Chapter 1

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It's been a few days since the incident on the cliffside happened everything seemed at peace. But that was cut short as we could hear Azog and his pack closing in on us again, So the company sent Bilbo and Myself to see how close they are while they stay hidden.

So here Bilbo and I peek over some rock on a high ledge. To see how close Azog and his Warg scouts are. We see them running along a ridgeline not far away, occasionally stopping to smell the air in the pursuit of us. They seem not to find anything as they continue on their way. Suddenly, we hear a snarl from the side and duck behind the rocks. Bilbo peeks out and then ducks back down.

"Well, what did ya see?" I asked

He shakes his head "I'm not sure, we should head back to the others."

"Right."

We sneak away. We make our way down the rocks to where the dwarves and Gandalf are waiting for us.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked us as the other come closer

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it." Bilbo tells him

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dawlin asked

"Not yet, I'm sure they will soon though; but we have another problem," Bilbo tells them

"Did they see you? They saw you!" Gandalf asked panicked

"No, that's not it, " I tell him

Gandalf smiles and turns to the dwarves. "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar/scout material."

The dwarves chuckle loudly in appreciation of me and Bilbo. Bilbo looks exasperated that no one is listening to us

"Will you listen- Will you just listen? We're trying to tell you there is something else out there." Bilbo tried to say calmly

The dwarves look at us worried

"What form did it take? Like a bear" Gandalf asked Him

"Ye..." He stops and looks at him. "Y- yes. But bigger, much bigger."

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked Gandalf

Gandalf just turns and walks a few steps away.

"I say we double back," Bofur suggests

"And be run down by a pack of orcs." Thorin reminds us

"There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge," Gandalf says

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us."

The dwarves look at each other in dismay.

"What choice do we have?"

We hear a roar splits the night behind us.

"None."

With that, we start running through plains and across streams.

"Come on!" Gandalf shouts

As we run through a forest, soon Azog and his Orcs race through the forest too. We stop suddenly when we ear-splitting roar sounds nearby.

"This way, quickly!" Gandalf shouts Motioning us to follow

"Bombur, come on!" Bofur yells

As we exit the forest, we can see the house surrounded by a hedge in the middle of the plain.

"To the house! Run!" Gandalf shouted

We run across the plains and somehow Bombur starts outrunning. We run through a gate in the hedge.

"Come on, get inside!"

We run to the front door of the house we all hit the door and the dwarves try to knock it down.

"Open the door!" Gandalf yells

"Quickly!" Thorin says pushing through the dwarves pressed against the door, manages to raise the exterior bolt and opens the doors.

We all bolts inside the house and the dwarves try to slam the door shut, but the bear has already gotten its head in the door. As the bear roars and tries to push the door open, the dwarves yell and strain to close it. Bilbo pulls out his sword and points it unsteadily at the bear. The dwarves yell as they press against the door.

"Come on, lads!"

With a final heave, the dwarves manage to close the door and drop the bolt across it. They all sigh.

"What is that?" Ori asks

"That...is our host." Gandalf

The dwarves looked at Gandalf in bewilderment

"His name is Beorn, and he is a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear; sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of dwarves." Gandalf tells us

The dwarves look at each other in dismay.

Ori peaks out a crack in the door. "He's leaving!"

"Come away from there!" Dori tells him pulling from the door "It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious: he's under some dark spell."

"Don't be a fool; he's under no enchantment but his own. Alright now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight." Gandalf tells him

We all start spreading out through the house.

I hear Gandalf whispers quietly "I hope."

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