They all started running down the mountain as fast as they could. Lindsey was running between Fili and Kili while Kate was in the back with Thorin and Balin.
The night was covering them.
Soon the foremost Warg catched up tp the group and leaped at Kate. She ducked behind a rock and the Wargs jaws snapped in the air over her head. It landed in front of her.
„Kate!", that was Thorin as he turned around.
Growling, the Warg charged at her.
She pulled out her sword and held it in front of her; the charging Warg impaled itself in the head on the sword and fell down dead. Kate looked on in surprise.
A few more Wargs catched up to the fleeing dwarves.
The Company reached a large outcropping of land with a few trees growing on it. They were trapped there, as there was no way off the outcropping besides a great fall down the mountain.
„Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!"
Bifur threw an axe, killing a Warg which was approaching him. Bofur jumped off a rock and grabbed a tree branch, using Dwalins head as a stepping stone to the tree. They started climbing into the trees as well. Kate tried to pull her sword out of the dead Wargs' head, but it stuck firmly. She continued to pull.
„They're coming!", Thorin called and ran up to her, grabbed the sword pulled it out and climbed up into the tree with Kate tightly pressed to his body.
Gandalf climbed to the top of the furthest tree; Dwalin boosted Balin up. Thorin with Kate on his arm, Bombur and the rest climbed up tree as well. Lindsey was close to Fili, watching Thorin rescuing her sister.
Dozens of Wargs circled the trees in which the Company members were perched. Gandalf reached out with his staff and picked up a moth sitting in the same tree as him.
He brought the moth close to his face, and whispered to it. He then blew it gently, causing it to flutter away.
The Wargs ceased their growling and turn as the White Warg, with Azog on its back, approached slowly.
Thorin looked at Azog in shock, nearly loosing the grab around Kate.
„Azog?!"
As the white Warg growled, Azog stroked it and talked ominously.
„Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast? Ganzilig-i unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob."
Thorin looked stricken with pain and grief, realizing that Azog had captured his father.
„It cannot be", he breathed and Kate held herself close to the branch while Balins hand backed her.
Azog spoke to his wargs and riders.
„Kod, Toragid biriz. Worori-da!"
At his command, the wargs leaped forward and tried to climb the trees.
They jumped as high as they could, scrabbling at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws in their effort. The trees shook violently at the assault, causing Lindsey to scream in panic. The company struggled to hold on.
With the weight of the Wargs climbing it, the furthest tree from the edge of the cliff, which Bilbo, Fili, Lindsey and several other dwarves were in, got uprooted from the ground and began leaning wildly. As more Wargs grab onto it, the tree tripped over and landed on the next tree. The dwarves and Bilbo jumped from the falling to the next.
This tree tipped as well, like dominoes, all the tree began falling over. All the dwarves, Bilbo, the girls and Gandalf managed to jump onto the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff. This tree didn't fall over.
Azog laughed. Looking around in desperation, Gandalf spied a pinecone. He grabbed it and used his staff to set the cone on fire. He then threw it down amid the Wargs, who retreated in fear of the fire. Azog was startled and angry at the unexpected resistance. Gandalf lit two more cones and threw one down to Fili.
He catched it. Bilbo, the dwarves and the girls gathered pincecones and Gandalf set them on fire. They threw the flaming pinecones like missiles at the Wargs. All the area around the tree got set on fire, forcing the Wargs to retreat a distance. At least one Warg galloped away with its fur alight. Azog roared in anger and frustration as the Company cheered. Suddenly, their cheers turned into cries of fear as the roots of the tree they were in started to give way. The tree tipped precariously over the edge of the cliff, but came to a rest sticking straight out away from the edge. Gandalf looked down and saw the ground far, far, below. The dwarves tried to hold on as they got flung around. Ori lost his grip on the tree and fell, but managed to grab onto Doris leg.
„Aaaaah! Oh! Oh no!", Ori cried.
„Mister Gandalf!", Dori cried out in panic.
Because of the extra weight, Dori lost his grip as well and fell, but Gandalf quickly swung his staff down and Dori grabbed on to the end of it.
Kate looked around in panic just to see Lindsey dangerously close to loosing her grip but Fili was holding her.
Azog growled. Thorin, clinging to the tree looked at him in hate and anger. He pulled himself up, his sword drawn, and walked down the leaning trunk as Kate, Bilbo and the others, hanging from the tree, looked on.
„No...Thorin, please no...", Kate whispered and could feel a hand on her shoulder. She saw Balin looking at her. She was aware that she had tears on her eyes.
Thorin ran through the burning ground at Azog and his white Warg. Azog spread his arms wide with a smug grin on his face.
Thorin growled as he ran with his sword up and his oaken branch shield held in front of him. Azog crouched, then roared as his Warg leaped at Thorin.
Thorin tried to swing his sword, but the Warg hit him in the chest with its forepaw, smashing him to the ground. The company in the tree looked in shock. Kates chest tightened and tears started running down her face. Balin was holding her close.
Dori struggled to hold on Gandalfs staff.
„Help!", Ori cried.
As Thorin got back on his feet, panting, Azog and his Warg wheeled around. They charged at Thorin again. Azog swung his mace and smashed Thorin in the face before he could react. He was brutally flung to the ground by the impact.
„NOOOO!", Kate cried out.
Azog roared in excitement. Bilbo managed to stand up on the tree. The white warg clamped its jaws around Thorin and he yelled in pain. Dwalin tried to get off the tree to assist Thorin, but the tree branches he was holding on to broke, swinging him precariously over the edge and preventing him from reaching his friend.
„Thorin! Noo", he called in fear.
As the white warg held Thorin in its mouth, Thorin managed to hit its head with the pommel of his sword.
Roaring, the warg threw him several feet away onto a flat rock nearby. He landed heavily, his sword fell out of his hand. He was almost unconscious.
„Biriz torag khobdudol", Azog grumbled commanding one of his rider to bring him the dwarfs head.
The rider jumped off his warg and approached Thorin.
Kate, seeing this, pulled out her sword. She saw that Bilbo did the same with his blue glowing sword.
The orc approached Thorin and placed its sword against his neck, raising the sword, the rider prepared to decapitate Thorin. As he swung his sword down, Kate threw herself at the Orc and knocked him over.
As they fought she managed to stab and kill the orc. Bilbo swung his sword to defend Kate as well while she crawled up to Thorin. He looked at her but fell unconscious.
She saw Bilbo still waving his sword wildly at Azog and the other wargs. Azog smiled in hatred and spoke in the Black Speech to his Orcs.
A couple of Wargs and Riders approached Bilbo and Kate, snarling.
Suddenly, Fili, Kili and Dwalin who have managed to get off the tree, rushed at their enemies and started fighting them.
In the confusion, Bilbo yelled and leaped forward, wounding a warg.
The white Warg hit Bilbo with his head and sent him flying. Kate catched him and both landed on the ground not far from Thorins still unconscious body.
Azog and his white Warg approached them to kill them. Fili, Kili and Dwalin had been surrounded by Wargs. Suddenly, the moth returned to Gandalf. Dori slipped from the end of Gandalfs staff, and Dori and Ori fell toward the ground far below. An eagle swooped out of nowhere and catched them on its back.
They yelled in fear as they were carried swiftly away. Several more Eagles appeared and joined the fray.
Some grabbed Wargs and Orcs and tossed them over the cliff. Others knocked down trees, which crushed the wargs below them.
Another Eagle fanned the flames with its wings, causing an inferno which burnged the Wargs. Azog snarled in frustration. One Eagle gently grabbed Thorin and his sword in its talons and flew away.
Kate looked up, panicked.
Azog roared and jumped back as an Eagle flew by him. The Eagle headed straight for Kate and Bilbo and snatchd them off the ground. It then threw them and they screamed as they fell toward the ground, only to land on the back of another Eagle.
Kate turned to look for Lindsey. She was on another Eagle with Gandalf.
The rest of the Eagles proceeded to snatch the dwarves out of the tree and flew away.
/
The Eagles soared through the sky over a great distance and over many landscapes. Kate could see Thorin laying unconscious in one Eagles' talons.
„Thorin!", Fili called afraid.
The Eagles approached a massive rock structure shaped like a bear. The Eagle carrying Thorin gently deposited him and his sword on a flat area on top of the rock.
Another Eagle landed and Gandalf and Lindsey slid off its neck. Gandalf ran towards Thorin.
„Thorin! Thorin!", the wizard called.
Thorin was not responding. Kate and Bilbo ran up. Lindsey could see the immense pain in her sisters eye and walked up to her to hold her hand. She simply squeezed it softly.
Gandalf placed his hand on Thorins face and whispered a spell.
Thorins eyes fluttered open and he gasped for air. His eyes found Kate and she smiled down at him, relieved.
He spoke weakly:"The halfling?"
„It's all right. Bilbo is here. He's quite safe", Gandalf said.
The company surrounded the wounded Thorin. Dwalin and Kili helped him up.
Once he was up, he shrugged them off and approached 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?"
Kate could not believe what she was hearing. It was Bilbo who defended him and herself. How could he say those things?
Thorin advanced until he was face to face with Bilbo, who looked worried and frightened.
„I've never been so wrong in all my life!"
He grabbed Bilbo and embraced him deeply. The Company cheered loudly and slapped each other on the back. Kate breathed out relieved and chuckled.
Gandalf smiled. Bilbo, looking quite surprised, hugged Thorin back.
„I am sorry I doubted you"
„No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar"
As everyone chuckled, the Eagles flew away, screeching.
„Kate was the one giving me the courage to help her", Bilbo added causing Thorin to look back to the blonde girl.
He could feel his heart starting to beat faster as he walked up to her. Withouth saying a word he pulled her close to embrace her. The Company just stood silent, Lindsey and Fili smiling.
„Thank you...", Thorin whispered and Kate gently stroked his cheek for a second, giving him a smile.
He turned around and suddenly saw something. He strode forward, and the others followed his gaze.
„Is that what I think it is?", Kate asked as she walked up next to him.
In the distance, on the horizon, they saw the outline of a single, solitary mountain.
„Erebor – the Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth", Gandalf explained.
Thorin looked at Kate, a smile on his face.
„Our home"
/
That's not really my favorite part to write but it's important anyway :-D
Next chapter will be some rest for the company again with some nice moments again...it's getting harder and harder for two of our beloved members to hide their true feelings ^^