I got the idea for this from a school writing exercise where we have to come up with a story to fit a title. One of the title's was The Fugitive. Immediately, this idea sprung to mind.

I own none of the characters but the storyline is mine.

"Climb the trees, Kili!"

Kili clawed in vein at the tree beside him. He was too small to reach the branches. He was only twenty-eight. Nothing more than a toddler in dwarf terms and barely over a foot tall.

Fili reached a hand down and grabbed Kili tightly by his wrist, noticing his brother's struggling. Fili, although he was technically a toddler too, could manage to reach the lower branches on the smaller trees. He was older. Had grown more... "While I pull you up, grab a branch."

"The branches won't hold me, Fili!" Kili cried, completely overwhelmed by panic. He could hear the crashing in the forest as their pursuers approached. "They will break and I will fall and they will get me! Please, Fee, I don't want to be caught!"

"Calm down, Kili!" Fili ordered. His brother fell silent, desperation and fear of capture evident in his eyes. "You must listen to me. I'm going to pull you up and you will be fine. The branches are perfectly safe." He jumped on the branch he was crouched on for emphasis. It barely budged beneath his weight.

Kili considered this for a moment before deciding to put his faith in his brother. He extended his hand and Fili grasped hold of it.

"One, two, three..."

Kili bounced off the tree trunk with his feet as he released his brother's hand and landed on the nearby branch, coughing as he landed on his stomach. Winded, he scrambled into a more comfortable position on the tree branch. "Are you okay, Kili?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Okay, now let's go high-" Fili was cut off as his and his brother's pursuers emerged from the nearby forest and grabbed hold of Kili and Fili before they could even think to move. Kili let out a surprised screech and wrapped his arms firmly around the tree trunk, refusing to let go out of pure terror for what would happen if he did. "FILI!"

"Let go of us!" Fili yelled with forced bravery as he bashed his fists into the arm around him. The skin didn't even turn red. "We didn't do anything wrong!"

"Is that so?" Their attacker questioned. His voice not even hinting in belief.

"Yes. Please, let us go." Kili wriggled in the figure's grip like a worm but the hold remained still.

Thorin Oakenshield laughed belittlingly as he dropped his two nephew's gently on the floor but didn't let them go. "So it wasn't you two who smashed all the plates in our home and bent all the forks?"

They shook their heads. They lacked expression on their faces, besides fear.

"It wasn't you two who stole all of Bombur's cheese stocks?"

The pair exchanged a glance but otherwise remained emotionless.

"And it wasn't you two who drew all over Balin's books?"

"That actually wasn't us! It was Ori," Kili nodded his head. Proud at having proved Thorin wrong. Fili gave his brother the most disbelieving look he'd ever given.

"KILI!"

"So you admit to the first two?" Thorin smiled as he saw his youngest nephews jaw drop. Kili closed his eyes as he winced, knowing Thorin was far from merciful when it came to punishments. "We're going to get it now, right?"

Thorin laughed. It was a more genuine laugh than the one before and he patted both nephews on their heads. "Archery training for the pair of you."

"AWWW!" The pair groaned. However, Thorin noticed the gleam in his youngest nephew's eyes at the prospect.