"Kill them!" the Orc leader shrieked with bloodthirsty excitement.
The Orcs and their Wargs launched into a thunderous charge. Keith joined the fray, though he made sure not to be the first one in the line of fire, carefully avoiding the line of sight of the archer, Kili.
Within the closing circle, the situation was dire. Fleeing on foot was no longer a viable strategy; they were surrounded and exhausted.
"Stand your ground! Kill them all!" Thorin Oakenshield roared, raising his Elven blade. He had finally abandoned the flight in favor of a final stand. The twelve Dwarves followed his lead, their faces pale but determined.
Twang—Twang—!
Kili, the most useful of the company in this moment, loosed arrow after arrow. As a master archer, every shot found its mark, but his panic only grew. He noticed one Warg—faster and more agile than the rest—darting through the chaos with a singular focus. Its target was unmistakable: Thorin.
"Thorin! Watch your flank!" Kili screamed, loosing several shafts toward the grey blur that was Keith.
Keith dodged the arrows with practiced ease, closing the gap until he was only twenty paces from the Dwarf-prince.
Awoooo—!
He let out a howl after dodging another shot.
"Protect the King!" the other Dwarves shouted, though their reaction was a half-beat too slow. They scrambled to form a defensive ring around Thorin, but Keith was already upon them.
Whoosh—!
Keith lunged, coming within a few feet of Thorin's side. He unhinged his jaw, revealing rows of serrated, terrifying teeth. Trapped in another life-and-death moment, Thorin's blood boiled with adrenaline; he lunged forward with his sword.
"Hah!" Keith barked, a gust of hot, foul wind hitting Thorin square in the face.
Then, Keith leaped aside. Instead of biting, he stood tall, his voice returning to that high, arrogant register that chilled the Dwarves to the bone. "Thorin Oakenshield... son of Thráin, grandson of Thrór."
The thirteen Dwarves, and even Bilbo—who was clutching his glowing Elven blade without the slightest idea of how to use it—froze in shock.
A Warg that speaks?
How is this possible?
Even the nearby Orcs and Wargs were stunned. The Orcs wondered why this beast knew so much, while the brainless Wargs simply wondered why they couldn't speak too.
Gandalf, who had just cleared the brush to find the hidden entrance to Rivendell, was the only one who didn't look surprised.
Thorin blinked, finding his voice through the shock. "You are no beast! What devilry is this?"
"Hmph!" Keith let out a cold, draconic sneer. "Azog sends his regards! You belong to him. He will take your head just as he took your grandfather's!"
The revelation hit Thorin like a physical blow. Azog the Defiler lives? The Dwarf-prince's mind reeled, but his shock was quickly replaced by a white-hot, incandescent rage. Without another word, he charged at Keith again.
"All brawn and no brain," Keith chuckled. He leaped out of the closing circle of Dwarves with a powerful bound. Once clear, he turned and roared at the Orc pack. "What are you idiots waiting for? Slaughter the Dwarf-scum before they escape!"
The Orcs, hearing the name of Azog and seeing the beast's authority, didn't dare hesitate. "KILL!"
They renewed their charge with savage intensity.
"To the passage! Move!" Gandalf bellowed. He cast a long, meaningful look at Keith, who had perched himself on a large rock to watch the chaos. The Dwarves didn't need to be told twice; they turned and ran for the hidden cleft in the hillside.
Awoooo—!
"There they are! Don't let them go!" Keith barked from his rock, acting as a field commander.
The Orcs were simple-minded creatures driven by fear and bloodlust. In the heat of the moment, none questioned why they were following the orders of a Warg; they only knew they had to kill the Dwarves or answer to Azog.
One by one, the Dwarves slid down the steep embankment and into the hidden passage.
"Move! Faster!" Thorin shouted, standing at the entrance to ensure his kin were safe. His courage was undeniable, even if his temper was short.
Bwa-ba-ba-baaa!
Suddenly, the clear, silver notes of a horn echoed through the valley. The riders of Rivendell had arrived.
Keith watched the treeline as the Elven cavalry emerged. He turned back to the Orcs. "The Elves are here! Ignore them! Focus on the Dwarves! Kill them now, or Azog will have your skins for his hearth!"
Ordinarily, Orcs are cowards who flee at the first sound of Elven steel. But Keith's threat carried the weight of the Defiler. The Orcs realized that if they failed to kill the Dwarves, they were dead anyway.
"Go! Stop the Elves!" the Orc captain shrieked. "The rest of you—into the hole! Kill the Dwarves!"
The pack split. A dozen Orcs and their Wargs charged the hidden passage.
Thwip—thwip—thwip—!
Elven arrows were faster. The Orc captain's head was pierced before he could even reach the slope. But the momentum was too great; several Orcs and Wargs managed to tumble into the passage alive.
"To arms!" Thorin roared from within the tunnel.
A brutal, close-quarters skirmish erupted in the dark of the passage. Blades clashed against claws in the narrow space. Twenty seconds of savage violence later, it was over. The Orcs were dead.
Thorin stood over the bodies, his chest heaving, a look of grim satisfaction on his face. Bilbo, on the other hand, looked pale, his stomach churning at the carnage.
"We must keep moving. This way!" Gandalf didn't linger, leading them deeper into the hidden path.
"Gandalf," Thorin asked coldly as they walked. "Where does this path lead?"
Gandalf didn't answer, merely glancing back at the Dwarf-prince. Thorin knew the answer. His "principles" were a luxury he could no longer afford; he kept walking.
On the surface, Lord Elrond led his cavalry in a swift cleansing of the valley. The remaining Orcs were systematically eliminated, and the Wargs scattered into the wild.
"Gather the carcasses," Elrond commanded his captains. "Burn them all." He looked toward the hidden entrance and offered a faint, knowing smile.
Inside the passage, a small Raven hopped along the stone floor. Keith was no longer flying; he was taking the scenic route. He had a kingdom to build, but first, he wanted to see how the Elves lived.