Chapter 54: Run!

[General POV]

-Two Months-

An incredible battle was taking place. Dwarves were fighting side by side, and the orcs, who were not skilled with weapons, compensated for their weakness with numbers. A slaughter was unfolding outside Moria. Having been driven from their home by the dragon Smaug, the dwarves sought alternatives. King Thrór led them to Moria, where they found their ancestral home had been taken by orcs.

A great battle ensued, in which King Thrór died after being decapitated by the orc Azog. Meanwhile, Thorin fought off the orcs that besieged him, slashing diagonally and vertically, and many orcs fell at his feet.

"Aggg!"

A roar escaped his mouth as he broke an orc's neck. It was at that precise moment that he saw his grandfather's head being held high. Azog was demonstrating his might. In the distance, his father watched this scene, just as surprised as he was. Thorin saw the rage fill his father's eyes, and with determination, he launched into combat against Azog.

He watched the battle unfold. His father, in a moment of carelessness, was struck on the side, causing his weapon to fall. Thorin saw Azog approaching his father and rushed to help him in a panic, but he was too late. He watched as his father's head rolled to his feet, decapitated by Azog.

"Noooooo!" he screamed in desperation, only for everything to turn dark. He opened his eyes, sweating and panting. "Ufff," he observed his surroundings and discovered that the team was sleeping peacefully. "Just a nightmare," he murmured, massaging his brows. It wasn't the first time he'd dreamed of this. Maybe his nightmares would end once he killed that filthy orc.

"A nightmare?" a sleepy voice was heard, making him look up. There, in the distance, was the hobbit Gandalf had recommended. He wouldn't deny that at first, he was skeptical about whether it was a good idea to bring him along, but over the months, the hobbit had shown he had a great heart. He didn't care about risking his life to help them, earning Thorin's respect.

"Yes, just a nightmare, Mr. Baggins," he said, then lay back down. He didn't want to explain much, so he preferred to try to sleep again.

-The Next Morning-

"Hurry up!" shouted Thorin, urging the others to follow him. Moments ago, Bilbo had heard the howl of a warg. Clearly, they had been caught up to.

"Are there orcs chasing us?" asked a sleepy Bombur. He, like the rest of the group, had been abruptly awakened, and some didn't know what was happening.

"No idea," replied Glóin, who still didn't understand what was going on. Not long ago, he was having a wet dream about his wife, only to be brought back from the dream world by a kick from Bofur.

"Probably not. I don't think I heard any movement," added Bofur.

"It doesn't matter. Just keep running," said Dwalin with a growl. He was extremely annoyed; he hated being interrupted when he was sleeping, but he couldn't say much since he had to follow Thorin's orders.

The expedition team ran through the forest. Having been without incident for two months had made them lower their guard. This was a grave mistake. But what could they do now? They could only run, and hopefully, the orcs wouldn't catch up to them in a short time.

The team ran, led by Gandalf, who knew these paths better. In such an emergency, he was the first to get up and lead their escape. While running, Gandalf suddenly stopped. "Stop!" he shouted in a whisper.

This was a mistake since their escape route was downhill. Many dwarves, unable to stop, fell on top of each other. Fortunately, Aldril and Bilbo, being more agile on their feet, managed to stop at Gandalf's sudden command.

"Bofur, you hurt me," said Glóin, holding his crotch. Apparently, he had been hit by Bofur in the fall.

"Who told you to stop so suddenly?" Bofur retorted, annoyed since he had fallen into a puddle of mud and his whole face was smeared.

"Damn it, Bombur, you're crushing me! I can't breathe!" Dwalin shouted with a strained voice. Having Bombur on top of him was like being crushed by an elephant.

"Kili, your foot is stepping on my beard," said Balin with an irritated tone. He loved his beard, and now it was all muddy due to Kili's foot.

"I'm sorry, Balin, it was not my intention," Kili apologized as he lifted his foot and helped Balin up. Soon, everyone was on their feet. Some wanted to stay on the ground, as they were still very sleepy.

Thorin, who had managed not to fall, approached and with palpable annoyance in his voice said, "Gandalf, why did you stop so suddenly?"

"Shh, lower your voice." Gandalf didn't explain. He made a gesture for everyone to be silent and pointed into the distance. "Look there," he whispered. Everyone looked in the indicated direction and were surprised to see a giant bear scratching its back against the rocks on a rocky hill.

"Is that a bear?" Bilbo asked incredulously. In all his years, he had never seen a bear so large. The incredulity of Bilbo was shared by all the dwarves, who, despite sometimes hunting bears, had never seen one of such size. Even Aldril was surprised. He had imagined who this bear was, but in the movies, it wasn't depicted as being so enormous.

Aldril glanced at Gandalf, who only frowned but showed no shock or surprise in his eyes. Clearly, scenes like this didn't surprise him. At that moment, Aldril confirmed they had reached this point in the story. If he remembered correctly, that bear was named Beorn.

While the group remained silent, waiting for Gandalf's next instructions, a howl was heard, darkening the faces of everyone present.

"Awoooo!"

"Those damned orcs are catching up again," Dwalin said through clenched teeth. He was getting fed up with these bastards. If it weren't for Thorin, he would have stayed to fight, even if it meant dying.

"Will we disturb that giant bear if we leave now?" Ori asked, looking at Gandalf, hoping for a response.

"Probably. There's an open space, and it's likely we won't be able to escape him. He'll catch us if we run," Balin said, shaking his head. They were running out of time.

Unbeknownst to the dwarves, the giant bear seemed stimulated by the warg's howl. It turned its head in the direction of the howl, stood on its hind legs, and roared loudly in defiance.

"ROAAAR!"

The roar was so thunderous that it provoked silence. Nearby birds and animals fled in fear. The expedition team stayed quiet. Gandalf, paying attention to the bear's every move, saw it turn its head in their direction. Urgently, he said, "Quick, get down!"

Everyone obeyed quickly and hid. Some dropped to the ground, others moved into bushes, and some hid behind a nearby rock. The situation wasn't good, and the dwarves looked at Gandalf with nervousness.

"What do we do, Gandalf?" Dori nearly shouted. The urgency in his voice showed his anxiety. He wanted to keep asking, but was interrupted by Gandalf's irritated voice.

"Shut up and listen! I know there's a house not far from here. Maybe we can go there and take refuge." Hearing Gandalf's suggestion, everyone looked at each other. They weren't sure if it was a good idea to leave their hiding spots with the bear so close.

Thorin noticed the hesitation in Gandalf's suggestion and immediately asked, "Whose house is it? Friend or foe?"

Gandalf, aware that lying wouldn't help, decided to be honest. He shook his head and continued, "He might help us, or he might kill us." Everyone fell silent, unsure if it was wise to gamble on their survival. Thorin, understanding the group's thoughts, asked, "Is there another option?"

With a sigh, Gandalf looked at everyone and shook his head, "No, there isn't."

"ROAAAAR!"

The bear's roar sounded again, this time closer to their position, changing everyone's expressions. Gandalf had given the solution; now it was just a matter of whether everyone accepted it. Knowing time was running out, Thorin said reluctantly, "Then we'll gamble on him helping us."

Nodding, Gandalf looked at everyone again. "Listen, that house is at the end of the open field ahead. We have to run as fast as we can and lock ourselves inside. Otherwise…"

Nervously, Bilbo asked, "Otherwise what?"

"ROAAAR!"

The roar sounded again, this time just a few meters away. Aldril quickly picked up Bilbo, knowing he'd get nervous and wouldn't run in time. "Otherwise, we'll be bear shit!" he shouted, seeing the bear had spotted them and was running towards them. "Run now!" Aldril yelled as he dashed in the direction Gandalf indicated. In his arms, Bilbo hung like a sack. Seeing the bear chasing them, Bilbo hit Aldril's arm, shouting, "Run faster, Aldril!"

"I'm doing my best!"

***

Filthy orcs! A human disease almost killed me! Be careful and wrap up warm.

No kidding, I got so sick that it was hard for me to write, sorry for the delay. 

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