Golden eyes watched as the woman approached, a sleeping child on her back. The pale moon lightning her path. Once she noticed the dark grey wolf, she greeted him with a nod. Though worry was evident in her eyes, even when she gently adjusted the sleeping form of her child. Not that he could blame her. He had called her over for something important and he had sounded distressed.

'Fêrram,' she said, looking at him with her dark blue eyes. 'Why did you call me over for? What is the matter?'

'It's the pack, my dear sister,' the ferian answered, shifting his form. 'They have rallied against me.'

'Rallied?'

'Yes.' Fêrram looked down in sadness. 'They say they will not follow me anymore. They only want the true alpha to lead them, which would be you, Cànna.'

The child shifted slightly, muttering something in her sleep. It was in that slight movement, that Fêrram had a clear view of his niece. She had grown a lot in these past ten years, letting her silver hair grow out. And no doubt she had traded all her baby teeth by now and has gotten a nice pair of sharp fangs in return.

'I stepped back from my position when I joined the dwarves, making you the alpha. Why are they rallying after all these years?'

He didn't answer. What could he possibly say to that? When his sister had left to marry that dwarf, it had been clear to Fêrram that Cànna would remain with the dwarves. And as the beta and brother of the alpha, Fêrram would replace the dwarf as the alpha-male. And he had been a good one! But times change and desperate decisions had been made.

'Fêrram, I am sorry, but this isn't the right time,' Cànna apologized after a moment of silence. 'Frêllian is showing signs she will be shifting for the first time very soon. I can't leave her right now. There is no one at home who can help her when her time comes.'

'I know, Cànna,' Fêrram agreed as his eyes travelled to the child again. 'I know. But they are very clear about it. The true-born alpha, or her child...'

Gasping at this news, her eyes shifted to her shoulder, where Frêllian was resting her head. No one could touch her pup, that was a well-known fact amongst everyone. With his brother-in-law as a dwarf warrior and her mother a respected ferian - and once the alpha - only a fool would try and hurt their child.

But fools did exist. And with an openly expressed threat towards Frêllian, they hoped to make Cànna return to the pack. At least, that seemed tot be their plan.

'Fine,' Cànna answered with a low, feral growl. 'They want to see me, then they will see me. Fêrram, I want you to take me to them and then take Frêllian somewhere safe, while I have a little chat with those foolish mutts.'

Fêrram nodded, but before he could even move, a sinister voice boomed from the darkness of the forest. A voice that send chills down his spine as his sister growled dangerously at the newcomer.

'You!' she called out as she looked around. 'You aren't suppose to be alive!'

'And yet here I am.'

His laughter made Frêllian shift again, though this time waking her up.

'And you've brought your little runt with you as well. Excellent.'

Ignoring her daughter's sleepy call for her, Cànna demanded for him to show himself. The sounds of footsteps were heard, but he remained unseen. A handful of ferien of her former pack walked into the light, all in their wolf-form, followed by a pack of wargs. All growling at her.

'Mérre, what is going on?'

'Nothing, my dear. Just stay here with your uncle, while I take care of this, alright?'

Frêllian nodded, getting off of her mother's back. Then she moved over to Fêrram. Never before had she seen a ferian - not counting her mother and uncle - nor had she ever encountered a warg. And why were they even here, with the pack?

Well, Cànna was about to find out! Shifting into her light grey form, she bared her teeth at the other canines as they approached. Next to her, Fêrram took Frêllian in his arms and took her a few steps back. No one was as fast as Fêrram, so should things turn for the worse, he would bring Frêllian back home, where she was safe.

'What a shame you have fallen in love with that dwarvish scum,' he said lowly as he finally moved out of the shadows. 'Someone such as yourself should not dwell behind rocky walls, being a pet to those pathetic creatures.'

'The only pet I see, is the one you are sitting on. Tell me, Matriarch, when did you let yourself lower to such position?'

A snarl escaped the white warg as she advanced. The others made way as the large warg passed by, either out of fear or respect. And whether for the warg herself or her rider, Cànna didn't even care about finding that out. All she cared about, was the safety of her daughter!

'Watch it, mutt!' the warg snarled as she stopped in front of the ferian. 'You wouldn't want to leave your pup motherless.'

The statement earned a horrified cry, as Frêllian tried to get over to het mother, only to be stopped by Fêrram. Azog smirked as he watched her, before nodding at the male holding her. Fêrram nodded in return, before gently guiding her over to the pack.

'Fêrram!' Cànna cried out once she noticed her brother's action, but a flash of white fur blocked her path, effectively preventing her from following him. 'Traitor! Where are you taking my daughter!? Get back here!'

But he ignored her as he held a struggling Frêllian. The child was screaming for her mother as a pack of growling ferien and wargs was circling around the female ferian. And were those orcs joining in now as well?

'It looks like your pup will be motherless after all,' the pale orc mocked with a smirk, dismounting Matriarch. 'And she will lead us to victory!' Then he turned to the female warg. 'You know what to do.'

With that said, the warg leaped at the ferian. Painful howling filling the air as fur and blood flew everywhere on the ground. Snarling and snapping was heard everywhere, as the two packs encouraged the large warg. But Cànna ignored them, her eyes trained on her opponent.

Only when a high-pitched howl was heard, did Cànna stop dead in her tracks. For no pup had been around either packs. Yet a pup had been howling! Her eyes found her brother easily as he held a struggling, almost white pup by the neck. Again she let out a high piercing howl, before looking straight at her mother.

Yellow eyes meet, before Cànna was painfully reminded of her fight. A fatal mistake, as Matriarch used all her weight to hold the ferian down.

'Don't worry, I will take good care of the runt.'

And with that, she bit down.

With a loud howl, Frêllian shot up, causing Bilbo to fall to the ground with a loud 'thud'. But she didn't care. The dream still fresh on her mind. Well, not even a dream, nor a nightmare, but a memory. One she had thought she had forgotten.

'You okay?'

Turning her head a little, she saw Dwalin sitting against a tree. His eyes on her as she sat down again.

'Why do you care?' she snapped at the dwarf, glaring at him. 'I am just a traitorous mud, am I not? A halfbreed runt? Or perhaps you prefer the term 'monster'?'

'I've never said any of those things,' the dwarf replied with a glare of his own. 'Unlike Thorin, I don't share his hatred against your mother.'

'But you do not trust me.'

'You have yet to kill the hobbit, while you've had plenty of chances. You have yet to harm Fíli or Kíli, while they have been bothering you quite a lot. Even to the point of annoying you. Especially Kíli.'

He smirked at her, as she stared at him dumbfounded. Had he been watching her? That bastard! What else had he seen? Had he followed her as well, whenever she was training Bilbo? Had he seen her true form?

'I have noticed you don't howl that often. Why?'

'In contrary to what you might think, we do not howl to the moon,' she sneered, glaring at him again. 'There are many reasons to howl, but that is just plain stupid.'

'I know you don't. I used to be close to your mother, remember.' A strange emotion filled his eyes as he stared at the flames of their small campfire. 'I am just curious why you don't howl often. Not when you are happy, not while you are hunting. Heck, this is perhaps the second time I have heard you howl, and this was out of fear.'

'It is none of your business, Drêgasen.'

His eyes travelled back to the ferian as she lowered her ears. Though not in anger, he could tell that much from her body language. More so in regret. Whatever it was, it had to do with the reason why she wasn't howling much.

'Is it because of your mother?'

Her whole body tensed up at the mention of her mother, before she looked at him. No trace of her glare visible, only sadness. So Dwalin took it as a yes, but he didn't press her on the matter. Not even when she looked down at the flames again, nor when she turned her head away - hiding the tears in vain. He just looked at her in silence, deciding to let her tell him if she wanted to.

'She died because of me,' Frêllian finally whispered after a long silence. 'Why did I have to shift right then? Why did I have to howl? If I didn't, mother would not have been distracted and could have killed that warg scum!'

A sob escaped as Frêllian desperately tried to hold back the tears. Why was she even telling this? She hadn't even told Bilbo, so why entrust Dwalin with this information? He would probably use it against her someday!

'You don't decide when you change for the first time, Frêllian,' Dwalin told her softly, using her name for the first time. 'They happen when they happen.'

Surprised by his kindness, Frêllian looked at the bald dwarf again. Then she nodded at him in gratitude, for the first time seeing a different side of the warrior.

With a glare, Thorin watched Frêllian and Bilbo. The two of them were rarely apart. But whether it was a good sign or not, the dwarf didn't know. It was no secret he distrusted the ferian. The female was constantly challenging him. Not always verbally. No, most of the time she challenged him non-verbally. With just a simple glance, a twitch of her ears. Especially when she knew he was watching her whenever she was near his nephews.

And it was also no secret, that Thorin wasn't happy with the hobbit either. The small creature being useless, according to Thorin. Bilbo couldn't handle a weapon, even if his life depended on it. He was constantly complaining about almost everything - until the ferian snapped at him - and he didn't do anything to contribute to the company.

And the worst of all? The pair seemed to disappear every morning at the break of dawn, only to return just in time for breakfast. Truth to be told, Thorin was curious about their constant disappearance, but at the same time it made him feel agitated. But following them would be useless, for Frêllian would pick up his scent and shake him off. Or worse...

'Why do you not trust her, Thorin?'

Thorin didn't answer as Fíli stood next to him. His glare now fixated on the ferian as she chased the hobbit. How could she even think of fooling around, when they had such an important task ahead? The only good thing from it all, was that the hobbit was building up his stamina.

'She isn't as bad as you made us believe,' Fíli continued, as he watched the pair as well. 'She has been very helpful. She has helped us with dinner and she makes sure our campsites are safe. And it is because of her that Bilbo is feeling a bit more comfortable out in the wilderness.'

'She is a ferian, Fíli,' Thorin answered at last. 'And ferien will always betray you eventually. Just wait and see. One day, master Baggings will find himself running for his life and pray she will have mercy.'

'If that is the case, uncle,' Fíli began as he looked at the dwarf. 'Then why is she teaching our hobbit friend how to defend himself? Have you not noticed she is helping him improve his stamina and agility by fooling around? If you ask me, I'd say she is treating him as if he was a member of her pack.'

Shocked by this, Thorin looked at Fíli. He never thought about it that way. But then he quickly hid it behind his stoic façade. He told his nephew that she was only trying to win his trust. For ferien were masters of deception. He should know, he had witnessed it first hand with her. Cànna had once been a dear friend of Thorin, before betraying him by joining the wargs. Taking Frêllian with her, dooming her daughter with a life of darkness.

Needless to say the ferian had left her husband heartbroken. The act of betrayal had changed the poor dwarf, as would any dwarf.

'Whatever you say, Thorin. Bilbo trusts her and that's enough for me.'

With that said, Fíli turned around and left. But after a few steps, he stopped and informed his uncle that dinner was ready. Then he walked over to his brother.

'I don't like this place,' Frêllian said as she stopped in front of an old, abandoned farmhouse. 'There is a foul scent in the air.'

Watching the ruins of the house, she felt restless. The scent was strange, yet fresh and the house looked like it had been under attack of some sort. The roof had been ripped off by some large creature, such as a troll. Not that it would be possible. Trolls didn't venture this far from the mountain. Only in dire need.

'We'll camp here for tonight,' Thorin announced and Frêllian felt even more horrified. 'Fíli, Kíli, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them.'

'A farmer and his family used to live here,' Gandalf stated, clearly as uncomfortable as the ferian next to him. 'It would be wiser to move on. We could make for the hidden valley.'

Thorin ignored him first, ordering two dwarves to start a fire. But at the mention of the valley, he turned around to face the wizard. His voice dark as he spoke.

'I have told you already, I will not go near that place.'

'I don't fancy seeking help from the elves either, Thorin,' Frêllian began, earning a glare from the dwarf. 'But I don't like this place. There is a foul stench in the air that I do not trust. Something has attacked these humans, I am sure of it. I can smell human blood all over the place.'

'I don't care what you smell, mutt. Whatever attacked these humans is long gone.'

'Thorin, we have a map that none of us can read,' Gandalf tried to persuade the dwarf. 'Lord Elrond could help us.'

'Help?' Frêllian yelped, flinching for a moment at the dark tone in his voice. The memories of an certain angry orc flashing through her mind. 'A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls. The elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father.'

'You are neither of them,' Gandalf replied, a hint of anger in his voice as well. 'I did not give you that map and key so you can hold on to the past.'

'I did not know they were yours to keep.'

With a glare at the dwarf, Gandalf turned on his heels and stompped off angrily. Muttering under his breath as he passed some dwarfs. But Frêllian didn't care. She stared into cold blue eyes as Thorin glared at her. Daring her to say something about the matter.

Again she flinched. She had seen that look all too often on Azog and that didn't end well. Not that Thorin was anything like that filth! But still, the pup inside of her still feared that piercing gaze and the beating that would always follow.

'Well, don't you have anything to say?'

Opening her eyes - when had she closed them? - Frêllian saw Thorin watching her with his arms crossed. Why had she even thought the dwarf would hurt her? She could handle him if he would even try.

'I don't like the idea of seeking out the elves,' she finally answered after a moment of silence. 'But I do care about the safety of the company. And this place isn't safe, Thorin. Please, trust me on this.'

But he ignored her pleas, stating no ferian was worth trusting. With that Thorin walked off, followed by Frêllian after a few moments. But instead of following him to Dwalin, Frêllian seeked the company of Bilbo. The poor hobbit was still shocked about the departure of the grey wizard.

Still, Frêllian didn't say a word about it as she sat down next to him. Not even when he asks. Her mind wandering back to when she had flinched at the hard words of Thorin and his icy glare. Why had she flinched? She was able to handle his anger before, so why had she been behaving like a scared pup? Was it because the orcs were around?

'Are you alright, Frey?'

Frêllian turned her head, to face the concerned-looking hobbit. His brows furrowed as he looked at her. Was she alright? Well that's a good question. She didn't even know the answer herself. But perhaps she was just making a fuss about it all.

'I guess so.'

He didn't believe her. His concerned look turned into a sceptical one, but he didn't say anything about it. If he had learned one thing about the ferian, was that she wouldn't talk about the things she didn't want to talk about. She would tell him when the time was right, or she wouldn't tell him at all.

So instead of pressing her on the matter, Bilbo started to gently stroke the fur around her ears and cheeks. Just like a pup, the young ferian slowly started to relax under his touch. Listening to him as he told her about his mother. How she would scowl at him when he had done wrong and how proud she could be when he had done right.

A fond smile spread over his face as he recalled those memories. By the time he had finished his story, Frêllian had rested her head in Bilbo's lap. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the soft petting. Not caring about the fragile state she was in whenever she was laying like this. Bilbo made her feel safe, no matter where she was. He made her forget everything, until only pleasant memories remained.