Emi awoke to something landing on her face. And it was buzzing. Naturally, the hobbit immediately sprung into a sitting position, swatting the large thing off her face. Her eyes blinked in confusion as large bumblebees came through the blurriness of sleep. Was she dreaming?

"I say we should leg it and slip out the back way!" Nori's voice broke into her thoughts. Why was she dreaming about Nori? But no, this was far too real to be a dream.

"I'm not running from anyone, beast or no." Dwalin growled back. Emi stood cautiously and walked over to where the dwarves were huddled, dodging another bee that swooped low over her.

"There is no point in arguing!" Gandalf barked at them. "We will not be able to make it to Mirkwood without his help. Now I will go greet him. Ah, Emi, you as well my dear, come along." The dwarves shot the wizard nervous glances as he put a hand on the hobbit's shoulder and bent lower slightly. In a hushed voice he said, "This will require some delicate handling; we must tread carefully. The last person to have startled him was torn to shreds." Emi's eyes grew wide as she looked at Gandalf, who straightened again. She could not help but notice that she uneasily glanced at the leader of the dwarves for reassurance. He was in conversation with Balin. Emi bit her cheek and turned away quickly. Stupid! He won't be able to help you. Why would you even think that?

"Now, do not come out until I give the signal." Gandalf warned the dwarves. "And only come out in pairs… Bombur, it would probably be best if you came alone since you count as two." Bombur looked up at the wizard before nodding in agreement and continuing to munch on a carrot or something of that sort.

"Right wait for the signal." Bofur nodded. "…What's the signal?" the dwarves all turned to Gandalf, but he and the hobbit had already left and were walking up to Beorn.

The man, Beorn, was a hulking figure that towered even above Gandalf. He chopped firewood with a large axe that was about as big as Emi herself. And though he was a rather imposing figure, Emi felt a sense of hominess from him that put her slightly at ease. Although Gandalf's slight coughing from next to her was not helping her nerves. She glanced up at the wizard. He was muttering to himself. Emi gaped slightly.

"You're nervous." She stated.

"Nervous?" Gandalf replied. "Preposterous." He didn't sound too sure about it though. The wizard and the hobbit came to a stop a good distance from the large man.

"Good morning!" Gandalf hailed cheerily. Emi watched the man swing his axe up. And down. CHUNK. Swinging up again. And down. CHUNK. And up. She glanced again at the wizard. And down. CHUNK. "Good Morning!" Gandalf said again in a slight sing-songy voice. And up… the man froze. Emi's eyes widened and she immediately ducked behind Gandalf. Beorn turned around to Gandalf.

"Who are you?" he asked in a thick accented voice.

"I am Gandalf." The wizard responded. "Gandalf the Grey."

"Never heard of him." Emi couldn't help but smirk from her hiding spot. I bet Gandalf isn't used to THAT.

"I'm a wizard." Gandalf explained politely. "Perhaps you've heard of my colleague, Radagast the Brown. He resides in the southern borders of Mirkwood."

"What do you want?" Beorn asked gruffly.

"Well, simply to thank you for your hospitality." Gandalf smiled. "You may have noticed that we took refuge in your lodgings last night." Emi felt Gandalf move. Her cover was blown. She turned her head to look hesitantly at the great tall man. A pair of large brown eyes found her immediately and the man furrowed his brow.

"Who is this little fellow?" Beorn asked nervously.

"Well, this would be Emilie Brandybuck of the Shire." Gandalf introduced her. Emi stepped cautiously out from behind the wizard and gave a small curtsy, as well as she could anyway, her arm was still very immobile.

"She's not a dwarf is she?" Beorn inquired even more nervously.

"Oh no." Gandalf shook his head. "She's a hobbit. Good family."

"Why are you here?" Beorn asked again, cutting back to the chance. And Gandalf began to explain. Then, for some reason, Dwalin and Balin came out. Emi looked at them in surprise. Then Oin and Gloin. And Fili and Kili. And Dori and Ori. And Bofur and Nori and Bifur and Bombur all at once because they got tired of waiting.

Emi smacked her head.

"Are there any more of you?" Beorn asked angrily, getting more and more unhappy as the number of dwarves increased. And too answer, Thorin stepped out. And Beorn decided not to rip them all to shreds. Emi was very thankful for that. She was even more thankful when they were given breakfast.

The hobbit wasted no time in filling her plate and her mouth. Though she did take a tiny moment to give a piece of roll to the little white mice running around on the table. She did so when Beorn's back was turned. She wasn't sure he would appreciate it.

"So, you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?" the bear man's gruff voice rumbled as he poured a cascade of milk into Fili's mug.

"You know of Azog? How?" Thorin demanded.

"My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved." Emi's eyes glimpsed metal cuffs on the tall man's wrists. "Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

"There are others like you?" Emi spoke up, pausing from her rapid eating.

"Once there were many." Beorn responded.

"And… now?" The hobbit frowned.

"Now there is only one."

"Oh…" the silence hung heavily in the air.

"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?" Beorn asked after a moment.

"Before Durin's day falls, yes." Gandalf replied.

"You are running out of time." Beorn commented.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood."

"A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the orcs of Moria and the necromancer of Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need." Does a quest to kill a sleeping dragon and regain a lost kingdom count as a great need? Emi found herself wondering as she bit into another roll.

"We will take the Elven Road. That path is safe." Gandalf replied to the bear man.

"Safe?" Beorn replied. "The Wood-elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous." Emi swallowed. "But it matters not."

"What do you mean?" Thorin demanded.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." Thorin took a step back in shock.

"Well we must at least try!" Emi heard herself say as she stood up on her chair angrily. All heads turned to her. "We… we've come too far to give up! If there is even a chance… t-then we must take it." the hobbit stammered as no one said anything. At last, she turned to Beorn helplessly. "Is there anything you can do to help us?" The large brown eyes regarded her for a moment.

"I don't like dwarves." The bear man said, gently picking up one of the white mice that Bofur had brushed off of him. "They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." He glanced over at Emi for a moment before turning his gaze back to Thorin. The dwarf lord was gazing back unwaveringly, though he was puffing himself up more than usual to seem not quite so small in comparison. Beorn stared intently at him for a moment before he spoke again. "But I hate orcs more. What do you need?"

Gah! I'm sorry! Almost nothing happened this chapter! I stayed up really late writing it, and I had noooo ideas. Very sorry. Should be more interesting next chapter.

Review if you want to!