I'm back! Merry Christmas everyone! Starting the 25th I will be away on a snowboarding trip for three days but when I return I shall post a new chapter...maybe ;) I know, the anticipation sucks. Anyway, thank you to all the kind reviews! I have received some very inspirational ones that are keeping me driven. Thank you so much and now, your chapter.

Chapter 14

It had been a day in a half and still Radagast had not returned to his home.

During that time the dwarves were going stir crazy, except for Bifur, who seemed to bond very well with the hedgehog and was intrigued by the entirety of the mad wizard's home.

Nori sat against a tree trunk, twiddling one of his knives as Bofur stood by the window, watching the woods for any sign of Radagast. They were losing precious time for the longer they spent there the further away Fíli, Kíli and Bilbo got.

He just hoped that nothing bad befell them.

"Any sign of him?" Nori asked.

Bofur shook his head.

"We're wasting our time here. We should be out there," Nori continued, standing up from the tree trunk.

"Radagast told us to wait, so we wait."

"And you're going to listen to him? Don't tell me you really think waiting here is a good idea."

"Of course not…"

"Then we should get going." Nori was walking towards the door and before he could pry it open, it was pushed hard, hitting Nori and sending him to the ground.

"Ah, so sorry," Radagast said as he entered his home, "I didn't see you there. I've got some good news for you!"

"You've gotten yourself a spell to improve your eyesight?" Nori asked, rubbing his shoulder where the door had hit him.

"I've found Beorn and it seems he knows where the princes and the Hobbit are."

As he said this, the giant Beorn crawled through the door. Bofur was actually surprised the tall man could even fit in the small house. When Beorn's eyes landed on them, he asked the wizard "Is this it then?"

Before Radagast could get a word in, Beorn found himself bombarded with questions.

"Have you seen the lads?"

"How were they?"

"When did you see them?"

"Are they alright?"

"They haven't landed themselves in any trouble yet, have they?"

"Where were they headed?"

"Has Kíli knocked any sense into Fíli?"

"Has Bilbo killed them yet?"

"Enough!" Beorn bellowed, cutting off Nori before he could add a question. Bofur and Nori quickly shut their mouths as Bifur continued to cuddle with the tiny hedgehog.

After taking a deep breath, Beorn said, "I will answer your questions, but only one at a time, if you please."

"Have you seen the lads?" Bofur asked, much slower.

"Aye, indeed I have," Beorn replied, walking over to an empty chair at the table that seemed far too small for him, "Not five days past. And before you ask, Star-Dwarf, they were fine, as was the Hobbit that traveled with them."

Bofur and Nori breathed a sigh of relief. "Well that's good, right?" Bofur asked.

Beorn growled under his breath, making the smiles drop from their faces.

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Nori whispered to Bifur.

"They may have been fine when I last saw them, but I can't tell you for sure the state they are in now. There's an Orc pack on their tail, led by Bolg."

"Who's that?" Bofur asked.

Beorn looked at him in complete dismay. "Who is... who is?! By the heavens, are your heads as hard as the stones you mine?"

Bofur and Nori shrugged.

"Bolg is the son of Azog and he is currently after the dwarf who killed his father."

Realization hit the two dwarves as they turned to one another. "Fíli," they said in unison.

Beorn pointed at them to show that they were correct as he continued. "They were chased out of the woods towards the Misty Mountains. Before they fled, I heard them talking about Dimrill Dale."

"Dimrill Dale? The boys would never try to go through there... would they?" Bofur asked, turning towards Nori.

"Don't look at me! How should I know?"

"Either way, the Mountains are crawling with Goblins."

You don't say, Nori thought to himself as Beorn continued on. "More and more Goblin patrols have been spotted in and around the Mountains. If I didn't know any better, I would think they are looking for something...or someone."

"You think they're helping Bolg?"

Beorn shrugged as he leant back in his chair, the wood creaking beneath his weight. Bofur turned to Nori and said, "We should leave. If we're lucky we might catch them in the mountain pass."

"And how do you suggest we do that? We left our ponies behind when we were running from the shadow thingy!"

"Are you telling me those three ponies I found in the woods belong to you?" Beorn questioned.

The dwarves looked at him quizzically. "You found the ponies?"

"Well, I didn't find them. A few of my friends in the woods did and brought them to my home. When Radagast here came and told me I needed to come with him to speak to a few dwarves he found wandering through the forest, I figured I'd bring them along since the last time dwarves came through these parts they were in need of some. They're just outside."

Nori peered out the window and, sure enough, tethered to a tree limb were their three ponies. "Durin's beard…" he muttered under his breath.

Bofur rushed to Beorn and took his hand, shaking it as hard as he could. "Thank you again, Beorn."

Beorn just grumbled as Bofur turned to Bifur. "Come, Bifur, we have some princes and a burglar to catch!"

Just as they were about to walk out the door, Radagast spoke up, "Wait just one moment!"

The three dwarves stopped and spun around, Bofur and Nori wearing confused glances and Bifur's as unreadable as ever. Once they were facing Radagast, he approached Nori and held out his hand. "I'll be having it back now."

Bofur turned to Nori and watched in horror as Nori removed a blue crystal from his jacket and placed it in Radagast's hand. When he tried to turn and leave, Radagast cleared his throat and said, "All of it."

With a sigh, Nori turned back around and pulled a candleholder, a small wooden bowl and a jar with green liquid from his jacket, handing it back to the wizard. Once Radagast was content with what Nori had given him, Nori turned and met the unamused glare of Bofur.

"What? It's just a few souvenirs."

TBC…

Oh Nori. I love these three characters but currently they are making the chapter I am currently working on very difficult. Anyway, Merry Christmas or enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate. And, of course, your teaser:

"Are you alright?" Fíli asked.

Before Bilbo could respond there was the echo of a malicious growl that resonated beneath them. Both Fíli and Bilbo looked down, trying to see what made that noise but could not see anything in the darkness.

"We should probably move," Fíli suggested.

Bilbo nodded furiously as they stepped quicker and quicker.

Please leave a review!