Hello~!
It's been a long time since I've written anything I intended to post.
However, I was fully sucked into the Hobbit fandom and have decided to add my own piece.
I simply cannot guarantee that I will update regularly or often, but I will try my best to do so. My chapters have always tended to run on the short side, which I know from experience can be quite a disappointment. Nevertheless please enjoy~!
I would be grateful if you decided to leave a comment or review after you have read~!
Somewhere in the darkness beyond the flickering reach of the low camp fire, occasional furtive rustlings in the leaf litter disturbed the relatively quiet night as a dozen Dwarves (and a single Hobbit) slumbered. The sound came at first from the left, and then the right, moving all around as some night-prowling rodent continued it's nightly search for juicy insects amongst the trees. Between the rustlings, soft snoring could be heard over the faint crackling of the fire. Sitting just at the guttering edge of the circle of light cast by the flames, a shadowed figure twitched at each foreign sound that floated towards him on the mild breeze. His hand rested hesitantly in the air, hovering just over his snoring brother's blanketed shoulder. With each twitch, his fingers curled restlessly, rubbing together the hard calluses gained from years of working with weapons and tools. Finally, after many long minutes, Kili lowered his arm back to his side and rested his hand near the taut string of his bow.
Lips pulling into a tiny, embarrassed smile, Kili shook his head and let out a breathless huff of laughter. Nothing wayward was stirring out in the darkened forest, or there would be no cricket song or sleepy birds trilling softly from their treetop roosts. The skies were calm and clear, with the distant glimmer of starlight peeking through the patchy canopy of their small clearing. The balmy air carried nothing more harmful than the delicate scent of blooming night-flowers. Still, Kili had to force himself to relax at the occasional sounds of animal life that stirred through the forest. To calm himself, he looked at his companions, gaze dropping from one to another as the shadows wavered across their bundled forms. His dark eyes lingered on each long enough to ensure that they were truly sleeping. They lingered on the shadowy lump that was Thorin resting against a tree the longest, because sometimes Thorin was very good at feigning sleep, and was often sleepless. Still, their fearless leader would never stoop low enough to feign a snore. Thus, the reedy breaths that fluttered Thorin's beard indicated that he was indeed sound asleep.
Shaking his dark hair out of his eyes, Kili looked to his brother, so close to where he crouched. Only the golden top of Fili's head protruded from the bedroll, with one of his braids hanging out awkwardly against the blanket. He could just see the tips of his brother's fingers under the bottom edge of the bedding, resting lightly near the hilt of his sword where it lay beside him. With a soft smile, Kili watched the rise and fall of the rough blanket, listening to the muffled breaths beneath. Very carefully, Kili's fingers coiled the loose braid back where it belonged. After a moment, he leaned back and looked again at the others. The faint glimmer of light striking Thorin's eyes betrayed the fact that he had awoken.
Sweetly, Kili flashed his uncle a bright grin and waggled his fingers playfully at the older dwarf. The glinting eyes across the clearing closed and Thorin turned his head away, the tiniest hint of a smile quirking the corner of his lip. Knowing better than to laugh audibly, Kili shifted so that he could stand, and picked his way over to Thorin's side. The tiny sigh from his uncle the only indicator that Thorin felt his presence. Still, Kili's eyes drifted in the direction his uncle faced, and they landed on their unlikely little burglar. The unlikely little hobbit who, buried entirely in a large blanket, was a pile of wool in the dim light. The hobbit had come both a long way, and yet not so very far since the beginning of his journey. The strange little Halfling was indeed quite a ways from the creature comforts of his little hillside abode in the shire. Nevertheless, he managed to make do without too much fuss, and only a little trouble. He had made himself a member of their party, and a friend, as well. Although, not one of the Dwarves could tell you exactly when Bilbo had become more friend than burden. Except maybe Thorin. Kili flicked his eyes back to his only uncle and speculated at what was going on inside his King's shaggy head.
As if he could sense the mischief (and surely most times it seemed to Kili that he could), Thorin's eyes opened to narrowed slits that glared flatly at his youngest nephew's twitching smirk. Undeterred, Kili's arched brows waggled up and down questioningly as he pointed his fuzzy chin at the blanket pile that was Bilbo. Thorin's pale eyes flicked to the Hobbit and back, if anything, narrowing further. This was not the first time that his dark-haired nephew had caught him staring at their company's tiniest member while he was unawares, but it was the first time he had called him out on it. The dancing shadows across Thorin's motionless face only intensified the level stare he cast at Kili in blatant refusal of communicating his thoughts.
Kili, however, was well used to his relative's concrete-faced displays and knew how to interpret the look. His uncle was beginning to soften up towards the Halfling, but would not, out of pride, admit that he had more than a business interest in Bilbo's welfare. It had been a long time (quite a very long time) since Thorin had allowed anyone new to become any kind of friend. It would be a while yet before Thorin would let it show that he had begun to change his mind on the Hobbit's place in their group and on their quest. Still, it was a start. Boldly, Kili beamed an encouraging smile at his uncle, and couldn't help but laugh just a little when those gleaming eyes narrowed into tiny slivers.
Realizing that he had goaded Thorin more than enough for one night, Kili inclined his head to him and wandered off to watch the night outside their clearing for any possible signs of danger. Behind him, pale eyes once again stared at the blanket-wrapped figure lying near the flickering flames.
