My Prince under the Mountain // Filli //

<7>

I stumbled and grabbed onto the nearest thing I could find which happened to be someone's cloak. It could have been any of the dwarves.
"Ellothrien?"
I heard my name called multiple times, frantically by different people.
Then Gandalf began speaking to me in elvish. I tried focusing on him but looking up was too hard.
All I could think of now was the searing pain that still ripped through my back. I shrugged off my heavy cloak with the four hideous tears and revealed the soaked tunic that also had four tears. However you could see the gashes of my back through this layer and it was at this the dwarves gasped.
"Ellothrien? El?" A voice was speaking to me and I tried my hardest to focus on it. Blonde hair filled my vision and I smiled at Fili.
Then I closed my eyes and felt my body go limp

*. *. *.

I woke to find my head resting on a rock. With a groan I sat up and looked around. A sudden chilling roar echoed in the air around us.
Wargs.
I scrambled quickly to my feet before stumbling back onto my knees as I hissed. The pain seemed to have subsided but the light headedness was still there.
"Ellothrien? She's awake!" I looked back to see Filli crouching over me. His hand hovered gently over my back, not touching it for fear of hurting me more.
"Do you need a hand?" I nodded at him gratefully. He helped me to stand and I groaned slightly. Reaching my arm back I realised that the dwarves (and most likely Gandalf) had treated my wounds with the same paste I had made for Thorin. That explained the lessening of pain that I felt.
"They were pretty deep wounds. You were strong enough to be able to heal Thorin even while you were in so much pain. That's really impressive." Filli looked at me earnestly.
By this point I'd learned that his eyes were incredibly emotive and I looked away to avoid my words becoming tangled.
"Thank you. I appreciate it." I said quietly in response. 
Suddenly the rest of the dwarves came bounding over the rocks towards us.
"Is she okay?"
"She's awake?"
"How is the elf?"
I chuckled as I looked round at all their expectant faces.
"I'm much better now, thank you."
"You gave us quite a scare." Thorin stepped forwards and said gently. I nodded at him.
Suddenly, Bilbo darted down the path between the rocks behind us too. My elf ears allowed me to hear the growls from the wargs and a curious roar of something new. Knowing our luck it was bound to be dangerous.
Thorin approached Bilbo hurriedly,
"How close is the pack?" He asked.
"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it."
He raced down into the middle of our group and fought to catch his breath.
"Have the wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin enquired.
"Not yet. But they will do." Bilbo confirmed. "We have another problem."
"Did they see you?" Gandalf asked from behind Bilbo. The hobbit turned round to look at the wizard who panicked slightly.
"They saw you?"
"No that's not it."
"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse, excellent burglar material."
All the dwarves started to chatter with agreement. I could see Bilbo becoming visibly more and more stressed.
"Will you listen? Will you just.. listen..?"
"Hey!" I shouted, drawing the attention of the chattering dwarves. They turned to look at me questioningly.
"Bilbo is trying to tell us something and I assume it has to do with that roar I heard earlier. I don't know what it was but it wasn't a warg."
"Right. Yes. Thank you, Ellothrien." Bilbo cast me a grateful look. "I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there."
The dwarves were silenced and we all shared concerned looks.
"What form did it take?" Gandalf asked gravely. "Like a bear?"
"Y-yes." Bilbo stammered with surprise. "But bigger, much bigger."
"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked incredulously, resting on his axe. Gandalf held a pensive, somewhat frightened look.
"I say we turn back." Someone suggested from the middle of the group which was still clustered between the rocks.
"And be run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin retaliated - the voice of reason on this occasion.
"There is a house. It's not far from here, where we might take refuge." Gandalf turned back to address us.
"Whose house?" Thorin asked. "Are they friend or foe?"
"Neither..." Gandalf admitted. "He will help us or... he will kill us."
I let out a small sigh. It wasn't as if we had much choice.
"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked, echoing my own thoughts. A sudden roar bounced off the rocks surrounding us. I winced at the volume of the growl and raced to the head of the group as we tumbled down the mountainside.
We ran for what seemed like hours and I could tell some of the dwarves were feeling the strain. Unfortunately we'd only managed to make it to the foot of the mountain and still had to contest with the wide open fields and rushing rivers.
I raced behind Thorin and Gandalf as we sprinted across the glade but once we reached the forest I lessened my pace to be behind Fili and Kili. The closely gathered trees offered more sound to bounce off and reach my sensitive ears and I fretted as the snarls of the wargs grew louder and louder.
"Gandalf...!" I yelled worriedly, retrieving my bow from my back.
"This way. Quickly!" He called and ushered the dwarves to carry on through the forest. I strayed to the back of the group in order to protect us from behind. I looked ahead and noticed that Fili and Kili had joined me.
"We thought you might need back up!" Kili shouted with a wink. I chuckled but was grateful despite the hairs on the back of my neck rising.
"Bombur, keep running!" I shouted at the petrified dwarf. He had frozen in terror and a snarl from behind alerted me as to why.
With a small grunt of effort I raced to higher ground, still running alongside the dwarves before jumping down to join them once more, twisting in mid air to shoot the warg that had ridden ahead. The arrow pierced the beast's skull and it dropped to the forest floor. More quickly took its place. They were almost too close for comfort now.
As we emerged once more into another clearing a great gateway rose ahead of us. Gandalf was running straight for it.
"Come on, get inside." He ushered us in and we leapt at the doors of what seemed to be an incredibly large house.
Bombur was the first one to reach it and his large frame bounced straight off the door, throwing him to the floor. Kili, Fili and I reached the door next. The two dwarves tried their hardest to knock the doors down.
There was a sense of urgency as Gandalf yelled at us to open the door and an animalistic roar reached our ears.
I took a step back and, noticing the latch, lifted the lock to swing open the doors. The dwarves flooded through the opening and hastily we began to shut the door.
A huge head, like a bear but three times larger managed to wedge itself between the door. The dwarves shouted at one another to 'close that door!' and I warily raised my bow.
However Gandalf places a gentle hand on top of the arrow and pointed my weapon towards the floor.
"Don't worry Ellothrien. That won't be necessary." He spoke with a small smile and the strange glint that he occasionally had in his eye was present.
Luckily the dwarves had managed to close the door by this point.
Ori turned to Gandalf and I wide eyed. "What was that."
"That is our host."
Gandalf's comment was met by 14 dumbfounded stares and I had to bite my lip in order to not allow my calm facade to break. Their expressions were rather amusing though.
Gandalf inclined his head to me and shared that same twinkle in his eye before turning back to the dwarves and hobbit.
"His name is Beorn. And he's 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 over fond of dwarves." Gandalf warned.
The dwarves all stopped their exploration of the house to look at Gandalf with mixed expressions. Mostly fear or indignation.
"I've heard of such creatures before." I mused while stroking the intricate carvings of a large bench. I was not know for my height in the elven community, my human genes came from a line of small men and women but I was still , if only slightly, taller than the dwarves yet this furniture was ginormous.
It towered above even Gandalf and I was intrigued to meet such a man that lived in a house like this one.
"This is not natural." Said Dori, "None of it. It's obvious. He's under some dark spell." He watched Gandalf warily, accusing him of bringing them into such a dangerous place.
"Nonsense. He's under no enchantment but his own." Gandalf responded huffily. "Alright, now get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight... I hope."