"You've been acting...strange."

Fili had fallen into an uneasy sleep eventually, arms crossed over his chest, practically able to feel the quick and anxious beating of his heart through his thick layers, waking every so often by any mere hint of a noise that could be her returning to them. In truth, he wouldn't of even called the fitful state of unconscious that he'd been forced into through his own exhaustion a rest, it was more like a few spaced out moments where he'd close his eyes, only to have them snap open when he heard a creak, a snore, even just a slightly louder than usual breath, each time awaiting the glowing red eyes that haunted him.

But of course, they never came, and that fear that had coiled in his gut only grew tighter when the rays of the sun began to shine through the window, bathing him gold...and Nymeria still wasn't there. He was sure she should of been back by now, a simple bear couldn't of held her off for that long, he'd seen the woman fight off a mountain, and he was supposed to think that a skin-changer sould best her?

He held onto that thought desperately as the others soon got up as the morning began to stretch on, talking to each other and trying to hide their own anxiety when they noticed that their fellow member of the company still wasn't with them but obviously trying to save face in front of the rather frantic hobbit who looked as though he was going to pass out any moment, pacing back and forth across the floor with his hands fiddling with his suspenders, muttering all sorts under his breath as if hoping his friend would feel his terror and come rushing back for him like she always did.

Secretly, Fili hoped she would too, especially when he found himself glancing over towards the large doors that had once been infused with her chaos to keep them in and that beast out...only to find an ordinary pair of doors staring back at him, like her magic hadn't of even been there in the first place, and the more he worried, the more he became a slave to his own fear, did he realise he could no longer feel her red touch that had punched him in the chest to take his breath away. It was like everything that had been hers was gone completely, and then he was gripping his sword like a lifeline as he wondered just when he could sneak out to try and find her.

"I'll cover for you." Kili suddenly whispered, making sure the others couldn't hear him as he clapped his older brother upon the shoulder, obviously coming to the same conclusion that Nymeria was hurt or worse as his dark eyes of liquid coal flickered over the doors, seeing the missing crimson and worrying about the girl himself. "If you go off to find her, Bilbo and I will cover for you."

But before he could even answer or say anything more on the matter, the two brothers were pushed into the kitchen where all of the others stood, looking very confused indeed as the wizard hushed them all, constantly looking out to one of the windows where the sound of chopping filled their ears, only half listening to the wizard as he began to sprout off some rules on not to startle the skin-changer lest they wanted to end up like the last person to do so...which apparently hadn't ended well indeed considering he was ripped apart.

However, considering Gandalf had failed to mention the skin-changers dislike of dwarves until the very last moment, Fili could safely assume that this wasn't going well, especially with the rest of the company who were still rather anxious indeed about the still missing Nymeria, who's situation was looking more and more dire with every minute that passed. But still, they listened to the wizards orders, coming out into the garden in pairs except Bombur who counted as two, one after the other at their signal with the rather large and intimidating Beorn looking more and more enraged by the second as he snarled and huffed and puffed.

"Is that is? Is there anymore?" He snarled when Bofur, Birfur and Bombur came stumbling out, Gandalf sighing in exasperation at the introductions that had gone very sour indeed...but at the skin-changers words, the last of the company came out, Thorin looking as majestic and as calm as ever, even when facing a creature that looked larger than any other being his old eyes had ever come across as it stood there, large barell like chest moving up and down with his grunting breaths and his amber eyes nothing short of enraged as he looked them all over with a dangerous growl.

"You're lucky she already vouched for you, Gandalf the Grey...or else I wouldn't be so accommodating." Beorn finally said, his voice low and nothing short of dangerous as he lifted his axe once more and brought it down with crushing force onto the log, splitting it in two with a terrifying ease that had everyone shifting around uncomfortably, no doubt imagining what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that swing and definitely not enjoying the metal images of guts and blood that soon followed afterwards.

"And who would that be?"

"Me, obviously. Or have you already forgotten about me in the short time I've been away?" Nymeria asked with a sly grin as she came round the corner of the home, carrying a few large logs in her arms with some rather vicious bruises and scratches covering her face and neck, sending them all a soft smile as many exclaimed her name in relief at finding her alive and relatively unharmed...but none of them daring to rush towards her to embrace her, not when she walked straight past them right next to the skin-changer to plop the logs at his feet carelessly as he grunted his thanks towards her, still looking at the others with his gaze narrowed.

"What on earth happened to you?" Bilbo said, still half hiding behind Gandalf as he blinked up at the faè who was looking strangely at peace in the garden, the wind flowing through her messy hair, a smudge of dirt still over her cheek and a tiny grin still twisting her features as if she hadn't given him and the rest of the company a bloody heart attack with the fact she'd been missing the whole night and the last time any of them had seen her it had been with her hands wrapped around the beasts jaws threatening to tear them apart by the seams...so it was safe to assume that they'd all been a little anxious about her disappearing act and yet here she was...gardening.

Nymeria paused, exchanging a look with Beorn for half a second as her mind flashed back to punching the bears nose and face and eyes until her hands had been bloody, and then to him having her leg in his mouth throwing her all around the forest, and then to sending him soaring high up in the air with the red glow of her chaos only to force him back down in the next second as he'd roared in furious pain and then to her biting at his hide like a feral animal and getting a mouthful of fur for her efforts as he tried to buck her off only to find out just how good her grip actually was.

And then she decided to leave all of that out and give them the barest information she could not to embarrass herself or worry them as she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Well, we fought, some wounds were exchanged...then he made me breakfast and I decided we were even."

"Breakfast?" Bombur perked up, eyes wide and sparkling just at the mere mention of such a thing, his stomach giving a sudden grumble as if reminding him that for the past few days all they'd reall had was rabbit stew that truly did get sickening after a while, much to his large bellies frustration. He honestly felt like he was wasting away, ignoring the other dwarves as they all spun around to glare at him, Bofur even going as far as to slap his arm to silence him...but the faè only chuckled, grinning up at Beorn with a quirked brow as he grunted quietly and finally placed the axe back down onto the ground.

"Come. She said you'd be hungry."
_________________________________________________

The rest of the day was definitely normal in comparison to the mess that had been their rather...tense breakfast that had seemed to stretch on for eons, with the dwarves strangely subdued and quiet with their lingering glances and awkward coughs in the larger than life presence of the beast of a man who could rip them apart from head to toe and simply not break a sweat...and that's not to mention the fact that he could turn into a colossal bear that would give even the strongest of stomachs nightmares about those crushing jaws and thick claws that could make your insides your outsides.

Even with his hospitality, his offer of help to get them to where they need to go because he detested the orcs far more than he hated the dwarves...and him allowing them all to stay in his home to regain their strength and supplies...everyone was still weary of the creature that was rare and quite frankly, terrifying to look at.

But really, apart from that, Nymeria thought that he truly was lovely company, she was actually finding herself enjoying her stay as he told her stories of his people and she did the same, well, she mainly told him about her chaos and her wings and the creatures of the Moors which he'd been rather interested about indeed. Which wasn't that much of a shock when the faè managed to catch a glimpse of how many creatures, great and small that he seemed to offer shelter to in his large home that just felt warm and safe to the point where she almost didn't want to leave.

However, eventually Beorn had left her to patrol his forest for orcs and other vile creatures, the sound of his terrible roar shaking the trees and forcing birds up into the blue skies in the fear. And so, unable to truly help herself, the faè found herself wandering towards his stables where his many breeds of horses resided, her hands laced with chaos and magic quick to touch and soothe with a gentle smile upon her face, thinking it was only fair that the big fellas had some love when she'd spent most of the morning with the foxes and rabbits and birds.

And the only time she'd actually been bothered by the rest of the company was when Ori had wandered into the stables, face bright red and his eyes downcast, even when she smiled at him and greeted him almost kindly, he still didn't look her was as he shoved a rolled up piece of parchment into her awaiting palms and then stumbled away faster than she could even attempt to chase after him as she quirked a brow in confusion. But, when her gaze had wandered down to his...gift, she felt the breath leave her lungs in some kind of gasped awe at what stared back at her.

It was her, a drawing of her covered in her own chaos, strong and tall and lethal, drawn like she was some kind of forgotten godesses of pure power, dressed in armour and standing over the weak and helpless while battling some great dark foe.

It was incredible, beautiful, all of those things and more and she knew that it was his thanks for saving his life even though she didn't need it, but she adored it all the same as she tucked it safely in her pant pocket, a grin on her face that she wasn't able to wipe off even when she joined the rest of the company for dinner, her hand lingering upon Ori's shoulder as she walked past him that had him giggling bashfully as the rest of the dwarves chuckled and teased him...it was a good day, she thought to herself absentmindnessly, sipping some soup with her hobbit by her side, a very good day indeed.

Except...of course, for the fact that Fili seemed to be avoiding her. Everywhere she went, he was nowhere to be seen, he'd walk into a room only to walk back out if he happened to glance at her, he didn't try to make conversation like he usually did, barely even looked at her in truth...and it was starting to worry her, though she tried very hard to hide such signs of humanity by paying him back in kind...but when the sun had finally dipped back down into the horizon to let night take its place, she found herself wandering into the garden after some horrible attempts at resting that had left her heart racing and unurshed tears making her eyes ache...where the sight of Fili already there greeted her.

Nymeria watched him for a few seconds, concealed in the darkness where not even her flickering eyes could be detected in the shadows, her gaze tracing over his ever feature that seemed to glow silver in the haunting moonlight that bathed down upon him in some blessed whisper as he continued to graze his fingertips over the steel of his sword...and then she stepped out into the light slowly and cleared her throat quietly causing his head to turn around to stare at her in some kind of shock at not being as alone as he thought he was. "Can I join you?"

"Of course."

She smiled hesitantly, strolling over towards the bench he occupied before she sat down beside him, looking up towards the sky with a blissful look dancing over her features as the wind began to call out to her, brushing through her hair and pushing the tangled knots behind her shoulder as she sighed happily, feeling at home under the stars just like she always did...and more than aware of the dwarf stealing glances at her every so often before he'd force his gaze away as if he were doing something uncouth and wrong causing her to frown. "Are you alright, Fili?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" He said, thick brows furrowing in a frown as he turned his head to stare at her, properly this time as she did the same, holding him prisoner with the red glow that moved across her vision like a promise of something destructive and beautiful...it was hard to pretend he wasn't enamored by her, hard to pretend that a simple brush of their fingertips didn't have him ready to unravel by the seams, hard to pretend that everything she did and every word she spoke had him in awe, awaiting her every breath like it was blessed...She'd showed him her thorns, and he'd showed her his hand ready to bleed even without her knowing.

"You've been acting...different ever since we began our stay here. Is it something I've said?" Nymeria uttered finally, a strange blistering heat stroking her chest like fire does to embers, threatening to burn her and swallow her whole as she forced herself to look back towards the sky, focusing on the moon that even in its violent silver didn't seem as vibrant as the dwarf beside her, forcing her to feel things that she'd never wanted to feel again, to mourn the loss of his closeness, to await his lingering touch only to be denied and denied and denied...and wondering why such things stung her so.

"No, no of course not Amrâ-" Fili stopped himself before he could say that cursed word that stripped him naked of all defences, that left his adoration to longer in the open air that had tempted fate and made it cruel, left the girl beside him as something he could only look at and never hold ans care for, not like a possession no, he doubted Nymeria could ever be such a thing...but like the memories of his father, and the way his mother still sung his praises as something that kept her warm at night...and then he had to clear his throat with his eyes strangely misty. "No, you haven't done anything wrong, I swear to you."

"I see."

Silence blossomed, only the sounds of nature that surrounded them breaking the peace every so often, the chirping of crickets, the noises of the wildlife beyond the great hedge that concealed them from the rest of the world as if it were sealing them in the moment, a certain tension in the air, thick like blood and making it hard for either of the two to breathe as they sat there, closer than they'd ever been with the shoulders brushing with every breath, but simultaneously, as far apart as they ever would be, before she looked over to him once again. "So, why are you awake, dwarf? You and your brother are usually the first ones to pass out on a night like this."

He chuckled quietly, not keen to break the rare and comfortable peace they'd seemed to find themselves in, resting the back of his head against the strong bricks of the home behind them. "Aye, we've always been like that, second a chance for a good nap comes he's snoring away and I soon join him." Usually after he'd finished doing both of their chores for the day, even the ones Kili 'forgot' about, leaving his older brother to pick up the pieces which he always did.

"I've noticed. On the first few days of our journey Bilbo and I made a game of it, guessing which snores came from who." The faè grinned in amusement, remembering her hobbits anxiety, his fear when he'd cuddle up into her side every night to battle the cold winds that wreaked havoc across his fragile skin still used to the comforts of home, barely even able to keep his eyelids from fluttering shut every so often before a loud snore would reach their ears causing him to curse and huff and come up with some rather elaborate schemes to smother them all with their pillows.

"Well, I'm glad we could entertain you."

They shared a laugh as the moon seemed to shine brighter over them, like it was watching their story blossom and rejoicing in silence as their shoulders brushed again and sent a shiver up each of their spines, Nymeria's hands dancing with red chaos for half a second while Fili's clenched into tight fists, as if that could fight off the shiver that had erupted through his body at their mere touch that had hardly lasted a moment, desperate to take the attention away from his blushing ears as he glanced at her. "Why are you awake then? You need your rest after everything-"

"Bad dreams, well, not quiet dreams, no...more like old memories making it hard for me to close my eyes." Pain, betrayal, suffering and strife forcing her to remember things she wanted to lose from her conscious, the memories of gold turning to crimson and love turning to hatred. His unutterable name, a growl in her throat with blood drying beneath her fingernails as she clawed at the evidence of her ruination, her destruction, a placenta of blood-warm shadows that made her feel holy and damned all in the same breath.

Would she ever truly heal from such agonies that he'd caused her? Would she ever look at the stars, at a bird and not be torn apart by memories of what was and what still should be? She'd turned cruel when she'd became empty, because if she wasn't loved she must of been feared...and even now, stuck in her hobbits familiar embrace, her hatred still made her a slave to her own chaos, her magic...and she would never know if that was a good thing or bad thing.

And yet, before she could properly lose herself into questions and delusions and other awful things, it was Fili that brought her attention back over to him as his fingers brushed over hers as he placed them upon the bench, like he wanted to hold her hand but couldn't find it in himself to commit to such affection as he stared up at her, blue gaze shining in concern just like they always did when it came to her and wounds...whether they be metal or physical. "I'm sorry, perhaps I can talk to Óin in the morning to ask about any of his medicines-"

"No." Nymeria interrupted him before he could truly even complete that thought, her eyes closing in an exhaustion that would never leave her, that would constantly make her bones ache and her body restless. She would always have to live with this pain she'd long since realized, because it was the price she had to pay for resurrection, for her own survival in a world that seemed to have given up on her mortal corpse...but still, she lived and loved, because she wouldn't ever permit her sorrow to destroy her. "It wouldn't work...they never do. Anyway, you didn't answer my question, why aren't you resting?"

Fili startled quite suddenly at the turning of the tables, mouth opening and closing as he tried to form a sentence, an excuse of why he was sitting outside to brood but coming up empty. He couldn't tell her the truth, not when it threatned to ruin him, couldn't tell her that it was she that had kept him up all night with some horrible thoughts of her demise or the fact that he'd never know what it would feel like to touch her lips with his own...so he lied, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked over towards the stars. "I suppose dreams as well keep me up. Dreams of things I want, things I'm not quite sure I can have."

"Tell me about them."

"I dream of reclaiming Erebor, the place that my uncle told Kili and I stories of when we were just wee lads, of us going back home, with our lady mother meeting us there, alongside our cousins, our friends...I dream of making Thorin proud, and keeping Kili safe, and I dream of-" you, your smile, your eyes, your magic that makes me believe in all sorts of things like I'm a boy again. I dream of holding your hand, kissing your bare shoulder with the soft glow of the morning light bathing down upon us, I dream of you under me with my name upon your lips and your face closed in bliss.

His dreams haunted him, maimed him, twisted him inside out until he'd awaken at night gasping for air for things that seemed so close in his reach and yet so far, his gaze always wandering over towards where Nyneria slept, unawares of the turmoil that she cursed him with that he welcomed every time, just waiting for a glimpse of something that seemed to never be for him. He thought of telling her, of admitting to her that it was she who haunted him at night...but he couldn't even bring himself to try as he looked to her once more. "What about you? What to you dream of?"

The faè smiled, barely even a mere curl of her lips as she allowed the question to hang in the open air, her mind racing with all the answers that rushed towards her, one after another more hopeful than the last until it had filled her up and left her breathless and aching as the night continued to pass them both by, only getting darker and darker the more they lingered. "Freedom, the wind in my hair, being powerful and whole once again, not this-this shadow of what I once was. I want to be strong, like I was before, so no one could ever take anything away from me again."

"You are strong, Nymeria. Those dreams aren't just dreams, they're truth." Fili whispered, staring at her in shock because how on earth could she think for even a moment that she was anything else? That she was a shadow? The girl in front of him was none of that, she was light on the darkness day, blessing those around her with her bright glow that scorched the ground she walked on, and she was so strong that she could make mountains themselves crumble at her feet, at her devastating force of will. Strong seemed to weak of a word to describe her, absolute, breathtaking, powerful even still didn't come close, and perhaps there never would be a word to do so.

"Thank you, Fili, perhaps one day I can believe you...and I promise you, I'll try me best to make sure that soon, your dreams will be truth too."