Hey guys! Thanks to anonymous reader for warning me that French sentences were written in the previous chapter in the part with trolls. I corrected it. And I'm so happy to be able to move forward in my story. In this chapter, Hope will reveal herself more to the Company.

Good reading.

Chapter 6: Warg-Scouts

It didn't take long for the Company to find the cave of the Trolls. When they entered, they heard the flies flying around and a strong stench hit their noses.

"Oh, what's that stench?!" Nori exclaimed aloud.

"It's a troll hoard." announced to them Gandalf who led the troop in the cave. "Be careful what you touch."

"They should not know what a bath is," Hope commented, pinching her nose, doing her best to suppress her disgust.

The more they advanced, the more they discovered the treasure of the Trolls. Piles of gold coins and other treasures in chests.

"Seems a shame just to leave it lying around." declared Bofur to the others. "Anyone could take it."

"Agreed," Gloin nodded. "Nori? Get a shovel."

Gandalf and Thorin found swords covered in cobwebs. Thorin picked them up and examined them more closely.

"These swords were not made by any Troll."

He passed one to Gandalf, who examined it in turn.

"Nor were they made by any smith among men." He gazed at the blade with interest. "These were forged in Gondolin, by the High Elves, of the First Age."

At the mention of the Elves, Thorin proceeded to lay down the swords, when the Wizard insisted firmly:

"You could not wish for a finer blade."

Thorin grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it halfway out of the scabbard, revealing an elegant one-sided blade with a mid-curve.

Intrigued, Alaric found a new sword. Looking at it, he saw that it was also an Elvish sword. Realizing the potential dangers he could encounter in Middle-earth, he decided to prevail. If as Gandalf said about the effectiveness of blades, a sword would be useful to him for self-defense. He who had been a vampire hunter for years. Today, he wielded a sword to defend himself.

Hope found a smaller one. She told herself that a sword would also be useful to her in this new world. Pulling it out of its sheath, she was fascinated by the design of the blade. Even lifting it, it was very light.

"Let's get out of this foul place."declared Thorin leaving the cave.

Going out, Gandalf stepped on something metallic. Touching the leaves beneath him with his staff, he found another sword. The Wizard left the cave and walked towards Bilbo.

"Bilbo. Here. This is about your size." he told him, handing him the small sword.

"I can't take this."declared the Hobbit wanting to return the weapon to him.

"It's a nice sword," Hope said joining them.

"The blade is of Elvish make," insisted the magician. "Which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby."

"I have… I have never used a sword in my life." Bilbo retorted, holding the weapon reluctantly.

"And I hope you never have to." Gandalf told him calmly. "But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."

Hope thought of those words of wisdom as if they spoke to her.

As she meditated, Thorin's voice chased away her thoughts.

"Something's coming!"

"Stay together!" cried Gandalf, drawing his sword. "Hurry, now! Arm yourselves!"

The Dwarves pulled out their swords and prepared to retaliate. Alaric was on the lookout with his new weapon, while Hope raised her hands, ready to retaliate with spells.

Moments later, something erupted from the underbrush, accompanied by a scream.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

Stunned, Hope and Alaric stared at him in confusion and amazement. In the middle of the clearing was a sled pulled by a dozen large rabbits. And standing in the back of the sledge was a very peculiar man whose attire was almost similar to Gandalf's, with both long and brown hair and beard, with stains of dried bird droppings on the side of his head.

"Do you… do you see what I see?" Hope asked Alaric in shock at the sight of the rabbits pulling the sled.

"I don't believe it!" replied her stunned director.

Gandalf identified the man jovially. He put away his sword and walked towards the arrival.

"Radagast. It's Radagast the Brown! What on earth are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, Gandalf." Radagast hurriedly replied with great stress. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

"Yes?" asked the Blue Wizard.

Radagast was about to say something important it seemed, but stopped. He wanted to speak, but it was as if he had forgotten what he wanted to announce.

"Just give me a minute…"

Everyone was intrigued by his strange and eccentric behavior.

"Um… Oh! I had a thought and now I've lost it. It was… it was was right there, on the tip of my tongue!"

Then his eyes lit up realizing he had a stick insect on his tongue. Gandalf removed the insect from Radagast, while all were confused.

"Another world…" said Hope, shrugging her shoulders.

Later, Gandalf took the new wizard aside, nevertheless letting Hope and Alaric join them.

"I've never seen Radagast like that before," he told them. "And I think what he has to say has to do with your strange coming to Middle-earth."

Ignoring the two visitors, Radagast addressed Gandalf in an alarming tone:

"The Greenwood is sick, Gandalf. A darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows any more, at least nothing good. The air is foul with decay. But worst are the webs."

"Webs? What do you mean?"wondered Gandalf, smoking his pipe.

"Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones." resumed the anxious wizard. "Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I am not a Wizard."

Hope and Alaric shivered at the mention of giant spiders.

"I'm sorry, what is an Ungoliant?" asked the Tribride.

"A dark and ancient spirit," replied Gandalf. "And who had taken the form of a monstrous spider. Ungoliant has long been gone, but her descendants plagued Middle-earth for many thousands of years, and they still do."

"My God!" Alaric exclaimed, shocked. "Giant spiders!"

"I followed their trail." resumed Radagast in a dark tone. "They came from Dol Guldur."

"Dol Guldur?" wondered Gandalf, now shocked which surprised the two visitors, for they had never seen him so amazed.

He quit smoking his pipe and looked at Radagast in disbelief and amazement.

"But the old fortress is abandoned." he declared in a categorical tone.

"No, Gandalf, it's not." Radasgast answered grimly.

He paused for a moment, before continuing in the same sinister tone:

"A dark power dwells in there… such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror. One that can summon the spirits… of the dead. I saw him, Gandalf. From out of the darkness… a Necromancer has come."

Hope and Alaric looked at each other in shock and amazement. In their world, they had encountered a Necromancer from the Malivore who had brought the Headmaster's fiancee back to life for his dark purposes. If there was a Necromancer capable of scaring wizards, they wondered how to fight against such an evil creature.

For a moment, Radagast seemed lost in thought, then jumped, as if shocked by a frightening memory. He looked around, as if disoriented, and finally collected himself.

"Sorry."

Gandalf took out his pipe and used his beard to wipe the end.

"Try a little old Toby. It'll help setting your nerves."

Radagast bent down to smoke and took a puff. His eyes widened as he took in the smoke.

"And out," Gandalf told him softly.

Then the new wizard smiled peacefully as smoke billowed from his nose and ears. Hope suppressed a laugh, realizing that Radagast wasn't used to smoking a pipe like Gandalf or Bilbo.

"Now, the Necromancer." asked Gandalf bringing his friend back to reality. "Are you sure?"

Radagast, serious again, reached into his tunic and pulled out something wrapped in some kind of rough cloth. Gandalf untied one end and uncovered it. Hope and Alaric could only see the handle of what appeared to be a large knife, but something about it clearly bothered Gandalf. He looked up at Radagast, as if asking for answers. All he got was:

"That is not from the world of the living."

"What's that?" asked Alaric puzzled.

Suddenly, they heard a howl, and the rest of the Company heard it too.

Hope and Alaric hurried to join them.

"Did you hear it too? What was that?" Hope asked as she joined the Dwarves.

"Was that a wolf?" said Bilbo frightened. "Are there… are there wolves out there?"

"Wolves?" wondered Bofur, looking around him. "No, that is not a wolf."

Suddenly, a monstrous creature similar to a large wolf leapt from behind a rock, landing among the Company. It leapt towards the Dwarves, but Thorin slit his neck with his new Elvish sword.

Then a second large wolf appears out of nowhere, and Hope reacts in time by raising her hand.

"Incendia!"

Immediately, the monster was devoured by the flames under the admiring gaze of the Dwarves. Then Hope alerted her new companions:

"Watch out, there's another one!"

A third wolf monster charged straight at the Company, but Kili took his bow, firing an arrow that hit the monster as it fell clumsily, and Dwalin finished it off with a blow to the head.

"What the hell's that?" Hope asked shocked looking at what was left of the downed big wolves. "They're not werewolves. Nor Shunkas."

"At first glance, they look like wolves, but bigger," answered Alaric surprised.

Thorin drew his sword from the creature, bringing their response:

"Warg scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind!"

"Orc pack?" Bilbo cried, realizing things were going to get worse.

"Who did you tell about your Quest, beyond your kin?" asked Gandalf of the Dwarf-King.

"No one," Thorin replied dryly.

"Who did you tell?!" insisted the Wizard a little harder.

"No one, I swear!" retorted the Dwarf firmly. "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted." replied Gandalf darkly.

"By Orcs and… Wargs?"asked Alaric shocked.

"We have to get out of here." declared Dwalin.

"We can't!"Ori reported loudly. "We have no ponies. They bolted."

"Gandalf, what do we do?" Hope asked.

She would be able to repel the Wargs with her magic, but others could bypass her and attack the Dwarves.

"I'll draw them off." announced Radagast confidently.

"These are Gundabad Wargs." objected Gandalf to his friend. "They will outrun you!"

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits."proudly said the wizard to the animals, pointing to his rabbits. "I'd like to see them try."

"Can you really do that? Are your rabbits able to outrun such monsters?" wondered Hope stunned.

"They can," agreed Radagast, smiling slyly.

Outside the forest, the pack of Orcs awaited their Warg scouts. Their leader Yazneg had gone in search of the Dwarves in the woods, when Radagast and his rabbits extricated themselves from the forest. The Wargs began to chase him.

The Orcs and their monstrous mounts pursued the Wizard, but the latter laughed in their face, sarcastically:

"Come and get me!"

The Orc Yazneg roars at his followers, ordering them to pursue Radagast.

The wizard laughed in amusement as the chase continued, his rabbits swiftly dodging their pursuers as Orcs and Wargs crashed to the ground or rocks.

Gandalf watched Radagast ward off Orcs and Wargs from his hiding place behind a rock. He motioned for the others to follow him.

He rushed in a different direction followed by Bilbo, Hope, Alaric and the Dwarves. They made their way through a line of boulders that dotted the landscape, making sure to stay out of sight of the Orcs. From where they stood they had a view of the Orcs pursuing after Radagast.

Thorin suddenly stopped, just before Radagast moved several hundred yards away, with the pack hot on his heels.

"Stay together." Gandalf ordered the whole Company. "Come on!"

They turned around. They ran around several boulders, trying to hide, when they suddenly saw them again in the distance, chasing Radagast, and Ori nearly stumbled out of where they were hiding behind a boulder but Thorin and Alaric pulled him back.

"Ori, no! Come back."

"All of you, come on, come on! Quick!"Gandalf urged them to run at full speed.

Bilbo, Hope, Alaric and Company rushed out of hiding, keeping out of sight of the Wargs.

However, Thorin eyed Gandalf suspiciously.

"Where are you leading us?" he asked the old man.

But the magician looked at him without answering him and continued his flight. Thorin follows him, reluctantly, rolling his eyes, furious that Gandalf was keeping their destination a secret.

One of the Orcs pursuing Radagast halted his Warg as the two sniffed the air from the south and decided they had to go find out.

The Company took cover behind a rocky outcrop when the scout and his Warg appeared at the top, sniffing the air.

"Don't move! Be quiet!" whispered Alaric in a low voice to the Dwarves, wanting to remain as discreet as possible so as not to alert the pack of Orcs.

Thorin nodded at Kili who readied an arrow, then stepped out, firing at the Warg. He growled loudly, falling with the Orc.

While the Orc wanted to attack, Alaric did not give him time to act. He drew his new sword and with a single blow decapitated the Orc. Hope cast a spell on the Warg.

"Incendia!"

Immediately, the Warg ignited immediately.

The Dwarves congratulated the two visitors from the other world.

Alaric gazed at the Orc's head in disgust.

"So that's an Orc? Yikes!"

Unfortunately for the Company, all the Orcs had heard the grunts and cries of the Orc and the Warg before being slain as Yazneg rumbled in the ancient language of the Orcs.

"The Dwarf-scum are over there! After them!"

The Company realized that the Orcs were now hot on their heels.

"They've spotted us!" exclaimed Alaric alerted.

"They're coming at us!" added Hope, her eyes widening in shock.

"Move! Run!" Gandalf yelled before running off in another direction.

They fled as quickly as they could. Hope and Alaric stayed close to Bilbo.

The Company raced across the landscape, trying to find an escape from the enemy. But the band of Orcs was closing in on them from several directions.

Arriving at a clearing, they were accosted from all sides by Wargs and Orcs.

"There they are!"cried Gloin, seeing Orcs coming in their direction.

"This way! Quickly!" urged Gandalf to follow him.

And they went in another direction. But wherever they went, the Orcs managed to trap them.

"There's more coming!" Kili yelled pointing to an Orc on his Warg behind him.

"Kili, shoot them!" shouted Thorin, looking at the Orcs on all fronts.

Gandalf noticed a huge rock and ran towards it.

"We're surrounded!"Fili informed them.

Indeed, the Orcs had managed to encircle the clearing and could attack the Company from all sides. They were done for and didn't stand a chance.

Hope was not afraid to face them, but could never fight against the Orcs and at the same time protect Bilbo and the Dwarves. A distraction was needed for the Orcs which would allow the Dwarves to flee them.

"I've an idea," said Hope to Alaric. "But I'm gonna need you to keep my clothes on."

And without her headmaster giving his opinion, she began to undress.

"Hope, you think…"

"That's the only way! I'll distract them and meanwhile you flee with Bilbo and the Dwarves!"

As she began to remove her top, Thorin walked over to her.

"What the hell are you doing? Whatever you have under your clothes, the Orcs or the Wargs won't care!"

Alaric rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"That's not what you think!" Hope replied loudly, turning her back on the Dwarf. "I can occupy them while you flee!"

"How?" Balin asked, taking care not to look at the girl's nudity.

"Why is she undressing?" Fili wondered, putting his hands up to hide his brother's view.

"She can change into a wolf," answered Alaric, turning around so as not to look at Hope in all her nudity.

"I beg your pardon?" Thorin exclaimed dryly.

"Yes, I can change into a wolf," Hope said taking off all her clothes. "Now turn around and run!"

Once completely naked, Hope ran ahead of the Wargs. Soon, after a few bones cracks and a small grimace, Hope's wolf form stood in the middle of the landscape.

Intrigued, the Orcs spotted the white wolf who had taken Hope's place. Immediately, the wolf roared and attacked. She charged at a Warg, knocking Yazneg down, and fiercely fought the monstrous creature. Hope the wolf fought the Warg and bit it on the neck. The Warg crumbled, while Yazneg ran away in complete fear.

The Orcs wanted to attack her by shooting arrows at her, but Hope the wolf managed to dodge them. She attacked the Wargs, knocking down the Orcs and roared a loud, merciless howl. Two Wargs charged at her, but the white wolf attacked them with claws.

Soon after, the clawed Wargs fled. The Orcs, realizing the strength of this strange white wolf, began to flee in turn, completely frightened.

Bilbo and the Dwarves had their eyes fixed on Hope the wolf who repelled the Orcs and drove the Wargs to flight.

"So she can change into a wolf!" Ori exclaimed.

"How extraordinary!" Balin commented.

"Hope…" Bilbo whispered, shocked.

But some Orcs had reached the Dwarves, and chased them.

"Where's Gandalf?" Nori exclaimed.

Alaric, holding Hope's clothes in his arms, looked around. The magician was nowhere to be found.

"He's abandoned us," Dwalin said angrily.

"Hold your ground!"declared Thorin, drawing his sword.

Ori attacked an Orc with a slingshot, but failed to hit the Orc and only enraged the beast he was leading.

After repelling Yazneg and the Wargs, Hope the Wolf attacked the Orcs who were after the Dwarves. The white wolf roared in rage and attacked the Orcs with its claws. None of the Orcs managed to touch her. They eventually retreated. Hope the wolf took the opportunity to chase them howling.

Suddenly Gandalf appeared behind the large rock he had noticed earlier.

"This way, you fools!"he called them all out loud.

Everyone saw him behind the rock.

"Come on, move!"Thorin told the others. "Quickly! All of you! Go, go, go!"

The whole Company rushed to an underground passage hidden between two rocks. They ran to the hole, sliding into an underground chamber. Thorin, Kili and Alaric waited above ground to cover the Company.

The Dwarves all jumped up, one by one, with Bilbo.

A Warg leapt nearby, but Alaric shot an arrow at it with his crossbow, wounding it, and Thorin slew it with his elven sword. And Kili shot another Orc who was trying to run away from Hope the wolf.

From the underground chamber, Gandalf counted the incoming Dwarves.

- …Nine, ten…

"KILI! RUN!" Thorin yelled at his young nephew.

Kili flees the Orcs and joins the underground entrance.

Once all the Dwarves were safe, Thorin and Alaric slid down the hole and joined them.

Gandalf eventually counted everyone, but noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Hope?" he asked, distraught.

As Hope the Wolf continued to scare the Wargs away, a war horn sounded. Then horsemen appeared out of nowhere and attacked the Orcs with arrows.

Immediately, the white wolf gave up her pursuit and left to join the Company towards the rocks.

One of the Orcs, hit by an arrow, fell into the cave. Thorin pulled out the arrow and examined where it came from.

"Elves!" he declared in frustration, throwing the arrow to the ground.

Then the white wolf let himself slip through the hole. Gandalf positioned himself to attack her, but Alaric stopped him.

"Don't! Don't! It's Hope!"

"What?"exclaimed the stunned Wizard.

Then the white wolf disappeared, to resume the form of Hope. Knowing that she was totally naked, the Tribrid went to hide behind the rocks, thus concealing her nudity from the others.

Alaric put his hand over his eyes and returned the clothes to girl.

"Thanks." Hope thanked him taking her clothes from her hiding place.

"What was that?" hollered Thorin, going towards Hope and Alaric. "You both hid things from us."

"And we'd good reasons," Alaric told him firmly.

"You have a child who can turn into a wolf?" resumed the furious Dwarf-King.

"Yes, I'm a witch who can turn into a wolf," Hope answered while getting dressed.

"A witch who can turn into a wolf?" repeated Gandalf dumbfounded.

The other Dwarves were dazed. Bilbo was speechless, his eyes wide with amazement.

"And you?"Thorin continued to Alaric. "Are you also a creature that can change into an animal or a Warg?"

"No, I'm just an ordinary human who knows how to fight," retorted the Headmaster firmly.

Thorin turned away from him, and walked towards the rocks that hid Hope's naked body.

"What other tricks do you have in addition?" he continued furiously after the Tribrid.

Still behind her rock to hide her nudity, Hope gestured dismissively at the Dwarf-King.

"May I dress in privacy, please?"she asked him dryly.

Swearing grumpily, Thorin turned away.

"Thanks," Hope answered while getting dressed.

His back turned, Thorin continued his interrogations.

"Are you more than a witch then?"

"Yes, I'm more than a witch," answered Hope putting on her top.

"And you scared away the Orcs and the Wargs," Kili declared ecstatically with his back turned.

"We needed someone like you in our kin," Fili added without looking at her.

"You are full of surprises, Hope Mikaelson," commented Gandalf with an admiring look without looking at her.

Finally dressed, Hope put on her Elvish cloak and joined the Dwarves.

"Where we come from, in our world, some people fear my existence," she explained. "I'm not like other witches. For a long time, I was considered an abomination. A creature that shouldn't exist. But I'm here. I am different from the others, and I dreaded your reactions."

"She's a very special person in our world," added Alaric.

"I had sensed that you were more than what appearances revealed," replied Gandalf with a warm smile. "I had a feeling you had a secret. That you possess great power. And I'm sure you're not an abomination, Hope Mikaelson. And I'm glad to meet someone like you."

Hope gave him a friendly smile. Then she turned her attention to the exterior of the underground chamber.

"I think they gone. I saw those riders attacking them. They had to flee. We are quiet for a while."

Dwalin had noticed a path leading away from the cave.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads." he says to the others. "Do we follow it or not?"

"We follow it, of course!" Bofur said, following the passage.

Everyone began to follow the path to the cave.

"I think that would be wise." replied Gandalf still watching Hope with interest.

"As long as this pathway leads us away from the Orcs, it's fine for me," added Alaric, following the Dwarves in the pathway.

And the Company continued on its way into the cave.

And it's done

Hope revealed her werewolf side to Thorin, Bilbo, Gandalf and the other Dwarves. And even the Orcs who are aware of Hope's existence, even if they don't know who she is.

I hope you liked this chapter! See you soon, guys!