For the Love of a King

Chapter Eight: Azog

Lilja

We all start running down the mountain as fast as we can. The Wargs follow them rapidly; it soon becomes nighttime. Soon the foremost Warg catches up to the group and leaps at Bilbo; Bilbo ducks behind a rock and the Warg’s jaws snap in the air over his head. The Warg lands in front of him. Growling, it charges at him. Bilbo pulls out his sword and holds it in front of him; surprisingly, the Warg impales itself in the head on the sword and falls down dead. Bilbo looks on in surprise. A few more Wargs catch up to the fleeing dwarves, but they are quickly dispatched. The Company reaches a large outcropping of land with a few trees growing on it; they are trapped there, as there is no way off the outcropping besides a great fall down the mountain.

“Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!” Gandalf says

Bifur throws an axe, killing a Warg which was approaching him. Bofur jumps off a rock and grabs a tree branch, using Dwalin’s head as a stepping stone to the tree. Other dwarves begin climbing into the trees as well. Bilbo tries to pull his sword out of the dead Warg’s head, but it is stuck firmly. He continues to pull.

“They’re coming!” Thorin yells

Gandalf climbs to the top of the furthest tree; Dwalin boost Balin up. Thorin, Bombur, and the rest climb up trees too. Thorin pulls me up with him and holds me tightly. The main body of Wargs and Warg Riders approach. Bilbo finally manages to pull his sword out of the Warg; he looks up to see several more Wargs running at him. He quickly clambers up a tree as the Wargs rush below him. Dozens of Wargs circle the trees in which the Company members are perched. Gandalf reaches out with his staff and picks up a moth sitting in the same tree as him. Bringing the moth close to his face, he whispers to it; he then blows it gently, causing it to flutter away. The Wargs cease their growling and turn as the White Warg, with Azog on its back, approaches slowly. Thorin and I look at Azog in shock.

“Azog?!” Thorin says in shock, he looks at my terrified face and pulls me closer to him.

As his White Warg growls, Azog strokes it and talks ominously.

“Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast Ganzilig-i unarug obod nauzdanish Torin undag Train-ob” Azog says in Black speech

Thorin looks stricken with pain and grief, realizing that Azog had captured his father.

“It can not be.” Thorin says in disbelief. I whimper

Azog speaks to his Wargs and Riders.

“Kod, Toragid biriz  Worori-da” Azog yells to his followers

At his command, the Wargs leap forward and try to climb the trees. They jump as high as they can, scrabbling at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws in their efforts. The trees shake violently at the assault, and the dwarves struggle to hold on.

“Sho gad adol!” Azog says

With the weight of the Wargs climbing it, the furthest tree from the edge of the cliff, which Bilbo and several other dwarves are in, gets uprooted from the ground and begins leaning wildly. As more Wargs grab onto it, the tree tips over and lands on the next tree; the dwarves and Bilbo jump from the falling tree to the next. However, this tree as well tips over; like dominoes, all the trees begin falling over. All the dwarves, Bilbo, and I and Gandalf manage to jump onto the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff. This tree doesn’t fall over, yet anyway. Azog laughs. I see Gandalf  looking around in desperation, Gandalf spies a pinecone. He grabs it and uses his staff to set the pinecone on fire; he then throws it down amid the Wargs, who retreat in fear of the fire. Azog is startled and angry at the unexpected resistance. Gandalf lights two more pinecones and throws one down to Fili.