A/N - I do not own The Hobbit or any of its characters.

Hidden Beneath

Chapter 8

The Wargs began to move toward Bilbo, his fear was climbing, but he would not abandon Thorin. He waited for them to charge him, knowing they would probably destroy him in seconds, as they eyed him over.

But suddenly, the Wargs before him went wide eyed and faltered. Some even began backing away.

Bilbo began to straighten, noticing that the Wargs and Orcs were actually looking past him, a look of apprehension on their faces. It was then that he noticed hot air was blowing onto the back of his neck. Although surrounded by flames from their pinecone attacks earlier, he was not near any flames so should not have felt such heat anywhere near his body.

He slowly turned around, finding an extremely large, black and white wolf stood over Thorin's body, it's teeth bared and breathing heavily.

"Oh my..."

It growled low, ignoring him and glaring at the Wargs before it, before lifting its head and howling loudly. The sound sent chills up Bilbo's spine. He turned to see a couple of the Wargs turn and took off back toward the mountain. The wolf greatly outsized even them.

Azog's eyes were wide, but he soon glared at the wolf. 'Kill them all!"

The Wargs that remained charged, but the wolf jumped in front of Bilbo, swiping a huge paw across and knocking several Wargs away. Another managed to jump from a nearby boulder and try to bite it upon it's neck, but there was a shout as Fili, Kili and Dwalin appeared. Kili fired arrows at the Warg trying to latch onto the Great Wolf's neck, while Dwalin and Fili attacked the Wargs that tried to get closer to Thorin.

In the confusion, Bilbo rushed forward and slashed his sword wildly, managing to wound a Warg. It was in vain though, as Azog stepped toward him, hitting him and sending him flying. He found himself surrounded by Wargs, as were Kili, Fili and Dwalin, while the Great Wolf still fought off Wargs that were trying to bring it down.

Bilbo struggled to make sense of the scene around him, Azog moved towards him, an ugly sneer across his face as he looked down at the struggling hobbit. He went to grab the Halfling, but faltered when he heard an almighty screech. Bilbo slowly looked to the sound as several eagles joined the fray. Some grabbed Wargs and orcs, tossing them over the cliff's edge, while others knock down trees which crushed Wargs they fell on top of.

The Great Wolf quickly ran through the flames, straight for Azog and his White Warg, grabbing the Warg in its jaw and throwing it, causing Azog to fall to the ground. It guarded Thorin's body until an eagle swooped down to pick it up, attacking any Warg that came near him. Bilbo sat up watching as Thorin's oaken shield slipped from his arm as the eagle carried him away. Another eagle swooped down, flying by Azog and causing him to leap back, heading straight for Bilbo.

Bilbo was alarmed as it snatched him up from the ground, before flinging him through the air causing him to scream as he flew, heading for the ground only to land on the back of another eagle. He turned to see more eagles grabbing dwarves from the trees, another caught Gandalf as he leapt from the tree. He watched as the Great Wolf howled after them, before it leapt from the cliff and into the forest below while the flames engulfed the cliff top.

oOOo

Kili and Fili looked to Thorin who was clutched in the talons of one of the eagles. "Thorin!" Kili saw no sign of life from his uncle, which worried him greatly. He had taken a massive beating and had it not been for Bilbo and the Great Wolf that had come to their aid, he may have been killed right then and there.

The eagles approached a massive rock formation shaped like a bear, the eagle carrying Thorin gently placed him and his sword on the flat ground at the base of the rock formation, while the other eagles deposited their charges all around him.

"Thorin! Thorin!" Gandalf shouted as he slid off his eagle and hurried towards Thorin's still body. Thorin did not respond as Kili hurried to see his uncle. Gandalf placed his hand on Thorin's face and whispered a spell. To Kili's surprise and joy, Thorin's eyes fluttered open slowly and he gasped for air. He dropped to his uncle's side.

He spoke weakly. "The Halfling?"

"It's alright," Gandalf answered with relief evident in his voice. "Bilbo is here. He's quite safe."

Dwalin and Kili helped Thorin to his feet, however once he was up, he shrugged them off and moved to Bilbo. "You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"

Kili felt like he should intervene, for Bilbo had more than proved his worth against the Warg Scouts. He was about to say something as his uncle advanced until he was face to face with Bilbo, who looked worried and frightened of the company's leader.

"I've never been so wrong in my life!" He grabbed Bilbo and embraced him warmly. Everyone cheered loudly and slapped each other on the back in congratulations, the relief on surviving such a situation evident on everyone's faces. Thorin looked into Bilbo's face ruefully. "I am sorry I ever doubted you."

"No," Bilbo replied. "I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar." Everyone laughed at that, clapping Bilbo on the back or shoulder.

Thorin looked beyond Bilbo and stared for a moment, before walking past him. They followed his gaze, Kili's eyes widened. He had seen enough pictures to know what he was before him.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo breathed in wonder. In the distance, on the horizon they could see the outline of a single, solitary mountain.

"Erebor – The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth," Gandalf answered, leaning on his staff as he looked to the mountain.

"Our home," Thorin added, proudly.

A bird called before flying by, towards the mountain.

"A raven!" Oin exclaimed happily. "The birds are returning to the mountain." More birds sang their tune.

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush," Gandalf corrected.

"But we'll take it as a sign – a good omen," Thorin added.

"You're right," Bilbo said with a happy sigh. "I do believe the worst is behind us."

"Let us continue!" Thorin said, beginning to move.

Kili smiled as he looked from the mountain to his brother, then a thought occurred to him and he searched around him.

"What is it?" Fili asked, noticing his brother's panicked state.

"Where is Valisilwen? I have not seen her since we left her outside the Goblin's cave!" he exclaimed. He looked to Gandalf. "Did the eagles not grab her too?"

Gandalf frowned, but had no answer for him. Kili's heart sank.

"Gandalf? That Great Wolf, where did it come from?" Bilbo asked thoughtfully. Kili furrowed his eyebrows, indeed that Great Wolf, had saved all their lives by delaying their demise so the eagles could save them. "Was it a friend of the eagles?"

"Indeed, a friend of anyone who requires help," Gandalf replied. "We should not linger any longer. The Wargs could still follow our trail."

Kili looked sadly back the way they had come, a dark tinge brought down over their relief as they wondered what had happened to their companion.

oOOo

Kili sat crouched beneath the bushes by a large rock formation. His brother and the other dwarves around him, along with Gandalf, waited impatiently for Bilbo's spy report.

His mind often wandered back to the Lady Ranger, whom they had lost somewhere back in the forests around the Misty Mountain. He felt an instant sting of regret.

Bilbo appeared above them, climbing down from the top of the rocks carefully.

"How close is the pack?" Dwalin asked.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that's not the worst of it."

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?"

"Not yet, but they will; we have another problem," Bilbo said.

"Did they see you? They saw you!" Gandalf groaned.

Bilbo shook his head fiercely. "No, that's not it."

Gandalf smiled and turned to the dwarves. "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material." The dwarves chuckled loudly, nodding to each other in agreement with Gandalf.

Kili and Fili nodded excitedly, Bilbo was turning out to be most useful, they would be at The Lonely Mountain in no time. "Will you listen- Will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there," Bilbo hissed in exasperation.

The dwarves froze and looked at each other with concern.

Gandalf looked over at Bilbo for a moment. "What form did it take? Like a bear?"

"Ye-" Bilbo paused and looked curiously at Gandalf, as did Kili. It sounded suspiciously like he knew what it was. "Y-yes. But bigger, much bigger."

Gandalf walked a few steps away, deep in thought.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked incredulously. When Gandalf didn't answer Bofur looked to the other dwarves. "I say we double back."

"And be run down by a pack of orcs," Thorin objected immediately. The dwarves looked downcast.

"There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge." Gandalf motioned in the direction they were travelling.

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin demanded.

"Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us." The dwarves looked dismayed.

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked quietly. There was a roar that split the night behind them. It was the bear.

"None," Gandalf replied as he began moving off. Kili looked to his brother. What on earth had they gotten themselves into now.

oOOo

The company ran across the plains and across streams. "Come on!" shouted Gandalf. As the company ran through a forest, Azog and his Orcs raced through the forest too. Azog urged his party on. Both groups stopped suddenly when an ear-splitting roar sounded nearby. "This way, quickly!"

Most of them panicked and ran, but Bombur looked on in shock. "Bombur, come on!"

As they ran from the forest, they spotted a house surrounded by a hedge in the middle of the plains. "To the house! Run!" They sprinted to the house across the plain, surprisingly outrun by Bombur, the fattest dwarf. They hurried through the gate. "Come on, get inside!" Bombur ran to the front door and threw himself against it, but fell flat on his back when the door didn't budge.

The rest of the dwarves caught up and began throwing themselves against the door desperately. Gandalf looked back as the massive bear broke out from the edge of the forest and began running toward them. "Open the door!"

"Quickly!" Thorin added, pushing his way to the front. He began trying to open the exterior bolt, as the bear gained ground.

He was shoved to one side. "Move," came Valisilwen's voice as she easily shifted the bolt, opening the doors. The entire company ran inside the house before they tried to slam the door shut, but the bear had already managed to get his head inside. The bear roared and tried to push the door open, but the dwarves yelled and strained to close it.

Gandalf looked to Valisilwen, she was panting and had open wounds on her neck and arms, when he caught her eye, he gave her a meaningful look.

She flared her nostrils, but looked around at the company, no one was paying attention to her.

Bilbo pulled his sword out, pointing it unsteadily at the bear.

"Come on, lads!" Dwalin shouted. Before they could put in one more effort to shut the door, there was a spine tingling howl behind them. They froze and turned around slowly.

There stood the Great Wolf, it looked at the dwarves at the door, while the Great Bear no longer strained against them. The Wolf walked to the door and stopped before it, looking down at the dwarves who quickly ran away, pulling out their axes and swords.

All except Kili. He looked up at the wolf, bow in his hand with an arrow knocked but with a confused look on his face.

"Kili!" Fili exclaimed, moving to try and help his brother, but Dwalin held him back, everyone held their breath while the bear pushed itself through the door slowly, staring at the wolf as it looked down at Kili.

Kili looked into the Great Wolf's eyes. "Valisilwen?"

oOOo

She couldn't help but smile, but now was not the time for being impressed by the brave little dwarf. She moved towards the Great Bear slowly, it had stopped trying to force its way inside the house and instead stared at Valisilwen.

'Greetings, shape-changer,' she said, projecting her thought to the Great Bear.

'You-you are the same?' it responded.

'Indeed I am. My name is Valisilwen.'

'Valisilwen? The Moon Goddess? Princess of the Moon pack?' she saw the Bear's eyes go wide. 'Rumour has it that pack was completely wiped out.'

'Not all rumours stand to truth. You neglected to give me your name.'

'Beorn, my lady.' The Bear bowed down, his nose touching the ground. Valisilwen heard gasps and murmurs from the dwarves. 'At your service.'

'Perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere.'

oOOo

Kili woke up the next morning, rubbing his eyes. He had not slept well, his mind kept replaying the moment he had looked into the depth of the Great Wolf's dual coloured eyes and realised it was Valisilwen. Fili nudged him, nodding to the table where some of the other dwarves were setting the table. A large man stood, he had to be taller than Valisilwen even.

Kili looked and saw Valisilwen was seated to one side of the table. Her wounds from the night before were already starting to heal, but she herself did not seem pleased about something.

Fili nudged Kili again, snapping him from his own thoughts, motioning that they should help the others.

Gandalf and the dwarves sat around the table with Valisilwen. Beorn poured milk from a pitcher into Fili's cup and looked at Thorin.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know Azog? How?" Thorin asked in surprise.

Beorn looked to Valisilwen, which Kili found interesting as she looked away quickly, her face becoming darker yet. Beorn looked back to Thorin. "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." Kili tried to look at Valisilwen subtly, but she kept her face turned away. Kili looked back at Beorn, noticing the remnants of a shackle on his wrist. "Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse...him."

"So, Valisilwen...?" Bilbo began, looking to the Lady Ranger. Kili held his breath.

"Her story is not mine to tell, but once there were many." The dwarves began to murmur and look at each other, before looking to Valisilwen. She sighed before looking at Gandalf, who looked sympathetic, patting her on the shoulder.

"How many are left?" Bilbo asked, looking at Valisilwen as well.

"There were once many tribes, but now...it seems only two shape-changers exist," Beorn answered sadly. The company looked at them in silence. Kili wanted to console the Lady Ranger, but he had a feeling it would not be welcomed by her. All this time, the dwarves had pined and whined of their stolen homeland. The shape-changers before them had lost so much more.

"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?" Beorn asked the company, trying to change the subject.

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

"You are running out of time," Beorn stated.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood," Gandalf murmured.

Beorn shook his head. "A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur, I would not venture there except in great need."

Valisilwen looked up sharply at the mention of Dol Guldur, looking to Gandalf with wide eyes.

He frowned for a moment. "We will take the Elven Road. That path is still safe."

"Safe?" Beorn scoffed, causing the dwarves to look at him in concern. So far their experience with elves had been quite pleasant. "The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not."

Thorin furrowed his brow at Beorn in concern. "What do you mean?"

"These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive," he answered without doubt in his voice, glancing at Valisilwen who still did not look at her fellow shape-changer. "I don't like dwarves. They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." Thorin looked shocked by this revelation, as Beorn stood to his full height.

He walked to Thorin, standing before him and looking down darkly. "But Orcs I hate more."

oOOo

Beorn had been most gracious to her, treating her like royalty, as it was indeed what she was. However, she had lived so long as if she weren't, she struggled to accept that she did indeed have a royal lineage.

The dwarves saddled and loaded Beorn's ponies with supplies for their journey to the Greenwood.

She whistled for her horse, Rhavaniel, to join her, the horse eventually arriving at the house of Beorn. She began checking the saddle, adjusting it as necessary, when she heard Beorn approaching.

"My lady," he greeted her quietly.

"Yes?" She looked up to Beorn, his deep brown eyes looked down at her. She could tell in his eyes, he held some regret about something.

"I feel like I should be joining you in this journey, but..." he trailed off looking to the ground.

She gave him a reassuring smile, placing a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump slightly. She remembered he had not been privy to company for quite some time. "Do not worry, Beorn. I believe the time of Shape-Changers on Middle-Earth is quickly coming to an end. Live your life out as you would most enjoy it."

He looked relieved and nodded. "Thank you, my lady," he said, bowing graciously.

They began riding away from Beorn's house, towards the Greenwood. Beorn looked around for any sign of danger. "Go now, while you have the light. The hunters are not far behind."

They took off, riding quickly as their steeds would take them, slowing only as they approached a tall, gloomy-looking forest several miles away. Gandalf dismounted and walked to the edge of the forest through an ancient archway.

Valisilwen looked along the length of the forest's edge. There were vines that were overgrown and clung to statues of great elves from the past, the forest was close and she could smell it was damp and musty. But what she could feel had her on edge.

"The Elven Gate," Gandalf announced, looking up at the forest. He turned back to the company. "Here lies our path through Mirkwood."

"Gandalf," Valisilwen hissed as she dismounted Rhavaniel. "There is something very wrong with the forest. I can sense darkness has touched this place."

"Indeed..." Gandalf replied looking thoughtfully at the forest that rose before them.

"No sign of the Orcs," Dwalin announced. "We have luck on our side." Valisilwen looked back the way they had come, squinting. She could make out Beorn, in his bear form, waiting off in the distance.

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to Beorn," she instructed. The dwarves and Bilbo dismounted and began to unload their supplies from the ponies, before waving the ponies away.

Bilbo walked towards the forest and came to stop beside Valisilwen. "This forest feels...sick, as if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?"

Valisilwen looked meaningfully at Gandalf. Even the Halfling could feel it.

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south," Gandalf replied. He shook his head slightly to Valisilwen, causing her to groan inwardly. He walked a few feet further into the shadows and approached a plant-covered statue.

Valisilwen moved to look back the way they had come. Beorn still stood there on the far hill, watching them. As she stood there, she felt a strange presence nearby. She looked around, there was a dark presence very close by, but she could not figure out where. She moved towards Bilbo, it seemed to grow, but as she got closer, she was then drawn to the statue that Gandalf stood before.

She moved past Bilbo, making him jump and look at her as she hastily walked past him, and watched as Gandalf slowly reached for the vines that bound the statue, ripping them from their place, to reveal a painted Eye of Sauron.

Screams ensued as a woman with long dark hair was dragged within a small arena. She was thrown to the ground by an Orc. The vile creatures surrounded the arena, snarling and throwing things at the woman.

A child was screaming. That child...was her.

She nearly fell to the ground in shock. Small tears crept into the corners of her eyes. "Valisilwen?" came Kili's voice. He appeared beside her, touching her lightly on her shoulder.

"I'm...fine," she stammered, slowing down her breathing.

"The High Fells. So be it," Gandalf said grimly. He whipped around and saw Valisilwen. "Valis, you must lead the dwarves on."

"You will need me."

"No. You are not ready for what I may encounter. Stay with the dwarves and Bilbo. I will call for you if I need you." His voice was firm, she knew she would not convince him otherwise.

Valisilwen watched as Gandalf hurried past her.

"You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked incredulously, watching as he toward his horse.

"I would not do this unless I had to," Gandalf replied. Bilbo looked stunned after Gandalf as he walked past, before he turned back to look at Bilbo. "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same Hobbit as the one who left the Shire."

"I was going to tell you, I...found something in the Goblin tunnels."

"Found what?" Gandalf asked. He leant forward, looking both curious and suspicious at the same time. Valisilwen watched as Bilbo looked at Gandalf with apprehension, appearing to fumble with something in his pocket. As she did so, she felt the same strange dark feeling growing, like it was close by, she closed her eyes and tried to narrow down where it was. "What did you find?"

Just like that, the dark feeling disappeared again, as if it had never been there. She opened her eyes and looked to Bilbo.

Bilbo was silent for a moment longer before answering, removing his hand from his pocket. "My courage."

"Good. Well, that's good. You'll need it." Gandalf turned and began to walk back towards his horse, speaking to Thorin and Valisilwen as he passed. "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me." He got onto his horse. "This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

Bilbo looked to Dwalin in confusion. "Lead us astray? What does that mean?"

"You must stay on the path; do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." Gandalf wheeled his horse around and rode away at speed. "No matter what may come, stay on the path."

Thorin and company turned towards the forest. "Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day."

"Durin's Day!" Dwalin shouted. "Let's go!"

"This is our one chance to find the hidden door."

"That's if we should survive the forest," Valisilwen muttered under her breath as she stood up, Kili raised his eyebrows expectantly as he handed her bow to her. She scowled, taking her bow and waved him off, walking back to her horse to grab the rest of her things.

xo

Krayzee