When they were still novice warriors Ferdan had made them run lap after lap in the forest, forced them to run until their lungs burned and they felt as though they might be sick or were sick.

And then they ran another lap.

At the time it seemed like the cruelest thing in the world, and they had been known to fake spontaneous injuries or accidents whenever they learned they were to spend the day running. Now it seemed like one of the best things he had ever done for them.

The Woodland Realms army fully believed in the, 'live to fight another day' motto, and the ability to run away successfully was a big part of that. Eventually, the orcs or spiders would give up. They would tire.

There was a howl from behind them, much closer than Legolas would have liked. The Wargs never gave up, and the elves could not outrun them forever.

But maybe because of Ferdan, they would be able to outrun them just long enough.

Ahead of him one of his warriors stumbled or tripped, crashing into the ground harshly and Legolas desperately zagged left to haul her back to her feet before they lost the last few feet of ground they had.

There was a scream from ahead as a Warg leaped from the underbrush in front of them, another hunting pack that had heard the howls of pursuit come to join the game. With incredible teeth and a drooling maw, it took a firm hold of Tern, who had been leading them through the forest.

His hands already busy dragging the fallen warrior to her feet, Legolas had to trust that another would shoot the beast before it made off with their friend.

Thankfully, his trust was not misplaced and a perfectly aimed arrow struck through the eye, the creature died within moments. Others rushed to pull him from the mouth, two more Wargs falling dead near them in the time it took.

Already the band of elves had changed course, attempting to swerve around the new pack and continue on their way but the others had caught up. Some were forced to forgo their bows and draw knives as they beasts charged and pounced all around them. A few attempted to form a sort of protective shield around Tern and the one who carried him.

Legolas fired two arrows, both of which stopped a deadly attack aimed at his warriors but heard the cry of warning a second too late.

Something slammed into his back and threw him from his feet, landing both paws atop him with a loud 'crack.' A second later the Warg lady dead beside him.

A horrible crashing sound came from yet another direction and they all feared the worst, their situation was already dire and any more enemies would spell their doom. All of theirs

But it was not any Orcs or Wargs or even the Great Spiders. It was something much, much larger than that. The new arrival roared at the group in the clearing, and it echoed for miles around. Quite possibly to the boats of Laketown.

"Go!" Legolas shouted, as the bear charged over him swiping viciously at a Wargs face with his paw, ripping it open in four placed and gouging an eye.

The elves did not need to be told twice, and all at once they ran towards and past the bear as fast as they could, a few of them stopping to help their Prince to his feet.

Two sharing his weight between them while four others rained arrows at their attackers. The bear crushed the skull of another Warg in his mouth who thought itself fast enough to still follow the elves and then threw its body at two more, knocking them from their feet.

Turning back It roared at the elves, bearing its teeth like a dog might and stamping his foot in the dirt. Again, they didn't need to be told twice, and they turned and ran.

Ran for the perfectly huge, and welcoming home that lay nearby.

Legolas met their host outside when he finally returned from the woods, back in the form of a huge man instead of the bear. His back was freshly stitched from the claw wounds he hadn't felt at the time and his ribs were definitely broken. "Thank you, Beorn, and our apologies."

"There is no need for apologies, young prince, my offer of assistance and open welcome should you or your people need it was sincere." He sniffed at the air absently, probably smelling the fresh wounds, "And it did look like you needed assistance."

"Yes, we did." He was not too proud to admit it.

"I have asked a bird to bring word to your father that you are here, and will likely need assistance in returning home safely." He sat down in one of the large outdoor chairs that were perfect for stargazing, "In the meantime, you should eat your fill and get some rest. Nothing will harm you or your people in my home. I will make sure of it."