They were running slightly behind schedule due to Thorin's most recent outburst at his two nephews the youngest in particular. It had all started out when the two ambushed Gandalf in a vain attempt to rid the company of the snail. Bilbo had watched shocked as the wizard quickly turned with a disturbing glint in his eye before blasting a spell at the pair who ducked as the spell flew past only to hit their already mad uncle in the face. After a few hurried attempts to fix the spell Gandalf helped his old friend to his feet just as Fili discovered the dirty, brown worms crawling in his blond hair which Kili had planted days earlier.
"Kili!" they both roared simultaneously but any further perusal was lost as the usually nimble dwarf had scaled a tree before any harm could come to him. Bilbo shook his head as he watched the young dwarf now firmly planted between his brother and uncle with not a chance of escape.
"That young laddie has always been a bit of a handful", Bofur said happily as he rode beside the hobbit, "Even when he was a little tyke and could barely walk he could still manage to create enough havoc to bring a whole village down and mind you at one point he almost did", Bofur continued but Bilbo was no longer listening he had just spied a movement to his far right but it was getting closer by the second. Gloin was the first to realise the threat.
"Orks!" cried the dwarf as he grabbed his axe as he jumped off his pony closely followed by the rest of the company.
"By Duran's beard", came a surprising curse from the rather timid Ori, "They've got wargs!" Bilbo groaned as this was only too true. The dwarfs quickly gave their horses to Fili and Kili so the pair could lead their steeds to safety but Bilbo silently thought it was mostly to get them out of harm's way. Though the two were perfectly capable of looking after themselves Bilbo had seen that Thorin more than most poised as an overprotective blanket over the two brothers, which was most likely due to his blood tie to the troublesome pair. As soon as the two were out of the way the rest of the company drew their weapons and formed a tight circle with Bilbo smack bang in the centre.
"Couldn't we have sent him with the Fili and Kili?" Gloin groaned as he felt Bilbo elbow him in the back quite by accident. Thorin grunted and did not answer the question the first orks were upon them. As Dori struck the first fatal blow the small battle ground turned silent. Then out of nowhere Bilbo heard a loud crunch and the ork responsible wiped the remanets of the snail from its shoe.
"Why", Gandalf said outraged, "That was Bartumus Lucius Maximus the third". The ork just looked at the wizard dully as the rest of the field broke out into chaos.
"Have at thee", then Bilbo witnessed as the rather well-meaning Gandalf shoved his brightly lit staff into the ork's face knocking it back at least five feet. The battle from there on out went in the favour of the company and it went on until the orks were slain or ran in defeat. Gandalf was devastated over the death of his friend but all the others were relived Bilbo included, that was until dinner when another snail had crawled its way onto Gandalf's hat.
