The Half Breed Ranger

Chapter 14: Azog

The company rushed down the hill as a group of riderless warg were quickly catching up to them. The sun quickly disappears and shades the world in a darkness. Amanda rushed over to stand next to Bilbo knowing he would need her help at some point, to which she was right in thinking. Just as she arrived at his side, a warg jumped for Bilbo. Amanda pulls him away and they fall to the ground with a grunt. The warg lands on its feet in front of them as it then charges again. Bilbo pulled out his elven blade and held it in front of him. The warg impaled itself onto his blade and died instantly. Bilbo stood amazed at the outcome as another warg leapt at him. Amanda stood up and made quick work of it by slicing its neck, before it could bring harm to the hobbit.

"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Amanda heard Gandalf call in a short distance away. Amanda looked to Bilbo who was struggling to pulled his blade from the wargs skull. Amanda rushed over to Bilbo and grabs a hold of the hilt along with Bilbo and pull, but the blade was firmly embedded.

"They're coming!" Thorin yelled out, causing Amanda's heart rate to pick up. They finally rip the blade out of the warg, Amanda pushed Bilbo towards a tree. Amanda grabbed him and looked up.

" Fili!" She yelled as she tossed the hobbit into the air. Fili grabbed him and steady Bilbo on the thick branch. He yelled in surprise at Amanda sudden action.

" Behind you!" Gloin yelled to Amanda as a warg appeared behind her and launched itself at her. Amanda swung her sword and slice the warg. It turned around and knocked her over onto her back, her elven sword flew from her grasp. The warg growled as it stepped over her ready to bite her head off. But it yelled in pain and fell on its side dead. Amanda looked to see who it was and pushing himself up from the ground was Kili. Amanda nodded her thanks as they rushed over to a tree and leapt into it as the main body of the warg pack arrives. Amanda took her bow from her back and laced it with an arrow. She fired off six arrows effectively killing four wargs in the process.

" We have to figure something! I will run out of arrows before I get through half!" Amanda yelled releasing another arrow, killing an warg. Just then her attention was caught by Azog on top of a rock upon a white warg. Amanda froze as well as Thorin.

"Azog?!" Thorin said stunned. Amanda began to shake with both anger and fear. Amanda lowered her bow as Azog's gaze fell onto her and he smiled.

"Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast?" [Do you smell it? The scent of fear?] he growled to Amanda and then looked to Thorin.

"Ganzilig-i unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob." [I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain.] Azog spat to the king.

"It cannot be." Thorin spoke in pain of the new found knowledge about his father.

"Kod, Toragid biriz." [Those two are mine.] He yelled to his followers.

"Worori-da!" [Kill the others!] and with his command then warg leapt at the trees trying to climb them. But ultimately failing and ended up causing the trees to fall. The dwarves began to leap from tree to tree and they fell to the ground. They continued to tree jump until they get to the very last tree. The whole company was now clinging to the last tree, that stood on the edge of a steep cliff. Gandalf found a pinecone and set it a lit.

" Fili!" He called to the elder Durin brother as he threw the Fire pinecone to him. Fili helped light up more pinecones as they all throw them down amid the wargs. The wargs yelled and back away from the fire. The company smiled and cheered at their victory; but it was short lived. As the tree they were on cracked and shook at it fell. The tree fell only just staying on the cliff and not toppling too the ground way below. It stop with a shake causing Amanda too loose her grip for a moment. She grabbed a branch and struggled to keep a hold. She had been here before.

" Amanda!" Kili called as Amanda struggled to hold on with the weight of her gear. Thorin pulled himself up onto the tree and drew his sword.

" Thorin!" Amanda yelled to him as she saw him run towards Azog with his sword held high and an oak branch as a shield. Kili reached for Amanda but was unable to reach her. He moved down a few branches just into time to grab her as her grip failed. But he himself slipped and was now laying his chest on a thick branch. He was slipping further as he tried to pull Amanda to safety.

" Hold on!" Kili called to her. Amanda could see this time would not be like in the mountains. Amanda held onto his wrist with one hand as he used both his to hold her.

" Kili." Amanda called him gently. Kili shook his head knowing what she was thinking.

" No come on! Hold on!" Kili told her as Amanda shook her head.

" No, Kili. Not this time." Amanda muttered to him with a saddened look.

" No..." Kili said.

" Take care of the others and yourself. Reclaim your homeland." She smiled she never took her eyes from him.

" I love you." Was all she said as she released his wrist. Kili tightened his grip to hold her but her hand was slipping from him.

" No... No!" Kili yelled as a tear fell from Amanda's cheek. Everything went silent as Kili looked into her eyes.

" I'm sorry." She whispered to him as her hand slipped from his grasp. She never took her eyes away from Kili as she fell from his grip. It all moved in slow motion as the wind whipped her cloak up past her head.

" NO!" Kili yelled as Amanda sank to the ground far below. Her eyes closed as gravity pulled her to certain death. Kili's eyes brimmed with tears as she fell with no scream nor call for help. Accepting that in her death, she proven this death.

" Amanda..." Fili called as he saw her fall from Kili's grasp.