Stay With Me [Thorin Oakenshield]

Chapter 13: The skin changer

It wasn't long until Azog caught up to them. The company had travelled further east when they first caught sight of warg scouts. A few more days they had been able to avoid them, but their enemy was swiftly drawing nearer.
They had decided that sending Bilbo out every so often to scout the area would be safest. He was stealthier than the dwarves and Thorin had forbidden Louisa from going, considering she was still quite severely wounded and wouldn't stand a chance if she was seen.

Nervously they waited for his return. He was gone for longer than usually this time around. Louisa had been pacing for the last couple minutes when she finally decided to speak up. "Thorin, I should really go after him, make sure he's alright. He doesn't usually take this long.", she tried her luck in persuading him.
Thorin chuckled humourlessly at her attempt. "Not a chance, Louisa. Stay here. I'm sure he's alright. Just give him another moment.", he denied her. She huffed a breath in frustration but respected his command for the time being.

They waited for another few minutes and Louisa had been about to speak up again when they heard some leaves rustling. Immediately they turned towards the source of the sound to see Bilbo hurrying toward them. Louisa sighed in relief. "How close is the pack?", Thorin pressed the hobbit. "Too close. A couple of leagues, no more. But that is not the worst of it.", Bilbo responded as he tried to catch his breath.

Dwalin interfered suddenly. "Have the wargs picked up our scent?", he asked. "Not yet, but they will. We have another problem."
This time it was Gandalf who interrupted the poor hobbit. "Did they see you? They saw you.", he thought to have deduced from the hobbit's nervous behaviour. Bilbo was quick to reassure him: "No, that's not it."
"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material.", Gandalf interrupted again causing the dwarves to chuckle and mumble amongst themselves in agreement. The hobbit was now rapidly losing his patience with them. "Will you listen?", he asked exasperatedly but the dwarves barely heard him.

Louisa had finally had enough of it when she spoke up over the muttering dwarves. "Let him speak!", she demanded with surprising authority in her voice, causing them all to quiet and turn to her startled. She quickly gestured for Bilbo to go on. The dwarves turned back to him when he spoke. "I am trying to tell you there is something else out there!", he finally informed them.
Thorin sighed in frustration. They had enough problems as it was.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?"

Everyone turned to Gandalf in surprise.
"Y-yes.", Bilbo stuttered with confusion written all over his face as to how the wizard knew of this. "But bigger. Much bigger.", he added hastily. Bofur was the first to confront Gandalf.
"You knew about this beast?", he asked in disbelief. He didn't receive a response as the wizard turned from them, staring off into the distance in thought. The dwarf didn't let it bother him. "I say we double back.", he suggested only to be denied by Thorin. "And be run down by a pack of orcs?", their leader pointed out.

"There is a house...", Gandalf interrupted the dwarves' discussion. He turned to face them when they quieted. "It's not far from here, where we might take refuge.", he continued. The company looked to Thorin for a decision who was quick to recognize the dubious look on the wizard's face. "Who's house? Are they friend or foe?", he questioned, hesitant to agree to this.

Gandalf winced a little knowing that the dwarf had a point. "Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us.", he said truthfully. Louisa glanced at Thorin to see that he had looked to her as well. He had pondered their options but knew that they had to avoid a fight at all costs for her sake. "What choice do we have?", he muttered as he tore his gaze from her to look back at Gandalf.
A deafening roar echoed in the distance.
"None."

The next few hours where nothing short of a pain. They had been running non-stop, desperate to get to safety while they were being hunted down by both the bear and the pack.