❝ ADVENTURE ❞ ── Thorin Oakenshield ¹

❝ CHAPTER 11 ❞

▌Chapter 11 ─ Skin-Changer ▌

━━━━━ ELIRIEN STOOD WAITING for Bilbo's return. Her bow rested in her hand and she was ready to use it in case they needed to be. Her wound has since healed, and she had made up with Thessalia. Things were okay, for the most part.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked, causing Elirien to turn around and see Bilbo running down the trail.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it." Bilbo explained, rejoining the group.

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dawlin asked the Hobbit.

"Not yet. But they will. We have another problem."

"Did they see you?" Gandalf asked.

"Hmm?" Bilbo turned to look at the Wizard.

"They saw you."

"No, that's not it."

"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse." The dwarves' started to talk, while Elirien looked at Bilbo waiting for him to get his words out. "Excellent burglar material."

"Will you listen? Will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there." Bilbo said, pointing back in the direction he had come.

"What form did it take?" Gandalf asked. "Like a bear?"

"Y-Yes, but bigger. Much bigger."

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked him. Gandalf walked away. "I saw we double back."

"And be run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin asked him.

"There is a house..." He turned back towards the company. "It's not far from here, where we might, uh, take refuge."

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin questioned the wizard.

"Neither. He will help us or... he will kill us."

"What choice do we have?" Right after Thorin had asked his question the roar from the bear could be heard in the distance.

"None."

The company took off running, making it out of the woods they jumped into water crossing the small river. Then they crossed a flower field eventually heading into another wooded area. They ran down the hill soon stopping when they heard the roar of the bear.

"This way! Quickly!"

"Run!"

Elirien took off heading down the hill, she pulled an arrow out and noticed it into the bow just in case whatever came out of them would attack. They made it to the edge of the trees, the Elf could see the house not far from where they were.

"To the house!" Gandalf shouted.

Gandalf made it to the house first, Elirien looked over to see Bombur passing by her. Eventually she made it past the first door. Elirien allowed the other to get to the door first. Thessalia pulled out her word while Elirien held her bow up and pulled the arrow back towards her face. She moved backwards but kept her eyes on the bear.

"Open the door!"

"Quickly!"

Thorin moved in-between everyone and lifted the hatch up, Thessalia grabbed a hold of Elirien and pulled her back with her. Once they were in they closed the doors, however the bear pushed his nose in between them keeping the doors from shutting. Eventually they were able to push the door close. Elirien pushed the arrow forward and removed it from her bow. She then placed it back in the quiver and sighed heavily, placing her eyes on Gandalf.

"What is that?" Ori asked.

"That is our host." Gandalf answered. Everyone then looked at him. "His name is Beorn. And he's a skin-changer." Gandalf then walked away from them. "Sometimes he's a huge black bear. Sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable... but the man can be reasoned with. However he is not overfond with dwarves."

Elirien walked away from the group looking at all the animals. Some of them were talking to her, others were talking to each other.

"All right, now, get some sleep. All of you. You'll be safe here tonight."

Elirien found a spot still near where the dwarves would sleep. She took her gear off and sat down in the hay, soon enough a goat came up to her and laid down next to her. The Elf placed a smile on her face and started to pet the goat as it talked back to her.

───── ☾☾☾ ─────

The morning had come around, Elirien sat next to Thessalia eating some of the food. A few of the bees rested on her, and she couldn't help but smile at them. At that time Thorin had been watching her, he loved seeing the smile that rested on her lips.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield." Beorn said, as he finished pouring milk into Fili's mug. Thorin took his eyes off of Elirien and briefly looked at the skin-changer. "Tell me... Why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know of Azog?" Thorin asked him, then he turned his head. "How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains before the orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

"There are others like you?" Bilbo asked.

"Once there were many."

"And now?"

Beorn turned to look down at Bilbo. "Now there is only one. You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn."

"Before Durin's day falls. Yes." Gandalf answered.

"You are running out of time."

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood." Elirien looked at Gandalf, she was familiar with that forest. It was the one place she never wanted to go near ever again.

"A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need."

"We will take the Eleven road. That path is still safe." Elirien then looked down, she knew it wasn't going to end well. Thorin walked away from the others, his back turned to them.

"'Safe'? The wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. She was lucky to get away from them." Beorn said, looking at Elirien. "But it matters not."

"What do you mean?" Thorin asked, turning back around.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing. And you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." He then stood up from the chair, continuing to look at Thorin. "I don't like Dwarves. They're greedy and blind. Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." He had picked a mouse up and held it in his hand, then he came to a stop in front of Thorin. "But Orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

Elirien climbed up onto a horse, she looked back at Beorn. "Go now while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind." With those they took off heading towards Mirkwood.