The only thing that disturbed the cool evening was the stream of smoke rings that floated to the sky. One, a ship, another, a butterfly. An arrow flew through the butterfly and the winged creature disappeared with a puff of smoke.
The creator of these smoke rings sat against a rock, deep in thought. Thorin had insisted that he wait until after the meeting with the other dwarf lords to start travelling. It was a troubling decision. Because of their lack of time, they would have to travel in the general vicinity of a possible enemy, one that could cause trouble in the future. If Thorin and his company had started traveling earlier and skipped the meeting altogether, they would have a few extra months they could use to go around this enemy at a safe distance.
The wizard huffed as he blew smoke from his mouth. Even though things seemed hopeless, not all was lost. There was someone who could help them, someone who knew this enemy well.
"You are quiet," a husky voice broke Gandalf's train of thought. He looked up at the dwarf standing in front of him. He doubted that Thorin, with his stubborn nature, would allow her to join them until they arrived at the mountain.
"Something is on your mind," Thorin stated. Gandalf stood.
"Yes, something is. And it is a personal matter, for your ears only," The wizard whispered to Thorin, stealing a glance at the rest of the company. Thankfully no one was looking their way. Thorin nodded in the direction of a group of trees that served as a good hiding place. The screech of a nighthawk echoed through the night as Gandalf and Thorin made their way into the trees.
"What troubles you?" The dwarf asked.
"Many things, but most of all, your decision to start travelling at a later date," Gandalf pointed the mouth end of his pipe at Thorin as he said this.
"I do not see how that should trouble you. We still have enough time to get to the mountain. If we are not captured on our journey," Thorin assured the wizard.
"That is exactly what worries me. With the amount of time we do have, in order to reach the mountain before Durin's Day, we have to travel through enemy territory."
"What enemy? Elves? Orcs?" Now Thorin seemed worried.
"Neither. This is a more violent enemy. One that I would do well to avoid if I were you."
"What is this enemy called?"
"All I can say, is that I am not as knowledgeable about this enemy as I would like to be," Thorin sighed and turned away, facing a small den that was nestled in some trees nearby.
"However, I do have a friend who is," Gandalf said behind his pipe. He blowed smoke from his mouth as Thorin turned to face him.
"They would be around thirty miles west as the crow flies at this time of year," the wizard reasoned.
"No," Thorin's response was quick. "I am already risking the life of a hobbit on this journey. I do not need to risk another," Thorin moved towards Gandalf.
"It wouldn't be a risk. She lives in the Wilds year round. A journey to the Lonely Mountain would be easy for her."
"Her? A woman living in the Wilds?" Thorin chuckled. "Let me guess, she is traveling with a group of Men who know their way through those dangerous territories?"
"In fact she has been living alone in the Wilds for the past fifteen years. And I would watch my tongue with her if I were you, Thorin Oakenshield. She is not someone you want to get on the bad side of. Last I checked she is fast with a sword," Gandalf warned the dwarf.
"Unfortunately for her, her speed with a sword will not change my mind. She is not coming with us," Thorin walked past Gandalf and out of the grove. Gandalf watched him go, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips. If there was one thing that would drive him mad, it would be the stubbornness of dwarves, even if it proved to be helpful in some cases.
Boisterous laughter erupted from outside the grove, and curiosity took over. Gandalf peeked out from the grove and saw the brothers Fili and Kili laughing hysterically at something. Gandalf shook his head and stepped out of the grove. He made his way back to the rock he was sitting at earlier. He sat against it once again, and took a draw from his pipe, only to find that it was out. Taking out his pick, he began to clean the old leaf from the bowl.
"Is everything alright?" a voice said next to him.
"Everything is fine Bilbo. It is just the stubbornness of dwarves that might be the downfall of this company," Gandalf said under his breath. He now packed some new leaf in the bowl and lit it.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Bilbo asked politely.
"Not give us the constant reminder of how much you miss your armchair," Gandalf said as he gave Bilbo a look. Bilbo gave a slight chuckle and nodded, his lips forming a tight line. At this moment, Gandalf now almost regretted bringing him on this journey. But then again, the hobbit needed to get out of his hobbit hole and go on an adventure. He was part Took for goodness sakes! It was in his blood.
"Gandalf? Are you alright?" Gandalf refocused, and looked at Bilbo, who was watching him quizzically.
"I am fine Bilbo. Just, drifting off," the wizard gave a smile. Bilbo returned it, the awkwardly put his hands together.
"I'm just going...to…" Bilbo nodded, and started walking back to the group. As soon as his back was turned, Gandalf's smile dropped from his face.
He needed to do something about Thorin. He wasn't going to let him risk the fate of the entire company instead of including one more person.
Something fluttered in the tree next to him. He looked over to see a nighthawk, possibly the one from earlier. It watched him with steady eyes. Glancing at the company, Gandalf walked over to the grove again. The hawk followed, perching in a tree above him. It twisted its head around, studying him in that strange way birds do. Gandalf found a birch tree, and gently pulled off a piece of the outer bark. He began searching for a writing utensil in his robes when he spotted the remainders of a fire from a previous traveller. He bent down, and found a thin piece of charcoal, perfect for writing. After finding a flat rock, he began to write on the bark.
Driven by curiosity, the hawk hopped from branch to branch, going farther down the tree, curious as to what the wizard was doing. He even flew down to sit next to the rock Gandalf was writing on, tilting its head from side to side.
When Gandalf was done writing, he gave the hawk a quick sideways glance, and quietly held out his arm. The bird immediately hopped to it. Gandalf began whispering to the bird.
The bird stilled, save for blinking, as it listened to Gandalf, the wizard's words telling it what it must do. When Gandalf finished, the bird hopped from his arm to the rock, grabbed the piece of bark, and flew off into the night.
Gandalf knew that Thorin wouldn't be pleased with what he had done. But Gandalf wasn't going to let the dwarf prince march his company into the hands of an enemy, not when it could be prevented.
A few days later, the hawk found it's target.
The horse and rider were running as if they were being chased. Making great speed, they hurried through the valley they currently travelled, crossing shallow streams and weaving through rocks the size of troll heads. The sun was close to setting.
Upon reaching the forest, all three travellers stopped to rest. The sun was dipped halfway behind the horizon.
The rider dismounted their horse, patting it's strong neck. As they began to unpack, the hawk flew down from it's perch.
Startled by the bird, the horse jumped, and stood tensely. He snorted at the bird, swiveling his ears.
Said bird was now perched on a fallen log, whose one branch mimicked a skeleton's hand. Sitting on one of the fingers, the bird watched them.
The rider studied the bird. This was a night hawk, they saw. They were confused, as to why the bird was awake at this time, when the sun had not yet set. Why had it landed so close to them? The rider surmised that this bird was sent here by someone, someone with a message, for the first thing they noticed, was the bark enclosed in the bird's beak.
Quietly walking to the bird, the rider grabbed hold of the bark. The bird let go and screeching once, took off into the trees.
The rider chuckled. Having read the note on the bark, they now looked to the east. The note on the bark read:
'Come to Bear Hollow. Your assistance is needed.'
They had recognized the handwriting, and luckily for Gandalf, Bear Hollow was just over the next hill. The rider would be there the next day.