09.
Running

In what had to be one of the most intense escapes of Aninth's life, Radagast got back on his rabbit-drawn sled and sped off in one direction while the Company took off in the other direction. The howls of the Wargs echoed against her ears as she ran alongside the others, Radagast's distant taunts following each howl.

Aninth knew she could get away very easily. She could just jump on Ryvniss' back and fly away and be but a speck in the distance by the time the Orcs realized what happened but it wasn't that easy when she wasn't on her own. If she abandoned the Company, she knew their impression of her would never change.

They stopped behind a large rock, everyone crowding close together as Gandalf poked his head around it to see if the coast was clear. "Come on," he urged them.

Everyone quickly darted out, following carefully behind Gandalf as he lead the way across the landscape. Aninth was thankful that there were many large rock outcroppings dotted across the open hills that would make perfect hiding spots.

Dashing around a large boulder and partially up a hill, everyone came to a dead stop as they saw Radagast and his sled in front of them. The Orc pack was not far behind them. No one moved as they passed, all wondering if they would go unseen.

"Stay together," Gandalf reminded them as the Orcs passed them and they remained unseen.

"Move!" Thorin urged.

They were moving once again, and though she followed behind Thorin and Gandalf (whichever one was in the lead), Aninth took a moment to wonder if either of them truly knew where they were going. She didn't know what was on the other side of this hilly landscape they'd found themselves in. She didn't know where they were running to. All she could do was hope someone did.

Aninth leaned her shoulder against the latest rock they were hiding behind and took deep breaths as she steadied both her breathing and her heart rate.

"Ori, no! Get back!" Thorin exclaimed, grabbing ahold of the younger Dwarf's clothes and yanking him back behind the rock as Orcs passed along the crest of the hill in front of them.

"All of you, come on, quickly," Gandalf urged, shuffling everyone along one by one while he and Thorin remained stationary, watching everyone carefully.

"Where are you leading us?" she heard Thorin question Gandalf as she ran ahead with the group. She never heard Gandalf's answer.

As they ran forward the way that Gandalf had urged them, the entire pack ran right in front of them, Radagast in the lead with his rabbits. Aninth wished that there was some kind of way to communicate with Radagast where they were going so their paths would stop crossing.

Nevertheless, the Company all quickly flattened themselves against the nearest rock outcropping. There was a moment of calm, before the distinct growling of a Warg sounded from above them. Aninth bit her lip to stop the curse from falling from her tongue.

All eyes turned to Thorin as they waited for his command on what to do. Aninth wanted to offer her services, to show them what Ryvniss could truly do, but that would require words. And words were not a luxury they could afford at that moment.

Thorin turned to Kili and gave him a nod. The young Dwarf didn't look eager to take on the Orc and Warg with simply his bow and arrow, but took the command nonetheless, pulling an arrow from the quiver on his back and notching it on his bow.

Kili quickly ran the necessary distance out from the rock and shot his arrow into the Warg's neck. It yelled and thrashed as Kili fired another arrow into the neck of the Orc rider. They both fell from their perch and to the ground in front of the Company, who began to beat the still alive creatures with their weapons as they screeched loudly.

As the howling of the distant Orc pack grew closer, Gandalf took several steps forward, looking to the horizon for the coming pack. Ygritte took a step forward after her father and in front of Bilbo, her eyes flicking between Gandalf and the horizon.

"Move!" Gandalf yelled, "run!"

They needed no further prompting. Everyone took off after Gandalf immediately, following him as fast as they were capable of, the sounds of howling and barking following them with each step.

"There they are!" Gloin yelled, pointing in the distance in front of them. Everyone turned, looking for another way to go. 

"This way, quickly!" Gandalf instructed, and everyone quickly followed after him.

And once more they were running. Aninth hadn't done this much running in months, and she felt it. She had been spoiling herself with riding Ryvniss instead of moving on foot and now she was really feeling it.

"There's more coming!" Kili shouted as everyone stopped.

There were, indeed, more coming. And they were quickly being surrounded. Aninth once more held back the curses on her tongue, knowing they'd be of no use to her. Flying away would be, but that was not an option here.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin ordered.

Aninth wasn't going to leave it all to the young Dwarf. She quickly grabbed Ryvniss from around her neck. "Keep them back. Help Kili keep them away from us," she told him and tossed him up into the air as he unfurled his wings.

"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted.

What gave it away? Aninth thought bitterly as she tightened her grip on her sword.

In the distance, Aninth saw one of Kili's arrows strike and kill one of the Orcs just as Ryvniss dipped down and breathed fire over the Warg he had been riding. She gave a smirk at Kili when he turned a bewildered expression to Aninth.

"Where's Gandalf?" Dori demanded suddenly.

Aninth quickly looked around for the tall Wizard, eyes widening when she didn't see him. Ygritte gave a shrug as all eyes turned to her for explanation, and she looked just as confused as the rest of them as to where her father had disappeared to.

"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin accused.

"He would not do such a thing," Ygritte defended, "I'm sure he's just... checking for somewhere to go."

Aninth began to back up as the Orcs started to close in, her eyes scanning quickly for Ryvniss. She spotted him in the air at the same time Ori shot at one of the Wargs with his slingshot. The rock bounced harmlessly off the Wargs' head so Ryvniss dipped down and scorched the grass between them to give the young Dwarf time to get away before quickly ascending into the air again.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin commanded.

Everyone was quickly closing ranks as the Orcs closed in on them. With Kili and Ryvniss keeping them back as best as possible, their approach was slow, but not slow enough.

"This way, you fools!"

Everyone turned to see Gandalf poking up from between two rocks. Her attention (it seemed like everyone's attention) was drawn away for mere seconds, but it was enough.

Aninth cried out in pain, one hand immediately going to her left side where the pain was spreading from as her eyes turned up to Ryvniss. Knowing that no Orc had gotten near enough to injure her, she gave a sharp whistle to call Ryvniss back to her. When he landed on her arm, he had a bleeding cut in his left side.

Damn Orcs, she cursed.

"Come on, move!" Thorin ordered.

Aninth backed up slowly, keeping one hand on her side and the other tightly gripped around her sword as she approached the hole in which Gandalf had once more disappeared down. 

"Quickly! All of you!" Thorin ordered, standing atop the rock and watching everyone disappear down into the cave below.

When Aninth slid down, she found herself in some sort of cave, Gandalf standing to one side, counting off numbers as each member of the Company slid down. When Ygritte slid down, she placed a hand on Aninth's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"We'll be fine once we get away from these Orcs," Aninth replied.

"We?" Ygritte questioned.

Instead of answering, Aninth simply gave the other blonde a look that told her simply that it was much too complicated to talk about now.

Above, Aninth heard Thorin yelling for Kili moments before they both came sliding down into the cave with the rest of them. They all backed up, Kili keeping his bow notched with an arrow.

"Are you alright?" Bilbo asked Aninth softly and she simply waved off his concern.

Before anyone could say anything more and barely move, a horn sounded above them. It was a strange horn, unlike anything that Aninth had ever heard before in her travels, but that pulled on distant memories of her childhood. With the horn came sounds of battle that didn't reassure Aninth any.

When an Orc came tumbling down into their hiding spot, everyone backed away and pointed their weapons at it, expecting it to start attacking them. But it didn't move. Aninth realized that it was already dead.

Thorin pulled out the arrow in it's neck and inspected it closely. "Elves," he snarled, tossing it from his hand as if burned.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads," Dwalin called from behind them. Aninth hadn't noticed the pathway behind them. "Do we follow it or no?"

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur said.