The Navigator

The Marathon

"Kili, can I talk to you?" Thorin had sent Bilbo ahead to scout. The Company was waiting for the Hobbit to return, so Vistial planned on using it.

"Sure." The dwarf walks over. Vistial takes him a short distance away from the others. Bofur catches her eye and nods.

"What's wrong?" Kili asks. He seems to sense something. Vistial takes a breath before replying.

"I just want to know why you did a courting braid in my hair." Kili's eyes widen and shift to Vistial's hair. She had kept it in, so Kili hoped that was a good sign.

"Because you're my Amralime." Kili admits.

"What does that mean, Kili? What does Amralime mean?" Vistial demands. Before Kili could respond, Bilbo appears again, ending their conversation.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin immediately asks the Hobbit.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it." Bilbo replies, breathing heavily.

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin asks.

"Not yet. We have another problem." Bilbo explains.

"Did they see you? They saw you." Gandalf cuts in.

"No, that's not it." Bilbo says, clearly frustrated.

"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material." Gandalf smiles. The dwarves cheer and nod, but Vistial could tell Bilbo was over it.

"Will you listen? Will you just...listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there." Bilbo almost shouts. This gets the Company quiet. Vistial looks at Gandalf with a knowing look.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf asks.

"Ye...Yes, but bigger. Much bigger." Bilbo explains.

"You knew about this beast?" Thorin looks at Gandalf, who remains quiet.

"I say we double back." Bofur states.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs?" Dwalin points out.

"There is a house...it's not far from here, where we might take refuge." Vistial butts in, cutting off the dwarves' conversation.

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin questions, looking at the girl.

"Neither. He will help us or he will kill us." Vistial replies solemnly.

"What choice do we have?" A Warg howl pierces the air. Vistial looks Thorin straight in the eye.

"None."

~~~

"Come on! This way! Quickly!" Vistial leads the Company through the forest with the Orc pack on their heels. The Company bursts into an open meadow. Vistial spots a house settled on the plain.

"To the house! Run!" Vistial takes off, the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf right behind her. Bombur bolts past her, taking the lead. The dwarf is the first to reach the door and tries to open it by ramming it, but bounces off.

"Come on, get inside. Open the door! Quickly!" Thorin shouts. Vistial spots a bolt and pushes through the dwarves to reach it. She heaves it upwards and the door moves, causing Vistial to fall into the house. Thorin pulls the girl out of the dwarf stampede.

"Thanks." Vistial pants. Thorin nods as the Company quickly piles into the house. Just as they begin to shut the door, a huge brown snout pushes its way into the opening.

"Push! Come on, lads!" With a final heave, the dwarves are able to shove the snout out and lock the door.

"What is that?" Dwalin asks.

"That is our host. His name is Beorn. And he's a skin-changer." At the mention of 'skin-changer', Vistial notices a few dwarves cast a glance at her, which she ignores. "Sometimes he's a huge black bear. Sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of dwarves."

"He's leaving." Ori speaks up. The young dwarf had his face pushed up against the door, peeking through a hole.

"Come away from there." Dori pulls his youngest brother away from the door. "It's not natural. None of it. It's obvious. He's under some dark spell."

"Don't be a fool. He's under no enchantment but his own. As I have been." Vistial interrupts. Dori looks down in shame. Gandalf cuts in before the conversation gets heated.

"All right, now get some sleep. All of you. You'll be safe here tonight." Vistial walks further into the house to settle down for the night. Someone clears their throat behind her and she turns to see Dori.

"I'm sorry, Vistial. I didn't mean to offend you." Dori apologizes, shifting on his feet. Vistial smiles and places a hand on the dwarf's shoulder.

"It's alright, Dori. I forgive you." Dori smiles at the young girl before walking off with a lighter heart. Vistial knew that none of the dwarves could handle offending the girl. They were protective of her, even if she could take care of herself. It made her smile thinking that any one of the Company would take on an Orc just to keep her safe. And she had a feeling that a certain one would take on the whole pack if he needed to.