Unwanted Attractions

Chapter 20

  "Here lies our path through Mirkwood." Gandalf turns and calls to the others.
  "No sign of the Orcs. We have luck on our side." Dwalin says as he dismounts.
  Gandalf squints as he sees something in the distance; it is Beorn, in his bear form, watching them from a distant ridge. "Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master." He tells them
  The company dismounted and begin taking their supplies off the ponies. Bilbo approaches the forest "This forest feels...sick as if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?"
  "Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south." Gandalf comments before walking a little in 
  As Nori is about to finish unsaddling Gandalf's horse, Gandalf shouts emerging from the forest. "Not my horse! I need it."
  "You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked as the Company looks up and murmured in surprise.
   "I would not do this unless I had to." Gandalf looks at Thorin, then turns and looks at a dejected Bilbo. "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same Hobbit as the one who left the Shire."
  "I was going to tell you; I...found something in the Goblin tunnels."
  "Found what?" Gandalf leans forward curiously and suspiciously; Bilbo doesn't answer immediately but fumbles with the ring in his pocket. "What did you find?"
  Bilbo stays silent for several more seconds, then finally responds. "My courage." He removes his hand from his pocket.
  "Good. Well, that's good. You'll need it." Gandalf turns and begins walking toward his horse; he speaks as he passes Thorin. "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me." Gandalf stops and looks hard at Thorin as he says this, then continues toward his horse. "This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."
 "Lead us astray? What does that mean?" Bilbo questions as  Gandalf gets on his horse.  "You must stay on the path; do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." Gandalf turns his horse away. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!" He shouts as he rides off

  The company enters the forest and started following the path. Rosa stays either by Bilbo or Bofur staring at Fili once or twice.  Rosa snaps out of her thoughts and looks over to Bilbo who nudges her.
  "You Feeling alright Rosa?" Bilbo asked concerned
  "Yes, I'm alright just thinking is all."
  After some time the company comes across a bridge. "We can try to swim it," Bofur comments looking at the water
  "No, remember what Gandalf said a dark magic lies upon this forest, these waters are Enchanted."
  "They don't look enchanted to me," Bofur says doubtfully
  "These vines look strong enough," Kili says about to swing but stops as thorin shouts  his name "We send lightest first."
  This gets the dwarves to look towards Bilbo "Who me no, no, no." he shakes his head
  "Don't worry Brother I'll be behind you." Rosa pats his back then walks to the vine
  The dwarves wait behind on land as the two start crossing.
  "I don't see a problem." Bilbo says then all most falling "there's one"
  "Are you alright Bilbo?"
  "Ah, I'm fine." He says getting himself up they walk a little farther then Bilbo all most fell off again. but this time Rosa manage to grab his pack catching him "Woah, careful Bilbo."
  "Uh, thanks," He nervously chuckles 

  They finally make it over to the other side. After on the land, realizing something  Bilbo shouts to the others "stay where you are"
  "Uh, Bilbo." Rosa points over just as the dwarves come on the vines "Too late."
  "Oh," he says as Rosa helps him up
  The two turn and see Thorin making his way over safely. They hear a noise and look to see a white elk trotting into our view. Thorin pulls back his bow and shoots at it scaring it off
  "You shouldn't have done that," Bilbo tells him
  "Yeah, it's bad luck." Rosa comments 
  "I don't believe in luck. We make our own luck." He tells the two walking away

They continue to follow the path through the forest, it twists and turns over all sorts of terrain such as bare ground, high ledges, fallen tree trunks, and more. Dwalin thumps the handle of his hammer on the ground trying to find the stones of the trail. "This way." he points once finding it
They continue walking. Then suddenly everyone runs into each other as Nori, in front, stops abruptly. As they continue to wander through the forest, it seems to begin to affect them mentally, and they stagger about. The dwarves are all muttering and rambling as they wander about. Bilbo absentmindedly plucks a spiderweb; it vibrates, and the vibrations continue through the various linked spiderwebs and far off into the forest. Bilbo plucks the web again. He hears a strange whispering noise.

As they are walking Ori Nocties something laying on the ground. He leans down and picks it up, it's a tobacco pouch. "Look." He shows the others
"A tobacco pouch." Dori says taking it from Ori "There are dwarves in these woods."
"Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine." Bofur says now taking the pouch from Dori.
"That is because it's yours.
"We're going around in circles. We are lost."
"We're not lost. We keep heading east."
"But which way is east? We've lost the sun." Oin speaks up

As the dwarves begin bickering indistinctly, Bilbo looks up and sees a bit of sun through the tree canopy far above him. "The sun. We have to find the sun. Up there. We need to-" HE starts but stops seeing the dwarves not listening
"you go Bilbo I'll uh...see if I can get them to stop."
Bilbo shakes his head before climbing the tree, as the dwarves have started fighting and pushing each other around. Thorin stands apart, listening. Then he hears the strange whispering sound "What? What's that?" Thorin mutters to himself. Throin looks around as the whispering continues; he turns and yells at the other dwarves. "Enough! Quiet! All of you! We're being watched."
This makes them stop fighting. they look toward him before they all black out.