Gandalf stands then walks to the door and opens it. There standing outside the door is none other than Thorin Oakenshield himself.
"Gandalf," he says, "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way. Twice. I wouldn't have found it at all, had the mark not been on the door."
Just then Bilbo appears and says, "Mark? I can assure you there is no mark on my door. I painted it a week ago."
Gandalf says to Bilbo, "There is a mark. I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."
"So this is your hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" asks Thorin. "Pardon?" says Bilbo. Then Thorin asks, "Axe or sword. What is your weapon of choice?" "Well, I have some skill in conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant," replies Bilbo.
"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar," says Thorin. All the dwarves laugh including Gandalf. Then Thorin spots me and asks, "Why is there a wolf here?"
He spends a good moment assessing me before shifting his look to the two dwarves that had brought me here.
Kili goes up to him and says, "Fili and I found her along the river. We decided to bring her." Thorin looks to Fili, who gives a nod telling Thorin it's true.
Thorin looks disapprovingly at the two younger dwarves in front of him. "I thought you would've known better than to take in a dangerous beast. What if it's a spy?" he reprimands them.
Gandalf speaks up though. "This is Eruanna. She is my, uh, pet," he says. I stand in front of Thorin and bow as best I can as a wolf, earning a few chuckles and multiple curious looks.
I walked over to Gandalf and sit. He scratches behind my ear while saying, "She would not hurt any of you, especially you Thorin. She may not know the company, yet, but she would die for all of you."
Thorin nods accepting me for the moment and walks to the dining area. He sits down and is given a bowl of soup from Bilbo.
I jump onto Bilbo's sofa to lie down and rest. I hear Thorin and the dwarves talking. I wasn't listening until I heard Bilbo asking about a quest.
"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light," says Gandalf. "Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak," he says.
Bilbo mumbles to himself, "The Lonely Mountain." This catches my attention so I walk to the table, jump up and put my front paws on it. On the table, I see a map of Erebor lying in front of Thorin.
"Aye, Oin has read the portents and they say it is time." says a dwarf with a red beard. Then the dwarf I guess is Oin says, "Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain, as it was foretold. When the birds or yore return to Erebor the reign of the beast will end."
Bilbo was listening from a corner in his house and asks, "What beast?" Then the dwarf with the funky hat says, "Well that would be a reference to Smaug the terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather. His teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, and extremely fond of precious metals."
"Well yes, I know what a dragon is," says Bilbo. The dwarf that sat left of me earlier stands and exclaims, "I'm not afraid, I'm up for it. I'd give him a taste a dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!"
"Good lad Ori!" shouts one of the dwarves. Then the one next to him says for Ori to sit down.
"The task would be difficult with an entire army behind us, but our number is just thirteen and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." says the old dwarf with the white beard. "Who are you calling dim?" shouts a dwarf while Oin asks for him to repeat, his ears not picking up what he had said.
Then Fili stands and speaks boldly, "We may be few in numbers, but we're fighters, all of us, down to the last dwarf!" "And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." Kili exclaims.
Then Gandalf puts in, "Well no, I wouldn't exactly say-" A dwarf cuts him off and asks, "How many then?" "What?" asks Gandalf. "Well, how many dragons have you killed?" asks the same dwarf.
Gandalf starts coughing on his pipe while the dwarves start arguing and shouting how many dragons he has slain. Poor Gandalf. I wonder what the dwarves would do if they found out he hasn't killed any. Probably haven't even really seen one up close and personal, except me of course.
Then Thorin shouts something in dwarfish and they all quiet down and sit. He then starts a speech. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug, has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes are looking to the east, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people lies unprotected. Do we sit back while we let others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor!" He is a true leader. A King.
All the dwarves start cheering loudly until the old one says, "You forget the front gate is sealed. There is no way to enter the mountain." Then Gandalf pulls out a key and says, "That my dear Balin, is not entirely true."
"How came you by this?" Thorin asks. "It was given to me by your father. By Thrain. For safekeeping. It is yours now." answers Gandalf.
He hands the key to Thorin and Fili says, "If there is a key, there must be a door." Gandalf continues while pointing to runes on the map and says, "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."
"There's another way in!" says Kili, hope visible in his eyes. "Well if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map, and I do not have the skill to find it, but there are others in Middle Earth who can," states Gandalf.
"The task I have in mind requires a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage, but if we are careful and clever I believe that it can be done." says Gandalf.
"That's why we need a burglar," says Ori. "And a good one too. An expert, I'd imagine," says Bilbo. Then the red-bearded one asks, "Are you?" "Am I what?" asks Bilbo, not getting at what the dwarves were trying to say.
"He said he was an expert!" cheers Oin, who obviously heard him wrong. "Me? I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life." says Bilbo. "Well, I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He is hardly burglar material," says Balin.
"Aye, the wild is no place for the gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin also agrees. "He's just fine!" says Kili. Then all the dwarves start chattering again.
As the dwarves start getting out of control again, Gandalf stands and goes all scary wizard on them, making the room go dark saying in a commanding tone, "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is. Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they so choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage." He sits down again and continues, " You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself. You must trust me on this."
"Very well. We will do it your way," says Thorin. "Give him the contract," he says, nodding to Balin.
Balin stands and hands Bilbo the contract saying, " It's just the usual summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." Bilbo sighs while he takes a look at the contract.
I hear Thorin say to Gandalf, " I cannot guarantee his safety, nor will I be responsible for his fate." "Understood and agreed," Gandalf replies.
"Incineration?" asks Bilbo. Funky hat dwarf says, "Aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." "You alright?" Balin asks. "Yeah, just feel a bit faint," Bilbo replies.
Then Funky hat dwarf adds, "Think furnace, with wings. Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash." Bilbo can't take it all at once so he stands straight and faints.
"Very helpful, Bofur," says Gandalf. I walk over to Bilbo and nudge his arm. He stirs a little. I grab the collar of his shirt and drag him to a chair. He gets up and sits in the chair, a little disoriented at first.
I go back to the sofa figuring there's not much going on now. A little while later I hear deep, soothing, humming. After a minute or so, Thorin starts to sing.
Far over the Misty Mountains cold.
To dungeons deep and caverns old.
We must away ere break of day.
To find our long forgotten gold.
The pines were roaring on the height.
The winds were moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread.
The trees like torches blazed with light.
The song ends, and the dwarves prepare themselves for the night. I won't forget that song. It was calming and relaxing, but it also had a very sad tone to it. I know what it was referring to.
Before Thorin heads off to bed though, he walks over to Gandalf and asks, " Will the wolf be joining us?" "Yes Thorin, she will. And she will be a great addition to the company. In time you will all come to like her." answers Gandalf.
"How so?" Thorin asks. "Some things have happened in her past that makes her hate for orcs as strong as yours. She can fight for herself, and she'll fight for all of you too." Gandalf says.
"Alright, but if she hurts anybody-" Thorin says. Gandalf cuts him off saying, " She'd never do anything of the like while in her right mind." "How is it that you know this wolf?" Thorin asks. "She will tell you when she is ready. It is not my place to tell."
"How is it possible for a wolf-" Thorin begins, but Gandalf interrupts him saying, "It is time to rest now. Goodnight Thorin."
I jump off the sofa and lie closer to the fire, ready for sleep. I yawn before shutting my eyelids. I replay the song over and over in my head, it lulling me to sleep.