Ariana: The Hobbit

Beorn the Skin Changer

Ariana's POV

Dwalin is showing me how to sharpen my sword. While we all wait for Bilbo. I wanted to go with him. But he can hide easier then I can. Just as I am beginning to worry for him. He appears. "How close is the pack?" Thorin asks him.

"Too close, couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it" Bilbo answers.

"Have the Orcs picked up our scent?" Dwalin asks him as I sheath my sword.

"Not yet, but they will do. We have another problem" Bilbo tells us.

"Did they see you?" Gandalf asks him.

"They saw you" I say worried.

"No, that's not it" he assures us and I sigh in relief.

"Good, what did I tell you? Quite as a mouse. Excellent burglar material" Gandalf states. The dwarves start talking amongst themselves, agreeing with Gandalf.

"Guys, let Bilbo speak" I tell them.

"Thank you, Ariana! I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there" Bilbo tells us.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf asks him.

"Ye...Yes, but bigger. Much bigger" Bilbo states.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asks Gandalf. Who doesn't reply but turns away to think for a moment. "I say we double back" he suggests.

"We'll be run down by a pack of Orcs" Thorin states.

"Personally, I'd rather take our chances with the bear" I tell them.

"There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge" Gandalf tells us.

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin asks him.

"Does is matter?" I ask him.

"Neither. He will help us or he will kill us" Gandalf states.

"What choice do we have?" I ask them. Suddenly we hear the roar of a bear.

"None" Gandalf says answering my question. We start to run through the woods, Gandalf leading the way. With orcs and a bear on our tail. "This way, quickly!" he shouts as we break through the trees and I see a house. "Into the house! Run!" he shouts at us. Bombur barrels towards the house and tries to knock the door down. But fails.

" Open the door!" Gandalf shouts.

"Honestly, the latch!" I snap and lift it. We run inside. Just as they are about to close the door the creature lunges its head through it, the dwarves all push to close the door. They finally manage to shut the door and lock it. "That thing was no bear" I state as I breath heavily holding my side.

"That was out host" Gandalf tells us. We all look at him confused. "His name is Beorn, he's a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not over fond of dwarves" he explains.

"Well that that is settled, lets turn in for the night" I tell everyone.

"She's right, , get some sleep all of you. You'll be safe here tonight" Gandalf tells us. I lay out my cloak on a bed of straw and lay down. I soon fall asleep.

(Next morning)

After introducing ourselves to a now human Beorn. We go into his dining room for breakfast. He is pouring us each a glass of milk. "Thank you" I tell him and he nods his head.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?" Beorn asks Thorin.

"You know Azog, how?" Thorin asks him.

"My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him" Beorn explains.

"That's awful" I say.

"There are others like you?" Bilbo asks him curious.

"Once there were many" Beorn states.

"And now?" Bilbo asks before I can stop him.

"Now there's only one. You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn" he says.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes" Gandalf states.

"You are running out of time" Beorn states.

"True" I say.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood" Gandalf states.

"A darkness lies upon that forest, fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and The Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there, except in great need" Beorn tells us.

"We will take the Elven Road, their path is still safe" Gandalf tells him.

"Safe? The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not" Beorn tells us.

"What do you mean?" Thorin and I ask him.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs, their numbers are growing and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive. I don't like dwarves, they're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own" Beorn says as he holds a mouse. "But Orcs I hate more" he tells us. "What do you need?" he asks Thorin.

He gives us horses and supplies. "Thank you for everything Beorn. I promise Bilbo and I will drop by on our way home" I tell him.

"I'll have breakfast ready" he tells me. He helps me mount my horse. I then pull Bilbo up behind me. "Go now, while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind" he tells us. We take off gulping towards Mirkwood. When we reach it, we let the horses go to return to Beorn. But Gandalf kept his and left us. The rest us enter the forest following the path.

A/N

Picture above of Beorn as a bear and picture on the external link of him as a man.

(Planned future chapters)

Mirkwood Spiders

Day With King Thranduil

Escaping Mirkwood

Bard the Barge-men

Master of Lake Town

Entering the Mountain