Unexpected

Chapter 5: Into Harm's Way

The days went on and the Company traveled without end. They had found a cave in which we stumbled upon elven blades, the finest there is. Bilbo even obtained a sword of his own! Further along their path, the group met with an old friend of Gandalf's, Radagast the Brown. He had news about a darkness that was coming. A darkness that was slowly growing.

"Now, a Necromancer. Are you sure?" Gandalf asked. He seemed unsure. Eili had heard tales of such a thing, but she had yet to experience one. That wasn't their main concern at the moment though. Eili thought she had heard a howl.

"Shhhh! Can you hear that?" She said quickly. The company immediately stopped talking. A howl could be heard in the distance.

"Was that a wolf? Are there wolves out here?"

"Mr. Baggins, I believe that was a warg."

"Warg-Scouts!" Thorin shouted, "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?"

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" The wizard questioned, looking at the dwarf king.

"No one."

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf bellowed.

"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?" Said Thorin.

"You are being hunted."

"We have to move!" Dwalin sounded aggravated.

There was silence for a moment. Then the Brown Wizard spoke. "I'll draw them off."

"These are Gundobad Wargs; they will outrun you." Gandalf was flustered.

Radagast looked at his fellow wizard. "These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try."

•

"Come and get me! Ha ha!" Yelled Radagast as he sped off on his sled. The orcs were angered by this taunt and surely enough, they followed. The Company hid while Gandalf watched from behind a large boulder. "Come on!"

They rushed across the rocky plains and through the tall, dry grass. As the Company saw warg scouts approaching, they hid behind rocks. They continued running, taking cover when needed. Suddenly, one of the scouts stopped chasing Radagast. Eili peaked from behind the rock, watching his movements. He sniffs the air and moved in their direction. The Company was hidden behind the outcropping of a rock. Because the orc was so close, they could hear him. Eili grabbed Fili's arm. The orc was now standing right above them, on the top of the outcrop. Kili began to slowly load his bow. His uncle gave him the signal and quickly, Kili jumped out from his cover and shot the warg. The orc had fallen off the warg, leading him to a quicker death. Unfortunately, the sound of this fight carried on quite far. Some of the scouts stopped chasing the sled. Upon hearing this, they followed the direction of the sound.

"Move! Run!"

The Company was running, but this time, they didn't make it very far. They were surrounded. Wargs were approaching from all sides. The group ran further. Gandalf was far ahead and disappeared. The dwarves panicked.

"Where's Gandalf?"

"Did he abandon us?!"

The scouts came closer. Kili was already shooting them down with his bow. "Hold your ground." Thorin said, pulling out his sword. Eili grabbed her bow and pulled an arrow from her quiver. The Company started attacking. They kept as much distance as they could. Kili and Eili were the only effective long range fighters, so they managed to kill quite a few of the orcs, and injure many more.

Gandalf's head popped up from a crack between a rock. "This way, you fools!"

One by one, each member of the Company slid down the rock and into a cave. The orc scouts were nearing the entrance until a strange sound filled the air. It sounded like a horn. The sound of conflict could be heard as well. An orc rolled down from the crack and to the Company's feet. Some dwarves pulled out their weapons, but it was merely a body. Thorin examined the arrow it was shot with.

"Elves." He said, hatred dripping from his words.

Further into the cave was a passage way. They followed it, seeing as there was no other place to go. We began walking down the path. It was quite narrow, but since Eili was a lady and the youngest of the bunch, she fit through better than most. The songs of birds could be heard. The pathway was a crack in between two cliffs. Eventually, the path grew larger and led to an open area. There was a valley that contained a city.

Gandalf waited until all the Company members stood at the open area. "The Valley of Imraldis. In the common tongue, it is known by another name."

"Rivendell."