[ There was a title here in the dwarven runic language which basically just said ' An unexpected detour' I was pretty proud of it]
The rain was pounding relentlessly against the already sodden ground, each dwarf was wrapped in his own thoughts when it happened.
Ori slumped father into his hood, trying to escape the rain. So preoccupied was he that the young dwarf didn't notice when the rope connecting to the packhorse slipped from between his numb fingers.
The newly liberated gelding reared and tossed his head back triumphantly before, with a proud snort , racing down the track and away from Thorin's company. The pony's loud passage shocked the dwarfs out of their sleepy reverie.
" What. Was. That?" seethed Thorin, turning furious eyes on the quailing dwarf. Young master Ori got himself into quite the panic, stammering and cowering in the face of the irate dwarven king. Bilbo heaved a small sigh of relief, glad that for once he wasn't the subject of Thorins ire. Fili and Kili exchanged an nervous glance over the hobbits head and set off down the trail after the wayward pony.
" Fili! Kili!" Thorins voice cracked like a whip through the air towards the brothers and it was with no small amount of apprehension that they turned towards their uncle but Thorin merely cocked his eyebrow " Well?"
" We were going to fetch the pony Unc- Thorin." Fili explained.
" Very well," He paused " but, be carefull." The older Durin sounded reluctant to appear so concerned but as he turned away his sister-sons heard him mumble that " Dis would kill me should any harm befall you."
Fili and Kili tried to conceal their smirks for although Thorin was a warrior renowned and praised throughout Middle-Earth their uncle was still deathly afraid of his older sister Dis.
The brothers had been riding for only five minutes when they came across the gelding. The damned creature was up to its withers in white water and struggling against the current to get upstream, the bags of food and supplies had come loose and were carried away by the rushing stream as the brothers watched.
" I'll retrieve the supplies so long as you can handle the horse?" suggested Kili.
Fili thought this over quickly, Kili was lighter and so would be quicker carried away by the current, but he would also be able to climb the trees which lined the river more easily. " Very well," he said reluctantly " but, you are not to enter the water until I am done with the gelding, agreed?"
" Agreed." Kili nodded quickly before hastening down the river to a bag caught in the gnarled roots of the closest tree.
Fili turned back to the horse and quickly led it onto the rivers banks before turning back to his younger brother. Whom was not in his line of sight.
" Kili?" Fili yelled " You'd best not be in the river!"
" I'm fine brother." called Kili
Fili spotted his brother stretched out on a thin branch over the water, a thin branch that was creaking ominously " Kili get off of there!"
Before the youngest Durin could so much as move the branch broke and plunged the dwarf into the icy depths of the river. The moments that followed were some of the most desperate of Filis life and he would never fully remember what happened, he vaguely remembered jumping in after and pulling Kilis head above the water level, his uncle, attracted by their shouts, arriving and pulling them onto land and then black.
When Fili came to he saw his uncle leaning over him, a look of concern etched into his face.
"Uncle? W- what? Where..?" He stammered, teeth chattering as he searched desperately for Kili.
Thorin raised his left arm slightly revealing Kili, wrapped in their uncles' cloak, tucked into Thorins' side as he himself had often when they were younger and their uncle had still permitted displays of affection. " You passed out after we pulled you out, your brother suffered a blow to the head which is why he wasn't moving, he'll be fine in the morning. He woke up briefly and Dwalin gave him a sleeping draught."
Fili nodded and a yawn escaped his lips, against his will his eyelids started slipping down to hood his eyes. Thorin noticed and lent back against the tree.
" Sleep now, we won't be moving tomorrow, to give the ponies a rest." Fili nodded once more, well aware of the fact that the ponies did not in fact require rest after only a couple of easy days riding, he squirmed, trying to find a more comfortable place to rest his head. Thorin noticed and with a sigh pulled his heir into his side. Half asleep Fili let out a contented sigh, unaware of his uncles half smile and the smirks on the faces of the other dwarves as they observed their fearless leaders small display of emotion.
Later that night, when the other dwarves were already abed, Thorin looked down at his young nephews and spoke quietly, so as not to wake his company. " Don't you ever do that again? You hear me?"
A quiet voice broke into his heavy thoughts, " Don't worry uncle, we won't."
In the morning the family would pretend that this vulnerable moment had never happened but for now they were content.