I approached the lodge, Beorn clicking the gate behind us as we made our way through the yard. The company was busy devouring the breakfast that the animals had laid out for them. I suddenly felt intimidated coming upon such a rowdy crowd. Instinctively, I grasped Beorn's forearm as the dwarves turned their attention on us. Beorn patted my hand encouragingly.

I noticed the dwarf Fili standing off to the side, his boot perched on one of the rungs of the wooden railing. He studied me quietly, his eyes never leaving me as we climbed the steps. The tallest of the strangers stepped forth. He eyed me from underneath bushy brows. I looked down at my feet, hiding as best as I could behind Beorn's giant arm.

"Now who is this?" The stranger questioned, a cloud of pipe smoke drifting around his head.

"This is Cub." Beorn replied protectively.

"Just another creature you found in the wood, I trust?"

Beorn chuckled, his laughter rolling like steady stones in a landslide, "I suppose you could say so."

The stranger knelt to my level, propping the rim of his hat back with a gnarled finger that looked more like a tree root, "What is your story, child?"

I met his gaze, unsure of how to respond.

"This one has been under an enchantment." He stated, speaking more to Beorn than myself.

"Fell into the black river as a pup," Beorn explained, "Forgetfulness clouds her mind."

The stranger nodded, not taking his eyes from me, "But her memory is not altogether lost, I trust."

Beorn shook his head silently.

"I am called Gandalf." The stranger held out a hand as though he expected me to take it.

I glanced up towards Beorn who jutted out his chin, "Go on then."

Tentatively, I took the stranger's warm, dry fingers in mine and squeezed them briefly. Gandalf smiled gently.

"What are you called then, little one?"

"Beorn has called me Cub." I replied, becoming very aware of the eyes of the dwarves on me.

"Go get yourself some breakfast, Cub." Beorn released my hand much to my chagrin, "I'll be right here."

I obeyed, giving Beorn one last glanced before he separated for a private conversation with Gandalf.

"So you say the black river in Mirkwood?" Gandalf asked, eyeing Cub as she ascended the steps towards the breakfast table.

The dwarves parted as she walked past them, eyeing her as though she were as odd to them as Beorn's serving dogs and horses. He feared tact would never be a quality possessed by any dwarf ever. His heart lightened as he noticed Fili coming forth and preparing a plate for her without being prompted. He was amused to see the young dwarf prince glance nervously over his shoulder at Beorn. The Skin Changer snarled lightly but turned his attention back to the wizard.

"Yes, she was not yet ten in human years." Beorn explained, running a hand over his beard, "She has been my ward for almost a decade. However, to this day, she knows nothing of her life before she came to live with me."

Gandalf nodded contemplatively, "Recovering her memory is not the difficult part. I know the words that would break that foul enchantment once and for all. However, whether the girl would remain here or seek out what remains of her life before is not certain."

Beorn nodded, his eyes drifting over to Cub once more as she seated herself on the steps beside Fili. The dwarf's younger, darker brother joined them. He seemed to say something humorous at which Fili laughed. Though she clearly did not understand the joke and did not smile in return, Beorn could tell Cub was becoming more relaxed. She studied them with wide grey green eyes. The thought that she could leave his side bit through his heart.

"It would be wrong of me to deny the girl a chance to discover her past." Beorn admitted, his throat tightening slightly, "She deserves a full life free of the spell's hold. This may be her only chance at it."

Gandalf nodded, clapping a hand on Beorn's massive shoulder, "She may yet decide she's better off not knowing. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that I know who she was before she became your Cub."

Beorn turned his fierce golden eyes on the wizard, "You think you may know her kin?"

Gandalf's gaze flickered back and forth between the girl and her adoptive father as he puffed on his pipe thoughtfully.

"Perhaps. We shall see."

Nibbling at the piece of honeyed toast, I watched the dwarf called Fili and his brother Kili engage in easy conversation. These dwarves were quick to laugh, much like larks at dawn. I felt reluctant to try and contribute to their words, certain I would stumble over my own and embarrass myself further. It was enough with their companions staring at me as though I were a talking dog.

Fili sensed my hesitancy, "You must know these woods well."

"Yes." I replied, unsure of how to expound on such an obvious answer.

"Do wargs and goblins venture often into these lands, like those two?" He indicated towards the goblin head and warg skin Beorn had strung up not far away. He hunted them down the night before and set up their hides as warnings.

"More recently."

"Have you killed a warg?" Kili asked, setting the plate aside and putting all his focus on me.

I shifted under his intense gaze, feeling uncomfortable being the center of attention, "Yes."

Kili passed a look to Fili, arching a brow. I could tell he wasn't sure if he believed me or not. Fili grinned quietly, eyeing me with a fascination that made me feel more human than an oddity.

"Follow me then." I responded simply, standing.

Without waiting, I marched across the yard. Glancing over my shoulder at the gate, Fili and Kili jogged to catch up with me.

"Stay close," I instructed, "The paths are easy to lose and difficult to find again."