Hobbit 1. Hunting

Author Notes:

I think this will be the only disclaimer for the whole story. I DO NOT own anything related to The Hobbit franchise, or anything related to the LOTR fanbase. I only own Joey and her family.

Anyway, hi guys! I know I've been scarce on here, but that's because of the fact I'm working more! :D I'm so glad to have a job! But it does hinder my writing. I have plenty of ideas for my main stories, Rebel Tamer, Dangerous Games, and now this one. This story WILL eventually be a Thorin/OC story.

I know the story that a girl gets thrown into the Hobbit Verse is kinda overrated, but I really like the idea . . . (It came to me in a dream . . . don't judge . . . ) So, without further adue, I will let you read on. Enjoy the story! And since Joey is her nickname, I will use Joey mostly in the story, but I will switch back and forth between Joey and Joanna.

Tiger Love

Summary: Out on a hunting trip, Joanna "Joey" Stark found herself thrown against a very familiar Hobbit's door. Next thing she knows, she's on a journey to a mountain to fight a dragon. What could possibly go wrong? Thorin/OC

Chapter One:

Hunting

Skin-Changer. Monster. Mutant. Freak. Joanna "Joey" Stark heard it all, ever since she began showing signs of her family traits. But none of those words were what she called herself. Joey called herself and her family Tiger Shifters. They weren't Skin-Changers. They kept their minds while in their tiger forms, unlike their earlier ancestors.

"Aunty Joey!" a young cub cried up at her, making Joey look down at her. The young cub looked up to Joey as a sister more than an aunt, and tried to look just like her. Mostly, she succeeded. Looking at the cub, it was like looking in a mirror. The black hair, the golden yellow eyes . . . The only thing the young cub was missing was the small X shape scar on Joey's left cheek. That and Joey was twenty three, and the cub was five . . .

"Kenleigh!" Joey squealed, picking up the young cub. "Where are your cousins? We have to get ready. It's almost time for your hunting lesson!"

"They're coming! Put me down, I wanna show you I can shift now!" Around the age of five, cubs began practicing their changing abilities. It was instinct for Joey, but the cubs needed coaching, which was up to the parents to teach. As Kenleigh showed of her changing ability, the rest of the already shifted cubs ran up.

"Wow! Look at all of you guys! You're so cute!" Joey stated, looking down at the tiny orange and black cubs. "I will be in my half form, and I want you to catch a squirrel or a chipmunk. Something small."

"What about a rabbit?!" one of the cubs called out, using a tiger growl.

"A rabbit will be fine," Joey stated, feeling her own change take over. She was true to her word, she only went to her half-way form, which she kept her human like body, but had some of her tiger features. Like claws, fangs, tail, and ears. Looking at her, you wouldn't think she was the children's aunt. Unlike her tiny orange counterparts, Joanna's ears and tail were white. She pulled the rare card and was a white tiger. Other features changed in this state. Joanna's black hair was slightly longer, and now it had white stripes through out it, resembling tiger fur. "Now!" Joanna cried out. "Off you go! HUNT!" And with that, the tiny cubs raced off into the woods.

Before Joey took off, she glanced back, looking at her happy family on their outing. They normally didn't get to do this, but today was so beautiful, they took the risk. While some humans accepted any kind of shifter, more were greedy. They wanted the tiger skin.

Every tiger shifter had a unique thing happen on their back. On their back were very faint, like years old scars, markings that resemble tiger stripes. This piece of skin is very valuable, and some people, poachers, will try to kill a clan for skins . . .

Shaking her head of those thoughts, Joey raced off after her young nieces, nephews, and cousins. They weren't far off, and they were each trying to find their own kill. Joey grinned and jumped up into a tree and watched each of them hunt, occasionally telling them easier techniques to use.

Everything was going fantastically with the practice hunt when the day turned into one that will forever be in the cubs and Joanna's mind. A loud roar ripped into the air, and tiny Kenleigh's head snapped up.

"Daddy!" she screeched out, making a dash towards the roar.

Joey jumped down and picked up the tiny cub. "Kenleigh, wait!" At the pitiful whine that came past Kenleigh's mouth, Joanna put her down and called out for all the cubs to come to her. Glancing to her left, there was a small den like area under an old rotten tree. Putting all the cubs there, and kissing each one of their foreheads, Joanna stood up. "Don't move until I come back."

And with that, Joey ran back to her family, and skidded to a stop and her eyes were wide. There were bodies everywhere . . . Some of her family were trying to fight them off, but there were too many poachers . . .

Her golden eyes scanned the carnage, and made eye contact with her Uncle David, Kenleigh's father. Right when she was about to charge to help him, he let out a low growl, which translated into "Keep my daughter safe, Joanna . . ." And with that, David struck at a poacher that was starting to look in Joey's way.

Tears prickled at her eyes, but Joey listed to her uncle. She stayed back, but she didn't leave. Instead, she tried to find her parents, but couldn't recognize any of the bodies that were being piled up.

Tearing her eyes away from the bodies, Joanna ran into the woods, transforming fully into her tiger form and races back to the cubs. Once on arrival, Joey nuzzled each of them.

"Was it poachers . . . " Kenleigh asked in a tiny growl.

". . . Yes . . ." Joey growled back.

"What are we gonna do, aunty Joey?" another cub whispered.

"I'm gonna take you to our cousins, in the next state over . . ."

"What about you?" Kenleigh asked, her gold eyes widening.

"I don't know . . . I just want some time on my own . . ."

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Joey snapped awake, and looked down from the tree she was sleeping in. It was the fifth time she's had that dream of that horrible day. True to her word, Joey did take the cubs to a family member in another state. The cubs weren't happy that she was leaving, but she didn't give them a choice. She didn't want to be near anyone for a while.

Shaking her head, Joey jumped down from her perch in the tree and sniffed at the air. A deer was close. Giving off a feral grin, Joey let herself fall into her half form and took off after the deer.

She was closing in, stalking her prey, but before she could jump in for the kill, a loud crash of thunder scared off the deer, making Joey's head slump. "Dammit . . . Now I'll have to stalk him aga-AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Joey let out an ear piercing scream as a strike of lightening struck at her, as her eyes rolled into the back of her skull.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

As she began coming too, Joanna took notice that her back was hurting. In excruciating pain. Raising her head up, shaking it, she noticed that she had reverted back into her fully human form. Huh, hitting the tree must have knocked her back into her original form.

Glancing up to look at the said tree, Joey blinked repeatedly. It was a door. Not a tree. A big round door . . .

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"


	2. Where The Hell Am I?

Chapter Two:

Where The Hell Am I?

Joey jumped up and looked around the place, the backpack she wore on her back swinging wildly with her. She wasn't in the woods anymore. Instead, she seemed like she was in a small village. "This is insane . . ." she muttered, looking around.

"Can I help you?" a mysterious voice asked, making Joey jump out of her skin.

Whirling around, ready to draw her claws, Joey blinked at what she seen. A man . . . or something . . . stood at the door. Joey was a good few inches taller than the man, and she couldn't place his scent. He didn't smell human, or animal . . .

"Hello?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her.

"Sorry!" Joey suddenly squeaked out. "You surprised me is all . . ." Joey looked the shorter man over, questioning his fashion sense.

The creature has reddish-brown, curly hair, which covered his huge ears. He was a bit on the scrawny side, making Joey think he hasn't done a bit of work. But the thing that made her question her sanity, was the sheer size of his feet. Dear god.

"Surprised you?" the creature mused out. "You knocked on my door!"

Joey blinked rapidly. "Dude, I did not!"

It was the creature's turn to blink. "My name is NOT 'Dude', it is Bilbo Baggins!" Bilbo snapped.

Joey shook her head. "Whatever. Do you know where I am?"

"You are in the Shire, outside of Bree," Bilbo stated.

"Where the hell is that in America?!" Joey snapped, looking around the beautiful scenery. She had to give the place credit, she would love to settle down here and have a family . . . At that sudden thought, a flash of what happened to her family flashed in her head, and it shot down any hope of her having a family again.

"My child, you are in Middle Earth! There is no such place as this, A-Mare-I-Ka."

Joanna's eyes widen significantly and she slumped on the ground, her breathing increasingly greatly. She was close to having a panic attack. "What?! I was in America before the damn storm hit and I got struck by lightening! Thisisjustahorribledream! Tellmeit'sahorribledream!" Joey's words became too fast for Bilbo to dicipher, and she seemed very shooken up.

"Would you like to come in? And have some tea? Maybe we can figure out what happened, miss?" he offered calmly, holding out a hand to this stranger.

Nodding, Joey took the stranger's hand. She didn't trust him, but he's the only person that can tell her about where she was, and maybe give some incite on what's going on.

"Thank you, Mister Baggins. Call me Joey."

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

"So, let me get this straight . . ." Joanna stated, looking over at the strange, little man. "I'm in a place called Middle Earth, near a big town called Bree, and the place I'm in right now is your home in the Shire, near Bag End? And you're what's called a Hobbit?"

"Exactly, Miss Joey!" Bilbo grinned, looking at the woman with pride. She was taking the information he gave her perfectly.

"This is insane . . ." Joey muttered for the umpteenth time today.

"May I ask you a question, miss?" Bilbo asked.

"Shoot."

"What is the story behind your name. Do not take offense, but it sounds like a mans! And WHAT are you wearing?!" Bilbo asked, with a small laugh in his voice.

Joey began chuckling. "I assure you, Bilbo, I am one hundred percent female." At this, both parties cracked up laughing. "My full name is Joanna Stark, but since I was little, friends and family called me Joey, and it just stuck I guess." Grinning, Joey looked down at her outfit. It was a Boondock Saints T-shirt, with black jeans, and her boots. "It's a style back where I live. It's a t-shirt and jeans."

"It's a very unique outfit . . ." Bilbo muttered.

Laughing, Joey just nodded. "To some, yeah. Anyway, thank you for everything, Bilbo. Not many would take in a girl talking of a unknown place . . ." Joey winced slightly at what she said.

"I wouldn't turn a woman who was obviously in distress, and didn't know where she was, into the world. Stay as long as you need."

Joey smiled widely. "Thank you again."

Bilbo merely nodded at her, and grabbed a lemon to squirt over his dinner for the night. Joey had turned down dinner. With the shock of arriving in a separate world, she wasn't really all that hungry. As Bilbo squirted the lemon all over his fish dinner, the doorbell rang. If looks could kill, the door, and whoever was behind it, would be obliterated. Bilbo glared at the door, Joey could barely keep her giggles and laughs under control.

Standing up, Bilbo went to the door and opened it. Joey blinked rapidly at what she seen. Bilbo had given her a run down of what creatures lived in Middle-Earth, and as she looked upon the guest, she guessed Dwarf.

The dwarf had a scowl across his face, and looked like he could kill anything. His head was bald, but on the bald spots were tattoos. Just where a beard would start, hair was everywhere, and it was a pretty impressive beard.

Just when Joey thought that she was going to have to step in, thinking that the dwarf was going to attack Bilbo, she was surprised when the dwarf bowed slightly.

"Dwalin, at your service," the dwarf stated, his accent thick

Just as surprised as Joey, who walks over to Bilbo and Dwalin, Bilbo lets out a soft whimper, and greets the dwarf in return. "Bilbo Baggins, at yours. And this is Miss Joanna Stark."

Dwalin turns to Joey and bows, who bowed her head slightly to him. "Call me Joey."

"Are you two married?" Dwalin asked.

Bilbo blushed brightly as one of his prized tomatoes, as Joey cracks up in laughter. "No, I'm just a guest to Bilbo as well."

Nodding at the information, Dwalin walks in, despite not being invited in by Bilbo.

"D-Do we know each other?" Bilbo asked, bewildered.

"No," Dwalin stated, as if it was obvious. "Which way, laddie? Is it down here?" he asked, dumping some of his stuff on the ground and thrusts some onto Bilbo. Joey stepped in and took the heaviest of the stuff.

~Geez,~ Joey thought. ~Are all dwarves this rude?~

"Is what down where?" Joey asked, asking the question that was etched onto Bilbo's face.

Dwalin looked at the two as if they grew a second head. "Supper! He said there'd be food, and lots of it." Okay, so maybe he wasn't rude all the time, but thought he had been invited, but arrived at the wrong house . . .

"H-He said? Who said?!" Bilbo muttered out. Dwalin ignored the question and continued to look around for his supper for the night.

"Laddie? Supper?" he asked again.

Shaking his head, Bilbo lead Dwalin to the kitchen table, where the dwarf began eating Bilbo's dinner.

"Mmmm~" the dwarf hummed approvingly at the food. "Very good, this. Any more?" he asked. At least he had the decency to complement the chef.

"What?" Bilbo sputtered out. "Uh, oh, yes, yes!" he stammered. "Joey, could you please grab the biscuits?"

Nodding, Joey grabbed the plate, snagged one for Bilbo, and held the plate of biscuits to Dwalin, who thanked her for the food.

Glancing up, Joey noticed the face Bilbo was wearing. Even though she hasn't known him long, Joey was able to tell what the poor hobbit was thinking by the looks on his face, so she asked the question that he was thinking.

"So, Bilbo and I weren't expecting comany-" But before she could continue her statement, the doorbell rings. "I got it Bilbo," she stated, walking over to the large door that nearly broke her back. Opening the door, she saw and older dwarf, his hair and beard as white as snow. He reminded her of Santa Clause.

"Balin. At your service," he said, bowing. At least he seemed more polite.

"Joey. At yours," she said, bowing her head. "Good evening."

"Yes, yes it is, though I think it might rain later," Balin stated.

Joey's golden eyes flashed up to look at the sky, which did look darker. "I say you might be right, Balin."

"Am I late?" he suddenly asked.

Blinking, Joey raised an eyebrow. "Late for what?"

But the Santa Clause-looking dwarf didn't answer her as he sees Dwalin in the kitchen, trying to get more food. He started laughing as he calls out to the larger dwarf. "Evening, brother!" Oh, they're related. Interesting.

"Oh, by my beard, you are shorter and wider than we last met!" Dwalin stated. Yep, they definitely sound like brothers.

Balin chuckled. "Wider, not shorter. Sharp enough for both of us." Oh, Joey liked Balin.

The two dwarfs put their arms on each others shoulders, making Joey think they were about to embrace each other, like any family member would. But she was sadly mistaken when they suddenly headbutted each other.

"The fuck?" Joey muttered under her breath.

Shaking her head, Joey goes into the kitchen, where the two dwarves leave to go raid the pantry, and grabs her back pack. Once she has her possession, she goes into the living room to gather her thoughts. The only thing she can think off that's happened here is that the lightening threw her into a separate world, but she had no idea how.

Sighing, Joanna ran a hand through her short black hair and leaned against the couch she was sitting in. "No need to worry about it now . . . I'm stuck here for a while I guess . . ."

The doorbell brought her from her thoughts. "Oh, not more company!" she moaned out. Not seeing Bilbo anywhere near the door, Joey stood up and answered the door.

Opening the door, Joey knees nearly buckled. The two dwarves at the door were highly attractive. The one on the left had blond hair, and two small mustache braids. It was oddly adorable. While the one on the right had dark brown hair and a little bit of stubble for a beard.

"Fili . . ." Answered the blond dwarf.

"And Kili . . ." Answered the brunette dwarf.

Both bowed together as Bilbo rushed over to the door. Apparently he did hear the door bell ring. "At your service," the two mused, before grinning from ear to ear.

"You must be mister Baggins!" Kili said excitedly. But with his heavy accent, it sounded more like "Boggins" than Baggins.

"Nope, you can't come in!" Bilbo stated.

~Oh c'mon! We just got the sexy dwarves here!~ Joey's mind screamed.

"You've come to the wrong house!" Bilbo continued.

But as he tried to shut the door, Kili stops it with his foot. He looked absolutely devastated. "What? Has it been cancelled?"

"No one told us," remarked Fili.

"No- Nothing's been cancelled!" Bilbo stated. Ooh, wrong thing to say Bilbo . . .

"Well!" Kili stated, grinning. "That's a relief!"

The two, obviously younger dwarves strutted in, and began unloading their things on Bilbo.

"And you are, miss?" Fili asked, looking at Joey.

"I am Joanna. But call me Joey. I am a guest of Bilbo as well," she stated.

"Oh! Are you gonna be with us?" Kili asked excitedly.

"Joining you?" Joey asked, confused.

Before Kili and Fili could fill in the sole girl in the house in on what they were talking about, Dwalin called out to the young dwarves, asking for their help, which they were happy to offer.

Shaking her head, Joey went back into the living room, mainly to stay out of the dwarves way. Opening up her back pack, Joanna pulled out a book, and laid on the couch and just read. At least, she tried too before the doorbell rang again.

"Good lord, how many people are gonna arrive?!" she muttered, closing her book, and putting it up.

Before she could set up to answer the door, Bilbo, and his large hobbit feet, began stomping towards the door. He was pissed. "Oh no. No, NO!" he cried out. "There is nobody home! Go away, and bother somebody else!" Joey had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "There's far to many dwarves in my dining room as it is! If- If this is some clottered's idea of a joke, I can only say, it is in very poor taste!" And after that little rant, Bilbo pulled the door open and a mountain of dwarves began piling at his feet. They were all struggling to get up, even some letting out a few colorful words.

Joey stood up and walked over to the door to help some of the dwarves up, that was until she looked outside, seeing a tall man standing there, looking over the pile of dwarves. Apparently, Bilbo knew the man, who was obviously a wizard if the staff and hat were anything to go by.

The very tired hobbit sighed out "Gandalf . . ." as if that was the answer to everything.

The entire group of dwarves, twelve in total, began to raid poor Bilbo's pantry and taking out all his food. In his best effort, he tried to get the dwarves to put the food back. The efforts failed . . . Miserably.

After a few minutes, Joey was able to name all of the dwarves. There were Dwalin and Balin who were brothers. Fili and Kili were brothers. Bofur, Bifur, and Bombour were cousins. Ori, Nori, and Dori were all brothers. And there was Oin and Gloin, their relation escapes Joey. And after overhearing a conversation from Gandalf and Dwalin, another dwarf was supposed to show up. Fantastic.

Bilbo has had enough of it. He tried to keep everyting he owns in one piece, but the reckless dwarves were proving too much for the hobbit.

Gandalf, the tallest of them all, has apparently noticed the aggravated Hobbit as well. "My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?"

"What's the matter?!" Bilbo sputtered. "I'm surrounded by dwarves!"

Joey stepped in before Bilbo blew a gasket. "What are they all doing here, Gandalf?"

The wizard chuckled. "Oh they're quite a merry gathering, Joey, once you get used to them."

Joey just grinned in return. "I like them. They remind me of my family."

But Bilbo didn't share Joey's happiness about the situation. "I don't want to get used to them! The state of my kitchen!" he moaned out in sadness. "There's mud trod into the carpet! They've pillaged the pantry. I"m not even going to tell you what they've done in the bathroom!" Joey crinkled her nose at the thought. She has heightened senses, she knew exactly what happened in the bathroom. Yuck. "I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"

One of the younger dwarves, Ori, walked over to Bilbo. He proved to be the politest of them all. "Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?"

One of the more attractive dwarves, Fili, stepped forward. "Here you go, Ori, give it to me." Oh, Joey grabbed a chair, ready to watch this. This was gonna be fun!

Fili takes the plate from the young dwarf and throws it to Kili, who's at the end of the hall. Kili then throws it behind his back to the dwarf in the kitchen, Bifur. Suddenly, every dwarf began tossing utensils, plates, and bowls everywhere. Joey grinned widely and grabbed some utensils of her own and got in on the action.

Bilbo looked at her in shock. "What?" she asked. "I want to have a bit of fun!" was her reasoning.

Shaking his head to Joey's reasoning, he looked back into the dining room, where all the dwarves were sitting at, eating. He nearly paled at the sight. They were scratching the forks against each other, making a strange, but catchy beat.

"And can you not do that? You'll blunt them!" Bilbo cried out.

Bofur, who was wearing the most adorable hat ever grinned. "Ohh, d'hear that lads?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face. "He says we'll blunt the knives!"

Just then, the banging from the table proved to be more in rhythm than Joey originally thought, enough so that one of the dwarves, Kili, began singing. And it wasn't long before they all joined in.

_Blunt the knives, bend the forks_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

_Chip the classes and crack the plates_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth and tread on the fat_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

_Splash the win on every door_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole_

_When you've finished, if any are whole_

_Send them down the hall to roll_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

Bilbo huffs in anger and pushes himself into the kitchen, only to find all the dishes stacked neatly, and they were very clean. Joey, Gandalf, and the dwarves all began laughing at the face of pure astonishment on his face.

"Look at his face!" Joey cracked up loudly, leaning on Fili and Kili for support. Suddenly, there are three loud knocks on the door, making everyone fall silent. Well . . . Mostly everyone. "What the hell? What a way to kill the mood!" Joey muttered. Who could it be?!


	3. We're Hunting A DRAGON?

Chapter Three:

We're Hunting a DRAGON?

Joey looked around the room, everyone became deathly quiet. "Good god, you people are acting like the fucking pope arrived . . ." she muttered, walking over and opens the door. Joanna's legs immediately turned to jelly. She thought Fili and Kili were hot? Then this man was drop dead gorgeous. "Holy, hot damn!" she muttered, before blushing slightly at what she said. "Whoops, that was supposed to stay in here . . ." she muttered, tapping her head.

The man on the other side of the door merely rolled his eyes at her actions, and his eyes traveled to Gandalf, who moved to stand behind Joey. "Gandalf." Good god, even his voice was sexy . . . "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

"Mark?!" Bilbo squeaked. "There's no mark on that door! It was painted a week ago!"

Gandalf huffed at the hobbit's statement. "There is a mark, I put it there myself." Sneaky wizard . . . "Bilbo Baggins, Joanna Stark-" Joey made a face at the using of her full name. "Allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"I was aware that a hobbit will be joining us," Thorin stated. "But a woman?"

Joey growled softly. "Okay, listen here, Mister Sexy Pants, there is NOTHING wrong with being a woman!" Joey huffed.

From the back of the room, she heard laughter. "Did she really call uncle 'Mister Sexy Pants?'" That was Fili's voice.

Joey looked back in the room. "Yes I did. Compared to the men back at my home, your uncle is very attractive, thank you very much."

Thorin's face was slightly red from the conversation, but overall his composure wasn't faltered. "Why is a woman accompanying us?"

Before Joey could rip out Sexy Pant's tongue, Gandalf spoke up. "She was here when we arrived. I assumed she was a guest of Mister Baggins. But, she does have an interesting story. She told me she was out hunting, and was struck with lightening, and woke up at Bilbo's door," Gandalf stated, telling the company of Joey's story. When thrown back into another world, seek out a wizard. "I believe it is a sign for her to accompany us."

"Have either of you done much fighting?" Thorin asked, clearly unimpressed.

Growling again, Joey took a step forward, standing face to face with the leader dwarf. He was taller than her by a few inches, but that was it. "I have done plenty of fighting in my time."

"Weapon of choice?"

"Fists, sir," she snapped, her golden eyes never leaving his.

"What if your fists aren't enough?" he growled back, and Joey had to admit in her anger that it was highly attractive.

"Then I'll figure something out. But my fists haven't failed me yet."

Apparently, her standing up to him was good enough, because Thorin left her and looked at Bilbo. "What about you, Mister Baggins."

"What about me?" Bilbo asked, looking slightly intimidated by Thorin's size.

"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asked, repeating himself. Joey rolled her eyes. It was sounding way too much like the Walking Dead for her taste, before Rick let anyone join the prison group.

"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know," Bilbo huffed. Joey had to bite her cheek again to keep from laughing. "But, I fail to see why that's relevant."

"Thought as much," Thorin huffed. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

To that comment, all the dwarves laughed. They apparently knew what Thorin was talking about, but poor Bilbo and Joey were clueless. Shaking her head, Joey followed the dwarves back into the dining table, sitting at the end of the table, putting her between Bofur and Thorin.

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin asked, looking at Thorin with hopeful eyes.

"Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms." Thorin replied. More hope drifted into the dwarves eyes.

Dwalin piped up next. "What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?"

Thorin sighed softly. "They will not come. They say this quest is ours, and ours alone . . ."

"That's bullshit . . ." Joey muttered, making Thorin look at her. "If this is a matter about all the dwarf clans, then every dwarf should be involved. They just sound like they don't wanna go on a quest. Bunch of pansy's . . ."

The whole room was quiet, before Dwalin began laughing, and reached over to pat Joey on the back. "This lass has a good head on her shoulders! And she's not afraid to say what's on her mind!"

Bofur grinned widely. "If you were a dwarven woman, I'd kiss you!"

Joey laughed loudly and blushed. "Wait, if I was a dwarf woman?"

Thorin spoke up next. "Aye. You look like you are of the Race of Men."

Joey looked down slightly. She wasn't really a human, as these people think . . . What would they do if they discover what she truly was . . .? But Joey didn't let the thoughts in her head reflect on her face. "Got it. I'm still getting used to all the races here . . ."

Before anyone could comment on what she said, Bilbo came up and save her. "You're going on a quest?" he asked.

Gandalf reached inside of his robes and pulled out something. "Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light," the wizard asked, spreading the map out onto the table. As Bilbo brought a candle to the table, Gandalf continued. "Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a solitary peak . . . "

"The Lonely Mountain . . ." Bilbo stated, reading the map.

The red headed dwarf, Gloin, stepped up. "Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time." ...What?...

Oin nodded, before reciting what he learned from the portents. "Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast wil end."

Joey's face brightened at the thought of fighting a beast, while Bilbo looked like he was about to lose his lunch. "Beast?"

Bofur spoke up from beside Joey, looking at Bilbo. "Well, that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals-" Joey looked at Bofur with wide, excited eyes.

"Yes, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo stated, cutting him off. He looked paler than usual.

One of the younger dwarves stood up. "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!"

Joey nearly spit out the ale she was drinking at what Ori said. She was trying not to choke herself to death, while also trying to laugh.

"Sit down!" Dori exclaimed, smacking the younger dwarf on the arm, in concern. So, Dori was the mother hen.

Balin spoke up next once the company calmed down from Ori's outburst. "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." Oooh, that was a burn to the company . . .

Everyone at the table, except Thorin, Gandalf, and Bilbo, started an uproar. It was hard to hear what each was saying, but Joey had a really good idea. Balin just basically called them stupid and weak. It was understandable.

Suddenly, Fili's voice yelled over everyone's shouts. "We may be few in numbers, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!" Everyone cheered.

"And you forget! We have a wizard in our company!" Kili stated. Joey glanced over at Gandalf, who paled slightly. "Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!" Gandalf was getting paler by the minute. Joey had to bite on her hand to not crack up laughing.

"Oh, well, now . . . Uh . . . I wouldn't say that, I-" Gandalf stammered.

"How many, then?" Dori asked.

"Uh, what?" was Gandalf's answer to all the dwarf eyes on him, and a burglur. The sole girl of the company was sat across from him, trying not to keel over in laughter.

"Well, how many dragons have you killed? Go on!" Dori encouraged. "Give us a number!"

Finally saving Gandalf from the onslaught of his company, Thorin cried out in his native tongue. The language, and how he said it, sent shivers down Joey's back. "If we had read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too?!" he snapped at the company, who had all grown very quiet. "Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years." Is he even alive then?! "Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lied unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours?" Cries of 'NO' came from the table, Joey included. Hey, Thorin could give a speech! "Or do we seize this change to take back Erebor?" Again, he cried out in that Dwarfish language, making everyone cheer.

Balin spoke again, slightly breaking the cheers that were just shared by the company. "You forget: The front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true . . ." Gandalf stated, pulling out a dwarvish key.

Thorin's eyes widen at the sight of the key. "How came you by this?"

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now," Gandalf stated, handing the key over to the leader of the company, while the rest look on in wonder.

"Then there's gotta be another door, right?" Joey asked, her voice breaking the silence at the revealing of the key.

Gandalf uses his pipe and points to come runes on his map. "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."

"THERE'S ANOTHER WAY IN!" Kili cheered loudly. Some of the dwarves around him grinned widely at the news.

"Well . . ." Gandalf began, puffing on his pipe. "If we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skills to find it." Way to kill the mood Gandalf . . . "But, there are others in Middle-Earth who can." Nice save. "The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar . . ." Ori realized.

"Hm," Bilbo hummed, speaking for the first time in a while. "And a good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine."

"And are you?" Gloin asked.

"Am I what?"

Oin laughed. "He said he's an expert! Hey hey!" he cheered as several of the dwarves, and Joanna, laughed.

"M-Me?!" he squeaked out. "No, no, no, no! I'm not a burglar, I've never stolen a thing in my life!" he whined.

Balin spoke up, saving Bilbo from the dwarves. "I'm afraid I have to agree with Mister Baggins. He's hardly burglar material."

Dwalin nodded. "Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk, who can neither fight nor fend for themselves."

"Does that mean the lass can handle herself, Dwalin?" Gloin asked, looking at Joanna with a sneer.

"Tsk." Joey clicked her teeth and looked back at Gloin. "I've been hunting since I could walk, thank you very much. My father taught me."

That seemed to satisfy as an answer, because Gloin merely nodded and leaned back, joining in the argument about Bilbo.

Suddenly, Gandalf stood up, and began yelling at the table. "ENOUGH!" he yelled, making most of the dwarves fall back in fear. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!" Once he said this, and when everyone calms down, Gandalf sat down and looked around the table. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet," he continued, puffing at his pipe again. "In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage." That sounds like a very damn good reason to have Bilbo on the quest. You asked me to find the fourteenth, and now fifteenth, member of his company, and I have chosen Mister Baggins and Miss Joey Stark. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself. You must trust me on this," Gandalf said, looking at Thorin.

"And you believe this about the female as well?" Thorin asked.

"Yes."

"Very well. We will do it your way," Thorin stated, making Joey grin widely. Bilbo was in the back repeating the word 'No' over and over again. This was definitely not going his way. "Give them the contracts." Cheers went around the table.

Balin handed Bilbo and Joey a contract. "It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth."

Bilbo squeaks out, "FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS?!"

Joey rolled her eyes and just signs the contract without even reading it. "There. I'm in."

"I cannot guarantee their safety," Thorin stated, looking at Joey, making sure she hears it.

"Understood," Gandalf replied.

"I am in charge of my own life. I screw up, it's on me," Joey stated.

Nodding, Thorin looked back at Gandalf. "Nor, will I be responsible for their fate."

Gandalf nodded again. "Agreed."

Bilbo took the contract that Joey just signed, and began reading outloud in the hallway. "Terms: Cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one fifteenth of total profits, if any." Bilbo nodded his head. "Seems fair. Eh, Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations . . . evisceration . . . In-Incineration?!" Bilbo asked, eyes widen, and his brain trying to wrap around what he just read.

"Oh, aye," Bofur stated. He'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Joey snorted at the face Bilbo made, and he let out a tiny whimper.

"You alright, laddie?" Balin asked.

Bilbo bends over at the waist, nauseous and pained. "Uh, yeah . . . Just feel a bit faint . . ." he murmured.

Bofur, trying to be helpful, says, "Think furnace with wings."

"Not helping," Joey says as she watches Bilbo grow paler.

"Air, I-I-I need air!" Bilbo panted.

Bofur continued on, still trying to help. "Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash."

Joey facepalmed. "Three . . ."

"What are you going on about?" Thorin muttered as Joey counted Two.

Right as she reached one, Bilbo looked at the company, smiled slightly, said, "Nope," and fainted.

"Wonderful help, Bofur," Joey stated, looking at the passed out hobbit.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Once Bilbo regained consciousness, Gandalf tried to talk Bilbo into joining the company, but he couldn't get him to agree.

"I'm sorry Gandalf, I can't sign this. You've got the wrong Hobbit," and with that, Bilbo left the room, going down the hall.

Balin sighed and looked at Thorin and Joey, who watched the poor Hobbit. "It appears we have lost our burglar. Probably for the best," Balin stated. "The odds were always against us. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners, tinkers, toy-makers, a lady; hardly the stuff of legend."

"There are a few warriors amongst us," Thorin stated, patting Balin's shoulder.

Balin chuckled softly. "Old warriors."

"Hey, all the fighter's aren't old you know," Joanna stated, a small grin on her face, to which Balin and Thorin returned.

"I will take each and every one of these dwarves, and Joanna's help, over an army from the Iron Hills," Thorin stated, making Joey look at him with wide eyes. Really? He would take her help? "For when I called upon them, they came. Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart. I can ask no more than that."

Grinning, Joey pats his shoulder, her hand getting tickled by the fur he wore. "You've got it. Hell, I might have just known you for an evening, Thorin, but I will follow you. You've lost something dear to your family. I can relate, so I will help in every way I can."

"Thank you," Thorin said softly.

"You don't have to do this," Balin stated as Thorin took out the key Gandalf gave him and looked it over. "You have a choice. You've done honorably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains, a life of peace and plenty," Balin spoke proudly. "A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."

"From my grandfather to my father, this has come to me," Thorin stated. "They dreamt of the day when the dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland. There is no choice, Balin. Not for me . . ."

"Then we are with you, laddie," Balin stated.

"Yeah, we'll see it done!" Joey grinned.

Thorin smiled softly at the two, and the three of them gather in Bilbo's living room, the dwarves smoking their pipes by the fire. Joey's sensitive nose would normally hate the smell of cigarette smoke, but the pipes smelled wonderful to her. Suddenly, all of the dwarves began humming, to which Thorin began to sing. Joey shivered at the singing, and hummed along with them.

_Far over the misty mountains cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away ere break of day_

_To find our long-forgotten gold_

_The pines were roaring on the height_

_The winds were moaning in the night_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread_

_The trees like torches blazed with light._

After the song, the company all found a small spot to sleep, and began thinking about tomorrow, the day that will start their adventure.


	4. Story Telling

Chapter Four:

Story Telling

The next morning rolled around, and Joey was waken up by Fili, telling her to get ready. Apparently, Fili and Kili had already went to town and got some ponies for them to ride on the journey. Joanna was overly excited. She loved horses, and depending if they were comfortable around her, they loved her back. She just hoped a horse they chose for her wasn't gonna buck her off because of her Tiger DNA. Also, because of her tiger DNA, it's easier for her to understand animals. It was a very handy trick sometimes.

After changing out of her Boondock Saints T-Shirt and into her "I'm a member of the Loki Army" shirt, she walked outside to find her pony. Apparently, it was God sent for her to wear this shirt, because the horse that was brought too her was a black mare, with light green dye in her hair.

"No way!" she giggled, walking over to pet the horse. "I'm gonna call you Loki. That okay, girl?" she asked, receiving a nuzzle from the horse.

"Mount up!" Thorin ordered, climbing onto his pony.

Joey mounted up on Loki, and clicked her tongue, growling softly at the pony, letting her know what Joanna was. The horse neighed at the news and shook her head, before picking up speed so that the pair were behind Gandalf and Thorin.

"Seems like you were wrong about your hobbit," Thorin stated, looking over at Gandalf.

The wizard was about to comment, when Joey pipped in, "I bet that he'll be here before noon!" A loud whoop was let out through the company, and one of them, Nori, grinned at Joey.

"How about we have a wager then?" the star haired dwarf stated. "How many believe the hobbit will join us?" Hands, including Joey's, shot up. "And how many believe not?" Some hands went up. "Good, now we have a tally. Let's see who wins."

Thorin chuckled and shook his head. "What have you started, Joey?"

Joey just grinned widely at Thorin. "No clue~~!"

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Around noon, Joey was getting worried. They've been riding for a while now, and there was no sign of Bilbo. She was really wanting him to come . . . Not for the bet, but for the fact that an adventure would do him some good.

Just when Joey was about ready to pull out her wallet and pay Nori, a voice called out. "WAIT! WAIT!" It was Bilbo! The company stopped their ponies, and looked back as Bilbo runs up to Balin. "I signed it!" he stated proudly.

Balin took the contract and puts on some pocket glass, then grins at Bilbo. "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

"Give him a pony," Thorin orders and rides off.

Bilbo paled. "No, no, no, no, that . . . That won't be necessary, thank you," he stammered. "But I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-I-I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once-WAGH!" Bilbo's speech was cut off when two dwarves, Fili and Kili, picked him up and put him on a pony. But once on the pony, poor Bilbo looked completely out of place and terrified. The pony, Myrtle, neighs and tosses her head back, making the hobbit even more uncomfortable.

"Oi!" Joey cried out, making Bilbo look at her. "Nori! Pay up!"

Growling in the Dwarvish language, Nori began tossing sack of money to Joey, and to the others that were in on the bet.

"What's that all about?" Bilbo asked.

"Oh," Gandalf chuckled, smoking on his pipe. "They took wagers on whether or not you'd turn up. Most of them bet that you wouldn't"

"Oh?" Bilbo asked. "And what did you think?"

Gandalf grinned at Bilbo and catches a small sack of money tossed to him and puts it in his bag. "My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second."

Chuckling, Bilbo continued to ride, until he sneezes rather loudly. "Oh, all this horse hair, I'm having a reaction . . ." he groaned out as he began searching his pockets. Not being able to find what he's looking for, he looks up in a panic. "No, no, wait, wait, stop! Stop! We have to turn around!" the hobbit exclaimed.

"What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked.

"I forgot my handkerchief!" Bilbo answered, sounding absolutely horrified that he forgot it.

Joey nearly fell off Loki, and was about to shout something at Bilbo, when Bofur tears a strip of cloth from his clothing and tosses it to Bilbo. "Here! Use this!" Bilbo catches the rag and looks absolutely disgusted.

Shaking his head, Thorin clicked his tongue for his pony, before addressing the company. "Move on."

Gandalf looked at the poor hobbit, who's so out of his element, and sighed. "You'll have to manage without pocket-handerchiefs and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you; the world is ahead."

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

The day was full of riding, and Joanna mainly just looked at the sheer beauty of the world she has been blasted into, and a small part of her was really glad she was here. Here, she could forget about her problems, poachers, and what's happened to her. Here, she can be free.

That following night, the company camps for the night near the edge of a cliff. Most of the company is asleep. Only Joey, Bilbo, Gandalf, Fili, and Kili are awake. The brothers tried to tell Joey to go to sleep, and she shook her head. She wanted to help on watch. Joey watches as Bilbo goes over to his horse and feeds her an apple. Over the course of the day, Bilbo became really attached to Myrtle.

Joey was resting in a tree, on a low branch, and listening to the wilderness, when suddenly a loud scream is heard in the night air. Immediately, Joanna is up and using her senses to find the cause.

"What was that?!" Bilbo cried out.

Kili was the one who answered. "Orcs."

Joey found herself growling in anger at the word. "What the hell are orcs?"

Fili looked up at her perch and explained. "Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."

Kili continued where his brother paused. "They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood."

Joey found herself gripping the tree branches tightly, her claws extending into the bark. She thought she escaped the poachers, but these orcs sound just like them. Suddenly, the two brothers began laughing, making Joanna look up and realize they told that story to scare Bilbo. Oh, when she gets her hands on them . . .

"You think that's funny?" A harsh voice called out into the night. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" It was Thorin.

"We didn't mean anything by it . . ." Kili mused quietly.

"No, you didn't," Joey growled out, making the awaken dwarves, wizard, and hobbit look at her. "You don't understand anything about the world." And with that, Joanna jumps down and walks to the edge of the cliff, wanting to let out a loud roar of pain for her fallen family, but she wasn't ready to show that side of her yet . . .

"What ails you?" Thorin's smooth voice suddenly asked behind her.

Joey sighs. "What they were talking about . . . Hits close to home. Where I live, Orcs are called Poachers." Joey snapped her eyes closed. "I lost a good chunk of my family to them . . ."

Thorin looks at her. "I lost my grandfather to Orcs . . . And my father went mad because of it. We could not find him . . ."

Joey looks over at him. "Sorry . . ."

"Sorry about your family," Thorin stated, patting her shoulder. "Let us return."

Joey nodded in agreement and began walking back to the company, and upon arrival, the whole company was wide awake, and staring at Thorin with wide eyes, and look at him in complete respect.

~Balin must've told the longer version of what Thorin told me . . .~ Joey thought and smiled at the thought of the family that was the company.

"But what of the pale orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asked, looking at everyone.

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago," Thorin assured, sitting beside the campfire.

Joey looked around and noticed that the whole company was now wide awake. "Well, how about another story since everyone's awake?" she asked, sitting back in her perch in the tree.

The company looked at her. "Another story?" Bilbo asked.

"Yes. One filled with gore, and blood. And zombies," Joanna stated, her grin becoming feral.

"Zombies? What is that?" Bilbo asked, already not liking the word on his tongue.

Joey's grin got darker. "The living dead."

Everyone was moving to sit under her tree in seconds. "Tell us!" Kili stated.

Laughing, Joanna relaxed in the tree. "The story beings with a man named Rick Grimes. He was in battle, and was greatly wounded. They took him to a healer, and they healed the wounds, but he fell into a deep coma," Joey started, glancing at the group. Most of them were completely enthralled. "But he did wake up one day. And he cried out for help, but no one came. So he gathered some clothes and went in search of the healers. There was no one in this building. Finally, he stumbles outside, and at one point he falls into the grass, next to a body that looked like it was burned."

At this piece of information, some people in the group looked absolutely sick. Some of them had seen a burned body, so they knew exactly what Rick was seeing and smelling.

"He gagged at the sight of the creature and knelt beside it and began apologizing over and over, wishing that he could have helped. Then the creature jumped up and tried to grab Rick."

"It was alive?!" Ori squeaked out.

"No. The rotting stage of death had already taken over this poor woman. Her lower half was gone, and nothing but intestines was visible below her stomach." Some in the company turned a sickly shade of green.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

For about an hour, Joey told the basic over view of the Walking Dead to the group. And most of them were completely enthralled with the story, but she finished when they arrived at Hershal's farm.

"You can't stop there!" Fili called out.

"Yeah!" Kili agreed. "You gotta tell us is Carl survives!" he whines out.

"And if they find Sophia!" Ori pipped in.

"Lass," Dwalin called out, making Joey look up at the bigger dwarf. "What I don't understand is how these creatures are so terrifying. What makes them so scary?"

"Oh, I can show you!" Joey stated, jumping down unto the ground.

"N-No that's not necessary!" Bilbo cried out.

Joanna slumped her head, and let her arms fall like dead weight on her, and began stalking towards Dwalin, making the low gurgling, growling, sounds that the Walkers use. When she gets close to the dwarf, she stretches her arms out, picking up her speed lightly, and increases the urgency in her voice. She looked like she was really gonna take a chunk out of Dwalin, and when he braces himself for an actual attack, Joey stops and grins widely.

"That's how they walk and act in the story," Joey explained. "But the real reason why they're is so terrifying is that if you're bit or scratched, you will die and turn into one unless the brain is destroyed."

"And people enjoy these stories in your home?!" Bilbo squeaked out.

"Oh yeah, we glorify them. They're amazing," Joey stated. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm getting some sleep. Don't let the walkers get you~~" she sang out slightly before going to sleep in the tree.


	5. Trolls

Chapter Five:

Trolls

The next day rolled around, and it was raining. No one was happy about the rain. Especially Joey, given her feline nature, that one was a given.

"Here, Mister Gandalf," Dori started. "Can't you do something about this deluge?" he asked.

"Seriously!" Joanna whined. "I'm getting soaked here!"

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, Miss Joey, And it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard," Gandalf stated, making another whine fall past Joanna's lips.

"Are there any?" Bilbo asked.

"What?" Gandalf asked, confused at the sudden question.

"He means if there's other wizards!" Joey pipped up, her head laying on Loki's mane. She was wearing her zip up hoodie to help with the rain, but it's been raining so much that it's not helping.

"There are five of us," Gandalf stated. "The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names . . ." Gandalf mused.

"And who's the fifth?" Joey asked, trying to keep her mind off the rain.

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown," Gandalf explained.

Bilbo smirked up at Gandalf, a small trickster grin on his face. "Is he a great wizard, or is he . . . more like you?"

Joey nearly fell off Loki at the face Gandalf made to that statement. The only reason she didn't fall off was the fact that Thorin gripped her arm and helped her keep her balance. "It seems you've rubbed off on our hobbit."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Joey asked, grinning. Thorin just shook his head and sped up ahead of the company. Joey listened to Gandalf's answer.

"I think he is a very great wizard, in his own way." What a way to say he's weird, Gandalf. "He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others." What's so bad about that? "He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foodhold in this world."

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Finally, the rain stopped, and the company rejoiced in the fact of the dry weather. And shortly after that, the company arrives at an old abandoned farmhouse, which is in ruins . . . Joey gets an uncomfortable feeling, but shakes it off.

"We'll camp here for the night," Thorin ordered, looking over the company. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." Thorin's two nephews nodded and raced off to keep attention on the ponies.

"I wonder who lived here . . ." Joanna stated, looking at the ruins of the house.

"A farmer and his family . . ." Gandalf stated, answering her question.

"Oin, Gloin!" Thorin called out, ignoring the conversation between the wizard and the girl. Gloin reported to Thorin immediately. "Get a fire going," Thorin commanded, to which Gloin eagerly agreed too.

Gandalf walked up to the leader of the company. "I think it would be wiser to move on . . . We could make for the Hidden Valley."

"I have told you already, I will not go near that place," Thorin growled.

"Why?" Joey asked quietly. Normally, Thorin would have snapped at whoever asked such a stupid question, but he remembers that Joanna doesn't know much about their world. Instead of snapping, he ignored her.

"The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice," Gandalf reasoned.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed how confused Joanna was about the whole conversation, but he stayed focused on the wizard. "I do not need their advice!"

"We have a map we cannot read! They could help us!" Gandalf continued.

"Help?!" Thorin snapped, making Joey jump back slightly. Thorin felt a tiny pinch in his heart when she moved away from him, but he ignored it to continue his rant to Gandalf. "A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the Elves looked on and did nothing!" he growled out, noticing that Joey understood why he didn't want the help of Elves. "You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather, and betrayed my father."

Gandalf swelled up at that. "You are neither of them. I did not give yo uthat map and key for you to hold on to the past!"

Thorin bared his teeth at Gandalf, and slowly growled out. "I did not know that they were yours to keep." Before Gandalf blew a gasket, the wizard stormed away, leaving the company.

Bilbo looks nervous at the fact that Gandalf was leaving. That wasn't good. "Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?"

Gandalf continued to walk off. "To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense!"

"Who's that?" Bilbo asked, thoroughly confused.

"Myself, Mister Baggins!" Gandalf snapped. "I've had enough of dwarves for one day." And with that, the wizard was gone.

"Come on, Bombur," Thorin stated, getting everyone's attention away from the leaving wizard. "We're hungry."

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

After eating a bowl of food, Joey looks at the bowl sitting beside her. It was Thorin's, but he hasn't come to eat. Sighing loudly, Joanna stood up and picked up the bowl and walked to where Thorin's scent was. "Stubborn males . . ." was all she muttered under her breath.

She found Thorin standing in the ruins of the house that he and Gandalf had the argument. He was looking over the house, and touching the rotting wood, as if remembering his own tragic homeland.

"Elves are dicks," was the first thing she stated walking into the house, making Thorin whirl around and stare at her. "I mean, c'mon, not helping when your neighboring people are in trouble? That's cowardice."

Chuckling, Thorin took the food that Joey offered. "You don't have to say that to make me feel better."

Laughing, Joey grinned at him. "Good, I was doing a piss-poor job of it." Thorin laughed at that slightly. "I wanna show you something," Joey stated, pulling a book out of her back pack. In the book, a picture was used as a bookmark. After glancing at the picture herself, Joanna handed it to Thorin. "It's a picture of me, my dad, and my mom."

"You were very young in this picture," Thorin chuckled, looking at the small child, who was grinning widely, revealing she was missing some teeth. "And I see that you fought a lot . . ."

"Yeah, I was always in a scrap in my neighborhood. Because I was different," Joey admitted, looking at the picture.

"Different? Different how?" Thorin asked.

Joey froze. She hadn't meant to say that. When she was younger, she was born with the rare card of being a white tiger, making her very different from the other tiger shifters in her neighborhood, making her the perfect bullying target . . .

"Well . . . Um . . ."

But before she could think up a lie to tell him, Fili and Kili come running into the camp, screaming about Trolls, and that Bilbo was in trouble.

"Bilbo!" Joey screamed, and jumped up to run towards the hobbit in trouble, before Thorin grabbed her arm. "What the hell, Thorin?! We gotta help Bilbo!"

"Stay here, we will save Bilbo," Thorin stated, before grabbing a weapon and running in the directions the rest of the company ran off to.

Joey stood there, shell-shocked that Thorin made her stay back. "What the fuck? I thought I needed to prove myself, asshole!"

TLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Several minutes went by, and Joanna was pacing in the camp. No one had returned yet, and she was getting nervous. "Fuck this!" she growls, before creeping after where the company had ran off too. Getting close to where the company's scent was, Joanna was able to see what was keeping the company. The trolls, ugly, hideous, trolls had put all of the dwarves into sacks, including Bilbo, and were roasting several dwarves.

"Oh shit . . ." she muttered. "I gotta help them, but ho- I GOT IT!" She gasped to herself. Taking off in a sprint back to the camp, Joanna took a deep breath and let her fangs grow out in her mouth. Once he canines were long enough, she bit into her forearm, tearing off the skin. Blinking away tears from the sheer pain of the procedure, Joey began smearing the blood all over her face and neck. Once that was done, Joanna let her full body transform into that of a white tiger. In this form, she licked the bite mark on her paw, which had already closed, thanks to the shifting to her full form.

In her full form, she had her blood all over her muzzle, and down her neck, looking like she killed something, or someone. Jumping over to the spot where she kept her back pack, Joanna grabbed the thing in her mouth, getting blood all over it, and raced through the forest. Once she reached the trolls and the company, Joanna learned that Bilbo was trying to stall for time, but it wasn't working. Just as the trolls were about to attack Bilbo, Joey let out a loud roar, silencing the trolls, who looked out in the woods in fear. Once she had their attention, Joey jumped out, standing on the rock all the bagged dwarves were resting again.

"Who are you?!" one of the trolls cried out, making Joanna roar again. Looking out of the corner or her eyes, Joey noticed that all the dwarves were staring at her in fear.

**"You damn trolls! You took my kill!" **Joey roared out.

"Your kill? These dwarves is ours!" the dumber troll stated.

**"I have been trailing these dwarves for miles. They. Are. My. Kill." **

"Prove it!"

**"I have already killed one of them!"** Joey roared, tossing her bloodied bag in front of the fire that some of the dwarves were roasting on.

The company all cried out her name, and some of them cursing her out. Thorin's were the loudest.

**"SILENCE!"** she roared out, jumping down and facing the trolls.** "Leave my kill."**

"Never!" one of the trolls stated, ready to attack Joanna, who was in a pouncing stance, ready to attack. Until a familiar voice cried out.

"THE DAWN WILL TAKE YOU ALL!" It was Gandalf. Gandalf strikes the rock he was standing on with his staff, splitting it in half, allowing the sunlight behind it to pour into the clearing. The instant the sunlight touches the trolls' skin, they begin to turn into stone. Within seconds, there are three stone statues in the clearing.

Once the trolls are taken care of, Joanna prances over to the bagged dwarves, raising a paw to the bag. It was Thorin.

"I will kill you for harming someone in my company."

Joey rolled her eyes and slices the bag open. **"Silly, Thorin. I'd actually have to be dead for you to avenge me." **That threw everyone there into a loop. **"Why are you looking at me like th- Oh! Opps! Let me change back!"**

And with that, Joanna closed her eyes and willed herself to go into her halfway form, her clothes still intact. "Hey guys!"

Thorin's eyes were wide. "J-Joanna?!"

Joanna gave him a feral grin. "The one and only! Now, let's get you out of those bags!"

Once everyone was freed, she was ambushed with questions. She answered them all honestly:

"I was born like this."

"My whole family is able to do this."

"Yes, the ears and tail are attached."

"Yes my hair is longer now."

"This is my half form."

"I'm a white tiger. A rare species of tiger."

"I got the blood from my own arm. See? You can still see the scar."

"No, Bilbo, I'm not a ghost.

When she was done being bombarded with questions, Thorin walks over to her. "Was this what you meant back at the farmhouse? You were mocked because of your form?"

"Because of my color white, yes." Joey looked up at the leader of the company, with a serious tone in her voice. "If you don't want me to accompany you any further, I will completely understand, Thorin Oakenshield."

Everyone in the company made unhappy cries, saying that they want her to stay, which made Joanna smile sweetly at them.

"If I were to make you leave, I would lose a very valuable ally. I want you to continue with us," Thorin stated, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Joey looked at him with wide eyes, before grinning. "You got yourself a tiger!" she stated, pulling Thorin into a hug, which surprised everyone, but when Joey whispered a tiny "Thank you" to Thorin, he understood. She was used to being shunned by her nature, and it was rare that people want to accept her. In that fact, he returned the hug, and in the back of his mind, he really liked the way she molded to him.

When Joanna pulled away, Thorin looked over to Gandalf. "Did you know?"

"I knew she was special, and had a power we haven't seen before."

"She calls herself a Tiger Shifter. Is that the correct term?" Thorin asked the wizard.

"We know them as skin-changers," Gandalf stated, noticing how Joey's black and white ear twiched on top of her head, and her head slumped slightly. Thorin realized the actions as well. "But, she seems to be in complete control of the tiger nature of herself, so she is not a beast."

Nodding, happy with that answer, Thorin grinned up at the wizard again. "Where did you go, if I may ask?"

"To look ahead," Gandalf answered, taking a step in front of the Dwarf leader.

"What brought you back?" Joey asked, joining in their conversation. Before her eyes widen and glares at Bofur. "I WILL KICK YOUR ASS FOR THAT COMMENT!"

Chuckling, Gandalf looks at Joey. "Seems like your senses are greater than we knew, Miss Joanna."

"Yep! I have amazing hearing, smelling, and eyesight in this form!" Joey grinned widely. "But enough about me! Why did you come back?"

"Looking behind," the wizard finally admitted. "Nasty business. Still, they are all in one piece."

"No thanks to your burglar and Joanna," Thorin admitted.

"They had the sense to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that."

Joanna blushed at the comment from both of them, but neither saw, because Thorin and Gandalf examined the statues of the trolls. "Where did they come from?" Joanna asked.

"They must have come down from the Ettenmoors," Gandalf stated.

Thorin looked at him in surprise at the news. "Since when do the mountain trolls venture this far south?"

Gandalf looked at the trolls more closely. "Oh, not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands." The wizard and dwarf leader shared a meaningful look at one another. "They could not have moved in daylight.

"Which means . . ." Joey muttered.

"There must be a cave nearby!" Thorin exclaimed.


	6. Orc Attack

Chapter Six:

Orc Attack

The company search the nearby woods for a cave that was big enough to house the three large trolls. It didn't take long to find it, for Joey anyway who followed the trolls scent. By the time they reached the mouth of the cave, Joanna was retching.

"Are you alright?" Thorin asked, patting her back as last night's supper threatened to make an appearance.

"Smell . . . Can't . . . Breath . . ." she gasps softly, reverting back to her fully human form. The intensity of the smell died down slightly, but Joey needed to pull her shirt over her nose to help her breath. "It's too much for me to stay in that half form," the tiger growled out.

"This is a troll hoard," Gandalf explained to everyone as they enter the cave. "Be careful what you touch."

"I need some damn Germ-X," the girl growled out, following Thorin into the cave.

The dwarves were examining the gold with wide eyes, some even burying the gold to "come back later". The smell proved too much for Joanna, who left the cave and went outside, deep breathing some fresh air. Just as the company began coming out of the cave, a new scent hit Joanna's nose, making her growl softly.

"Something's coming!" Thorin shouted out.

"Stay together!" Gandalf warned. "Hurry now, arm yourselves!"

Everybody prepared their weapons, and Joanna let her claws grow out, while letting her canines grow. But the creature that came to "attack" them, was another wizard, that obviously was known by Gandalf.

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown! Ah, what on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf asked, looking at the very . . . earth based Wizard.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong . . . Something's terribly wrong . . ." Radagast stated. When Gandalf signaled him to continue, Radagast seemed like he forgotten what he was going to say. "Oh, just give me a minute," he mused. "I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, right there . . . On the tip of my tongue!" Radagast made a funny face, and pulled out a stick insect out of his mouth, making Joey's stomach churn at the mere thought. Noticing how Radagast was making the company, Gandalf and Radagast moved a couple of paces to speak in private.

They talked for a few moments, before a loud howl made them stop. The howl made Joey's blood run cold as she let her half form come over her. "I don't like the sound of that . . ." she mused to Thorin.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked "Are there . . . Are there wolves out there?"

"Wolves?" Bofur scoffed. "No, that is not a wolf."

Joey's ear twitched as a twig snapped behind her and turned just as a Warg attacked, knocking down most of the dwarves. Joey slashes at the creature, cutting into its flesh. The attack made the Warg look at Joanna, and in that second, Thorin strikes at the monster, killing it, using Orcrist, the sword he found in the troll cave. Another Warg attacks from the other side, and Joanna lunges at the warg, using her canines, to latch onto it's jugular, killing the beast.

Thorin glances at her. "This is what you meant by your fists, I see."

Joey grinned at him, before spitting out a piece of Warg hair. "I've tasted worse," she stated, grinning. "What the hell are these things?"

"Warg-Scouts!" Thorin explained. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind!"

"Orc pack?!" Bilbo squeaks out.

Gandalf stood up to Thorin, who was standing beside the sole girl of the group. "Who did you tell about your quest? Beyond your kin?"

"No one," Thorin answers.

"Who did you tell?!" the wizard demanded again.

"No one, I swear!" Thorin growled out. "What in Durin's name is going on?"

Joanna snarled at the dead Warg. "I'd say you're being hunted. We gotta get out of here."

"We can't!" Ori wailed. "We have no ponies, they bolted."

Joanna snorted loudly. "Smartest move they've done all day." Joey counted the amount of people they have. "I can carry three at most on my back in my tiger form, but not with a pack on my ass . . ."

The strange wizard stepped up to the group. "I'll draw them off," Radagast offered.

"Those are Gundabad Wargs!" Gandalf stated. "They will outrun you."

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits," Radagast countered, grinning slightly. "I'd like to see them try." And with that, the strange wizard galloped away with his rabbits, dragging the Orcs away from them.

Joanna watched as Radagast lead the Wargs and Orcs away. "Okay, that dude is insane . . . I like him," she laughed, nudging the person in front of her, Thorin, who laughed in return.

"You two quit your flirting, and come on!" Gandalf cried, making Joey blush madly.

The company rushes across the rocky plain, trying not to be seen by the Orcs or Wargs. To keep from being spotted by the Wargs, the company is hidden behind the large rocks. Gandalf and Thorin keep their eyes on the company, helping them keep everyone alive.

Thorin, who was suspicious of Gandalf's actions, looked at the wizard and growled out softly, "Where are you leading us?" The wizard did not answer, only leading the group to the next rock formation.

"Just take a leap of faith, Thorin. It's what's kept us alive this far," Joey stated, squeezing his shoulder in reassurance. "And if we make it through this pack alive, I'm so gonna kiss you."

Thorin sputtered at the thought and looked at her. "What?"

Even though she was blushing madly, Joey grinned. "I find you highly attractive, you already know that. And if I live through this, I'm gonna kiss you. I'm giving you a fair warning," the girl replied, before running to the next formation.

Thorin blinked at the bluntness of her admittance to affections of him, the promise she gave him, gave Thorin another reason for him and the company to make it through, even if it was a little selfish on his part. When he reaches Joanna at the next rock formation, he leads down and whispers in her ear, "I will hold you to your promise."

At the next rock formation, one of the Orcs, mounted on a Warg, had sniffed out their scent and was on top of the rock, looking for them. Moving quietly, Joanna looked to Thorin and winked, shifting quietly, and then looked at Kili. Kili nodded and steps out, shooting the warg, while Joanna jumps up and grabs the Orc by the neck, crushing his neck.

The other Warg scouts begin to howl, after witnessing it's comrades death. This made the pack cease in their attack after Radagast and began chasing after the company.

"RUN!" Gandalf ordered, making the whole company take off running.

The company did as Gandalf, ordered, but eventually halted when they were surrounded on all sides by Wargs.

"More are coming!" Kili cried out.

"Kili!" Thorin shouted. "Shoot them!"

"We're surrounded!" Fili stated, drawing his blade.

Growling, softly, Joanna shifted into her half way form and slashed at the nearest Orc. Looking around, the tiger didn't see Gandalf anywhere, and was being to wonder if the wizard has abandon them, as some of the other dwarves seem to believe. While Joey was distracted for a millisecond, a warg claws at her back, giving her three decent size claw marks on her right shoulder blade, making her cry out.

"JOANNA!"

Joey roars loudly and turns and kills the warg that attacked her, before retreating back near Thorin, gripping her shoulder. "I'm fine," she whispered out.

Just as Thorin pulls out his sword again, ready to attack, Gandalf pops up from a crack in the rock where he disappeared. "THIS WAY, YOU FOOLS!" Gandalf shouted.

"Come on, move! Quickly!" Thorin commanded. "All of you! Go, go, go!"

As everyone slides down the crack in the rocks, Joanna, Thorin, and Kili are the final ones to go down, before hearing a horn sound, signaling an attack. Suddenly, an orc falls into the cave, riddled with arrows. Thorin plucks the arrow out of the monster's chest and examines it.

"Elves," he growled out.

Towards the back of the cave, a small tunnel is seen by Dwalin. "I cannot see where the pathway leads," he replied solemly. "Do we follow it, or no?"

Bofur rolled his eyes. "We follow it, of course!"

"I think that would be wise," Gandalf replied.

"Yeah, let go," Joey stated, still clutching her shoulder tightly.

Thorin, noticing the winces of pain on her face, sighs and follows Gandalf, not liking where he thinks the wizard is taking them. The path was very narrow, as it was just a crack between two tall cliffs. At times, some of the larger dwarves had difficulty going through. Towards the end of the pathway, it opens up to an open area, and there is a valley below, and a large city.

"It's beautiful . . ." Joey stated, looking at the gorgeous city.

"Aye, that it is," Gandalf stated. "This is the Valley of Imraldis. In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name."

Bilbo gave that piece of information with a wide smile. "Rivendell."


	7. Rivendell

Chapter Seven:

Rivendell

While the company looked over the beautiful scenery of Rivendell, Gandalf continued describing the breathtaking homeland of the Elves. "Here lies the last Homely House ease of the sea."

Thorin turned and glared at the wizard. "This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy!"

"Thorin . . ." Joey sighed.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf defended, stepping up to stand face to face with the dwarf. "The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing?!" Thorin snapped. "They will try to stop us."

Gandalf rolled his eyes. "Of course they will! But we have questions that need to be answered, and one of us is wounded," the wizard reasoned, pointing his staff over to Joey.

"Oi, don't drag me into this," the tiger growled. "One good full shift from me and I'll be fit as a fiddle. Remember when I bit into my own flesh to help against the trolls?" And to add to the proof, Joey lifted up her arm, where a bite wound was clearly visible, but only as a scar. "I merely have a scar from last night."

Ignoring the explanation, Gandalf turned back to the leader. "If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me," Gandalf stated.

Thorin glared as the wizard walked passed, and Joey looked at Thorin and placed a hand on her hip, snapped her fingers in a Z formation and said, "Mm-hm, you heard what the sassy wizard said," with a black woman's tone. Thorin couldn't help the small smile that broke out on his face.

The group walks across a bridge and officially enters Rivendell. A few of the elves are seen strolling around, not having a car in the world. While Joey and Bilbo look around in amazement, the dwarves look uneasy.

As soon as they passed between two elven statues, a raven-haired elf walks down a flight of stairs and greets them. "Mithrandir!" he greeted.

"Ah, Lindir!" Gandalf greeted, walking up to the dark-headed elf. They were friends, thank God. Even though it seemed that Gandalf was in good favor of the Elves, Thorin and company was still weary. "I must speak with Lord Elrond," Gandalf stated.

Lindir's face fallen slightly. "My lord Elron is not here."

"Not here? Where is he?"

Gandalf got the answer to his question when the Elvish horns from earlier were heard by the gates. Turning, the company watches as many armed horsemen approached them along the bridge at a healthy clip. The warriors of the company bunched up together in a tight circle, with their weapons pointed outward. In response, the mounted Elves arrive and ride in circles around the dwarves.

Just when hell was about to break loose, one elf separates from the others. "Gandalf," the newly arrived elf greeted.

"Lord Elrond," Gandalf greeted, before speaking in the Elvish tongue.

While the two companions began talking to each other, Joey mutters under her breath, "I'm completely lost. I wish these assholes would speak English . . . Or at least come with subtitles . . ."

As if hearing her command, Elrond began talking to Gandalf in English. "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders," he stated. "Something, or someone, has drawn them near." As proof, Elrond pulls out a Orc sword and shows it to everyone, before passing it to Lindir.

"Ah . . ." Gandalf hummed. "That may have been us . . ."

"May have?!" Joey gawked.

Thorin rolls his eyes at Joey's outburst and steps forward, making Elrond look at him, and a flash of recognition flashes across the Elf's features. "Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain."

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin replies calmly.

"You have your grandfather's bearing," Elrond commented. "I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain."

"Indeed," Thorin hummsed. "He made no mention of you."

Joey snorted a laugh, muttering, "Aw, snap!"

Ignoring the insult, Elrond turns to the other the dwarves and begans speaking in Elvish language. The company is confused, and have no clue about what the Elven Lord is speaking.

Gloin grabs his weapon, glaring at the Elves. "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?!"

Gandalf sighs. "No, Master Gloin. He's offering you food . . ."

That made the company do a complete turn around to discuss this new piece of information among themselves. Gloin turns back around and smiles with a false sense of serenity. "Ah, well, in that case, lead on!"

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

The company is shown to a dining hall, where a large buffet is set out for them. But, the dwarves aren't too happy. Given that the majority of the food offered is mostly vegetables. Dori urges Ori to just try a bite, while Dwalin searches through the green veggies to find some meet. No one seems satisfied.

Joey merely rolls her eyes and just eats the bowl of greens on her plate. Sure, she would prefer a steak over the medley of vegetables, but she really doesn't have a choice now.

"Madam?" a new voice asked, over the roar of the dwarves.

Joey snapped her head up, being the only girl sitting at the table eating with the company. "Yes?"

"I am Rindulus, and I am a healer," the Elf Maiden stated, bowing slightly. "I was informed by your leader that you were injured. Would you like me to look at your wounds?"

Joey's eye twitched. She had strictly told Thorin and Gandalf she could handle the wounds on her own, but they still wanted a healer look at them. She couldn't be too mad, since they're putting her health above anything else. But the thought of showing her back to a stranger sat like an iron stone in her stomach.

Sighing, Joey stood up from the table. "Let's get this over with. Lead the way, Miss Rindulus."

When the two females get to the healer's room, Joey removes her Loki shirt, which now has three good size gashes on them. "Dammit . . . I really liked this shirt . . . Do you guys have some needle and thread?"

Rindulus looked up, her blond hair glittering in the bright lights that were shining in the halls of Rivendell. "You wish to mend your garment?"

"Yeah. It's a collectors piece. And I want to fix it," Joey stated, running her fingers over the fabric.

"I will fetch you a needle and thread when I have tended to your wounds, miss Joanna," Rindulus says softly, before placing her cool hands on Joeys back.

Joey hisses softly at the cool touches of her hands to the still tender wounds left by the Wargs. Half of the hiss was from the actual pain from the touch, the other was the worry that set in, wondering if the She-Elf would recognize the marks. "Shit . . ." the female cursed. "How bad is it?"

"Not as bad as I originally thought," Rindulus stated, placing some gauze and bandages over the slash marks. "The Warg didn't get it's claws deeply into you, so no serious damage."

"Thank God," Joey hummed softly. "So do I get a clean bill of health?"

Chuckling, Rindulus nodded. "Yes. Now, I will go fetch the needle and thread you desire." With that, Rindulus stood up, making Joey sighed. "But before I go, I wish to ask about the markings on your back . . . I've never seen such markings before . . ."

Joey looked up at Rindulus and smiled. "It's a family thing . . . Everyone in my family has them. Like all the elves have pointed ears."

"Very interesting. I will go fetch the items you wish for."

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Roughly an hour later, Joey held up the freshly stitched up shirt she wore in the Orc fight, looking good as new. "Hot damn, if this fails, I can always become a seamstress!" Joey laughed, throwing her shirt into her backpack. After Rindulus had bandaged up her wound, Joanna went and took a much needed shower, and changed into a green shirt and blue jeans, throwing on her tennis shoes.

Joey stretched her arms up, popping her back, and looked out the window in the room she was in. It was after dark. "Perfect time to go for a midnight stroll~!" she said in a sing song voice, and skipped out of her room and out into the town of Rivendell. It wasn't too long before she found herself on a bridge towards the outside of the town, just looking up at the stars. "This place is so beautiful . . ." she mused.

"If you say so," a gruff voice stated, making Joey look back, and grinning at seeing Thorin.

"Psh, you men just can't appreciate the beauty of the sky," Joey stated, looking back up at the sky, her golden yellow eyes glowing in the starlight. "I remember when I was a cub, I would run out into the night, and just lay on a tree branch, and watch the stars, naming the constellations."

"Constellations?" Thorin asked, an amused tone in his voice. "You know which group of stars are which?"

"Most of them," Joey gloated, grinning broadly, her canines glistening. "Like I know the constellations for Leo, Cancer, Pieces, and Taurus."

"Amazing," Thorin mused. "Then you mustn't get lost in your homeland too much."

"Not really. If I know where the north star is, I can always find my way home . . ."

Thorin looked over at her, as Joey looked off the bridge and into the water, watching the fish moving beneath the surface. "Then why did you not try to find your home before the journey?" Right when Thorin asked the question, he watched as Joey's body tensed up.

"I . . ." she began before sighing. "I told you that Poachers killed my family, but I did not tell you why."

"Because of what you are, tigers, correct?" Thorin asked, resting against the railing of the bridge.

"Not necessarily," Joey countered. "Yes, we are tigers, but that's not why we are hunted."

"Then why?"

Sighing again, Joey looked up at Thorin, her yellow eyes cutting into the black night. "I was really scared when you had that healer look at my back."

"Scared . . .?" Thorin whispered, his eyes etched in confusion. "But why?"

"Because of this . . ." Joey mused, turning and raising her shirt up in the back, revealing the very faint tiger markings on her entire back. "These marks are the reason why my family was poached. They're killed in their human form, and skinned . . . Just for these . . ." Joey said in a whisper, her fingers going over the marks.

"And you thought . . . If the healer . . ." Realization dawned in Thorin's eyes as they soften slightly. "Oh, Joanna . . . I am so sorry . . ."

Joey held up her hand. "Don't. Rindulus didn't recognize the markings and I was able to cover it up. And you didn't know," Joey stated, letting her shirt fall down and shrugging. "So no harm done. Now, onto more important things!" The tiger leaned against the railing, looking back down at the water. "What did Elrond say about the map? Did he find anything?"

A small smile made it's way onto Thorin's face, making him look much more attractive than when he was scowling. "Oh yes. He was able to translate a new part of the map."

"Oh?" Joey gasped, her eyes glittering. "Tell me!"

"He said, 'Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole'," Thorin recited. He had memorized it. He was one more step closer to his dream.

"Durin's Day? What's that?" Joey asked, cocking her head to the side.

"It's the start of the dwarves new year," Thorin explained, looking up at the sky. "Which is not that far away . . ."

"We're gonna make it, Thorin," Joey reassured. "I promise."

The second that word left her mouth, Thorin smirked at her. "You promise, eh? That reminds me of something."

"Hm? What?" Joey asked, her head cocked to the side.

"You promised me something in the middle of a Orc battle," Thorin stated, his smirk growing wider as Joey blushed profusely. "And I said I would hold you to that promise." As he said that, Thorin took a few steps closer to the tiger, making the girl having to look up at him, given that he's a few inches taller than her. "Will you keep that promise?"

Joey's mouth was suddenly filled with cotton balls, and it was getting harder to breath. Was this really going to happen? "O-Only if you want it too, Thorin," Joey whispered out, a slight purr in her voice.

That was all Thorin needed to hear before he placed his hands on either side of her face, threading his fingers into her hair, and gently pulls her face closer to his. Their lips grazed each other, and both parties gasped at the electricity that surged through them.

Taking that feeling as a good sign, Joey slowly moved her hand that rested on Thorin's breastplate and moved them up to his shoulders, before wrapping themselves around the dwarf's neck, as said dwarf pushes his lips harder against hers.

Joanna moans into the kiss, and threads her fingers into Thorin's hair and tugs gently, making him gasp loudly at the sensation.

As Joey's lungs threatened to malfunction if she kept the wonderful kiss going, the tiger pulled away, and looked up at Thorin with wide eyes. "Wow . . . Damn . . . What a kiss!" She could barely form a sentence.

Thorin chuckled lowly, his warm breath caressing her face. "Agreed."

Blushing softly, the two parties began de-tangling themselves from one another. If a kiss did that too them, if left together much longer, there's no telling what they'd do.

"So . . . What does this make us? Are we seeing each other, or is it just a fling?" Joey asked softly.

"A fling?" Thorin asked, his eyes full of shock. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, my Joanna."

A shiver ran through Joey's body at the way her name rolled off Thorin's tongue, and the fact that he called her his was enough to make Joey want to pull him by the arm and into her bedroom for some one on one action.

"Okay, two things. One, that 'my' thing? Sexy as fuck!" Joey stated, her face glowing red. Thorin just grinned sheepishly. "And two, why do you always call me Joanna? Never once have you called me Joey, that I can think of."

Thorin chuckled. "A woman of your beauty shouldn't be called a man's name."

" . . . That was smooth, Thorin Oakenshield. Damn smooth," Joey laughed. Looking back up at the sky, Joey asked another question. "So, when are we leaving Smooth Oakenshield?"

Rolling his eyes at the teasing, Thorin looked at the bright moon. "We leave at dawn. Go get some rest," he suggested, leaning down to kiss Joey's forehead. "I will see you at dawn." And with that, Thorin left to find the company, who were too busy partying to not notice that Thorin wasn't there.

Joey waved at him bye, and looked at the sky one more time before retiring to her room to get some sleep. At least two goals were completed today. Kiss Oakenshield, and get him to call her his. Oh what a fantastic night!


	8. Into the Mountains

Chapter Eight:

Into the Mountain

The next morning, the dwarves, Bilbo, and Joey are all up at dawn, and already packed. They're ready to continue on with their adventure. Durin's Day is too close for them to relax a few days. By the time the sun actually poked over the mountains, shining onto Rivendell, the company was already up onto the mountains, over looking the city.

"Be on your guard," Thorin warned. "We're about to step over the edge of the Wild. Balin, you know these paths; lead on," Thorin urged, letting the elder dwarf lead the company. While Balin passed Thorin, the leader noticed that the burglar of the group turned around and stared at the town of Rivendell. "Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up," Thorin stated gruffly, then nodded approvingly when the hobbit turned and followed them on their journey.

Seconds passed into minutes, and minutes passed into hours. The company was on the mountain all day, and by the time night has fallen, a monstrous storm had moved in, making it hard to see pass their own noses.

"We gotta find shelter!" Joey yelled over the storm to Thorin, who agreed.

"WATCH OUT!" Dwalin shouted out, which made the company look up to see boulder hurtling through the air. It hits the mountainside above the company, which causes rocks to fall around them. The company had to press themselves against the mountain to keep away from the falling rocks.

"What the fuck hurled that?!" Joanna screamed, looking up in the sky, her golden eyes widening.

"This is no thunderstorm! It's a thunder battle!" Balin yells. "LOOK!" Everybody looks up and their eyes get huge when they witness a stone giant rears up from a nearby mountain, then it rips off a massive boulder from the top of the mountain.

"Well, bless me!" Bofur stated. "The legends are true! Giants; STONE GIANTS!"

"Take cover!" Thorin commands, pushing some of the dwarves against the mountain. "Or you'll fall!"

"What's happening?" Kili asked, looking over Thorin's shoulder.

What happening was, the stone giant hurled the boulder fair into the air. A second stone giant decided to show up for the party, appearing behind the group, and is hit in the head by the boulder. Everybody yells at each other to brace themselves and to hold on, and the rocks beneath their feet begin to give way because of all the vibrations o the battle. Suddenly, the ground between some of the members splits, separating two groups.

"Kili!" Fili screams. "Grab my ha-"

Just when the company didn't think it could get worse, a third stone giant appears and throws another boulder at one of the first two's head, hitting it hard. The one that falls over, it seems to crush the other group, then falls into the chasm.

"NO!" Thorin yells out. "KILI!"

The group rushes over to the spot where the second group was crushed, only to find that everyone was safe.

"THANK YOU, SWEET BABY JESUS!" Joey yelled out, running over to get as many as she can into a hug, before looking around, and notices something deadly wrong. "Bilbo? WHERE'S BILBO?!"

"There!" Ori yells out, pointing to the edge, where Bilbo is hanging on the edge of the cliff with just his fingertips.

Ori dives onto the ground and tries to grab Bilbo's arm, but the hobbit slips and falls another few feet before he catches another handhold. As the dwarves try to pull him up, which they were unsuccessful, Thorin swings down on the cliff next to Bilbo and boosts him up, where the others pull him to safety. Dwalin tries to lift Thorin back up too, but Thorin loses his grip and begins falling too, but Dwalin, with much effort, pulls him back up. And the second Thorin's feet are solidly back on the ground, Joey runs up and embraces him tightly.

"Don't ever, EVER, fucking scare me like that again . . ." the girl murmurs into the fur on Thorin's chest.

"I don't intend too," Thorin hums to her.

Once everyone gets their bearrings back, Dwalin pats Bilbo on the back. "I thought we'd lost our burglar."

Thorin looks back at Bilbo. "He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place among us!" Thorin growled, making Joey's mouth fall open. Then she swings and punches Thorin in the shoulder. "Joanna?!"

"You asshole!" she screams at him, before storming off with Dwalin to go and find a cave.

"Was that really necessary, lass?" Dwalin asked, looking over at the very angry tiger of the group.

"Yes it was, Dwalin," Joey growled out. "Bilbo fucking belongs with us. He's the first friend I ever made in this world, and I want to do this adventure with him! That asshole Thorin better be glad I didn't fucking punch him in his face."

"Even if you harvest feelings for our leader?" Dwalin questioned.

Scoffing, Joey turned and glared at Dwalin. "Yes. Even if I have a thing for Thorin. I still met Bilbo first." Joey's golden eyes narrowed, cutting into the darkness. "And he was my first friend in this world when I was lost, and was weak. Then I meet everyone in the company, THEN Thorin."

"I understand that you are upset at him, but he's putting everyone's well-being over everything," Dwalin stated, playing the reason card, which is unusual for him.

Joey whirled around, mouth agape. "How the hell was saying that Bilbo doesn't belong with us fucking watching out for his safety?!"

Dwalin shakes his head, running a hand over the tattooed scalp. "This quest is dangerous, lass. Not just a stroll in the park." Joey's eyes softened at that. "Yes, I wish to keep the little burglar around. But, if he can't handle it, I'd rather see him leave the quest and live in Rivendell, than dead on an Orc battlefield."

Joey gasps softly. "I . . . I never thought about dying . . . Any of us . . ."

Dwalin nodded and lays a hand on her shoulder, and gives her a reassuring squeeze. "Thorin has, Joey. And he may say it harshly, but he was saying something that will test whether the burglar will have the strength to muster up his courage and continue this quest." Joey nodded softly. "Now, lassie, let's go find that cave!" Within minutes, the two found one, and rushed back to inform the others.

"It looks safe enough," Dwalin stated.

"Search to the back," Thorin advised. "Cave in the mountains are seldom unoccupied."

Nodding, Dwalin took a lantern and searched the back of the cave. "There's nothing here."

Gloin drops a bundle of wood on the floor and rubs his hands. "Right then!" he cheered. Let's get a fire started!"

"No," Thorin denied. "No fire, not in this place. Just get some sleep. We start at first light."

"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us," Balin countered. "That was the plan."

"Plans change," Thorin growled. "Bofur, take the first watch."

"Wait, I was on first watch tonight," Joey stated, looking over at Thorin.

"You were on first night the last two nights of watch," Thorin says calmly. "I want you to rest."

"I rested in Rivendell . . ."

"It's alright, Lass," Bofur stated, grinning at her. "I want to finish this toy I've been workin' on!" His happy-go-lucky attitude made Joey smiles.

"Let's get some rest," Thorin says, moving to lay near the cave wall.

Joey looked around for a comfortable place to sleep, and ended up bunking beside Thorin, her back against his. She was still ticked about what he said to Bilbo, but her talk with Dwalin helped cool down the fire.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

In the middle of the night, Joey wakes up to Bofur talking. "Where do you think you're going?" he asks someone. Joey cracked her eyes open to see that he was talking to Bilbo.

"Back to Rivendell . . ." the hobbit replied. Joey felt her heart plummet at this news. She started this adventure with Bilbo, and wanted to finish with the first friend she made here, even if she understood why.

"No, No, you can't turn back now," Bofur stated. "You're part of the Company. You're one of us."

Bilbo turned and faced Bofur with a defeated look on his face. "I'm not though, am I?" he snapped. "Thorin said I should have never come, and he was right." No he wasn't, Bilbo. "I'm not a Took. I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking . . . I should never have run out my door . . ."

Joey, who was about to move, felt an arm around her waist. Looking down, she seen Thorin's arm around her, and he tightened his grip. Silently telling her that he was awake and he's hearing this. Moving quietly, Joey moves her hand down and takes Thorin's hand in her, squeezing tightly.

"You're homesick," Bofur reasons. "I understand."

"No, you don't! You don't understand!" Bilbo harshly replied. "None of you do - you're dwarves! You're used to - to this life!" Joey felt her heart plummet. She was used to this life, since she's done it since her family massacre. "You're used to living on the road, never settling in one place. Not belonging anywhere!" That hit another chord, both with Joey and Thorin, who tightened his hold on Joanna and buries his face in the back of her neck. Apparently, Bofur had the same look of offence on his face, because Bilbo began apologizing immediately. Joey felt Thorin's face lift up slightly to listen on. "I'm sorry . . . I didn't . . ."

"No, you're right," Bofur stated. "We don't belong anywhere. I wish you all the luck in the world." But, just as Bilbo was about to leave, Bofur grabs his arm and looks at the blade that Bilbo was carrying, which was glowing blue. "What's that?"

Suddenly, the sounds of strange machinery come from behind the cave walls, and cracks form in the cave floor.

"WAKE UP!" Thorin screams. "WAKE UP!"


	9. Goblin Town

Chapter Nine:

Goblin Town

Thorin's shouts woke the company up as they sprang to their feet, but the moment they all got to their feet, the ground gave way. It was really just a trap door, and the company fell for the trap, hook, line, and sinker. Everybody fell down the chute that was connected to the trap door, landing in a giant wooden cage. As everybody struggles to get up, Joey being crushed under Bofur and Thorin, a horde of goblins come running in, attacking the dwarves. Their weapons were removed, and forced to follow the goblins.

Thorin, knowing how Goblins like to take advantage of any women prisoners, makes sure that Joey is pressed against his back, with Bofur behind her. Then Kili and Fili on either side, trying to shield her from the clingy claws of the goblins.

The ugly creatures bring the company through a vast network of tunnels and wooden bridges to the throne room and platform of the Great Goblin. The Great Goblin is a massive Goblin, standing taller than any of the dwarves, sits on a throne, holding a large mace topped with a skull. As the smaller goblins bring the company to their leader, the Great Goblin stands and walks to meet the company.

Joey, still masked by the Line of Durin and Bofur, nearly gags at the smell of the Goblin King, and buries her face in the furs that Thorin wears, trying to mask the horrid scent.

The Great Goblin looks over the company with a careful eye. "Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

~Oh, you wish you were that special,~ Joey thought, coughing lightly at the intense smell.

"Dwarves, your Malevolence," the small goblin that lead the company here stated, bowing in the presence of his king.

"Dwarves?!" the Great Goblin gasped, as if he never would have thought he would see a dwarf.

The little goblin nodded eagerly. "We found them on the front porch!"

"Well!" the Great Goblin roared. "Don't just stand there! Search them! Every crack, every crevice!"

Joey's skin crawled at that information. "Fuck me!" she muttered into Thorin's fur coat.

"Stay calm," Thorin whispered to her. "It will be fine."

Joey's golden eyes snap up to Thorin's. "Easy for you to say. You don't have boobs, that's easy for little goblins to gra-AHHHHHHHH! YOU MOTHER FUCKING PERVERT!" Joey screamed, kicking a small goblin that groped her. "GET YOUR GRUBBY PAWS OFF THE GIRLS!"

"My King!" the little goblin squeaked out, hopping up and down. "There's a female among them!"

"A female?" the Great Goblin mused, looking over where Joey stood. "Bring her to me!"

"No! Joanna!" Thorin called out, trying to grab a hold of her hand as the tiny Goblins basically threw her to the Great Goblin.

"My, My . . ." the Great Goblin says, walking closer to Joey, who snarled and bared her teeth at the horrid Goblin. "She's a fiesty one, she is!" He tried to pet her hair, only to have her snap at his large, warty, fingers. The action only made him laugh. "Oh, she'd be the perfect bed slave, wouldn't she lads?" A chorus of goblins agreed.

"I wouldn't fuck you in a million years!" Joey snarled at the Great Goblin, letting her claws extend, ready to hook into any kind of flesh that gets near her.

"Secure her!" The Great Goblin ordered.

Suddenly, twenty smaller goblins attacked Joey, pinning her down and securing her with a rope around her body, making it hard to fight them off. While she was being secured, the Great Goblin focused back on the Company.

"What are you doing in these parts?" he growled out. "SPEAK!" But, when no one responds, he chuckles lowly. "Very well. If you will not talk, we'll make you squawk! Bring out the Mangler!" he cried out. "Bring out the Bone Breaker! And start with the youngest!" he stated, pointing at Ori.

When Thorin was about to draw the line, Joey growled out, "No! You leave him be!" Her fangs bared at the Great Goblin, wanting to rip out his throat for even thinking of hurting any of her friends. She may have only been with the company for a few days, but she grew to love them all, and seen them as her family. There was no way she was going to let this monster hurt any of them.

"Very well. We won't crush the runt," the Great Goblin complied. "Instead, we'll break YOUR bones!" At that statement, Joey's eyes widen and she began struggling harder against her bonds. "If you refuse to be my bed slave, I will break 'er bones!" the Great Goblin cackled, grabbing Joey by the hair.

"Wait," Thorin growled, stepping up.

"Well, well, well!" the Goblin King cackled, throwing Joey back on the ground. "Look who it is! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. King under the Mountain." After his mini Thorin-based monologue, the goblin bows exaggeratedly at Thorin. "Oh!" he gasps. "But I'm forgetting something. You don't have a mountain. And you're not a king, which makes you a nobody, really."

"He is a king! He's not a nobody!" Joey growled out, receiving a kick from one of the smaller goblins.

Ignoring the tiger on the ground, the Great Goblin continues, "I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak," he mocked. "An old enemy of yours. A Pale Orce, astride a White Warg."

At that description, Thorin looks up at the Great Goblin with wide and surprised eyes. "Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago!"

The Great Goblin laughed in Thorin's face. "So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" Then the Goblin King turns to a small goblin that rests in a basket, holding a slate. "Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I found his prize."

The tiny goblins writes down the message on his slate, and salutes the Great Goblin while pulling a lever. This causes his basket to start sliding down a system of ropes and pulleys into darkness. After the tiny goblin leaves, the other goblins began to carry in massive instruments of torture on their shoulders, bringing them to where the company are trapped.

Meanwhile, the Great Goblin sings a horrible song:

_"Bones will be shattered, _

_Necks will be wrung!_

_You'll be beaten and battered_

_From racks you'll be hung_

_You will lie down here _

_And never be found_

_Down in the deep_

_Of Goblin-Town!"_

During this time, Joey keeps trying to extend her claws and cut the ropes, but her wrists are pinned in such an angle that she can't get her claws to the ropes. She looks at the company with worried eyes, worried for them, not herself.

Just when she thought all was lost, one of the goblins began screaming in terror. Glancing around, Joey notices that the goblins were searching through their weapons and found Orcrist, or the Goblin Cleaver, as Thorin told her.

~Serves them right,~ Joey thought darkly.

When Orcrist falls to the floor, revealing the blade to the other goblins, they all gasp and howl in fear as they retreat from the blade. The Great Goblin runs rapidly to his throne, trampling many goblins on his way. He points at the blade in horror.

"I know that sword!" he gasps. "It's the Goblin-Cleaver, the Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!"

At this news, the little goblin that brought them here in the first place grabs a whip and begins whipping at the dwarves. Other goblins join in with ropes, some just used their teeth and claws to slash and bite at the company.

"NO!" Joey screamed, struggling in her bonds. "Leave them alone!"

Noticing her distress, the Great Goblin sneered. "Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" But then he points at Thorin. "Cut off his head! In front of the female!"

Joey's eyes widen as one of the goblins holds Thorin down, right in her line of sight, and pulls out his knife and is ready to behead Thorin.

"NO!" Joey screams again, only this time, she let's her tiger side take over, and her scream of defiance, becomes an angry roar. She lunges at the goblin and bites his head between her teeth, shattering it. "Never harm my loved ones, you ugly beast!" Joey growls out, glaring at the Great Goblin.

"KILL THEM ALL! KILL THE MONSTER AS WELL!" he screeches out, horrified that the girl he was going to bed turned into an animal.

Just as the goblins were ready to attack everyone, a massive explosion of bright light happens at the end of the rope bridge. It sends the goblins flying off the company, and destroying the torturing machines. Everyone is knocked down, including Joey and the Great Goblin. When the force of the attack fades, it reveals that Gandalf is standing there, holding his staff and sword, Glamdring.

"Take up arms!" Gandalf shouts. "Fight! Fight!"

Everybody takes up arms, and Joey nudges Thorin, motioning to her back. Grinning widely, the King under the Mountain takes Orcrist and mounts on top of the white tiger in his group. Roaring loudly, Joanna rushes through a cluster of goblins, to which Thorin kills with his sword, while Joey slashes with her claws and teeth.

Once a pathway was cleared, Gandalf turns back to the group. "Follow me! Quickly!"

Thorin jumps off of Joey's back, and she shifts into her half form, taking Thorin's hand, and races after Gandalf. "LET'S GET OUT OF THIS SHIT HOLE!" she cries.

The company weaves around the wooden bridges and passages that all the goblins knew by heart, and killed any ugly creature that crossed their paths. They were making great time until they became to a bridge. When they began crossing said bridge, the Great Goblin breaks through from underneath the bridge and pulls himself up.

"You thought you could escape me?!" he cries out.

"We were doing a damn good job of it!" snarled Joey.

The Great Goblin swings his mace twice at Gandalf, making the wizard stumble back. "What are you going to do now wizard?" he mocked. Taking the insult, Gandalf leaps forward and strikes the ugly Goblin King in the eye with his staff, making the monster cry out in pain. Then, Gandalf steps forward and slices the Great Goblin in the belly with his sword. With wide eyes, the Great Goblin grips the mark where his belly was sliced open and looked at the wizard. "That'll do it . . ."

The Great Goblin's weight proved to be too much for the bridge, and it gave way, making the company slide down the cavern beneath the bridge. As it reaches the bottom, and by scrapping the sides of the cavern, the bridge piece slows down at the base of the cavern, breaking apart and burying the dwarves in timber and wood. No real damage done.

"Well . . ." Bofur hummed. "That could have been worse."

Just then, the heavy corpse of the dead Goblin King lands on the wreckage, squishing the company even more. They all cry out in pain, one voice heard above them all.

"You had to fucking say that, Bofur!" Joey cried out, clawing her way free.

As they began freeing themselves from beneath the Goblin King's dead weight, Kili cries out, making the company look up and seeing hundreds of Goblins rushing towards them.

"There's too many!" Dwalin stated.

Joey looked at Gandalf. "We can't fight them all . . ."

"Only one thing will save us," the wizard mused. "Daylight! Come on!" Gandalf began leading the company towards an opening in the cave, trying to outrun the goblins.

It wasn't too long before the company found a bright light at the end of a tunnel. Normally, Joey would run away from something like this, but now nothing could stop her from reaching that light. And the moment she was out of that cave, she screamed, "FREEDOM!"

Gandalf, staying by the door, counted each dwarf as they exited the cave. "Five, six, seven, eight . . . Bifur, Bofur . . That's ten," he mused. "Fili, Kili, that's twelve. And Bombur and Joey. That makes fourteen." The wizard looked around the group that was the company. "Where's Bilbo? Where's our hobbit?!"

"Curse the half-ling!" Dwalin yelled.

"Is he still lost in there?!" Joey squeaked out, her eyes widen.

Gloin voiced up. "I thought he was with Dori!"

"Don't blame me!" Dori huffed.

"Well, where did you see him last?" Gandalf asked, looking over the company.

"I think I saw him slip away . . ." Nori said softly. "When they first collected us."

"What happened exactly?" Gandalf demanded. "Tell me!"

Thorin steps up. "I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door!" Joey's eyes widen at the harsh words Thorin says, and began walking towards the leader at a healthy clip. "We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone."

Just as that word 'Gone' left his lips, Joey's hand made contact with Thorin's face, making the company gasp. "I've had it with this shitty attitude!" she growled out, and then held up her hand. "Anyone that tries to defend him right now will get a slap too, so stay put and hold your tongue!" Five dwarves took a step back.

"Why did you strike at me?!" Thorin growled at Joey, his dark eyes borrowing into her golden ones. "I spoke the truth!"

"Bullshit!" Joey screamed at him. "Do you realize what you're saying about him!? About the hobbit that tried to help save you from trolls?! The hobbit that stuck with us, until YOU called him out on missing something that we're all missing?! A FUCKING HOME!" Joey screamed. Taking a few breaths, Joey looked up at Thorin, her eyes softening. "Just because you lost Erebor, and I lost my family, each of us losing a home, doesn't mean you can bash Bilbo like you have. Yes, I know you don't want someone on the quest who doesn't want to be here, but you never gave Bilbo the opportunity to prove it to himself and to you."

Thorin looked down at her and sighs. "There is nothing we can do about it now. The hobbit is gone."

"No, he isn't," a voice stated, stepping out from behind a tree.

"BILBO!" Joey yells, running over and hugging the hobbit, a large grin on her face.

After being bombarded with questions with how he escaped the Goblins, Bilbo ignored them and looked at Thorin. "Look, I know you doubt me. I know you always have, and you're right." Thorin blinked at that. "I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home." A lot of the dwarves in the company look down, the thought of Erebor in their minds. "And that's why I came back, because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you." Everyone's heads snapped up at that statement, a glimmer of hope in their old, worn eyes. "But I will help you take it back if I can."

Joey grins widely, looking over at Thorin, who looked back at her. "Told you so," she teased, her anger lessening.

"Do you hate me, Joanna?" Thorin asked, glancing up where the Hobbit was talking with the company. "I've always doubted the Hobbit, and made no effort in hiding it . . ."

"No, I don't hate you," Joey states, looking at the leader. "I just think you get a pine tree shoved up your ass from time to time."

Chuckling, Thorin looks over and kisses her forehead softly. "I'm glad you do not hate me. I don't think I could bear it." Joey grinned at that, and wraps her arms tightly around his middle, finally happy that they have a moment of peace in the group.


	10. Final Battle

Chapter Ten:

Final Battle

Just when the company believed that the worst was absolutely behind them, they were proven dead wrong when numerous Wargs leap froward from the mountain and raced down, howling. Upon hearing the howls, the company realizes the danger they're in.

"Out of the frying pan . . ." Thorin hummed, looking up with wide eyes at the Wargs.

". . . And into the fire!" Joey screeched, grabbing onto Thorin's hand tightly.

"RUN!" Gandalf yelled.

The company started running down the mountain as fast as they can. The Wargs follow them rapidly, and as they run, the sun begins its final goodbyes as it set. While running as fast as their legs could carry them, the company reaches a large piece of land with some trees growing on it.

"Up into the trees," Gandalf ordered, climbing up the tree himself. "Come on, all of you! Climb!" The dwarves didn't waste anytime climbing up the tree, some of them climbing over others.

"They're coming!" Thorin warned, watching as the pack of Wargs get dangerously close.

The last few to climb up the tree were Thorin, Bombur, and Joey. After helping the fatter dwarf up into the three, Joey jumped up, impaling her claws into the bark and reaches a hand down to Thorin, hoisting him up. Dozens of Wargs circle the trees in which the Company members are perched in, making them sitting ducks. Suddenly, the growls and howls stop from the Wargs as they turn and look as a large white Warg enters the scene, with Azog mounted on top of its back.

Thorin's eyes widen in shock. "AZOG?!" he cries out. The Pale Orc laughs bitterly as he speaks in his dark language, mentioning Thorin's name. This earned a growl from Joey. She may not speak the language, but she knows hated tone when she heard it. "It cannot be . . ." Thorin breathed out softly.

Suddenly, Azog screamed a command that made the Wargs leap forward and try to climb the trees. The monsters jump as high as they can, scrabbling at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws in their efforts. The trees shake violently at the assault, making it difficult for the company to keep their grip. Azog shouted at the Wargs again, who in turn roughen their attacks on the trees, when they suddenly begin uprooting the tree most of the company was in.

"TREE JUMP!" Joey yelled, grabbing a hold of Bilbo and Thorin and jumped from the falling tree to the next. The whole company did this until they were on the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff. "Fuck . . ." Joey mused. But thankfully, the tree doesn't give at the weight. Looking in desperation, Gandalf grabs a pine cone. "What's that gonna do? Give them bruises?" Joey growled out, looking back down at the Wargs, bearing her fangs.

"And your edging them on, snarling at them, is helping?" Gloin snapped.

Ignoring the conversation between the company members, Gandalf uses his staff to set the pine cone on fire. "Oh hell yes!" Joey cried out as he throws it at the Wargs, who run in fear at the attack.

Gandalf lights two more pine cones. "Fili!" he calls out, dropping one of the pine cones. Fili catches the pine cone, and everyone in the company exchange a slightly evil look as they all grabbed pine cones, lightening them off one another. Then they begin throwing the flame pine cones like missiles at the Wargs, who continue to run in fear. Azog growls in anger at the successful attempt to make the Wargs back off, leaving the company in the tree, cheering loudly.

The cheers quickly stop, however, when the tree the company was in began to give way. The tree tips slightly over the edge, but comes to a rest sticking straight out away from the edge, the group parallel from the ground below them.

The Pale Orc laughs at their predicament, which makes Thorin glare harshly at him. This encourages the leader to pull himself up, and draws his sword and walks down the leaning trunk as everyone watches. Thorin runs through the burning ground at Azog and the White Warg. Azog merely spreads his arms in a come hither motion, egging Thorin on. It works. Growling, Thorin runs with his sword up and his Oaken Branch shield held in front of him. Azog crouches, then roars as his Warg leaps at Thorin. The leader, in return, tries to swing his sword, but the Warg hits him in the chest with a fore paw, smashing Thorin into the ground.

"THORIN!" Joey screamed, scrambling back up on the tree trunk.

The King Under the Mountain gets back on his feet, panting. Azog and the White Warg wheel around, and charge at Thorin again. Moving quickly, Azog strikes Thorin in the face with his mace before the King could react, brutally throwing Thorin to the ground from the impact. The company is in a uproar, but Joey is the most.

"YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" she screams, standing up on the tree trunk, her golden eyes wide with fear of losing Thorin. Azog snaps his head to look at Joey and roars in excitement, this makes the White Warg clamp its jaws around Thorin, making him cry out in pain. Screaming, Joey runs towards Azog, jumping at the end of the tree, her claws ready to strike at him. But, the skilled fighting Orc brings his mace up, blocking her claws, and forces her back onto the ground.

When Joey jumps back up, she watches as Thorin manages to hit the White Warg in the head with the pommel of his sword. The action makes the White Warg throw Thorin out of his mouth, several feet away.

"Biriz torag khobdudol," Azog growled lowly.

Joey's head snapped up as one of Azog's Warg Riders begins to walk over to Thorin, still mounted on his Warg. Joey's eyes widen as she begins running towards the Warg and its rider, but there was no way she was going to get there in time. Azog flung her too far out to reach him in time. The Orc approaches Thorin and places his sword against his neck, and then raises the sword, ready to decapitate Thorin. Joey opens her mouth and screams as she begs her body to run faster.

But as the Orc was bringing the sword down onto Thorin's neck, Bilbo throws himself at the orc, knocking him over. The second that the rider was gone, Joey attacked the actual Warg, burying her claws into it's neck, killing the monster. Once it was dead, Joey moves in front of Thorin's body, her claws glistening from the Warg's blood.

"Try to come and get him, mother fucker," she growled, her eyes narrowing in at Azog. A few Wargs and Riders begin to approach Joey, who bares her teeth in return.

Suddenly, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin manage to get free of the tree, and plow into the Wargs from the side, joining the fight. Growling softly, Joey slashes at another Warg, but not moving away from Thorin's body. A sudden eagle's cry made Joey's human ear twitch and look around in confusion, and what she saw made her blink repeatedly. Giant eagles join the battle, grabbing Wargs and their riders and carrying them away. One even fans the dim fires, giving them new life, which frightens off some of the Wargs.

A soft squawk makes Joey look over. A large eagle as landed beside her and squawks again. _"Let me carry him. Gandalf called for help." _Joey looks at the bird nervously, not wanting Thorin to get anymore hurt. _"Climb onto my back, and I will carry him in my talons."_

Joey looks down at Thorin and nods, before climbing onto the back of the eagle, and watches as the eagle gently picks Thorin up and carries him away from the battle, and more importantly, Azog.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTTLTL

With the battle field behind them, the eagles land at a massive rock structure, and the eagle carrying Thorin and Joey lands, gently laying Thorin down on a flat area. "Thorin . . ." Joey mused, kneeling beside him and placing her hands on his face. "Talk to me . . ."

"Thorin!" Gandalf's voice suddenly shouted, making Joey's head snap up.

"He's not responding, Gandalf . . ." Joey whispers. "Help him . . . Please . . ." Nodding, Gandalf places his hand on Thorin's face and whispers a spell softly. Just as the spell ends, Thorin's eyes flutter open, as he gasps for air. Joey's mouth falls open, as happy tears brim at her eyes.

"Joanna . . ." he says softly, bringing a hand up to wipe a tear from her eyes. "You're crying . . ."

"Because I was worried about you, Thorin," she says gently, taking his hand in hers. "I thought I lost you."

A soft chuckle rumbles through his chest. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." Thorin then looks around the group, searching. "The half-ling?"

"It's all right," Gandalf answers. "Bilbo is here. He's quite safe."

Thorin stands up, with help from Dwalin and Joey. But the second his feet is on solid ground, and he has his balance back, he shrugs them off and approaches Bilbo. "You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" he yelled, and looks back at Joey. "As did you!" Joey just rolled her eyes as Thorin turns back to Bilbo. "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amonst us?" Thorin advances until he is face to face with Bilbo, who looks petrified. A large grin spreads against the King's face. "I've never been so wrong in all my life." And with that, Thorin pulls Bilbo into a tight embrace. "I am sorry I doubted you."

Pulling back from the hug, Bilbo shakes his head. "No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero, or a warrior . . . Not even a burglar." Everybody lets out a chuckle, and the Eagles began to fly away. Once the majestic creatures were gone, Thorin looks beyond Bilbo and sees something. Everyone looks in the directions as he does, and only Bilbo has the ability to speak. "Is that what I think it is?" In the distance, stands a solitary mountain.

"Erebor- The Lonely Mountain," Gandalf stated. "The last of the great dwarf kingdom of Middle-Earth."

"Our home," Thorin stated, walking to stand beside Joey, resting a hand around her waist.

A smaller bird flies in front of the company, cheeping loudly. "A raven!" Oin cried out. "The birds are returning to the mountain."

"Hate to tell you, Oin," Joey stated, grinning. "That's a Thrush."

Thorin rolls his eyes and kisses Joey's temple. "But we'll take it as a sign. A good omen."

"You're right," Bilbo states. "I do believe the worst is behind us."

"DON'T JINX US!" Joey screamed, looking over at the hobbit as everyone laughs as they look upon the Lonely Mountain.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Whelp! Here's the end of the story for Thorin and Joey in "The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey." But, don't fret, their story will continue on in "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug"! **

**I'm not sure when I will start the story, but I do know the title. So keep an eye out for "Testing Love". I'm glad you guys stuck with me for this long, even though the story was only started a few days ago, but there were some people that reviewed every time I posted a chapter, and I want to say I love each person who follows and reviews this story. I can't wait to continue their story in the next movie! Until the next update!**


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Hobbit, Romance