Hey to everyone following this story. I'm so sorry it taken forever to post this chapter. A lot has gone on and I know a lot of people don't care for the situation. So in short I'm getting back into the story. I hope you all enjoy and love to hear from you all.
Chapter 16: Hard Day of Work
Gandalf, Bilbo, and the Dwarves looked the home at gigantic house hold items. Bilbo held a hedge hog chest piece the size of his hand. The sound of doors opening turned his attention to where the long horn cows were kept. As if the home was part barn the doors opened leading out to a field, Nova in latched the stables releasing the beast. "Why are you doing that?"
"They need their morning meal as much as you do." She answered looking back to him. She nodded her head to join. The hobbit went along side seeing the field filled with cows, sheep, chickens, horses, and a chubby pig. "Feeding the cows fresh grass help the milk come out sweet. Time to get to work."
"Oh then I shall be out of your way." He said ready to walk off till she grabbed his shirt slightly pulling. He looked up at her with a confused look.
"Where are you going, you are to help. All of you are to help us." She said grabbing the attention of all the dwarves. "Now that we have more hands the work will get done faster."
"We aren't here to be farm hands." Dwalin said crossing his arm.
"He right, we needed shelter was all." Thorin said sitting on a chair giving a stern look.
Luna look over at Nova as she put her boots on. "If your going to be staying here then you have to work." Nova said grabbing a bucket.
"We need all the help we can get." Luna said joining her sister. "It would be digging up potatoes, picking fruit, and collecting honey. An we will have extra so you could take what you'll need." She reasoned with the dwarves.
Thorin looked at Dwalin an nodded. "Very well, everyone outside." He order jumping off the chair heading for the door. The others looked at one another then made their way out. Bilbo followed behind them, and Gandalf gave a slight chuckle seeing how they regretted running into the house now.
"Very well done you two. Dwarves are stubborn and you both handle the situation. I'm quiet impressed." Gandalf said.
"Do any know how to tend a farm?" Nova asked Gandalf.
"I don't believe they do." He chuckled answering her. Nova sigh rubbing her forehead, as Luna chuckled with Gandalf. "Oh come now, you girls at one time didn't know either." He said raising a brow.
"How are we doing with your chores?" Beorn asked walking out of the house seeing a huge mess. The three little girls each doing a different task."Luna your suppose to get the milk into the buckets." He said going over as she milked, bending down she sprayed milk in his face. He coughed and wiped his face clean.
"It hard papa the utters down go down." She said holding it. He fixed her hand and how she held it, pulling down it went into the bucket. "It worked thank you papa." She smiled.
Beorn left her to see on Nova. Getting to the garden it was full of holes and veggies thrown all over. "Nova I told you to dig up the potatoes."
"I did papa look." She said holding a basket of them, in the process she dug up carrots and cabbage too. Beorn sighed and cleaned the dirt off Nova cheek. "Did I do a good job?"
"Yes, now separate then all into separate baskets. Carrots in one cabbage in another." He said rubbing her head. He went to see how Crescent handled herding the sheep. "Oh please I ask who ever up there she did well." He prayed up to the sky. Turning the corner he saw her latching the gate shut, he smiled not seeing anything wrong. "You seem to have done well."
"Yes sir, I chased them into the pen like you said." She answered her tail wagging and cute ears twitched a top her head. "I also chased the horses too, but they loved running so much they kept going down to the forest edge." She laughed pointing to horses running away. "Can I go chase the cows now?" She asked. Beorn sighed and ran to catch the horses.
"Uncle we know nothing of this." Fili said.
"I know but follow instruction. We need to stay in their favors, we will need the food." He told everyone. The girls made their way out and gathered the dwarves around. "What will you have us do?" Thorin asked.
"The field will need plowing for planting the new trees." Nova said
"I, Dwalin, Gloin, Fili, and Kili will tend to that." Thorin said.
"Garden we need to be picked. The crop is ready." Luna said.
"Don't you worry about it lassie. I, Oin, and Dori will get that done." Balin said.
"I will milk the cows." She said looking over to the beehives. "We will need honey and apples collected and picked."
"Bofur, Bifur, Bombur, Nori, Ori, and Bilbo" Thorin said finishing up on giving out the chores.
"Perfect, come ill show you where the honey and apples are." She said leading the group over. "Now you just have to take the cones out scrape the wax off like this, then pore the honey into these jars." She said showing them.
"Easy enough." He said taking the large scrapper.
"As for the apples, it a bit hard. You will have to climb up to pick them." She said pointing to the top. "We leave this to Crescent, but she rounding the sheep." She said.
"Oh please this is nothing, I've broken into building windows higher." Nori said."Then ill let you all too it." She said walking to go feed the rabbits and chickens. "An thank you." The dwarves all got to the chores some having it easier then others. Dwalin strapped the rope to the plow around his waist, he began to pull as Gloin an Thorin pushed one wheel and Fili an Kili pushed the other. Dori and Blin pulled carrots and potatos out of the ground having Oin separate them into piles.
"Alright lads lets get to it. Now how you climbing up there?" He asked looking at Nori.
Nori went to the tree and tried getting a grip but couldn't. "Huh hard to hold on. Guess will have to do the old dwarf ladder trick." He said.
"Good idea." Bofur said patting his shoulder.
"Dwarf ladder?" Bilbo asked looking at Ori and Bombur.
"Don't worry you'll be at the top." Bofur said pulling Bombur to stand by the tree trunk. "Alrighty Bifur your up next." He had his cousin climb onto Bombur shoulders. After him Bofur climbed next onto Bifur then gestured to Nori to go up next.
"This doesn't seem so safe." Bilbo said as he saw Ori climbing up next. Over by the sheep pen Crescent locked the gate, she heard the hobbit an walked over climbing on a rock watching them.
"It perfectly safe." Bofur said as Ori stepped on his head to get up. "Alright your turn Bilbo." Bilbo looked around then went over, he began to climb up stepping on shoulders and heads. "Alright now when you get up there start pulling off the apples and tossing them to the ground." He said as Bilbo stepped on his head push the hat over his eyes. Bilbo got onto Ori shoulders and the ladder began to slowly sway. Bilbo tried reaching but it was out of reach.
"Ori push Bilbo toward the apples." Nori said holding his brothers ankles. Ori did as told pushing him up more still a bit short.
"Bifur push up a bit." Bofur said down then felt everyone sway to the left. "Okay now...go slow...Bifur easy go slow...go slow!" He said as they quickly lifted higher. Bilbo stumbled a little and looked down, he felt sick seeing how high he was. He gripped onto Ori head.
"Ow, don't pull." Ori said as Bilbo held his hair.
Crescent laughed slapping the rock she was watching from,"You six look ridiculous." Bilbo began to pull the apples off the tree, the fell to the ground bouncing around. Bombur stomach began to growl and he reached for a plump apple. The ladder began moving a lot, Bofur held tight to Nori as Bifur tried to get his balance back. "Some trouble?" Crescent asked biting into a apple that rolled over.
"No, everything okay." Bofur assured as the tried straightening back out, he looked down seeing Bombur walking away gathering. "Bombur wait wait!" He said but to late the ladder of dwarves collapsed into a pile. "Well that worked well, so we got a full basket." He said getting up putting the apples in. seeing they barley filled half of one.
"Got a bit to go dwarf." She said tossing the core into the woods and jumping off the rock. She went over hitting and shaking at the three making more fall. "There pick them and fill them." She went to Bombur snatching the apple from his hand and getting in his face. "No eating them." she said crushing the apple in her hand. He nodded an dumped the rest into the baskets. Beorn went over to Thorin an his men, he moved aside large rocks blocking the plow.
"I commend you and your family for how you take care of this home." He said.
"Thank you, we work hard as we can." Beorn said tossing the seeds along the lines. Beorn heard laughing and saw Luna feeding the rabbits with Bilbo and Ori. As they all worked, orcs sent a pack of wargs to attack the sheep and drive out the dwarves. Dwalin took a drink of water from the bucket and saw the pack run from the forest. "Wargs!" Beorn quickly ran seeing them coming fast, "In the house quick!" Everyone ran quickly to get inside, the wargs leapt into the sheep pen beginning to kill them. Crescent ran and jumped in grabbing the Warg by it tail yanking it away. Luna ran with Ori and Bilbo as another Warg chased them, It was tackled by Beorn so they could get into the home. Nova and Luna watched as Crescent and their father fought the wargs away. Beorn ran over checking on Crescent. "Are you okay?"
"They came for the dwarves. They have to leave." She said holding her arm that was scratched.
"No it to dangerous!" Luna ran out. "Papa they cant go out there."
"Luna they aren't pets you need to protect! They are leaving!" She yelled.
"No! You don't have the last word Papa does!" She yelled back.
"Enough, They will stay the night. Mid day tomorrow they must go." He said walking to the house.
"Yes papa." She nodded then looked to Crescent who was glaring at her. "Crescent please they need our help. This is going to help us all."
Crescent slowly turned into a half wolf form. "You put these thoughts in his head. Making him trust these trespassers. Two face RAT!" She lunged attacking Luna, they rolled on the ground. Crescent bit Luna shoulder making her scream drawing blood. Beorn ran over trying to pull her off, grabbing Crescent hair she quickly turned and tackled him down. She bit his fore arm breaking the skin, she jumped off her mouth dripping with blood. Beorn growled and grabbed rope, he loped and tied it around her neck then quickly tied it to a strong tree. She jumped like a wild dog trying to break out of it.
"If I must treat you like a animal be so." He said leaving her. He picked Luna up bringing her into the house. "I need you doctor to look her over." He asked of Thorin.
"Oin get to it." Thorin said as the older dwarf went over. The others watched as he sewed up her shoulder, some looked as Crescent tugged at the rope. Hours passed and Luna walked around showing the dwarves where they could sleep. Bilbo felt guilty that the other sister was chain outside on a cold night. He grabbed one of the torn blankets from crescent bed and dragged it outside. He looked to see she had gone into full wolf form her yellow eye staring at him.
"Evening. I see it beginning to get chilly. I brought you this blanket." He said showing her. She growled at him, He went slowly closer. "I know you don't care for us being here, I just wanted...well...im trying to say-" He was saying till she ran at him. He quickly dropped the blankets and ran for the home, looking back as she was gaged by the rope. Beorn looked out the window and rubbed his bandaged arm.
"She is getting much worse." He said as Gandalf joining him.
"We will leave urgent. We don't wish to cause anymore trouble." He assured.
"Luna is right about it being dangerous." Beorn said while Gandalf raised his brow. "You will need help getting to the mountain, and help from ones who know these lands." He said looking at Nova, Luna, and Crescent.