Troubled Gandalf made his way to a rock and watched as Radagast laughed like a mad man, leading the wargs and orcs astray. Andy climbed up next to him, also looking.
"Naah. He's fine", she said and jumped back down. "But if you don't lead us on right now, we won't be. »
Gandalf did not wait a heartbeat before he took off. "Follow me. Come on!"
One after one they set off running after the wizard. It did not take long, and Andy was at the back of the company, cursing her short legs. Even though the dwarves could not keep up with Gandalf, she could not even keep up with them!
Still cursing under her breath Andy finally caught up with the dwarves and the wizard, hiding behind a rock. As soon as she reached them, they started running off again.
"You got to be kidding me!" Picking up the pace again, she followed them. They had to turn around a few times and stop middle in their tracks. Radagast was doing a great job keeping the wargs occupied, but he seemed to have forgotten, that he should be drawing them off. Instead, he was leading them in circles, closing in in the company.
One time, they came to halt behind a rock, because Radagast was suddenly ahead of them, Wargs hot on his tail.
"Ori, no"; Thorin called and pulled the young dwarf back, as he almost ran past them. They turned around and ran in the other direction again.
"Damn you, feathers", Andy spoke. "Having so much fun without me that you forgot that one job you had!"
Catching their breath behind another rock, they heard a Warg atop of it, growling and smelling. The company froze in place and pressed themselves closer to the rock, hoping not to be discovered. On tiptoes, Andy left the shadow of the rock, wanting to get sight of the Warg. Noticing that, Thorin's eyes widened and he tried to pull her back without gaining any attention of the Warg and its rider.
"Baggins!", he whispered through his teeth, his jay clenching. "Get back here!"
Andy did not listen and stretched her neck a little further, to get a better view. She had not seen a Warg up close since almost three hundred years. Did they still look the same? Did they grow more intelligent? Do they still have fur? Or do they have feathers now? Maybe scales! Was their skull still so weak that you could stab them with a toothpick?
Andrea needed answers. In addition, she had no problem with getting them.
Her eyes needed a second to adjust to the light shining into her face. Blinking a few times her vision became sharp again and Andy could see the Warg and the Rider, both looking the other way. What she saw disappointed her a little.
Furry, big ugly Warg with a nasty, deformed, grey, poorly haired, dim orc. With a sigh, Andy shook her head. Immediately, all the dwarves shushed her at the same time.
Thirteen shushes are not something, you can overhear. Not even as a stupid orc and an incapable Warg. It is just not possible.
The head of the Warg spun around and his eyes fixated on Andy. Rolling her eyes, she threw her hands up.
"Great job guys. You can guess three times, whose attention you just caught. "
With horror in his eyes, Fili dashed forwards, wanting to push her out of the way of the Warg. The beast had leapt at her, ready to dig his claws into her flesh. Fili knew, he was not as fast as the Warg, but he still wanted to try to help her.
Andy's eyes flickered towards him and her little grin disappeared. Holding up her hand, she motioned him to stop. "Fili, no!" she shouted. Then the Warg hit her and threw her to the ground. Kili finally jumped into action and shot an arrow. However, the beast was already dead. It landed on Andy and did not move anymore. The orc on top fell off and let out a surprised howl. Fili swung his sword and beheaded it. However, it was too late. The other Wargs heard him and stopped in their hunt. For the moment, the dwarves did not care about it. They rushed forward to Fili and together they lifted the dead Warg. Andy wiggled her way out from underneath, blood and dirt all over her.
"Andy! Are you okay?", Kili asked concerned. She just chuckled.
"Okay? I just killed a Warg with only one dagger after I have spent the whole night on my feet and startied the morning with beating the crap out of three trolls. I feel fantastic. "
The dwarves could not tell, if she was being sarcastic or not. But if she was being honest, she did not know either.
Growls and howls started getting closer. Andy held her nose close.
"The smell of rot and decease is closing in. We better take our leave."
«Move! », Gandalf shouted. «Run! »
He did not have to say that twice. The chase made adrenalin pump through their veins and they found the strength, to continue running.
"There they are!", one of the dwarves shouted. The wargs were closing in on them.
"This way! Quickly!", Gandalf shouted, still ahead of everyone.
"There more coming!", Kili shouted after a moment.
"Don't look back. Keep running!", Andy scolded him and grabbed him by his arm to pull him along. After he caught his step again, he ran faster than she did. Kili pulled his arm out of her grip, just to take her hand. Together they ran, following Gandalf. The howling of the Warg got closer and soon they were able to see them up close.
"Kili, shoot them!", Thorin ordered.
"We're surrounded", Fili stated as they all came to a stop. Hounded Andy's head spun around, looking for a solution. Kili had started shooting arrows, but it did not do much. They maybe lost an Orc and two Wargs. However, they were still plenty left.
"Where's Gandalf?", Fili suddenly asked.
"He's abandoned us!", Dwalin growled.
"He hasn't. Give him a few seconds to find the secret cave", Andy called back, not taking her eyes of the Wargs in front of her.
"This way, you fools!", they heard Gandalf speak as he appeared from behind a rock.
"You heard what the old man said, my fellow fools. Let's fall back", Andy spoke with a grin making a few dwarves roll with their eyes.
"This is not the time, Baggins!", Gloin cried.
"Come on, move!" Thorin ordered and the dwarves started retreating. Kili gave tem cover by shooting arrows. As Andy arrived at the cave, she waited until all dwarves where down. Only Fili and Thorin where left. She was about to say something as she spotted Kili out of the corner of her eye.
"Kili, come on", Thorin ordered. Kili noticed that it was his turn to run. The Wargs charged forwards getting closer to him. Andy stood there and watched, as the front Warg gained speed and closing in on the young dwarf. As always, when she panics, she loses some of her control. Her ears picked up the sound of hoofs and the clacking of armour in the distance. Not far away, but too far for that it should be hearable.
The worst think possible happened. Kili tripped. He was close but not close enough, for any of them to reach him. Fili and Thorin wanted to leap forwards but Andy reacted faster. She spun around on her heels and pushed Thorin as strong as she could. In her Hobbit Body, it was not that strong. However, strong enough, to make him loose his balance and trip into Fili. Together, they went falling down the cave and were caught by the other dwarves.
"Kili!", Fili called out, frightened for his brother's life. Meanwhile, Andy did not waste any time and ran over to Kili. The dwarf tried to crawl backwards, away from the beast that was playing with it's pray. With a growl, it jumped at Kili, its mouth wide open, its teeth bare. Kili knew, he had no chance of defending himself. He turned away, not wanting to look at the beast and its rider while they killed him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something shoot past him, hitting the Warg. The beast was thrown to the side and it let out a pain howl. Wanting to know what happened Kili looked up again. Only to see Andy pushing the orc of the wargs back and grabbing the reigns herself. The Beast shook of his dizziness and started another attack on Kili. However, Andy did not let that happen. She pulled the reign into another direction, and the Warg had to follow. Like a lunatic, she shot right towards the pack that was coming closer.
"Run, you stupid dwarf!", she shouted over to Kili. He finally got up and stumbled to the cave. Reaching it, he hesitated to jump down just yet. He looked back to Andy. She was still cutting her way through the pack screaming a- to him unknown- song, while swinging her axe around, hitting everyone and anyone in reach.
"Don't wanna live as an untold story
Rather go out in a blaze of glory
I can't hear you!
I DON'T FEAR YOU!"
A smile appeared on Kili's lips and he took the last step into the cave, sliding down the side. The dwarves at the bottom caught him. Fili pushed through them and hugged his brother in relieve.
"Where's Andy?", Nori asked. All heads turned to the entrance, hearing the noise getting closer.
"It that Andy?", Fili asked, stunned. He did not know she could sing. Kili nodded a grin on her face.
"She's sitting on a warg, swinging her axe and chopping down everything in her way. It is spectacular, to be honest. You have to see that! Come on." Ori, Bifur, Kili, Fili and Dwalin started to climb back up, using the shoulders of the other dwarves to reach the top, glazing outside to see what was happening.
"RAPPED IN YOUR REGRET
What a waste of blood and sweat"
Her Warg was hit by an Orc blade and died. Andy went sailing off.
"OHHOHOHHHHHHHH!"
Rolling off, she landed back on her feet. Now not only her axe in her hand, bus also a dagger.
"I wanna taste love and pain
I wanna feel pride and shame
I don't wanna take MY TIME
Don't wanna waste ONE LINE"
Swirling around and dancing she cut down one warg after each other. Some died, some she just injured, but her plan was to distract them and slowly make her way to the entrance, not killing them all on sight.
"I wanna live better days
Never look back and say
It could have been me
IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME!"
Close enough to the entrance she spun around and ran as fast as her feet could carry her.
"YEAH!"
She jumped, crashed into the dwarves sticking their heads out and they all fell down, bushing over the other on the ground. Laughing Andy let her head fall back, catching breath.
"Hi guys", she said and waved.
"Andrea Baggins!" Gloin exclaimed from somewhere underneath her. "Get off of me right now! You're smearing Orc blood into my beard!"
"Alright, alright", Andy said with resignation, getting back onto her feet. "It's not like I just saved you butts. Again. "
Before anyone could say anything, they heard a horn. Andy froze on the spot, her eyes growing big and round with shock. Outside the entrance, they could see horses jumping across and hear the fight continue. An Orc came tumbling down and landed in front of the dwarves. They scattered back in fear, that it was alive. However, it was not. An Arrow stuck threw its body. Thorin pulled it out, inspecting the arrowhead.
"Elves", Thorin growled discussed. He threw the arrow away again and starred up to Gandalf.
"I cannot see where the path leads", Dwalin informed everyone. "Do we follow it or not?"
"Follow it, of course", Bofur answered with a cheerful voice. The dwarves all stood up again and lined up. Dwalin went ahead, leading the way. As Andy wanted to follow, she felt a sting in her side. Groaning she had to lean against the rock.
"Andy? Are you all right?", Fili asked, as he noticed that she was not following. Andy pressed her hand against the aching spot on her side. As she pulled it away again, she saw that it was red.
"No. No I'm not", she answered. The adrenaline left her body and exaustion hit her like a horse. Her legs gave away and she slipped to the ground. Alarmed Fili and Kili pushed past their friends and kneeled down next to her.
"How can we help?", Kili asked. Andy felt dizzy and could not focus on his voice nor his face. For a second, Fili was sure he saw her eye colour flicker. They turned yellow. Andy had closed her eye to help her focus. As she opened them again, her eyes were brown again.
"A bandage", she said, reaching inside her bag. Fili took it out of her hand and rapped it around her body, while Kili supported her. "Now I need my axe." Kili gave her a look.
"Why on earth would you need your axe?"
"Just give it to me", Andy laughed and scolded at the same time. As soon as he handed it to her, she held the cold steel against her forehead. A sigh came over her lips. "The Iron is cold. Helps me stay awake. "
After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again and handed her axe back to Kili. Waving Fili closer she holds up her Hands. "Help me up."
With Kili to her left and Fili ti her right she managed to slowly walk, following the others. They waited until they caught up, before they started moving on.
"You sure you want to walk? We can carry you", Fili offered. "Dwalin's strong enough.»
Andy scoffs. "Yeah right. As if, he would do that. But it's okay. I can walk. And I'll have to do a big entrance, as soon as we're there. "
"Where?"
Andy smirked.
"You'll see as soon as we're there. You are all gonna love it there. "