Sam

~~~

We run for hours and hours with the huge bear on our tail. We never see it but we do hear it.

All this running is pretty hard on the dwarves and hobbits but us elves we are fine. Allie and Bilbo are really slowing down, I've noticed Allie isn't much of a runner. Emily is keeping up pretty well but I can see the running begin to take a toll.

"COME ON THERE IS THE HOUSE!" Gandalf shouts as we break into a clearing, dashing towards a large barn like cottage surrounded by a wall without a gate. Suddenly an ear shattering roar resounds throughout the clearing and a huge hear bursts through the trees.

"Holy mother of Aule!" I shout.

"That is a big bear thing!" Allie screams.

"RUN RUN," Gandalf encourages as we breach the wall surrounding the house. The dwarves heavily ram into the wooden door with a latch to high for any of then to reach so I shove them aside and undo the latch letting us crowd in. We slam and latch the door shut in a second and Gandalf instantly starts counting everyone. "Thorin, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Ori, Nori, Bifur, Bombur, Bofur, Alex, Grace, Bilbo, Sam, Allie, and where's Emily?" I stop in my tracks where's Emily?

"What do you mean where's Emily!" I snap.

"She's not here that is what he means Sam!" Alex retorts obviously frustrated and on the edge of panic, come to think of it I am too.

"Then where is she?" I demand my voice getting high.

"Out there," Grace utters, unlatches the door, pulls of her armor and runs out shedding her clothes as she goes.

"What the hell!" Allie screams and moves to go after Grace only to be stopped by Thorins arm. "I will snap your arm if you don't move it right this second." The glare Allie gives Thorin is priceless and it gets the job done. Allie dashes out the door after Grace. I stare open-mouthed and frozen with uncertainty.

"Screw it all," I grumble and run out too. What I see is unexplainable.

The huge bear is looking over Emily but an equally as large wolf stands behind her. The bear and the wolf are locked in a face down neither one stepping forward or retreating. The wolf is a midnight black color and looks pissed. Allie stands behind the wolf looking absolutely dumbfounded.

The wolf snarls viciously and launches forward tackling the bear. The two growl bite and scratch at each other seemingly equal till the wolf bites the bears shoulder. The bear lashes out and swipes a clawed paw across the wolf's side.

Allie screams in agony just as the wolf howls and collapses. The wolf growls and releases the bear allowing the bear to tackle the wolf and bite it's back left leg hard. The wolf howls in pain and kicks the bear off before biting the bears shoulder again. The wolf bites down harder and the bear snarls and squirms before going limp and submitting. The wolf releases the bear and allows it to lumber back into the forest before turning to face Emily.

"Emily get away from that wolf," I order, cautiously stepping forward towards her.

"That wolf is Grace," Allie whispers and tilts her head to look at me. She's kneeling on the ground clutching her side looking half dead. Emily has a matching expression and turns towards me.

"She's not lying," Emily confirms and looks up at the wolf.

"I-I believe you just move slowly and keep your voices low. No sudden movements her judgement might be impaired in this state," I explain and take another step forward.

"It's Grace she'd never hurt us," Allie insists but she sounds as if she's trying to convince herself. She's scared we all are. The pain seems to have worn off Allie at the moment. The plus about platonic is that your only in their pain as soon as it's received not long after.

Grace's thoughts are bouncing in the air they are loud and animalistic so nearly impossible to read. But I catch a few.

"Protect! Protect!"

"She won't, her thoughts are screaming protect she wants to protect us," I assure and take a deep breath.

"Okay okay but that doesn't make this any less freaky," Emily sighs and turns to face Grace. "I'm safe now Grace." Grace huffs and sniffs Emily's head before shrinking. The wolf, Grace, keeps shrinking till it takes an elven shape and collapses to the ground. Her leg and arm are bleeding badly.

"Grace? Grace?" Allie kneels beside her and shakes her. "She's knocked out, bleeding, and naked. Get her clothes and bandages!" I nod and gather the clothes that where strewn across the clearing. Once gathered Emily helps Allie pull them onto Grace.

"Have the others seen what just happened?" Emily asks.

"Yes we have," Kili replies and we all turn to see the company behind us looking baffled, betrayed, and bemused. Oin holds out a roll of bandages and Allie snatches it quickly applying them to Grace. The blood seeps through the bandages so Allie keeps putting more on.

"The bleeding won't stop," Allie mumbles absentmindidly trying to press her tiny hands to Graces immense wounds.

"She's gonna need stitches," Oin observes.

"I just have one thing to say...WHEN WILL YOU GIRLS NOT SUPRISE US?" Thorin yells.

"When we're dead so fucking deal with it," Alex snorts not at all surprised. She must have known this entire time. She steps forward and kneels down to help Allie.

"We should have known this matches the legend of The Wolf Shifter," Bofur murmurs.

"Grace is a wolf...this is insane," Fili mutters running a hand through his blonde mane.

"Yes and she protected me so now all is well," Emily reassures before pulling Fili into a hug to comfort him.

"Someone help me carry Grace inside," Allie begs after trying and failing to pick her soul sister up. Allie is still sore from the scratches Grace just received.

"I will," I volunteer and scoop Grace up.

"Thanks Sam," Allie says and we all make our way inside to rest and recuperate. Its been a long day and everyone would rather talk about this tomorrow.

~~~

Grace

~~~

I wake with a start gasping for breath. I hold back a scream when I feel the extent of my injuries. My right arm stings like a bitch but it's nothing fatal. My back and side however is deeply cut so doing anything is going to be an issue. The gash starts at my stomach and goes up my side, snaking up my back until it stops at my shoulder. I can feel stitches in my skin so Oin must have stitched me up.

Allie is sitting next to me staring with her naive, curious eyes. No one else is awake but her, everyone's sound asleep curled up in hay around Beorn's house. It looks the same since I last saw it still just as big, barn like, animal filled, and cozy.

"First off are you gonna be okay?" Allie asks and I nod. "Great secondly why didn't you tell me you are a-a-a wolf thing?"

"A skin changer. That's what I'm called," I correct while repositioning my arm and gritting my teeth and clenching my fists when pain spirals up my side and back.

"A skin changer so why didn't you tell me?" Allie hisses.

"Well I didn't feel the need to," I respond honestly.

"Great glad to know we have a mutual agreement to keep major parts of our lives from each other," Allie grumbles and leans back into the hay.

"Well on the bright side little red riding hood you've got a big bad wolf on your side," I tease and tug on her red hood. She's still angry but she'll tolerate it.

"Yeah this is not at all like the tale I overheard my mom tell my siblings," Allie muses crossing her arms. "Please explain slightly further."

"Well my mother had an affair behind my father's back with a skin changer. Then my father killed the skin changer and let my mother keep me. That bear out there his name is Beorn and he's my uncle," I explain worry edging at my voice. I gave him a good beating I hope he's okay.

"Theres more to the story I can tell but I won't push any further. I'm sure the dwarves want to hear the legend you know about then and stories," Allie chuckles and wringing her hands. She's not totally okay with this I can tell.

"Look Allie I know you are probably freaked out-"

"Freaked out! I am more than freaked out! Freaked out is an understatement! You just turned into a huge wolf fought a huge bear then turned back! You're an idiot for thing I'd only be freaked out!" Allie whisper yells cutting me off and hits me over the head.

"Alright I deserved that."

"Yes you did and I deserve more information. You're lucky I don't force what I deserve from your mouth. I would and I could," Allie grumbles and I just smile and pat her head. "Don't pat my head it's condescending."

"Of course little one."

"Don't little one me you big bad wolf."

"Fine little red riding hood," I relent. She is happy with the things she knows and I'm glad she's not pressing for more. There is way more to the story and I'm not ready to even think about the rest.

~~~

"Let her sleep she's lost a lot of blood she needs rest" I hear Allie scold loudly.

"She has explaining to do halfling," Thorin argues and I hear a smacking noise telling me that Allie slapped Thorin.

"That's Lady Allie or miss too you dwarf," I grumble opening my eyes and shielding the bright sunlight from my face with my good arm. "You'd best show her respect." Thorins face has a tiny red hand print on it.

"You explain yourself," Thorin barks stubbornly.

"I'm a skin changer explanation over," I state.

"There's more though. A legend, the legend of the Wolf Girl!" Kili exclaims. "Tell it to us?"

"Please miss Grace," Ori asks with his big doe eyes.

"Only because you asked nicely. There once was a happily married elven couple living in the green forest. The wife was not so happily married so she had an affair with a skin changer behind her husband's back. A child came of the affair. The husband found out and killed the skin changer but allowed the wife to keep the child. The child grew up a beautiful lady and gained the ability to change into a large wolf at will. Unfortunately when the child was a wolf she lost control and killed her family. Now she roams Middle Earth alone."

"Well that's not entirely true is it? You had some control," Emily says. "And you're not alone."

"Yes the legends has maybe a sentence of truth to it. I have partial control but not complete so I must be careful," I lie. The legend actually only has a sentence of lies in it.

"Oh that makes sense," Allie muses and nods. We stand in awkward silence until Allie clears her throat and redirects. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," I reply and Allie quickly shoves a few loafs of bread and oats into my lap.

"Eat you need to regenerate your lost blood," Oin demands.

"Okay okay I'm eating. Has the owner if this house returned?"

"No he has not," Gandalf answers and I frown.

"I hope he returns soon. I gave him a good beating out there I wonder if he's okay."

"Wait the owner if this house was that bear!" Fili yells.

"Yeah his name is Beorn he's Graces uncle," Allie chimes in.

"WHAT?!" the dwarves all gasp.

"I'm done. I'm just done," Thorin mumbles and walks out of the room.

"He's such a drama queen," Allie says rolling her eyes at Thorins actions. I chuckle Allie and Thorin are just so funny to watch.

~~~

Emily

~~~

"I'm seriously concerned there's more you're hiding now," Fili remark after the story telling with Grace.

We all parted ways to explore the large house and garden. Fili and I decided to walk through the garden together.

"No actually there's nothing more to say about me. Allie, Grace, Sam, and Alex though...." I trail off.

"Oh Mahal I'm not even surprised anymore," Fili utters tugging nervously in his braids and I laugh.

"Calm down it shouldn't be anything to concerning," I assure. "Though I am worried about Sam. She said something when she was drunk the other night."

"What'd she say?"

"She said and I quote 'I can't go home my mother burned it to ash.' Grace told me she also said 'why did my mother try to kill me?'"

"That does sound concerning. I'd just talk to her," Fili suggests.

"Yeah I will later though. Now I'm with you and it's just us and nature."

"Yeah just us and nature," Fili agrees and grabs my hand holding it within his. Butterflies flutter in my stomach and I start grin like an idiot.

"Yeah hehe," I giggle and turn to face him. "C'mere." I pull him in for a kiss.

"You're so amazing and gorgeous," Fili compliments after we pull away.

"You aren't to shabby yourself, " I retort. "You're a handsome prince. You're my handsome prince."