Disclaimer: J.R.R. Tolkien still owns the Hobbit, and I make no claim upon its amazingness.
Chapter 10
Sophie P.O.V
I buried my head in Caroline's neck and tightened my grip around her vowing not to let go until I had hugged out my fear. Caroline returned the hug but not nearly as tight as I was holding her but fro her it was as good as it was going to get. Suddenly I remembered her fall, it hadn't been far maybe six or seven feet max so she was most likely bruised along the right side of her body. Quickly I jerked away and released my hold on her she winced at the sudden movement and grabbed for her hip.
"Sorry, I just remembered your fall." I chuckled weakly and started to twist a strand of hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail.
"Its ok." Caroline muttered, "I just need to walk it off is all."
I smiled and stood up, holding my hand out in front of me to offer the blonde some assistance. She took in a deep breath and took my hands. Leaning back so I could get better leverage I helped pulled her up as she carefully stood up. Caroline winced and bit her bottom lip, then grabbed for her shoulder.
She started to move the bruised shoulder around in circles and gritted her teeth. I watched and listened for any sign that something was broken or severely hurt. Slowly her movements became smoother and her clenched jaw started to relax.
"See totally fine," She said stretching her arm and holding it in that position by locking her other arm around her elbow, "In a few more minutes the pain will have completely disappeared."
I nodded in agreement and placed my hands on my hips then turned to look at Gandalf who was talking to Thorin. All around us the dwarves were scurrying about gathering weapons and putting on the garments the trolls had stripped them of. It made me giggle to see such burly guys shoving their legs through pant holes and grumbling about the 'indecency' of the situation. Fili and Kili were both bright red as Gloin cut them from their bags and they kept glancing over to Caroline and me. Only then did it dawn on me that the trolls hadn't just taken their weapons, they'd stripe the dwarves down to their underwear.
However, Caroline was too busy rubbing her hip to notice and I was just too amused to care. Suddenly Caroline began walking toward the wizard and Thorin, I jogged the first few steps to catch up to her and walk beside her.
She stopped a few feet shy of the two and folded her arms across her chest, "So, just out of curiosity." She began, "What exactly were those things and where did they come from?"
Gandalf and Thorin both looked at her as if they were surprised at her question.
Thorin eyed Gandalf as if he wanted to know the answer to Caroline's surprisingly good question as well.
The wizard shifted his staff from one hand to the other and hummed in thought, "They must have come down from the Ettenmores." He answered as if he questioned the answer himself.
"Since when to mountain trolls venture this far south?" Thorin followed up.
"Oh, not for an age." Gandalf answered quickly, "Not since a darker power ruled these lands." He said gravely.
Hadn't he said something about the 'darker powers' on out way through the Shire to pick up the dwarves? He had named a few places but they were all so foreign and strange that I couldn't remember them.
"And what was up with them turning to stone and nearly crushing me when the sunlight hit them?" Caroline asked.
Gandalf stroked his beard in thought, "Trolls turn to stone in the light of the day just as you sleep at night. It is simply the way of things."
Caroline raised an eyebrow and cocked her non-injured side of her hip, clearly skeptical of Gandalf's answer.
"Which means they could not have walked in day light." Gandalf said to himself.
Suddenly Thorin looked from us to the wizard with a spark in his eye as if he had just solved some great puzzle, "Which means there must be a cave nearby."
Gandalf nodded in agreement and grinned, "Then perhaps we should search for it."
It didn't take long to find the cave, the smell practically lead us to it and Caroline almost threw up upon smelling the stench again. The cave was hidden fairly well quite a ways up the backside of a hill and behind some trees that looked like they had seen better days. Thorin sent some of the dwarves back to the old farmhouse to pack up the camp and told them to meet back at the mouth of the cave.
"Are you going to be alright?" I asked Caroline as we entered the cave.
She had turned a ghostly pale green and her hand covered her mouth and nose, "I hope so." She grumbled.
"Oh, what is that stench!" Nori shouted as he entered the cave.
"You mean you couldn't smell it before?" Caroline called back at the smallest dwarf. He shrugged and shook his head.
"It's a troll horde." Gandalf said bluntly, "Be careful what you touch."
As we walked further into the cave some of the dwarves started to cough and covered their noses from the pungent troll stench. I saw Caroline smirk from under her hand and shook my head.
We walked further into the horde and as I walked little jingling sounds came from my feet. I crouched down and brushed away some of the rotting leaves to reveal that most of the floor was covered in gold and silver coins hidden under a thin layer of dirt and leaves.
"Seems a shame just to leave it lyin' around. Anyone could take it." I heard Bofur say. I turned to see him inspecting some of the gold coins in his hand
"Agreed." Gloin said, "Nori, get a shovel."
I giggled a bit and turned to leave them to do whatever they were going to do. As I did so I saw Caroline looking at herself in the reflection of a silver platter. She was moving the platter around to get a better look of herself. It then donned on me I hadn't looked at myself in the mirror for days. The potential for blemishes and dirt on my face suddenly brought blood to my cheeks.
"I look awful." Caroline commented as she continued to look at herself, "Really Sophie you should have told me."
I shrugged, "You look fine to me."
I began walking forward to Caroline again when the dimming light from the outside reflected off the silver platter and shined against something towards the back of the cave. Grabbing Caroline around her arm I drug her to where the shimmer had come from. She protested slightly then dropped the platter onto the ground, causing a loud clanking sound to fill the cave.
I continued to pull her along until I was standing at the far end of the cave next to a wall directly beneath where the light had come from. Pointing up to where the mysterious shimmer had come from I turned to Caroline, "There's something up there."
"So?" She droned.
"Give me a boost?" I asked clasping both hands together and bring them up to my face in a begging motion.
Caroline rubbed her shoulder and seemed to think about it before sighing and shoving the sleeves of her hooding down to cover her palms and lacing her fingers together to form a sort of step for me to put my foot in.
"Just make sure there's not something gross on your foot please." She asked.
I nodded and wiped the bottom of my boot on the side of the wall then put my hands on her shoulders for balance making sure not to apply too much pressure on her sore one. Taking a breath I placed my right food into her hands, she then boosted me up and propped herself against the cave wall. Caroline had provided me with at least an extra three or four feet and I was now level with a hole that looked like it had been punched into the wall
The light from outside barely reached inside the hole and it was hard to make out what was all in the hole. I reached my arm into the pit and squealed when my hand was met with a large mass of spider webs. Below me Caroline grunted with all the sudden movements I was making. Instantly I stopped and took a few breaths before reaching back into the hole.
"Hurry up Soph, I know you're not heavy but you're not exactly light either." Caroline grumbled.
"I'll just take that as a compliment." I retorted as my hand wrapped around something near the back of the hole. I pulled my arm out of the hole and saw what I had pulled out was a long and slightly curved case. The case was covered in a thick layer of dirt and grime but there was still a bit of shine towards one end. Gasping I wrapped my fingers around the one side and gripped the longer side in my other hand. Pulling hard on the smaller end the whole thing came apart to reveal that the case was the sheath of a curved sword. It reminded me of a katana but it was curved a bit more drastically and didn't have a cross guard. Instead the sword was one complete curve with the exception of a sharp thorn-looking bit pointing down on the blade side. Probably to catch any other sword that might slide that low and stop it from cutting the fingers of its wielder.
I closed the sword back into its scabbard and reached again into the hole to see what else could be in there. My hand went to where I had found the first sword and as I patted around on the cold rock my fingers brushed another item that felt similar to the sword I had just pulled out. Bringing my hand out of the hole once more I discovered I had found another sword. This one was longer, less curved, and had a cross guard of two claw looking metal pieces that swirled down to form the handle of the sword. The twisting continued all the way down the handle to the base of the sword where two sharp metal spiked jutted out from beneath the leather grips.
"You're never going to believe what I found up here Care!" I grinned down to her and held the tow swords up so she could see.
She glanced up and gave me a skeptical look, "Congratulations you've found a pair of dusty sticks."
I rolled my eyes, "Just put me down and you'll see." I heard the blonde sigh and unclasped her hands around my foot to let me drop back down to the floor of the cave.
"See?" I smiled then held out the longer of the two swords out to her. She scrunched her brow and halfheartedly took the sword from my hand. Carefully she looked the sword over and wiped her fingers through the thick layer of dust. It came off in her fingers and revealed the sheath to be a deep burgundy color with what looked like little engraved golden swirls. The blonde flashed me a doubtful look and I gestured to the hilt. In one smooth slow motion she drew the sword from its sheath. The sword was a bit straighter than the one I had chosen and had a single edge until about two thirds down the metal, then the flat end on the top tapered into a second edge to meet the other one in a sharp lethal point.
I had to put a hand over my mouth to stop from laughing hysterically with glee. Even if we were going back home soon we'd have some amazing souvenirs to take back with us. I grinned wildly and held up my own sword.
"Aren't they awesome?" I asked.
"They are kind of beautiful, in their own way." Caroline commented, still examining the blade.
"These swords were not made by any troll." Thorin noted.
Caroline and I both turned to see he too was holding a sword and was handing a larger completely straight one to Gandalf, who took it without hesitation.
"Nor were they made by any smith among men." Gandalf muttered then unsheathed his new sword a few inches; "They were forged in Gondolin, by the High Elves in the First Age." He elaborated.
Caroline looked back down to her slightly curved sword and carefully ran a finger across its still shining metal. She pulled back quickly and stuck her finger in her mouth then pulled it away to look at it, "And still sharp." She remarked.
Thorin had a less enthusiastic feel about his new sword and began to put it back in the barrel he had pulled it from which held a number of other items.
"You could not wish for a finer blade." Gandalf blurted quickly, stopping Thorin from putting the sword back.
The dwarf glared up at the wizard and without taking his eyes off him swiftly unsheathed the whole blade. Thorin looked over the shining metal and then shoved the blade back in its scabbard. He then looked back to us and the swords we were holding in our hands. Caroline sheathed hers as well and held it down to her side. Thorin glanced back down to the barrel and looked curiously at something within its depths. Warily he reached into the barrel for a dusty looking stick jutting out near the back o the barrel. He tugged on the stick and it came out with little resistance.
Beside me I felt Caroline tense up as the stick came into view and was most certainly not any old stick. In Thorin's hand was a large recurve bow; even through the layer of dust you could tell the elegant looking weapon would shine a stark white if it were to be cleaned. He looked it up and down angling the weapon to look at every inch of it, and then held it out to us. Well, to Caroline. She seemed shocked at first that he was even being the slightest bit kind to her, but seeing as she had just risked her life against trolls to save the dwarves it made sense for him to want to repay her. Which I guess meant giving her a weapon.
After a few seconds of shock Caroline stepped forward and took the bow from Thorin's hands, setting her sword against the barrel so she could inspect the bow herself. She ran her hand up and down its graceful strong curves and then gripped it with her left hand and placed three fingers on the string of the bow. With determination in her face she drew the string back with only slight difficulty and a small wince, then gently brought the string back to its resting place.
"If you are as good with a bow, as you said your friend was with horses I have no doubt you will be able to use this to at least some degree of skill." He said.
"Thanks." Caroline replied quietly still gazing at the bow. I didn't blame her the thing was beautiful. It had vines of roses and thorns creeping up the arms that slowly transitioned to feathers leading to the tips of the bow where sturdy looking metal caps were fastened. The string looked completely new not a single speck of dust on it and it seemed to reflect any light that happened to bounce onto it. Besides the dust the thing looked completely new from what I could see.
Thorin nodded lowly, "And know that when you carry those weapons you must be prepared to use them. There are dangers in the wild that will not hesitate to kill you, so you must kill them first. They are tools-"
"Not toys." Caroline said cutting Thorin off and lowering the bow as she finished off the line she always said to the campers who tried archery .
Thorin narrow his eyes lightly at her, "So treat them with respect, even if they are elvish made." He paused and tilted his head down for a moment before glancing back up to look at Caroline, "A bow is useless without any arrows, I suggest you arm yourself if you are to carry that weapon." He said nodding to a corner of the cave where large chests of broken and fresh arrows alike were piled. Thorin then cleared his throat as if he didn't know what else to do then quickly turned to walk out of the smelly cave.
Caroline grinned like a mad woman and twisted around to take another look around the cave, "Come on Soph lets get some arrows."
Caroline P.O.V
It didn't take long to tear through the large chest spilling over with arrows both broken and new. I dug through them carefully making sure not to cut myself on any of the sharp tips and risk getting some Middle Earth troll disease. Most of the arrows were still in good shape so it didn't take long to create a pile of arrows I felt were a good match for the bow and me.
"Hey!" Sophie called, "I found a quiver! And it not too gross either, its actually kind of cool."
"Bring it here." I answered. She brought over an average sized dark brown leather quiver. It looked like at one point it had had some kind of design burned into the leather but all that was left now were a few black lines running horizontal around the length of the quiver. The leather straps that would hold it to my back were in excellent shape as well and looked like it wouldn't be too awkward on my back.
Sliding the decent arrows I had found into the quiver I found it more or less full, a few more could squeeze in but that would make drawing them out harder. Swinging the quiver of arrows around my head it landed softly on my back and I went to work strapping it on. The structure of the straps was much simpler than any saddle could ever hope to be. Its main strap went over my right shoulder and in-between my chest like a sash then met the bottom of the quiver at the small of my back. Another smaller belt started from the middle of the quiver and buckled around the right side of my stomach to meet the bigger strip for security.
I now had thirty-two lethal arrows strapped across my back, and a shiny new sword at my hip courtesy of Sophie. She had decided to clean up the swords as I rummaged through the horde looking for arrows. The sword now shone and showed no sign of ever being in a nasty place like this. My bow was also dust free and stark white due to Sophie's superior cleaning skills.
Standing up I swatted the dirt from my pants and shook the ends of my cloak to get rid of the filth I knew had gotten on it. I then dusted my hands together and smiled, I now had something that knew I could do and be good at. Sophie too was happier, even if the stuff we now had smelled a bit of troll.
"Come on let's get out of this stink hole." I suggested as I walked past her and started for the mouth of the cave. Sophie nodded and fell in beside me to walk through he cave. As we got closer to the opening I noticed several of the dwarves shoveling dirt over something and Dwalin standing there looking annoyed. When we passed he glared down at the dwarves on the ground as if to say 'come on guys the girls are done and you're still playing in the dirt'.
Gloin seemed to sense Dwain's glare and looked up to see the bouncer dwarf, Sophie, and I all looking down at them.
"We're making a long term deposit." He chuckled, and then went back to shoveling dirt into the hole.
I rolled my eyes and started for the entrance again. As I trudged up the slight incline of the cave I saw Gandalf poking at something on the ground with the end of his staff.
"Wacha' got there Gandalf?" I asked striding up to stand beside him.
The old man glanced over and me then flipped the sleeve of his robes up and bent over to pick something up from off the ground. It was a large dagger, much cleaner than any of the swords we'd found so far and every swirling design on the sheath was pristine and intact.
"A dagger?" Sophie said coming up behind me.
Gandalf looked at us and his eyes glanced down at he swords now belted to our hips and the silver bow in my hands. The old man smiled and brought the dagger up to get a better look at it himself, "There is only one person left in this company who is still without a weapon." He said.
Sophie hummed in understanding, "It is the perfect size for Bilbo" she said.
"Ooh." I mused in understanding, the dagger might be a dagger for a human or an elf, but to a hobbit it was the perfect size for a sword.
Gandalf swished his grey robes around his shoulder and gestured for us to follow, we started after him without a second's thought. The fresh air hit me like a welcoming brick; it was so clean and pure with no trace of troll as we walked further from the entrance. Gandalf made a B-line for where Bilbo is sitting, with us hot at his heels, for an old guy Gandalf sure wasn't lacking in the energy department.
"Bilbo?" He called, getting the hobbits attention.
"Hmmm?" the hobbit replied.
Gandalf held out the 'sword' to Bilbo, practically forcing the hobbit to take the sharp object.
"Here this is about your size." Gandalf muttered, taking a step back to see how the dagger sized up now being held by the hobbit.
Poor Bilbo stared at the sword in confusion then held it out in front of him, trying to give it back to Gandalf. He frantically shook his head, "I can't take this."
Gandalf let out a wheezed sigh and rubbed his temples, "The blade is of elvish make which means is will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby." He explained, giving Bilbo a very good reason to keep his new sword.
"Does that mean our swords will glow as well?" Sophie asked excitedly.
The wizard sent her a perplexed look, "Oh heavens no, how ridiculous would it look swinging a full sized sword around in battle as it glowed a fierce blue? Your enemies would be immediately drawn to you. No the elves were wiser than that."
Bilbo had a puzzled look on his face like he was trying to decide if Gandalf offended him or if he was ok potentially being targeted by orcs or goblins. He quickly snapped out of it and shook his head again.
"I have never used a sword in my life." He countered.
"Well neither have Sophie or I." I shot in.
Gandalf looked between the three of us and lowered his voice, "And I hope none of you ever have to." He whispered as he finally settled on Bilbo, "But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."
Bilbo seemed to really take Gandalf's words to heart and slowly but surely drew the sword from its sheath. Gandalf smiled at his victory over the hobbit and placed both of his hands on his staff. They didn't seem to have the same effect on Sophie or me.
"But Gandalf, were going home we wont need to take any lives." Sophie reminded.
He paused at hearing what Sophie had to say and looked troubled.
"Ya Gandalf." I stressed, "This is just souvenir stuff, things to remember this place by. We're not going to have to actually use it."
Gandalf pursed his lips and looked between Sophie and I. He opened and closed his mouth several times before wheezing out a sigh.
"Something's coming!" Thorin shouted from the other side of the rocky path leading out to the forest. Gandalf seemed to visibly relax as he turned tail on us and quickly made his way over the path to see what was coming.
"Gandalf-" Bilbo called out.
"Stay together!" Gandalf shouted over him, "Hurry now. Arm yourselves."
"But Gandalf!" I shouted after him, but he only waved his staff around presumably at me and continued towards the dwarves.
I rolled my eyes and drew an arrow from my quiver, loosely nocking it into place between the string so it rested against the white material of my bow. Looking back to Sophie she shrugged and placed a hand on the handle of her curved sword. Wasting no more time I bolted after Gandalf and the dwarves who had run deeper into the forest while still having the advantage of staying on the rocks for height.
"Thieves! Fire! Murders!" A raspy voice shouted from somewhere in the forest.
Hoping to get a better look I jumped higher onto one of the taller rocks and skid to a stop at the edge. Looking down I saw a sled being pulled by, giant rabbits? I blinked a couple of times trying to see if it was really or just some hallucination I was having due to being exposed to the troll stink for too long. But no matter how much I blinked the sled of rabbits was still there, and so was a rather stout man covered head to toe in all kinds of things you'd see in the forest. He even had this white sticky looking stuff running down the side of his face, and from the look of it I don't think I want to find out what it was.
"Radagast!" Gandalf called as he lowered his staff and drawn sword, "Radagast, The Brown. Ah. What on earth are you doing here?" The wizard questioned as he sheathed his sword and stared walking towards the other man.
"Wasn't 'Radagast' the name of the fifth wizard Gandalf told us about the other day?" Sophie whispered in my ear.
I jumped back a bit, startle by her sudden ability to sneak around. I smacked her lightly across her arm and glared at her, "Don't do that!" I scolded, " And yes Radagast and Saruman were the two names he could remember." I confirmed as I began to climb back down the rock I had so easily jumped onto just seconds ago, Sophie hopping down right beside me.
We mush have missed a big portion of the two wizards conversation, because as we were rounding the last rock to he clearing they were all gathered in I saw Gandalf pull a long and leggy bug from Radagast's mouth. For the second time that day I almost hurled. Sophie slapped a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes tight.
"What just happened." I asked to the company, most of which were just as disgusted by the sudden appetence of the bug.
"He, the uh, other one." Bofur started, "Just pulled, it, out of there." He said making a pulling motion with his hands then shivered the ends of his silly hat shaking up and down.
Gandalf and Radagast shot us a frown and muttered something between them. They then started to walk away and stopped a good twenty feet from the company. Probably to talk about more wizard stuff involving more bugs.
I cringed again and swallowed dryly then feelt a hand on my shoulder. I turn to see Sophie giving me a sympathetic look then a smile I return he smile and give her a thumbs us.
"Well don't you two just look ready to head off into battle!" Kili barked over to us, his hands cupped over his mouth to make sure we heard him.
"Right they do brother." Fili said in agreement beside him as he strode over to us Kili not far behind.
I held the bow in one hand and placed a finger over my nocked arrow to prevent it from falling out, and placed my other hand on my hip. Beside me Sophie folded both her arms and gave the two an unamused look.
The brothers laughed in unison as they stopped in front of us, Kili leaning against a boulder to my left and Fili just standing in front of Sophie. Kili continued to chuckle until Fili shot him a glare and the younger brother flashed him a smile before settling on a cocky grin.
"So," Fili said to Sophie, "These new weapons of yours, do you, well do you know how to use them?" he asked folding his arms.
Sophie's face morphed from a smile into a blank stare at the dwarf's question. I leaned into her and bumped my shoulder with hers. She slowly tilted her head to look at me like a deer in the headlights, and blinked as if she wasn't quite registering my presence. Fili was left standing there looking between us as I tried to get Sophie to come to.
"Sophie," I called, snapping my fingers a couple of times around her ear.
"What?" She asked dazed, then seemed to snap out of her mind, and turned back to Fili who had been patiently waiting for her answer, "Sorry, and no I actually don't," she admitted as she grasped the hilt of the sleek sword, "I just thought it looked cool, but, no, I don't know the first thing about swordsmanship."
Fili grinned confidently and unfolded his arms to place both hands on the tops of his duel swords that hung on either side of his hips, "Well those are just fancy elvish swords, nothing like real dwarfish steel. But if you'd like I could, perhaps show you how to do a few things. You know to make you feel," He cleared his throat, "safer."
Sophie's cheeks flushed bright red and her smile practically reached from ear to ear, "You know I really wouldn't mind knowing how to use this thing." She managed to sputter out.
Fili grinned and turned to hold his arm out waiting for Sophie to start walking. She toned her smiled down a bit and nodded then gave me a wink and walked towards a more open area. Fili grinned to Kili then started off after my brunette friend.
I shook my head at the two, "Poor guy doesn't know what he's in for." I said to Kili as I returned the arrow I had in my hands to my quiver.
He laughed, "I believe I could say the same for Miss Sophie."
The two walked further down the rocky area where the ground was flatter and clearer of rocks and trees. Fili drew one of his swords and Sophie followed his action by drawing hers as well. They started to wave their swords in though out movements that could easily be transitioned into faster and more complex movements.
"So I see you weren't joking about putting an arrow through my eye back at Bag End." I heard Kili say.
I turned my head to him and ran my fingertips over the carved rose vines that ran along the silvery bow's surface, "Oh ya, sorry about that." I smiled, "But, no I wasn't, I've been shooting since I was eight. My dad taught me and my two brothers to shoot properly before he left," I paused, "But I'm the only one who still does it."
"Oh? Why's that?" Kili asked.
"Because it reminds my brothers of him, but I still do it so I can become better than he ever was." I said defensively, my grip around the bow tightening so the skin around my knuckles was almost as white as my bow.
Kili looked down at the ground with a somber look in his eyes as he shuffled his large armor clad feet around, "My fathers dead as well," He muttered, "During the Battle of Moria Balin was telling us about last night. Fili and my father was there but he was one of those that perished." He said.
My mouth hung open. It had never even crossed my mind that they might have lost someone during that battle. I'd just assumed. I felt my shoulders drop and I placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry."
He nodded towards me, "And you? How did your father pass?"
My jaw tightened and I took my hand off his shoulder, "He didn't die, he just left." I snapped.
Kili flinched then shook his head in confusion, "I don't understand, why would a man leave his wife and children?" He asked, still shaking his head.
"Because he was a coward who didn't want to deal with things when life got tough. So he ran away." I growled.
I felt a hand on my arm and nearly shook if off before realizing I was Kili trying to comport me.
"Then he was indeed a coward, no dwarf would ever leave his family when they need him most. It would be disgraceful upon his family and he would be shunned." He said firmly, "A dwarf would cherish and love his family forever and keep them safe from anything." He grinned up at me and quickly flashed his eyes over to where Fili was still showing Sophie how to use her sword.
I smirked at him and looked over to the two and raised an eyebrow at Kili, "Are you implying something Kili?" I ask.
He returned my smirk and folded his arms, then puckered out his bottom lip, "No," he shook his head slowly then turned to look at me, "But you can take it however you will."
Kili held my gaze for another moment before breaking out into hysterical laughter. I started to laugh as well and gave him a playful shove. He continued to laughed and returned my shove.
Suddenly a loud howl pierced through our laughter making us stop instantly. Everybody around us stopped as well not daring to move after hearing the howl that sounded dangerously close.
"What was that?" I head Sophie say.
"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked, "Are there- are there wolves out there? He stuttered.
"Wolves?" Bofur answered, "No that was not a wolf."
To my left I heard a low growl and turned just in time to see a massive brown 'not wolf' appear from a crag above the company. Its yellow teeth were bared and even from here I could see the drool dripping from its oversized mouth. The enormous beast growled louder then crouched down preparing to jump.
"Above you!" I screamed to the company as I pointed in the direction of the animal.
They all looked up just as the beast landed right in the middle of the company, its jaw snapping and claws extended ready to shred anything it came in contact with. Prepared from my warning Thorin quickly unsheathed the curved sword from the troll hoard and in one swing of his arm collided the sharp steel with the neck of the 'not wolf'. The beast dropped instantly just as I heard Sophie's screams from the other side of the gorge. Another creature identical to the one Thorin had just killed was bounding down the slop towards us. I saw an arrow whizz through the air and hit the creature square in the chest. The beast stumbled and fell over its self to land in front of Dwalin who was waiting with an extremely heavy looking axe. He brought the ax down on top of the beast's head and instantly it stopped moving, not even giving a dying twitch.
"Come on!" Kili barked, grabbing my wrist to tug me closer to the group.
"Warg-Scouts!" Thorin shouted as he removed his sword from the body of the 'warg', "Which means an orc pack is not far behind."
"Orc pack." Bilbo questioned, giving Thorin a look that described how I felt about this 'orc pack'.
From behind us Gandalf and Radagast joined the group both looking nervous and upset. Gandalf strode right up to Thorin staff in hand, "Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" He interrogated.
"No one." Thorin answered quickly.
"Who did you tell?" Gandalf asked again this time raising his voice.
"No one. I swear!" Thorin roared in reply, "What in Durin's name is going on here?"
Gandalf shuffled around and placed a hand on his hip, "You are being hunted."
My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped, "Hunted? What exactly do you mean by being hunted." I asked taking a step forward.
Thorin and Gandalf looked at each other then at Sophie and I. The rest of the company exchanged similar looks as well.
"Precisely as it sounds." Thorin answered lowly.
My breath hitched in my throat and from her I could see Sophie shaking. I blinked rapidly trying to clear my head. We were literally being hunted just like the animals my brothers and I shot for sport. Only this wasn't some hobby for amusement or a show of skills, this was real life that might just end with mine becoming a whole lot shorter. I forced myself to take a deep breath.
"We have to get out of here." Dwalin said.
Yes we had ponies and horses we could get away. I sighed, thank goodness for that white devil horse.
"We can't!" A voice shouted from above us, "We have no ponies or horses; they bolted!"
My hope of getting away on Amitiel was instantly crushed. So much for that devil horse, and just after I'd decided on a name for her too. I felt my muscles tense up and my hands form fists as I tried to stay as visibly calm as I possibly could.
"I'll draw them off." A raspy voice volunteered. I twitched my head to see it was Radagast who had offered to be a distraction to the orc pack. He looked quite happy about it too, for whatever reason.
Gandalf turned to him as well with an doubtful look on his face, "These are Gundabad Wargs; they will out run you." He said, making a point.
Radagast just smiled at him and game a small smirk before gesturing back to his bunny sled, "These are Rhosgobel Rabbits." He grinned. "I'd like to see them try."
The look on Gandalf face after hearing that suddenly turned from one of doubt, to surprise. The wizard grinned and looked back to us. A pit formed in my stomach as I had the sneaking suspicion that Gandalf was about to suggest something, stupid.
Well well whale what do we have here?! Oh wait its an update! So they finally have some sweet weapons to defend themselves with, whether they will be able to use them when the time comes is a different matter entirely. But I hope you all liked this chapter both the good and the bad! But for the sake of the world leave out the ugly. Ok that was a bad joke… Anyway, well, farewell good people!