A/N: I have two other super unfinished stories but I am here with a third because I actually have an ending planned out for this one. I've had ideas for stories like this before because they're super fun but I've been too much of a chicken shit to make it. But I'm 23 and I have to stop being so worried about dumb stuff like that! So here it is, another story about an OC being dumped into Middle Earth to interact with the main cast. It's fun!

A spark. That was all that started it. Its echo carried across all Middle Earth for hours - until it stopped just as suddenly as it started. Some of the few who heard its call could only wonder what it was and where it came from. Despite valiant efforts all searches for the source led to dead ends, and they were forced to moved on. Most forgot about the incident within a few days. Others did not. They knew of its significance, and already began devising a way to utilize its true value. All they had to do was wait. Wait for it to happen again. Lucky for them, all the Valar had in the world was time.

The wait would feel long for some, but it was a mere blink for them. Over a year after the first spark of unknown magic shot across Middle Earth, it happened again. This time they were ready. When the spark was at its brightest, a hand reached into the veil, and pulled its caster through.

They hoped it would be enough.

Groggy golden eyes peeled open, their owner blinking against glaring light, slowly coming out of what felt like a deep, cloudy sleep. Her head felt like it was encased in warm cotton. In a haze, she gradually pulled herself up, body feeling stiff and bruised as if she had taken a nasty tumble. 'What… What happened…?' she wondered, sluggishly taking in her surroundings. Her eyes snapped open in realization. She had no idea where - or even more frightening who - she was. The cottony fog was instantly swept from her mind as panic set in and she scrambled in circles trying to find anything to help. "Hello?! Is anybody out there?! Please, anyone?!" she called. But there was nothing, nothing but wild empty land all around as far as the eye could see. Standing frozen on shaky legs she tried to calm the furious pounding of her heart, knowing panicking would lead to nowhere. 'Alright, alright, alright,' she repeated to herself in between deep breaths. 'Let's concentrate on what I do know. I know I am alive. I know I am not hurt… badly.' Her body was sore, but most of the stiffness and aches from before had faded. 'I know I'm in a forest. I know I am alone. I know that there's no help… maybe for miles.' She stopped herself as her calming thoughts slipped back to fearful ones. 'Okay, okay. I can do this, I can do this!' She placed a hand on her stomach. 'I know I'm hungry.' She cast an intense gaze into the line of trees before her, flexing her clawed fingers. 'I know I can hunt.' Concentrating on a problem she could solve helped ease the fear. Ignoring how the lingering fright caused her limbs to shake, she moved forward into the woods.

Little did the lost visitor know, her first footsteps were the tiny ripples that could become the massive wave that just might change the fate of Middle Earth.

Some miles away from the wandering stranger a hobbit is swept off his feet and dropped onto the back of a chestnut pony, embarking on journey to go where no hobbit has gone before. He'll never know how, just moments before, his destiny was altered once again. If fate was kind, for the better.

The stranger wandered for days, searching for any sign of life besides the wild animals she hunted. From dawn to dusk every day her nose was to the ground searching for any sign of a path, a trail, old footprints, anything to lead her to civilization. Worry gnawed at her insides, while the fear of never finding help sat heavy in her gut.

What she didn't realize was that her immediate concerns should have been elsewhere. Her careless movements across the land had attracted unwanted attention from a group of bandits on the run from the law. Their rations ran low as they travelled a long and seldom used route to the next city. Cunning, well-trained eyes searched hard for prey of all kinds, and the stranger's confused steps were too golden an opportunity to pass up. They easily followed her trail, closing in on their prey by the hour while she pressed ever forward, ignorant of the oncoming danger.

One morning the stranger had awoken with a strange sense of optimism and an urge to travel in a particular direction. With nothing else to go on she followed the feeling, the bandits following close behind.

After around an hour's travel, the stranger's long pointed ears twitched as they caught the distant yet unmistakable sounds of conversation. Though it was no guarantee she had found the help she was looking for, it was more than she had in a week's search. Unwilling to let this lead go, she broke out into a run in the direction of the noise, only ever pausing to perk her ears up and find the sounds again as they got louder and louder. Finally she was close enough to see her quarry and had the good sense to adopt a stealthy approach. It would be rude to startle someone you were going to ask for help. Luckily she was surrounded by trees and ledges, perfect for hidden observation. As the stranger crept closer to the moving group responsible for the racket, she finally was able to get a good look at each of them. There were fifteen in total, all - save for two - very hairy little men astride small horses laden with supplies. Though she had no memories to compare it to, the sight still struck her as odd. But odd or no, it was more than she had ever seen before.

She watched above them from an outcropping as they trailed along on a weaving path and wondered how best to approach them. From the weapons strapped to their backs they appeared to be seasoned warriors, so any way that might surprise them was a no-go. The stranger crouched low amid the trees, studying them with a calculating gaze. Her options were limited. By the time the last one passed her by she decided that the best way would be to approach them with a peace offering; a few rabbits ought to be enough to convince them of her peaceful motivations. She nodded to herself, satisfied. 'This will work,' she thought as she sniffed the air to commit their scent to memory. 'It has to; This will definitely work.'

But at the same time she caught up to the fourteen and their ponies, the bandits that doggedly pursued the stranger had caught up as well. After days of searching, two of the hunters finally spied their quarry among the trees, focused on something they could not see. Lurking behind the brush, they readied themselves. The taller of the two pulled a well-worn bow off his shoulder, then plucked an arrow from his quiver, neatly nocking it into place. Steadily, he took aim. Years of experience made lining up the arrowhead with vital organs child's play.

Just as he was about to release the bowstring in what would have been a quick clean kill, a loud laugh cut through the air and shattered the hunter's concentration. He stumbled, nearly losing his arrow in his surprise. Cursing quietly, he and his companion crept closer to the edge of the cliff where the noise originated, then finally saw what had captured his would-be target's attention.

"Dwarves!" his companion hissed. "What on earth are dwarves doin' all the way out here?" The hunter stared intently down at the dwarves from their perch. He looked back at his original target, but it had already slipped out of his range. He grunted in frustration, but a new scheme was already formulating in his mind.

"Come on, we're going back," he muttered, grabbing the other's arm and pulling him in the direction of their camp. "We've got a new plan now, and we'll need all the others to pull it off."

A/N: So there's the start! If anyone has feedback I'd greatly appreciate it because I almost never write due to time constraints.

[6/20/15: fixed some stuff.]

[9/8/16: chapter replaced.]