"Normal dialogue"

'Isil's thoughts'

"~Elvish~"

Isil drifted endlessly between fearsome heart-stopping nightmares of being chased by a monstrous, pale wraith with biting teeth and tearing claws grabbing for her no matter how fast she ran, and eerie dreams of being alone in an inky void, voiceless, blind, and deaf, unable to run from something she was so sure was there, right there, staring down at her.

Something was wrong; she knew this wasn't really real, but try as she might she couldn't waken. Every time Isil yelled at herself to wake up she could hear the monsters hunting her booming with cruel laughter, mocking her attempts. So the wolf continued on the perpetual cycle, running from the ashen phantom until just before it grabbed her, then she is plunged into an empty vacuum.

Years could have passed in this hellish limbo for all she knew, but something finally broke through her prison. Isil felt herself falling, then gently dropping down on soft earth, and light splintered through widening cracks in the darkness. Her head felt as heavy as a boulder when she finally came to and her legs were as limp as a newborn's. Memories came flooding back when the wolf heard voices and she struggled to stand and look for her friends, shaking off the sticky web encasing her. Isil's heart nearly leapt out of her throat when a something grabbed and pulled her up on her feet, but the familiar scents all around told the wolf that it was just one of the dwarves lending a helping hand. She stumbled into a run as control of her limbs returned, following the others through the brush. Isil looked up to get an idea on what was chasing them, and immediately wished she hadn't. Spiders as big as ponies crawled down their massive webs, all coming to get them.

Whatever exit the company was heading for was quickly cut off. Backed into a proverbial corner, they fought with desperate, angry intensity. Fear and fury mixed together in Isil's brain creating the ungraceful but effective method of violence she used against their attackers. The spiders' carapaces were tough, but her fangs punctured through just fine when aided by adrenaline. With tooth and claw she cut their comparatively fragile leg segments open leaving them disabled for the dwarves to take care of, and each of the creature's eight exposed eyes might as well be targets when faced against her. Isil was so focused on hacking and biting her way out that she didn't notice the beings intruding on their fight, until she had an arrow pointed right in her face.

The company collectively froze. They were surrounded, again. How did so many manage to sneak up all at once? Isil's ear twitched when she heard the blond one threaten Thorin, eyes still fixed on the arrow in front of her. The exchange answered her question: these were the woodland elves Beorn warned them about. A sudden shout in the distance startled them, and Isil knew the voice.

"Kili!" Fili shouted, recognizing it too. He started to run in the direction he heard his brother calling for help, but Thorin grabbed his coat, stopping him. Though the threat of the giant spiders obviously still loomed the elves barely moved, and did not lower their weapons to aid the dwarf prince. Gaze finally torn from the elf's weapon, Isil could just barely see him through the legs of their captors some yards away, kicking at a spider trying to drag him off. She whined, fighting back the urge to charge through and help. Just when she thought she had seen the last of Kili, she heard the sound of an arrow hitting its target, and the spider screeched in agony as it stumbled away from the prince, a feathered shaft embedded deep between its eyes. A lone red haired elf fought off many other spiders, yet still the elves surrounding them did not move to help. Isil soon saw why though, as the elf warrior dispatched the remaining monsters in seconds. She dragged Kili over by the scruff of his coat to the others, and the stunned prince let her without much fuss. Isil was just as dazed by the elf's skill, but her reverie was broken by a sudden order.

"Search them!" Since she had no pockets to search, Isil was left alone for the moment, save for the guards keeping her in place under the threat of becoming a pincushion. Her lip curled in agitation, eyes flicking back and forth between the auburn-haired archers. There was little to find, since the spiders did not take their dwindling supplies with them when they were knocked out and wrapped up, but the elves turned out every pocket and handbag nonetheless. Only a few of the dwarves had much else but personal items, though Fili was relieved of (most of) his knife collection. It was only when Thorin's Orcrist was discovered that they truly found something worth being suspicious about, at least in their minds. Their blond-haired leader inspected it, at first speaking to himself in that sing-song elvish language that somehow sounded harsh on his tongue.

"~This is an ancient Elvish blade. Forged by my kin.~" After expertly twirling and dropping the blade back in his hand, he turned his eye back to the dwarf king, suspicious.

"Where did you get this?" he asked contemptuously.

"It was given to me," Thorin answered truthfully, though with anger barely contained. The Woodland elf didn't buy it for a second, and pointed the sword at his throat.

"Not just a thief, but a liar as well." Isil growled at the elf. She might not like Thorin, not by a longshot, but she was on her last nerve. She made a promise, after all, and despite the danger they had endured she would still fight to keep it. The elf only sneered. He swung Orcrist into the air and barked an order to his men. The dwarves were pushed and shoved into a line to be marched back to the elves domain. "Bind their hands," the elf commanded, then looked down at Isil. "Muzzle their dog."

Isil barely had time to react before multiple hands grabbed her by the scruff and twine was wrapped around her snout. She tried to resist, but the lingering effects of the spider's venom combined with post-battle exhaustion made it impossible. Within seconds her mouth was tied shut and the remaining line was wrapped around her neck and chest, ensuring she would not slip out of her bonds. A few of the dwarves shouted in protest, but it was pointless. The ends of her rope were tied to the others, and they were dragged along a path they hadn't seen in their rush to escape.

While the group was forced off, Isil overheard Bofur whisper to Thorin "Where's Bilbo?" and felt her eyes go wide. In the confusion she did not notice his absence, assuming he was in the same position they were. But he was missing, and she couldn't decide if that was good or bad thing. She had little time to dwell on it, as the elf following her jabbed her side with his bow, goading her to keep up. With her head kept deliberately low to control the urge to fight back so she wouldn't cause any more trouble for the dwarves, Isil missed the red-headed elf warrior purse her lips tightly in a subtle but telling act of disapproval.

Still, frustration boiled in the wolf's gut as she was pulled along behind the others, but the company was helpless and at at the mercy of their captors. They could only hope that their little burglar was unharmed, and able to come to their rescue somehow. Though as they were tugged across a narrow bridge and crossed the threshold between the untamed forest and a massive elven fortress Isil could not imagine how. The great stone gate closed behind them with a thunderous clang, and to the despairing wolf it also sounded like the sealing of their fate.

a/n: look, two whole chapters just like i said! and wow, isil's first impression of the woodland elves is pretty bad! sucks for her. i've looked over both chapters a few times but i might have to go back at some point and fix some stuff up. i'm also trying to rewrite the first few chapters, to go along with some stuff i've decided for the story. hopefully i'll be able to upload it soon.

ok review, if you will plz.

[9/8/16: i just updated the first two chapters! check them out if you want]