Lover, Fighter

Decisions

You didn't feel like turning into your human form, so you stayed as a wolf while making your way to the ruins of Dale. Keeping your head low, your breathing evaporating as you exhaled with every step you took, leaving a trail of paw prints behind you on the thin layer of snow. The distance between you and Erebor grew gradually, your mind in utter turmoil. You were so tempted to leave for good and start a new, solitary life somewhere far from Erebor, but something kept telling you to stick around.

As you stepped into the city Bard was the first one to notice you and came with a worried look on his face over to you and saw the sadness in your tired golden eyes. Lifting his hand he carefully stroke your neck and then he saw the wound Thorin caused.

"You're injured. Come on, Let's have a look at it before it becomes inflamed." Bard said offering you a friendly smile, and you whined quietly, you swayed your tail twice and followed him to the market area where people were gathering. When they saw you they got worried, but when Bard told them who you were, they visibly relaxed.

Sigrid and Tilda rushed to help their father to clean your wound while you lay down on the ground looking quietly toward Erebor, wondering if the rest of the company could handle Thorin's current state of mind.

Tilda stroke your fur earning your attention and you turned your head to look down seeing the junior girl smiling shyly at you. A soft whine escaped from your mouth as the tip of your tongue peeked out and touched her cheek gingerly. Tilda giggled, making Sigrid roll her eyes while she tended your wound. Once she had finished, she ushered her little sister to follow and get ready for bed. Tilda gave you a kiss on the nose, bidding you good night.

Sun was setting and you could feel the air around you getting colder with every passing hour. People were huddling against each other by the fires so they would stay warm. You heard Bard giving Alfrid an order to take the first night watch, making you huff with amusement. That little weasel wouldn't stay awake even a half of the night, not alone an entire night.

You curled into a ball avoiding the chilly wind getting to your skin and hoped that sleep would come easy tonight.

***

Yawning and stretching your limbs, you woke up and shook your fur and opened your eyes. Staring in front of you while sitting down, you just knew Bard would not be happy with your little night watcher. Turning your ears, you could hear Bard already making his way toward the archway where you were sitting while he addressed Alfrid asking did anything happened during the night.

"Morning Alfrid. What news from the night watch?" Bard asked, walking past him. It startled Alfrid to wake up from his napping by Bard's voice.

"All quiet, sire, I must report. Nothing gets past me," he answered, yawning, and got up. He followed Bard outside where you were waiting.

Turning your head to look over your shoulder, you saw Bard's confused look on his face as he walked to stand beside you.

"Except an army of elves, it would seem," Bard murmured to himself, but you heard him and huffed, earning him to look at you and shook his head.

In front of you, both were standing a full army of Mirkwood elves, dressed in full battle gear, standing perfectly ordered lines. Bard walked down the steps glancing at you motioning you to stay put as he approached the elves and some lines of which turned and stepped back to make a pathway for him.

As Bard stepped out of the bank of elves, he saw Thranduil riding up on his steed and all the elves turned to face him. You moved your ears slightly eyeing the elven king little suspicious, sniffing the air, you really didn't trust him but knew better than pick a fight with him so you stayed where you were observing silently.