~Chapter 7~
You stopped on top of a large rock and kneel down panting, taking in deep breaths of cool fresh air. You hated being underground in tight spaces like that. The air is always stale and musty, and the odor turns your stomach. As the rest of the company caught up with you and rested, you walked off a little ways trying to calm your gurgling belly. You could hear Gandalf counting off the members by name. You walked further away knowing you were going to hurl soon and you did right behind that tree. "Where is Icarus? Where is he?!" Gandalf shouted franticly as you spat up bile a few trees away. "I think that's him Gandalf." You heard Bofur say. You quickly whipped your face and hurried back, "I'm here. Just feeling a little green after that scaffolding ride." You say as you sit on a stump near the group. You looked around and re-counted the party around you. "Gandalf." you questioned worriedly, "Where is Bilbo? I haven't seen him sense we fell through the floor of the cave last night." Gandalf looks about franticly asking each dwarf who saw him last. "That Hobbit saw his chance and took it! He won't be coming back, he's gone back to his arm chair and hobbit hole." Thorin said bitterly as he fixed his straps. Him and Gandalf argue for a few minutes. "He has gone home Gandalf." Thorin stated ending their conversation. From out behind a tree Bilbo steps out, "Nope, I'm still here." He says hands in his pockets, still breathing a little heavily from the run down the mountain. "We had just about given you up!" Kili says. "Well he is back that's what matters." Gandalf says happily. "I want to know. Why did you come back?" Thorin questions Bilbo. "Look. I know you dough me, you always have. And you're right I often think Bag-End. I miss my books, my arm chair and my garden. See that's where I belong, that's home. And that's why I came back, because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back if I can." Says Bilbo. I can see emotion on Thorin's face and the face of every other dwarf, letting the words sink in. Letting the feeling of having someone else selflessly put themselves in danger just so they can have their home back.
The moment is short lived when suddenly you feel the little feathers stand up on the back of your neck and your ears twitch towards the sound up the mountain. You stand quickly, surprising some of the dwarves, and put your daggers tightly in their holsters. "Sorry to cut this short everyone but we need to move now! Something is coming form up on the ridge." Just as the words left your lips Wrag start running towards the group. Leading them is Azog the defiler on his white wrag "Tear them to pieces!" he commands in Orcish. Everyone starts to run again, quickly away from the oncoming pack of Wrag. The sky darkens as the sunsets making it even harder to find your way over uneven stone and pine. The wargs start coming up from behind but are quickly picked off by the dwarves and Bilbo. Gandalf suddenly stops ahead of the group; they have run us on to a cliff with no way of moving forward or backward. "Up into the trees hurry! Climb!" Demands Gandalf. You scale the first tree you see with ease, sitting all the way at the top. But as you look around to be sure everyone else made it up, it occurs to you that your tree is the furthest away from everyone. And making it nearly impossible for you to reach them without climbing down or flying over. "Icarus!" You hear Gandalf shout, "We need transport!" You give him a wave back of acknowledgement. You were hoping that it wouldn't come down to this. Sense you were a Great Bird skin-changer you had the ability to call for the other Great Eagles of Middle Earth. But in doing this, it will cause a great many questions to arise from the company. Luckily for you there was a small chickadee on the tree branch next to you. You held out your hand, it hopped onto your finger and chirped at you. You whistled back at it asking it so go get the Great Eagles and bring them here. The Chickadee chirped excitedly and flew off quickly.
The Wrags were around each tree base growling and jumping up trying to bite at the dwarves and Bilbo. You clutch the tree tightly as they crash into it trying to make you fall. You watch in horror as the Wrags successfully knock over the trees nearest you and the trees with the dwarves. The company jumps from tree branch to tree branch as they fall, in the end they are all in Gandalf's tree on the very edge of the cliff. The Wrags left your tree along and they all went to the last tree on the cliff. You watched as Gandalf and the others started to throw flaming pine cones at the beasts making them whimper away in fear. You cheered with the others at their small victory. But as you looked down at your tree, it had caught fire from the pine cones. You climb down as much as you dare getting close to the flames and leapt to the ground. Hitting the ground hard you roll a bit before leaping to your feet. You knew the pale Orc was coming closer, you sprinted to the lone tree and climbed it swiftly. You sat just below Gandalf in the tree. "They are coming." You state to the wizard. The tree began to sway and tip over the cliff. "Not soon enough!" Gandalf shouts as the tree topples over. It does not fall all the way over, just enough to lay horizontally with the ground.
Many of the dwarves are having trouble hanging onto the branches and as a result some are hanging off of the other dwarves. As you pull Dori and Ori back up onto the branch you watch Thorin half walk half run off the tree trunk, weapons raise at Azog. We all watch in horror as Thorin is knocked own again and again. You feel the deep growl coming from your chest, "Thorin!" You shout as the wrag closes his jaws around his body, crushing him. You are still holding Nori and Ori keeping them from falling, you are unable to run and help. Dwalin tries to go to him but his branch almost breaks off and now he is trying to hold on too.
The beast tosses Thorin towards the cliff side where he lays trying to reach is sword. "Bring me his head." Azog commands to one of his orc companions. As the Orc goes to chop off Thorin's head you see Bilbo rush over, tackles it, and then stabs it in the chest killing it. Bilbo stand between Azog the defiler and Thorin, ready to fight. You pull Nori and Ori up on to the branch fully so you can go help. You rush over and pull Dwalin up on to his feet effortlessly, before rushing to help. You feel the feathers on your arms and face appearing. The little white feathers create a mask on your face and around your eyes. You feel your canine teeth grow sharper and your claws replace your finger nails. You leap claws ready onto the nearest wrag and orc riders, growling madly as you do so. As you kill the wrag you can head the shouts of the dwarves behind you fighting the other orcs. You made quick work of the orc and the wrag. You rushed over between Bilbo and Azog, your face cut and blood dripping from your claws. You growl threatening at the pale Orc and his white wrag, puffing out your feathered covered chest you step towards them. "Leave now!" you demand, "Before I do the same to you!" You swipe at the wrag and it takes a few steps back. Suddenly a giant eagle swoops in and knocks back Azog and the wrag quite a distance. More eagles appear and start chasing off the Orcs. You take a deep breath and calm your feathers, causing most of the ones on your face and arms to disappear, along with your claws. You turn to Bilbo, "You are very brave Mr. Baggins." You say as you pass him and go to Thorin's side. The eagles start picking up the dwarves and flying away with them. Bilbo is knocked over the edge and caught on one of their backs. One of the Eagles gently flies over and picks up the unconscious Thorin in its talons. You grab the dwarves Oakenshield and sword, tying them to you using you purple head scarf. You jump of the edge and are caught by the same eagle that is carrying Gandalf.
You watched as the company rode the giant birds, all of them scared and worried about their leader. "Gandalf, he isn't going to make it without healing. Him heart fading fast, growing slower and slower." You said sadly. He put a hand on your shoulder, "I can heal a little, but I can't restart a heart Icarus." Gandalf said. The eagles flew us to a large stone tower with stairs carved down the side. The first eagle to drop off its dwarf was the eagle carrying Thorin. Next Gandalf and you were dropped off. You rushed to Thorin's side dropping to your knees. You felt for his pulse, still there but very faint. You opened his shirt enough to put your hand over his heart. "Gandalf as the others are dropped off, make sure they do not interrupt this. I can heal him this way." You advised as you rolled up your sleeves and cleaned your hands as much as you could. 'Deep breaths, steady heart.' You though as you placed both of your hands over your heart. A soft purple glow shown from your hands. You pulled your left hand away slowly but left your right hand on your chest. As your left hand moved away from you thin light purple tendons connected the two. You gently pressed the free hand over Thorin's heart and the light began to pules with your own heartbeat. You started to shake a little, the stress of the magic gnawing away at your strength. "Wake up, please. Thorin make your heartbeat." You said allowed. You felt the feathers on your arms and head appear again. You can't hold this magic much longer. Then you felt it, his chest thumping away on its own and the rise and fall of his breath. You quickly pulled your hands away breaking the link and the purple light faded out.
You got up and pushed through the crowed of dwarves around Thorin. You sat down by the stairs breathing deeply trying to calm yourself down and stop shaking. You looked down at your hands and arms. Dirty white feathers ran up your arms from the back of your hands and up. You rubbed your neck to also find feathers running down the back of it and down your back. You shook yourself out poofing up your feathers and they settling them down again. It's been a very long time sense you've used the magic you've learned from your travels. You felt tired and weak. You needed to sleep badly. But in this state the dreams will surely return. Bad dreams, night terrors that you suffered from when you first arrived in middle earth. With a little pinch of magic, you could keep them away before sleep or enough magic to wake you up before stuff got too bad. You ran your fingers through your hair and held your head in your hands. "It's going to be a long few days." You muttered to yourself.
You got up slowly when you heard Thorin yelling at Bilbo. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" Thorin shouts angerly at Bilbo. "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild. That you had no place amongst us." Thorin steps closer to Bilbo as he talks. "I have never been so wrong in all my life." He breaths out as he hugs Bilbo thankfully. Everyone murmurs happy that Thorin's okay. "Thank you, Gandalf." Thorin says. "You shouldn't be thanking me. I did not call for the eagles. And I did not heal you afterwards." Gandalf replays with a smile. You walk over to Thorin, still visibly tired. Taking the make shift bag off your back you untie it and hold out Thorin's oaken shield and his sword, your hands still shaking a little. "Here, I remembered to pick them up when the eagles rescued us. I knew you would want them back." He takes them from your tremoring hands surprised. You smile at him "You gave us quite a fright. But you're fine, well you should be more then fine." You wrap the purple scarf back around your shoulders lightly. Thorin looks from you to Gandalf then back at you. "Icarus, you're the one who called the eagles?" Thorin asks and everyone looked at you, their eyes asking the same question. You sigh and respond "Yes that was me. And I'm the one who healed you too. That wrag sure broke a lot of bones when he chomped on you. But they should be healed now." You smiled and staggered on your feet. You head was getting light and your limbs heaver. You felt more feathers appearing along your hair line, your strength trying to keep you awake rather than keeping your feathers hidden. You felt a hand on your arm helping to steady you. "Crap… I used too much magic." You murmur to no one imparticular. "Why are you covered in feathers?" You hear Thorin ask. You groan in response as you clutch your throbbing head. You can hear Gandalf talking but you can't make it out. You slowly sink down to your knees before the world spins around you and goes black.