Coincidence? →️The Hobbit fanfic

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"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked Bilbo who had just returned from spying ahead to see where Azog and the rest of the pack where while the Company waited on the other side of the mountain, hidden between large rocks.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it." the Hobbit replied.

"Have the Wargs picket up your scent?" Dwalin asked the Hobbit who had run into their midst.

"Not yet. But they will do." he panted. "We have another problem."

Gandalf stepped closer to the Hobbit and looked down at him worried, "Did they see you?"

Bilbo turned around to face the Wizard, "Huh?"

"They saw you."

"No, that's not it."

The Wizard nodded, "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse." the Company laughed and began chattering amongst each other. "Excellent burglar material!" Gandalf praised.

Bilbo looked around exhausted, "Will you listen? Will you just..." the dwarves quieted down again, "...listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there."

"What form did it take?" Gandalf asked the Hobbit slowly. "Like a bear?"

"Ye-Yes, but bigger. Much bigger"

"You knew of this beast?" Bofur asked Gandalf who turned his back to the Company, deep in thought.

"Should we go back?" Erlanda asked.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs?" Thorin replied sarcastically.

Gandalf, who had still turned his back to them began, "There is a house..." he turned around again, looking at the dwarves, Bilbo, and Erlanda, "It's not far from here, where we might take refuge."

"Whose house? Friend or foe" Thorin asked rather gruffly but Erlanda could only agree, Gandalf was a strange man with strange friends. 

"Neither." the Wizard replied. "He will help us or..." he trailed off.

"Kill us?" Erlanda asked and Gandalf nodded. 

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked just before they heard a loud roar.

"None," Gandalf said and they began to run once again.

They ran from between the rocks they had been hiding and onto green fields with a few trees. "Why do we always end up running?" Erlanda asked as they ran over a green path between the purple and white flowers around them. "You do not seem to have a problem with running." Bofur, who ran closest to her, replied.

It was true, for some reason Erlanda was a fast runner and running right behind Gandalf and Thorin. While the dwarves were not made to run for a long amount of time she could easily do so. She wondered what she was. Erlanda didn't have the pointy ears of an elf but was too strong, durable and agile to be a human also too tall to be a dwarf or a hobbit (she also lacked giant feet). 

As they went through another scenery change and ran, once again, down a hill between trees they could hear the loud roar again. They stopped and turned around but couldn't see anything which was probably good. "This way! Quickly!" Gandalf yelled and they began running again.

"Run!" Thorin yelled and pulled Bombur, who was still standing there, along at his beard. They ran through the woods, jumping over roots and ducking underneath low hanging branches.

As they finally made their way out of the woods they could see a house circled by green hedges and trees on a field of yellow grass. "To the house!" Gandalf yelled and to the house they ran.

Erlanda was running behind Nori as they looked to their right and saw Bombur running past them. "Come on, get inside," Gandalf said as they reached a very tall gate that led them to the house.

They ran to the house and Erlanda watched as Bombur, Kili, and Bofur promptly ran against the door. She turned around to see a giant bear jump out of the woods. "Open the door!" Gandalf yelled and Erlanda quickly made her way to the door where the other dwarves were already gathered, hitting the door.

She opened the door which swung to the inside of the house, letting the dwarves run into it with Erlanda. Gandalf and Bilbo quickly followed. As the Bear tried to follow the Company in, the dwarves threw themselves against the door trying to close it. They almost succeeded but the bear still had his scared head in the door. Erlanda heard Bilbo pull his sword from its sheath and she was about to pull her own as the Dwarves managed to close the door and block it with a large wooden plank.

Sighs of relief were heard as Ori turned around to Gandalf, "What was that?" he asked. "That is our host." the Wizard replied. "His name is Beorn. And he's a skin-changer. Sometime's 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."

They could hear the bear, Beorn, growl outside and Erlanda thought that he must not be very fond of being locked out of his own home. She turned to Gandalf, "Couldn't you have told us that before you led us here?" The wizard nodded, "I could have but it wouldn't have changed anything." The two turned to see Dori pull his youngest brother away from the door.

"Get away from there. It is not natural, none of it is." he chided Ori, "It's obvious. He's under some...dark spell." Gandalf stepped to the dwarf, "Don't be foolish. He's under no enchantment but his own. All right, now get some sleep. All of you." he took of his hat, "You'll be safe here tonight." Erlanda seemed to be the only one who heard Gandalf add a quiet, "I hope."

The dwarves quickly settled down in the hay between the animals that were in Beorn's house. Erlanda wondered what the man would think of them, going into his house and sleeping there without being welcomed.

She made herself comfortable in the hay near Gloin and Fili and fell asleep rather quickly. This was the most comfortable way she had slept since they had left Rivendell. Not even the snoring of the dwarves could keep her awake now.

1033 Words