Zoor Se Dovahruth
Eight

-Nir Zig-
Hunting Thrill

Fili and Kili had gone ahead of the group to scout out the area. The brothers ended up meeting the company half way to guide them the rest of the way but warned of the terrible stench, "The closer we get the worse it becomes."

The Durin Prince's had not been kidding either. Keeva tried her best to cover her nose and mouth with a piece of cloth she found in her pack. The half-breed was curious to what they would find in the cave, so when they finally reached their destination, Keeva hopped off her pony and followed Gloin and Bofur into the cave after Thorin and Gandalf disappeared into its dark recesses. The stench was even worse the further you went into the cave. Perhaps being a Bosmer also gave you a keen smelling sense. Keeva wasn't sure but all she knew was that she felt the need to gag and to let the bile rising up in her throat out.

"You alright, lass?" Gloin placed a firm hand on her back to help her out just a bit. The gesture was helpful to a point but the smell was just ungodly horrid. Keeva nodded weakly, "Aye, I'll be alright."

Gloin smiled broadly and patted her back before he went back to help Bofur and Nori. Keeva chuckled as she watched the three of them gather the gold and other pretty, shiny, and sparkly things on the ground, placing them in a chest for a later investment. Keeva began to wander around herself. There were carts of weapons and other such oddities but the small little ragged looking chest on the ground caught her attention, pulling her in with an urge of curiosity.

Keeva bent down, her finger brushed over the wood carefully and then moved to lift the lid. The lid of the box creaked lightly as the dirt and dust that had gathered on top began to slide off the top. The fire from Thorin's torch lit the contents of the chest, glittering back like stars in a clear night sky. Keeva's breath hitched when she found something that jogged her memory, her mother's smiling face gracefully touching the edge of her mind.

"What have you found Keeva?" Gandalf hummed from behind her, an elegantly crafted sword in his grasp. Keeva glanced back down into the chest and pulled out the piece that had her fancy. It was a brooch, the size of a small coin, but the design was very similar to the design of the small sword that Gandalf held, and in the center of the whimsical and natural shapes was a flawless amethyst, her mother's favorite stone. When Keeva picked it up she smiled fondly, letting her thin tiny fingers touch the surface of the piece. "Elvish craftsmanship by the look of it. You don't see those quite often outside of elvish cities."

"It reminds me of my mother," Keeva told him earnestly. Gandalf studied the young half-breed while she stood and unclasped the pin. Gandalf hummed thoughtfully as Keeva pinned the brooch to the leather bodice under the linen evergreen corset, "Keeva, what happened? Last night, while the company was off hunting trolls, what happened?"

The other dwarves had left the cave by then and Keeva raised her eyes up to the Grey Wizard upon his question. The affection and longing gone from her eyes as Gandalf watched the memory cross Keeva's vision. The bottom lip twitched, almost a quiver, and Keeva's blue eyes closed for a mere second before she sighed her answer, "I was attacked, hunted down if you will, by a man I had planned to seek revenge upon after this quest. Unfortunately, I do not remember what happened to him after I blacked out. All I know is that he- he was there…. and he was touching me."

The Grey Wizard's eyes rarely showed surprise but with Keeva's admittance, with her story now out and her fears brought to light, Gandalf placed his hand upon the girl's shoulder and hummed with discontent. "I would hope you speak to Thorin about this later. You're safety is just as important as the others. Stay close and keep your eyes open. Come, we best be on our way."

Keeva wished Gandalf would have told her what he was thinking. She so wanted the one person in her life that had helped the most to give her more words of wisdom. But Gandalf was keeping silent. His eyes expressing what Keeva wished to hear. But Keeva followed the wizard out of the cave, like the shadow she always was and kept silent.

Gandalf called over for Bilbo and Keeva went to find her pack and weapons. There was a smell in the air, one that wasn't the disgust from the cave, but one that smelled of wolves. Keeva had learned well in her days on the road in Skyrim. Wolves were the worst, not so much just one wolf, but a pack of them and you were a dead man. They would surround you, jump and maw at your skin if you were not careful. There were plenty of times Keeva would find travelers come down with a disease after being bitten. And it was not easy to get rid of. So Keeva learned early on to scout out the wolves first before they found her.

There was a sound of large branches snapping and Thorin was ahead of the game before Keeva had even drawn her bow and arrow, which surprised her quite a lot, "Something's coming!"

"Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourselves," Gandalf called while drawing his sword and hurrying into the woods. Keeva was right behind him, her bow at the ready and senses tingling for a fight.

Branches, shrubs and brush were cracking and snapping closer and closer till a band of rabbits hopped into the clearing with a sleigh at their rear. Keeva stumbled with surprise and Fili caught her just before she fell. She breathed thankfully, her eyes wandering up to the blue ones she knew were watching her. And they were, like always, but this time Keeva felt something deep within her click and her heart fluttered with an odd sensation, Fili smirked, "Are you alright, Mi'lady?"

"Y-yes, yes, thank you," she told him while straightening herself up and brushing the wrinkles from her top. "You're most welcome."

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown," Gandalf called thankfully that the danger wasn't what he had thought, "What on earth are you doing here?"

Keeva watched the haphazard Brown Wizard with wide eyes and a curiosity of a cat. She ran a hand through her fire locks just so that she could see better, but a particular braid caught her attention and she fingered it thoughtfully after remember the feelings that had clicked just moments earlier.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

"Yes?" Gandalf asked, expecting the Brown Wizard to go on. Radagast opened his mouth to speak but shut it only to open and close it again as if he'd forgotten something. "Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue."

Everyone in the clearing watched the Wizard with peculiar stares as he curled his tongue up and a look of surprise washed over his face. "Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old…"

Gandalf reached out and pulled an object from Radagast's mouth, "-stick insect!"

The dwarves looked around at each other flustered but Keeva couldn't help but smile freely. There was something about wizards that really made her feel light at heart. It was a feeling she didn't want to lose because in light of the quest and what her life was throwing at her, she needed as much light hearted moments as she could get.

Gandalf and Radagast wandered just a bit away from the group to speak, though Keeva could hear every word that was being said from where she was standing. Fili had taken to sitting next to her on a large rock amongst the many dwarves in their company playing with one of his daggers. Keeva studied him carefully, trying to understand what it was this dwarf was doing to her, what was it that was making her feel the way she was.

Fili glanced up to find her staring at him. Her eyes grew wide and she quickly turned away embarrassed. Fili chuckled lightly, sheathing his dagger and bend forward so that he could see her pink face within the tresses of her wild hair, "Something the matter, Mi'lady?"

Keeva cleared her throat and whipped her head back; a firm frown upon her lips, "Nope, nothing at all."

Fili laughed, the wrinkles at the sides of his eyes causing that feeling in Keeva's chest to come back, "Well, you look quite flustered if I may say. I haven't done anything to earn such a reaction have I?"

Keeva's mouth opened and closed, not sure what to say to him, "Well, you're quite confident if you do believe it was you to earn such a reaction."

Fili found his brows rising out of surprise with such a comment, "Then you forget, Mi'lady, that I am quite confident. And when it comes to bringing a light shade of pink to your cheeks, I strive to make that possible whenever I can."

"Are you teasing me, Master Dwarf?" she teased right back, that fire Fili loved so fondly was now blazing in her eyes. Fili smirked and he scooted just a bit closer to her so that he could lean in, grab her hand and kiss the top of it, "Always."

Keeva could feel the heat rise to her cheeks and she giggled lightly, "Ah Fili, you're ever the gallant of them all."

"Why thank you, Mi'lady," Fili bowed his thanks, pride welling in his chest from a compliment he never thought he'd receive from the girl he enjoyed most in a bit of company.

Keeva would have welcomed him in reply but the stench of wolves was ever close and her ears picked up on the growl of a hunting beast. Fili noticed Keeva's change in demeanor and withdrew his weapon after the Bosmer had stood, bow at the ready. A howl greeted their company then and Keeva pulled back an arrow, her sights set for the horizon over the hill to the south. Fili spotted the Warg just as Keeva let go of the string and let the arrow fly, setting right in between the eyes of the beast, mid-air.

Thorin and the other's stared in disbelief and before they could say anything Keeva had another arrow set and flying at the Warg bounding down the hill from the west. The beast fell to the ground howling in pain from the arrow stuck in its right eye. Thorin swung his blade down to finish the job. Keeva stared at her leader from across the clearing, a seriousness he'd never seen in a woman before. Fili gawked, "That was amazing."

Keeva smirked, her eyes locking with his in the most appealing sort of sense. It roused a feeling deep in Fili that he'd never felt for another woman before, "That is only the beginning."

"She's right," Thorin growled, "Warg-scouts, which means an Orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?" Bilbo asked confused.

Keeva turned to the hobbit, "I've noticed them a few nights ago. Across the valley from the overlook we slept at on our first night. I could not see them but I could hear them quite clearly."

Gandalf came rushing back into the clearing with Radagast behind him. His sights were set on Thorin, "Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?"

"No one," Thorin said simply. Keeva could tell Gandalf did not believe a word the Dwarf King had just muttered.

"Who did you tell?!"

"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin asked with deep concern. Gandalf hummed darkly, "You are being hunted."

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin agreed, his eyes shifting around warningly.

"We can't!" Ori cried out, running down a steep hill with Bifur right behind him, "We have no ponies; they bolted."

Keeva winced but didn't feel hope lost yet. She'd run from plenty of enemies in her days of travel. This was nothing new, just a pain.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast told them with a confident note. Keeva smiled sweetly, happy to have met this great wizard. "These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you."

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try," he challenged.

It wasn't long before Radagast was bounding out of the woods, his rabbits barreling like a pack of wild bulls. The company took up their packs and began for the edge of the woods where they knew they would need to head east. The trick was not to be sighted while they were trying to get past.

There was a chorus of howls that sounded out of the woods just after Radagast came forth from the depths of the forest. Gandalf waved for them to follow as they too emerged from the forest and began a sprint through the vast valley devoid of trees but littered with rocks. Gandalf peered around a large bolder, Radagast having just passed by and the Warg pack right on his tail. "Come on!"

Keeva was right behind Gandalf as he ran out, his shadow back where she belonged. Keeva watched Radagast in the distance and just as he was about to pass by, the company in sight of the orcs, a hand reached out and yanked the girl behind the large rocky outcrop. Keeva lost her balance and fell into a firm body. She glanced up to find dashing blue eyes, keenly worried, but relieved that she was out of sight. "Fili?"

"You would have been seen," he told her with distress, "Stay close."

The half-breed's brows shot up with surprise. Had she really been in the line of sight? Keeva's mother had taught her all she knew about stealth, a legend of the Thieves Guild even! Naturally Keeva had much of the same skill or was she losing her touch? Keeva breathed a quiet yes to Fili, a promise to follow him. If he really thought she would be seen then she trusted his judgment.

The company ran down another hill and past another rocky outcrop before Gandalf stopped them for the orc pack again. Keeva realized how much of a test this was, stopping and going. It was like a terrible game.

"Stay together," Gandalf whispered. Thorin urged them to follow the wizard quickly as the orc pack ran across a ridge from the south, "Move!"

Fili pressed for Keeva to turn the other way, her eyes only looking back once to see Radagast's sled fly by. Fili grabbed for her hand and pulled her along, causing Keeva to trip up only once. But Fili was there, he was always there, pulling her along, helping her up, making sure she was alright. Keeva was truly concerned that Fili was more worried about her than he was himself. Was- was that right? Shouldn't that be wrong?

"Ori no! Come back!" Thorin hollered, grabbing onto the back of the dwarf's shirt and pulling him behind the rock. Keeva stumbled into Fili from behind and quickly apologized. Fili just smiled down at her, "It is okay, Mi'lady."

When the orc pack was safely out of sight, Thorin ran forward and Gandalf was waving the rest of the company to continue. "Come on, quick!"

Thorin watched his nephew grab the elf-girl by the hand and lead her down a set of rocks, Bofur and Bifur just behind them. He could think less about the gesture, their lives were at stake, but for some reason them holding hands stayed strong in his mind. Gandalf lead the company further through the plains and Keeva's sense of the hunt was on high alert, this time she felt like she was the prey.

It was weird to feel the tables flipped. One minute you're the predator and the next you're the one being hunted. There was something about that that drove her crazy, feral, angry. Something deep in the back of her mind was humming, teeming with rage. Keeva did her best to put that feeling out of the way. But it was always there, teasing her, coaxing her, and feeding her feelings.

The orc pack ran in front of them nearly two hundred yards ahead. Fili dragged Keeva up to the safety of a rocky ledge, where the entire company pressed up close to the rock in hopes to not be seen. That teasing warning in the back of Keeva's mind was barely ignorable at that point. While Fili pressed her firmly into the rock, Keeva wiggled around and withdrew and arrow from her quiver. Fili looked at her questioningly but Keeva stared at him serious, the sound of a sniffing Warg above them. The growling was enough proof for Keeva that she would do what needed to be done.

Thorin nodded at both Kili and Keeva, their queue to take out the danger. Kili glanced at Keeva briefly before they both moved out far enough to have the Warg in sight. Their arrows flied the second the Warg and orc spotted them. The beast and its master rolled to the ground next to them, Dwalin and Bifur jumped into battle, taking out the squawking orc. Keeva's ears keenly cringed at how much noise the death of the orc was drawing. The howl of the Warg's they were trying to keep hidden from was the only answer she needed to know that they had been found. Keeva stared Thorin down, her head shaking, "They know."

"Move! Run!" Gandalf shouted, already making a bolt in the opposite direction of the orc pack. Fili ran forward and grabbed Keeva's hand once more, dragging her along with him. She eventually caught up with his speed and ran beside him, her eyes only glancing over once with concern.

The dwarf company was becoming surrounded the further they ran. Keeva's heart leapt into her throat, fear building the more and more orcs she spotted. There was only one thing she could do, "Fili, I have to fight back."

While they were still running, Fili nodded in agreement. His eyes scanned the land around them, there were over a dozen Wargs and Fili had seen what Keeva could do with just a few arrows. When he let go of her hand, it was his answer to her that he knew what she had to do. He just wanted to make sure she was safe along the way. Fili drew his blades after Keeva paused to draw an arrow and release it a few hundred yards away. The arrow sunk into the target exactly as planned and Fili stared at the elf amazed. Keeva didn't waste any time in explaining but she grabbed for his hand and pulled him along to catch up with the others.

Keeva halted every few steps and would take another shot, the target going down successfully. But eventually Fili and Keeva caught up with the company, who stood around helplessly ready for a battle they knew would end badly. Keeva searched the group for a pointy grey hat but found none within her sight. "Where is Gandalf?!"

"He has abandoned us!" Dwalin shouted back in a furry.

"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted to Thorin. Kili was not to off, taking aim at any orc that came too close to the company. Keeva took up the other side so that both angles were being watched.

The group of dwarves, girl and hobbit, began to close in together, the orc pack getting wearily closer. "Hold your ground!" Thorin urged the group and Keeva shot another Orc square in the eyes. The closer they were getting the easier it was to hit the lethal spots.

"This way, you fools!" cried out a deep and hollow voice.

Hope latched onto Keeva's heart when she turned around and spotted the tip of a grey hat descending behind an outcrop of rocks. Thorin had the company move back and follow the wizard, "Come on, move! Quickly, all of you! Go, go, go!"

The others with short range weapons began sliding down into the crack between the rocks. Bofur, Bilbo, and Balin went down first, the others following right after. Kili and Keeva stayed out for as long as possible. But Kili started to fall back once he realized that everyone was down, "Keeva, let's go!"

Keeva's sights were set on one last orc and she took the shot right before she felt a hand reach out and drag her to the rocks. Fili pushed her down the crack and jumped in after her, Thorin followed. Keeva sat up; her hair draped in front of her face and she blew it out of the way with a puff of air. Fili brushed a few locks out of the way and smiled when he found two blue eyes peering back at him, "You're quite ambitious, Mi'lady."

"It was to protect everyone," she insisted, her breath ragged from all of the running. But she smiled and a breath of relief left her lungs as she lunged forward to hug Fili as tight as she could. "Thank Arkay for his blessing. We're alive and well."

Fili swallowed hard when Keeva had whispered those words into his ear. He even tried his best to hide a shiver that ran through his body but he couldn't possibly hold back the feeling this woman was making him feel deep in the pit of his stomach. Her warmth was all he needed to feel completely at ease with the situation, even with the Wargs still out there.

A horn sounded in the distance and Keeva pulled back from Fili just enough to give him a strange look, "What was that?"

The sound of orcs and Wargs reeling in pain came after the horn sound. Then an orc body rolled down into the crack and the dwarf party moved back in fear that it was still alive. Gandalf poked his staff at the body, deeming the orc dead.

Fili and Kili helped Keeva up onto her feet. Keeva found her gaze meeting her golden haired dwarf shyly. Kili cleared his throat and smirked at his older brother, rolling his eyes at the same time. "Now is not quite the right time, dear bother."

Fili chuckled lightly and gave his brother a pointed look. "Are you insinuating something, Kili?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Kili chuckled, glancing over at the oblivious girl. Keeva took a step back and place one of her hands over her chest. Then, making a fist, she thumped the place above her heart hard. Both brothers had watched her and let a laugh escape their lips, even though they were in a very serious situation. Her actions seeming very child-like seemed to lighten the moment.

Kili cleared his throat after getting a good laugh out and nodded toward the rest of the company that was making their way down a small corridor. Thorin was glancing their way after Kili had caught Keeva's attention, "I would suggest tone it down, Fili. Uncle might say something."

Kili's warning made no sense to Keeva. But when she turned to Fili she could see something pass over his features as if he knew exactly what his brother was talking about. Keeva would have to ask after they settled down for the night. She didn't like not knowing what was going on.

The path led on like a serpent through water. It curved and swayed within the rock, reminding Keeva of the many caverns she had explored on her short travels in Skyrim. There was nothing more alluring than a dungeon or cavern from days long past, Drauger and skeleton foes around every corner and traps more than you could count on both of your hands. It was a thrill to explore but even more of a high when the danger was clearly present.

The pathway eventually fanned out and Keeva found the rest of her company standing at the ledge that overlooked the most serene and breathtaking view she'd ever seen. It was a small little city in the midst of a valley, surrounded by cascading waterfalls and mist that shined in the twilight. The architecture was magnificent, elegant and natural, very much like the brooch that was pinned on her lapel.

"It looks just like home," Keeva whispered, her eyes never leaving the sight in front of her. Thorin, Gandalf, Bilbo and Fili glanced at her briefly, each of their faces expressing something different. Gandalf smiled fondly at her though. He knew, deep down, that though she was part man, the wood elf in her – the Bosmer – was much stronger than she would admit. "The Valley of Imraldis. In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name."

Bilbo stepped up next to Keeva, still mystified by the sight as well, "Rivendell."

…

Arkay is one of the major divinities of the Nine Divines known as the God of the Cycle of Birth and Death.

A/N: I want to begin this author note with an apology for taking so long to update. But I have a reason for my absence and that was the great ordeal of trying to graduate on time. I had much more work than I anticipated and had to literally cut off any of my hobby time just to get most of it done. And I did! I got by with the last of my classes and have officially graduated with my BFA two weeks ago. So it did take me some time, and really I am sorry, but I'm back and am going to try my best at finishing this story. I do have to start applying for jobs though, but I won't be neglecting this like I had for months.

Anyway, this chapter wasn't as great as the others previously. But it had to be written. The next one will be better and we can move on with the story now that it is finished. I tried as much as I could to make it seem interesting, but if you skip over this chapter I totally understand.

I need to thank many of you for leaving reviews even though it was many months ago. Still, I would like to thank Akiluna, Dalonega Noquisi, and Prost.

But I would also like to thank those that continued to read and follow or favorite my story while I was on that long hiatus. So thank you Sesshomaru's Babydoll, Juliana Rain, xxMockingbirdxxx, Lelya, Kenai501, Shivi, Torrid Venom, Green-lovershaters, Prost, RoseDew, Lunasana, Snowball A.K.A. WinterWolf, teacup1990, maggiemo1, DarkAngel856, ScarletRavenwood, and khaleeses.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or Elder Scrolls. Any character that is not familiar is of my own creation.