Azanulbizar = battle of the mines of Moria
tyrn niren = field of grief
Then
"Stop squirming." Kili sits with his back to his brother, a few strands of his hair having fallen from Fili's hands.
"I can't help it Fee, you're pulling too hard," the younger dwarfling complains. Emery winces in sympathy. She has a sensitive scalp like his and always used to dread the pigtails her mom would put in her hair.
"I wouldn't have to if you wouldn't keep pulling away. You know this wouldn't take half the time if you'd sit still," says Fili. Dis steps into the room, wearing her best dress and her hair swept into elegant braids befitting a princess.
"Have you two not finished yet?" she says, her voice somewhat strained, with good reason. The Durin's Day feast starts in only an hour. Fili shakes his head.
"Kili won't sit still, Ama," he says. Flika appears from behind her mother, rolling her eyes.
"That's because you pull his hair too hard."
"See?!" exclaims Kili, looking at his brother. Fili looks like he's about to argue, but their sister cuts in.
"Here, Fili, move over and let Kili do your braids, I'll do his," she instructs. The brothers accept this solution and do as she says, shuffling on the stone floor of their room. Flika, already dressed and ready to go, sits behind her youngest brother and gently runs the comb through his hair to rid it of tangles. Dis moves to the brothers' trunks and pulls out their best clothes. She also yelps and drops them, along with a dead frog. The boys burst out laughing, struggling to stay in place and not mess up their hair. Flika closes her eyes, squeezing her lips together to contain her own laughter. Emery's tale wags and she rumbles in amusement. After taking a moment to catch her breath, Dis bends down to pick up the frog and then glares at the four of them, pointing it at them each in turn.
"Go ahead and get all of your pranking done now. If any mischief occurs during the feast, I'll have your hides." When the boys don't stop laughing, she adds, "Might even turn the two of you into a nice cozy pair of boots, with frogs for buckles." Flika can no longer hold it in and joins her brothers in their laughter.
Now
The river before them rages with a speed that worries Emery. Even Gandalf's horse would have trouble keeping its feet in this crossing. After a bit of time spent thinking of a solution, Thorin draws his bow and fires an arrow with a rope strung from it to a tree on the opposite bank. He pulls on it sharply, but it doesn't budge. It was a good, strong shot, and the arrow is firmly embedded in the tree. He takes the other end of the rope and ties it taught to a tree on their side of the river. Gandalf offers to go first, since his horse would have the best chance of making it to the other side if the rope fails. When he arrives on the other bank, Thorin orders them all to cross one at a time, himself going last to cover their backs. Aside from a short scare during Dori's turn, it seems to be going well. Then it's Kili's turn. Not for the first time, Emery wishes she could turn into other animals without worrying about the consequences of being discovered. In this case, a great eagle or even a dragon, so she could simply carry them all across. As it is, she can only hold her breath as Kili slowly but surely makes his way to the opposite shore. When his pony safely walks on dry ground, Fili moves forward. Once again, she holds her breath. But this time, it catches in her throat in panic as his pony slips and the current drags them both under. No...
She barely hears the shouts as she lunges forward and dives into the water. Knowing the Company won't be able to see anything below the surface, Emery turns into a fish. She doesn't care what kind, just that it's strong enough to navigate the currents. Newly equipped with fins and a tail, she searches the chaotic river for the blonde dwarf. In no time at all, she sees him, and races towards him. When she finally reaches him, she shifts back into a wolf and clamps her jaws onto the scruff of his coat. Digging her claws into the pebbly bottom, she straightens her legs, pulling both their heads above the surface. Fili takes a huge gulp of air and grips her fur. The current is still raging though, and it pulls her feet from under her, sending them both once again under the surface. She digs her claws in again and brings them back up, this time pulling Fili onto her back. With his hands grasping her fur in a death grip and his legs tightly clinging to her back, she lets go of his coat and instead searches for a branch or something to grab ahold of. As if Aulë himself heard her thoughts (which is not outside the realm of possibility), a tree root catches her eye. Carefully and painstakingly making her way over, she bites down on it and anchors them. Just in time, too, as the current again sweeps her feet from under her. Their heads go under once more, but this time they only move as much as the root will let them. When they come up, a rope falls over them. Emery looks over to find the other end of it in the hands of several dwarves, including Kili and Dwalin. Fili pulls the rope around them both and ties it tightly in place. Emery digs her claws back into the riverbed and lets go of the root, walking them over to the shore with the assistance of the rope as Fili coughs up half the river onto her fur, not that she minds.
When his brother and his wolf collapse safely on shore, Kili drops the rope and rushes towards them, pulling them both into a bone-breaking hug. Only a minute later, heavy footsteps pound quickly over to them and Thorin's arms join Kili's. Emery's role in the family might be confusing and unorthodox, but they all decided long ago that family is what she is.
That night, the Company makes camp on a cliffside. Emery, having her thick fur to keep her warm, is fine. Fili, however, is bundled up and snuggled beside her and his brother, sniffling and sneezing. The river may not have been freezing but it wasn't warm either, and a decent amount of it ended up in his lungs. She's snoring softly when a shriek pierces the night. She raises her head suddenly, her ears perked and eyes alert. Fili strokes her fur calmingly.
"What was that?" asks Bilbo nervously, hurrying over to them from where he was sneaking his pony an apple.
"Orcs," Kili answers softly.
"Orcs?!" Bilbo's frightened question is less soft and Thorin jerks awake at the word. The boys don't notice their uncle is no longer asleep, and they don serious expressions. The kind of expressions they wear when they're being mischievous.
"Throat-cutters," says Fili. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The low-lands are crawling with them."
"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep," Kili chimes in. "Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood." Bilbo looks back out over the cliff side, sufficiently terrified, and the boys chuckle to each other. Emery stands, causing the boys to fall backwards with indignant cries.
"You think that's funny?" Thorin silences them as she walks away from the boys and toward the edge to look out towards the forest. Bifur pats her shoulder as she walks by. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" They at least have the good sense to be ashamed.
"We didn't mean anything by it," says Kili quietly.
"No, you didn't." Thorin is unusually gruff. "You know nothing of the world." Part of Emery thinks that's a bit unfair, considering what they've been through. But comparatively, he's right. Few have seen as much of the world as their uncle has.
"Don't mind him, laddie," Balin says, walking up to stand beside the boys. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." She recognizes the line that kicks off the story of the Azanulbizar. It's an odd feeling. She has insider knowledge that pertains to the past rather than the future, which Fili and Kili do not. She can't recall anyone ever mentioning it to them except as the place their mother and uncle lost their brother, father, and grandfather. The place of a great battle that took the lives of most who fought in it, a pyrrhic victory. "Tyrn niren," Bifur called it once.
As Balin launches into his tale, something on the opposite cliff catches Emery's eye from her peripheral. She stares at that spot for a good long while, waiting for something to appear. She faintly hears Thorin telling Bilbo of Azog's demise, when movement once again grabs her attention. There you are. The orcs are well hidden, but see them she does. Enjoy these coming nights, for they will be your last.