Chapter Text
Billana Baggins of Bag End was stick to death of stones, mountain tops, and dwarves, which is why she had volunteered to slip out and scout around once they had made it down the Carrock. Both Dwalin and Blain had protested but one look from her silenced them and they let her go.
Peering above the rocks of her hiding place she watched as the mad orc pack that had followed them raced past them, howling for their prey. Azog the Defiler was angry and his lust for the blood of his enemies was strong. Strong enough that in the course of their single day of rest (spent climbing down that stupid giant rock) the orcs had almost caught up to their Company despite the help of the Great Eagles of Manwe.
Ducking down as Azog turned his great head in her direction, something else catch the Hobbit lass’s ears that ought not to have been so close. At first she thought the sound was from a warg, but inching very carefully over she glimpsed a giant black shape with huge shoulders and rows of sharp teeth. Its fur was raised across its hackles and Billana had enough experience with animals to determine that that was most certainly not good. Crouching low to the ground and praying that stupid stones didn’t give her away, she crept back down the path she came, and once safely hidden proceeded to run.
“How close is the pack?” Thorin asked, weapon drawn and ready, a movement which endeared her to the dwarf only slightly. He was still in a great deal of trouble for his actions two days previous, however now was not the best time so it stewed in the back of the Baggins’ mind, while more important things such as surviving took the forefront.
“Too close.” She gasped, by the green lady she hated running! And her ribs were screaming at her for their ill use. “A couple of leagues, no more.”
She skidded to a stop and gratefully leaned against her heart-lode, catching her breath against his tense form. “But that’s not the worst of it.”
“The wargs picked up our scent?”
“Not yet. But they will.” She gasped, shaking her head, “We have another problem”
“Did they see you?” Gandalf asked, hurriedly.
“Hmm?”
“They saw you” Horror was about to fill the faces of her companions before she shook her head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material.” The Company all grinned and delightedly agreed, relaxing for the first time since they heard the warg howls this morning.
Billa left all manners behind her, determined to yell rather than attempt to knock them all upside the head as she wanted, “Shut up! I’m trying to tell you that there is something else out there.”
The Company exchanged nervous glances, and both Thorin and Dwalin’s expressions seemed to ask what more could happen now?
“What form did it take?” Gandalf asked, wary. Looking up Billana wondered at the strange formation of such a question. He couldn’t possibly… no there was no way he would dare try and deliberately cross paths with something dangerous, after all he had tried to convince Thorin about leaving when they’d encountered the trolls. “Like a bear?”
“Ye-yes. But bigger, much, much bigger.”
“Yeh knew about this beast?” Bofur asked a deep frown on his face as he looked up at the wizard. Gandalf the Grey turned away, and Billana scowled. Then again the wizard had thrown a temper tantrum instead of acting like a rational man and had walked off after the argument with Thorin, thus avoiding the whole scene with the trolls.
“I say we double back.” The hatted dwarf quickly said, clearly determined to attempt further avoidance of creatures that could be dangerous.
“And be run down by an orc pack?” Thorin demanded. They were all still weak from the last fight, limited rest, and almost no supplies. They would die for certain if the pack found them.
“There is a house” Gandalf said, voice cutting through the air and silencing the others. “No far from here where we might taking refuge.”
“Whose house? Are they friend or foe?” Thorin asked suspiciously, his expression mirroring that of most of the Company.
Gandalf nodded in respect to the question answering swiftly, “Neither. He will help us or he will kill us.”
Neither the Took nor Baggins Side of Common Sense liked this idea and clamored against any and every idea of evening going. Dwalin grasped her hand tightly, as though to pull her away from the wizard and the potential doom he was offering.
“What choice do we have?” Thorin asked rhetorically, likely knowing that it was this dubious offering of safety or a high potential of death at the hands of orcs and wargs. A roar slammed through the air making them all turn around and gaze up in horror. Whatever made that sound, Billa though, mostly certain does not need to be met.
“None.” Was the grim reply.
They spent that night and much of the next day running, pausing only to drink from a nearby stream or to hurriedly eat the very last crumbs of what little food there was left. Every part of Billa’s body protested this abuse and many members seemed to agree based on various gasped exclamations.
“Keep breathing. That’s the key. Breath.” Gloin gasped to himself, gripping a throwing axe tightly in one hand.
They knew that Azog had discovered their scent when they heard howls in the woods that they passed through. Undeterred by that they continued, only briefly pausing when the bear’s roar sliced through the air once more much closer than it had ever been before.
“This way quickly!” Gandalf urged, pushing them on wards. Out of all of the dwarves Bombur was the best runner for, in-spite of his size, as they reached open plains, he raced past Balin, Dwalin, Bifur, Nori, and Dori.
“I’m wasted on cross country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!” Gloin gasped out pressing forward as fast as his stout legs would take him.
Billana and Dwalin were one of the last through the gate right behind Thorin, but it was Billa who looked over her shoulder and saw the enormous black bear as it tore through the trees and came rushing across the short plain towards them.
“OPEN THE DOOR!!” Thorin yelled, pushing past the group who slammed themselves into the door time and time again to little avail. It was Thorin who saw the latch and pushed it up, sending them all tumbling inside the house.
Turning around they immediately began to press the door closed, Kili, Dori, and Ori yelling “Push” as they all pressed against the door as the great bear slammed into it. Billa’s eyes widened in fear as its maw opened in front of her to let out an outraged roar. Teeth the size of her arms and legs were mere inches from her face. And in that single frightful moment all she could think was ‘His breath will kill me before his teeth!’
The dwarves at last managed to push the door close and latch it, exhausted gasps of relief at living one day longer filled the air around them.
“What…is that?” Ori gasped out.
“That is our host”
Billana Baggins slowly turned around to face the tall Man and in a voice that was soft and very sweet she asked “What?”