A Sword and A Shield [The Hobbit X OC]

17 - Old Enemies

Everyone immediately started running further down the hill in the wake of mine and the wizard's long strides. My heart beat like a drum in my chest, having been riled up in my argument with Thorin and now with the sudden anticipation of an orc attack.

A warg's howl rent the air in the distance. They were getting closer!

As the sun disappeared for the night, wargs began appearing on all sides. The foremost warg caught up to the group, its jaws snapping in the air as it leaped off a huge rock. The warg landed in front of Bilbo, growled, and charged straight at him. He pulled out his sword just in time to let the mutt impale itself in the head.

The dwarves and I dispatched any other riderless wargs that got too close.

We reached an outcropping of land with a few trees scattered about. There was no way off other than a great fall down into the valley, meaning we were good and trapped. Gandalf quickly looked to the trees and then to everyone behind him.

"Up into the trees, all of you!"

Without hesitation, I began tossing dwarves high enough to reach the branches, at least the ones who didn't already scramble up into the trees. Dori, Nori, and Ori didn't fight me when I grabbed their jacket collars and threw them.

Others sure did, like Dwalin, and Gloin.

"Nobody tosses this dwarf," growled the redhead before hoisting himself up.

"Bilbo, climb!" I heard Gandalf shout to the hobbit, already up in a tree himself.

Fili and Kili expertly helped each other into the branches. Even Bombur managed to pull his huge body up off the ground.

I shot down warg after warg to give the dwarves time, and then tried to count. "Is that all—?"

"Stop standing around and climb!"

Strong dwarf hands wrapped around my waist and threw me straight into the air as if I was as light as a doll. My fingers secured a branch. Then, I swung to plant my feet on the same branch so I could climb higher.

When Thorin climbed up beside me and Balin, I took a moment to growl at him. "Even I have limits. Do that again, and I forfeit the contract."

He studied the dozens of wargs circling the trees. "I'll take that as a thank you."

Resisting the urge to snarl, I instead moved to Gandalf's tree; it was taller, so I could see more. I spotted a small moth on a branch, too, surprised that the wizard didn't see it. I brought the moth close to my face, whispered a few elvish words to it, and then blew it gently.

The tiny creature fluttered away into the night.

Immediately after, the pain in my back returned, causing my body to shake from both pain and exertion and major blood loss. Gandalf asked if I needed him to try mending it, but I refused him since we would soon have company.

"Later, perhaps," I said as the wargs all went quiet as a mouse.

A white warg approached the others with a Gundabad Orc as its rider. My blood froze at the sight. It was not comforting to see that rider, that orc, with the familiar scars on his face. However, I did notice he was missing his left hand.

Did Thorin do that?

"Azog?!" I heard Thorin gasp in shock. Up until now, he refused to believe the truth.

The truth that Azog was, in fact, alive.

I wasn't any happier about the news. We both shared in the pain of reliving our worst memories.