As the earliest rays of morning sun dared to peer over the mountain ranges the Company waited anxiously for the report from their light-footed friend. Bilbo stumbled down the rocks his heart racing and his breaths short.
"How close is the pack?" Dwalin demanded. The rest of the Company shuffled in closer to hear the Hobbit's report.
"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it." Bilbo huffed, he leaned forward as his lung heaved air in and out in desperate attempts to calm him.
"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin asked fearfully.
Bilbo shook his head, "Not yet, but they will; we have another problem."
"Did they see you? They saw you!" Gandalf gasped. The rest of the Dwarves began to share in his fear, the thought of the Orcs descending on them again was more that enough to make them shake.
"No, that's not it." The Hobbit assured as his frustration grew.
The Wizard smiled in relief and turned to the rest of the Company, "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material."
The Dwarves shared a grin and chuckle in appreciation, but the Halfling had had enough.
"Will you listen- Will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there."
The chuckling stopped immediately as their imaginations of what other threat may be lurking close by ran wild.
"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf asked, his tone left no room for anything but seriousness.
"Ye..." Bilbo went to answer, but hesitated as he fully comprehended the Wizard's words. "Y- yes. But bigger, much bigger."
Eyes turned curiously to Gandalf as Bofur stepped forward. "You knew about this beast?" The Dwarf squeaked.
The Wizard turned and walked away a few steps as he contemplated their next move. The Dwarves on the other hand already began making their own suggestions.
"I say we double back." said Bofur.
"And be run down by a pack of Orcs." Thorin countered instantly.
"There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge." Gandalf spoke slowly. His eyes made contact with the red-headed Ranger who'd yet to say a word.
"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin inquired, mindful of the uneasy look on the Ranger's face.
"Yer not thinking what I think yer thinking?" Laire strongly hoped that she was wrong of Gandalf's intentions
"What is he thinking?" Kili whispered, he stood to one side of Laire, his brother occupied the other.
"Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us." Gandalf answered.
Laire could practically see the thoughts tick over in the Wizards mind and she grimaced at the idea. "Yer definitely thinking what I think yer thinking."
The Dwarves shared glances of dismay. Thorin looked up at the Wizard, "What choice do we have?"
The deafening roar of a bear pierced through the dense morning air.
"None."
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The Company thundered across streams and through the forest, the autumn leaves crunched under their relentless feet. The fear of the beast closing in behind them drove them on faster with each roar that broke through the trees. As the edge of the forest approached, a large house could be seen resting in the centre of a vast green field. The sight of their refuge spurred the Company on, even Bombur, the largest Dwarf managed to out run even the youngest and fittest of the Company which came as a shock to many.
The heavy Dwarf charged through the wooden gates and barreled into the large door that merely shook at his force and threw him back into the dirt and grass. The rest of the Dwarves poured in and thumped and pushed against the wooden barrier in desperate attempts to bust it open. Another roar echoed over the plains as a huge, black bear burst through the tree line and set upon the Company with terrifying pace.
"Open the door!" Gandalf cried as he turned to watch the bear close the distance between them.
"Quickly!" Barked Thorin.
Laire stood near Gandalf anxiously waiting for the Dwarves to opened the accursed door. "Get the latch ye fools!" She screeched.
Thorin pushed and shoved his way through the Dwarves and pushed the large metal bolt allowing the doors to fall open and the Company to tumble in and hurriedly move to push the door closed again. But their efforts were too slow, for the bear had already pushed his head inside and fought against the Dwarves who desperately tried to close him out. With one massive heave from the Company, they pushed the bear back and secured the door closed. The Company slumped over with relief as the adrenaline left their veins.
"What is that?" Ori breathed.
"That...is our host." replied Gandalf.
The Company rounded on the Wizard sharing looks of bewilderment.
"His name is Beorn, and he's a skin-changer." Laire clarified, she leaned back against one of the large wooden posts that held the roof over their heads. "Never met 'im me-self, but there are stories..." She trailed off, looking to the Wizard to take over again.
"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 of dwarves." Gandalf finished uneasily.
"He's leaving!" Ori gasped, his ear pressed against the wooden surface that separated them from the creature.
"Come away from there! It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious: he's under some dark spell." Dori said, his voice tremble with fear.
"Don't be a fool; he's under no enchantment but his own." The Wizard reprimanded. "Alright now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight." The Dwarves began to disperse around the large home as the Wizard glanced around with mild anxiety. "I hope."
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Honour For Bastards
FanfictionThere's a shame that can't be spoken, for children born out of wedlock. A shame that leaves a stain on their face for all their lives which leaves one to wonder why there are names left out of the great stories? Why the heroes are always noble and p...
