Dwarven Denouement

20

They ran with the pack on their heels. The company was cornered on a cliff. "Gandalf shouted,"Quick! Into the trees!" No one hesitated to listen. One by one the dwarves climbed into the trees. Neana helped Bilbo up, and Fili helped her up by grabbing her waist and hoisting her to a branch. As the Wargs kept attacking the lower branches and the dwarves kept climbing higher until there was no higher to climb to.

The Wargs were ferociously biting and clawing the trees, knocking them over. It was like dominos, one tree after another came falling down. Everyone jumped from tree to tree. They made it to the last tree, which was already precariously tilting off the edge. Neana looked up and saw Gandalf whisper something into his hand and set a moth free.

He then grabbed a pine one and set in on fire. He threw it to Neana and she lit the ones everyone had in their hands. They all threw them down, setting the ground around thenpm and a single Warg on fire. Neana's eyes followed the Warg and she made eye contact with the pale Orc.

Neana froze mid-throw and began trembling. Thorin saw her stop and followed her gaze. His eyes widened. Azog raised his club and ordered his men in Black Speech. The Wargs jumped through the flames and began attacking the tree again, pushing it even farther off the edge. Ori lost his grip but he caught hold of Gandalf's staff. Neana was holding on to a brack with her feet dangling over the abyss. She heard footsteps and glanced up to see Thorin with his sword drawn.

Kili shouted, "Thorin! No!" But Thorin did not listen, he charged the pale Orc. Azog laughed and his Warg jumped over Thorin and kicked him in the back. Thorin rammed into a rock and fell, out of breath. The white Warg then strut over and picked Thorin up in its mouth. Thorin cried out in pain and Neana couldn't take it anymore. Even though they weren't related, Thorin was still like her own uncle.

Fili was tightly grasping the branch next to Neana's. He tried to get up but he couldn't. He saw Neana swing her feet. He wondered what she was doing, but his question was answered when she flipped onto the trunk of the tree. He gasped as he knew what was about to happen,"Neana!" But she was already running towards Thorin. He had just been thrown and was now laying on the ground unmoving.

Neana ran forward in between the Orc and Thorin. Azog laughed,"I see you have grown bold plaything." She grimaced at that word. An orcs had swung there swords, knock Neana's weapon out of her hands. The second Orc twisted her hand behind her back and held her up a few feet above the ground. "Do what you will with her, I am going to claim my prize.", said along walking towards Thorin. The two orcs grinned and began feeling Neana. She threw her head back hoping to hit it in the nose, only to receive a sharp slap to the face. Neana kept her head down as they continued, wishing her friends didn't see.

It was the sound of dwarfish battle cries that made Neana jerk her head up. The orcs dropped her and went to attack. She quickly found her weapon and joined. Neana once again ran in between Azog and Thorin. She swung her blade, cutting axons chest. He looked at her wide-eyed. She smiled. As she was recoiling to take another swing, giant birds swooped down and began picking up dwarves and flying away. Neana almost attacked but she heard Gandalf shout that they were friends. One bird picked her up and flew off. She heard Azog shout,"I will kill you whore and show your friends how disgusting you are!"

She looked around and saw that Fili and Kili were both on a bird above her. Fili found Thorin and shouted his name but he didn't respond. Neana thought back to Azog's words. She was disgusting. And after the recent events, her friends probably agree. She didn't cry, she just felt numb and empty. The poison creeping into her mind again. When she got the chance, she would fix things.

The birds dropped them off on a little cliff and flew off. Everyone ran to Thorin. Gandalf whispered something and Thorin woke up. "The hobbit?" Gandalf smiled and pointed behind him. Bilbo had come to help after the orcs overtook Neana. "Did I not say you would be a burden?", Thorin said walking to Bilbo. "I have never been so wrong in my entire life." He then embraced Bilbo and everyone cheered.

Everyone that is, except for Neana. She was not apart of this joyous moment. No. She was stepping closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.