[A/N: And since we broke 300 reads, here's another update ;) ]
*******
The company raced out of the forest on foot, the ponies long having bolted or been shot down.
Bringing up the rear, Nienna, Runa and Kili all ran, forced to turn to cut down the faster orcs as they did so. A small group of orcs began to gather as they chased their quarry, finally realizing that their safety lay in numbers.
The group singled out Kili (the slowest of the threesome) and began to circle. Unaware of their companions predicament, Runa and Nienna took to the trees to try and gain some space to shoot down their enemies.
By the time Nienna saw the danger and cried out in warning, it was too late, Kili was trapped. He tried in vain to defend himself, but it was easy to see he was fighting a losing battle.
Just then, there was a flash of white light and Gandalf appeared in front of Kili quickly driving off the orcs.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait?!” he bellowed at Runa and Nienna as he helped Kili up.
“Plans changed!” Runa replied, hopping out of her tree and sprinting to catch up.
“Clearly,” responded Gandalf with light sarcasm lining his words. Nienna, who had followed Runa, spoke up defensively,
“They had catapults…” This came as news to Gandalf and he looked at her in surprise as they continued to flee across the grassy hills.
“Really? Catapults?”
“Catapults,” confirmed Runa gravely.
“Ingenious,” muttered Gandalf with what the other three suspected was a chuckle. “Didn’t anyone think to… er… dismantle the contraptions with fiery arrows?” Runa and Nienna looked at each other then offered a sheepish,
“No…”
Gandalf shook his head, but smiled kindly,
“Well, no use trying to change the past. Can’t be done. One simply has to move onward!” With that, they managed to rejoin the company and the entire group raced across the plains.
“Gandalf! Where were- oh nevermind! Where are we going?” asked Thorin at the head of the company as Gandalf came up alongside him.
“To a friend!” Gandalf said. Both looked back to see the orcs still behind them, and gaining as they spoke.
“We’ll never make it!” Thorin exclaimed.
“Oh yes we will!” returned Gandalf with determination, quickly veering toward part of the plain that was littered with rocks and trees.
“Split up!” called Gandalf as they entered the area. The company quickly did as instructed and as the orcs came into sight, each group took off in different directions, forcing the orcs to follow suit.
“We’ll never be able to keep this up,” panted Kili, running alongside Fili ad Runa with Nora leading them.
“Hopefully we won’t have to,” responded Runa grimly.
Suddenly, an orc fell from the skies and landed on top of Nora. Both fell to the ground, Nora crushed underneath the orc’s weight.
“Fili!” ordered Runa, rather unnecessarily as the dwarf had already sprung forward and was ripping the orc off Nora.
Runa looked up to see that the seemingly ‘flying orc’ had actually dropped onto them from one of the steeper ridges next to them. Comforting as it was to know that orcs had yet to evolve so that they could fly, it also revealed that was an intimidating row of orcs that hadn’t jumped, but looked as though they were preparing to.
“Kili, cover me,” Runa said, quickly drawing her bow and aiming at the most daring orc who had edged right up to the cliff and was seconds away from being upon them.
“Yes ma’am,” Kili replied, turning to face the orcs that were chasing them.
To the orcs coming around the bend, a charging dwarf flailing two axes and screaming a war cry was not a pleasant surprise and, luckily, being rather stupid creatures, about half of them simply turned and fled, leaving only four for Kili to deal with.
Runa had already shot down five of the orcs, and the others were scurrying away from the edge, not willing to risk being shot. She smiled evilly, sending several more arrows flying in an arc that went beyond her sight and was rewarded with a couple of shrill cries.
Fili, meanwhile, had finally stabbed the orc, who he’d never managed to fully get off Nora, who was still planted face first in the ground, which was muffling her yelling. He grunted, heaving the dead body off the small wizard and offering her a hand.
“Are you alright?” he asked worriedly. As she rolled over, the yelling clarified into a stream of colorful curses, ranging from calling the orc an oliphant’s buttocks, to informing the dead orc that he was descended from muck weed in the Dead Marshes.
After a moment of impressed silence, Fili burst into laughter, causing the verbal abuse to turn on him as he clutched his sides. Still screaming at him, Nora raised her staffed and waved it vaguely in the direction of Kili and the last two orcs he was fighting.
From the ridge next to them, a heavy boulder fell. Throwing himself out of the way, Kili narrowly dodged being crushed along with the orcs. He turned angrily to Nora, only to see her still ranting to Fili, who was still laughing his head off.
Runa and Kili watched the other two for a long moment in silent amusement before Runa intervened.
“Alright lovebirds,” Runa said, stepping forward and placing a calming hand on Nora’s shoulder, “you can continue this later. For now, lets keep moving.”
Nora seemed ready to fight this proposal, but when the orcs who had previously fled chose this moment to return (with backup) she let the matter drop and turned, leading the way once again across the plain.
***
Aelith, Bilbo, Bifur and Bofur were running in a serpentine pattern, dodgin massive black arrows that were raining down on them.
“Up ahead there’s cover!” yelled Bofur and the others looked up to see he was right. Not far away was a copse of trees, safety from the orc archers. Bifur immediately turned and made a beeline for it.
“No!” yelled Aelith, seeing the danger and diving into Bifur, shoving him out of the way as an arrow landed where he’d been moment ago, cutting into the back of Aelith’s leg.
“Aelith!” Bilbo yelled, running towards her. She quickly examined her leg. The arrow had landed just next to her leg, but the tip was wide and jagged enough it had ripped a nice gash in her thigh. Seeing no bone, she sighed in relief and stood, waving Bilbo’s concern off.
“I’ll bind it when we get to safety,” she said firmly. “Head for the trees, but do not run in a straight line.” The others nodded, swallowing.
“Go!” she yelled and they took off running again. They reached the trees at last and Aelith collapsed just within their shelter. Bilbo ran to her, quickly taking off his neckcloth that had miraculously survived thus far and, taking her leg, he tied it tightly around the wound.
“Thank you,” said Aelith as she reached to her back and pulled out her bow. After some struggling, she managed to string it and stuck a handful of arrows into the ground next to her.
“You know how to use a bow?” asked Bifur, curious. Aelith nodded,
“All rangers learn how to fight hand to hand, with a sword, a staff and a bow.”
As the orcs that were chasing them came into view, she quickly drew an arrow, aimed and let it loose. One of the orcs fell and Aelith smirked, slowly drawing another arrow and carefully aiming.
Ten orcs and twelve arrows later, all four slumped to the ground in relief.
“We should keep moving,” Bilbo commented, making no move to stand. Aelith nodded, eyes clenched shut as she leaned against a tree.
“We will… just, let me catch my breath…” Bilbo nodded and Aelith passed around some water while she unstrung her bow and replaced it.
“Alright,” she said after a minute or two, “let’s go.” All four moved to the other side of the small group of trees and, after checking the coast was clear, ran out into the open.
***
“Gandalf!” yelled Thorin, looking behind them at the pursuing orcs. “Tell me we’re close!” Avice and Balin waited anxiously for the wizard’s response.
“We are close…” Gandalf replied as he led them across the plain and toward another treeline.
“Yes, but are saying that because I told you to, or because we’re actually close?” asked Thorin irritably. Gandalf smiled.
“We are close,” he repeated. With that, he ran into the trees, leaving the other three to follow.
Avice glanced back and saw the other groups of the company scattered but getting closer. Before she followed Gandalf into the woods she brought her fingers to her lips, giving three, short, shrill whistles that echoed across the plain.
She waved her arms and turned, leaving the rest of the company to follow as she ran after the wizard and her friends.