[maikafanawen]

Although her callow appearance made her seem otherwise, Peony was no namby-pamby hobbit. Her friend Balbo had once informed an older hobbit less than five years ago when she had first been taught to use her dagger. The words encouraged her only slightly. The huge wolves had caught her off her guard and she stood momentarily stunned beside the fire. Then Gondolin’s voice brought her back to her senses.

"Get long sticks from the fire that are burning, hold them in front of you. Those with bows, get into the middle of the company." Grabbing a stick with fire on the end, she slashed the air before her, threatening any wolf that came near her. Grinning ferociously, a wolf tried to dodge around her and snap her stick in half. The malignant and unfortunate creature was met with a flash of Peony’s silver dagger before it neatly slit its throat. Grunting in disgust she backed away from the body, her stick was still burning.

Several more wolves approached her, snarling. Three were taken down by elvish arrows Peony poked it challengingly with her torch. It roared in pain and lunged. She stepped out of its path at the last second, and Gondolin met it with a slash of his sword. Laughing at the wolf that had been caught off guard, she re-lit her ember-dying branch and turned to meet the second onslaught of carnivores.