Thirteen dwarves have just emerged from the disgusting reeking smell of a troll cave when Gandalf, the grey wizard announces something is coming. The dwarves huddle with weapons drawn and tense hearing the clumping of hooves.
Bursting out of the bushes is one creature they for sure did not expect. Standing eight feet tall with long furry legs, brown animal skin covering her chest with a wooden pendant dangling from a black thread. Honey's eyes look over each dwarf before they find who she searches for.
"Gandalf the grey." The she-creature bows her head allowing the sun to beam on her long antlers with blunt but sharp ends.
"Iris, what brings you here?" the dwarves relax but they could not stop staring at the odd creature.
"The greenwood is sick and much fouler creatures have come forth. Radaghast has gone to see what led them so close. He said he will come to join soon."
"What foul creatures?" Gandalf asks to lean on his staff.
"Spiders. Huge at least twice my size. Darkness is sweeping in the greenwood and turning the land into something I would never dare venture back." A cold shiver rakes her spine making her tail whip behind her.
"What creature might you be?" The leader of the dwarves, a black-haired man with sea-blue eyes asks turning the female's eyes on him.
"I am a Satyr. A last of my kind from the wild woods of the west. Your kin has nothing to fear of me." She finally takes note of how tense they are to her odd blood and form.
"A Satyr. You are far from home, lass." Dwalin speaks out recalling the tales of Satyrs. Dwarves and Satyrs use to fight beside each other till they never spoke again. The Satyrs just disappeared.
"Orcs and danger lurk and conquered the land. I stand alone in this world and if it had not been with the wizard's aid, I would perish along my own kin." Thorin's eyes relax and widen upon hearing the last sentence. She too has been driven out of her home by foul creatures.
"I know Dwarves and Satyrs were allies. I trust the alliance stand for me as well." She bows in respect.
"You are welcome among us youngling."
"I am not that young." She scoffs not liking being underestimated.
"What do you mean she is young?" Honey eyes widen seeing a Hobbit.
"You are a hobbit. I never had the chance to acquaint with one before." The hobbit turns surprised this new creature does not know what he is.
"Me neither a Satyr. My name is Bilbo Baggins."
"Iris Satyr." They shake hands and the size is very noticeable with her delicate hands wrapping around his small one.
A rustling behind her has her body tense and spin looking at the path she once tracked. Her tail whips and her stance bend ready to fight. She relaxes once a scent wafts into her nose. Rabbits burst out and Radaghast comes through.
"Fire! Murder!" Iris did not expect her guardian to be in a such wild looking state. The fortress must be viler than she had thought.
"Radaghast. What happened?" She steps closer to the wizard.
"Iris. Gandalf, I was looking for you. Something terrible has happened."
"Yes." Rad opens his mouth once he has calmed down but closes it. He opens once more making Iris grin finding his expression funny.
"Oh, I had a thought and now it is gone." She turns away not wanting to watch Gandalf pull out a stick insect from Rad's mouth. Yuck.
Her eyes meet the staring gaze of the leader dwarf. She offers a smile but he glares not trusting the Satyr. Sniffing, she smells troll stench and walks off to the cave. Her eyes look in from the entrance and note a few things she would like to carry. Glancing over, she enters to get what attracts her eyes. The leader dwarf follows not wanting her to leave his sight.
"What are you doing?" He watches the satyr look around and pick at things.
"Looking. Troll caves hold many treasures and even weapons. Oh, what are you doing here?" The dwarf observes the satyr pick up a long black bow. Steel and oak wood. She picks up a black bag filled with black arrows.
"You look like you haven't seen a bow before." He says watching the satyr's eyes sparkle in wonder and awe.
"This is not just any bow dearie. This bow was made by the very first Satyrs that traveled along the mountains. Steel for the string to never snap and this quiver has the magic to make an arrow appear once one is drawn. This is a Satyr true weapon of war."
"Congratulations. Let's go." Iris smiles and jumps over, softly bounding her hooves on the rocks and leaves. The dwarf watches her jump gently on the nature around him and she stops on a large rock still admiring the bow she found.
A howl gains everyone's attention and fear enter their bodies.
"Is that a wolf? Are there wolves out there?"
"Wolves. That was not a wolf." Another dwarf whispers. A snarling pull the satyrs gaze to the black creature sneaking up on the dwarves. She pulls out an arrow and let it whizz through the air at the exact time the warg began to leap to attack. The arrow makes a sharp whistle before lodging in the wargs skull, half deep in, killing the animal.
"Warg scouts. A pack is not far behind." The satyr shoots another arrow behind her, twisting and shooting true. The bow not failing her ability to shoot. Another warg is hit with an arrow in its skull.
"Thanks." The young black-haired dwarf breathes to the Satyr.
"No problem. I had an itch that is now satisfied from so many years of not using a weapon from my kin." The two smiles at each other before their cheery emotion turn into seriousness once more howls ring through the air.
"I will draw them off." Iris head spins so quick, the dwarves flinch thinking she snapped it off.
"Absolutely not. I will not worry some more for your life."
"Those are wargs, they will catch you." Gandalf speaks next agreeing with her thought.
"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits." A spark of mad determination fills the brown wizards eyes. "I'd like to see them try. Iris, stay with the dwarves."
"What!? Why? Not that it is a bad thing, but I could help you know."
"Exactly. Your shooting skills have never lost their touch and the dwarves will need your expertise of a hunt and everything on their journey. Please." Her eyes widen and she nods.
Twisting her neck around, her antlers swinging around, she jumps down to stand with the company of dwarves. They wait for Radaghast to draw the orcs and wargs away before running out of the forest. The satyr runs softly, and the dwarves hardly hear any clumping. They play hide and seek with the pack, keeping out of sight and out of the wind.
"Come and get me!" Radaghast calls to the pack following him. He has them close to his tail and it takes a lot for Iris to not shoot each one nipping at the wizards behind.
"Move." Gandalf mutters motioning with his arm for the dwarves to run ahead.
"Where are you leading us?" Iris looks at the leader dwarf then up to Gandalf. The wizard does not say a word and runs after the group. The leaders' sighs frustrated with the silence and glance to the Satyr. She shrugs showing she does not know. He runs off with her following.
They press tight against a rock hearing a warg leap on the rock above. Iris has stopped at a rock further away. Pulling two arrows, she notches and shoot. The arrows hit their mark but not without consequence. The warg lets out a cry as the arrow lodges in its neck instead of its skull. Iris curses under her breath hearing the pack respond.
"Run! Run!" Gandalf and the dwarves run free as the pack circle back and follow them. Iris falls back to be the surprise attacker with her bow. Best allow the enemy to get distracted so she has more chance in shooting them down one by one.
Arrow after arrow she notches and shoots. Her aim never missing their mark and by the time the group is surrounded, the wargs and orcs are only half their numbers alive. Iris leaps on the rock and begin shooting once more. Her quiver never running empty as she told the leader dwarf.
"Where is Gandalf?" A young dwarf calls out holding his small rock shooter.
"He has abandoned us." The warrior dwarf that addressed her before exclaims not happy.
"Kili! Shoot them!" What about her? Iris grumbles in her mind before shooting more orcs and their wolf.
"This way, you fools!" Gandalf emerges from between the rocks and the dwarves head in.
"Go! Go!" the dwarves slide in, and Iris drop down beside the leader dwarf. "Kili!"
Iris notes how close on warg is about to chomp on the young black-haired dwarf and she will be damned if that will be the end. Notching an arrow, she takes a deep breath and let's go. The arrow whiz past skimming a hair off the dwarf ear and kills the pursuers.
The shot gave the young dwarf time to get in safe and unharmed. Iris and the leader share a look before he slides in followed by her. Quickly getting on her hooves, she turns hearing a horn. Her uncle used to love blowing his horn every morning at dawn. Shaking her head, she tries to not hit the dwarves head with her antlers.
"You are mad." The leader hisses at her. Iris looks down at the furious dwarf not knowing what brought on his wrath. "You almost killed Kili."
"And yet I didn't. One thing you should trust master dwarf is I do not miss nor do my arrows ever stray from their path when shot. I have been shooting arrows since I was five. I never let harm come to those who do not deserve it." She says scolding the dwarf that dare accuse her of false shooting. The leader glare lessens and he presses his lips tight into a thin line.