All's Far in Love and War

Chapter 7: Beorn and Mirkwood

Third Person POV:

It is night in the present time as Bilbo peeks over some rocks on a high ledge and watches Azog and his Warg Scouts running along a ridgeline not far away, occasionally stopping to smell the air in their pursuit of the Company. Not finding anything, they continue on their way. Suddenly, Bilbo hears a snarl from the side, and ducks behind the rocks. He peeks out and sees a large bear watching Azog from another pile of rocks, snarling softly. Bilbo sneaks away. The camera zooms in toward the bear, and the bear roars. Bilbo has made his way down the rocks to where the dwarves, Gandalf and his daughter are waiting to hear his spy report if that is even a thing?

"How close is the pack?" Dwain asks as he inches closer to Flora with out her or Thorin knowing about it.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it." Bilbo said, without much breath.

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin asked.

"Not yet, but they will; we have another problem." Bilbo replied knowing there are more questions to come.

"Did they see you? They saw you!" Gandalf said, worried.

"No, that's not it." Bilbo shook his head. Gandalf smiles and turns to the dwarves.

"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material." Gandalf smiled. The dwarves chuckle loudly in appreciation of Bilbo. Bilbo looks exasperated that no one is hearing him out. Flora is the only one who is serious at the moment other than her father. She had heard the bears' roar when clearly none of the others had.

"Will you listen- Will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there." Bilbo shouted as quietly as he could. The dwarves look worried.

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

"Ye..." Bilbo pauses and looks curiously at Gandalf. "Y- yes. But bigger, much bigger."

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked Gandalf curiously. Gandalf turns and walks a few steps away.

"I say we double back." Bofur said shaking his head.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs." Thorin hissed.

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

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin asked.

"Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us." Gandalf said firmly, but a little shaky.

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked as the dwarves looks at each other in dismay. A roar splits the night behind them; it is the bear.

"None." Ganfalf stated. The company is running through plains and across streams.

"Come on!" Gandalf shouted as the company ran. Flora clutched her ribs as she tried to run. As the Company runs through a forest, Azog and his Orcs are racing through the forest too. Azog urges his party on. Both groups stop suddenly when an ear-splitting roar sounds nearby.

"This way, quickly!" Gandalf urges. As the dwarves panic and run, Bombur looks on in shock until he is pulled along.

"Bombur, come on!" Bofur shouted. As they exit the forest, they spy a house surrounded by a hedge in the middle of a plain.

"To the house! Run!" Gandalf urges again. However by this time Flora has stopped running because she can not run any longer and really no one is paying attention that she is farther behind.