Didn't I tell y'all that was trying to be more timely/productive :) Ta-daaa~ A timely new chapter!

The twins led Meara and several others down the valley to a wide open field where large croppings of rock and rubble rested. The group galloped with caution through the outcroppings before entering the wooded area beyond.

Meara could smell the heavy musk that wild wolves tended to emulate, though the quantity and underlying stench clued Meara in on how different these wolves or wargs were. She'd read about them in the books in Glorfindel's study, finding them both intriguing and appalling.

"They're up ahead," Meara nodded, turning her horse toward the path with the strongest scent. The twins nodded, following after her.

"Eyes up. Where there are Wargs, there are warg riders." Elrohir called back.

They continued for a short ride before suddenly coming onto the carcass of a female warg. The troop paused searching the area as two of the other scouts rode onward. Meara dismounted, standing before the carcass with a critical eye.

"It looks like she was in a fight with another warg." Meara hovered her hand over the gashes and wounds exposed on the wargs flesh. A frown weighed down Meara's face. If this had been done by her own pack, what could she possibly have done? She moved down the wargs body carefully studying her condition. That's when she both saw and heard the cause of the wargs demise.

"A pup?" Meara lifted the back leg the small thing had been hiding beneath. Not only was it a runt, it was an albino. The pup did it's best to growl and snap at her, but the poor thing was weak and far too small to do any real damage. At least to Meara.

"Hush, small one," She told him as she picked him up.

"It's best to leave it." Elrohir frowned, a look of pity on his face.

"This must be his mother. She was probably defending him from another member of the pack." Meara gave the dead warg a curious glance. "How intriguing."

"Intriguing how?" Elladan asked.

"Normally, animals will abandon the young that are too weak to survive. By all means, as both a runt and a white furred creature, this little one's fate should have been death. Yet the mother chose to keep him and defend him until her dying breath."

The three of them watched the young pup in her hands quietly, looking up when the two scouts returned. "They seemed to have been passing through to head northwards. They are no longer in Imladris territory."

The elves prepared to leave. Meara tucked the pup into her cloak.

Elladan scolded her. "It's best to leave it, Meara. Let fate take care of the pup. Besides, father will really have your head if you bring that thing into Imladris, even if it is just a baby."

Meara shook her head. "I'll face the consequences, but I cannot leave it here when I can help it."

Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other before shrugging and leading the party back to Imladris. The pup still scrambled and growled, trying to wiggle it's way out of her grip. Meara finally growled at it. "Be still, little one."

It whined a bit before finally settling itself. Meara could smell it's fear and exhaustion as they rode on. Her heart ached for the poor thing, finding it's small form too thin and in need of a proper meal. Anxious to get him some food, she quickly followed the group, rubbing a comforting hand on the pups back. It was almost as if she could feel the sadness the pup felt. When they arrived back in Imladris, Elrond stood at the entrance, a worried frown on his face. Arwen was just behind him with Estel beside her.

Meara was surprised Elrond wasn't trying to separate the two as he was wont to do since the two first met a year ago. Though Meara supposed he was allowing them their time since Estel would be joining the Rangers of Dunedain soon.

"Meara?" Elrond questioned, eyeing the warg pup in her hands.

"It's a puppy," Meara admonished, frowning at the elf-lord. "It's not like it's a ferocious monster that can bite people's heads off."

"It could very well grow into that."

Meara narrowed her eyes at Glorfindel as he came down the steps to stand beside Elrond.

"He won't. I'll teach him." Meara frowned glancing between the two elf-lords.

"Wargs are vicious since birth. There is nothing you can teach him. They are monsters at birth." Glorfindel sighed, "They've been far too twisted by the darkness that taints them."

Meara narrowed her eyes, her brown orbs flashing gold in her temper, "By that logic, I'm no different than a monster myself."

Glorfindel shut his mouth, watching her with a puzzled look. "I did not…"

"No but the connection is there nonetheless."

"Draugwen," Elrond interrupted. "I know you feel for this pup, but it cannot stay here."

Meara looked down at the pup who calmly looked up at her with large red eyes. There was no way that this creature was innately evil, Meara felt it down to her soul. She looked back up, determination in her eyes. "Fine. But I will go with him."

There was a collective silence before everyone began talking at once.

Arwen: "Draugwen! You couldn't possibly leave! Father!"

Estel: "Do not be hasty, Lady Draugwen."

Elrond: "That is not what I meant."

Glorfindel: "Draugwen!"

Meara to Glorfindel: "Oh, don't 'Draugwen' me."

Elrohir: "Well I didn't see that coming."

Elladan: "She practically oozes chaos. Are you taking notes, Elrohir?"

Finally Elrond shouted over all the noise. "ENOUGH!"

Silence ensued, with Meara and Glorfindel glaring at one another. Elrond began snapping orders. "Elladan, Elrohir, go turn the horses in. Arwen, Estel, make sure the preparations for Mithrandir's arrival are complete. And you"-Elrond gave Meara a hard look- "If you are set on raising this warg pup you may do so but please, keep the beast in check. I doubt the delegates could handle any more chaos."

"Lord Elrond!" Glorfindel protested, but merely received the wave of a hand.

"Ah, if you have complaints take them up with Lady Meara. This is her decision. And I need a drink." The last part he muttered under his breath, though Meara easily picked it up with some amusement. The poor elf, she had not been the easiest house guest...Meara glanced at Glorfindel. He watched the warg pup with a semblance of wariness.

"You've made up your mind already haven't you?"

She watched the pup in her hands again. He had found a piece of her cloak that tied at the front and was chewing on it enthusiastically. She looked up and met his eyes. "I can't leave him out there alone. Not when I can help him."

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before Meara began to become uncomfortable with the tug of emotion that came with such a look. She held the pup up in front of her face. "How can you say no to this face, anyways?"

The elf blinked as his eyes cut from her face and focused on the thin pup whose fur was white as snow with a pink heart-shaped nose and large pink-red eyes, traits uncommon with wargs who were darkly colored and had beady black or yellow eyes.

"It is cute." He conceded, rubbing the fur on its head.

"He," Meara emphasized, "His name is Fáno."

Glorfindel shook his head before turning to head back up the steps. "Come, you still need to return my office to its original order."

Meara tried to keep herself from groaning as she followed behind at a leisure pace.

While it took some getting used to for the people of Imladris, they eventually admitted that Meara taking in the warg pup was the best thing to happen since her arrival. After all, now that she busied herself with taking care of the warg, she had no time for the extravagant pranks she'd help the twins with. While there were still moments of pure chaos-like when Fáno discovered the chicken coop and managed to chase the lot of them straight into a prank laid by the troublesome trio, resulting in half the hall being stained purple for a week...moments of chaos were still there though they were far and few between as Fáno got bigger and bigger.

Eventually Estel left for the Dunedain, leaving Arwen downtrodden but hopeful for their next meeting. She often joined Meara when she trained Fáno, occasionally reading to the side of their makeshift field or watching and making observations as they moved.

"Fáno has gotten quite big already." Arwen commented tilting her head at the warg. "He could carry a small child comfortably at his size now."

"Yes, it's almost been three years," Meara paused motioning for the warg to rest while she looked over to Arwen. "Time seems to go by at a crawl here when you don't think about it but you suddenly blink and where has all of it gone?"

Fáno huffed at her, his voice fluctuating like a pubescent teen. "You sound like an old crone."

Meara gave him a reprimanding look that was ruined by the smirk she held back. "I don't think I ever taught you how to speak like that."

Arwen laughed, "He has been hanging around the hunters recently."

Meara gave the warg a curious look, "Have you been pestering them to take you out on hunts again?"

"They at least consider it before saying no." The warg pouted, resting his head between his paws.

Shaking her head, Meara sat next to Arwen, "Believe me, Fáno, you are not quite ready yet."

"And when will I be?"

Meara remained silent, watching the pup critically. Finally, she muttered, "Soon."

The white warg huffed and stood, stretching lightly before trotting off. Meara called after him. "Where are you going? Our training isn't over yet!"

"To hang out with the one person who doesn't treat me like a baby."

Meara pinched her nose as she threw herself down to lay in the grass. "Good grief."

Arwen chuckled. "If Fáno were an elfling, one would think the three of you a family unit."

Rolling her eyes, Meara huffed to herself, feeling warmth fill her cheeks at the thought. "As if. Glorfindel hides it well, but he's still wary of Fáno."

"That can't be true." Arwen frowned down at the wolf maiden beside her. "Glorfindel spends just as much time with Fáno as you do...He's quite impressed with the young warg."

Meara shut her eyes, thinking about it. It's true that Glorfindel spent a considerable amount of time with Fáno, but that didn't necessarily mean it was in good faith. On more than one occasion she had shadowed and escorted new packmates under the suspicion that they were disloyal until proven otherwise. Then again...Meara replaced the warg in her memories with a child.

Meara popped her eyes open, a sound of disgust coming from her lips.

Arwen laughed. "You know I'm right."

"He'd be a good father." Meara sighed, scratching her leg with discomfort on the turn of the topic.

"You know, you sum up most of his female company." Arwen arched a questioning brow at Meara, "Aside from myself, you are the only one he speaks to on a regular basis."

"That's not true," Meara admonished. "He talks to Lady Harriel and Cútesar."

"He only talks to them because he has to," Arwen rolled her eyes and poked Meara in her side. "Believe me, if Lady Harriel weren't part of the house delegation he wouldn't spend another moment with her. And Cútesar is already promised!"

"If you say so, dear one."

Arwen scowled, a rare occurrence. "I'll never understand your hesitation with Glorfindel. You both keep dancing around each other as if it were forbidden."

Meara sighed. "Well isn't it? I'm going to return home eventually. How could I tie myself to someone and then just leave them behind? It would be unfair, and a wolf ties their soul for life. Even if one were to pass, the other would never take on another mate."

"That is tragically romantic." Arwen sighed.

"It is a heartache waiting to happen and I refuse to have it." Meara sniffed, thinking quietly to herself. Not again.

"Refuse to have what?"

Both the girls looked behind them at the new voice. They both smiled and in unison spoke, "Mithrandir!"

The grey wizard gave them equally warm smiles as he stopped beside them. Uncomfortable with being looked down upon, Meara stood, giving the wizard a hearty handshake.

"I didn't know you had returned!" Arwen stood as well, brushing grass off her shirt. "Will you be visiting awhile?"

Gandalf gave her a regretful look, "Unfortunately not, my dear. I'm just passing through, though I was wondering if I could speak a few words with you, Lady Meara."

Arwen and Meara exchanged looks before Meara shrugged. "Of course, Mithrandir. What is it?"

I was hoping if you would grant me the honor of providing me with a favor?"

Meara tilted her head, curiosity striking her quick. "What kind of favor?"

With a sigh, Meara knocked once on Glorfindel's study before entering. She paused as she looked in the room, expecting to find the golden elf at his desk buried in scrolls with Fáno lounging on the floor beside his chair. His desk, however, was empty of both elf and warg. Her ears and nose were not wrong for leading her to his study though, she could hear the warg huffing as he usually did in his sleep.

Then she had to do a double take as she finally found the pair. Glorfindel lay in one of those trances that was their version of sleep upon the lone chaise he had. Half his form was hidden beneath Fáno who lay across him in a deep sleep, his face tucked into the crook of the elf's arm. She put a hand over her mouth to keep from smiling, amused at the complete lack of awareness from the two. Quietly, she walked around the chaise and bent over the two. She took a moment to look over the elf.

She would say that over the past four years they had become close enough to be called friends, but there was something that almost scared her about the golden-haired elf, and it wasn't the magical power he practically oozed from his pores. It was something deeper and for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what it was that barred her from wanting to find out what it was. She knew that he liked her company and that occasionally he was attracted to her on a physical note, but that didn't mean anything. Everyone had their passing fancies, and she wasn't a total idiot when it came to physical relationships.

Meara returned her attention to the elf. Despite all the teasing, he truly is handsome, she thought to herself. He had strong golden-brown eyebrows, fair skin, a strong jaw and an attractive lip. He was practically the opposite of her lost love. Meara pushed the thought away, lowering her face until it was just by his ear and gently blew before pulling away quickly.

The elf made a startled noise as he jerked upwards, knocking Fáno to the ground with a loud yelp. Meara stifled her laughter, slightly curious at the red tint to Glorfindel's cheeks but quelled it when he glowered at her. "Awake now, are we?"

Fáno huffed from his place on the floor. "I think you may have shortened both our lives by a few years."

He stood, shaking himself so that his fur fluffed out where it had been plastered to his body from sleep. Ears flattened, the warg pouted at her, eyes flicking back and forth between his mother figure, and dare he think it, father figure. He wouldn't claim to understand their relationship, if that was what it could be called; there were plenty of married couples around for him to observe what a true mated pair were like. Then again, Fáno's acquaintance, the Cook, had labeled the two before him as "poor souls who wouldn't be able to distinguish a romantic gesture lest it bit them in the arse."

"Was there a reason for the rude awakening?" Glorfindel grumbled at her.

"Well aside from the opportunity," Meara smiled, giving him a shrug. "Not really, no."

Glorfindel simply retaliated with a gentle tug of one of her curls that brushed the chaise. "You're lucky my sword is at my desk."

Meara stuck her tongue out at him. "As if you could have hit me."

Fáno interrupted before they went into one of those fake arguments again, "If you both are done being weird, is there something you need, mother?"

Meara grabbed a pillow and shoved it into Glorfindel's face. She felt her cheeks turn pink at Fáno's slip of the tongue, but ignored it in favor of answering him. "Yes, I need to speak with Glorfindel, why don't you run to the room and pick out a saddle bag. I'm going to be taking you on a little trip."

"Really?!" Fáno had jumped to his feet, tail wagging, but didn't wait for an answer as he raced out the room with an excited howl.

Glorfindel's voice came from behind the pillow. "Can I breathe now?"

"Oh, sorry." Meara dropped the pillow.

"Did he call you mother?"

Meara winced. "I believe so, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. I did raise him."

Glorfindel shook his head, standing from the chaise as he stretched and meandered toward his desk, "What was it you wanted to talk with me about?"

"It's about this trip I'm taking Fáno on." Meara sat in the chaise, rubbing her hand on her neck with unease. "Mithrandir asked me for a favor."

Glorfindel leaned on his desk, watching her with a curious gaze. "And you need to talk with me about it? You've never asked for permission for anything before, why now?"

Meara scowled at him. "I'm not asking for permission, I'm asking for advice."

"Oh?"

"I'm taking Fáno with me on this trip," Meara bit her lip, unsure how to share her concerns. "I think it's time for him to explore more than Imladris, but I'm concerned."

"That's only natural," Glorfindel shrugged, "You're his caretaker and want to put his well being first."

"Yes," Meara shut her eyes, inhaling, "But how do I do that without suffocating him? Personally, I'd rather he never left Imladris, but I know that's not...It's not what he wants."

"I think you are heading in the right direction."

Meara looked over at him, tilting her head with a silent question.

"You want him to gain his independence, but he is inexperienced." Glorfindel walked over and sat beside her. "Taking him on this journey with you will give him that, and you will still be there to guide him and guard him when he needs it. But why ask me for advice?"

"You spend an equal amount of time with him, do you think he's ready?"

Glorfindel chuckled, "Meara, Fáno has been ready for a year now. You could rival Lord Elrond with how much you worry."

Meara put a hand on her heart, "You wound me."

Glorfindel shook his head and tugged on a curl. "When do you leave?"

"A fortnight, we'll be meeting Mithrandir and his company west of Bree. We may be journeying back this way but I'm not certain if they will request rest here."

Glorfindel frowned watching her with curious eyes, "Where is your destination?"

Meara frowned, becoming tight lipped as she stood with indecision.

"Meara?"

"It's...Erebor."

Glorfindel stood erect, an alarmed look on his face.

Meara had read countless scrolls that entailed years of history. She knew of Erebor, the fallen dwarven kingdom and the dragon that brought them to their knees. While she couldn't claim an absolute understanding, she knew the hesitance the elves regarded the mountain with. Dragons always required some precaution, but Mithrandir's words were convincing. The dragon had been hoarding the mountain long enough. And dragon scales made excellent armor.

"Please tell me you are joking."

Meara gave the elf a dry look. "I would not joke about this."

"Meara, please do not…" He cut himself off, shaking his head. "You know the tale of Erebor. And you would still go?"

"I may not look like it, but I have certainly faced more dangerous things than a dragon." Meara put her hands on her hips giving the elf a stern look. "I can handle myself, as you well know."

"That's not what I am concerned about." Glorfindel rubbed his forehead. "There is more to that mountain than a mere dragon. I doubt this will be a simple trip as you are expecting."

"I already agreed." Meara sighed.

Glorfindel stepped forward. With a small sigh, he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Please be careful, then."

Meara blinked, a stiffness settling in her shoulders as he moved around her to leave his study. Completely normal, she scowled to herself. Friends kiss each other on the forehead all the time, he cared deeply for her as a friend and they practically had shared custody for a warg pup. That's it and that's all it will ever be.

Cracking her neck, Meara finally turned to leave.

As much as she convinced herself, she still avoided the golden elf as her and Fáno prepared to depart. Her sense of smell and hearing had come in handy for her to duck behind a pillar or down a side hall here and there. A part of her felt ashamed. She was an enforcer and would have been an alpha if she had a pack, and yet here she was...avoiding an elf as if she were a frightened bunny. She was glad none of her packmates were around to see her like this, especially her dad.

Oh the horror, if her father were to ever see her like this. She might actually have died from embarrassment. Nonetheless, Meara remained apart from the elf even on the morning of their departure.

"Aren't you going to say farewell to Glorfindel?" Fáno had asked with the tilt of his head. "From what you've told me, we may not come back for a long while."

"It's fine." Meara waved his concern away, shrugging her pack higher on her back before marching off. The warg had no choice but to follow. Meara set a brisk pace down the road that would have had a normal person in stitches by midday, but with her wolf stamina, and natural doggedness, the two trekked many miles in their first day, camping out in the forests near the road but well out of sight. They travelled for days, nearing two weeks when Meara picked up Mithrandir's familiar scent.

"We're close to our destination." Mear told Fáno in Westron, smiling at the put out look on his face.

"Oh joy." The warg huffed, his speech carrying the accent of the elves. "Why are we speaking the common tongue? And this isn't really an adventure! Where's the danger? The excitement? I want a tale to tell Cook when we get back!"

Meara tugged his ear playfully, though a worried frown tugged at her brow. "Careful, young Fáno. Danger should never be sought out, it never ends well for those who do. You'll have the adventure you seek soon. Be patient, Meldanya."

The warg pouted, puffing his cheeks as he trotted beside her. "That doesn't explain why we are speaking westron instead of Sindarin."

Meara shook her head. "There are a couple of reasons, but the main one is that you need the practice. Besides, I believe our travel companions are not well versed in sindarin."

"Travel companions?"

Meara walked faster, "Keep up, Fáno. We'll be there by nightfall."

They got plenty of strange looks from the residents of Buckland as they travelled the main road. At a glance, Meara would have thought the town to be inhabited by children, but on closer inspection, she found that the average adult reached about the bottom of her bust. Some gave her a suspicious look while others smiled and waved before turning to their homes as the sun dipped ever closer to the horizon.

They passed the last homes of Buckland following the signs that pointed to Hobbiton. Meara wasn't overly concerned about getting lost, after all Mithrandir had a very distinct scent, but she did give pause as they encountered the first homes of Hobbiton. She spied at one of the homes, an individual taller than most of the people of the Shire. Listening in on their conversation, Meara arched a brow.

"Are you sure that is the way to Bag End? The last hobbit I asked sent me in a circle." The male's voice was gruff and sounded agitated, but Meara had the suspicion that this was one of the individuals that her and Fáno would be travelling with.

"Did you say Bag End?" Meara gave a curious smile as she approached eyeing the individual with curiosity. Despite his short stature, he had a regal air about him that Meara wasn't all too sure she liked. Yet. His hair was long and wavy with silver streaked through the dark tresses. He had a thick fur coat on, metallic armor glinting through the bulky coat.

"What of it?" He narrowed his eyes at her with uncalled for suspicion. "Go along, lass."

Meara stifled a growl. "Suit yourself then. See you there then, good sir. Come, Fáno."

She nodded politely with a smile to the hobbit who was looking a little annoyed at the short man, whom she was suspecting was a dwarf-the dwarves she had been familiar with were far shorter than Arda's.

"Hold on!"

Meara didn't pause. "Keep up then, we'll be there past sundown."

"How do you know of Bag End?"

Meara glanced at the dwarf over her shoulder, "I was invited by Mithrandir."

At his blank look, she chuckled and clarified. "He is known mostly as Gandalf the Grey."

That sparked some recognition. He frowned at her, looking from her to Fáno with confusion. "And why would he invite you to this meeting?"

"He asked for a favor." Meara shrugged, "It seems we shall both find out when we arrive, Mister…?"

"Thorin Oakensheild."

The name was familiar, but Meara simply nodded in greeting and introduced herself. "I am Meara Draugwen, and this is Fáno. He is my ward."

At that, Fáno ducked his head and spoke. "At your service."

Thorin stopped in his tracks.

'You're slowing us down, Sir Thorin." Meara arched a brow.

"That is a warg." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Clever observation, my lord," Meara rolled her eyes. "Fáno is indeed a warg. I raised him, is there an issue or do you wish to camp for the night?"

"Keep it handled." He spoke sternly.

Fáno huffed, an appalled look on his face. "I have a name, just as you do, Sir Thorin. Or do you prefer Master Thorin?"

"Fáno, that's enough." Meara gave him a warning look. "I taught you better manners than that."

"At least, I have manners." The warg huffed and trotted ahead, ignoring the stunned look on Thorin's face.

Meara sighed and glanced at Thorin, "Teenagers, always proving a point. He is right though. He has better manners."

Thorin scowled walking forward, though Meara easily matched pace. Thorin practically radiated angst, almost as if he too were a teenager, though if Thorin was the very same Thorin she thought him to be, he certainly had enough emotional trauma to warrant it.

"Have you been to Bag End before?" He broke the silence. Meara was a littl surprised. He seemed the time to excel in silence.

"Not at all."

"Then how do you know where you are going?" He seemed a little put out.

"Gandalf left a trail only very few can pick up."

"Are you some sort of tracker?"

Meara ignored the chuffing that was the familiar laughter of Fáno. "You could say that. Tracker, hunter, guide, advisor. Take your pick, I could be labeled under either."

"And how does a woman become a tracker?" He seemed confused, though Meara couldn't tell if he was trying to figure out her motives for accepting Mithrandir's favor or truly just curious.

"It's a family thing."

"Your family let you become a hunter? Surely they would have preferred you marry and carry on the line?" He seemed genuinely confused which Meara found rather amusing. Then again, she had lived through several centuries where that was expected of her from her surrounding peers. Of course, being a werewolf and long lived, there wasn't really a rush from her Father or other members of the pack for her to start a family. And then there was the fact that she had married...

"I was married." Meara shrugged, "He died and I carried on. Simple as that."

He grew quiet, the smell of his regret at speaking curling around him, tinged with an unsureness. Way to make it awkward, Meara, she thought to herself.

"Anyway, what about yourself? Are you not expected to carry on your family line? Up this way." Meara motioned them toward the left. She'd been silently studying the homes of the halflings, interested in their quaint windows and doors. When she spied the home that resided on Bag End, she knew the house was a bit more special. It could easily be described as a manor compared to the other homes of Hobbiton, sitting atop a great hill with several trees and flowering bushes set atop and before it. Mithrandir's scent as well as several other scents all converged at the door, and just beyond that she could hear quite a party going on within.

"This is it." Thorin confirmed, motioning to the rune on the door.

"Well," Meara motioned to the door. "Will you knock, or shall I?"

Okay, so for this chapter specifically I feel like some of it is rushed the way I wrote it, but I don't know why it feels that way or am I overthinking? I don't know! But please review and let me know your thoughts on if there's any room for improvement! ;) I know the story kinda seems romance-y (I can't help it I'm a hopeless romantic) but it's gonna take a back seat mostly through the majority of the Hobbit portion of the story. Which reminds me, I have decided to split the fanfiction into two parts. So the portion taking place during the Hobbit will be Blood and Silver, this story and then the half based during Lord of the Rings will be continued as a sequel that's yet to be titled though I was thinking of being obnoxious and titling it Tears and Gold...It's a work in progress.