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I. Refuge

"How are you feeling?" Athena whispered to Thorin, concealed with him and the others behind a rock whilst Bilbo scouted to see how close the Orc pack was to them.

"You needn't worry about me," was his reply, sending her a reassuring nod.

"You were hit to the floor multiple times and then became a chew toy for a warg, it's hard not to worry."

"It doesn't feel like I was," he replied but sighed a little when seeing her apprehensive expression, raising a hand to clasp it on her shoulder to comfort her, "I would tell you if that were not the case." And she believed him, he had not lied to her before. She nodded to show that she would not press the matter further.

"How close is the pack?" Dwalin asked which caused Thorin and Athena to turn and see Bilbo running back down to them, Thorin dropping his hand from her shoulder and stepping forward.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it," Bilbo informed them all.

"Have the wargs picked up our scent?"

"Not yet, but they will. We have another problem."

"Did they see you? They saw you!" Gandalf interrupted.

"No, that's not it."

"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material," he continued, Bilbo becoming increasingly more frustrated with each word that he spoke that stopped him from delivering the news he had, Athena sending him an apologetic shrug in response to the pleading look she received while the Dwarves laughed out of appreciation for the Hobbit.

"Will you listen — will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there," he finally managed to get out while pointing towards the direction that he came from, worry crossing the faces of those circled around him.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?"

"Y-Yes, but bigger, much bigger."

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked the Grey Wizard with confusion.

"And you didn't tell us?" Athena followed up with a question of her own, sharing an exasperated look with Bofur when he walked away instead of answering either of them.

"I say we double back," suggested Bofur.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs," Thorin remarked honestly, the Dwarves and woman nodding in agreement whilst mumbling to themselves.

"There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge," Gandalf interrupted as he turned to face the company he had walked away from.

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us."

"That's comforting," Fili whispered to Athena, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked, a roar splitting through the air as they all turned to face where the sound originated from, Fili instinctively pushing Athena behind him despite the height difference that would make little to no difference to his protection.

"None."

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Water soaked through her boots as they waded through a stream and into a field of flowers, she'd have stopped to admire the blooming flowers if it were not for them running for their lives, heading into the forest that was in front of them and bounding through the thicket of trees. Her face hit against a branch, feeling the sting of an open wound being created on her cheek. The company came to a standstill when an ear-splitting roar resounded through the forest and she took the time to wipe away the blood that trickled down her cheek with her sleeve.