Eruwen (Part 1 & 2)

The Hideout

I opened the door to the house and watched the others. Feon, meanwhile, had begun to graze. They emerged from the woods some time later with the big bear hot on their heels.

They all ran inside, Gandalf being the last one in before the dwarves closed the door. The bear almost got in, but they managed to close the door, so he decided to leave and guard the area around his dwelling.

"What was that?" Ori wondered.

"Our host. His name is Beorn, and he's a skin-changer," Gandalf explained, "Sometimes a huge black bear, sometimes a big strong man. Beorn is unpredictable, but we can talk to a man."

"He doesn't like dwarves much, though," I added.

"We'd better get out of here. This isn't natural, not even a little bit. There is some dark magic in this," Dori echoed.

"Don't be a fool. He's not cursed, he's just like that. Now get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe tonight," Gandalf said. "I hope so," he added quietly - more to himself.

"Shall we ask him for help?" I asked, without the dwarves hearing us.

"We must."

"It would be advisable for him to lend us a horse, the journey on foot seems very risky."

"I agree," the wizard spoke up.

"Sleep, I'll keep watch."

The Orcs dared not attack us when the bear was on the alert and guarding his dwelling. Beorn had a beautiful garden with a pond in which the water was beautifully clear.

I decided to take a dip in it. I took off my clothes and got into the cold water. I even put my head under the water - it was very pleasant.

After a while, I got out and dressed before turning towards the window where the dwarves were watching me. 

I went to smooth out Feon before heading inside with him. He didn't want to sleep outside so he found a nice spot and laid down. I laid down next to him and closed my eyes. The one who snuggled up to me was Thorin.

During the night, the skin-changer appeared in his human form. There was no point in talking to him at night, the morning seemed more suitable for conversation.