Concerning Hobbits

As the company rode on down their path, their quest to reach Lonely Mountain, Pansy rested peacefully her head resting on Thorin’s shoulder. Hidden in the forest of lightly greying hair, He glanced back at her, they had been riding since early dawn and now it was well past noon. It crossed his mind that perhaps they should stop and take rest, yet then they had stopped to many times already. Thorin sighed the hobbits were slowing them down, but what could he do? Send them back? What then would they do about their burglar? Pansy stirred in her sleep, her eyes jolted open and she sat up straight “Something coming!” she called urgently, Thorin sensed nothing and as he went to warn her she may have just been dreaming. A large rabbit drawn sleigh came bursting forth from the thickness of the forest before coming to a halt. Large grey rabbits, almost as big as the dwarves ponies (and may have been a good deal taller than Pansy herself), panted and huffed. “Radagast!” Pansy heard Gandalf gasp while her eyes, large in wonder, gazed upon the large rabbits. “Bunnies!” she gasped as she hopped from Thorin’s Pony and ran for the Rabbits “Giant ones at that” she called gleefully petting one of the rabbits. “Bunnies?” Kili asked in amusement and in disbelief as he and Fili exchanged glances. “She has no sense…its true, she hasn’t any at all” Bilbo muttered to himself. Pansy paid little mind to the others and continued to play with the rabbits. After all she came on this adventure to see new things, exciting things, stranger things, and yes even fearful things. She was not going to miss the change to pet and play with real life giant bunnies. “Don’t forget us, you there little girl, us in the back” A fast finicky voice called. Pansy froze and looked around no one seemed to notice they were far too busy talking with that Radish-gas fellow “no b-back h-here” said a small softer voice it was shy and stuttered a bit. Pansy’s eyes grew wide as they fell on the rabbits in the back, he jaw fell slightly as she got up and went to them.

“are you?” she said gulping as she rubbed the rabbit’s ears “talking to me?” she said pausing “are you talking at all?” she added on feeling as if she might have just gone insane. “w-why yes w-we are, it’s n-nice to speak with someone o-other than R-radagast” the female rabbit spoke “looney he is” as the male rabbit with the finicky voice. “By the tree’s bark, you’re talking!” she gasped “no dear y-you a-are” The female said, Pansy looked up to see Bilbo, Kili and Fili looking at her strangely “why are you making rabbit noises?” Bilbo asked Pansy looked at the rabbits and then to Bilbo with a light smile “well why aren’t you?” she asked playfully before standing up “we’ll keep this to ourselves” she said to the rabbits “w-who would w-we tell e-even if w-we could” the female rabbit said with a giggle. Pansy looked up to see Gandalf holding something long wrapped within a tan rough cloth. Both he and Radagast looked at it gravely. A horrible sensation flew through Pansy’s veins and a fear washed over her, like a cold winter chill. “That is not from the world of the living” Radagast said slowly Pansy shivered again and hid a bit back behind Bilbo, Kili, and Fili. Kili looked back at her with a raise brow. All the dwarves had dismounted to listen and let the wizards talk. A loud demented howl rushed through the air. Pansy jumped and gripped her dagger, Thorin’s dagger, looking around franticly. Bilbo’s head snapped up too, yet he was rather calm “were those wolves?” He asked yes wolves were scary beast but after encountering three trolls they were not enough to send him running. “Are there wolves out here?” he asked again. Bofur and Gloin gathered closer to the four “No, that is no wolf” Bofur said slowly his eyes large with fear. Pansy backed away slowly from her spot behind Kili and Fili. She heard a snarl and screamed as the largest canine she had ever seen jumped from the ledge and tried to attack Bifur. Thorin quickly cut it down, Pansy screamed yet again as another leapt from behind Thorin Kili shot it down before it could touch his uncle. A third came but Dwalin cut that one down

“Warg scouts!” Thorin called pulling free his sword from the dead animal “Wargs?” Pansy said and while she was afraid she was very excited as they were in her books. “Which means a Warg pack is not far behind” He added Pansy’s heart sank “P-pack” Pansy stumbled on her words “who did you tell about your quest!” Gandalf asked Thorin furious and voiced raised. “No one!” Thorin called out walking nearer to him “Who did you tell!” Gandalf yelled again “No one I swear” Thorin replied in a calm but stern voice, clearly offended a bit. Pansy pulled her dagger from its holster on her side and gripped it in her hand holding to her heart, as if trying to convince her racing heart that she was safe. “What’s going on?” Thorin asked lowly “we are being hunted!” Gandalf called out a noise much like a mouse squeak came from Pansy’s lips as she inched closer to Bilbo grabbing onto his sleeve. Bilbo looked back at her and sighed trying to look calm for her and screaming in fear on the inside. “We’ve got to get out of here” Dwalin said quickly “we can’t the ponies have spooked and run off!” Ori called as he ran to the other Bifur on his heels. Pansy began to quiver her eyes darting between everyone, surely someone had to know what to do. Radagast looked down at her, for a moment he squinted at Pansy as if trying to figure out a complicated question. Then his face stretched out like ones face will when having that ‘Ah Ha’ moment Pansy tilted her head at him in confusion “Then surely Gandalf must know, yes, yes he must” She heard him muttered. Radagast quickly looked up at Gandalf “I will lead them off” He said Gandalf looked behind him after hearing some howls and snarling. They were running out of time “you can’t these are Guntahberg Wargs they will out run you!” Gandalf called turning back to face Radagast. The Brown wizard pointed back at his Rabbit drawn sleigh “These are Roustibel Rabbits” He said as a sly smirk came to his face “I’d like to see them try” he mused.

Pansy and Bilbo and company ran as fast as their legs would take them, following the directional orders from Gandalf and formation orders from Thorin who was keeping all 16 of them together. Bilbo had grasped onto Pansy’s hand keeping her as close behind him as he could. They had made it through the forest and into the rocky plains. The group hide behind a large boulder. Pansy shut her eyes tightly “Maybe it was a bad idea, all this adventuring business” she thought biting her bottom lip, the howling and snarls from the Orc pack was nerve racking. “Come on” Gandalf ordered as Radagast rode by leading the Orc pack further away. Pansy lost Bilbo’s grip and began to lag behind, she was never the fastest runner. “Bilbo wait!” she called but Bilbo was in flight mode and hadn’t noticed her absents. Pansy groaned and shook her head, a hand grasped her wrist and she was tugged into running faster, looking at the hand her eyes trailed up the arm until she looked at the face of its owner “Kili!” she exclaimed with a smile “can’t lose the Burglars assistant now can we?” He said, Fili back tracked and took her other wrist “wait, wait, now you two are going to fast!” Pansy called as her legs struggled to keep pace with them. The brother merely laughed and continued on.

Thorin halted the group as Radagast had lead the Orc pack around dangerously close to the route the group had been running. “Stay together” Pansy heard Gandalf mutter to Thorin, she knotted her brows together in confusion. Was Gandalf going somewhere where he could not make sure they were all together? “Come” Kili said tugging on Pansy’s wrist bidding her to start back running as he pulled her along. Kili and Fili were fast and had pulled Pansy’s along with them right up to the front of their Dwarven herd. Once again the chance of the Orc pack after Radagast lead the right in front of the party. The came to a halt “Ori no!” Thorin called snatching the dwarf by the back of his clothing and pulling him behind the rock out of the Warg’s sight. “Get back!” he order for the others to get as close to the rock as they could. Pansy quivered she was afraid, very afraid. Kili looked down at her and frowned, tapping her shoulder he put on a halfhearted smile “Look on the bright side” as he said this Pansy looked up at him skeptically with her silver eyes “you may just get your second lesson in archery” He said “I hope not” She said quickly as Gandalf ushered them to run again, Pansy groaned as Kili grasped her wrist yet again. She was tired, her shins ached, her feet felt like they were bleeding and her lungs burned like a bonfire. But she had no choice but to keep moving. “Where are you leading us?” She could hear Thorin ask as she and Kili ran by him and Gandalf. But he didn’t get an answer and this did not help Pansy’s nerves in the least bit.

They were almost cut off again and seen by the Wargs, the company hid behind another large rock formation. This time however Pansy was grateful for the rest, she bent over resting her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. A gurgling snarl and snort came from atop the rock. Her heart stopped she looked up at Bilbo who stood behind her pressed against the rock’s side before scrambling to get against the rock herself. She grabbed Kili’s forearm, just when exactly he had become a safety net she didn’t know. But she was sure he’d be more protection than Bilbo at the moment. Thorin looked up listening to the Warg, he turn turned his gaze to Kili and nodded a bit. Kili looked down and reached for a bow quietly, looking down at Pansy he rose his other arm to ready his bow. Pansy unlatched her arms from his forearm and watched him, He took in a deep breath before running out as quietly as he could. As he lifted his bow the Warg and its rider turned around, but were met with an arrow to the Wargs face. The Warg shook his head from left to right in pain and panic. The Orc rider having no control over his beast did not notice as another arrow was fired, it struck him in the shoulder, then another arrow, and another. This last arrow make Warg and rider tumbled to the ground in front of the group. The Orc jumped to its feet and made for the party only to be met by Dwalin and Bifur, who quickly cut him down. Bofur and Ori make quick work of the Warg, but its death cry was piercing and surely told its pack were they were. The pack began to howl loudly Pansy looked in that direction and the fear kicked back in “Move!” Gandalf said quickly “Run!” He called and the group was off again.

“There they are!” Gloin called pointing out the pack that were in view. Pansy stopped and pulled out her dagger holding in front of herself with both hands on the hilt. Looking at the pack in the distance, trapped like a deer in front of what we today call headlights, by her own fear. “This way!” Gandalf called out, but Pansy didn’t budge. “Move! Go now!” Thorin called to her Urging her to move as he kicked as her foot, seeing that her feet could indeed move Pansy ran after seeing him run off ahead of her, she followed. Thorin gasped as two Wargs appeared on top of the hill before them, he stepped back and held out one arm which Pansy ran into, her eyes hastily went up to the Orcs and the fearsome canines. She backed away from Thorin and turned to run the over way “There’s more coming!” Kili called running toward her, Pansy skidded to a stop and looked for another direction to make an escape. But as she looked to around to see the other wheeling around in every direction she soon saw there wasn’t a direction the pack had not covered. “Get ready!” Thorin called out, Pansy felt short of breath as if she couldn’t breathe at all. Bilbo ran to her “keep calm” He said “you keep calm!” she barked screaming it at the top of her lungs, Bilbo took a step back having never really had her talk back to him in such a way. “We’re surrounded!” Fili called out, the hiss of an Arrow cutting the air was little comfort but Kili had managed to take down an Orc from its mount. Bilbo ran to Thorin following Dwalin and Bofur, behind them Gloin and Oin. Pansy’s eyes grew wide as the riderless Warg charged for her, her feet wouldn’t move her, and fear had her at a standstill. “The bow Pansy! The bow!” Kili called out Pansy quickly reached for her cross bow, she fumbled around with it nearly dropping it a few times as she finally got the arrow strung up. The Warg was a leap away. Pansy screamed and dropped the bow to the ground, dropping to her knees and covered the top of her head. Still screaming waiting for it to tackle her. “Pansy!” Bilbo called out Thorin grabbed his arm and drew him back as he went to run for her. “Let go of me!” he barked “no!” Kili called Pansy flinched as she heard the Warg whimper and land on the ground from his position in a leap, with a thud. Kili ran to Pansy and pulled her up to her feet, pushing her behind him as he fired at more oncoming Wargs.

“Hold your ground!” Thorin called as the Wargs closed in on them, Pansy inched closer to Kili eyes darting in every direction. She held her dagger high in her shaking hands. “This way you fools!” Gandalf called appearing between two rocks. “Come on, move!” Thorin called shepherding the company “hurry all of you!” he called. “Go now” Kili said pushing Pansy to run back with the others. Pansy did as she was told, she could see the others disappearing behind the two rocks as she went to slid down the tunnel she halted and looked back at Kili and Fili. “Fili! Kili! Run!” Thorin called out to them, Kili released one more arrow before bolting back to his uncle. Fili jumped down the tunnel first then Kili who tried to take Pansy with him but his hand slipped from hers “were does this lead?” she asked fearfully “away from them, now go!” Thorin said with a push pansy found herself sliding down the tunnel Thorin behind her. She screamed the whole way down as she could hear the thunder of a Calvary and the cries of the Wargs. When she reached the bottom Kili and Fili pulled her to her feet and covered her mouth muffling her screams as they watched the opening of the tunnel. When she quieted down they released her. An Orc came tumbling down into the tunnel the dwarves parted to get out of its way, and it landed dead at Pansy’s feet. Pansy opened her mouth to scream but the two brothers covered her mouth again before she could. Gandalf poked and the Orc to see if it was dead before looking back up to the opening of the tunnel. Once everything became silent Thorin walked over to the dead Orc and pulled from its neck and arrow. His face turned up in disgust “Elves” He spat, looking up at Gandalf darkly. “Elves!” Pansy said elated as Fili and Kili released her, Thorin threw her a sour look “erm I mean Elves” Pansy said trying to find a bitter tone and look as grave as she could, however the moment he looked away a smile came to her face.