The 15th Member

6

This chapter is dedicated to a wonderful reader, @MissFeisty ...Thank you for showing such an interest in this story :).

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"Radagast." Gandalf welcomed the brown wizard warmly.

He was an odd sort of fellow, his hair was a tussled mess and either tree bark or dried bird feces ran down one side of his face. His cooky hat matched his clothes and he seemed in a rush of sorts.

He rambled about having to tell Gandalf something and when he tried to remember it actually turned out he oddly had a walking stick insect in his mouth.

We all stood around while Radagast and Gandalf spoke in private, but when the two finalized their conversation they walked back over to us.

But as our defense was slightly down, a large wolf like creature leaped at us , our defense might have been down but we were quick to pick it up again as a couple of dwarves got it to the ground and beat it dead, with my bow in hand now Kíli and I shot down another as it jumped at us and the same dwarves killed that one too.

"What are those?" Bilbo asked.

"Wargs."

"Who else did you tell about your quest other than your kin?" Gandalf ask Thorin.

"No one," he answered.

"Who else did you tell?" Gandalf asked angrily.

"No one!" Thorin snapped back.

"You're being hunted." Gandalf informed us.

I looked up at Thorin with worry, where there are Wargs, their Orc riders were never far behind.

"So we'll run." I suggested

"We can't" Ori filled us in about what he had seen while scouting.

"I'll lead them away." Radagast stated with finality. Gandalf began insisting that it would be impossible, that the Wargs and Orcs were too fast and that he would be caught and killed. "These are Rhosgobel rabbits, i'd like to see them try." He smiled as he jumped onto his sled and was quickly pulled away.

We ran quickly in the opposite direction, we could have gotten away much quicker had our horses not run off after the whole troll incident.

We found a large mass of rock and hid as the orcs figured out Radagast's plan of a distraction, and shortly after an Orc riding a large Warg approached us as it climbed the rock.

With the beasts now right on top of us we stood completely still. I stood next to Kíli and we both looked at Thorin for answers. Thorin looked at Kíli and nodded. Before I could process anything, Kíli moved from beside me and shot an arrow straight at the Warg causing it along with the rider to fall, Dwalin used his large heavy axe to make quick work of the evil creatures as other dwarves helped.

"Quickly, this way." Gandalf shouted from around another rock.

We ran and suddenly I slowed.

"Come on Maecel." Thorin said as he grabbed my elbow.

It was the first time he had ever said my name, it was also the first real contact with a male (other than my family members) especially a dwarf. I looked into his eyes, another first, they were steely blue but there wasn't time to stare at them, "we shouldn't be here." I whispered knowingly.

He too slowed now, but the sound of approaching Wargs grabbed his attention once more and he in turn grabbed my hand and pulled me along without another word.

Once inside the rocks we found it was a tunnel, but I knew fully well where we were and where this place would lead.

We could hear fighting outside of the tunnel and Thorin, still unknowingly holding my hand turned to face Gandalf. He accused Gandalf of planning this whole thing but was interrupted when some of the other dwarves informed us that they could see light.