Erebor's Guardian

Chapter: 12

"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin turned to Gandalf with a smirk on his face.

"...and into the fire. Run! RUN!"

We all started to run down the mountain as fast as we could. The wargs were following rapidly; nighttime was beginning show over the horizon. One of the wargs had caught up and lept toward Bilbo. Before it could I charged at it with Ringel and killed it. Bilbo had fallen on the ground, breathing rapidly.

"Run! I'll cover you."

Bilbo stood up as I drew my bow. Kili turned around and started to run toward me,

"Kili! I'll be fine now go!"

Kili stopped in his tracks and looked at me with a disapproving look.

"Go!"

Kili ran toward the others. A few more wargs started to run toward me. I was able to kill a few until I heard Gandalf call for me. I stopped and ran back toward the others. They were climbing up the trees near the edge of the mountainside. I could see Bilbo having trouble trying to get up. Gandalf was calling out to the others to hurry. I opened my wings and grabbed Bilbo and flew up to the lower portion of the trees. I swooped back down to help the others and heard Thorin yell out.

"They're coming!"

I turned around and turned to Dwalin and gave him a boost in the trees as I followed behind. The Wargs and the Warg Riders approached the trees and started to rip out the roots. The others started to jump from tree to tree. They landed on the trees near the edge of the cliffs. Gandalf grabbed some pinecones and lit them on fire, throwing them at the wargs, they ran in fear. Gandalf lit a few more and tossed them to down to Fili and Kili. Bilbo and the others gathered more pinecones as Gandalf lit them. As they were able to keep the Wargs away the dwarves cheered. Suddenly they're cheer faded as the fire spread through the dry grass, the tree started to tip over the edge of the cliff, but it did it up resting straight out. Gandalf looked down to see the ground very far away. Everyone tried to hold on. Ori lost his grip on the tree and fell but managed to grab Dori's leg. Dori lost his grip on the tree as well and fell, Gandalf quickly swung his staff down and Dori was able to grab the end of it. I tried to unfold my wings but they wouldn't. Thorin turned to me and he realized it was the flames. He looked past me and there stood the Pale Orc. Azog.

"Azog?!"

"Do you smell it? The scent of fear? I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain."

I turned to Thorin and he looked stricken with pain and grief, we both realized that he captured Thrain.

"It cannot be."

Azog growled; Thorin and I were clinging to the trees, both of us glared at him in hate and anger. Thorin pulled himself up, he drew his sword and walked down the leaning trunk as everyone looked on. I tried to once more open my wings but they refused to. I climbed up the tree and stood up as Thorin grabbed an oaken branch as a shield. He started to charge as the white warg charged at him. The creatures claw smashed into his chest causing him to hit the ground by the impact. The White Warg turned around and clamped its jaws around Thorin and he yelled out in pain.

"NO!"

I forced my wings out and the pain came instantly, I couldn't move. the pain was too intense from the wounds. I gripped my back as I fell to my knees. I looked up to see Thorin hit the White Warg with the pommel of the sword. the Warg threw Thorin some feet away. Thorin landed heavily, his sword fell from his hand, he was almost unconscious.

"Bring me the Dwarf's head."

One of the Warg Riders jumped off his Warg and approached Thorin. I looked up to see Bilbo stand up and pull out his sword. The rider was about to decapitate Thorin. As the rider brought the sword down, Bilbo threw himself at the orc and knocked him over. Bilbo managed to stab the orc and kill it. Azog growled in anger. I shook my head as I folded my wings in. I walked up next to Bilbo and drew Ringil.

"Kill them."

A couple of Wargs and Riders approached us. Suddenly Fili, Kili and Dwalin ploughed at into the Wargs from the side and started to fight them. Bilbo was slightly confused and yelled and leapt forward wounding a Warg. I smiled as the others fought. Two Wargs charged at me and I cut one through the side of it killing it, while I jumped over the other causing it to fall off the cliff. Bilbo somehow ended on the White Wargs head and was tossed toward me. The Wargs surrounded us and the flames grew. Suddenly several eagles appeared, some of the Wargs and Orcs were tossed off the cliff, some eagles fan the flames chasing the wargs to burn. Azog snarled in frustration. One of the eagles gently grabbed Thorin and his sword in its talons and flew away. As Thorin was picked up the oak branch fell from his hand. Azog roared and jumped back as one of the Eagles flew by him; the eagle flew straight for Bilbo and snatched him off the ground and threw him to another. The rest of the eagles snatched the dwarves out of the tree and flew away. Gandalf leapt from the tree to one of the eagles. As the eagles flew away with the company. I sheathed my sword and turned to Azog. He growled in anger and frustration.

"Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!"

I jumped off the cliff and opened my wings and flew by Kili and Fili.

"What did you say to him?"

"I spit on your grave."

They smiled as the Eagles flew over the landscapes. Thorin still lied unconscious in the Eagle's talons; the others grew more worried about him.

"Thorin!"

Fili called out but there was no response. I flew over to him and gently held his face. He was alive but he didn't respond.

The Eagles soon approached a massive rock structure shaped like a bear; it was the Carrock. The Eagle carrying Thorin gently placed him on the flat area on top of the Carrock. I landed next to Thorin, I held him in my arms and whispered.

"Please, Armalime."

The Eagle that carried Gandalf landed. Gandalf slid down the Eagle and ran over to Thorin.

"Thorin! Thorin."

Thorin still didn't respond. Bilbo ran up as Gandalf placed his hand over Thorin's face and whispered a spell. Thorin's eyes fluttered open and he gasped for air. He looked up to me and placed his hand on my cheek. I placed a hand on his. He spoke weakly

"The halfling?"

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

I helped Thorin up, he gently shook his head, the others started to gather around him but he walked past them toward Bilbo.

"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place among us?"

Thorin walked closer until he was face to face with Bilbo, who looked worried and frightened.

"I've never been so wrong in all my life!"

Thorin grabbed Bilbo and embraced him deeply. The other dwarves cheered loudly and slapped each other on the back. Gandalf smiled. Bilbo looked quite surprised, he hugged Thorin back.

"I am sorry I doubted you."

"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar. You should thank Paephan too, she risked her life even with her pain."

Thorin turned to me and smiled. I smiled and bowed my head, When I looked up I saw it in the distance, on the horizon, the outline of a single, solitary mountain. Thorin turned around and stood next to Bilbo.

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

"Our home."

I placed a hand on Thorin's shoulder as a thrush flew by.

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

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush."

"But we'll take it as a sign- a good omen." Thorin smiled as he looked down to Bilbo.

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

I smiled at Bilbo's words. We were one step closer to our home.