HOBBIT X OC - Elastic Heart

Chapter 7 ~ AZOG

Suddenly a Warg howls out in the distance. Hearing the howling, we realize we are in danger. "Out of the frying pan..." Thorin says as he looks to Gandalf who finishes his sentence, "...and into the fire! Run! RUN!" 

We all start running down the mountain as fast as we can. The Wargs follow us rapidly as it becomes nighttime. Soon the foremost Warg catches up to the group and leaps at Bilbo who ducks behind a rock and the Warg's jaws snap in the air over his head. The Warg lands in front of him. Growling, it charges at him. Bilbo pulls out his sword and holds it in front of him; the charging Warg impales itself in the head on the sword and falls down dead. Bilbo looks on in surprise.

"Bilbo!" I call as I run back to him right as a few more Wargs catch up to the fleeing dwarves, but they are quickly dispatched. We reach a large outcropping of land with a few trees growing on it; we are trapped there, as there is no way off the outcropping besides a great fall down the mountain. "Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Gandalf cries as he starts to climb. Bifur throws an axe, killing a Warg which was approaching him. Bofur jumps off a rock and grabs a tree branch, using Dwalin's head as a stepping stone to the tree. Other dwarves begin climbing into the trees as well. I quickly climb a nearby tree before realizing Bilbo isn't next to me.

I look back to see Bilbo trying to pull his sword out of the dead Warg's head, but it is stuck firmly. He continues to pull. "They're coming!" Thorin cries and right as Bilbo pulls his sword out of the Warg; He looks up to see several more Wargs running at him. Using my legs as an anchor I flip back down and grabbing him pull him up into the trees with us. "Go!" I cry as I collect myself and push him further up the tree. Dozens of Wargs circle the trees in which we are perched. The Wargs cease their growling and turn as the White Warg, with a pale Orc on its back, approaches slowly. Thorin looks at him in shock as he says, "Azog?!"

As his White Warg growls, Azog strokes it and talks ominously. "Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast?" (Do you smell it? The scent of fear) "Ganziligi unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Trainob." (I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain) I turn to see that Thorin looks stricken with pain and grief, realizing that Azog had captured his father. Azog speaks to his Wargs and Riders as he says, "Kod, Toragid biriz." (That one is mine)"Wororida!" (Kill the others) At his command, the Wargs leap forward and try to climb the trees. They jump as high as they can, scrabbling at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws in their efforts. The trees shake violently at the assault, and we all struggle to hold on.

"Sho gad adol!" (Drink their blood!) Azog cries out into the night air. With the weight of the Wargs climbing it, the furthest tree from the edge of the cliff, which Bilbo, myself, and several other dwarves are in, gets uprooted from the ground and begins leaning wildly. As more Wargs grab onto it, the tree tips over and lands on the next tree. We jump from the falling tree to the next. However, this tree as well tips over; like dominoes, all the trees begin falling over. All the dwarves, Bilbo, Gandalf, and myself manage to jump onto the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff.

This tree doesn't fall over. Azog laughs. Looking around in desperation, Gandalf spies a pinecone. He grabs it and uses his staff to set the pinecone on fire; he then throws it down amid the Wargs, who retreat in fear of the fire. Azog is startled and angry at the unexpected resistance. Gandalf lights two more pinecones and throws one down to Fili. Fili catches the pinecone. Bilbo and the dwarves gather pinecones and Gandalf sets them on fire; We then throw the flaming pinecones like missiles at the Wargs. All the area around the tree gets set on fire, forcing the Wargs to retreat a distance. At least one Warg gallops away with its fur alight.

Azog roars in anger and frustration as the dwarves cheer. Suddenly, our cheers turn into cries of fear as the roots of the tree we are in start to give way; the tree tips precariously over the edge of the cliff, but comes to a rest sticking straight out away from the edge of the cliff. Gandalf looks down and sees the ground far, far, below. The dwarves try to hold on as they get flung around. Ori loses his grip on the tree and falls, but manages to grab on to Dori's leg. "Aahhh! Oh! Oh no!" Ori cries out as Dori calls to Gandalf.