Alyssae had almost no energy after her long captivity. She hadn't eaten anything since her escape and she knew she couldn't run for a long time. But she didn't have a choice. Ending up as a warg meal would be a dismal answer to her freedom.
When Alyssae urged herself to more speed, she noticed the distance between her and the hobbit became larger, while the dwarves run even faster. She was surprised their short legs could jumper such a distance in only a few minutes.
Yet after a few steps her muscles started to burn and a queasy feeling crept above alongside her oesophagus, so she became afraid to vomit. Because the wizard was around Bilbo, she hoped he would help the poor hobbit. He was after all a wizard.
The barking and grunting of the wargs merged with the war cries in a language Alyssae did not understand, which worsened her nausea. They were not goblins. They were orcs.
This knowledge urged her to run faster, so she caught up with the dwarves.
'We are trapped!' Kili suddenly screamed before he came to halt before an abyss.
With a pounding heart Alyssae turned around and saw the first wolf like monsters appear between the trees.
Alyssae tried to control her breathing, but the fear came over her like she was wrapped by thick spider thread.
'Elf!' One of the low dwarf voices sounded.
She glanced over her shoulder, but they were all disappeared, as if they had vanished.
'Climb in the tree.'
Suddenly she noticed a dwarf with a braided beard, who had hidden himself between the branches. She lifted herself up on a branch and climbed higher skillfully. She startled when she ended up next to another dwarf – the one she wanted to avoid.
Thorin stared at her with a ferocious look in his eyes, as if she had invited the orcs to come here.
She looked away and climbed higher, so she could escape from his burning eyes.
With both arms she clamped on a thick branch, from which she had a good view on the terrain. White flashes fled around, coming from the wizard.
Once in a while she saw a little creature running from tree to tree, but he didn't seem to get in. Almost a minute she kept looking, until the wargs came closer without Bilbo getting into a tree. Mithrandir did everything he could to keep their enemies away, but the rest of them did nothing except watching.
Alyssae glided down. She landed light-footedly on her feet. Her well developed hearing didn't function the way it should since it was floated by the raw voices of the orcs and the barking of their animals.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, as if she could lose her conscious any moment. Mouse-still she stood under the tree, while she tried to orientate. The smell of orcs reached her nose. They were everywhere.
Alyssae was defenseless. She didn't have weapons. Nothing.
'Give me your dagger!' she screamed at Thorin. She assumed that he, as a leader, would have more weapons than just his sword.
Thorin didn't answer and Alyssae's eyes glanced around, to different wargs which came closer. Their jaws widened and snarling they bared their razor sharp teeth.
Alyssae cursed in a manner which was not appropriate to elves. 'If you don't -'
Her treat silenced when a dull rumble sounded. Thorin stood next to her, with an angry face. He gave her his dagger, which had the extensions of a potato knife.
'What the hell are you doing down here, elf?'
'Bilbo,' she mumbled while she grasped the little handle. She had no idea where Bilbo was; she only saw the beaks of the wargs, foamed with rage.
She resisted the temptation to get back into the tree. She couldn't let the hobbit down, even though he was not her responsibility.
'This doesn't work,' Alyssae realized when one of the wolves jumped to them. With a brave strike Thorin separated its head from its body.
Alyssae pushed him to the tree, while a new warg appeared. 'Get up!' she screamed. 'I have a better idea!'
Thorin glanced shortly at her, but lifted himself on one of the branches. Beneath him the jaws of one of these monsters snapped.
She climbed back as well. She glanced into Thorin's turbulent eyes, which looked at her in expectation.
'I'll go alone.'
She looked at the little knife.
The lines about his mouth became grim again, but there was no time for discussion. Dwarves were no elves.
She looked for a suited branch and balanced over the tiny twigs to the next tree, in order to escape from the view of the wargs.
The adrenaline which flew through her veins gave her a supernatural speed. She reached the tree under which Bilbo was standing, his sword pointed forwards like a spit.
'Come here!' she yelled while folding her legs around the branch to help him. Heavily breathing and bathing in sweat he finally got op into the tree.
Alyssae sighed in relief, although the situation was not improved. They did sit into a tree, but they couldn't stay here forever…
All of a sudden a harsh voice echoed through the woods, which made her ears tremble. A giant pale orc screamed invoking words and it soon became clear Thorin was his aim.
Alyssae sighed in disbelief. His pride was bigger than his intellect and he jumped out of the tree to confront the orc.