Cousin of Bilbo Baggins: The Hobbit

Eagles

Astrid's POV

As Thorin gets back on his feet, panting, Azog and his White Warg wheel around. They charge at Thorin again. Azog swings his mace and smashes Thorin in the face. Who is brutally flung to the ground by the impact. Azog roars in excitement. As Bilbo and I manage to stand up on the tree. He says something in his fowl language as Bilbo and I sneak forward. Bilbo with his sword, me with my axe.

An orc approaches Thorin and places its sword against his neck> Before raising the sword, the rider prepares to decapitate Thorin. As he swings his sword down, Bilbo throws himself at the orc and knocks him over. I kill him with my axe and I stand over Thorin's body with Bilbo. Again Azog says something in his veil language.

A couple of Wargs and Riders approach us, snarling. Suddenly, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin, appear suddenly. They plow into the Wargs from the side and start fighting them. I smile the odds are starting even out. The White Warg hits Bilbo with his head and sends him flying.

"Hey no one hurts my cousin!" I shout and swing my axe at it. The white warg backs up snarling. Bilbo and I are soon cornered by Azog & his white warg. When suddenly large eagles appear I see them save Dori and Ori. Several eagles join the fight against the orcs and wargs. Some even grab Wargs and their Orc riders and toss them over the cliff. Others knock down trees, which crush the Wargs and orcs below them. Another Eagle fans the flames with its wings, causing an inferno which burns the Wargs.

I spot an eagle gently pick up Thorin and his sword in it's talons. As well as spot other eagles picking up the other dwarves. Gandalf jumps onto the back of one. "Astrid we have to go" Bilbo tells me.

"You first" I tell him and push him forward as an eagle swoops over Azog. He picks up Bilbo and tosses him into the air. He lands on the back of another eagle. I take the opportunity to run past the white warg and run straight to the cliff. I spot a warg following me but I jump off of the cliff before it could get me.

When I land on the back of Bilbo's eagle I look back to see the warg go over the cliff. "Don't scare me like that again" Bilbo scolds me. The Eagles soar through the sky over a great distance and over many beautiful landscapes. Thorin still lies unconscious in one Eagle's talons; while the rest of us are on the back of our eagles.

"Thorin!" Fili and I shout. Fili is on an eagle with his brother Kili. The Eagles approach a massive rock structure shaped like a bear; it is the Carrock. As the sun rises. The Eagle carrying Thorin and his sword gently deposits them on a flat area on top of the Carrock. Another Eagle lands on the Carrock and Gandalf slides off its neck, running toward the unconscious Thorin.

The eagles land and we all get off of them. I thank the eagle that carried Bilbo and I before is left. I approach the others to see Thorin awake calling for Bilbo and I. Dwalin and Kili help Thorin up. However, once he's up, he shrugs them off and approaches Bilbo and I. "You two! What were you doing? You both nearly got yourselves killed!" he shouts at us.

"We saved your life!" I shout back. But he ignores my comment.

"Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you both had no place amongst us?" he demands. He approaches us until we're all face to face. Bilbo looks scared while I'm furious. "I've never been so wrong in my life" he states and hugs us both. I'm to shocked to react. Bilbo was also shocked, but hugged Thorin back. The other dwarves cheer loudly and slap each other on the back, while Gandalf simply smiles.

Thorin pulls away apologizing for doubting us both. "No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior ...not even a burglar" Bilbo tells him. I smile gently at my cousin while the others chuckle. Thorin looks beyond Bilbo and I seeing something. He strides forward as we follow his gaze.

"Is that what I think it is?" I ask aloud.In the distance, on the horizon, we see the outline of a single, solitary mountain.

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

"Our home" Thorin adds. A bird cheeps and flies by.

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

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush" Gandalf tells him.

"We'll take it as a sign, a good omen" Thorin tells us.

"You're right" I say smiling.

"I do believe the worst is behind us" Bilbo states. If only dear cousin. I believe worse still lays ahead of us.

(End of the Unexpected Journey)

A/N

Gif above of the eagle flying. See you lovely readers in the Desolation of Smaug in the next chapter.