Unexpected

Chapter 10: Pine Cones

"Was that howling?" Eili asked.

The Company went silent. More howling filled the air. The group ran down the mountain as fast as their legs could carry them. The wargs followed them rapidly and it soon became dark. The Company reached a small, open part of land with some large pine trees growing on it. They were trapped, the only escape was off the mountain cliff.

"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" the wizard yelled.

"They're coming!"

Fili grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her to the branch he stood on. They remained perched, watching wordlessly as dozens of wargs circled the trees. Eili's eyes widened at the sight of Azog, who rode upon the White Warg.

"H- He's alive," Eili stuttered, "Uncle didn't kill him..."

"It cannot be," Thorin whispered to himself in disbelief.

The Pale Orc turned to his riders, speaking to them in a foreign tongue. With a shout from their leader, the wargs leapt forward, attempting to climb the trees. They jumped high, clawing at the tree trunks and tearing branches apart with their large jaws.

The pine trees shook violently underneath the Company. Fili and Eili held onto each other as they struggled to steady themselves.

The wargs relentlessly continued their assault, forcing all their weight into their attacks. The tree beneath the siblings uprooted and fell into another, causing them to tip over like dominoes. Fili and Eili leaped from branch to branch until they could travel no further. Only one pine tree remained, and it stood at the very edge of the cliff.

Suddenly, a ball of fire flew through the air. Gandalf was plucking pine cones from the tree, setting them on fire, and tossing them to members of the Company. The wizard threw two down to Eili and her brother. They began launching pine cones at the Wargs, making them retreat.

The Company began to cheer, a celebration that was short lived. Their hurrahs quickly turned into cries as the roots of the tree began to give way. The tree toppled over and the trunk balanced precariously over the edge of the cliff.

The dwarf princess clung to the branches, trying to secure herself. She looked around to see the other dwarves struggling. Bilbo hung near the base of the tree along with her uncle.

Thorin glared at Azog, vowing to defeat his enemy like he tried years ago. Finding the strength within himself, the king pulled himself up. He drew his sword and strode down the fallen trunk. Picking up an oaken branch and using it as a shield, Thorin charged towards Azog.

Eili watched in horror as the White Warg pounced at her uncle, knocking him in the chest and sending him to the ground. Just as Thorin got to his feet, Azog stormed him once more. Before the dwarf king could react, the Pale Orc swung his mace, striking him in the face. Eili, determined to help her uncle, began hauling herself up into the branch she had dangled from.

The White Warg's jaws clamped around Thorin as he yelped in pain. The dwarf king squirmed, managing to hit the warg's head with the pommel of his sword. The White Warg launched the king several feet away and he landed harshly on a nearby rock.

The Pale Orc turned to his followers and spoke. One of them hopped off his warg and slowly approached Thorin. The orc raised his sword above his head, readying to slice Thorin's neck.

Bilbo had managed to heave himself onto the trunk of the collapsed pine tree. The hobbit pulled out his sword and rushed towards the orc. He swung his sword violently, slashing at the air. The burglar managed to stab an orc, killing him instantly. Pulling his sword from the corpse, Bilbo stood protectively in front of Thorin, who had fallen unconscious. The hobbit waved his sword around wildly, trying to fend off his enemies. Snarling, several wargs approached him, their riders drawing their weapons.

Eili, who had finally gotten to her feet, released her arrows one by one, sending them into the riders' heads. She reloaded and fired her bow quickly, continuously piercing the skin of her enemies.

All of a sudden, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin plowed into the wargs from the side. Eili pulled her sword from its sheath and gashed the beasts that came near. As the fighting went on, wargs surrounded the Durin siblings and Dwalin. Eili's head whipped around, looking around in vain for an exit. The ground around them, as well as the trees, were burning. There was no escape.

Our of nowhere, an eagle swooped down from the sky and grabbed Eili with its talons. After flying away from the burning cliff, it dropped her. The dwarf screamed as she hurtled through the air. Another one of the majestic birds flew below, catching her on its back. Eili spotted her uncle in the claws of an eagle gliding near her. His eyes were still shut and his body was unmoving.

"Uncle!" she called to him. There was no answer.

The eagles approached a massive rock known as the Carrock. The bird carrying Thorin gently placed him on surface of the Carrock. Another eagle landed and Gandalf slid off of its neck, running towards Thorin. Eili jumped off her bird the moment it landed and ran to them.

"Thorin! Thorin!" Gandalf yelled.

They were met with silence. Eili frantically scanned at her uncle's motionless body as she quietly wished for his wellbeing. The wizard placed a hand on Thorin's face and whispered a spell. The king's eyes fluttered open and he gasped for air.

"The halfling?" he said in a weak voice.

"It's all right. Bilbo is here," Gandalf reassured. "He's quite safe."

By then, the other dwarves had arrived on the Carrock and surrounded Thorin. Dwalin and Kili each grasped one of the king's arms, helping him to his feet. Once he was up, he shrugged them off.

"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" Thorin bellowed, approaching Bilbo. "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? And that you had no place amongst us?"

Coming face to face, the dwarf glowered at Bilbo. It was impossible not to feel the tension in the air.

"I have never been so wrong in all my life!" Thorin smiled happily, wrapping his arms around the hobbit.

The other dwarves cheered loudly as Bilbo sighed in relief.

"I am sorry I doubted you," Thorin apologized, pulling away from the embrace.

"No, I would have doubted me too," Bilbo chuckled. "I'm not a hero or a warrior... Not even a burglar."

Kili nudged his sister's arm. After gaining her attention, he pointed ahead. She turned and gasped, staring in awe at the sight. In the distance, the outline of a single mountain could be seen.

"Erebor," Gandalf announced. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth."

"Our home," Thorin breathed.

A bird suddenly flew past them and towards Erebor.

"A raven!" Oin laughed. "The birds are returning to the mountain."

"I believe that's a thrush," Eili corrected.

"But we'll take it as a sign," Thorin stated. "A good omen."

"You're right," Bilbo agreed. "I do believe the worst is behind us."