The sun had long since gone down, and the moon was now high. Link was eventually roused from his rest when he heard the Wargs howling to the moon up above. It wasn't long before Link noticed a change in the Wargs' tune; their howling had switched to growling and snarling. Link saw the other Dwarfs cautiously trying to secure themselves to their respective branches.
"It would appear the Wargs have finally spotted us," Link said.
The huge wolves were snarling and hopping up onto their hind legs, snapping at the group. Thankfully, divided amongst the three trees, the group was high enough away to avoid them. Now that it was clear that the Wargs had spotted them, there was no point in staying quiet anymore.
"Well they know we're here!" Gloin said. "Will they move on, Gandalf?"
"No," the Wizard said. "They know they can't get to us...but now that they know we're here; they're less inclined to simply let us go. They believe that we're spies from a nearby town. It appears they were planning to meet with the Goblins and perform a raid on the town, to kill the people living there. Now that they see us, they suspect we'll return to the town and tell them to prepare for the attack; they won't simply let us go."
The wolves snarled and snapped at them in the trees. Meanwhile, Link was quietly counting the number of wolves present here. The pack consisted of at least eight wolves. He thought the numbers were good – for now. But he didn't want that to change.
"We can't wait here forever," Link said. "We'll have to do something soon; the Goblins are still in disarray due to the loss of their leader. But they'll be combing the area for us, and if they join up with the Wargs here, we'll be in trouble."
The Wargs snapped again and began making growling sounds; they were speaking again.
"They say anything interesting, Gandalf?" Link asked.
"Yes...they're trying to make us an offer that they're hungry, and might let us go, if we throw down a few of our smaller ones."
"Well they're not going to get them," Link said. "Kili, if we use our bows, we might be able to kill all of them, and get out of here."
"We don't know how many arrows will be needed to take those things down," Kili said. "We could easily exhaust what few weapons we have."
"Well we don't have much time," Link said. "I don't want the odds to change."
"Stay your hand," Gandalf said. "I sent for help...if this works, it should be arriving shortly."
No sooner than when Gandalf had finished talking did they hear more howls sounding off in the distance, followed by the sound of a deep voice, yelling in Black Speech; a voice that did not belong to any Goblin.
Link was disheartened when he saw that the pack had been joined by another group of Wargs. The pack was initially wary of this sudden intrusion, but it seemed like now the two groups were communicating. Link was now trying to take count of the new Wargs that had joined the pack. He felt it hard to keep them straight, due to how many were moving around. The numbers were constantly changing.
And what's worse was, he soon spotted more Wargs entering the group, being ridden by Orcs. The hunting party had found them. And judging by the numbers, there had to be at least fourteen Wargs down there, and four Orc riders. The wild ones seemed to become rather accepting of the group once they began communicating with their riders.
And then suddenly, the Wargs stopped snapping and growling at each other and all turned back toward the path leading off the slope. Someone else was approaching the area. An incredibly large white Warg climbed up the top of a nearby boulder, and stood proudly above the rest of them. The hunting pack and even the wild Wargs seemed to calm their demeanor and quiet down into an almost subservient attitude; it was clear this Warg was the Alpha of the hunting party. But that hardly mattered to the Company of Thorin; their eyes were locked upon the beast's rider. Link gave a quiet gasp when he saw him, knowing immediately who this was. But all doubts were cast away when Thorin spotted him; the look on the Dwarf Prince's face was the most frightened and disbelieving that Link had ever seen him. Thorin looked absolutely haunted...
"Azog..."
Link's previous assumed description of Azog the Defiler had paled in comparison to the apparition that was mounted before them; pale almost as much as Azog's own, sickening, pale skin. He was, as Balin had described him, a giant Orc, surely able to stand a full head and shoulders above his four hunting companions; to the Dwarfs he would be a tall and imposing foe. To Link, he might even be the slightest bit taller; but still a frightening monster to face. His head was bald, like most Orcs that Link had seen, and his ears were pointed. His eyes sunk so deep into his face, that the red tinted bags forming around his eyelids, gave off the faintest impression of a Skull's eye sockets; the deep chasm only penetrated by the light reflecting off his eyes. His teeth were all sharp fangs. His upper torso was bare, and Link could see a series of scars, running deep like trenches across his body, from over his chest, down his arms, and even up to his face. Link noticed the deliberate pattern-like interwoven nature of the scars, and began to deduce that they were self-inflicted, for decoration. He ran his left arm over the Warg's fur, revealing that it was severed at mid-forearm, replaced with a rather painful looking claw, stabbed into the stump, through the elbow, made entirely of rot-iron. The claw itself had several sharp and impaling blades running down the metal pole, connecting into Azog's wrist.
The Pale Orc smiled seeing the group; a truly wicked grin. He leaned forward and began to sniff the air. He began to speak in Black Speech, a language that Link could not have understood; but the Dwarfs and the Wizard surely could understand it. And as I have mentioned before, I would not dare utter a single syllable of that foul dialect. All I can do for you now, is translate it...
"Do you smell it?" Azog said to his hunting party. His voice was deep yet raspy and sinister. "The scent of fear; I remember...your father reeked of it, Thorin...son of Thrain."
"It cannot be," Thorin said now shaking his head as he stared at Azog. All of the Dwarfs were confused by Azog's appearance. Some looked shaken; others looked heartbroken that the Great Goblin's taunts were true. And through it all, Link could feel the pain in Thorin right now; to be confronted with an enemy you thought dead, who now had you cornered. Azog the Defiler was like a ghost from Thorin's past; an apparition given flesh; the beast who killed his Grandfather, and had driven his father mad with grief...How could he endure such a revelation? How could he bare the failure?
Azog raised a heavy-mace in his right hand, pointing it directly at Thorin.
"That one is mine," he said. "Kill the others!"
With a wave of his mace, the pack of Wargs charged forward, rushing at the trees again. Rallied by their leader, the huge wolves had renewed strength and determination to get the Dwarfs. The group could see that now, the Wargs were leaping off of the ground and locking their jaws onto the lowest branches. Some were able to position their paws to pull themselves up. They were climbing the trees. As they did, they kept snarling and swiping at the group. And the more they tried to get up at them, the more the trees began to swing and sway under the newly added weight.
The Wargs were now propelling themselves, leaping through the air at such great speeds and heights, that they were able to reach higher branches, just barely out of reach of the Dwarfs. Whatever branches they got their jaws around were torn away. The beasts looked absolutely ravenous; mad with murderous intent.
"Drink their blood!" Azog ordered.
The first tree that some of the Dwarfs were hiding in had been shaking and rocking so much, that the Dwarfs soon learned what the Warg's plan truly was. They were bringing the whole thing down. Their swinging and swaying had begun to tear up the earth where the tree was rooted, and it was beginning to uproot. Before long the roots had come free from the earth and the tree was now tilting.
"It's going!" Dwalin said shouting as the tree began to fall. The Dwarfs in that tree had no choice but to leap from the branches, into the second tree where more of the party had escaped to. But much like the first, the Wargs had already torn up the tree's foundation so much, that the mere added weight of the additional Dwarfs brought it down as well. And thus the domino-effect continued, until the entire Company of Thorin was now cornered in one single tree, rooted precariously on the edge of the cliff.
Gandalf knew it wouldn't be long before the Wargs had brought this tree down as well. They were at first hesitating, as from their angle of attack, it would send the group tumbling off the edge; and Azog personally wanted Thorin to kill for himself. But then again, they didn't have long to wait anyway; and it was clear the help Gandalf had sent for was still nowhere in sight. They needed to stall them, if only for a few more minutes.
Thinking quickly, Gandalf grabbed a large pinecone off a nearby branch. He began lightly twirling it around the vaguely fire-shaped end of his staff and began blowing on it. Before long, smoke and glowing orange light erupted in the center of the pinecone; he'd lit it on fire!
Gandalf chucked the fireball down toward the Wargs, where it struck into the ground before them, setting fire to the fallen leaves and twigs under-paw. The flames began to spread, causing the Wargs to scatter and back off, away from the tree.
Gandalf meanwhile was preparing more pinecones, setting them ablaze before lightly tossing them into the hands of the Dwarfs to use. The Dwarfs tossed down the pinecones, adding to the wall of flame now surrounding the perimeter of the tree. But Link saw that this probably wouldn't do much good. The Orcs didn't seem frightened by fire, and he believed they'd have no compunctions about sending the wolves back into the flames to get the dwarfs.
He reached for his bow, pulling a single-arrow from his quiver. He brought it to his mouth and quietly whispered to the arrow-head. It was an incantation for a spell that he'd learned in Hyrule. Suddenly, glowing orange Hylian-Runes appeared across the arrowhead, and the tip of the arrow suddenly erupted into a glowing, sphere of orange flames.
"Kili!" Link said, getting the young Dwarf's attention. He dropped the arrow toward him. "Make-em count!"
Fili grabbed the arrow and immediately began holding his own arrows up to its flaming tip, to spread its fire to them. Link was readying another fire-arrow of his own. He pulled back on the bow and shot at one of the Wargs. It struck the beast in the back, causing a huge wave of fire to spread all over the creature. The wolf howled in pain and was sent running away, trying desperately to douse the flames. Its attempts spread the fire even further back toward the Orcs.
Meanwhile, Kili continued to shoot his own arrows at the Wargs, while Gandalf and the Dwarfs continued to pelt them with flaming pinecones. It was amusing when one of the pinecones hit a wolf in the head. The pack had scattered, driven back from the tree thanks to the wall of fire created by the first few waves, and the burning arrows and pinecones drove them off. Azog was angered when he saw the Wargs flee the scene, and roared.
The tree was brought to uproarious cheers from the Dwarfs, believing that they had won the battle by driving the Wargs back. Link however kept his eyes on Azog, wondering how easy it would be to put an arrow between the Orc's eyes. But soon his gaze landed upon Thorin, who was glaring at Azog still. Link recognized that look; the desire in Thorin's eyes. He could sense that to do so would not be his place...not like this...
Suddenly the cheers were silenced by a loud creek and a tilt. The tree's foundation on the already precarious cliff had now been torn up thanks to the added weight; made no better by the slightest embers licking at the tree's base. It began to fall, and was going over the cliff! The Dwarfs, Wizard and Hylian held on for dear-life as the tree gave way. Fortunately, the roots were still strong enough to hold, and stop the tree's descent. Unfortunately, the tree was now precariously jutting almost horizontally from out of the edge of the cliff.
The Dwarfs were jolted rather badly when the tree came to a stop, but they still gripped the branches. They were holding on tight, trying to climb up onto the stem of the tree, when their branches began to swing. Gandalf, Ori and Dori were up near the top of the tree, which meant they were the farthest from the cliff. And worse, Ori had just lost his grip, falling from the branches. He managed to grab onto his older brother's leg, when the tree tilted again. Dori was losing his grip too.
"Mr. Gandalf!" Dori cried for help. The Wizard saw their predicament and just as Dori's grip gave way, Gandalf thrust his staff forward, allowing Dori to grab the end. Gandalf had saved them, but now he was in a bind, having to hold the weight of two Dwarfs on the end of his staff.
"Hold on, Ori!" Dori said.
Bofur was rocked when the tree tilted again, and he and Oin both lost their grip on the tree. They fell from their branches, screaming. However suddenly, their descent was stopped as Link had just grabbed the backs of their shirts, bracing himself against the tree.
"I've got you! Hang on!" he said as he began to lift them up.
The rest of the Dwarfs were mostly alright as they hung from their branches. Thorin had just managed to pull himself against the log. And that's when he heard Azog laughing. The Pale Orc was amused by the Dwarfs' predicament, and their desperate attempts to save themselves from what he'd deemed the inevitable...
Thorin turned to Azog and glared at him. The Pale Orc ceased his laughing and sneered back at Thorin, almost flummoxed by the look in his eye. The two stared at each other for several moments; hatred and animosity radiating off of them. Link had managed to secure Bofur and Oin in the tree with him, and finally turned back to Thorin. He could see the look in the Dwarf's eye as he stared back at his enemy. And then Link saw Thorin's hand, determinedly go towards a branch of the tree. With a strong and swift movement, Thorin broke the branch off, to where a length of it was as long as his arm. Thorin began to stand.
"Thorin?" Link asked.
The Dwarf did not answer. Brandishing his Elfish Blade, he walked across the tree. Fortunately he was near the trunk, so his full weight did not cause the tree to tip anymore. He stepped off the tree and back onto the solid earth. Azog watched his approach. The group turned to watch Thorin move through the blazing inferno as the flames spread to the upturned trees. He looked like a man-possessed. He began to sprint toward Azog and the hunting party, the oaken-branch he'd taken, now raised high, like a shield.
"Thorin, no!" Link called back to him, but it was too late; the Dwarf was determined for a showdown with Azog.
The Pale Orc smiled as Thorin approached, waiting for the right moment. He saw Thorin come close enough, raising Orcrist's glowing blue blade into the air. Azog went low on the Warg, bracing himself. He kicked the beast in the side roaring, commanding it to leap forward. It leapt off the rock, carrying Azog toward Thorin. It sailed over the Dwarf, a forepaw striking Thorin in the face, knocking him down.
The Dwarf Prince got to his feet and turned just in time to be met with Azog riding back towards him, and swinging the club directly into his face. Thorin was knocked down again.
"No!" Balin yelled.
The White Warg bent over Thorin and bit down on him, wrapping its mouth around almost his entire body. Fortunately, the oaken branch shielded Thorin just enough to prevent the canine fangs from penetrating his skin. But Thorin wailed in pain as the wolf bit-down.
"Thorin! No!" Dwalin said trying to crawl forward. But the branch he was on suddenly broke and swung on just a few shreds of bark. Dwalin grabbed onto the tree again before the branch gave way.
The huge wolf picked up its tiny-prey and began shaking him, biting down even harder on Thorin. The Dwarf's screams echoed out across the mountainside. And Azog turned back toward the group, reveling in sadistic joy certain that seeing their leader tortured like this was breaking their spirits and minds.
Thorin made a haphazard attempt to attack the Warg, bringing the butt of Orcrist's handle down onto its snout. In response, the Warg simply tossed Thorin away, where he collided with a large boulder. When Thorin fell to the ground, he was no longer moving. He was beaten, bloodied and in pain. There was no more fight left in him.
Azog noticed this and had seemed to have grown bored with toying with Thorin. He turned to one of the other Orcs.
"Bring me the Dwarf's head," he ordered in Black Speech. He looked down at Thorin's broken and defeated form, almost in disgust and disappointment. He had the air about him like he expected Thorin to be more of a challenge; to put up a descent fight. But it was already over.
The Orc dismounted and proceeded toward Thorin per Azog's orders. It was brandishing a huge, curved sword and brought it right to Thorin's neck, positioning it and lining up the angle. Thorin had stirred, seeing the Orc above him. He reached his right arm, painful and bruised from being shaken, trying desperately to find Orcrist. But the sword's handle lay just outside his reach.
The Orc grinned wickedly at Thorin's feeble attempt and was now poised, ready for attack. He lifted up his sword above his head, preparing to chop Thorin's head clean off his shoulders. And the Dwarf could do nothing but watch as his death come at him.
"HYAH!" Thorin heard as suddenly shining white starlight came into view. He saw the blade of the Master Sword cut through the Orc's shoulder, cutting the arm off, spraying steaming, black blood about the area.
The Orc howled in pain at the loss of its arm, and turned in enough time to see Link advancing on him, pushing him away from Thorin's defeated form. The Master Sword was then thrust forward, stabbing into the Orc's chest, causing a painful squeal to erupt from the creature's mouth. Link, looking enraged and overcome with disgust, put his foot against the creature's chest, kicking it away, pulling the sword out of him. Then in one swift movement, he slashed the Master Sword again, cutting the Orc's head off and sending it flying toward Azog.
The Pale Orc was startled by this; he was not expecting anyone from the group to risk helping Thorin. He was also perplexed by the strange creature standing before him; like everyone else in Middle Earth, Azog was flummoxed by Link; unsure of what to make of him. The Stranger had so easily and fearlessly dispatched one of his men, and was now positioning himself between him and the Dwarf Prince.
Link had made his decision from the moment that Thorin was first brought to the ground. He couldn't stand watching this happen to him; especially since he knew he was capable of helping. He was certain that Thorin's pride would be doomed if not destroyed by this gesture; but damn the Dwarf's pride at this moment. He had to save his life. He stood there, glaring at Azog, wielding the Master Sword in his right hand, and a huge, steel mallet – the Megaton Hammer – in his right. He stood his ground, defending Thorin as the Orcs regrouped behind Azog. He twirled the Master Sword in his hands, readying himself...
"Azog, the Defiler!" Link shouted. Azog gnashed his teeth and growled at him; the presumption of the stranger to use his title with no fear angered him, as did his next words. "Fight me!"
Azog sneered at Link for daring to challenge him, especially while outnumbered. He had simply gotten the drop on that one Orc, but he was almost surrounded by Orcs atop Wargs. He was no challenge. He'd easily be ripped apart.
"Kill him," Azog ordered. And with that, the three remaining Orcs approached, riding atop their jet-black Wargs. The huge snarling animals descended upon Link, and yet he still showed no fear. Link glared into the eyes of the enormous wolves advancing on him. He thrust forward, slashing his sword at them, to make them hesitate. He wasn't going to let them get to Thorin, no matter what.
Link in truth was hoping to stall them; keep their attention on him and off Thorin. He was sure that he could take all three of them on at once, but he needed time to form a strategy after figuring out their weakness. But he couldn't just abandon Thorin to draw them away. He was being backed up. The snarling faces of fur and teeth and glowing eyes came closer.
Suddenly the Wargs and their riders were drawn by the sounds of yelling off to the side. Link saw half a dozen Dwarfs suddenly rush onto the scene; Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, and Bifur charged in, attacking the Wargs and drawing them off Link. They came in, slashing, jabbing, stabbing and swinging huge hammers at the Warg's faces. Link rushed forward to join the fray, slashing at the closest Orc atop its Warg; since he was the tallest of them, he could easily reach the Orcs.
The rest of the Dwarfs were still in the tree, hanging on for their lives. Gandalf was still doing his best to hold Dori and Ori up. Balin, Nori, Bofur and Bombur were still holding onto the tree as they watched the battle unfold before them. Things had taken such a drastic turn that hardly anyone expected. The fighting Dwarfs had managed to move the Wargs away from Thorin, but Link never left his post, guarding Thorin on the ground.
Azog glared at the scene as he noticed that his group had clearly lost control of the situation. The Dwarfs were rallying behind this stranger, and they were fighting to protect their leader. And then Azog remembered Thorin, still lying beaten on the ground; so vulnerable, so easy to kill. He turned back toward him, only for his gaze to lock onto Link again, still defying him. This Stranger was enraging Azog, standing defiantly between him and his revenge. He growled at Link again before kicking his Warg again. The beast charged at Link, expecting to take him down much in similar fashion as he'd done Thorin.
Link took a deep breath, sneering when he saw Azog charging atop his Warg. The jaws came at him, wide open, expecting to bite down directly onto his head. But Link stood there, unmoving as if to take the creature head on. The Warg jumped into the air to sail toward Link. And this time, Link did something Azog did not expect. He stepped off to his left, exposing Thorin behind him. But as the Warg's head was now passing into Link's reach, he suddenly swung the Megaton Hammer. With an incredibly loud and heavy-sounding, distinct, metallic, THUD, the hammer smashed into the Warg's snout and flung it away, causing the creature give a painful yelp, and a few of its fangs to be sent flying from its mouth.
The Dwarfs and Orcs were startled by the sudden sound and backed out of the way to let Azog's Warg crash into the center of the plateau battlefield. They were left astonished that Link would have the power to knock a fully-grown alpha Warg out like that. The creature twitched and breathed heavily, so it wasn't dead; but it was certainly knocked cold by that attack. Azog had been bruised by the landing and pulled his body out from under the heavy-beast. He stood up, looking over his wounded-mount, almost in disbelief at what had happened. He then slowly turned his gaze back toward Link. The Hylian gave him an icy-look, and raised his sword, ready for combat.
Azog growled deeply as he stared at Link. Clearly he had underestimated the Stranger's abilities. He was actually proving to be quite the nuisance. Azog would suffer him no longer. If the Stranger wanted to fight him, he'd learn what a mistake that daring would prove to be. Azog raised his club and now charged at Link. The Hylian stood his ground, slipping his hammer back into his satchel and reaching around his back, for his shield. He did it so calmly, almost nonchalantly, that it angered Azog further. Link was ready to fight.
Azog attacked, swinging his mace at Link. The mace crashed with a heavy clang against Link's shield, which held it off. Immediately the shield withdrew and Link swung the Master Sword at Azog's body, forcing him to back off. Azog jabbed his mace forward, only to be deflected with Link's shield again. Link then swung his shield to the right, blocking the oncoming attack from Azog's prosthetic claw. Link slashed at Azog again, but the Orc was careful to dodge, no longer underestimating Link's skill.
Link raised his sword to hold off the swing of the club again, catching it, just underneath the head. Link then suddenly thrust his shield forward and smacked it into Azog's face. The Orc staggered backwards but he didn't look stunned by the attack, only angered further. Link turned his shield, jabbing the edge at Azog, striking him in the face several more times, before slashing across his torso.
Azog howled when the blade cut through him, leaving a burning slice across his skin. But the cut wasn't deep enough and was held off by what little armored plating that Azog wore over his abdomen. He snarled at Link and charged forward, stabbing his claw at Link. Link blocked it with his sword and pushed Azog off to the side, before kicking him in the stomach. Azog swung his arm, the blades on the sides of his claw cutting Link across the shoulder and face. In a rage, Link brought his sword down on top of Azog, the Orc blocking it with the length of his mace. The two stood there, pushing against each other, and snarling and growling into each other's faces.
The battle between Azog and Link was a true spectacle to behold. The Dwarfs and the Orcs had actually stopped fighting to watch. Both contenders came at each other with such skill, ferocity and determination, that it really could have been anyone's fight at that point. It had grown so fierce that they had forced their way into the center of the plateau and were now surrounded by the Dwarfs, Orcs and flames. The blade of the Master Sword glowed with an orange light before Link suddenly spun in place, leaving a magical energy trail from the sword. The attack forced Azog to back off and keep his distance. Link then ran up a boulder, leapt off of it, bringing his sword down on top of Azog. But the Orc held it off with his claw.
When Link disengaged, Azog repositioned his club to be held in both his remaining hand and claw. He then turned his body, swinging the butt of the club and struck Link in the face, cutting his forehead. Grunting from the blow, Link used the momentum to turn again, swinging his sword at Azog from the side and cutting against his arm, causing him to drop his club. In a panic, Azog tried to stab Link with his claw again, an impaling spike lay in the center of it. Link held off the attack with his shield, and immediately went to stab Azog with the Master Sword. But the Orc was so daring that he raised his hand and grabbed the blade, trying to hold Link off. Azog soon realized the mistake he'd made, as the moment the blade touched his palm, it began to burn him. Smoke rose from his hand as the blade sizzled his flesh. Azog howled in pain, and Link could see that his stance was beginning to break; he was overpowering him.
Moving quickly, Link moved his shield to disengage with Azog's other arm and braced it against the blade of the Master Sword, now pressing the blade against the flesh of Azog's chest, searing him with a painful hissing sound. The Orc roared as Link pressed against him. Link yelled angrily back at Azog, determined to defeat him.
The Orc riders were now keen to pounce upon Link to save their master, only for the Dwarfs to take notice of this, breaking out of their daze and attacking them again. The Dwarfs were now in the process of forming a perimeter, surrounding Link and Azog to prevent reinforcements from saving the Defiler. Azog was being pushed to the ground and his knees were beginning to bend. However, the Orc managed to brace himself and hold his ground. He managed to lift up one leg and press it against Link's chest. He kicked forward knocking Link back with a roar. Link fell to the ground.
Before Azog advanced on him, he noticed how his Orcs had still been overpowered by the Dwarfs. He then turned back toward the slopes of the mountain and called out something in Black Speech, waving his arm. Link couldn't understand what he'd said, but he heard his words answered by howls. Link turned to look up the mountain and saw the Wargs coming back, charging at the clearing. There were far too many of them; the Dwarfs would be overtaken for sure!
Link heard Azog roaring and looked up. He saw the Pale Orc had recovered his club and brought it down on Link. The Hylian rolled off to the side, avoiding the attack, an earth-shattering thud impacted beside him. Link quickly stood, swinging his shield to strike at Azog again. Link defended himself against Azog's attack, while he formulated a plan. He had an idea to hold off the Wargs should they arrive; he had to protect his friends. After he'd disengaged Azog again, he quickly reached into his satchel, pulling out a small crystal, with a glowing orange orb at its center. He held it tightly in his fist.
Azog charged at him again, swinging his mace. Link held it off with the Master Sword before swinging his shield into Azog's face, striking him once with the edge, and then swinging back, striking him with the broad-side. The attack knocked Azog back, and Link turned back toward the Dwarfs, getting ready to meet the oncoming horde of Wargs.
"Dwarfs down!" Link shouted. He then raised his right arm, holding the crystal. The Dwarfs did as he ordered and immediately fell to the ground, covering themselves. Link brought his fist down, slamming it into the ground, where suddenly a dome of fire erupted from the crystal in Link's hand. It spread out, growing quickly into a shockwave that spread out far, striking at Azog, his Orc Riders, and the pack of Wargs that had just leapt toward the battlefield. The wave had pushed them all back, burning them, and sending them to the ground. But the Dwarfs were unscathed; the wave had harmlessly washed over them, even Thorin who was not protecting himself. The fire tunics had proven their worth...
Link saw how the Wargs and Orcs had been stunned by his gesture. But he soon realized just how futile it was. There were far too many Wargs for the seven of them to fight off; Thorin was injured, lying unconscious, near-dead on the ground, and the Wizard, as well as six other Dwarfs were hanging for their lives off the edge of the cliff. Regardless of their valiant efforts, they were still cornered and had nowhere to run. How long could Link expect to keep this fight up; he began to worry that he couldn't protect all the Dwarfs forever.
Gandalf had been quietly observing the fight, impressed with Link's skill. His ability to hold his own against a Gundabad Orc such as Azog was hardly anything to be dismissed. And not to mention the magic that the boy clearly had on display. Gandalf was beginning to wonder the ramifications of hiring Link into the Company; what someone like this could possibly lead to. Hell, there was even a chance that without the Dwarf Armies, that they could even –
Dori's hands slid down the end of the staff and Gandalf had to brace himself to keep them from falling again. This was a bad situation. Gandalf was becoming fatigued and the Dwarfs were just too heavy for him to pull up. He tried desperately to hold on, and find some ray of hope in this bleak situation; but it did truly look like this was the end...
At that moment, a butterfly flew into view beside Gandalf's face...And Gandalf gave a confident grin seeing it, recognizing it as the same butterfly he'd sent off before.
Link saw that Azog was recovering from the blast and was readying himself again. Link sneered and raised his sword, prepared to rush Azog and finish him off, once and for all. However suddenly, both Link and the Orc stopped in their tracks as the ground beneath them trembled. The force that Link had struck the ground with had weakened the protrusion of the cliff where they were fighting. And now the ground was beginning to split at the point of impact, and the cliff was beginning to fall away in a land-slide, taking Link and the Dwarfs with it!
The shaking had caused Dori to slip from the staff and he and Ori were sent falling to what was certainly their doom in the abyss below. Gandalf gasped watching them fall, when suddenly he saw their bodies caught from the air by an enormous shadowed body moving beneath them. Gandalf gave a relieved sigh when he'd heard the screeching caws above them all.
The ground began to give way, a growing chasm separating Link and Thorin from Azog. Seeing it, Azog looked enraged, watching as Link moved away, as if nature separating them in their fight, and Link being killed by the fall was the final insult the Stranger could give him. Azog roared at him as the ground gave way, and Link, overcome with rage, believing this to be the end, could do nothing but yell back at him.
Only this was not the end...
A screech drew the attention of Azog and his remaining crew as a huge body flew into view, grabbing a Warg and tossing it off the cliff. It was so huge and fast that Link barely made it out. Other bodies flew in, grabbing up Wargs, scattering the pack, even dropping a tree on them. A huge pair of wings fanned the flames toward the Wargs to shoo the rest of the pack away.
Link turned and could see several dark bodies flying above the tree, grabbing up the remaining members of the Dwarf Company and Gandalf. They were now flying overhead when Fili and Kili were picked up and tossed into the air, only to be caught on the back of another creature. Dwalin, Gloin, Oin, and Bifur were given the same. Link was left astonished by this happening, and could barely make out what this strange new force grabbing them was, through the orange flames and heat.
Link turned one last time to be met with an incredible pair of talons reaching out and wrapping around him. Link began to struggle and protest before he soon found himself flung into the air. During his fall another dark shape moved underneath him and caught him. Link landed against the soft surface and recognized the familiar sensation of feathers. Looking off to the side, Link saw incredibly large wings stretching out from the body that had caught him. An enormous, brown bird-head stretched out before him. Link found himself on the back of an enormous eagle...
Link was about to say something, when he looked back toward the cliff and saw another Eagle swoop down toward the rubble. It gently snatched up Thorin, who was unconsciously clinging to Orcrist in his arms as he was picked up. The enormous bird then rose away from the ground and flew away before the cliff crumbled. Azog was left standing on the new edge of the cliff, roaring at the escaping company.
Link was left worried that these creatures had swooped in for an easy meal, when he saw the other members of the company being carried on the backs of the Eagles and seemingly to be quite alright and quite relieved to have gotten away. Link looked off to the side and could see Gandalf riding on the backs of one of the Eagles.
"Giant Eagles?!" he shouted to the wizard.
"They are the greatest birds in all of Middle Earth," Gandalf said with a cheerful laugh. "the Goblins and Wargs of the Misty Mountains fear them above all other creatures. I knew it would be most advantageous to call for their aid."
"It was most fortunate for you to need our help tonight," said the Eagle that Gandalf was riding, turning its head back slightly to look at him. Link wasn't surprised; he'd often encountered talking animals before, he'd almost come to expect that the birds could speak. The one that Gandalf rode was the Lord of the Eagles over the Misty Mountains, and he spoke with a commanding, lordly tone. "We don't like Goblins or Wargs and especially not Orcs. We had been suspecting that the Goblins would be up to mischief in the woods tonight and were planning to ambush them should they start a raid. When you sent the Butterfly for us, we were already preparing to head in this direction."
"Then we are most indebted to you, Sir," Link said as graciously as he could.
"Fret not, little passenger," the Lord of Eagles answered him. "We are merely in the process of repaying our debts. The Wizard here has been a friend to us for some time, and often visited our home in the Great Shelf over the Misty Mountains. He once was able to help tend an arrow wound that I had received. For his services, I repay my debt."
"Which we are most grateful for," Gandalf said.
"Thorin!" they heard Fili call from behind them. They turned back and could see the entire company, two dwarfs to an Eagle, watching the single Eagle that had carried Thorin in his talons. He was still unconscious in the bird's claws.
"Your friend is greatly wounded," the Lord of Eagles spoke again. "The fight has taken its toll on him. We cannot offer you much, outside of a safe place to rest for the remainder of the night."
It wasn't a long flight before the Eagles had carried them to the Great Shelf; the largest of the final cliffs of the Misty Mountains that stretched over the edge of the wilds. The Eagles had made several large nests there. There were no paths up or down to this perch on the side of the mountains, so they would only leave by the Eagle's aid. It certainly made them feel secure as no enemies could get to them here.
The eagle carrying Thorin gently set him down in the center of a large next, on a pile of shed downy feathers. When the other Eagles landed, Link and the others quickly dismounted and rushed toward that particular nest, throwing themselves over the side to join the fallen dwarf.
"Thorin!" Gandalf said kneeling by his side. "Thorin..."
"Is he going to die?" Nori asked.
Link was immediately reaching into his bag, pulling out a bottle of red liquid. Meanwhile, Gandalf had placed his hand over Thorin's forehead and began to quietly chant a spell. When Gandalf removed his hand from his face, Thorin took a deep gasping breath. The sound made the other Dwarfs tear up and give a quiet rejoice.
"He'll be fine," Gandalf said. "But he's still very weak...a night's rest should do him good."
"I'll tend to him," Oin said moving in close. He was after all the group's medic; carrying with him special herbs and tonics to relief pain and wounds. He was attempting to patent his own formula for an antiseptic lotion he'd created to treat cuts and bruises; he called it "Ointment."
Link turned to him and handed him the bottle of red liquid.
"Here," he said. "This is a special potion; it will help heal his wounds. Make sure he gets a drink of it when he wakes up. It'll recover his strength." Oin took it and nodded.
Link turned away from Oin and back to the rest of the company. Gandalf and the others had left the nest and were now moving about on the Great Shelf. The Dwarfs were timidly lining up against the wall of the cliff, while Gandalf conversed with the Great Eagle. They spoke on friendly terms thanks to their history, each exchanging a few chuckles. Gandalf was telling them all about their quest so far.
Link meanwhile smiled at all of the Dwarfs. He could think of nothing but to absentmindedly count each one of them to make sure that they were indeed all still here. Part of him couldn't believe that they had gotten away without losing a single one of their ranks. But that line of thought of course led him back to thinking of Thorin. He quietly gave a silent curse that he didn't act sooner; that he hadn't tried to stop Thorin from engaging Azog, or if he had gone with him to back him up...all to spare Thorin's pride. Link clenched his fist and fought back the tears beginning to form...
Link soon joined the other Dwarfs who were seated just close enough to Gandalf and the Eagle Lord to hear their conversation. Gandalf, much like the Dwarfs were suggesting he do under their breath, had of course proposed the idea that the Eagles carry the company the rest of their journey to the Lonely Mountain. It would save them a great deal of time; which they were rapidly running out of.
"I am sorry, Gandalf," the Lord of Eagles said. "But this we will not do. There are far too many Men and Elfish settlements encamped eastwards of here. I will not risk taking my people anywhere near the towns of men and Elves. They would shoot at us with their great bows of yew, believing that we were after their sheep. At other times, they would be right. No; we are glad to cheat the Orcs out of their sport and glad to repay our thanks to you, but we will not risk ourselves for the Dwarfs, to return them to their homeland. Especially not so to draw the attention of the Dragon..."
Link was impressed that the Eagles knew of Smaug. It must've said something of the Dragon's reputation to have been picked up by them. It was clear that even creatures as large as they feared him, especially to refer to him as the Dragon.
"Very well; we understand," Gandalf said. "And we are very grateful for your rescuing us, and for providing us shelter for the night. If you could in the morning, just take us to the valley at the edge of the mountains and leave us on the steps of the Carrock, we'll be able to manage from there."
"It can be done," the Lord of Eagles said.
"Thank you; we are deeply obliged to you," Gandalf said. "But in the meantime we are famished with hunger."
"Nearly dead of it is more like it," Ori said quietly.
"That can perhaps be mended," the Lord of Eagles said. With that, he cawed to his company of birds and they spread their wings, taking off from the cliff.
It was just one hour later before the Eagles had returned. One bird had brought up dried bits of wood for kindling so that the company could light a fire to warm themselves. As Oin and Gloin had lost their tinder-boxes, it was up to Gandalf to light a fire. The company huddled around the flames to get warm, enjoying the well-earned rest. Gandalf himself looked incredibly weary.
Shortly after, the Lord of Eagles had returned, leading the convoy of great birds in tow, and left the spoils of their hunt for the Company to enjoy; the Eagles had managed to catch several rabbits and hares and even a small sheep. Seeing the freshly killed animals, the Dwarfs immediately fell to their knees in thanks and began to praise the Eagles for their generosity. Link himself had to admit that the Eagle's hospitality was excellent; he mused that the Eagles brought them food and offered them shelter in their own nests, as if he and the Dwarfs were newborn hatchlings.
The Dwarfs made the preparations, skinning and seasoning the meat with what little they had left. Soon they had the bounty roasting over the fire on sticks. The Eagles had brought back enough so that each Dwarf could have his own rabbit or hare, and a side of mutton to go with it. They were so grateful to have food again after so long. It felt like it had been days since they'd last eaten; days since the Goblins had taken them...it almost felt like they'd spent days up in those trees, at the mercy of the Wargs.
The Dwarfs and Gandalf dug into the food once it was prepared. They could not help but feast noisily and greedily; they were famished. Link however was not eating. He merely held his skewered rabbit aloft while he stared over at the nest where Thorin lay, resting. He had hoped that the Dwarf Prince would be alright. And he absentmindedly gave a hope that there would be enough left over for Thorin when next he woke.
It wasn't long before Link soon had company. The Lord of the Eagles had walked over and perched himself beside Link, noticing his absentminded worry for Thorin. Link looked over at him when he noticed the bird had approached him. But the Eagle Lord said nothing, and Link slowly returned his gaze to Thorin.
"We can't thank you enough for saving us," Link said. "He...we all couldn't hold on much longer."
"What exactly are you?" the Lord of Eagles asked. Link slowly turned back to look at him. He was a bit surprised that the Eagles would take interest in knowing that Link was a Hylian. The Lord of Eagles ducked his head under his wing and began to rather nonchalantly clean them with his beak. "We've never encountered anything like you before."
"Well you're not wrong to ask," Link said. "I'm a Stranger in these lands. I've come from a far-off world that is very different and very detached from your own. I know I don't belong here..."
"Would you consider staying here, to tell us all about this land that you come from?" the Lord asked him. Link was taken aback by the offer. He knew that people were curious, but he didn't think the Eagles would want to keep him here to listen to his stories.
"I can't," Link said. "While it is a kind offer; I cannot abandon the company."
"You say you do not belong, and yet you've joined up with this company of Dwarfs," the Lord said. "I cannot imagine you have been among them for very long...And yet you show great loyalty to them, and compassion for them; particularly that one there."
"He's...the leader of this company," Link said. "I've sworn an oath of loyalty to him. He's been through so much, endured great loss and pain, and now he seeks to reclaim what was once taken from him...But more than that...he carries his burdens with him on his shoulders, and never lets anyone forget that he carries them. He holds onto his pride, like it's the last thing he has. And yet, what myself and the others hope he'll one day realize...is that he still has his friends. I want to help him...I want to help him realize that."
The Lord of Eagles quietly looked down at Link and then gave a soft smile – as much as an eagle could smile.
"Thorin Oakenshield is quite fortunate...to have a friend like you," he said. Link smiled back at him. With that, the Eagle slowly turned away and walked off, leaving Link quietly to his vigil.
Eventually Link's worries succumbed to his hunger and he ate. It wasn't long before his belly was full and he felt comfortable enough to sleep contently. Much like Thorin, the Eagles had offered the rest of the company a nest to stay in. They were able to lie comfortably on a bed of shed feathers, that also served to keep them warm, safely surrounded by the interwoven mass of brambles and twigs. Link curled up, with the Dwarfs lying beside him and Gandalf nearby. And after the adventure of running from and fighting Goblins, he was able to sleep more soundly than he'd had in a long time.
The Eagles' loud screeching brought Link out of his sleep. The bright yellow lights of the dawn met his eyes, and it pried him fully out of his slumber. He looked up and saw the Eagles perched above him. Link suspected that now that it was first-light, the Eagles were waking them to prepare to disembark. However, he soon noticed that the other Dwarfs and the Wizard had stirred before him and were all rushing over to the nest where Thorin was.
"Thorin!" some of them called.
Link climbed over the nest and dropped onto the stone ground.
"Your friend is awake," one of the Eagles told him. Hearing that, Link rushed to rejoin the group.
"Bless you, you're awake," he heard one of them say.
He saw Thorin rather weakly stumble out of the nest, and he looked somewhat perturbed. "Where is the Hylian?!" he asked.
"It's alright," Gandalf said quietly not to alarm him. "Link is here; he's safe. We're all safe."
"Take it easy, Thorin," Dwalin said holding him up.
Thorin had just taken a drink from the potion that Link had given to Oin. It seemed that he regained strength enough from it to stand on his own. He shrugged Dwalin off of his arms and stood in the center of the group. He spotted Link. Link was surprised to see bewilderment and even anger in Thorin's eyes.
"You!" he shouted. "What were you doing?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
Link began to grimace. He couldn't believe that Thorin was letting his own bruised ego get in the way of this again. Link had rushed into the fray putting himself in danger to save Thorin's life yet again, and Thorin was yelling at it. But before he could respond, Thorin spoke again, this time taking a step towards him.
"Did I not say that you were reckless?" Thorin asked. "That your lack of focus would be a danger to us all? ...That you were a disgrace to our company?"
Thorin had walked right up to Link, looking up at him from chest level. Link was about to let Thorin have it, when Thorin suddenly threw his arms around Link and hugged him.
"I have never been so wrong in all my life," Thorin said. "You've put yourself in danger, for us. You boast your skills, claiming to have been on many adventures...fought in many battles...earned your scars...And you claim you can kill the dragon... And I was a fool to not have believed you."
The Dwarfs cheered and began patting each other on the back seeing Thorin do this. Thorin himself was smiling as he embraced Link. Link rather cautiously raised his arms and hugged him back, believing that for the first time, he and Thorin could truly call each other friend.
"You have long-since earned your place amongst us," Thorin said. He pulled away and looked up at Link, with a sincere face. "I am sorry I doubted you."
"It's alright, Thorin," Link said. "I know that I'm...unassuming...I don't look it; and I've been doubted in the past...I'm just glad that I had the chance to prove my worth. But even though I am not a Burglar...I am a warrior...And I'm a Hero. And I am in this...until the very end."
The group smiled at Link and gave light chuckles. Thorin reached up and placed a hand on Link's arm, giving him a warm smile.
"And we are glad to have you...until the very end," he said.
After a short breakfast of cold leftover mutton; everyone making sure Thorin had enough to fill himself before any of them, the Company of Thorin packed up what little they had left, and prepared to disembark on the Eagles.
They were flying into the dawning sun, the orange light illuminating so much of the land before them. Link soon saw the cold grays and white of the Misty Mountains give way to smaller mountains covered in green foliage. The Eagles flew them over waterfalls running down to a river below. And then finally in a lush, green valley overlooking the edge of the wild, they were brought to a strange rock-formation, with enormous stalagmites reaching up, to one final incredibly huge rock.
As they circled it, Link could see that the center rock resembled that of a large bear. It looked to be naturally formed instead of being carved into the stone. He was impressed by the size of it. And the Eagles were taking them straight towards it.
"The Carrock," Gandalf said. This was the farthest point that the Eagles had agreed to take them. They perched upon the rock and the Dwarfs gently slid off their backs. Gandalf and Link stood overseeing the Dwarfs get their bearings.
It wasn't long before the Eagles departed, flying off back over the horizon that they came. The company was left in awe, seeing their majestic forms take wing high above them. They waved and cheered to the eagles to see them off.
"Farewell!" the Lord of the Eagles cried. "Wherever you fare, till your eyries receive you at journey's end!"
"May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks," answered Gandalf in reply.
The Dwarfs called back to the Eagles promising to one-day repay them generously for their kind hospitality. He had hoped that the Dwarfs were sincere about that. In a way he feared that he would have to make-sure of it. And before long, the Eagles had vanished over the horizon, shrinking into the distance.
The Dwarfs gave a quiet grumble of frustration at their passing; wishing beyond hope that they could've taken them a little farther of the way. However, their grumbles were all silenced when they looked off the edge of the Carrock – Thorin being the first to spot it.
Link observed a small mountain in the far distance, the solitary peak, reaching up from mostly flat terrain. His eyes lit up when he realized what he was beholding.
"Is that..."
"Erebor," Gandalf said. "The Lonely Mountain; last of the Great Dwarf Kingdoms of Middle Earth."
"Our home," Thorin said proudly, dripping with fond nostalgia.
The group heard a bird chirping overhead and turned to see a single bird flying above them, toward the direction of the mountain.
"A raven!" Oin said excitedly. "As it was foretold; the birds are returning to the mountain!"
Gandalf gave a patient smile.
"That, my dear Oin is a Thrush," Gandalf said. The news wasn't so to correct Oin so much as it was to inspire hope. Thorin remembered what the moon runes said, about the Thrush knocking on the secret-door. It was an even better sign and he gave a hopeful look.
"...We'll take it as a sign," he said before turning to smile at Link. "A good omen."
"Chaps," Link said. "...We're going to make it. Nothing is going to stand in our way now..."
Link took a deep breath as he observed the mountain. Truth be told, he didn't believe that the worst was over just yet. After all, there was still the fact that a fire-breathing Dragon waited for them at their destination...not to mention what else lay waiting in their path on their way there. But regardless, he knew it was important to maintain the Dwarf's sense of hope and optimism; their morale had to hold. He was determined to see them all safely to their home, and take it back.
They were going to make it...
Author's Note: End of Part One; the Stranger...
Additional Note; I am so sorry to inform my loyal readers but apart from Chapter 11, which will come sometime in October, the following chapters of this story will have to be put on hold for now. Recently my laptop that allowed me to do all of my work for this story has suffered a catastrophic failure and for the time being, it seems as if I cannot enter it. I had prepared more chapters for this story on that laptop, and at present I face the reality that I will have to write them all again, losing the magic of their original form. At present, I don't know how I will deal with this situation and simply state that I will be putting this story on hold for the time being. I thank all of you who have read and enjoyed the story up until this part and hope you will continue to read and support my work.