thinking about Arkin's words and earning a few confused looks from her companions.

"Of course not, lass, it's a nasty fresh wound," Bofur said, raising his eyebrows at her as if she were a bit confused. "Did you bang your head on something as well?"

"No, I didn't. My wounds normally heal very fast," Tarya explained with a small scowl at the hatted dwarf. "It's a trait that Amaroks have. Except if the wound is irreversibly deadly." She shortly glanced at her father who just observed the scene quietly before she continued. "My wound is not healing, instead Kili's did."

She pressed her lips together when she saw all three of her companions frown at her while Kili was just staring blankly. Sigrid, Tilda and Bain had kept themselves rather in the background until now, just listening quietly to them as they talked.

"Then why didn't you do that before?" Bain now asked in confusion and Tarya shrugged slightly in reply as she caught the boy's gaze over her shoulder. Arkin growled slightly beside them and Bain shot the large wolf a wary glance before he brought it back to Tarya. "What… what is he saying?"

"He says that an Amarok's powers do not work to everyone's wishes," Tarya translated quickly, sending her father a short annoyed look for intimidating Bard's son. "That is what people don't understand about our race. Our power cannot be forced into action by anyone. It requires a strong bond and they only come forth when the situation is right for it. I was not wounded, therefore I couldn't share in Kili's pain until now."

"I don't quite like the sound of you suffering in my stead," another voice suddenly muttered and Tarya turned her head to see Kili looking at her wounded arm with a concerned frown from where he was now sitting upright on the bed. The Amarok just slightly rolled her eyes in reply, causing a small scowl to appear on Kili's face as he saw it.

"Rather an injured Amarok than a dead dwarf."

Bilbo had feared for his life a few times along his journey to Erebor but none of them quite compared to the fear he was feeling now, standing face to face with a raging dragon in the midst of his lair. The hobbit was slithering and stumbling down the piles of gold while Smaug raged in Erebor's throne hall, desperately trying to get back to the small corridor he had come from.

This, however, proved to be quite difficult when one was at the same time trying to stay alive. Bilbo slipped behind a fallen pillar as Smaug's voice boomed through the hall again, making the walls tremble with its force.

"Oakenshield has sent you in here for the Arkenstone, didn't he?" the dragon growled and Bilbo flinched fearfully as the beast appeared in the corner of his eyes again. It was then that he suddenly saw something white shimmer beneath the dragon's claws in the mountains of gold and for a moment, the hobbit's eyes were glued to the beautiful gem that lay in the distance. It was there, the gem he was supposed to steal for the dwarves and yet it was completely out of reach. There was no way he could get it from Smaug's claws without being eaten or burned alive. Smaug noticed his staring, of course, and dug his claws deeper into the gold as he looked at the hobbit. "I am almost tempted to let you take it, if only to see Oakenshield suffer. Watch it destroy him, watch it corrupt his heart and drive him mad…"

"No, no, no!" Bilbo called out, scrambling a few steps backwards as Smaug directed his gaze to him, swallowing tightly as he watched the Arkenstone shimmer beneath the dragon's claws. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't bother denying it," Smaug drawled, now sounding almost bored as he watched Bilbo closely. "You have been used, Thief in the Shadows. You have only ever been a means to an end. The coward Oakenshield has measured your life and found it wanting…"

Bilbo felt a painful sting in his chest at the beast's word, though he shook his head quickly, getting rid of the treacherous thoughts that wanted to enter his mind. Smaug was smart, and was just trying to sway him, make him insecure. "You don't know everything, O Smaug the Mighty!" the hobbit called, making up his mind as he discretely inched further away from the dragon. "Not gold and treasure alone brought us hither!"

"Ha!" laughed Smaug in reply, sending an echo through the demolished hall. "Finally, you admit the 'us'! What did they promise you? A share in the treasure? I will not part with a single piece!"

Bilbo swallowed nervously as he thought about what he should say next. "I tell you," he uttered in an effort to remain loyal to his friends and to keep his end up, "that gold was only an afterthought with us. We came over hill and under hill, by wave and wind, for Revenge! Surely, O Smaug the inestimably wealthy, you must realize that your success has made you some bitter enemies?"

Then Smaug really did laugh – a devastating sound that vibrated in the walls and shook Bilbo to the floor, sending a cold fearful shiver down his spine.

"Revenge!" the dragon snorted, dark smoke floating out of his nostrils as his torso lit up with the fire that slumbered within him. "Revenge! The King under the Mountain is dead and where are his kin that dare seek revenge? Girion Lord of Dale is dead, and I have eaten his people like a wolf among sheep! I kill where I whish and none dare resist. I laid low the warriors of old and their like is not in the world today."

Smaug's voice was getting louder again and Bilbo found his legs trembling with the vibrations in the gold beneath his feet as the dragon made his way through the hall, fire gleaming in his belly while the hobbit was inching his way towards the hidden corridor, hoping that he could escape before Smaug would eat him alive. He just needed to buy enough time.

"My armour is like tenfold shields!" Smaug boomed, breaking another large pillar with his tail. "My teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt! My wings are a hurricane and my breath is death!"

Bilbo could only watch with wide eyes for a moment as the dragon brought its head right before him, opening his mouth as smoke gathered between his jaws. The hobbit quickly glanced behind him, finding the stairs that led up to the tunnel just a few metres away. He hurriedly fumbled for his magic ring once more before he spoke again, cutting Smaug off before he could release his fire upon him.

"Well, I really must not detain Your Magnificence any longer then," he said, "or keep you from much needed rest. Dwarves do take some catching I believe. And so do burglars!" he added as a parting shot before he quickly slipped on his ring just as Smaug was about to breathe fire. It caused the dragon to snap its mouth closed in confusion as the hobbit disappeared before his very eyes, giving Bilbo enough time to dart towards the stairs that led to safety. He could feel the hall heat up in an instant as Smaug released his fire in an angry roar through the whole throne hall and Bilbo barely had time to flee up the tunnel in time. He felt the hairs on the back of his head and feet get singed slightly before he managed to round the corner, his breathing ragged and heavy as he pressed himself against the wall.

"You think you can deceive me, Barrel-Rider?" Smaug roared furiously in the throne hall behind him and Bilbo closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his fear, though it was not working very well. "You have come from Lake Town! This is some sort of scheme hatched between these filthy dwarves and those miserable tub-trading Lakemen, those snivelling cowards with their Longbows and Black Arrows! Perhaps it is time I paid them a visit!"

Bilbo's eyes shot open and he felt his heart sink to his feet as the dragon's words sunk into his conscious mind, images of his friends that were still in Laketown flashing before his eyes.

"No!" he called out, stepping back around the corner so he could see a part of Smaug raging in the hall before him, though he kept his magic ring on the whole time. "Oh no! This isn't their fault! They have no part in this! You can not go to Laketown!"

As he heard the dragon laugh, he suddenly knew that he had just sealed his friends' fate and he clenched his eyes shut tightly as guilt washed over him upon Smaug's next words.

"You care about them, do you?" the dragon drawled menacingly. "Good. Then you can watch them die!"

Bilbo didn't have time to say anything else to maybe sway the dragon from his plans as Smaug moved towards the other end of the hall and it was just a moment later that a loud crash shook the mountain to its very core as Smaug broke through the front gate.

Bilbo ran out of his safe hiding spot into the hall and towards the broken front gate, wide eyes following the tremendous figure that now spread its wings, darkening the night sky even more.

"Revenge? Revenge?! I will show you revenge!" he could hear the dragon roar before it rose up into the sky and promptly set down the Running River towards the lake that shone peacefully lit by starlight in the distance.

Bilbo felt his heart miss several beats as he watched Smaug fly away, feeling his throat go dry as he thought about what he had caused. He and the rest of the company. They had woken the dragon and sent it right down to bring death and fire upon not only their friends but a whole innocent town.

Tarya was sitting on the small bench in Bard's house, her gaze switching worriedly between the three children that were huddled together on the other side of the room and the window that allowed a view of the distant peak of Erebor in the distance. Arkin was lying a few feet away from her; his head nestled comfortably on his paws, though his eyes and ears were alert to everything that was happening in the room and probably outside as well. He was on edge, Tarya could see that, and she understood it, too, for that was how she felt as well. A nervous knot was building in her stomach.

Sigrid, Bain and Tilda sat near the now vacated bed together while Fili, Oin and Bofur were busying themselves in the kitchen. Tarya had by now found out that Bard was in fact in possession of the last black arrow that had survived the dragon's attack on Dale many decades ago, the one arrow that Lord Girion had not had the time to fire. The one arrow that could kill a dragon.

The Amarok could only shake her head slightly as she recalled what the others had told her and Bofur a few minutes ago. Bard wanted to kill the dragon if it came down to Laketown and had gone with Bain to hide the arrow near the old dwarven wind lance that stood in the town. But father and son had gotten separated as the Master's guards had followed them. Bain had hid the arrow in a small boat near the wind lance and returned to the house, yet Bard had not.

"You look awfully thoughtful," a voice suddenly spoke from beside her and Tarya flinched slightly as she was ripped out of her thoughts, seeing Kili sit down beside her on the bench slowly. He still hobbled slightly but was doing better with every minute that passed. His skin was developing a healthy colour again and he already had regained the cheeky smile that Tarya had come to love over the last months. Kili reached out, gently grabbing her hand from her lap and putting it in his own, his thumb trailing lightly over her knuckles. "I haven't even thanked you yet," the dwarf muttered, looking at her hand before his gaze wandered to her injured arm that had by now been bandaged and taken care of by Oin. "You saved my life."

Tarya stayed silent, as she couldn't think of something to say in reply, just feeling eternally grateful that she could do something to help him, even though it had been quite unexpected. She just looked at the young dwarf next to her quietly for a long moment before she sighed quietly and finally just did what she wanted to do. And she slowly leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Kili reacted immediately, bringing one hand up to cup her cheek gently as he returned her kiss tenderly. It was the first time that Tarya had made the first move and it was a gentle kiss, filled with the love and relief she felt to have him with her still. She hadn't lost him, Tarya thought, as she inhaled Kili's familiar scent lightly and revelled in the warmth he was providing, his skin back to its normal temperature now.

"What were you thinking about?" Kili asked with a small sigh after they had pulled apart, shortly bringing his forehead against hers before he leaned back to look at her.

"Bard," the Amarok muttered after a moment of silence, sighing quietly as her thoughts wandered back to the missing Lakeman. "He should be back by now. I worry he might have run into trouble."

Kili looked at her quietly for a moment, brown eyes searching hers before he eventually spoke up again. "You care about him."

Tarya frowned slightly at the strange tone she heard in Kili's voice as she nodded. "Yes, I do. Bard has given us shelter and helped us. He's kind and trustworthy. He's a friend, Kili, of course I care about him."

Kili hesitated a moment before he just nodded in reply, his gaze wandering down to his lap where he still held her hand securely in his. He squeezed it lightly, his thumb trailing over the back of her palm and Tarya carefully scooted a bit closer to him on the little bench, laying her head against his shoulder. They stayed silent for a few moments until Kili spoke up again, quietly murmuring against the top of her head. "What about the wolf? Is he trustworthy?"

Tarya slightly turned her head, shortly meeting Kili's gaze before she looked over to where Arkin was lying. The grey wolf was seemingly watching the children across the room, though one of his ears was perked in their direction, telling Tarya that he was hearing everything that was being said. She shortly wondered how long he had been listening in on their conversation before she turned to look back at the brunet dwarf beside her.

"Arkin will not attack any of us, if that's what you mean. He's a bit… headstrong, but loyal."

"A bit like you," Kili muttered, his gaze flicking from Arkin to her and Tarya felt her face get a little flustered at his remark. She shifted slightly at the same time that she heard Arkin huff almost in amusement from beside them. "Amarok seem to have that particular trait."

"That's rich coming from a dwarf who's too stubborn for his own good," she said, smiling slightly as Kili feigned an indignant look. She quietly cleared her throat before she continued. "We're akin, him and me."

"Akin?" Kili inquired, obviously a bit confused by the information she provided. Tarya sighed slightly, returning his gaze after a moment's hesitation.

"Arkin is my father."

She watched as Kili's eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing for a moment as his gaze switched between her and the grey wolf that by now had turned his attention to them fully, giving the dwarf a hard stare. Kili cleared his throat, a small frown coming to play on his forehead as he looked at the wolf. "Y-your father? Since when…?"

"Since I was born," Tarya replied dryly, causing the brunet to huff quietly in reply, slightly rolling his eyes.

"I mean why didn't you tell me?"

"You're right, I should have found time to slip it in somewhere between our orc-loaded escape from the Woodland Palace and your almost dying. There were loads of calm moments to do so."

Kili hesitated a moment before he nodded curtly. "Fair point."

Tarya smiled slightly as Kili lifter her hand to his mouth, pressing a short kiss to her knuckles. He was about to say something else when they were suddenly interrupted by a deafening noise outside the house. Arkin growled defensively as Tarya jumped up in alarm, her hand slipping from Kili's as she rushed to a small window and looked out into the night sky. The Amarok felt a cold shiver run down her spine and her fingers unconsciously dug into the window ledge once she saw what had caused the noise just as another mighty roar sounded over the lake towards Esgaroth.

She felt her companions' presence behind her as she swallowed tightly, her gaze glued to the large fiery figure on the dark horizon. It was still some distance away but that would not last like this for long, for the dark spot in the sky was getting bigger and bigger with every second it came closer to the town.

"Smaug," Fili breathed darkly next to her, finally saying out loud what everyone else had already thought.