Chapter 10

Tauriel had been a skeptic when Kili had asked her to help him build something to help him walk, but she had been wrong. Kili had figured out how to build the crutches and Tauriel had found the tools and materials. Now he stood before her with that smug smile.

"See," Kili rocked back and forth on his crutches, "I told you it would work."

Taiuriel smiled back at him, "Great, now you can help me repair the roof."

Kili glared at her, "Ha ha."

Tauriel laughed quietly, "Well now since you don't need me I'm going to go clean up."

"What?"

Now it was Tauriel's turn to glare, "I'm going to go to the creek and bathe. Just because I've been working like a horse doesn't mean I have to smell like one."

Kili's face tightened, "You can't go too far, that thing is still out there."

"We're fine as long as it's light," Tauriel muttered, turning to head toward the tree line, "We're going to need water too."

"Fine," aggravation tinted Kili's voice, "Then I'm going hunting."

Tauriel tried to hide her chuckle. Even if he managed to kill something he wouldn't be able to carry it back to the house without help. "Alright. I'll meet you back at the house."

"Who's being reckless now?" Kili called after her.

Tauriel turned on her heel and met Kili's gaze, "I guess you're a bad influence on me."

Kili paused, but despite trying to keep a stern face, a smile pulled at his lips.

Tauriel found the creek easily and followed it uphill to where it pooled. Slipping off her clothes she walked down into the pool. The water was freezing and up to her waist. The forest around her was peaceful, she could hear the small creatures skittering and the birds flying. She was safe for now.

She dipped her head under the freezing water, holding her breath. The cold was a shock but she welcomed the freezing water, knowing that it would take away the grime. She could still smell the battlefield on her skin and the smoke of burning flesh in her hair. Tauriel wanted to clean herself to help herself forget. She wanted to forget the blood and screaming. All she wanted was to forget the sound of the killing and the smell of the blood.

Tauriel resurfaced, the cold air stinging her skin. She still couldn't get clean enough. Sitting naked in the pool she watched as the sun reflected off the crystal clear water. She could never get clean enough.

Letting out a sigh, Tauriel climbed out of the freezing cold water. She shrugged on her clothes and grimaced. The clothes still stank. With cold water dripping from her hair she headed back to the house.

As she neared the house it stood vacant and lonely. Kili still wasn't back. She tried not to worry. Kili could take care of himself...At least she hoped he could. The sun was still relatively high in the sky, and until it neared dusk she shouldn't worry. Instead of worrying she began the repairs to the roof. The creature had clawed and mangled the planks, making them splinter and spit. She laid down boards that she took from the small woodshed that stood beside the house. Even after she had repaired the roof Kili had not returned.

That dwarf was stubborn, and Tauriel knew it. If she went looking for him he would laugh at her, and Tauriel knew that too. She went inside the house and began searching for clothes. As much as she disliked the idea of wearing clothes that weren't her own, she had to wash hers. Eventually she found clean clothes. They were plain in comparison to her elven attire, but they were clean and that's what was important. She heard a rustling sound in the woods and she walked out of the house, and was instantly shocked by what she saw.

Kili emerged from the forest and into the clearing. To Tauriel's amazement he was followed by at least two dozen dwarfs. Dwarfish men, women, and children followed him toward the house. Tauriel noticed that they were all either very young or very old, she saw no seasoned warriors in their midst. Strange. From his place with the leaders, Kili looked at her and smiled.

Tauriel walked out to meet him, and he motioned for the others to go to the house. The other dwarfs eyed Tauriel warily, but continued walking. She ignored them, coming up to Kili quickly, "What are you doing?" She whispered, "Where did you find them? What are you thinking? Don't you think someone might recognize you?"

Kili looked up at her, "The monster hit their camp last night, killed half of them. They're traveling to the Lonely Mountain. What was I supposed to do, let them be slaughtered tonight while we stay in the house safe?"

Tauriel glanced over her shoulder, "No. You're right."

"None of them recognized me," Kili answered, "But don't drop my name and everything will be fine."

"What is your plan?" Tauriel asked, "At their slow pace they still wont be clear of the forest by nightfall tomorrow even if they were safe tonight. They're trapped."

Kili looked around, "We're all trapped," he muttered, "At least this way we have help."

Hours later the sun set, and with it came the silence of the forest. The creature was hunting again. Tauriel had bandaged the wounded and kept silent through the entire afternoon. Kili sat at the wooden table with what appeared to be the group's two leaders, deep in conversation. The elderly dwarfs hunched forward, telling Kili of the disaster that had befallen them the night before. Tauriel sat across the room by the fire, but because of her keen hearing she could listen to the conversation easily.

Dwaylin, a white haired dwarf with black beads in his beard spoke, staring at Kili, "It attacked after the moon fell. We never seen anything like it before."

"It was the size of a bear," Unway, a red-haired dwarf muttered, "With blazing red eyes and black fur."

"How many men did you loose?" Kili asked, leaning his elbows on the table.

"Thirteen," Unway answered, "Our fighters. They stayed behind while the rest fled. We found their bodies this morning."

Kili nodded, "You know you're still too far from the edge of the forest. Even if you started at first light you wouldn't make it out before dark."

"Aye," Dwaylin muttered, "We're stuck here with women and children and only three warriors left. And what of you?" He motioned to Kili, "How did you come by your injuries?"

Kili sat back in his chair, "I was at the Lonely Mountain with the five armies."

"How did you make it this far?" Unway asked.

Kili motioned toward Tauriel, "I had help."

Dwaylin frowned, shifting in his chair, "I thank you for helping us lad, but I have to say I don't like the elf being here."

Kili looked up and met Tauriel's gaze from across the room. After a moment he looked away and stared Dwaylin in the eye, "You can have your opinion," He muttered, his voice cold, "But if it bothers you that much you can always spend the night outside."

There was a long pause. None of the dwarves at the table said anything. None of them doubted that Kili would make good on his threat.

Dwaylin held Kili's gaze, but then looked away, "Alright, lad. We have other things to worry about."

"Aye," Unway nodded, "We need to stop arguing and handle the problem at hand."

Kili sat back in his chair, "Agreed."

"We have to kill this beast before it kills us," Dwaylin muttered.

"Then we need to find out what hasn't worked," Kili motioned for Tauriel to join them at the table and she came foreward.

"But-" Dwaylin stammered, "You want help from an elf?"

"The Mirkwood elves have fought with this beast for a hundred years," Kili muttered, "We need to find out what didn't work so we can figure out what will."

Tauriel came to sit at the table and watched with amusement as the elderly dwarves frowned in their chairs.

"So," Kili said, "Tell us what you know."

Tauriel told them the story. She told them every last detail she could think of from the stories she heard as a child. "So many went out to hunt the wolf and never came back that eventually they gave up." Tauriel looked at her hands, "They baited, they ambushed from above, they used everything they knew to kill a wolf."

Kili paused for a moment and then turned to Unway, "How big did you say it was?"

"Enormous," Unway muttered, "As big as a bear."

"I think I know what we need to do," Kili said after a while, "We need to go bear hunting."

TBC

Author's Note: Thanks for all the review guys!

Meyer 331- (why I relate to this story so intensely) Perhaps i'll write my own story one day, but at this point I don't feel like I should divulge that information internationally. ;) For now u can read about Tauriel and Kili and understand that I've been in Tauriel's shoes in some ways.

Lstorm- thanks for complimenting me on my poetry, I was honestly afraid I would get people making fun of me.

Borys68- I'm afraid you've underestimated me. ;)

Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! More action will come in the next installment.