I Bow To No One

Chapter one: A bitter first impression

I let out a annoyed growl as the Rain soaked into my light grey fur. 'Blast this Bloody weather.. One minute it's clear sky's and the next thing you know water is coming down like a water fall..' I thought to myself. I walked through the muddy forest that bordered the shire. Most knew that the land between the Shire and Bree was my territory. Now do not get me wrong I would willingly let people pass through as they please as long as they meant no harm. But Hobbits rarely left the safety and comforts of the Shire so mostly all I would see were men and the occasional dwarf now and again. The only time I would get hostile toward a traveler is if they acted hostile toward me, which was very rare considering most would never dare mess with the temper of a shifter. Although my temper was more controlled than most of my kind. Suddenly the sound of laughter filled the air. My ears perked and I looked in the direction of the sound. I took in a deep breath and the scent of Dwarf, Hobbit, and Man washed over me. 'Thats a odd mixture of people..' I thought to myself as I followed the scent, not bothering to shift back into my human form. At least in my wolf form I would seem a little bit more intimidating if they meant trouble. I hid myself in the undergrowth as I neared the dwarves, watching them cautiously. I scanned them over and took notice of their weapons. But one person in particular caught my attention. Bilbo Baggins. I tilted my head in confusion. What was Bilbo doing with a bunch of dwarves?? Assuming that if they were with Bilbo they ment no I stepped out into the clearing and in front of the dwarves, blocking their path. "Oy! What is a wolf doing in these lands?!" A older looking dwarf who seemed to be a warrior (Dwalin) exclaimed. "Artrain!" Bilbo exclaimed cheerily. He jumped down off his pony and walked over to me. "Bilbo what are you doing?!" A few of the dwarves exclaimed. He just smirked and pet my soft fur. The entire company, apart from Gandalf stared at the Hobbit as if their eyes were playing tricks on them. I grinned and shifted back into my human form, surprising them even more. "It's some kind of demon!" I heard some one yell, which caused me to laugh. "No master dwarf I assure you I am not." I smiled. "Do not be foolish Gloin, she is a shifter, one of the last of her kind." Gandalf chuckled, looking at the dwarf who yelled. "You knew of her and you didn't care to warn us???" A older dwarf, who seemed to be the leader of the company asked Gandalf. "Yes, Thorin I did. Anyone who has traveled on these roads knows of her, although not all think of her fondly." Gandalf explained. "That is only because they were stupid enough to pull a weapon on me." I chuckle. the dwarves took that as a warning and almost all of them took their hands off their weapons except Thorin. "I assure you dwarf, I will not hurt you. There is no need to be hostile." I said, with a hint of a growl in my voice. "I cannot be sure of that." Thorin replied coldly. I rolled my eyes. "So where are you all going if I may ask?" I asked, looking at Gandalf. "We are on a quest, which I will explain later. But for now we need a place to camp. You know these woods better than any of us do you think you could show us to some place safe?" Gandalf asked. "Of course. Follow me." I said, shifting into my wolf form and running off, but keeping at a slower pace so the company could keep up. I noticed Thorin was still tightly gripping his sword and sighed 'Well so much for a good first impression..' I thought.

AN: So I thought I would give this a shot. Tell me what you think and if I should keep going. :)