Elves Of Autumn

Chapter # 15

During the night, Zarneleane sat there on of the beams while looking out. She was resting there as her leg was slowly moving back and forth. Beorn was not far away from her as he was sitting in his large chair.

"Get some sleep, Zarneleane."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am."

Zarneleane gets comfortable there on the beams while resting there.

In the morning, Bilbo wakes up to find giant bees flying around his head, he looks around to see that everyone is sitting aroud the table being served breakfast by Beorn. As he heads there, there was an empty spot on one of the beams as he was wondering where the elf had gone.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog hunting you?"

"You know of Azog? How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The deflier killed most of my family, but some he enslaved." He told them while Bilbo looks at the metal piece that was around his wrist. "Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

"There are others like you?"

"Once they were many."

"And now?"

"Now there's only one." he said while going to his chair and sitting down. "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn."

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes."

"You are running out of time."

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood."

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

"We wil take the Elven Road, their path is stil safe."

"Safe? The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not."

"What do you mean?"

"These lands are crawling with Orcs, their numbers are growing and you are on foot. You wil never reach the forest alive." he said while getting up from his chair. "I don't like dwarves, they're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those deem lesser than their own."

Picks up a mouse that was there near Dwalin as Bofur pushes it off his hand. Lifting it close to him while standing there.

"But Orcs I hate more." he said while to Thorin."What do you need?"

Beorn loans them his horses. They are saddling them up for the ride to the gate while Beorn looks off into the forest near his house.

"Go now, while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind."

Later, they are at the entrance of Mirkwood forest, Gandalf steps through the entrance.

"The Elven Gate." he said while turning to the rest of the company."Here lies our path through Mirkwood."

"No sign of te Orcs. We have luck on our side." Dwalin said as Gandalf notices that Beorn is in the distance but in his bear form.

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master."

"This forest feels sick, as if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?"

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance...south." he replied as he went further in to it.