It was two days later that the company finally set off. What had started as a game of hide and seek between Namir, Fili and Kili had grown to ridiculous proportions and until nearly all the dwarves were taking part and making bets. The game was for the dwarves to find Namir and the boarders were the edge of the garden. So it turned into a game of manhunt with the dwarves using their time to scour the cottage and the garden while Namir evaded them. They had the advantage of manpower while Namir had the advantage of his senses and ability to climb. Said game was supposed to last until they had to leave or until someone found him, and it quickly dissolved into chaos. Namir hiding one place then as soon as the coast was clear, sneaking out and moving round the cottage. Beorn let the whole thing happen around him with barely more than a grunt while Gandalf actively watched the proceedings with clear amusement. Sometimes the wizard would give the dwarves little tips that had them racing through the garden while Namir slunk into the cottage in panther form through the window. 

By the dawn of their fourth day at the cottage, the dwarves were all grumpy with their loss and Namir was as smug as, well, a cat. They all glared at him, Fili and Kili especially, as he checked through his pack. The bag he had was light but had a strap Beorn had made for him that would work while he was in panther form as well as human. He didn't pack much, not needing much, other than a few items of clothing and some money. The only weapons he took was a knife and his long sword. The dwarves all eyed it as he pulled it down from where it was hung on the wall, the blade was taller than Bilbo and with the hilt, the sword was taller than Thorin. "How the hell do you fight with that?" Dwalin, the tallest of the dwarves, asked with visible confusion. 

"With great skill", Namir grinned. On him the sword came up to his chest. "Stole this from a orc about a thousand years ago now". The dwarves all nodded. It explained why the weapon was so large. Orcs were hulking creatures. He strapped the scabbard to his back over his pack and turned. "You all ready to go?" 

"Are you not cold?" Bilbo asked in concern. Namir shook his head. He was dressed in his usual trousers and buttoned leather waistcoat. No cloak or shirt to be seen despite the fact that winter was it's way. 

"We are not affected by cold as much as others", Beorn grunted as he handed the last bag of food supplies to Nori. "Namir will be fine". There was an unspoken threat in those words that always hung there when Namir left for a journey by himself. He had only travelled off their lands twice before since his three thousandth birthday but none for as long as this journey was going to be. He'd better be fine. Don't make me the last of our race. 

The hobbit seemed rather dubious of this but seemed to accept it. The company began mounting their ponies. Namir paused to turn back to his adoptive father and the man pressed their forehead together. "See you soon Father", he muttered, a deep purr rumbling in his throat. "Hibernate well". 

"Go now while you still have the light", Beorn replied, gently pushing Namir towards his horse. The young Skin-changer swung himself up onto the black and white stallion. The horse was his favourite, a mixture of black and white and speckles with grey dots along his flank. Namir had raised him from a foal, naming him Magpie after the black and white birds. He kicked the horse into a trot, leading the way towards the Mirkwood. The company on their ponies following behind. He did not look back at the warm safety of his home as it faded from view. He would return.

They rode from dawn right into the early evening. It was only as the sky began to fade into gloom that they arrived at the Mirkwood. The trees loomed over them like a dark shadow as Namir led his horse along the edges of the forest until they arrived at the beginning of the elven path. He swung himself out of the saddle and patted magpie before letting go of the reins. "Go home now", He whispered and the horse was turning and trotting back the way he had come. At his side, Gandalf dismounted as well but kept ahold of the reins of his horse. 

"The elven gate. Here lies our path through Mirkwood!" The wizard called. 

"No sign of the orcs", Dwalin stated. "We have luck on our side". 

Namir sighed and turned his gaze back to the hills. On the top of a distant ledge, a bear was watching them. He lifted his hand in a wave then turned to the company. "Let the ponies go back to Beorn. We cannot take them into the forest". The dwarves muttered but did as they were told and one by one the ponies all turned and followed Magpie back the way they had come. 

"This forest feels sick", Bilbo commented as he stepped up to Namir's side. "As if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way round?" From deep inside the trees, the sounds of creaking wood was heard. It looked black in there, no light breaking through the canopy. Namir sighed, the forest had grown worse over the years. It was a lot different compared to how it was when he had saved Legolas. He sighed aloud again as the name entered his mind. He had not seem the elf in almost two hundred years, not since Dale had burned and Erebor had fallen. The forest had darkened after that and he assumed the elf was busy. 

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north", Gandalf replied. "Or twice that distance south". The wizard took a few steps into the trees. Behind him, the dwarves were all rechecking their supplies and weapons. The wizard stopped at the statue of the elf queen. Ivy had grown up her base like a cloak and he ripped it away. Namir did not see what made the wizard gasp but it caused Gandalf to turn and march back over to them. "Not my horse! I need it!" He called, stopping Ori from letting go of the reins. 

The dwarves all looked up. "You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked. 

"I would not do this unless I had too", Gandalf sighed. "You will be alright, you have a guide". It began to rain lightly. Heavy droplets hitting Namir's bare skin and wetting his tangled hair. "I will be waiting for you at the overlook before the slopes of Erebor", the wizard stated as e swung himself back into the saddle. "Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me". The last sentence was spoken directly to Thorin. "This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It'll seek to enter your mind and lead you astray. Follow Namir, and do not loose him!" The last order was called back to them as the horse cantered away. 

Namir sighed and stretched. He swung his pack and sword off his shoulder and pulled off his waist coat. "What are you doing?" Bilbo questioned as he stuffed the waistcoat into his pack before pulling off his trousers. 

"I only ever enter the forest in my other form", Namir stated as he pulled his pack back on, now entirely naked. "The miasma cannot mess with my mind in that form. Try and stay close". He spare them all a grin before shifting. The dwarves and the hobbit looked away as bones cracked and when they looked back, the panther was sitting and watching them. 

"Come on", Thorin ordered, striding forwards. "We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's day". At his words, the panther stood and stalked forwards. The dwarves all following behind him as they entered the forest. 

unedited