Zaliya's Unexpected Journey

Ch 14: Into the Fire

"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Zaliya roars as she turns into a large black tiger. Taking down any Warg that comes to close to the company. 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. 

"They're coming! Zaliya come on!" Thorin yells in fear as a Warg takes a chunk out of her shoulder. Zaliya turns into an owl and flies up to land beside Thorin, turning back into a human she tries to control the blood seeping from her shoulder. Thorin wraps his arms around her in a protective hug. 

  Gandalf climbs to the top of the furthest tree; Dwalin boosts Balin up. Thorin, Bombur, and the rest climb up trees too. The main body of Wargs and Warg Riders approach. Dozens of Wargs circle the trees in which the Company members are perched. Gandalf reaches out with his staff and picks up a moth sitting in the same tree as him. Bringing the moth close to his face, he whispers to it; he then blows it gently, causing it to flutter away. The Wargs cease their growling and turn as the White Warg, with Azog on its back, approaches slowly. Thorin looks at Azog in shock. "Azog?" Zaliya looks up in fright and anger at that, seeing Azog, she ducks her head, hoping he won't recognize her.   

Azog sneers at Thorin, "Do you smell it? The sent of fear? I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain." Thorin glanced at Zaliya and she reluctantly translated for him. 

"Who is this? A new lady friend?" Azog cackled. At that Zaliya stood on her branch and glared daggers at Azog. "It cannot be? You have survived after all these years?" Azog gasps in shock. 

Zaliya spat in Orcish back at him, "I see you still have those lovely scars I gifted you with!" 

Azog roared in anger, "That one and the dwarf king are mine. 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 the dwarves struggle to hold on. "Drink their blood!"

 With the weight of the Wargs climbing it, the furthest tree from the edge of the cliff, which Bilbo 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; the dwarves and Bilbo 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, and Gandalf manage to jump onto the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff. This tree doesn't fall over. Azog laughs. 

Zaliya lights a pinecone on fire and sent it hurtling at a Warg, setting it on fire. She lights another one and throws it down to Fili. Fili catches the pinecone. Bilbo and the dwarves gather pine-cones and Gandalf sets them on fire; they then throw the flaming pine-cones 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, their cheers turn into cries of fear as the roots of the tree they 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.

"Mister Gandalf!" Dori cried in fear. Because of the extra weight, Dori loses his grip on the tree as well and falls, but Gandalf quickly swings his staff down and Dori grabs on to the end of it. "Hold on Ori!" Dori shouts to his brother. 

Thorin pulls himself up, shoving Zaliya back on the tree as she tried to stop him, and walks down the leaning trunk as Bilbo and the others, hanging from the tree, look on. Thorin runs through the burning ground at Azog and his White Warg. Azog spreads his arms wide with a smug grin on his face. Thorin growls as he runs with his sword up and his oaken branch shield held in front of him. Azog crouches, then roars as his Warg leaps at Thorin. Thorin tries to swing his sword, but the Warg hits him in the chest with its fore-paw, smashing Thorin to the ground. The other dwarves in the tree look on in shock and Dori struggles to hold on to Gandalf's staff. 

Zaliya leaps off the tree, ignoring the other dwarves, she attempted to get to Thorin but all the Wargs turned to attack her. Turning into a large black tiger, she slowly tries to fight her way to Thorin. 

As Thorin gets back on his feet, panting, Azog and his White Warg wheel around; they charge at Thorin again. Azog swings his mace and smashes Thorin in the face before Thorin can react. Thorin is brutally flung to the ground by the impact. Azog roars in excitement. Bilbo manages to stand up on the tree. The White Warg clamps its jaws around Thorin and Thorin yells in pain. Dwalin tries to get off and tree to assist Thorin, but the tree branches he is holding on to break, swinging him precariously over the edge and preventing him from reaching Thorin.As the White Warg holds Thorin in its mouth, Thorin manages to hit its head with the pommel of his sword. Roaring, the White Warg throws Thorin several feet away onto a flat rock nearby. Thorin lands heavily, his sword falling out of his hand. He is almost unconscious. He hears Zaliya's roar of rage and frustration at not being able to get to him. 

One of Azog's Warg Riders jumps off his Warg and approaches Thorin. Zaliya saw red as the Orc got closer and closer to Thorin, turning into a human, she used all her energy she lifted herself with the wind to land next to Thorin, just in the nick of time to block the sword from decapitating Thorin. Her eyes turned black and she stabbed the Orc in the heart before he could react. Hissing at the rest of the orcs, she crouched protectively over Thorin's unconscious body. Suddenly, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin, who have managed to get off the tree, plow into the Wargs from the side and start fighting them. Zaliya left Thorin's body and turned into a black tiger again. She battled against the White Warg and Azog with all the rest of her strength which was slowly waning. 

Dori slips from the end of Gandalf's staff, and Dori and Ori fall toward the ground far below. An eagle swoops out of nowhere and catches them on its back; they yell in fear as they are carried swiftly away. Several more Eagles appear and join the fray. Some grab Wargs and Orcs and toss them over the cliff. Others knock down trees, which crush the Wargs below them. Another Eagle fans the flames with its wings, causing an inferno which burns the Wargs. Azog snarls in frustration. One Eagle gently grabs Thorin and his sword in its talons and flies away. As Thorin is lifted off the ground, his oaken branch shield slips off his arm and lands on the ground. Azog roars and jumps back as an Eagle flies by him; the Eagle heads straight for an alarmed Bibo and snatches him off the ground. It then throws Bilbo, and he screams as he falls toward the ground, only to land on the back of another Eagle. The rest of the Eagles proceed to snatch the dwarves out of the tree and fly away. When only Gandalf is left in the tree, the roots give way and the tree falls off the edge of the cliff. Gandalf leaps clear of it and is caught by an Eagle.

Zaliya turns back into a human and with one last swipe at Azog she picks up Thorin's dropped shield and jumps off the cliff. 

Whooo! One last chapter and this book is over! Hope you all are enjoying it!