[Durelin]

They had come out of nowhere, and Parkun and Toby had suddenly been surrounded by snarls and growls. These were no ordinary wolves. Though they resembled them, they were larger, and there was an intelligence in their eyes that Kun had not seen in any other animal. There were three of the great beasts, and they looked…hungry. They seemed to be grinning at their prey. Wargs…Kun had thought them beasts of legend, or at least creatures destroyed in the War.

Suddenly Kun heard an angry growl from behind and thought one of the Wargs was preparing to leap onto him and the hobbit, but instead, Kun saw two more wolves came bounding out of the trees as he whirled around. One had silvery fur throughout his coat, and it…it spoke to the others, and even Kun could make out the words.

“You had orders, fleabags,” it growled angrily, looking around at the three who surrounded Kun and Toby, “You were not to touch any of the two-legs, even the small ones.” The speaking warg gestured with his muzzle towards Toby. “Besides – you know I get first kill.” The beast’s eyes met Parkun’s. The thing really was smiling at him, and Kun sensed that it was preparing to move.

“Wait!” he yelled, and sought quickly to save his life. He had not volunteered to die. He was no sacrifice. No one and nothing was worth a sacrifice, much less held value equal to his own life. “There is a party looking for you. They are probably in the forest by now. I can lead them to you. I’ll tell them you have the hobbit. No, I’ll tell them he’s hurt, and bring them to him, but you’ll be there…hidden. An ambush.” He quickly counted in his head. “There are…there are at least six others, most much bigger than this hobbit. I can bring them to you.”

If they were busy with six meals besides Toby, he could escape, even if they did not let him go. They would not bother hunting him, bellies full, and when he had helped them after all. When he would be no threat to them. If he did not bring them back, they would hunt him down, and he knew he had no chance. They knew he knew that.

The wargs caught a whiff of the other humans, Hobbit, and…another scent, which Kun identified for them as Dwarf; and several began howling in anticipation. The plan was in motion, and Parkun was still alive…

~*~*~*~*~

Parkun rushed through the trees in the direction the wargs had sniffed out the others. He was not sure if they would eat Toby yet, or wait to enjoy him with the others, but he heard nothing but the howling for some time.

Suddenly there was a shout that rose above the howling, close to Kun, in a language he did not recognize, and then he felt himself crash into something too short to be a tree and too hard to be a bush. He was pushed backward, but before he fell, a heavy blow thudded against his chest. Kun landed hard on his rear, the wind twice knocked out of him and his chest pulsing with pain. He gasped for breath, and it felt as if his heart had stopped altogether for several moments. It had not stopped pounding in his ears since he had first heard the snarls of the wargs.

It was strangely quiet now in the forest, as Kun lay on the ground at the feet of Kuric with his mace, coughing and flailing in a panic to take a full, normal breath again. Perhaps the wargs really wouldn’t be the ones to kill him after all... Everything slowly faded...

~*~*~*~*~

Dûrkoth leapt at his approaching comrade with anger burning in his eyes, and clenched the other warg’s neck in his teeth, not gently. Blood covered Carchel’s maw and his front paws, and there was a gash in his left flank. “You fool! What have you done?” he growled. Those looking for them now knew exactly what they were looking for and where to look for them, and their pack was weakened by one wounded. Dûrkoth let out a howl to silence the four others and bring them to him. He would be making an example of Carchel, and they had work to do.