A/N: Someone mentioned in the last chapter that I made it seem like Ori was a kind of medic because he was the one who came running with a med pack when Bilbo's hand was skewered with a hook. While Bilbo could very well teach Ori some basics in first-aid while on this insane quest, what I was referring to was that it was Bilbo's med pack, and Ori was simply bringing it over because the others had forgotten it in their haste to make sure Bilbo was alright. Sorry for any confusion. Also, Khuzdul looks like /this/, because I feel bad that each of the Dwarves has had at least one line each, except for Bifur. Also, if anyone knows where I can find a good Khuzdul dictionary, I'd be very thankful. Finally, for those that don't like Thorin being thrown into Durincest, how would people feel if I made the pairings Thorin/Bilbo and Fili/Kili/Bilbo, you know, the way I've been writing it, Bilbo could easily be a partner to all three Durins, without Thorin actually interacting with their union?

Chapter 6

As soon as the words were out of Bilbo's mouth, it was like somebody lit a fire under the Dwarves feet, and they all started running.

"Why is he trying to kill you?" Oin asked as they left the spot they had been waiting.

"The same reason some of you doubted letting me come on the quest; he doesn't like the idea of a Warg being part of his illustrious little group of wizards and has been subtly trying to convince the White Council to put me down like a mad dog. As a matter of fact, before Arwen helped me find myself again, Saruman had been doing his best to convince the White Council to kill me before I could hurt anyone, thankfully Gandalf and Lord Elrond were on my side, and Lady Galadriel wanted to make sure there really was nothing of my original mind left before they killed me." Before Bilbo could continue, he bumped into Arwen.

"Bilbo! Thank goodness I found you!"

"Well, you're about to lose us; Saruman is here and I don't like the idea of being skewered!"

"I know, so I brought you these to help you get out of here safely. Throwing this plant into an open flame will make you invisible to everyone who isn't caught in the initial smoke, and this plant will make your voices quiet enough that no one can hear you, while still being able to hear each other. They will wear off when you're far enough away into the wild that they can't catch you." Arwen gave Bilbo the two plants, with Bilbo passing the quiet plant to Thorin, who passed it on to the rest of the company, and Bilbo held the invisible plant in his hand. Arwen then did something that surprised the Dwarves and made Bilbo more than a little uncomfortable; she kneeled down and hugged him. Bilbo, unsure of what to do as no one had truly hugged him like this since his parents' deaths, awkwardly patted her back, hoping she'd let go soon. She let go after a moment and said

"Please be careful and come back soon, I didn't go through all the trouble of helping you find yourself just for you to become a roasted tiger." She then stood and left. Bilbo was in shock but had enough sense of mind to throw the invisibility plant into a near-by torch, and the smoke covered them, making them invisible to all but each other. They then proceeded to make their way out of Rivendell.

"You looked about as comfortable being hugged by Arwen as I was talking to her father." Thorin noted and Bilbo could only shrug helplessly before he replied

"Well, ever since my parents deaths, no one has really touched me; everyone in the Shire, save for the children, is deadly afraid of me. The only reason they would get close enough to hug me is so they could stab me. And my few relations and friends who care even a bit about me don't touch me because they think I don't want to be touched."

"And do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Not want to be touched?"

"Truth be told, when I first got back, I wished people weren't so afraid of me that they were unwilling to touch me, now, I'm rather uncomfortable with people being that close to me, 'cause all I see is them getting close enough to stab me."

"Is that why you don't sleep with the others nearby, but rather in a somewhat secluded spot; close enough that, if something attacked, you're close enough to help, but far enough away that you're not touching anyone?"

"That about sums it up, yeah."

"It's going to be hard for us to fight together if we don't trust each other." Thorin noted but Bilbo gave him one of those 'yeah right' looks.

"We seemed to do just fine on the Great East Road." Bilbo then trailed behind to talk with Bifur, Bofur and Bombur.

"At least the two of you don't look ready to tear each other's throats out any more, even if you can't seem to have a civil conversation for more than two minutes." Balin said as he and Dwalin came up on either side of their king.

"He is willing to keep a leash on the Warg, so I have no quarrel with him so long as he remains no threat to this company." Dwalin responded with

"Ya know lad, he is a part of this company, and I think he could be very useful if we gave him the chance." Thorin said nothing and continued walking into a mountain range when he suddenly called to the rest of the company.

"Be on your guard, we're about to step over the edge into the wild. Balin, you know these paths, lead on. Master Baggins, if you could come up here for a moment?" Bilbo, Bofur, Bifur and Bombur were all somewhat confused to this almost polite request as Bilbo moved quickly back to the head of the line.

"You called?"

"Yes, as an owl, I would assume you have better than average eye sight. I wish to know if you are amiable to flying overhead and keeping a sharp eye out for any blockages of any shape or form?" Bilbo was a bit surprised that Thorin would ask this of someone he so obviously didn't trust, but he simply nodded before focusing on the shrinking feeling and took off with a screech towards the skies.

"I hope in the future he warns us before he starts screeching his head off; he could pierce ear drums with that racket!" Dwalin complain but Balin stated he rather liked the noise, especially as it was much better than Dwalin's snoring. The others all laughed very loudly at that comment, so only Fili, Kili and Nori heard Ori say he liked it too; it reminded him of the Blue Mountains, where Barn Owls would sometimes nest. Thorin kept an ear out while they were walking and could hear snips about the others conversations, talking about this and that until they came to a fork in the road.

"The left path is the one we should take; it's faster." However, as Balin finished, they again heard the screech of a Barn Owl as Bilbo came closer and landed on a tree branch.

"Do you have anything to report?" Thorin asked and Bilbo nodded before saying

"Yes, no Wargs that I can see or anything as such, however, the right path is the one you want to take."

"Why is that Master Bilbo? When I came this way before, it was the left path I took."

"I understand that Master Balin, and I mean no disrespect, it's just that my keen eyes have noticed a landside on the left path."

"We'll simply climb over it." Gloin said and some agreed with him, but Balin and the Ur family had a feeling Bilbo wouldn't have called it to their attention if he didn't think thirteen stout Dwarves couldn't climb over a simple landslide.

"And you will lose half a day as well as end up with scrapes and bruises and who knows what else! This land slide is full of sharp rocks that could pierce the hide of a Troll, slippery moss covered slopes not even the most experienced mountain goat could safely cross, and not to mention the whole thing goes on for at least a mile or two and ends in a very large mud puddle that could be mistaken for a swamp! Also, where it seems the most slippery and dangerous, there is a large gap in the mountain wall, one that I personally don't want to think about where it could lead should one of you fall down it. Now, I looked at the other path; it will take an extra twenty minutes because it goes uphill instead of an even strip like the other, but at least it's clear, and it will connect back up with the left path, after the bloody swamp. Now, it's either a safe extra twenty minutes, or an unsafe, possibly lethal, loss of half a day. Your choice, but tigers and wolves aren't really meant for that kind of terrain and neither are weasels, so I would have to fly over it, meaning if any of you got into trouble, I wouldn't be able to help you." Thorin thought over it and asked

"Can you simply not use your magic to clear the path?" Thorin knew he had angered the Hobbit when he puffed up like, well like an angry bird, before gliding down from the branch to Dwalin's shoulder.

"Thorin Oakenshield, I am a Hobbit that has magical properties and am therefore classified as a Wizard, though I do carry a bit of Fae blood from my mother's side, and it is quite possible that that is where I get any magical properties. I am also a damn good fighter that has a penchant for long distance weaponry but I am slowly getting better at mid-range and close range weapons. I also possess three dangerous shifts that have made me a freak amongst my own people, and have given me the ability to sense the darkness in other creatures' hearts. Nowhere in that summation of who I am, am I listed as some sort of plow or, or some common work mule! Do what you want, but I am flying overhead and away from your bullheadedness!" Dwalin frankly wanted to kill Thorin when Bilbo let out another screech before taking off again, though it was almost worth it as some of the others tried to hold in their laughter as their mighty leader, the one who faced down the Pale Orc with nothing more than an oaken branch as a shield, was talked down to by a slightly larger than average Barn Owl.

"We'll take the right path." Balin said and the others moved out, still trying to hold in their laughter. Thorin then noticed Dwalin grinning at him.

"What?"

"I think I could learn to like that spit fire; he'll be sure to keep ya on yur toes, possibly even better than Gandalf."

"He doesn't seem to have respect for anyone but Gandalf and those two Elves." Thorin said as they marched on.

"Ah now, what have ya truly done to earn a warrior like that's respect, whereas he owes his life to the wizard and the two Elves? He's no pushover Thorin; he doesn't give his respect until you've proven something to him."

"And you're such an expert on Hobbits since when?"

"Hobbits? Never. That warrior? Since I took more than five minutes to talk to him and didn't insult him. By the way, next time you insult him when he's in that shift, don't do it when I'm in a position to be a perch to a pissed off goony bird." Thorin couldn't fully deny that he really was rather rude to their burglar, and it seemed you needed to show more than you were a skilled warrior to get Bilbo to trust you. The only one who had not physically done anything to gain his trust was Kili, and Kili soaked up that trust and attention like a sponge. It took him biting Kili to realize that Kili soaked up Bilbo's attention because, ever since Dis died, and even a bit (ok, a lot) before that, Kili was always second for everything, but with the Hobbit, he was finally the first for something.

Kili had always been the second born, the second heir, the second shown how to do something, like he was nothing more than a spare. When Kili had had difficulties learning the way of the sword, and had started experimenting with a bow, Thorin had been rather harsh, saying only Elves and cowardly Men used bows, real Dwarves used swords, hammers and axes. Kili had been devastated, and lost all drive at learning any kind of weapon. It was not until a week later that Thorin learned, while getting a good thrashing from Dis, that Kili had been teased mercilessly by the other Dwarves for his Elf-like appearance, and Thorin had practically confirmed it all by basically saying Kili wasn't a real Dwarf. After that, Dis had personally taken over her youngest son's training; her preferred weapon of course had been an axe, but she was competent enough with a bow that her son had managed to learn the basics, and even Dwalin had remarked that archery was for those with keen eyes, keener eyes then he himself had. And now, here was someone who had almost right off the bat told him there was something trustworthy inside of him, and was a strong warrior that used a bow; it was like Kili had found his own Arkenstone.

"Good thing we took Bilbo's advice; I can just see the landslide through the trees, and it looks as bad as he said it did!" Kili suddenly shouted and they all turned to see what they could of the landslide, and they agreed with Kili; they would have been lucky if all they ended up with was scratches and bruises.

"Well, I think I'll be taking the advice of our burglar owl from now on." Gloin said and Oin agreed; they both wanted to see Gimli grow into a fine young Dwarf, and they couldn't very well do that if they were dead. Thorin silently agreed with Gloin, as someone with a birds-eye-view was more reliable than one who could only see and face what was in front of them. As they stopped for a short break, Thorin felt he maybe did owe the small bird an apology, so he managed to signal to him to come down and rest a moment.

"Master Baggins, I feel I did an injustice to you by asking you to clear the way with your abilities; you are right in saying you are no beast of burden."

"Apology accepted, but that's not what got me angry." This confused Thorin and the others greatly.

"Then what made you mad?"

"First of all, that wasn't me mad, that was me ticked; when we were fighting the Orcs, that was me mad and I assure you, you most certainly do not want to see me pissed; you won't like it. Secondly, what made me angry was that I had offered you a safe path, but because I have magic, you wanted me to make your path easier. Magic doesn't make things easier Oakenshield, it can make things a hundred times harder than they need to be; look at when I summoned down the lightning with the Orcs. It took out a mere three Orcs and seven Wargs, and I almost killed myself doing it, so when I went to Ori's aid, I was trying to get my adrenaline down to a manageable level while running as fast as possible, while holding onto my spear and claymore with severely blistered hands, and then I got smashed into a rock because I was too stupid to keep my mind focused on my work, instead letting the pain surge for a moment. While in the Shire, I seldom use my magic because it's draining, and there's no need to. You were capable of climbing the landslide, but you all would have been worse for wear and it would have taken too much time, time we do not have much of, judging by the state of my tiger coat. I could have cleared the path using my magic, but just because I can do something, doesn't mean I should do something." Bilbo then moved away, to talk to Nori and Ori, and Thorin felt he should finally clear the air about something else.

"Fili, Kili, come here." He had let his nephews stew about the Troll incident long enough; it was time for it to be addressed. The boys came over, and looked very nervous, which only got worse when Thorin spoke.

"Regarding the Troll incident, just who was it that decided I should not be informed until Kili was in danger?" Thorin already had an idea, as did everyone else, which is why everyone was thrown for quite the loop when Bilbo suddenly called out

"I'm afraid that that oversight belongs to me and me alone." Fili and Kili regarded Bilbo with eyes the size of saucers as Thorin asked

"What?"

"When I brought them their meal, I had seen evidence that a Mountain Troll had taken the ponies, so I enlisted the boys to help me pull off a plan that would stop the Trolls, and it was my plan that stated you were not to be told until Kili had placed the herbs into the pot. I foolishly thought that I could handle the problem on my own, when I nearly got Kili killed. I know there is no possible way for me to apologize about something like that, but all I can do is offer my apologies for being so arrogant." Since it was rooted deeply in truth, anyone who did not know the Hobbit better than a few days would think Bilbo had told the Valar honest truth. However, even Thorin knew the Hobbit was not arrogant, he was competent in his abilities, but he feared his true power. But Thorin knew why the Hobbit was doing this, and simply said

"Do you have any idea what I would have done to you if Kili had been killed? What I should do because of what your 'arrogance' almost cost me and this company?" A few were worried that Thorin was actually being serious, he sounded so sincere in his anger, even Dwalin was ready to jump in and protect the Hobbit if need be.

"Whatever you choose to do, it is but a tenth of what I deserve."

"Bilbo no! Thorin, it was my idea not to tell you right away! Bilbo wanted to tell you before we even knew that it was a Troll, let alone a trio of Trolls!" Fili frantically said.

"Yes, and it was my idea that Bilbo should handle the situation; Bilbo had to practically threaten us into helping him!" Kili agreed as equally frantically.

"Boys, I don't know why you wish to paint yourselves as cowards, but it was my plan, and therefore, I shall take full blame." Bilbo was very composed, which is how they knew he was lying to save the young princes.

"Thorin, he's only taking the blame because he felt guilty over Kili; he feels guilty because if he had revealed the part about the trap and his flying to safety, Kili would never have revealed himself and put himself in danger! I know this because I talked to him right after the Troll incident, and that is exactly what he told me!" Fili was becoming truly frantic; he couldn't let Bilbo take the blame for something that was solely their fault!

"Fili, it is noble of you to try and protect me but-"

"What is noble Master Baggins is you protecting them when I know your only fault was exactly what Fili said; you not informing them of your trap, and you not taking into account how loyal Kili is to you. I assure you; I will not have them drawn and quartered for their oversight, I only wish to understand why I was not informed sooner." Thorin said and he could tell he had surprised the Hobbit, but Thorin was trying to do as Dwalin and Balin suggested, and give their burglar a chance to prove himself.

"We were afraid to let you know that we had failed so spectacularly in our appointed task."

"I see, next time, just tell me; if not for the burglar's knowledge of plants and foresight, we may have ended up in bigger trouble than what we did. Now, we need not talk any more about it; what's done is done, and I know you two will take your duties more seriously." As they got up to continue the trek to the mountain, Thorin faintly heard Bilbo say

"You boys need to learn to shut up when someone is trying to protect you." They continued to walk on for many days, following Bilbo's directions until they reached the path that would lead them over the Misty Mountains, where they decided to rest for the night. As Bilbo landed, as always when he was done flying for the day, he landed on Bofur's shoulder, who then gently lowered him to the ground so he could shift back.

"You know, I can't remember the last time I was able to fly for so long without worrying about being hit by a stone or, when I get hungry not having to check three times at least that the field mouse I have my eye on isn't another Hobbit in shift." Bofur let out a chuckle as Bombur brought Bilbo his share of the meal.

"It's alright; I ate while I was flying." Bilbo tried to say but Bombur shot him a look that clearly said 'shut up and eat your food'. Bilbo sighed before he started on his meal; at least he was slowly getting better, he actually managed just over half of his dinner before he was done, which pleased those that had been keeping an eye on him, and his eating habits, to no end. Bifur then called him over to a more secluded part of the camp so they could continue with Bilbo's teaching Iglishmêk, hoping, as Bifur and the others did every night, that no one realized what they were doing.

"Balin, how are we on time?" Thorin asked Balin as he settled between his two oldest friends.

"Well my lad, I've been keeping track of how much time we save and lose by taking Bilbo's suggestions and, whereas before, we would have arrived two days before Durin's day, I think we may have gained an extra two, maybe even three days!" Balin replied quite ecstatically.

"This is good news, we can only hope we keep those days as we pass through the mountains; there will be no other paths than the one we take, and our scout will be unable to see any dangers that lurk within the mountain." Thorin said and the other two nodded. Thorin glanced over at the burglar and Bifur, then did a double take as he saw Bifur making signs with his hands, and the burglar copying him; Bifur was teaching their burglar scout Iglishmêk.

"What in Durin's name does he think he's doing?" Thorin growled and Dwalin and Balin looked very worried as Thorin got up and marched over to the two.

"What in Durin's name do you think you're doing?" Thorin growled as Bifur and Bilbo jumped up and Bifur placed himself directly in front of Bilbo, as if trying to protect him.

"/I just thought it would be a good idea to teach the Hobbit wordless communication!/" Bifur said and Bilbo was able to pick up parts of the conversation, but as he had been silently taught with hand gestures, the infliction in some of the spoken words made it harder.

"/You know our language is sacred!/"

"/Which is why I'm not teaching him Khuzdul; I'm teaching him Iglishmêk./" Bifur simply replied but Thorin was nowhere near appeased.

"/An outsider has no right learning our language in any shape or form!/"

"/Listen Thorin, the Hobbit is having trouble with certain things and we're helping keep his mind off of darker thoughts./" Bilbo was beginning to get a bad feeling in his stomach from the words he gathered, so he turned to Bombur, who couldn't even meet his eyes and shouted

"You told them?! You gave me your word you wouldn't tell them and you told them!"

"Bilbo, all I asked was that they watch over you because you let your mind wander to darker thoughts, I swear!"

"How can I possibly believe you when you already broke your word?! How can I possibly even trust you to know if you're telling the truth?! I've had it; I'm bound by the contract, and once I give my word on something, I stick to it! But nowhere in the contract does it say I have to stay here and be around you… you… Dwarves!" Bilbo then shifted back into his owl shift and took off ahead into the mountains, he had given his word and he would stick to it, but he didn't have to sleep so close to them.

"Bilbo!" Nori, Bofur and Kili all shouted but he did not so much as look at them.

"Leave him be, if he doesn't want our company, then I don't see why we should bother." Thorin said and Dwalin moved as fast as Kili's cheetah in order to stop Kili from launching himself at Thorin.

"Thorin, I wasn't going to say it until he trusted all of you, but now that he thinks I betrayed him, I don't think it makes much difference. Being out here has made him have stomach trouble; before we took an interest in his well-being, something you seemed to be doing your level best to ignore, he was lucky if he was able to actually stomach a meal and a half. Tonight, he managed over half of his dinner, which I don't think he even noticed he did, since he was talking to Bofur." Bombur said, and none of the others, even Bofur and Bifur, had ever seen him look so serious.

"Why is he having trouble in the first place? It cannot be connected to the Trolls could it? We would never poison a member of our company!" Dori said and Bombur sadly shook his head.

"I wish it was that simple, but it goes deeper than that; he told me he has trouble eating at home because it reminds him of his parents, but he still manages three to four meals a day. Out here, he's been lucky if he can scarf down one before his hunger builds up and he hunts for a full meal, then the cycle starts again. I think that's because out here, is where his parents were slaughtered during a picnic; he somehow thinks it was his fault as much as the Elves and rangers, so the guilt makes his stomach twist into knots. I even think on a few rare occasions, he has sicked back up whatever he's eaten; it's that bad." The Dwarves all looked shocked at this bit of news.

"I asked some of the other Dwarves to talk and interact with Bilbo so he wouldn't have enough time to think on his darker thoughts and let them twist his stomach into such severe knots. Bofur had been teaching him how to whittle, Fili and Kili would spar with him instead of you or Dwalin when they got bored, Ori would sit and knit with him and was going to ask him to teach him some basic first aid, Nori regaled him of all his brushes with the law and what he learned from each misadventure, as well as giving tips on how to pick pockets and other skills that every thief should know, I would discuss recipes with him, and Bifur was teaching Bilbo Iglishmêk because he figured Bilbo was the kind of person who would work on something until he got it right, leaving no room for darker thought to invade his mind."

"This should have been brought to my attention sooner." Thorin said but it was Ori who gave him a heartbreaking look and simply asked

"Would you have even cared?" After that, the company again seemed divided, and their sleeping arrangement reflected that, though even those who seemed to be sleeping on Thorin's side of the clearing, started thinking of things they could teach or at least talk to the Hobbit about. Even Thorin was thinking of things he could tell the Hobbit about, once he was certain the Hobbit wasn't going to peck his eyes out of course. They awoke the next day and as Bombur made breakfast, the others kept an eye out for an owl, a weasel, or a tiger, even a large silver wolf, hoping Bilbo would come back and eat with them. However, it was only after breakfast was made, dished out, and they started eating that Bilbo came flying back.

"I suggest none of you take too long in eating; a storm is heading this way and it will be quite difficult to move with the ferocity I can sense from it." One would have thought Bilbo was a snowy owl with a voice straight from a snowstorm; it was so icy and cold.

"Master Baggins-" Thorin started, only for Bilbo to cut him off

"I will be waiting for you on the path." Bilbo was about to take off when Oin shouted

"Don't ya want your breakfast? We have a long day ahead of us; you'll be needing your strength."

"I am not hungry and I assure you, I am strong enough." Bilbo almost spat ice with the way his voice was just before he took off, silently this time, as if the screech was a sign of happiness and red hot anger; Dwalin would have preferred that over this icy detachment. Not many of them wanted to eat after that, but knew to at least try and finish their meal if they were to have the strength necessary to climb the Misty Mountain. After they managed to finish their meal, they all proceeded to climb a mountain that actually had quite the dangerous reputation. As the Dwarves walked on, some tried to gain Bilbo's attention, but he refused to so much as look at them, let alone talk to them unless it was to constantly inform Thorin that the storm just seemed to be increasing in ferocity, and was still heading their way, so should Bilbo keep an eye out for any caves that they can wait out the storm in? Thorin agreed with the idea but when he tried to talk to Bilbo, Bilbo simply flew back to where he was, far away from the Dwarves, but close enough to see and pass messages along the line. As the clouds gathered over them though, Thorin had other things to worry about than a Hobbit they had inadvertently upset. The storm seemed to suddenly jump on them, as if the storm clouds were a rabbit or cougar, and they were soon soaked to the bone, but still they kept marching on. Thorin was faintly impressed that Bilbo was still flying in such dangerous weather.

"Bilbo! I suggest you land; your wings will become water logged if you continue flying in this abominable weather!" Balin suddenly shouted to their owl burglar.

"I can't; I would be unable to grasp any kind of leverage on these wet rocks and with no leverage, I dare not shift!"

"Can't you just automatically shift from owl to weasel? I would imagine that such small creatures would be able to stay on this ledge!" Gloin shouted but Bilbo simply shook his head.

"I was never taught how to do it, and this place, where anyone of us could be conceivably killed, is not the place where I want to experiment!"

"Can you not simply cease the storm?!" Thorin shouted and Bilbo again shook his head in the negative.

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction; that's a law of nature and I am bound by her rules! If I was to stop a storm here, something horrible could happen somewhere else; at least here, there is a good chance we will come upon a cave where we can wait it out soon!" Bilbo shouted but Thorin replied

"Elsewhere is not our concern!"

"Right, just like the fates of your people were not the concerns of others! Two wrongs don't make a right Thorin, and I will not interrupt a storm that nature seemed to really want to get started just because I'm a little wet, as are the rest of you!" Thorin was about to shout back angrily when Nori asked

"How can you tell nature needed to get this out of her system?"

"The air is beyond electrically charged; it's almost like it's an unnatural storm, the way the air feels in these mountains!"

"Is that even possible?" Dori asked but before Bilbo could reply, Balin replied for him

"Bilbo is right; this is no thunderstorm, it's a thunder battle!" Bilbo turned and was amazed; never before in his travels had he ever seen an actual stone giant!

"Well bless me! Giants! Stone giants!" Bofur shouted and Bilbo felt his heart stop; Bofur was close to the edge, and all it would take was one rock and he would fall to his death, for even a fox was too large for Bilbo to carry in his state; he could barely keep himself up with his wings the way they were.

"Take cover you fool!" Thorin shouted and Bilbo rather wished he could take cover, but there was no place for him to go.

"Bilbo, fly away and come back when the battle is over; it's the only safe option for you!" Bilbo did not like the idea of flying away from his post, but knew that Nori's advice was the only one he could follow, so he started flying away from the battle. He then heard Fili and Kili screaming to each other, and it was as if another horrible flashback, like with Arwen, and that time with the Goblins, was taking over his mind. He watched, helpless, as the mountain split in two, revealing the fact that his companions were actually on the knees of a third stone giant! He watched, helplessly, as brothers were torn from each other, with one half making it to safety and the other still on the giant that seemed doomed to fail. Was this too, his fault? Balin said following Bilbo's advice had given them two extra days at least; by following his advice, had they walked right into this battle? Was Bilbo truly nothing more than an omen and fore bringer of death? He saw the knee of the fallen giant smash into the rock, before falling down to the river below. Bilbo saw before the others even came close that the others were alright, but there was something else that made his blood run cold, and as he strained his wings to get there in time to stop another tragedy, he could hear Bofur ask

"Where's Ori?!" And the others soon realized that Ori was dangling from the side of the mountain! They all scrambled, trying to grab him, Dwalin getting ready to fling himself down the side, when Ori lost his grip and Bilbo suddenly flew in to grab him by his hood.

"Ori, shift! You're too heavy for me to keep us up for long!" Bilbo screeched at Ori, who was trying to focus.

"I'm trying, but I'm so scared!"

"I understand that, but use your fear to shift now!" Bilbo's wings were quickly giving out, so he tried to steer them back over to the Dwarves, to no avail. Bilbo struggled to hold both of them up, and felt his wings getting weaker, making him wish he had at least had a few mouthfuls of breakfast that morning 'Damn my pride! Because of it, Ori and I could very well end up dead!' Bilbo thought as, finally, Bilbo's wings gave out, and the two went sliding down the mountain, following the path of the stone giant.

P.O.V. Change

Thorin watched helplessly as the company's burglar and scribe plummeted to their deaths; Ori's shifts were not meant for mountainous regions, and while Bilbo normally could fly, his wings were soaked and strained from trying to keep the two up. As much as he admired the Hobbit's loyalty, he couldn't help but wish the Hobbit had left the matter to them; now there were two deaths on his head, and he could see Nori and Dori were just itching to blame him. Bofur held Nori and Balin helped Dori stand and walk as they went into a cave that Dwalin found. As they cramped together inside, no one spoke, until they heard an unusual sound, like a mouse sneaking about. They turned as one back to the mouth of the cave, and could not believe their eyes as a weasel suddenly came scurrying in, carrying of all things in its mouth, a pika.

"Bilbo! You're alive, and you still saved Ori!" Kili said the weasel shifted back and gave Ori to Dori.

"Better keep an eye on him; he fainted just after I grabbed him with my mouth and he may be in shock." Bilbo said as Dori and Nori cried over the fact that their little brother was still alive. Thorin was relieved that they were alright, but his anger at himself for having let them fall in the first place, raised its ugly head again, and directed its fury at Bilbo.

"What did you think you were doing?"

"I thought I was saving Ori without any risk to the rest of the company." Bilbo replied coolly, and everyone was suddenly very nervous again.

"Dwalin could have saved him without you getting involved!"

"Ori had already fallen; Dwalin could not reach him without flinging himself off the mountain!"

"Do not speak of things you know nothing about!"

"I know that neither Dwalin nor Dori had a flight shift, so there was raw muscle out! There also wasn't enough room for an elk, let alone a moose or Oliphant, so Bifur, Bombur, Gloin and Oin were all out! Foxes, hyenas and goats don't possess the kind of reach needed, so there is Nori, Bofur and Balin all out! Nor does a cheetah for that matter, but you and I both know that Kili would have flung himself headfirst into that, getting the two of them killed! Lions and wolves may possess the reach, while being relatively small enough to stay on the ledge, but you and Fili didn't have the grip necessary to do it safely! I was the only one who could get in there fast enough and maybe sling him to safety; it may not have worked out that way, but it was one more chance that Ori wouldn't have had with any of you!"

"And you know all this because you observe us, never truly interacting with any of us save for what the others initiate. Because that's all you are, and all you will ever be; an outsider that has no place amongst us." The others all watched as all emotion left Bilbo's face, making him appear as if he had been carved from stone. He then turned sharply on his heel, and went to the back of the cave, but not before signing in Iglishmêk, as well as saying loud and clear to Oin

"Make sure you keep a close watch on Ori, Oin; shock can sometimes lead to bigger problems." The others dispersed and lay down to sleep, with the exception of Bofur, who had the first watch. About an hour later, Bofur was glad that he had watch, as he was the one who found Bilbo trying to sneak out.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to fly on ahead, and mark out a trail that you all should be able to follow easily."

"No! You can't leave now; you're part of the company, you're one of us!" Bofur frantically plead, but Bilbo wasn't moved.

"I'm not though, am I? Thorin all but said I shouldn't have come, and he was right; all I am is a bad omen that brings nothing but bad luck. But I gave my word, and I shall stick to it, even if the only safe way for me to help you is from afar."

"Thorin didn't mean what he said; he was just worried and angry over yours and Ori's near death! And you're no bad luck omen! If you ask me, and you should, you are a good luck omen!"

"Oh really? Are you oh so conveniently forgetting how I almost got Kili killed?"

"Are you forgetting you also saved Kili? Or Ori? Twice now? How you saved the map? Saved us? First from the Orcs, and then from Saruman stopping our quest in its tracks? Not to mention how much time you've saved us with your scouting?"

"Did it ever occur to you that it could be thanks to my scouting that we got stuck in that thunder battle that could have gotten every one killed?"

"How in the name of Mahal do you figure that?!" Bofur whispered harshly.

"Balin said we gained two or three days thanks to me; if we hadn't of gained those days, maybe we wouldn't have had to deal with that fight."

"And if we had, maybe that path would no longer have been there!" Bilbo could not deny that, so Bofur softened his voice and features and asked

"Why don't you get some sleep? We'll talk again in the morning, and see if things don't look a bit different. And if you still feel as if you can do more good away from the company than with it, well then I wish you all the luck in the world, I really do." Bofur wanted to give Bilbo a light hug but, knowing it would make him slightly uncomfortable, he settled for a comforting hand on his shoulder and a bright smile, which got brighter as Bilbo nodded. Bofur then happened to glance down at Bilbo's Elf sword.

"What's that?" Bilbo then looked down to the sword and felt his heart stop as he saw the sword glow blue. He then let out a deafening screech that seemed louder than physically possible since it echoed around the cave, trying to wake everybody up and get them out of there. That was just before they all went flying down a trap door. Bilbo kept sliding down the tunnel and finally stopped when he and the others landed on a small ledge, and Bilbo saw stars and a bit of blood as he grazed his head with a rock. As he heard shrieking however, he knew there was no time to lose.

"Goblins!" Thorin and Bilbo called out together as they tried to stand and defend the company that was still dizzy from their tumble. Bilbo and Thorin were unable to fend off the Goblins, and they, along with the rest of the company, were overrun. As the Goblins moved them down the rickety bridge, Bilbo almost lost his footing and fell, had it not been for Bifur and Gloin grabbing him at the last minute. They soon found themselves in front of the Goblin king, and Bilbo became very worried for himself and his companions, especially as they were completely disarmed, except for Bilbo's two knives, which he had managed to hide on himself.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Speak!" The Goblin King screamed at them. It was one of the lower Goblins that answered him.

"Dwarves, your malevolence."

"Dwarves?!"

"We found them on the front porch."

"Well don't just stand there, search them! Every crack! Every crevice!" As a Goblin tried to take Oin's hearing trumpet and smash it, Bilbo threw a hard punch and was able to save it before his face was slashed by another Goblin.

"What are you doing in these parts?... Very well, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring up the Mangler! Bring up the Bone-Breaker! Start with the youngest!" The king pointed to Ori and Bilbo almost shifted, getting ready to protect him, when Thorin shouted

"WAIT!" He then stepped out and Bilbo could see the fat king's eyes widen in surprise.

"Well, well, well! Look who it is; Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror! King Under the Mountain!" The king mockingly bowed and Bilbo felt his anger rise; even when he and Thorin couldn't say one word to each other without also snapping at each other, Bilbo had enough respect for him to not do something like that

"Oh, but I'm forgetting! You don't have a mountain, do you? So, you're nobody really."

"He's a bigger somebody than you!" Bilbo couldn't help but shout and felt several turn their eyes to him.

"Bring forth the one who so stoutly defends their king!" Bilbo was shoved before turning around and slugging the Goblin, knocking him out cold, and walked out like Thorin had, with his head held high. Bilbo watched as the Goblin King became even more surprised, and he was happy to note a touch of fear enter the king's eyes.

"You! The Goblin-slayer from so long ago! What a pretty pair you make! The King without a mountain, and the creature without a race to call home! The King-in-Exile, and the one called, 'Light-Bringer'!" Bilbo knew Thorin was throwing him a questioning glance, but they both had bigger things to worry about.

"I have but one question for you!" The king was about to ask but Bilbo, figuring he was going to die anyway, couldn't help the smart ass remark that flew out of his mouth

"If it's to help you reach those hard to reach places, I'm afraid I must decline." Bilbo heard some of the Dwarves unable to keep their laughter in at the comment, and a side glance told him even Thorin was trying not to smile, though it fell when a Goblin punched him in the jaw, sending him sliding into Thorin, who caught him.

"One more remark like that, and they may just skin you." Thorin whispered and Bilbo replied dazedly

"Beats having to smell them, you have to admit." Thorin almost full on smiled after that, though he hid it when the Goblin King spoke again.

"What is a lone Warg *Bilbo could hear the sniggering amongst the Goblins* doing with a company of Dwarves on my mountain?"

"I couldn't tell you about the Dwarves, but as for me, I've decided to follow in my great-uncle's footsteps and behead a Goblin King, and here your minions have saved me the trouble of having to find you!" Bilbo then let out a roar, that turned into snarling and growling as some Goblins jumped on him. He could distantly hear the Dwarves getting into scuffles as they tried to come to Bilbo's aid, including Thorin, who threw the one who been about to stab Bilbo, into some sort of structure.

"Slash them! Beat them! Kill them all! Cut off the exiled Dwarf's head, along with his pet Warg's!" As Bilbo saw one of the disgusting creatures go to stab Thorin, Bilbo summoned his magic and suddenly, the fire from the torches turned green as they bended to Bilbo's commands and attacked each of the Goblins that had tried to kill his companions. He then had the fire wrap around the company, without touching the ground. As he did this however, he realized he had made a grave mistake.

"Damn it! I can't believe I was so stupid!" Bilbo yelled over the sounds of the flames as the Dwarves gathered their weapons, with Fili, Kili and Gloin passing Bilbo his own.

"What's wrong lad?" Dwalin asked

"When I cast the spell, I forgot to take into account two very important components."

"What components?" Fili asked

"For one; I can't move this fire bubble with us, because Goblin infrastructure is so shoddy, burning just one rope, could bring the entire settlement down on our heads. Secondly, you haven't noticed yet, but the fire is eating up the oxygen in here, and soon it's going to be very hard to breathe." Bilbo explained.

"So what you're saying is that our protection won't last much longer if we want to be able to fight back." Thorin summed up and Bilbo could only nod sadly; as strong as they were, they couldn't hold off hundreds, possibly thousands, of Goblins.

"Well then, push the fire out as far as you dare, then we'll fight until we draw our last breath." Balin said and the others nodded, but Bilbo had one more plan up his sleeve. He then focused, pushed the fire out, and when he was certain it was out as far as possible, he started sucking the fire into his body.

"What are you doing?! You'll get yourself killed!" Thorin shouted as he used Orcrist to cut down two Goblins that tried to get at them from under the bubble. As the fire went completely into his body, Bilbo let out a blood curdling screech as he again released the fire, this time as pure light in the shape of a large bird of prey that sent some Goblins careening over the bridges and knocked many to the ground, and sent the Goblin King sailing down into the darkness.

"RUN!" Bilbo shouted and, though a few Dwarves were dazed by the bright light, they all went off running, knowing the Goblins wouldn't be down for long. The Dwarves and Bilbo all fought with the determination of a dragon, none giving the Goblins as much as an inch. Ori was proving to be quite effective with Dwalin's second war hammer, the one called Keeper, if Bilbo was correct. Bilbo surprised himself in how often he found himself fighting back to back with Thorin, and was with him when the Goblins tried to swing over to them from another ledge and Thorin yelled

"Cut the ropes!" Thorin, Bilbo and a couple others all cut the ropes and watched as the bridge fell over, only for the Goblins on the ropes to wrap around it when it was halfway down.

"See? I told you Goblins have crappy infrastructure." Bilbo said before Thorin grabbed his collar and said

"We'll discuss superior Dwarven infrastructures when we're not running for our lives from creatures that would happily destroy every part of our bodies, for laughs." He and Thorin ran, and managed to rejoin the rest of the company, but as they arrived at the bridge they were cut off as the Goblin King sprung from the bridge. As Bilbo was forced back, closer to Fili and Kili, Bilbo became worried as a cold feeling in his stomach grew, so he passed his spear to Fili, and one of his arrows to Kili, and with a look, they understood to take their shot when it presented itself.

"You thought you could defeat me?!" The king slammed his staff on the bridge, then swung it at Thorin and Dwalin, and the cold feeling kept growing in Bilbo. 'What in the name of the Green Lady is happening to me?'

"What are you going to do now, worthless king?" The king asked but before Thorin or Dwalin could do anything, a huge black snake shot out, spitting venom at the Goblin King's face, then wrapping around him and biting any surface he could get at. Dwalin was about to hit the king with his other hammer, when his brother called out

"Dwalin, be careful! That snake is Bilbo!" Before Thorin or Dwalin could think on it, the king grabbed Bilbo and threw him to one side, and unfortunately, as he was thrown, he landed on Gloin, and they were both thrown over the edge. In their anger, Fili and Kili shot their weapons straight into the Goblin King's eyes. As the Goblin King fell, Thorin slashed at the massive stomach and Dwalin used his hammer to smash in the king's head, he then landed on the bridge, and it gave away under the immense weight.

After the Dwarves made it out of the Goblin Caves and Azog Started Chasing Them

Thorin could not feel lower if he tried; he had cost Gimli his father, Bilbo was gone, this time for real, as no snake would have survived a fall like that, Gandalf was nowhere to be seen, and it turned out that Azog was alive after all. He really was a useless leader. He and the others had managed to take down many Wargs, but their exhaustion was weighing heavily on them, as an Orc pinned each of them, and Thorin had been tossed around, he found himself wishing that Bilbo was there. Mahal must have been listening because, as Azog's son, Bolg, came forward to behead Thorin, a chakram came flying out of nowhere and took Bolg's head clean off. Thorin then watched as an Oliphant came charging out of nowhere and started throwing Orc's around, and a silver Warg came running, taking out the Orc's that had been about to kill Fili, Kili and Ori.

"Why is it whenever I leave you idiot's alone for more than five minutes, you get into life threatening danger?!" There was only one Warg that could like that to Thorin and summon a fire ball out of nowhere to hurl at the oncoming hordes, separating the two opposing sides.

"While I thank Mahal you and Gloin are alive, we are still in great danger, as there is no place else to run." Thorin said, trying to stay conscious. They then heard what sounded like eagles, and, if wolves could smile, Bilbo would be doing it now, and it was not a nice smile.

"Gandalf appears to have brought reinforcements. Gloin, change back; if what's going to happen is what I think is going to happen; the Eagles of Manwë are our way out of this mess." Bilbo said as he and Gloin shifted back (and Thorin felt his stomach clench at how badly Bilbo was bleeding) and that did appear to be the case, as one Eagle came and grabbed Bofur and Nori, dropping them. They then watched as Bilbo shifted again, though this time, his wings were huge and black as the pitch rising into the air, and his face turned into a bird of prey's face, complete with a vicious looking beak and terrifyingly shocking red eyes, and his feet became talons that could rip a Troll apart. No one knew what Bilbo was now, but as they were constantly picked up and dropped into other Eagle's back, they found themselves unable to care. They would ask Bilbo when they landed again; after all, he also had a new snake shift to explain as well.

Follow up A/N: Whew! Finally finished this chapter! Sorry about rushing the end with Azog, but it's 4 in the morning, and this is my first day off since Monday.