The Fifteenth Member

Something Else Out There

Attara's POV

The next few days passed uneventfully. We continued our seemingly never-ending journey towards the Lonely Mountain, managing to stay ahead of the orcs. We were constantly aware of just how close the pack remained, and barely stopped to rest because of it. We were all growing weary from the long journey so far. My wing was beginning to slowly heal and I could fly very short distances, but it would be awhile yet before I was back to normal.

The dwarves took the news about my past better than I thought they would. Thorin and Dwalin seemed to have finally accepted me, and I felt as though I truly found my place in the group. They now teasingly referred to me as "princess" whenever they could - which I always frowned upon. If they were not careful they could end up giving me away to the wrong person.

Thorin had sent Biblo to scout out the location of the warg pack. When he returned he had a grim look on his face - never a good sign. 

"How close is the pack?" Dwalin asked. It seemed that he too had noticed Bilbo's somber expression.

"Too close" Bilbo responded much to our dismay "a couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it" he continued.

What could be worse than a pack of wargs on our tail?  I wondered to myself. It seemed the rest of the group felt the same as they all looked as confused as I felt.

"Have the wars picked up our scent?" Dwalin questioned.

Bilbo shook his head. "not yet, but they will; we have another problem."

"Did they see you?" Gandalf questioned angrily "They saw you!" he accused.

Bilbo let out an exasperated sigh as he replied, "No, that's not it."

Upon hearing his words, Gandalf turned towards the group with a smug grin on his face. "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material" he pointed out. The dwarves chuckled in response, but it seemed not all of them were completely convinced. 

As I glanced towards Bilbo it was clear that something was upsetting him. Whatever he saw must have been very important, I thought, and much worse than any wargs. A chill went down my spine as I considered what that could be.

"Will you listen- Will you just listen?" Bilbo exclaimed "I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there!"

That got the party's attention very quickly. The dwarves and Gandalf all snapped their heads towards Bilbo, but Gandalf's expression was different than the rest of the group. Whereas the dwarves all had looks of confusion on their faces, Gandalf just looked on knowingly. Whatever it is Gandalf knew about it all along  I concluded.

"What form did it take? Like a Bear?" he questioned.

"Yes..." Bilbo responded, seeming to come to the same conclusion I had. "Ye-yes but bigger, much bigger" he continued. 

One by one the dwarves seemed to realize that Gandalf had been aware of the creature all along. "You knew about this beast?" Bofur questioned angrily. When Gandalf refused to respond Bofur continued saying, "I say we double back"

"And be run down by a pack of orcs" Thorin pointed out.

As we weighed our options Gandalf once again stepped forward. "There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge." 

"Whose house?" Thorin questioned "Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither, he will help us..." Gandalf paused "or he will kill us"

A hush fell over the group. What is he thinking?  I wonder to myself. We cannot take refuge in the house of someone who may kill us. My eyes met Kili's, who mirrored a similar expression to mine. 

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked Gandalf, who shook his head in response. 

Suddenly a loud roar split the air around us. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. The sound echoed around us like it had come from every direction at once.

"None."