Chapter 9

Lifting my head to him, I forced my body to stay relaxed. I coudn't get over how different Beorn was, the animal in him lingered under the surface. He knew he intimidated me, so I tried not to show it. It wasn't that he was more powerful than I was, he was just more unpredictable. Fili leaned a little closer to me, and Kili shifted a bit as well since I was sitting beside them both. Beorn turned so that he fully faced me, and slowly moved forward, his large body leaning over almost all of us.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"Why do you travel with them?" he asked slowly. "I don't remember many shifters becoming friends with dwarves. I don't remember anyone willingly traveling with dwarves..."

Thorin moved forward to stand behind me as I thought about that for a second. I glanced at Fili as he shifted beside me and took a drink of his milk, but he was still obviously aware of what was going on. I hated that I was so uncomfortable. Thorin was close behind my back, his arms brushing my shoulders as he crossed them again. The question made me angry, so I used that when I answered him.

"I travel with them because they are friends of mine. They had helped me regain my strength when I needed it. Regardless of what you may think of them, I'm quite fond of them. They are very dear to me, and I will defend them if I have to," I replied softly, but the words came out strong.

The last line was a threat, and a promise that Beorn heard clearly. He smiled at me again, and then ducked his head in a nod, making my pulse slow down. I was sure he was probably expecting me to flinch away from his question, or not answer it at all. I watched his whole body relax, and I let out the breath I had been holding.

"Very well," he said softly.

Fili and Kili looked at me with a grin and I knew exactly what they were thinking so I glared at them. Pushing myself to my feet when everyone finished, we followed Beorn outside to get the horses ready. I helped him get a few packs ready, and relaxed as we worked together. He was surprisingly gentle in everything he did, and once I got past his power, I knew he'd be a great ally and friend.

"You take care of them," Beorn said, as he finished packing something.

"I will," I nodded. "Thank you again, for helping us. I know that Thorin Oakenshield will be in your debt."

"I suppose he will. They are the most pleasant I have met," he replied thoughtfully. "If they decided to ever visit again, I would invite them in happily."

I chuckled as we walked out and stocked the ponies, and Thorin and the others helped. We moved into the woods that headed toward Mirkwood. I watched everyone mount their horses and I stood beside Thorin's for a moment. He glanced down at me and raised a brow, making me chuckle. I stretched a little and gave him a curt look that had him turning his full attention to me.

"Oh it's ok, I'll walk," I teased and watched him smirk.

"I'm sure you'd feel insulted if I asked," he mused.

"Not from you," I answered swiftly with a smile on my face.

"Well if you'd like me to offer..."

"Oh please no. I wouldn't want to insult your royalty," I laughed.

"I was only attempting to be polite," Thorin arched a brow and I smiled and patted the chest of his pony.

"I can run," I chuckled at him and then sighed. "But given the first chance, I need to speak with you in private."

He looked at me for a moment, and then nodded so I transformed into a black horse. Tossing my head, I stood next to Thorin as Kili rode up next to me on the other side. I arched my neck and breathed out gently across his cheek, making him chuckle and pat my neck. I snorted, and stood there with them while we waited and I had to find something to do to amuse myself. Kili was my target, since Thorin would have likely smacked me a good one. He was in a mood it was easy to see. He wanted to get moving, we were wasting time.

"Stop it," Kili chuckled as I nudged him while we waited.

"Gandalf," Thorin said loudly. "Time is wasting."

In the distance, a warg howled loudly and Beorn nodded for us to go. He was going to keep them at bay for as long as he could. The Orcs wouldn't challenge him; they were at least smart enough to be terrified of the skin changer. The dwarves pushed the horses forward and I pushed off and galloped after them. I turned back to watch Beorn shed his human form and take his other. He was a huge beast, and terrifying. We stared at each other and he nodded his head toward me so I spun to go after the others.

We kept a fast pace through the woods and over hills to get to the forest. When we opened into a large grassy plain, I stretched myself forward and galloped as fast as I could. It was such a joy to be able to run that fast. I got the same joy out of flying as well. Kicking out my feet, I slid to a stop as Mirkwood came into view. I knew of the elves that lived deep within the forest, but I had never met them. Snorting, I shook my mane out as Gandalf instructed them to let the ponies go. Focusing for a moment, I turned human and inhaled a large breath once I was done. Bilbo looked over the forest for a moment and shivered a little.

"This forest...feels sick," Bilbo said quietly. "Like a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?"

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south," Gandalf said as he went into the woods to investigate something. He came rushing back out as Ori was beginning to untack his horse. "Not my horse! I need it!"

Bilbo looked at him and then shook his head. "You're not leaving us?"

"I would not do this unless I had to," he replied quietly.

I looked at the forest for a long moment, drowning out the sound of voices as I looked at it. There was a disease in this forest, and it was something that chilled me to my bones. Crossing my arms, I glared at the trees that were once full of life. When I had first come to Erebor, I remembered this forest being alive and healthy. It was amazing how in such a short time it had fallen.

"This is not the Greenwood of old, the very air of the forest is heavy with illusion that will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray," Gandalf said to us as a light rain began to fall.

"Lead us astray? What does that mean?" Bilbo demanded.

"You must stay on the path, do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again," Gandalf said firmly.

We watched him ride off and I glanced back to the forest we were about to enter. I wanted to turn and run away from it, but I couldn't abandon Thorin and the company now. I glared at the sky without lifting my head as the rain started to come down harder. Thorin moved forward, leading the way and the others quietly began to follow him. I noticed that every single dwarf was wary about the forest. Even Dwalin seemed tense, and that was a bad thing because the warrior usually brushed off everything.

"Do not stray off the path," Thorin said firmly. "And stick together."

They all ventured in slowly, and I followed Kili quietly and reached out and grabbed his arm for comfort. I wasn't a fighter by any means, even though I was extremely skilled at it. Kili looked at me and gave a gentle look and crooked his arm to bring me just a little closer to him. I may be older than him, but I certainly didn't look it. I didn't age quickly like others, and instead I still looked like I was in my early 30's. Behind us, I glanced to see Fili move forward so that he was walking behind Kili and I. Thorin glanced back, and looked at everyone to make sure they were there and they were ok.

The deeper we got into the forest the darker it got and the harder it became to breathe. I could feel magic working its way through me, trying to find something to latch on to but I forced myself to concentrate. Sometimes I got dizzy, but I'd blink and clear my head only for the magic to come back and try to attack again. I wasn't sure how long we were wandering around the forest when Nori suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He was looking down, and I saw a flash of horror go across his face.

"Nori, why have you stopped?" Thorin asked quietly.

"The path, it's disappeared," he whispered.

"What's going on?" Ori asked, his voice quiet.

"We've lost the path!" Bofur shrieked from where he stood behind us.

"Find it!" Thorin commanded. "All of you!"

We didn't stray far from each other's sight as we worked our way through the trees. No one could find it. I had sat down for a moment to clear my head and then got to my feet again so that I didn't lose the company. Thorin was agitated that we had lost our way and started barking out more orders to keep looking. One by one the other dwarves shouted that they couldn't find it, even though they kept looking.

"We won't be able to find it again," I suddenly said harshly. "If we stepped off it, there is no way of finding it now."

Thorin looked at me, and I could tell that the magic was taking a heavy toll on them. I blinked a little, and walked with them for a while longer before they stopped and had to sit down. Bilbo was arguing with Bofur about something and I noticed that they were starting to get uncomfortable. There was some panic that we were truly lost, and they started to argue and push each other.

"Enough! Quiet! All of you! We are being watched," he murmured quietly. "Arina..."

I looked at him, and inhaled a scent but only caught the sickness of the forest and shook my head. "I can't...I only smell the forest and its sickness."

"Find somewhere safe..." he murmured. "Transform into something small."

Nodding quickly, I transformed into a mouse and let him pick me up and tuck me in the inside pocket of his shirt. It happened so fast after that; I saw the spiders coming down and before I knew it we were wrapped up and taken away. I clung to the fabric of Thorin's shirt and closed my eyes as everyone screamed from inside their webbed wrapping. My tiny body shook from where I was hiding. Thorin was quiet, and I couldn't tell if he was awake or if the spider had stung him.

"Shh," Thorin rumbled awhile later, surprising me. "When we stop, you can get us out."

I knew he was talking to me, so I wiggled a little to let him know I heard him. What the hell could I turn into that was big enough to battle spiders in the trees? I had ventured far all over the world, and had seen many animals so I was thinking hard about what I could do. The spiders took about an hour to get to where they wanted us, and the moment we were set down, I tensed and got ready to move as they all gathered to start their feast. I could hear Bumbor screaming nearby and I shuddered.

Poking out of Thorin's pocket, I scampered over his chest and dug a small hole to get out and the moment I was out, something attracted the spider's attention. I wasn't sure what it was, so I kept moving and quickly turned into something else. I took the form of a large cat, a leopard and began to help Bilbo who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He had killed a spider just a few moments ago after others had gone running. He must have been the one to save Bombur. As a spider came back, I snarled at him and dug my claws into his face. It was easier to fight them in human form, but I wasn't carrying my weapons in my human form. The moment the dwarves hit the ground they were trying to get out of the web casing them. I jumped out of the tree to join the others below in case they needed protection. Thorin helped Fili get out, and Bilbo helped Balin out while I paced and stood guard as the spiders circled in the tree tops. Thorin drew his sword and looked at everyone. They needed no words before they were running forward to try and fight their way out of the spiders as they started to attack. I went at one that came from the side when Thorin was picked up by another.

"Dwalin!" Thorin roared. "Kill it! Kill it!"

The warrior slammed his axe into it, taking the face clean off. The dwarves drew their weapons and I helped kill several of them as we ran. They came from everywhere and as we broke through the numbers we kept running through the woods. We slid to a stop as another spider jumped down and movement in the trees had Thorin looking up. I went to jump forward to defend them when something else caught my eye as well. An elf jumped from the trees along with several others and it took them just minutes to kill the spiders than had been after us. Before anyone could see me, I quickly turned human and Thorin yanked me behind him as we were surrounded by the elves. As he did, I latched on to the back of his coat so that I wouldn't fall.

"Don't think I won't kill you, dwarf," the elf pointing the bow at Thorin glared. "It would be my pleasure."

I wanted to say something, but suddenly I heard someone yell. Fili swung around hearing his brothers scream and tried to rush forward. The elves immediately trained their arrows on him, and one yanked him back so that he couldn't go anywhere. The young prince tried to shake them off, but he was obviously out matched.

"Kili!" he shouted desperately.

I spotted them not far from us, and I was about to move to go save him when a she elf appeared from the trees. The moment I had moved, I had another arrow trained in my direction so I froze. Dwalin shifted and moved in front of me as well, and Thorin drew me back to him again. I wasn't sure if showing my power was a good idea. The moment Kili was with us, I relaxed a little.

"Search them!"

All of their weapons were taken from them, and the dwarves didn't fight it. I trained my eyes on the blond elf who had threatened Thorin as he picked on Gloin for a moment before talking to the she elf that had saved Kili, he called her Tauriel. I learned his name was Legolas when an elf took Thorin's sword. Reaching forward quietly, I took Thorin's hand that was behind his back to reassure myself.

"You have no weapons," the elf said to me arching his brow.

"Nope," I said slowly.

"What use are you then," Legolas rumbled with a glare as he took the sword from the elf who had called him.

I went to insult him back when Thorin squeezed my fingers painfully making me instantly shut my mouth. I glared at him as he spoke in elvish to the others about the sword and Thorin stood silently in front of him. He weighed the blade in his hand, and then spun it before he turned his attention back to Thorin.

"Where did you get this?" Legolas asked.

"It was given to me," Thorin replied.

"Not just a thief, but a liar as well," the elf glared pointing the sword at his throat.

I couldn't hold in the words any longer and I felt myself snort. Legolas looked from the dwarf lord, and found me. He arched his brow slightly and I felt Thorin tense when he shifted so he could see me. I met Legolas's gaze firmly and gave him a irritated look.

"Is there something funny?" Legolas asked lowly.

"If you must know," I replied coldly. "Lord Elrond gave him that sword with wishes that it served him well."

Legolas glared at me for a moment, the tip of the blade slowly leaving Thorin's throat and pointing in my direction. The whole company stayed still, and I knew Thorin could have turned around and knocked me over the head for speaking up. His pride was going to get us locked up with these elves.

"And I can take your word on it?" Legolas snorted softly. "I doubt that."

He shouted something in elvish and the elves moved forward to round up the company better. Nori and Bofur looked around suddenly as we were moved forward to a easier place and Nori glanced back to Thorin.

"Thorin where is Bilbo?" Nori asked in a whisper.

Thorin and I glanced at each other for a moment and I searched around us with just my eyes but couldn't find him as chains were put on everyone. I couldn't help but feel slightly panicked at being chained up. The last time I had been taken prisoner was not a memory I wanted to relive. Staring at the gold chains that held me, I clenched my fists as panic started to take over my body and I could feel my power surge forward. This was not a good time to get scared like this, I knew that. Dwalin moved toward me quietly as the elves finished chaining the others and his shoulder touched mine.

"Lass, now isn't a good time," he rumbled.

"I know that," I hissed to him my hands shaking slightly. "I can't help it...it's a trigger..."

"Thorin," Dwalin whispered sharply drawing his attention.

Turning his head, Thorin looked over at us, and then took a step over to join us and he reached out to grab my hands and squeezed tightly. I looked at him, and he leaned in so that the elves wouldn't pay any attention to us. He put his lips right next to my ear so he could talk quietly. I couldn't help but lean toward him when he moved, taking the comfort.

"Focus on me," he rumbled. "We will get out of this. Bilbo is out there, we won't be here long I'm sure of it. You cannot show your power now, they will keep you here. Or at least try. Listen to my voice, Arina. You're safe, I promise. Nothing will happen to you."

Taking a huge breath, I squeezed his hands back and listened to him as he spoke. He kept a calm, steady tone, and I felt Dwalin's hand on my back for support. Both of them eased my panic, and I stopped shaking after a moment. Slowly, I got myself back under some control and then nodded my head finally. It had been a long, long time since I had been in chains.

"Ok," I whispered. "I'm good..."

Thorin shifted and moved to stand in front of me as we were led, so I quietly reached out to grab on to his coat to try and keep myself calm. Dwalin firmly moved to stand behind me as we got moving, and with the both of them so close I felt a little better as we walked. I was still shaking, but it was manageable. At some point, Thorin was able to move to my side, so I grabbed his arm.

"Breathe," Thorin commanded quietly. "Focus on just walking. We'll be fine."

I glanced at him as we walked, and did as he said, but I did not loosen the hold on his arm. "It'd be a good idea with the walking. If I trip you are coming down with me. That would be extremely entertaining."

"Sometimes your humor leads me to picturing your death," Thorin mused softly and I had to force myself to just smile instead of laughing.

"It's the only thing that keeps me from freaking out," I hissed to him when I got control of myself.

We were led down the path of the woods and to the gates of The Woodland Realm. It was a beautiful city as we walked in and followed the paths through the realm. At the same time it was hard to enjoy it when we were all in chains. Thorin was taken from everyone to go see the King of the Woodland Realm while everyone else was shoved into cells. I had released him the moment they had moved us apart, even though I didn't want to. He gave me a steady look when he was walked off so I forced myself to stay calm.

Legolas stopped the elf that went to throw me in a cell and glanced down at me. "I'll be taking her to my father when he is finished with the dwarf."

Tensing slightly, I glared at him, "What do you want with me?"

"That remains to be seen, shifter," he replied lowly and I felt my blood run cold. "What did you think I didn't know what you were? I felt your magic when we were busy with the other dwarf filth?"

"Well I was hoping that you were preoccupied," I muttered quietly as he grabbed my chains.

The dwarves shouted as I was taken away and forced to wait until it was my turn. What ever was happening with Thorin, I heard him yell something before seeing him appear a few minutes later. He was marched past me, and we glanced at each other and his expression turned to rage. My jaw clenched tightly at his look, and I resisted the strong urge to throw myself at him as they led us past one another.

"No!" he growled out as he struggled. "NO!"

Ah the recently love and reviews on the story was amazing! Thanks so much! Enjoy this next chapter. I dare say from here on out it's going to get pretty exciting! We're finally getting into the good parts!