Chapter 7: Silverhawks
"Yes, my Lords?" Mumm-Ra whispered in a cordial and submissive tone as he kneeled on the cold stone ground. The only light in the murky cave of the Earth Eaters came from the ring of crude candles fluttering in the wind, with the waxy stubs placed in a circle all around Mumm-Ra and glowing in a faint blue light.
The four demons looked down, their red eyes illuminating the servant with their hellish luminosity.
"You have done well in acquiring the Orcs," the Jackal intoned.
"Now, we go to the next phase of our plan," the Ape commanded.
"Have General Vultaire lead a group of his swiftest Birds and await our instructions for Lion-O and Thorin Oakenshield's Company," the Lizard said.
"Do we have protection against the wizards and other races of this world?" Mumm-Ra asked, bowing lower and trying to show his concern at ensuring that their schemes succeeded, "They may be alarmed if they spot us and attack accordingly if we leave the tunnels."
"We decided that may indeed be fortuitous if that is the case," the Bird declared, "The resulting havoc and panic will work in our favor. Now go."
The mummy in the red cloak had the briefest thought that this was a rather odd turn of events.
Why bother hiding Azog and his army underground and clandestinely sneak into Middle Earth to not raise suspicion only to bring out the Birdmen in the middle of broad daylight?
Mumm-Ra immediately suppressed the deliberation. If it meant finally getting revenge on the Cats and obtaining true power…
"My Lords, I will carry out your orders. However, our presence will also alert King Claudus and the other Thundercats. They may be forced to act in desperation."
The aura from the Ancient Spirits of Evil emanated like a steady pulse, pleased, satisfied, and almost gleefully anticipating…
"Exactly."
"Oh come now, Lion-O! It wasn't that bad! No one got hurt, and you're only a beginner at this entire fighting-for-one's-life business!" Fíli tried to comfort the Cat humanoid (while failing to hide his chuckling) as he and Kíli they rode alongside both the Bagginses. It was early next morning after the Troll incident, and the entire Company was riding East towards the Misty Mountains, with Balin and Gandalf leading the way.
Things were still a bit dismal however. Bifur and Bombur were still not speaking to Lion-O. Dori's henpecking and fussing over his little brother Ori was getting on said Ori's nerves, and the Dwarf scribe was coming close to punching his older brother directly in his fat nose. Kíli and Fíli were both attempting to joke around with Bilbo and Lion-O about the entire Troll debacle, attempting to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, they were making things worse as Lion-O's blood and temper boiled with each muffled giggle and choked laugh.
And to add insult to injury, it was clear that a good portion of the Company (including Thorin) had less than tolerant feelings about the teenage Cat as they kept a good distance from him, silently blaming Lion-O for nearly getting them slain. Chagrined, Lion-O stubbornly stuck to the hope that if Thorin Oakenshield could forgive him and warm up to him, then he could finally be admired and revered as a hero like the Dwarf King…
"All right, all right, so it could have gone better, but no one was hurt or killed! Except perhaps your pride when Uncle gave you that dressing down in front of everyone," Kíli offered, smiling so widely his dimples were showing.
Bilbo felt his worry spike up when Lion-O's body tense and the Young Baggins gripped his reins so hard, his knuckles turned white.
"We added to our food supplies and found an impressive cache of gold when we return! And Uncle got a fantastic sword from the First Age! Granted, it's made from the Tree-Shaggers, but still, I have to admit it's a far more impressive sight than the sword Gandalf gave you," Fíli stated, snickering at the memory of the rusty weapon bequeathed to the Thunderian.
His vision was starting to slowly but surely blur with red as Lion-O did his best to keep a hold on his raging temper that was going to boil over with one more verbal rib…
"I have to admit, even though we gave the signal to your father, you did a rather excellent imitation of a screech owl when you screamed - !" Kíli started, only to be cut off by a growl from a rather red-faced Lion-O.
"If I hear one more word from either of you rapscallions," growled Lion-O deeply, his eyes flashing as one hand balled into a fist, "I will use my sword to cut the hair off your heads. Both of you."
Bilbo frowned while both Kíli and Fíli went pale.
"You wouldn't…" squeaked Kíli as his hands unconsciously and instinctively clutched his mane of dark brown protectively. Lion-O just growled, showing his canines. Heinous threat or not, he was absolutely done with Fíli and Kíli.
Thankfully, Bilbo settled matter quickly.
"Lion-O Baggins, apologize."
"But Father - !" protested Lion-O, shocked that his father wasn't taking his side on this whole irritant. A stern look from Bilbo quickly shut down the argument that was about to spew out of the teenager's mouth.
"Now."
Red-faced and ears dropping in resentment, Lion-O swallowed before he jerkily bowed towards the two Durin Princes and muttered ruefully, "My apologies for threatening to shave your heads. I will not repeat it again."
Kíli and Fíli both smugly grinned at each other, but before they could gloat and rub salt in Lion-O's wounds, they were completely taken aback as Bilbo gave both of the young Dwarves a baleful look.
"Kíli, Fíli, you two apologize as well."
"What?!" yelped Kíli.
"But…but that's not fair, Mister Boggins!" Fíli complained, not caring how immature and childish that protest just sounded.
Bilbo was entirely unsympathetic as he stated, "You two have started the teasing, and you both will simply have to be the ones to finish it."
"What if I say no?" challenged Fíli haughtily.
"What if we both say no, Mister Boggins?" Kíli said with an impish smile and one eyebrow raised challengingly.
Bilbo leveled both of the warriors with an embellished disappointed look.
"I guess I gave you two too much credit to think that as Dwarven royalty, you would know when to apologize and show humility like all noble Princes. Especially after all the hospitality we have shown the two of you in Bag End at the Shire. Yavanna only knows how long I needed to clean the mud off my mother's glory box," sighed Bilbo.
Suddenly, Fíli and Kíli both looked a little uncomfortable. Bilbo then decided to wickedly twist the proverbial knife a bit further…
"I would have to wonder how your Uncle and your mother would feel if they found out that their future heirs and princes of the line of Durin acted less graciously than Elves, whom I was told by Gandalf are actually quite respectful and well-mannered. Oh, that reminds me, Lion-O, if we do meet the Elves, we simply have to see how their hospitality and customs would be so much alike to us Hobbits. You know how much Bell and Hamfast Gamgee adore the tales of Lord Elrond and Rivendell and seeing if they truly are the most gracious and beautiful of all races - "
That quickly nailed Fíli and Kíli's collective pride as they rapidly did an about-face.
"We're sorry, Young Bog – er, Young Baggins! We mean no harm!" Fíli hurriedly said, bowing wildly from his horse.
"We apologize for any insult to your name as well, Auntie Bilbo!" Kíli added, a twinkle in his eye.
"We are quite ashamed!"
"Verily!"
"If you both give us another chance, we will show the both of you how wonderful and awe-inspiring the kin of Durin can be!"
"The sons of Durin will always pay back and return all goodwill shown to us!"
"We're far more proper and respectable than all the Tree-Shaggers and Daisy-Munchers put together!"
"Did I mention that we're sorry?"
"Very, very sorry?"
Lion-O snorted, clearly not accepting the absurd apology.
Bilbo could not help but chuckle softly at the antics.
Watching this, Balin raised an eyebrow, impressed at Bilbo's emotional manipulation. He just hoped Thorin wasn't listening (they certainly did not need to add more to the King's dark mood already with talk of how Bilbo admired Elves).
At the same time, Nori was reporting secretly to Thorin Oakenshield and Dwalin at the rear of the line, unnoticed by everyone else. Both Dwalin and Thorin were a little disturbed to see that for once, the Dwarf outlaw was truly bothered and nettled as Nori whispered in Khuzdul.
"You were right to think that we were being followed, your Majesty," Nori said with a touch of awe, "But by the hammer of Mahal, these spies are good, perhaps as good as me. I tried most of my usual tricks and looking for the obvious signs, but I could not discover anything in the Shire. No glint of weapons, no footprints, and no scraps or waste left behind. And given that they remained concealed amongst an entire town of Hobbits and that seasoned warriors such as Fundinson could not even catch of glimpse of them means that were dealing with something far more elusive and dangerous than a typical band of outlaws."
"Should we expect an attack? Are they hostile?" Dwalin asked, frowning.
Something about this whole affair wasn't making any sense…
"No, because mark my words, whoever's been tailing us were the ones responsible for distracting the Trolls and saving us from the fire. If they were our enemies, they would not risk their well-being to save us. Why go through the risk of injury and trouble? When you have a target, choose the option that requires the least amount of effort and complication. Otherwise, why make things difficult for yourself? You need to think like an outlaw and a thief, Fundinson."
"Why else do you think we're asking a rotter like you?" sneered Dwalin. There was a spark of irascibility in Nori's eyes as he continued as if he never heard the affront.
"Yet it was fortunate we were in danger. Due to their actions, I caught a glimpse of them."
"What are they? Men? Fellow Dwarves and kin?" Thorin asked brusquely.
"They were a pair of children, young ones. Thin frames, slender, yet agile enough to bounce among the tress and scatter as soon as Gandalf showed up."
"Children?" repeated Dwalin with disbelief, "From the Menfolk?"
But Thorin then pieced together what was odd about this entire situation as he highlighted, "No, it cannot be. Whatever had put the Trolls into a dreamy state was magic, something even Tharkûn has confirmed when he turned them to stone. Men are usually not that adept at magic for such skill is usually a gift of the Istari or the Tree-Shaggers. And if there were Menfolk who knew such witchcraft, it would be an adult who would have gained enough wisdom and power for such a feat, not broods who have seen far too few seasons."
"Can you tell us anything else about these elusive nippers, Thief?" barked Dwalin rudely. Nori made a mental note to irritate Dwalin later down the road.
Nori then paused before he then uttered, "Thorin, I get the feeling that there's more to the Bagginses than we think, especially with the…Housecat. I would personally keep an eye on the Burglar's son."
Both Dwalin and Thorin blinked before they gave a surreptitious glance at Lion-O (who was riding awkwardly on his horse with Bilbo). That was an unexpected answer.
"Why?" Dwalin growled.
Nori then made his point as he whispered, "Your Majesty…the children had tails."
Thorin then understood as he cast a surreptitious and furious glance at Lion-O, his eyes lingering on the extremity jutting out of the teenager's trousers. Dwalin's eyes narrowed before he nodded with a silent signal that he would try to remain as determinedly close to the Thunderian as possible.
If there was any treachery, Dwalin would catch it.
Later that day, after taking a rest for the ponies in the mid-afternoon, Gandalf and the members of Thorin's Company were quickly taken aback by the sudden crashing sounds coming from the undergrowth, drawing sudden bursts of alarm and fright. Gandalf's face was grave as he slowly stood and drew out his Elvish sword, Glamdring.
"Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourselves," the Gray Wizard instructed. Bilbo could feel his heart pounding against his ribs as he drew out his short sword, and upon instinct, he positioned himself in front of his son as a protective and shielding maneuver.
"Father…" protested Lion-O as he tried to gently move Bilbo out of his path, but the Hobbit furiously swatted away his son's hands.
"Get behind me," Bilbo hissed angrily.
Before Lion-O could retort that he wasn't helpless, the strangest sight greeted everyone's eyes as the oddest sled came barreling through the bushes and dirt before skidding to a rather ungraceful and messy stop, soil and pebbles flying everywhere.
It was an idiosyncratic toboggan built with study sticks, dried vines, and straps made of animal hide and leather. Pulling the apparatus was a group of sixteen rabbits, each one gargantuan and almost as large as Bilbo himself with stout fat, brown fur, and muscle, agitated expressions, and wide eyes dilated with adrenaline. The rabbits formed two single-file lines, conjoined with sturdy leashes and vests as they were all linked to the front of the bobsled like dogs.
And the figure on the sleigh was rather bizarre himself. It appeared to be an old man with a wrinkled, lined face and a hunched position that made him rounder and shorter than Gandalf. He carried a twisted staff of gnarled wood with a turquoise orb on top, similar to Gandalf's, yet his attire was a bundle of ratty animal hide and leather, soft yet grimy swaths of brown fabric enveloping his robes. Even the odd hat of the intruder was brown (curiously with a bird's nest on top). And the stranger's beard was a jumbled mixture of silver and black striped, twisted and knotted and in dire need of a good wash. Especially when Bilbo noticed the dried patch of bird dropping encrusted on one side of the man's head.
"He looks like a wizard…" commented Dori with a tilt of his head as he lowered his sword by a fraction of an inch. Nori scoffed at his older brother.
"Mahal's beard, however did you guess?" Nori drawled sardonically.
Gandalf smiled as he relaxed.
"He is," confirmed the Istari as he greeted his fellow comrade, "Radagast! Radagast the Brown. What on earth are you doing here?"
"Radagast…" murmured Bilbo as he then recalled that he was one of the five wizards Gandalf mentioned while they were travelling in the pouring rain. Well, Gandalf was correct when he hinted that the other Wizards of Middle Earth were nothing like him. Lion-O took in the sight of the second sorcerer while Gandalf and Radagast drew close.
For some reason, Lion-O pictured Radagast as the bumbling, absent-minded, yet good-natured fairy godmother in the one story of the beautiful slave maiden who sat by the cinders of the fireplace.
"He doesn't seem dangerous," mused Lion-O out loud as he lowered his blade, feeling a bit more relaxed. This brought a bark from Dwalin who overheard the furry teenager.
"Don't let your guard down just because you think he doesn't seem dangerous, Young Baggins!" snapped the bald Dwarf guard, "Many a warrior have been killed exactly because of that mistake!"
Lion-O resolutely shook his head as he lowered his sword even further (much to Dwalin's ire).
"Gandalf seems to trust him…" Lion-O pointed out, "And I trust my family."
This earned him a rather painful clout from the butt of Dwalin's axe, Grasper, as the Dwarf jabbed Lion-O in the thigh rather painfully. Dwalin snapped, "None of your insubordination, you dimwit!"
Lion-O glared as he ruefully rubbed his leg to ease the bruise, but he said nothing.
"Would you mind terribly if you do not call my son a 'dimwit'?" Bilbo asked coldly.
"Yes, I actually would, Burglar," shot back Dwalin.
Meanwhile, breathless and frantic, Radagast stumbled as he jumped off his sled and hurriedly waddled towards the approaching Gandalf. The Brown Wizard gibbered uncontrollably, "I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."
Gandalf raised one eyebrow as he stiffened his back, tense, and asked, "Yes?"
There was an odd silence as Radagast's eyes glazed before Gandalf realized that his fellow Istari was not looking at him, but rather, what was behind him. Radagast's eyes went wide, shining with delighted curiosity, as he ambled past Gandalf rudely and towards Thorin and the Company. The Dwarves immediately raised their weapons, tense and expecting an attack, but to their growing surprise and relief, the wizard ignored them before stopping in front of Lion-O Baggins. Though he grew up his entire life being stared at or whispered at behind his back, Lion-O couldn't help but be a little uncomfortable at the fact that Radagast was violating his personal space as he looked at Lion-O with the same wonder and amazement a child would look at a dazzling rainbow or a floating castle in the sky. Still, the lion humanoid remembered his manners and gave a small bow to the eccentric wizard.
"Lion-O Baggins. Well met…" Lion-O said politely.
"Gandalf has told me about you, but it is an absolute delight to finally see a being such as yourself. You are certainly a strange animal…" Radagast declared with awe as he took in Lion-O's blue eyes, red mane, and the creamy-brown fur covering the youth's entire body as well as the fact the Cat was walking upright, talking Westron, and wearing clothes of all things. It was probably a safe guess that Radagast was completely smitten and that he did not mean his last remark as an insult. Still, Lion-O and the others were not exactly sure how to react to that comment.
"Um…thank you?" Lion-O offered at last, awkward and self-conscious.
"Radagast, you can talk with my godson later," segued Gandalf smoothly as he led the ratty spellcaster away by the shoulder, "What was it that you needed to tell me that was so urgent?"
There was a minute of flustered and hesitant silence before the Dwarves started speaking.
"Hmph, he seems even more useless than Gandalf," muttered Nori, which earned him a hard elbow from Dori.
"Don't say such things out loud," hissed Dori.
"What?! It is true!"
"Regardless if they're true or not, don't say it out loud. I'd rather not have that wizard hear you and turn you into one of his rabbits pulling his queer sled."
"Pfft! Please, this wizard probably couldn't turn cream into butter."
Once they were safely away from Thorin and Company, Gandalf turned to the twitter-pated Radagast and asked calmly, "Now, my dear friend. What on Earth are you doing here? "
The Brown Wizard blinked, as if lost in thought, before he stammered as a stick-insect crawled down the soiled part of his hair.
Radagast had completely forgotten.
"Oh, just give me a minute. Um….oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was…it was right there on the tip of my tongue - "
Suddenly, to everyone's astonishment, there was a bone-chilling howl, a scream of a wolf that sent shivers down Bilbo's spine. It was many, many times worse than the sounds of the wolf pack that nearly invaded Hobbiton that one winter night with Lion-O's powers…
"Is there a wolf out here?!" Bilbo asked, his eyes wide and his face white. To his unease, the normally cheerful and joking Bofur was serious as he expertly gripped his mattock.
"That was no wolf…" the Dwarf warned.
Bifur, with his sharp eyes, made a shrill whistle with his teeth before he pointed with his spear towards a nearby crag of brown rock within the trees above. Everyone turned to where the addled Dwarf was pointing at to feel their hearts crawl up to the throats.
Bofur was correct that it was not a wolf. This creature was far more feral, deadly, and ferocious than any wolf Bilbo and Lion-O had ever seen, and that one nightmare on a winter's night in Hobbiton paled in comparison to this monster. This Warg was gigantic, three times the size of an ordinary wolf and large enough to fit Bilbo in its entire cavernous maw, lined with pointed, misshapen teeth. Beady, gleaming eyes, a grotesque and unnatural face, and a filthy, bloodstained pelt, it gave a bone-chilling cry of magnanimous joy before it then pounced towards the Company.
"Scatter!" yelled Thorin, and quickly, Gandalf and the other twelve Dwarves of the Company sidestepped and dodged madly, narrowly evading being crushed to death (or in Ori's case, was dragged roughly by the collar of his tunic by his protective older brother, Dori). Not surprisingly, Bilbo and Lion-O both remained rooted to the spot, still holding out their swords and pointing them at the advancing Warg, shell-shocked and trembling.
And being completely easy targets.
"Those idiots!" cursed Glóin as he and Dwalin rushed forward, hoping to intercept the Warg before it could go for the weakest members of their troop. Yet surprisingly, it was Thorin himself who came to both of the Bagginses' rescue as the Dwarf King quickly and expertly twirled Orcrist upwards as the Warg rushed past. Within a blink of an eye, the beast stumbled, choking on its blood as it tripped and fell in an undignified heap with its throat slashed. Twitching, the Warg shakily tried to rise back on its paws as it rasped with gore dribbling out of its jaws, but Thorin brought down his shining blade again.
Instantly, the Warg was dead, decapitated.
Unfortunately, there was no time for feeling victorious as two more Wargs showed up, hot on the tail of their companion. Roaring, one of the hellbeasts pounced towards Thorin in an effort to avenge its comrade while the other was slowly ambling its way towards the young Dwarf, Ori, snarling and licking its drooling chops. To Ori's credit, he only whimpered slightly as he readied his slingshot with a rock at the progressing Warg.
Before Bilbo or Lion-O could even cry out, the rest of the Dwarves acted. Within a blink of an eye, both Kíli and Fíli struck out as Kíli notched an arrow and let it fly, directly hitting the spot between the Warg's eyes. At the same time, Fíli smoothly flicked his wrist and threw two small knives directly at the quadruped. One sunk deep into the Warg's right eye while the other embedded itself into the Warg's neck. The sudden unexpectedness of the attack caused the monster to misstep and spill ungracefully on its side, blood leaking out of its eyes and disoriented. Thorin then delivered the killing blow.
Meanwhile, Dwalin rushed forward and grabbed Ori by the collar of his cloak and tunic before roughly shoving the scribe behind his own body, readying his axes. Thankfully, Dwalin didn't need to do much of anything as Bifur then hurled his boar spear directly into his target. There was a satisfying screech of pain as the Warg stumbled, with the handle of the javelin sticking out from its ribs, around the area where its heart was. In its death throes, the Warg's last sight was the appearance of Glóin, Dori, and Nori as the trio pounded mercilessly on its skull with their weapons. Within moments, all that remained of the twitching animal was a pulpy mess of flesh, fur, and bone.
"I had him!" protested Ori, hot in the face. Both Nori and Dori glared at their younger brother with a mixture of disbelief and pity. Ori then felt so humiliated as his face burned and his eyes stung. Dwalin then gave a concerned look before he leaned over and muttered softly.
"They just want you to be safe, Young Ori. But if you would like, we can try finding a better weapon than your slingshot and give you some additional training alongside Young Baggins."
Ori nodded, sniffing.
Nori and Dori were now both glaring at Dwalin.
"Oh dear…" murmured Radagast as he watched the carnage unfold, "Now I remember why I was so frantic."
Gandalf wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand.
Thorin's mind was racing as he stabbed the dead Warg in the head, right between the eyes and not even bothering to marvel how easily the Elvish sword went through bone and flesh.
The appearance of Wargs meant that Orcs were not far behind, and given the faint but distinct howls in the far off distance, that would mean that he and the other members of the Company were being targeted. Yet how did the Orcs and Wargs manage to wander within hundreds of miles of landscape only to come to their exact location? And how in the name of Mahal did their enemies know that Thorin and his kin were even travelling in the first place when he made care to remain clandestine? Granted, the seven Dwarf Lords and their respective courts knew when Thorin came to them with requests for help for their mission, but Dwarves were a secretive folk and would never betray their own kin.
In fact, the only beings who knew of their enterprise outside the Dwarven race were the wizard and -
Nori's words then echoed in his mind.
The children had tails.
Could the reason why they were being pursued be because of - ?
Thorin then whirled furiously on Lion-O, his fingers tightening on the handle of his sword and his face turning red. Thorin barked, "Who did you tell, Housecat?!"
Lion-O blinked, taken aback, as he uttered a simple, "What?"
Thorin's face was now absolutely scarlet with fury as he roared, "WHO DID YOU TELL ABOUT OUR QUEST?!"
The look of utter befuddlement and confusion on Lion-O's face would have been comical if not for the fact that the Dwarf King looked positively furious (and indeed several of the Dwarves such as Nori and Dwalin were also giving suspicious glances). He gave a panicked look at Bilbo before Lion-O shook his head slowly, still not understanding what was happening.
"…I apologize, Master Oakenshield, but I have no idea what you are talking about."
To Bilbo's outraged shock and horror, Thorin lunged with a snarl and roughly grabbed the front of Lion-O's blue waistcoat with one hand before yanking the teenager down to his eyes level. Lion-O yelped in surprise as he stumbled, only to find himself landing on his knees and facing a rather furious and leery Dwarf King. Lion-O's eyes nervously looked at the sword Orcrist being gripped in Thorin's hand as he shook Lion-O crudely.
Thorin hissed, growing angrier by the second, "Do you take me for a fool like your Halfling father?! You may have him and the wizard misled with your transparent act of acting like a senseless dupe, but I know now that there is no way you could possibly have been born this daft! You are hiding something from the Company! You must have told someone that caused the Wargs to find us, you crafty dunce!"
"Master Thorin, please, stop this at once! Unhand my son!" protested Bilbo as he tried to rush in between and grasp Thorin's rather burly forearms in an effort to get the King to cease manhandling Lion-O. But it was like trying to fight with a stone statue.
"But I didn't tell anyone, Master Oakenshield!" stammered Lion-O, his heart causing him to get flustered. Thorin turned crimson, but before he could shout, Radagast's voice broke through rather tentatively.
"Actually, Master Dwarf, the Wargs might have been my fault…"
Thorin and the rest of the dumbstruck Company turned immediately towards Radagast, the yelling quickly brought to a screeching halt. It was funny how despite not raising his voice, the Brown Wizard's words got everyone's attention (even Gandalf's).
The Brown Wizard then explained, "I may have accidentally led the Wargs here when they were attempting to track me down. To silence me."
"Stalking a wizard?" Bofur echoed incredulously as Gandalf and Nori's eyes both narrowed in thought, "Why?"
"The Orcs are pursuing you because they're following a master, a servant of Sauron and an agent of darkness!"
"Sauron?" repeated Balin, feeling the blood drain from his face as he tried to protest, unwilling to believe it, "But…but that cannot be! Orcs are too brain-scattered and selfish to be willing to be subservient! And why in the name of Mahal would they be interested in a measly troop of fifteen?!"
"Who?" Gandalf asked lowly, his brows furrowed. Solemn-faced, Radagast took a wrapped bundle from within the folds of his cloak before he drew back the swaths of cotton. Gandalf's eyes widened with shocked dread as his friend then exposed the shining, black Morgul Blade.
"A Necromancer, Gandalf," Radagast intoned austerely, no longer appearing as a bumbling old coot but serious and grim as one who had lived and experienced through Hell itself, "At the old fortress, Dol Guldur. He has already summoned spirits of the dead."
Gandalf was rarely, if ever, struck dumb, but this one time of being rendered speechless certainly qualified. A relic of black magic from the Witch King of Agmar, one of the Nine? It was supposed to be sealed away, where light could never reach and closed by powerful magic. And as much as Dwarves would like to believe otherwise, these Wargs and Orcs organizing a bounty on Thorin Oakenshield's head and the line of Durin were far too systematized, methodical, with a degree of preparation and planning that was far beyond their normal modus operandi. True, they were crafty, industrious, and could function well with making tribes and weapons and even machines of war. But this sort of efficiency on preventing Thorin from reclaiming the Lonely Mountain further validated Radagast's claim that there was a puppet master pulling the strings. And given that the three Trolls they encountered last night were driven far away from the Ettenmoors so far south was another bad omen…
There was dark magic at work.
And given what Jaga the Cleric warned him earlier in the Astral Plane…
Meanwhile, the Dwarves, Bilbo and Lion-O (who was still being manhandled by Thorin) were watching the two with a mixture of unease and discomfort.
"Gandalf actually looks worried…" mused Bombur.
That is not a good sign, Bifur responded back with his hand gestures. After all, if one of the Istari was uneasy, then it was a predicament that was far more serious than a couple of Orcs and Wargs.
Indeed, when the Gray Wizard turned to Thorin and Company, his face and expression was sober and unsmiling. Gandalf then declared, "You're being hunted."
This brought a panic in the other Dwarves as Dwalin shouted urgently, turning to his comrades, "We have to get out of here!"
Ori groaned, white in the face, as he pointed out, "We can't! We have no ponies! They bolted when the Wargs came!"
Indeed, what the young Dwarf said was true. At the sight of the wolves, all of the ponies and horses carrying their supplies had instantly panicked and fled for their own safety, leaving their riders behind as they scurried as far past their sight. Now they had no means of transportation.
"Now what do we do?!" Bombur practically wailed, trembling.
"We could fight," suggested Dwalin, only to be shot down by Nori.
"No, Orcs travel in numbers. There's no way we could handle an entire battalion without one of us getting killed! We need to run! It's not worth the risk!"
"Coward," sneered Dwalin. Enraged, Nori pointed at Ori and Balin.
"Shut your damned mouth and think, Fundinson! I will not risk my brother's life! Will you risk yours?!"
Dwalin growled, not sure if he was infuriated because Nori had a point or because he was being challenged and lectured by a two-bit thief. This was most likely going to end into a screaming argument. Then to everyone's surprise, Radagast spoke up loudly enough for everyone to hear him.
"I'll draw them off."
Gandalf turned to the Brown Wizard before protesting with a shake of his head, "These are Gundabad Wargs. They will outrun you."
Radagast then uncharacteristically smirked as he raised one eyebrow and jerked a thumb towards his sled and the hares pulling it. Radagast boasted, "These are Rhosgobel Rabbits. I'd like to see them try."
Gandalf pondered this before he realized that they had little other option. He nodded briskly before commanding to the Dwarves authoritatively.
"Radagast can buy us some time with his distraction, and I know a nearby area where we can find safety and shelter from the Orcs. We must flee quickly, so grab all you can carry that is vital. Oh, and Thorin? Please release my godson. Now."
Thorin blinked before he realized that he was still maintaining a death grip around the collar of a terrified and shell-shocked Lion-O (with Bilbo trying to clamber on the taller Dwarf King in an effort to get Thorin to stop). Irate, Thorin complied, and Lion-O sputtered, coughing as he rubbed his neck while falling on his rump on to the ground.
Bilbo however was still affronted as he then said meaningfully, "Mister Thorin, I believe you have something else to say to my son?"
Instead of apologizing, Thorin just gave Lion-O a rather condescending sneer.
"I should have known better," Thorin snapped, "thinking that the Housecat would actually be smart enough in pretending to be an idiot."
Lion-O looked shocked and pained while Bilbo turned scarlet and looked like he wanted to take the nearest object and chuck it at the offending Dwarf's head.
Mere minutes later…
"COME AND GET ME!" laughed Radagast as two Wargs (carrying their respective Orc Riders) stumbled and crashed into each other in their efforts to snare Radagast and his sled of rabbits. Crumpling into an undignified heap, the two Orcs woozily rose on their feet as their fellow brethren dashed past in hot pursuit.
Chortling, Radagast had to admit that despite risking his life for Gandalf and his friends, this was a bit entertaining. He also made a mental note to get a chance to talk to the fabled "Lion-Child" that Gandalf had told him before in the past; it would certainly be a boon to actually have tea with this Lion-O.
Meanwhile, Yazneg, the Orc leader of the Warg Riders, sent a silent nod and glare towards his other companions, reminding them that Mumm-Ra and Axog would severely punish them if they strayed from the plan…
"Come on!" whispered Gandalf urgently as he and the others watched the last Orc and Warg pass by their hiding place. The entire company, all of them carrying their weapons and backpacks, quickly followed Gandalf as they darted out of the rock formation and scurried across the dried grass.
The Dwarves had to admit that for a bumbling and scatter-brained shaman, Radagast and his sled were surprisingly swift and elusive, able to bewilder and bamboozle the Orcs with simplicity.
"Will Radagast be all right, Gandalf?!" asked Lion-O worriedly as he jogged alongside his red-faced and puffing father, looking over his shoulder worriedly. A simple jab from Dwalin (who was running next to the Thunderian) interrupted his ponderings.
"Keep your mind on running, Young Baggins!" snapped the burly Dwarf guard, "If you trip and fall, we're not carrying you!"
"Move!" barked Thorin to his entire Company, clearly not in the mood for gossiping while fleeing.
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Lion-O! He's a wizard!" wheezed Bilbo in between pants. By Yavanna, he never expected adventure to be this laborious and strenuous! He was a Gentle-Hobbit, not a trooper!
To everyone's rude surprise, a lone pack of two Wargs and Orcs passed by in their chase for Radagast, obviously stragglers that were trailing behind the main faction and trying to catch up with Yazneg and the main group. Thorin, Gandalf and the others immediately flattened themselves against the nearest rock outcropping that was jutting out of the earth and soil. Young Ori, still not paying close attention, foolishly continued running past his party and completely out into the open.
"Ori!" yelped Lion-O too loudly, only to immediately get pounced on by Bifur and Dwalin (with Dwalin being the angrier as evidenced by his purple-faced demeanor). Acting quickly, Thorin reached out and grabbed Ori by the collar, stopping the scribe in his tracks before dragging back under the shade and shadows of the cliff. Bifur put a finger to his lips solemnly as a signal to Lion-O to remain quiet while Dwalin was less than tolerant.
"You idiot! Do you want to alert the Orcs on our position?! Wargs have a keen sense of smell and hearing!" hissed Dwalin under his breath furiously. Lion-O lowered his head a bit, abashed.
Thankfully, the two lone Orcs passed by them without indication that they had spotted them. Sighing with relief, Bilbo and the others cautiously extracted themselves from their hiding place as Gandalf nudged the Company with a tilt of his head.
"This way! Quickly! We're almost there!" Gandalf intoned as he dashed off (with everyone following the wizard).
"Where are you taking us?!" demanded Thorin suspiciously at Gandalf, and to his ire, Gandalf smiled.
"Someplace safe," the wizard replied cryptically. Thorin's eyes narrowed.
Meanwhile, Fíli, who was herding everyone and making sure that no one in the Company (especially his brother and the corpulent Bombur) wasn't going to be left behind, then noticed that Ori was just standing shock-still and looking at the sky. The Dwarf was not even making an attempt to follow them. Ori's brothers also noticed too, and at his end, Dori grabbed his younger sibling by the back of his cloak.
"Ori, what are you doing?! We need to go!" barked Dori.
"We're in trouble…" Ori announced, trembling and wide-eyes as he pointed at the sky, which was starting to become dark with the approaching figures of winged avians. Not seeing the urgency, Dori dismissed his brother's concern.
"Yes, yes, there are carrion-feeders and birds playing about! Very interesting! Now, get along!" the gray-haired Dwarf drawled sardonically while swatting Ori upside the head to get him to start running. But Nori and Fíli both looked up and blanched with twin expressions of horror. Fíli called back, yelling towards his Thorin and Gandalf.
"Uncle! We're in trouble! We've been spotted!" Fíli yelled urgently.
"Where are the Orcs?!" yelled Thorin as he took out Orcrist from its scabbard, but now awestruck with a combination of wonder and dread, Nori pointed at the sky.
"It's not Orcs!" Nori yelled, and instantly, Gandalf, Bilbo, Thorin, and the Dwarves all looked up to see exactly why Nori was so flummoxed.
Gliding on the air were an assemblage of over thirty Birds.
Yet these were not ordinary birds like the typical Ravens Dwarves used as messengers or the Great Eagles of Manwë. They were almost a queer combination of Birds and Men, the alien creatures each being roughly six feet tall and actually having arms and hands (complete with fingers) with their talons and claws acting as feet and legs. There were various species of fowl, ranging from the common sparrow to the black crows to an odd one with brown plumage that looked similar to a vulture. And even in the far distance, a few such as Nori, Kíli, and Lion-O could spot a glint of metal amongst the flying creatures, and Gandalf guessed correctly why. Armor and weapons. All of the Birds were carrying odd metal forked staffs in their hands and wearing flexible and protective metal armor around their chests, backs, and torsos and steel gauntlets around their arms and clawed feet. A few even donned helmets, and the vulture was wearing an odd gold necklace with a pendant in the shape of a pyramid with the red symbol of Mumm-Ra in the middle.
Horus, a dignified gray pigeon with green armor, said with little emotion, "They have spotted us, General Vultaire. Your orders?"
Vultaire commanded, "Follow Mumm-Ra's objectives. Close-quarters combat and take advantage of our armor being stab-proof. If one of two of the Dwarves should die, then so be it. If there is an opening, take the Thunderian alive if you can."
Then Mumm-Ra's commander arched his head back and let loose a blood-curdling screech to signal his fellow soldiers.
"Silverhawks, TALLY-HO!"
And with that, the Birds descended towards Thorin and the Company, like hawks to their prey.
Upon seeing the strange creatures of the air dive towards them and approaching fast, many of the Dwarves drew out their weapons while Bilbo asked Gandalf, "Should we run?!"
"We would never outrun flying birds!" Balin protested, shaking his head, as he drew out his sword, "There's no cover, and we're all out in the open!"
"What are these creatures?!" Bombur yelled as he quickly grabbed the only things he had on hand that he could use (a cast-iron skillet and a copper pot), "I've never seen such things before!"
"Stand strong!" commanded Thorin to his troop, "We are the Sons of Durin, warriors of stone and rock! Let us show these abominations what they get when they foolishly choose to attack us!"
Yet then Gandalf stepped forward in the middle of Thorin's oration.
"Allow me…" Gandalf said sternly as he raised his staff. Immediately, a sudden surge of white burst forth from the tip of the wooden rod and engulfed the surrounding skies in the immediate vicinity. The magical illumination caused many of the Birds to squeal in pain as the flare burned their eyes painfully, causing them to falter as they flapped around in dizzying circles and rubbed their eyes.
Taking advantage of the Birds being temporarily blind, Dori then grabbed Ori before shoving him towards Bilbo and Lion-O Baggins, with Lion-O stooping down to catch Ori in his arms as the young Dwarf stumbled.
"Stay with the Bagginses!" snapped Dori as he started twirling his metal bolas in his hands, using them like a flail, "Lion-O, Bilbo, we'll cover you both!"
"Er…we can help?" offered Bilbo hesitantly as he was holding his Elvish sword in his hands, although even he knew that sounded like an empty offer the instant he said it. Nori (and quite a few other Dwarves nearby) scoffed disdainfully at the proposal. Ori however looked like he wanted to fight, but unfortunately, given the previous attempt with the Warg, a slingshot wasn't going to do much.
Lion-O felt his mind click with inspiration as he quickly dug into the inside pocket of his waistcoat. Ever since the near-death experience with the Trolls, he made a point to keep some of his tools on his person (and hopefully, his father wouldn't object too much).
"Ori, are you any good with your slingshot?!" Lion-O breathlessly asked. Confused and white in the face, Ori nodded, and hurriedly, Lion-O pressed the two miniature clap pellets into the Dwarf's sweaty palm.
"What is this?" Ori asked, confused. Lion-O smiled with eager anticipation.
"Something I invented back at the Shire."
In the interim, several of the Birds along with Vultaire managed get past Gandalf's magic trick and set themselves upon Thorin and the Dwarves, prodding with their staves and scratching with their feet. They were so quick and slippery while fluttering in the skies that it was incredibly difficult for the Dwarves to hit them.
"What in the name of Mahal?!" Glóin gasped as he struck a passing Bird directly into its back, only to have the blade not even leave a scratch (although the Bird cried out from the resulting impact), "That should have killed the blighter!"
Óin was actually moderately successful as he twirled his metal staff in a wide circle over his head, painfully whacking several Birds nearby and causing them to keep a wide berth around the Dwarven healer.
Kíli himself was taken aback as he successfully shot an arrow into the chest of a sparrow Birdman, only to have the projectile stick out from the metal breastplate. The avian managed to gain a second wind and swooped down with her staff raised over her head, ready to bash Kíli's skull in. The Durin Prince dodged and rolled madly to avoid the strike.
"It's their armor!" guessed Balin correctly as he blocked and parried a staff thrust from a falcon, "It's too hardy to pierce through completely!"
"Except Elvish swords…" smoothly contradicted Gandalf as he cut through the mail of one aggressive petrel, causing the Bird to cry out in surprise at the bleeding gash in her shoulder. Thorin was also amazed to see how effortlessly and slickly his Orcrist cut through a Bird's staff like a hot knife through butter. As the Bird fled in defeat, Thorin glared with averseness at the smiling Gandalf.
"I said you would not find a finer blade," reminded the Gray Wizard.
Thorin looked like he would rather choke on his words than admit that Gandalf was right about anything regarding Elves.
Inspiration then struck Kíli as he notched another arrow and aimed at one Bird's wings (which were not covered in armor). He cheered at the satisfying cry of pain as the shaft piece through flesh and bone. Now with a useless wing, the sparrow soldier plummeted to the ground and would have broken his neck if not caught by his fellow comrades, with two other Birdmen safely and securely grabbing their injured friend by his torso with their feet. However, one burly albatross then roared as he tried to land on the Dwarf, intent on crushing Kíli upon impact with his talons. Kíli strafed madly to the side, narrowly avoiding the heavy form as it crashed a few feet away. Kíli was about to notch another arrow, only to have the Bird painfully knock the bow out of the Dwarf's hands with a swipe of his metal bar. Wincing and clutching at his throbbing hand, Kíli backed away helplessly as the albatross advanced.
"I will cripple you, Dwarf!" the Bird legionnaire snarled loudly enough for everyone to hear him.
The entire Company was absolutely flabbergasted beyond all belief.
"Since when do birds talk in Westron?!" Bifur yelped in Khuzdul, so thoroughly astonished that he decided to forsake signing in Iglishmêk for once.
"Since when do birds wear armor?!" Nori shouted, his eyes wide as he held out his mace high and ready to swing, spotting the sunlight glinting off the metal helmets and uniforms of the flying aliens.
"Since when do birds get that damned big?!" Dwalin yelled as he flung two sharp daggers directly at the closest Dove, only to have the Birdman narrowly evade the deadly shots by twisting his body out of the trajectory.
Gandalf frowned, holding his hat secure to his head with one hand, but he didn't say anything.
Fíli then leapt to his brother's defense as Kíli dashed to grab his missing bow, and the Bird was forced to go onto the defensive as Fíli slashed expertly with his twin swords, creating sparks as steel met steel.
One dark raven laughed at Bombur trying to avoid getting scratched as he flailed around with his pots and pans as makeshift clubs, staggering and grunting like an obese and clumsy pig. In fact, the Birdman was actually developing a rather cruel streak as he decided to have some additional fun as he jabbed at the fat Bombur with his staff, sadistically leaving bleeding gashes across the Dwarf's face and head.
"You're too slow!" jeered the raven, "You're too slow! You're too slow! You're - ACK!"
The Bird immediately stopped laughing as Bombur then swiftly dropped his armaments and reached out before latching around both of the raven's ankles, quick as lightning. Caught off guard, the Bird squealed in shock before Bombur then jerked hard.
Wham!
Thanks to Bombur, the Bird was forcefully yanked out of the air and slammed to the ground. Face first. And hard enough to crack his beak and draw blood. And Bombur wasn't finished yet as he then heaved and wrenched the avian out of the ground into the other direction.
Wham!
And out of the dirt and then in the other direction.
Wham!
And then introduced the Bird to the terrain twice more.
Wham! Wham!
Even with the helmet, the raven was seeing stars as his skull throbbed. In desperation, the Bird tried to fly off, only to be jerked to a halt as Bombur kept an iron-fisted grip around the Bird's legs and prevented him from fleeing. In fact, no matter how hard the Birdman tried to flap his wings, he could not get free; Bombur kept him rooted in place.
"You have got to be kidding me!" snarled the raven as he then tried to kick and beat Bombur in the face and head in an effort to get loose, "You're so fat that I can't even lift a lard-ball like - !"
Those were the last words the raven ever got to croak as he then gurgled and choked, blood coming out of his sagging beak. Bifur took the advantage of his brother keeping the Bird still as he flung his boar spear like a javelin. Directly hitting the soldier of Mumm-Ra right at the base of its exposed throat. The Bird was unable to breathe or do much of anything with a giant piece of metal severing his larynx right above the collar.
Gagging, the Bird stopped flailing about and landed on his back onto the ground. Bofur then ran up before slamming his mattock hard against the chest cavity, cracking the Bird's ribs, before delivering a final swing onto the Bird's head.
There was a sickening crunch before the avian's limbs twitched and went limp.
"We got one!" panted Bombur, magnanimous as he released the dead raven's legs while Bifur yanked his spear free.
This immediately brought a furious uproar from the other Birds.
"They killed Blagden!" shrieked a robin Bird in fury, "Those damned savages killed Blagden!"
"Make them pay!" roared one of Blagden's fellow raven soldiers.
"Silverhawks, kill one of them in return!" Vultaire commanded as the Birds immediately set themselves upon Thorin and Company with a renewed vengeance, eager for payback. Not even a second burst of magical light from Gandalf's wand could deter their sudden bloodlust and desire for revenge. Fíli still managed to hold strong against his opponent as he danced with his swords, but the Bird wasn't giving him an inch either.
And he wasn't the only one having problems…
"Ah! Let me go!" Óin yelled in outrage as Horus managed to deflect and lock the Dwarf's metal staff in his hands, maintaining a firm hold and preventing the Dwarf from beating him with it. Straightaway, a fellow house martin and a blue swallow quickly engulfed the old Dwarf as Horus managed to yank away Óin's staff.
"Gerroff me!" sputtered Óin as he frantically beat back the two avians who were trying to peck and claw at his face. Thankfully, Óin positioned his arms over his face so that they could not reach his eyes. As Glóin, Nori, and Dori rushed to try to save their friend, they were immediately flocked upon by seven other Birdmen, jabbing and scratching them madly with their weapons and feet. Óin then cried out in surprise as a rather brawny and well-built hawk then swooped at Óin's back and grabbed the Dwarf securely around the waist with his legs, straddling the Dwarf, before taking flight. Óin yelled in fright as he found himself being lifted high into the air and off the ground, and no amount of resisting and writhing could get himself free.
"Óin!" yelled Dori and Nori. Glóin tried to blitz past the flock and tackle the hawk Birdman before he could get too far, but despite jumping high into the air, the Dwarf missed and crashed back to the ground. Óin and his captor were too far high for Glóin to catch his brother now.
"Khâzash!" cried out the Dwarf banker woefully.
"Kill them!" bellowed Vultaire as he narrowly dodged Dori's metal bolas in an effort to snare the Bird, "But I want the Prince alive!"
This got all of the Dwarves attention.
"They want…?" trailed off Balin in surprise before it clicked.
"Fíli!" gasped Thorin, now fearing for his nephews and finally showing an expression of growing and wide-eyed panic. Dwalin, not being one for words, immediately took off to secure Kíli and Fíli.
Unfortunately, Fíli was more concerned about his brother as two birds took advantage and swooped down and seized Kíli before the dark-haired Prince could fire a shot. Painfully digging their clawed talons into Kíli's shoulders and back, the two flying beasts lifted Kíli up into the air. Panicking, the Dwarf kicked and thrashed, trying to get free as the birds went higher and higher.
"Let go!" protested Kíli as he tried to draw out his sword, only for one of his captors to swiftly knock it out of his hand with a thrust of the Bird's stave.
"Kíli!" roared Fíli as he was temporarily sidetracked upon seeing his sibling being taken hostage, but that one moment of distraction was all his opponent needed as he swung his staff into Fíli's midsection. The golden-haired Dwarf was left painfully winded as he was sent to his knees from the throbbing agony in his stomach. The albatross raised his staff over his head, ready to bash Fíli's skull in with it; one hit was all it would take.
Dwalin roared as he rushed in at the last second with Thorin, both of them coming to Fíli's defense as they set themselves upon the Bird. Dwalin hurled his axe, Keeper, directly at the avian's head while Thorin took a wide slash directly at the Birdman's stomach at the same instant, working in tandem. Snarling, the Bird managed to evade both attacks, but both Dwalin and Thorin succeeded in forcing the soldier of Vultaire to retreat away from Fíli. Fíli, however, was not paying any attention to this as he shakily got up, took out two throwing daggers, and focused on the two birds carrying away Kíli.
"Kíli! Bring my brother back, you bastards! Bring him back!" Fíli screamed hoarsely with grief as he flung both of his knives. However, it was no use; both Birds sensed the incoming shrapnel and strafed in the skies to narrowly dodge and evade one knife. The other stiletto actually hit its mark as it embedded itself into one Bird's shoulder, but due to the armor, though painful, the dagger did not sink into her flesh and bone, leaving her unharmed. However, Fíli's attack managed to distract the two Birds enough for Lion-O to make his move…
Pow! Boom! Crackle! Bang!
There was an abrupt flurry of color and hot sparks as the Birds and Kíli yelped in surprised pain, engulfed with an explosion of Gandalf's fireworks. Thankfully, when Lion-O hurled his clay pellet from the sidelines, he aimed specifically at the Birds' backs, so Kíli actually took the least amount of damage from the sudden sneak-attack as his captors' bodies actually shielded the Dwarf from the full brunt of the detonation. The two Bird warriors however were not as fortunate as the sparks and hot gases scorched their feathers and skin and faces, raising welts and second-degree burns.
"I can't see!" screamed one of the Birds as the pyrotechnic effects forced them to spontaneously release their hold on Kíli…only to have the Dwarf Prince plummet to the ground from a great height.
"AAAAAAA!" screamed Kíli as he fell. Fíli was about to try to dash forward in an attempt to save his brother, but to his surprise, someone else beat him to it.
"I got you!" yelled Lion-O as he scurried to position himself underneath Kíli, hoping he could make it in time as he held his arms upwards and outwards, "I got you! I got - !"
WHUMP!
Fíli winced.
Though woozy and blurred eyesight, Kíli was surprised. That was an unexpectedly soft landing.
"Oh my," blinked Kíli as his vision cleared, "That did not hurt at all!"
"Owwww…" rasped Lion-O from underneath, half whining in delirious pain, because when he tried catching the Dwarf, Kíli knocked the wind out of the Thunderian when he crashed into Lion-O's body and rammed the Thunderian into the ground. Lion-O just hoped that there were no broken bones (although truthfully, he would be happy if he still had the ability to walk afterwards). The Durin Prince looked down and balked.
"Oops. Sorry, Housecat…" the dark-haired Dwarf meekly offered.
"Not…Housecat…" wheezed Lion-O, trying to get his bearing and air into his squashed lungs. He wondered if it was bad form to throttle Kíli right after saving his life…
"Are you all right, Young Boggins? That must have been painful," Fíli asked innocently enough as he helped his groaning brother off Lion-O, with one sword out and prepared for any incoming Bird.
Now Lion-O wondered if he could throttle both Kíli and Fíli at the same time…
Concurrently, Thorin and Dwalin were starting to run into a bit of a dilemma. The Dwarf King and Royal Guard were swiftly besieged by ten others Birds, all of them instantly coming to the albatross' defense. But before the mob could set themselves on the two Dwarves, there was another burst of fireworks as a stray pellet from the sidelines struck Mumm-Ra's troopers. Instantly, the aliens backed off and retreated away from Thorin and Dwalin as the firecrackers and sparklers overwhelmed them with popping bursts and small fireballs.
Taking advantage of the disturbance, Thorin and Dwalin managed to withdraw a safe distance before they turned to see the young Ori aimed again with his slingshot and fire the second capsule at the avian flock attacking Dori and Nori, creating a massive and blazing explosion that sent the enemy screaming in pain.
Dwalin looked proud, puffing his chest with admiration, while Thorin called out with a relieved smile, "Well done, Young Ori!"
"Thank you, but it was Lion-O's idea!" Ori yelled triumphantly, though blushing with praise and rising self-esteem. A compliment from Thorin Oakenshield himself, the leader of the Company and future King. Dori would preen with pride and joy once he found out (and hopefully stop babying Ori).
Lion, despite being bruised and dizzy, heard Ori's commendation and felt his ears perk up with eagerness.
Surely this would earn him Thorin's good graces now.
Surely this proved that Lion-O wanted to make up for his mistake with the Trolls.
Surely this would show that he wasn't a burden, a liability, an inconvenience to the Company.
Surely Thorin would smile and declare Lion-O a fellow warrior too.
Yet to Lion-O's crushed spirit, Thorin's face soured at Ori's statement before he turned to all of the other Dwarves and barked, "Quickly! Ifridî bekâr! Gather together and hold rank!"
Lion-O felt mortified (though he got an encouraging pat on the back from Fíli and Kíli) as he limped towards Thorin and Dwalin along with the other Dwarves. Bilbo, however, was fuming at the slight.
By Yavanna, Bilbo had absolutely enough of the sheer audacity of that pig-headed Dwarf!
Red-faced and his expression set, Bilbo hurriedly got directly into Thorin Oakenshield's path and jabbed a finger into his chest angrily.
"Now you listen here, Master Oakenshield!" snapped Bilbo, not caring the annoyed frown on Thorin's face before the sable-haired Dwarf's gaze drew to a point over Bilbo's head, "I can tolerate many things, but you are being immensely disrespectful of my son who has done nothing to warrant such contempt! I am quite sure our contract made no amendments for verbal subjugation, so I would appreciate – are you listening to me?!"
Thorin yelled as he grabbed Bilbo's shoulders roughly, "Down!"
Bilbo didn't even have time to yelp as he was forcefully yanked and sent tumbling to the ground with Thorin shielding the Hobbit with his own body. There was a fleeting sensation of something narrowly passing by, the air swishing by his head and jacket by a whisker. This was followed by a scream of pain from Vultaire.
Bilbo managed to pick himself up from the grass with both of his hands before he looked up to see the sight of Thorin Oakenshield placing himself between Bilbo and the Birdman General, Vultaire. Thorin was holding out a bloody Orcrist in front of him, teeth bared and ready to strike. Vultaire was cursing madly in agony as Bilbo then saw blood dripping down a deep laceration on his thigh, exposing flesh and a bit of bone.
"Begone, feeder of carrion!" snarled Thorin as he slashed at the space in between them with his sword. Vultaire considered retaliating, but upon the sight of Dwalin, Balin, and Gandalf rushing to Thorin's side, he decided to flee, taking flight. The humanoid vulture soared up to the skies, squawking a signal to the other Birdmen.
"Thank you!" gasped Bilbo as he shakily rose to the feet, grateful for the protective act. Thorin was less than courteous in his response.
"Just stay behind me and try to be marginally less useless than your son, although I use that last term loosely," snapped Thorin before muttering the final part of his sentence.
Bilbo frowned.
If Belladonna were still alive, she would probably excuse Bilbo if he gave in the desire to smack Thorin in the face.
"To the skies! To the skies!" Vultaire yelled as the Birds began to congregate above. Down below, Thorin yelled the same.
"The birds are retreating! Gather together and form a circle! Quickly!"
"Glóin, we have to leave now while the Birds are withdrawing!" Bofur yelled as he tried to jerk on Glóin's sleeve, but the red-bearded, burly Dwarf furiously threw Bofur's hand off.
"They have my brother!" roared Glóin as he pointed at the skies above, particularly at the faint and miniscule outlook of the giant hawk avian still ransoming a thrashing and cursing Óin. The Hawk turned to Vultaire which invoked a smirk on the General's beak.
"An eye for an eye…" Vultaire stated evocatively.
With that, to Thorin and the Company's collective alarm, the Birdman relinquished his grip around Óin and let his victim plummet from the atmosphere.
Óin screamed without words as he fell, arms and legs flapping uselessly in terror.
"ÓIN!" yelled several Dwarves in chorus as they could only stare helplessly as the Dwarf healer began to plummet from the skies to his death. Glóin was hysterically distraught, completely out of character for the gruff warrior.
"NO!" howled Glóin, praying to Aulë and all the Valar for a miracle, for anything…
"Gandalf, do something!" begged Bilbo. Gandalf narrowed his eyes as he was about to raise his staff…
WHOOSH!
To everyone's surprise, a pillar of wind and buffeted air instantly erupted from the ground in front of Thorin and the Company, rising and spewing a funnel of violently compressed air. Within moments, the tornado swallowed and surrounded Óin before it slowed down the velocity of his descent, carefully bringing his fall to a stop. Hovering and floating like a feather, the amazed Dwarf could only stare with wide eyes as he was gently set back down to the terrain on his own two feet, the swirling air soothingly helping Óin regain his balance before the magical tornado dispersed.
Much to the Birds' collective outrage, Óin was safe and unharmed from his nosedive.
"Gandalf, thank you! You saved my brother!" yelled Glóin with grateful appreciativeness before he ran forward and hugged Óin tightly, nearly sobbing with joy. The elderly healer returned the hug, but he looked mournfully at the ground behind him where he dropped his ear trumpet. Due to the fall, the trumpet did not survive and was now uselessly bent and misshapen, almost as if flattened by someone stomping on it.
"My ear trumpet," groaned Óin, "It's damaged beyond repair!"
"Better it than you," pointed out Nori, rolling his eyes.
Despite a swift slap upside Nori's head by Dori, Glóin had to admit that Nori had a point.
"Good work, Gandalf! Your spell saved Óin!" cheered Kíli as he readied his bow and arrow in case the Birds would attack. The Gray Wizard, however, did not even bother to correct the Prince as he turned around to see three golden blurs dash off in the distance.
Gandalf stared in shocked astonishment.
"Jaga?" whispered Gandalf.
Meanwhile…
"The Dwarf still lives, and we've yet to capture the Lion Prince while we have lost on of our own men," Horus stated flatly, giving Vultaire a glare of blame. Blagden was a good Bird and a steadfast soldier; he did not deserve to die at the hands of an inferior barbarian.
Vultaire was undaunted.
"Silverhawks, attac - !" the Bird General was about to command, only to be quickly interposed as an arrow to uncomfortably zip close to his beak.
Then another rushed past Horus' head.
Then two more found their marks into the breastplate of the albatross that tried to go one-on-one with Fíli, and the Birdman gasped as he now had two exquisite shafts fletched with green feathers sticking out of his torso. Only the Bird's resilient armor prevented them from puncturing his heart and killing him.
"General Vultaire, there's another battalion shooting at us!" yelled a House Martin as she pointed at a group of ten armored warriors approaching on horseback from the West, firing at their location in the skies. Already, volley upon volley of deadly projectiles were coming upwards in multitudes; the Silverhawks would not be able to avoid them for long without losing even more of their fellow kin.
"Flee, you fools! Retreat! Retreat! RETREAT BACK TO MUMM-RA!" screamed Vultaire as he surged away higher, being the first of the legion to bolt (not that any of the other Birdmen were at all surprised). With that, he and the other Birds all flapped away, absconding.
"The Bird creatures!" Dwalin declared as the avian horde faded into the distance out of eyesight, "They're leaving! We're safe!"
"Don't be so sure about that…" gulped Nori as he readied his mace at the advancing scouts.
Bifur glared suspiciously at the incoming saviors, signing with his hands, Who are they?
Balin's sharp eyes took in the delicate armor of green and gold, the fact that these helmeted beings were as tall as the Men-folk, the detail that their horses were breathtakingly perfect with fat, muscle, and spotless fur shining like dew (clearly not raised in grungy stables in towns and cities), and that they were furnished with bows and arrows of such superb make…
"They're Elves," declared Balin stoutly, which did little to comfort the Dwarves as they immediately became mistrustful and cagey. Óin, humorously, didn't catch Balin's words.
"I don't know what you just said, but those are Elves!" Óin snapped.
Thankfully, no one decided to comment.
Thorin then remembered how earlier Gandalf was trying to convince him to seek Lord Elrond for help with their quest. It wouldn't be that far of a guess to surmise that they were within the borders of the realm of Rivendell, the Last Homely House East of the Sea.
Damned wizard!
By the anvil and forge of Mahal, if he didn't need Gandalf, Thorin could actually murder him.
The dark-haired King glared at Gandalf, growling accusingly, "This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy."
"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself," the wizard responded rather lightly (sending Thorin's ire to new heights) before he strode forward, greeting the leader of the pack with a warm smile. The frontrunner of the Elvish drove dismounted his steed before removing his helmet and giving a fond and genuine smile.
Both Lion-O and Bilbo could not help but marvel at the Elf's good looks, a warm and friendly countenance while clearly showing he was a fierce warrior given he had a sword lashed to his side.
Thorin did his best to look like he wasn't bothered at that damned Halfling staring like the stupid Elf was the sun and moon itself.
"Mithrandir," the male Elf said in a deep yet mellifluous voice.
"Lord Elrond!" Gandalf warmly smiled as he embraced the head noble of Rivendell.
Elrond nodded as he patted Gandalf's back, although his smile fell as they parted. There was some worry in his eyes along with his grave expression as Elrond asked, "Those…creatures that appeared to be Birds in the skies. Do you know anything of this anomaly?"
"We can discuss that later," Gandalf said clandestinely before he indicated to the Company, "But for now, we are hoping you could provide us food and shelter."
"I cannot say I would accept any abnormal menace into my lands."
"I promise I shall explain, Mellonnen. But not here. Please. We have encountered dangers during our journey."
Being diplomatic and seeing the implication, Elrond and his riders strode forward towards Gandalf's companions before he recognized one particular Dwarf out of the reticent Company. Elrond gave a polite and sincere bow.
"Well met, Thorin, son of Thrain. You and your kin are welcome in Imladris."
Thorin's look darkened as he rudely kept his sword pointed up and at ready.
"I do not believe we have met."
"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain."
"Indeed. He made no mention of you."
Gandalf inwardly groaned as he fought the urge to snap and lecture Thorin about his rudeness. Thankfully, Elrond's face was blank and his smirk never wavered, as if he found Thorin's impertinence to be no more offensive than a butterfly. But then to the Dwarves' confusion, Elrond's gaze then rested on Lion-O, and his demeanor changed. If anything, he actually looked amazed (a rare occurrence if any).
Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, as well as the other Rivendell Elves, were also staring at Lion-O with a combination of revelation and incredulity. Bilbo cautiously inched closer to his son and held Lion-O's paw. Granted, they weren't staring at the Cat out of hate, fear, and disgust like many of the Shire residents had in Lion-O's first years, but still…
"Is that the - ?" asked Elladan in wonderment, only to be cut off by a stern glare from Gandalf.
Lion-O felt hot under his collar. First Radagast, and now Elves?
Still, remembering his manners, Lion-O stood at attention and bowed slightly, saying, "Lion-O Baggins, at your service."
Elrond smiled warmly at the gesture while the Dwarves were still bordering on suspicion and dislike. The Elven Lord then turned to his group and gently murmured in their foreign tongue. The other Dwarves automatically jumped to the worst conclusion.
"What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?" Glóin barked.
"Master Elrond is offering us food and beds as his guests!" snapped Bilbo loudly at the entire Company. Normally, he'd be more restrained and polite, but frankly, this entire ordeal had his nerves and patience on end.
This caused the whole Company to turn towards their burglar in surprise.
Thorin bristled and glared at the Hobbit, recollecting that Bilbo understood Sindarin, the language of the Elves. For some reason, he let his disgust and injury known as the burly King glared darkly at Bilbo as if the Hobbit committed an unforgiveable crime.
Bilbo just ignored Thorin.
The other Dwarves blinked before they shared a quick look, several murmurings in Khuzdul, and then an agreement.
"Ah well, in that case, lead on," conceded Glóin, a bit sheepish.
"What?!" snapped Óin, holding a hand cupped to his ear and still left out of the loop about what was going on, "What did you say?!"
A thought struck Ori as he piped up, "Wait! Shouldn't we take the body of the Bird with us? Maybe it can give us a clue as to why we were attacked?"
"A body?" Elrohir asked, puzzled, "What body are you referring to, Master Dwarf?"
"Are you blind, lad? We killed an oversized raven earlier when that bizarre flock attacked us! It's right over…" but Bofur's cheery and confident voice died as he turned around only to find nothing but the empty grass. Indeed, when the rest of the Company turned around to see, they too were disturbed at the revelation.
The Bird's body was gone.
She deserves more than this.
General Lynx-O was deep in thought as he rubbed circles in between the shoulders of Willa's back, staring at the curves of her body underneath the ratty sheet, her soft, brown fur, her ebony hair cascading down her back. He couldn't help but give a little squeeze, his strong arms bringing Willa closer as they cuddled under the shadows of their tent.
We couldn't even have a wedding, something that could at least give her happy memories.
Lynx-O commanded hundreds of Cats with stern ruthlessness and unforgiving ambition to shape the Cats to be the best of all, his fellow sergeants and soldiers his pride and joy and who obeyed him without cheek. Lynx-O could easily snap a Lizard's neck without blinking. Lynx-O could behead a Dog and not even flinch as the blood would spray and splatter over his face. He even stood by Claudus' side as he tried to fight Mumm-Ra in the Bird city of Avista, with true loyalty and unwavering boldness.
But the thought of how he could only manage a poor ceremony by candlelight with Jaga and Claudus ordaining, and with Tygra, Panthro, and Nayda as witnesses always succeeded in driving a spike of regret into his chest. The only food they had afterwards was just a pitiful amount of water and fish.
We can't even raise a family.
Being in the forsaken wilderness with little food and wandering around without a permanent home while pursued by the enemy was not the ideal condition to have children. Willa was charitable when she accepted this as fact, and she had more than enough on her plate to supervise the other Amazons in protecting the Cat refugees. Plus, the surviving orphans adored her, and she learned to be content with that. But Lynx-O couldn't help but dream of how much pride and joy his heart would fill when he could arrive into their home and see his wife with their newborn in her hands, a beautiful son or daughter.
The female Amazon Cat almost seemed to know what Lynx-O was thinking as she gently rested a hand on her husband's bare chest, tickling his fur.
"Do you want to talk?" Willa asked gently.
Lynx-O didn't answer for a bit as he stared mournfully at the dried and pressed Day Astrid flower in her dark hair, with its lone, remaining petal, slightly brown and withered, but still whole.
His courting gift to her.
Lynx-O remembered how nervous he was when he presented it with Claudus' blessings, how Willa's eyes sparkled as she jumped in Lynx-O's brawny arms as she kissed him, how he prayed many thanks to the Ancient Spirits of Light that the leader of the Amazon Cats would ever fall in love with an old, blind dodger like him when she had her choice of younger and far superior Cats over he, how elated he was to plan their future…
It was ironic that the Fall of Thundera happened less than a month later.
"Just how much I wish I could give you more," Lynx-O finally lamented.
Willa felt frustration churn in her gut. If she told him once, she told him a thousand times…
"I don't care," Willa said.
"You deserve jewelry, the finest rubies and diamonds to grace your fur…"
"I don't care."
"I want to give you land, a small cottage by a serene lake and a fruit grove where we can raise children in peace, with full stomachs and a stocked larder."
"We have each other."
"I want to give you beautiful dresses, fine satin and silk intertwined with gold."
"Lynx-O…"
Now Lynx-O's breath was ragged, and his words were hoarse with guilt and shame.
"You deserve to be happy."
Trying to make her point clear, Willa placed a finger on Lynx-O's lips, effectively stopping his monologue.
"I am happy, love," she whispered, her eyes looking into Lynx-O's dead ones.
Lynx-O still didn't look like her believed her.
Willa then grinned impishly as she slowly eased herself on top of her husband, the Amazon Cat straddling Lynx-O and gently rubbing her hands on the General's torso, massaging Lynx-O's muscles and frame.
"And I know what can make me happier…" she hinted seductively. Lynx-O couldn't help but growl with a smile.
"Round three already? Have mercy on an old Cat, love!" Lynx-O mock protested before he and Willa drew close, their lips meeting.
"Ahem…hate to interrupt, but there's been a development," spoke a voice loudly from the mouth of their tent.
Funny how effectively a romantic moment could be brought to a screeching halt.
Lynx-O cursed several foul words under his breath before he snapped, "Mumm-Ra better be attacking the campgrounds!"
Lynxanna, who was politely waiting outside with crossed arms, answered with some hesitation, "Close. Jaga and his Clerics returned. You're not going to like this…"
There was already a throng of Cats gathered around King Claudus and his court, muttering or chattering with mixtures of distress, panic, and speculation.
"I see it, but I can't believe it…"
"It can't be!"
"How is this possible?"
"Are you sure this isn't another similar being from this planet?"
"By the Ancients!"
"Maybe this is a trick…"
"That's right! We can't trust Jaga entirely!"
"We are so screwed!"
"SILENCE!" roared King Claudus, and that instantly made all of the Thunderians stop, the scene around them tense but so still you could hear the lion ruler breathing heavily with a combination of frustration and stress.
Lynx-O and Willa managed to push their way through the front of the crowd (with one or two Cats noticing that Willa's hair was slightly messy as if she just rose out of bed, and Lynx-O was wearing his shirt inside-out). Both of the Cats were rendered mute with shock as Jaga and the two Clerics that accompanied him dumped the body of the Birdman, Blagden, in front of the muscular lion(with Tygra, vexed Grune, and Panthro standing alongside their monarch).
King Claudus, with a troubled frown, looked at Jaga who recounted the past events with a calm yet grave tone.
"General Vultaire and his Birds attacked the Lost Prince and the Company of Thorin Oakenshield on their way to seek shelter from an outpost of Elves," the Head Cleric reported, "We retrieved the body of one of the Silverhawks not only as proof of this occurrence, but to also not give the inhabitants of Middle Earth any further clue about our whereabouts and infiltration. The less evidence they have, the easier it would be to prevent widespread suspicion and alarm."
"Did the Dwarves or anyone see you and your Clerics at the scene?" Panthro asked.
"No, we fled too quickly for any observers to clearly witness our presence, but…Jaga did use his magic to prevent the Silverhawks from killing one Dwarf of the Company," one of the Clerics stated. This brought a few scowls from the audience (especially Claudus).
"You shouldn't have intervened!" snapped Grune, "One dead Dwarf doesn't matter in the long run!"
"The Dwarves are innocent victims, just like the Fishmen, the Berbils, the Elephants, and Viragor," the other Cleric meaningfully objected for Jaga's defense. Still, this did little to appease the onlookers. Jaga was a bit vexed at how Claudus looked like he agreed with Grune.
At the same time, Tygra and Lynx-O were studying the dead Bird.
"Flexible high-tech armor of plastics and metal fiber, just like in our world…" Tygra murmured, agitated.
Lynx-O sniffed Blagden's stiff arm and helmet before he stated, "I smell faint odors of motor oil and Thunderillium on the Bird's feathers, signs of technology and machinery that would not be possible on this primitive world of magic. There's also the aroma of Lizards and Dogs, most likely due to being in close quarters with other animals under the command of Slithe and Kaynar. There's no question about it: this is one of the Silverhawks from Third Earth, not a resident from Middle Earth."
Jaga was telling the truth.
Torr stammered in the background, his face white, "But…but if the Silverhawks and Vultaire are in this world…"
The Cat soldier left it unfinished, but everyone all around instantly latched onto the next logical step, and a deep feeling of unease and anxiety clutched at their hearts and souls like ice.
King Claudus, with dark eyes and his jaw set, exhaled wearily.
"Whiskers…" King Claudus cursed.