Of The Sun (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/LOTR)

Pt. 1 - Chapter 15 - The Beast

"Him?"

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

"Ye-" Bilbo's face turned to a mixture of shock and confusion, "yes, but bigger. Much bigger."

"He's a long way from home." Ana said turning to Gandalf. "The orcs... he's watching them. Smelt them. His sense of smell is far better than theirs... he'll know we're here." She answered as her face dropped a little. "We should move." She tried to remove as much panic from her voice as she could, but Gandalf's eyes narrowed on her as did a few of the dwarf's.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked. "I say we double back."

"And be run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin shot back.

"We have to go forward." Ana nodded. "The orcs will most certainly kill us. The bear... the bear only might... well, actually it's perhaps a little closer to the certainty mark, but there could be hope."

"What is it?" Fili asked. "Who is it? You speak as if it's a man. Why would this beast care about us?"

"Us? Fili, no not us." She shook her head. "You. All of you. He is not overly fond of dwarves. I did not think we would cross his path this far away from his dwelling. In fact, I would have advised another alternative if I thought we would, but the orcs have brought him out." Gandalf's eyes narrowed.

"Would you now?" He wondered in a low voice, "A curious thing to do when he is a known friend to the elves, one you yourself know." She swallowed a lump in her throat and Gandalf was not so sure it was just the dwarves that would not have found themselves welcome.

"What do we do?" Bilbo asked.

"There is a house." Gandalf stated as Ana's eyes honed on him. "It's not far from here, where we might take refuge."

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

"Neither."

"Both." Came Ana's reply at the same time.

"He will help us... or he will kill us." Gandalf added.

"It all depends on his mood, really. Mithrandir... are you sure?" She asked the wizard, not entirely feeling it herself.

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked.

There was a mighty roar that sounded almost like a howl in the night, carrying to them and ricocheting off the stone.

"None." Gandalf replied.

They ran... again. Down the cliffside and across another valley. The sun was rising higher and higher in the sky as they did. It was not a great distance, but it was just far enough to call it a long way off. The orcs picked up their trail and they heard their cries along with the howls of the beast at their backs, but the more they ran the more concerned they became about the bear, its loud thudding steps seemed to shake the very ground they ran on.

"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf ordered.

Bombur faltered, turning and risking a look over his shoulder, listening to the sounds of the beasts and watching as the trees shook. Ana grabbed at his arm and shoved him forward from where she took up a place at the end of the party. "Run!" She ordered him. He did. Bombur turned and Bombur took off like no other.

Fili was soon in the lead, overtaking Gandalf, as the fastest runner of the dwarves and Anariel picked up her pace to head to the front, seeing the house in the distance. They emerged from the woods in a procession line of sprinters.

"Into the house! Run!" Gandalf ordered.

Bombur's legs picked up the pace, powering through and overtaking his companions one at a time, and nearly over taking Fili, Dwalin and Kili in the lead and would have if they had more distance to run. Through the gates they ran and straight to the big heavy barn door.