Chapter V: Crashdown

A/N: Now we are into Desolation of Smaug. This will be the first of two chapters at Beorn's. So it will be a little shorter than usual. Thanks go to BlondiezHere for her help with the Sindarin. Enjoy the chapter! SSD.

Bold is elvish and bolded italics is Black Speech.

They were all taking a breather while Bilbo was looking for the orc pack. The Company had been running almost constantly since they had left the Carrock.

Ashara felt like death warmed over. She wasn't using the open eyed sleep, even though she probably could get away with it. However, she wanted to be as aware as possible of her surroundings.

"Hiril nín, you need to rest," Gandalf said as he sat down next to her. Ashara knew what he wanted her to do.

"I need to have my wits about me, Mithrandir. I need to be fully aware," she said as she cracked her neck.

"You have been running yourself ragged since we left the Carrock. You would accomplish very little if you collapse," the wizard replied.

Before the conversation could continue, it was interrupted by Bilbo running to the group panting, "We need to go!"

"How close is the orc pack?" Dwalin asked.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it," the hobbit replied.

"Have the wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin continued his line of questioning.

"Not yet, but they will. We have another problem."

Gandalf stepped away from Ashara then asked, "Did they see you?"

"No that's not it!"

"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material!" Gandalf had a self satisfied grin on his face.

The dwarves began arguing.

Ashara noticed that Bilbo was trying to say something more so she hissed, "Bilbo hasn't finished telling use what we need to know. Shut up!"

"Thank you Ashara. I'm trying to tell you there's something else out there!"

Everyone shut up at that bit of news.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" the wizard asked.

"Yes, but bigger. Much bigger..." the hobbit trailed off.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked Gandalf before suggesting "I say we double back."

"And get run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin argued back.

Gandalf wasn't facing the Company at first when he said, "There is a house. It is not far from here, where we might take refuge."

"Who's house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin asked.

"Neither. He will help us or kill us," Gandalf replied.

That's a cheery thought, Ashara mentally groaned.

"What choice do we have?"

An echoing roar sounded behind them. It was far too close for anyone's liking.

"None," was Ashara's reply as she bolted down the path, with the others following as fast as they could.

Knowing that there was a place they could rest was one thing. Getting to it in one piece was another matter entirely.

Everyone was running at full tilt. Bilbo saw Ashara near the front with Gandalf.

To the astonishment of everyone, Bombur was the one who was passing almost everyone else!

Finally they to the outer wall consisting of trees, to where the house likely was. The beast was chasing them and roaring.

A small bit of humor happened when Bombur just bounced off the shut door.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" Gandalf shouted.

There was some brief scrambling before Thorin darted forward and lifted the latch. Everyone bolted inside and got in by the skin of their teeth.

Several of the dwarves and Ashara were battling to shut the door against the beast.

Ori panted, "What... Is that?"

"That is our host. His name is Beorn, he's a skinchanger. Sometimes he's a huge black bear. Sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However... He is not overly fond of dwarves!" Gandalf explained.

"Valar help us all..." Ashara groaned before she crashed to the floor.

Moving faster than Bilbo thought possible, Thorin caught her before she could hit the ground.

Gandalf strode towards the dwarf king saying, "Give her to me. I told her to use the open eyed sleep!"

The wizard picked her up easily, then laid her down on a soft pile of hay, and proceeded to strip her of all visible weapons.

"What do you mean by open eyed sleep?" Ori asked.

"Elves do not need as much sleep as the other peoples of Middle Earth. They can enter into a trance like state and still do things like walk and ride a horse," Gandalf replied. He was finding daggers hidden everywhere on Ashara's person.

"What does it do for them?" Ori asked as he scrawled in his book.

"The open eyed sleep restores their energy and provides recuperation."

"Are they aware of what is happening around them while in that state," Ori loved learning new things.

"Somewhat yes. But they can't follow conversations. Ashara however, hasn't slept in over a week. She won't be aware of what's going on around her for at least a day, if not longer," the wizard replied again as he removed the last of Ashara's daggers. Fili looked impressed at how many she'd managed to hide.

"And don't even think about waking her up. Ashara can be most... Unpleasant when she wakes up before she is ready." Gandalf seemed to be looking directly at Thorin whilst saying that.

With little else left to do but wait for Beorn to change back to his human form, the dwarves began to bed down for the night.

Ashara slowly came back to her senses, even though she could tell that she wasn't completely restored. She had a very bad feeling that Gandalf would be chastising her at the first opportunity.

"She-elf, wake up!" A voice called out as someone shook her shoulder.

Without even thinking, Ashara shot her hand hard in the direction of the voice, hoping to break their nose. Her fist hit air.

"What in Mahal's name did you do THAT for?!"

Of COURSE it was Thorin! Ashara thought with a smirk as she dusted the hay off of her as she ambled into what was likely the dining room.

Gandalf was puffing on his pipe as Thorin entered the room behind her. He said to the dwarf king, "I did warn you about waking her up before she was ready."

Some of the dwarves snickered at the wizard's comment. Ashara tore into the food that she suspected Gandalf had set aside for her.

"I say we should beat it. Slip out the back way," Nori suggested. Thorin noticed that Bilbo was finally awake.

"I'm not running from anyone. Beast or no!" Dwalin snarled back.

Several of his kinsmen began to argue before Gandalf cut in saying, "There is no point in arguing. We cannot pass through the Wilderland without Beorn's help! We would be hunted down, before we could get to the forest."

Upon noticing the hobbit, the wizard said, "Bilbo, there you are. Now this will require some delicate handling. We must tread very carefully. The last person who startled him was torn to shreds!"

"I will go first, and Bilbo, you come with me."

"Is-Is this a good idea?" the hobbit stammered.

"Yes. Now the rest of you, you just wait here and don't come out until I give the signal," Gandalf instructed.

"Right. Wait for the signal," anxiety was clear in Bofur's voice.

"No sudden movements or loud noises. And don't overcrowd him. Only come out in pairs." Gandalf started to go outside before turning back and saying, "Oh, actually Bombur you count as two, so come out alone."

Just when Thorin thought the wizard was done, he suggested, "Ashara, Thorin. You two come outside last."

All the she-elf did was roll her eyes. She looked too tired to argue.

Bilbo was still shaking his head in disbelief at Gandalf's suggestion in regards to Thorin and Ashara.

"Why did you do that to them? You're asking for trouble!" Bilbo hissed, not wanting to startle the skinchanger.

"I've seen such behavior like that from many people for many years. And it usually ended in one way," was the wizard's reply.

"In brutally murdering each other?" Bilbo was confused.

"Something rather less bloody and far more... Productive."

"Like what?" Bilbo frowned.

The only reply from the wizard was a smirk before he greeted the skinchanger.

Thankfully there had been no bloodshed after Beorn welcomed the Company into his home. Ashara was having trouble stifling her yawns. She had never been so tired in her life, so she wasn't paying much attention to the conversation going on.

"I don't like dwarves. They're greedy, and blind. Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own," Beorn growled.

Ashara felt the tension rise in the room, and she slowly mover her hand towards Lightbringer.

The tension went away when the skinchanger said, "But orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

"A way to get to the forest. But a safe place to rest and regain our strength would suffice first," Gandalf replied.

Ashara walked back to the pile of hay she'd slept on earlier and fell asleep before she hit the hay.

Meanwhile at Dol Guldur...

Today was not Azog's day. It hadn't been a good week either. Thorin Oakenshield and his Company had been in his grasp to destroy as he wished. Then those damned eagles came to the rescue, whisking them away.

He'd come close yet again, but a skinchanger had been watching and he'd been summoned back here by his Master, who unknown to many was Sauron.

"U vas byl korol-karik v chelyusti vashego volka. Chto pomeshalo vam ubit' yego?" Sauron hissed.

Azog snarled, "Zhenskiy elf i khobbitov meshali mne. U neye bylo dva svetyashchikhsya mecha. Odin svetyashchiysya belyy, drugoy siniy."

"Oni vyglyadeli odinakovo?" His master asked before saying, "Nevazhno. YA sam posmotryu v svoi mysli!"

"Vpechatlyayet. Naiboleye vpechatlyayushchim. Lyubovniki v rukakh el'fa i karlika." His master sounded amused and still did when he said, "Iz togo, chto ya nablyudal, vy luchshe vsego ubivayete Okenshil'da, prezhde chem el'fiy sdelayet eto za vas!"

A/N 2: The Russian is from Google translate. Elvish is courtesy of Parf Edhellen. I don't speak the Russian language, no matter how much I would love to. Looking forward to hearing what you all think! This chapter is a birthday present for my dad. He's the one who got me into Tolkien in the first place!

Here are the translations:

Sindarin:

Hiril nín- My lady.

Black Speech:

"U vas byl korol-karik v chelyusti vashego volka. Chto pomeshalo vam ubit' yego?"- "You had the dwarf king in the jaws of your wolf. What stopped you from killing him?"

"Zhenskiy elf i khobbitov meshali mne. U neye bylo dva svetyashchikhsya mecha. Odin svetyashchiysya belyy, drugoy siniy."- A female elf and hobbit got in my way. She had two glowing swords. One glowed white, the other blue."

"Oni vyglyadeli odinakovo?"- "Did they look alike?"

"Nevazhno. YA sam posmotryu v svoi mysli!"- "Nevermind. I will look into your mind myself!"

"Vpechatlyayet. Naiboleye vpechatlyayushchim. Lyubovniki v rukakh el'fa i karlika."- Impressive. Most impressive. The rest of the statement from Sauron will go untranslated, since it gives away the name of the matched set of Orcrist and Lightbringer, which is a major plot point.

"Iz togo, chto ya nablyudal, vy luchshe vsego ubivayete Okenshil'da, prezhde chem el'fiy sdelayet eto za vas!"- From what I have observed, you best kill her before she kills Oakenshield for you!"