Little Bird

Summary: The younglings were drinking; insults were thrown and naturally a contest stems from it. Kili's arrow finds it mark but when he goes to retrieve it he stumbles upon the last thing he'd ever expected.

Author: kilisdwarfprincess.

Genre: Romance/Drama.

Length: One-Shot.

Pairing: Kili/OC.

Rating: NC-17 for adult themes, situations and so on and so forth.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Tolkien related or recognised. I own only the original characters and story that does not take place in the Hobbit. No profit is made of this story but the entertainment of its readers.

Author's Note: I now have a facebook page for my fanfiction side of life; you can find the link on my profile - I wanna start getting to know the fans again like I have been on Tumblr.

I'm working on my chaptered fics; Bittersweet (Kili), The Ragnell Scrolls (Thorin) and Keep Me Breathing (Thorin) but I have decided to build up a collection of Hobbit one-shots involving the dwarves and "their ladies".

Seeking Warmth ties in with Keep Me Breathing as I liked the back story I came up with for Thorin and Onua's pasts and history together so that new one will be ready sometime next week.

I apologise for the delay on Bittersweet, it was not my intention for it to not be updated beyond a week at the most but things sorta came up and up and up and well, I'm working on it diligently for you all so it'll be ready within a day or two.

Verbophobic = My lovely beta.

For now, enjoy my minds idea of smut and don't forget to let me know what you think.

As a heads up; Kanara means "small songbird or little bird."


Male dwarf younglings were notorious for being foolish, headstrong and proud at the best of times. At their worst they were akin to bears; fierce and strong. Drink only made them worse; it loosened their tongues. They always laid the blame on alcohol being the cause of their havoc; Thorin lectured the mixed group of younglings but little good it did when tempers within the groups ran so high.

Kili knew that his temper and Gris' loosened tongue were the blame for his current predicament.

Twenty odd male dwarf younglings most not even close to their fiftieth year stood in a cluster. Kili stood feet away, watching as they all placed bets on the outcome of this contest. Fili refused to bet – having objected to this folly from the moment it had been decided upon.

At his side stood Gris, copper hair pulled back into countless small braids and a beard done in similar fashion. The large dwarf was swaying a little upon his feet; knife held sloppily within his chubby fingers.

Kili watched the older youngling; torn between amusement and anger. Gris and his friends had dared to offer insult to the youngest heir of Durin whilst they'd been drinking and it had all led to this.

Fili had refused to let them strike one another; threatening to personally remove Gris' fingers should he lay a hand upon his younger brother and when Kili had bristled at his brother stepping in to protect him, Fili had warned him of Thorin's threat to pull him from patrols if he started another brawl.

Fili, the ever watchful older brother had tried to convince him this was not worth Kili's time; that he could walk away. He had been the only voice of reason, much to his irritation. Yet even so Kili blew him off.

So now Fili had resigned himself to standing with the others; arms folded across his chest, jaw set hard.

Gris' knives against Kili's arrows, as it had been decided by Natrun who'd won the coin toss for choice. Lotot had called for the targets to be moving. Fili dreaded someone was going to lose an eye before this was over.

Kili ignored Gris' jibes; focusing instead on what he was setting out to accomplish. Hit a moving target. It sounded simple enough but in truth with alcohol in his system, the archer knew he'd have a harder time aiming.

Gris had ingested far more alcohol than him and Kili could see how the dwarf swayed unsteadily on his feet. Before the afternoon was out, Gris would be weeping like a child who'd lost his favourite toy.

The dark-haired princeling had always favoured the bow to an axe or hammer. It had garnered insults from his peers for most dwarves viewed a bow as the weapon of elves not dwarves.

Kili was drawn to the weapon for on his first journey to a market outside of Belegost, he had seen an archery contest, and from that day on a ten year old Kili had pleaded with his uncle, father and mother for a bow. Thorin had finally granted him a bow of his own when Kili had clung to his leg and refused to budge until he got one.

Warriors from the outside; men of war with battle stories that had enthralled the youngling until his dreams were filled with nothing but adventures and he spent his days dreaming of a journey beyond the halls of Belegost, beyond his training as a weapon smith. They had been his teachers.

The insults came left and right to the younger princeling; he was too reckless, he didn't think before he acted, he spent more time dreaming than practising his craft, and he was outcast – that was his personal favourite.

They called him outcast for his lack of a beard. Like his father, Roli, before him Kili's beard did not grow like Fili's. Kili, in truth, didn't mind that he could not grow anything but stubble across his jaw; he would have had to cut it in order to wield his bow.

"Alright lads, you get one shot each! Can't go slaughtering every birdie in the forest cause your drunk," Iero, a blonde with bones braided into the ends of his hair, called out as he scrabbled around in the dirt searching for some rocks.

"I'll only need one shot," Kili quipped. Fili smirked as Gris snorted.

"Sure," he muttered, nudging Kili aside. "Imma goin' first." His large barrel of a belly unbalanced him and he nearly tumbled to the ground.

Kili glanced round at Fili who stood with his arms folded across his chest and a frown on his features. It was frightening how much he resembled their uncle in that moment. Shaking his head, he lifted his shoulders and Fili nodded at him.

He agreed; let the fool go first and fail.

"Be my guest," Kili mumbled, slinging his bow over one shoulder and folding his arms across his chest, wanting to see every second.

The copper haired dwarf planted his feet and readied his dagger. Iero took aim at a large branch interwoven with multiple others, joining the trees together. Like Gris and a number of the others he was drunk enough that as he hurled the rock, he lost his balance and tumbled to the ground. Fili, who stood by his side, merely glanced down at him with a frown. Drunken imbeciles; the lot of them were.

Kili's keen dark eyes followed the rock. No one spoke; held their breaths as the rock soared for its mark. The branch rattled as the rock connected and disturbed the wild life.

Birds scattered quicker than lightning; darting from one hiding place to another.

His eyes darted to Gris who drew his arm back, poorly timed his throw and tossed his dagger.

The birds settled and Kili had to snigger. The dagger was embedded into the trunk of the tree. Gris stood there dumbfound; mouth agape and eyes aflame. Those who had betted against the red head all began to laugh and jeer at him.

Hiryo, Gris' brother, approached the tree and grabbed the hilt of the dagger. He tugged, trying to free the knife. Kili grinned when the dagger didn't budge and the dwarf began to curse, repeatedly tugging at the dagger to try and free it.

After a good few rounds of curses, Gris ambled over to his younger brother and with one tug freed his knife from the trunk.

There was no blood upon the blade; he hadn't even struck one.

Kili smirked at the bumbling drunk who cursed in their native tongue before trudging back to the others, his little brother in tow, shoving some out of his way as they held their stomachs and pointed at him; tears pricking at their eyes.

"Satisfied?" Fili demanded of his little brother who merely smirked back at him. He was far from done.

Iero, thankfully, bowed out of throwing another stone as he was still pulling leaves and grass from his hair and Tarnu stepped up to take over, waiting for Kili's signal.

The princeling's smirk faded; he drew in a deep breath and reached back to pull an arrow from his quiver; notching it was simpler than he expected. Kili's lips quirked up into the smallest of grins. He wasn't as drunk as he'd thought himself to be.

Pride always came before a fall not that the youngling would know that or admit that his had been hurt this afternoon when the insults were thrown, tired of forever being the one singled out.

He took a moment to relax himself; calming his breathing and clearing his mind.

With a sharp whistle to Tarnu, he turned to face the trees where all the birds had settled. His eyes stayed focused on trees; the rock wasn't his goal. The birds were. He raised his bow and drew back.

The rock hit and the birds burst forth.

His eyes fell upon a bird with black and white feathers. It was moving quickly and Kili had to remember what the northern ranger had once told him; aim not for where it is but where it's going to be.

He released the string and the arrow soared.

She flew straight into it; her cry shrill as it buried into her. Kili watched as it struggled to escape only to falter and drop low to the ground. She flew north through the denser areas of the forest.

Cheers sounded from the group. Kili smirked and turned, dropping into a bow. Fili was grinning, clapping as Lotot slapped him on the back before heading for Kili. All those who had won the bets headed for Kili, congratulating him and joking round as Gris and his group headed back for Belegost.

When Fili told them it was time they headed back before Thorin sent a search party out for them. Kili paused mid-step, remembering he had to retrieve his arrow and told the others he'd catch up with them.

Fili turned warm blue eyes skywards and frowned. "There's a storm coming brother, don't dawdle."

Kili grinned, mock saluting his brother before turning and hurrying off in the direction he'd seen his mark go.

The forest to the north was thicker and wilder. Both he and Fili had gotten lost when they'd been younger and Thorin had discovered them a day later curled up in some caves they'd managed to find and hide in. They'd been banned from leaving his sight for weeks following that as their mother had scolded them for wandering while their father just shook his head and told them the world outside was dangerous for curious younglings.

Shrubs brushed his legs and he had to duck to avoid the low branches as they snared at his coat and hair. To any other, it would've seemed silly to go in all to retrieve an arrow but these had been made by Thorin himself. He would not lose one unless he absolutely could not get it back. Hunting game and shooting birds meant he always retrieved them.

He stumbled out of the thick overgrowth of the forest and onto the bank of the Summar river that ran north along the base of the Blue Mountains.

As he brushed the leaves from his hair, Kili yelped as he fell over when his feet collided with something. Toppling to the ground, he groaned. He should watch where he stepped more often. Rolling onto his back, Kili pushed himself up onto his elbows.

He froze, eyes widening in surprise as he found the source of his fall. A female lay curled up; unconscious, naked and shivering violently.

But what caught his eye more so was the arrow wedged deep into her right shoulder; his arrow.

How?

But-

What?

Kili's brow furrowed as he tried to come to terms with how his arrow had ended up within the shoulder of a woman. He'd hit a bird. Yet, where the bird should lie, a woman now did? It didn't make sense.

Kili heard the rumble of thunder overheard and turned his eyes skywards, feeling all the more sober than he had some minutes ago.

A memory formed in his mind then. He'd been barely been five when Thorin had once told him a bedtime story of people who held the gift of changing their skin to that of an animals; a man could become a bear, a child might take the shape of a puppy and a female may take flight as a beautiful bird.

His eyes lowered to settle upon the naked female as the first droplets of rain began to fall. He'd shot a skin changer. He'd almost killed her. Kili's stomach clenched viciously.

If he didn't do something she'd die. He'd been the cause of this; let his pride get the better of him and it had nearly cost another their life.

Kili knew he owed this female skin changer. Pushing himself onto his knees, Kili pulled his quiver off and dropped his bow by his side so he could shrug out of his coat. Laying it over the female, he collected his bow and quiver; situated them back over his head and reached for her injured shoulder. Her skin was cold to the touch.

He'd seen it go all the way through her wing when he'd shot her but when he inspected the back of her shoulder, he found only the opening of the wound. The arrow hadn't come through when she'd transformed.

Kili couldn't carry her with the arrow still lodged in her shoulder. He was somewhat thankful she would be unconscious for this. He took hold of the shaft and pushed it through her shoulder until the arrowhead appeared, careful that he didn't jerk it by accident and tear more of her shoulder inside.

With his dagger he cut the arrowhead off, tossing it away and then he pulled the shaft back through. Blood seeped from the wound like sap would from a tree. He would patch it once under shelter; sitting out in the rain was going to do neither of them any good.

Gathering her up into his arms, Kili was surprised by how small and light she truly was. He felt that dropping her might cause her to shatter like glass. He held her close to his chest hoping his warmth would spread into her.

The caves were closer than Belegost and he didn't think carrying a skin changer into the halls would be the wisest of ideas. Thorin would have his head for bringing an outsider in without his prior knowledge of them. He began the short trek to the caves; unable to prevent rain from falling onto the females head and feet. He'd need to get a fire going in the caves.

Kili was grateful when he finally entered the mouth of the cave, ducking his head to avoid knocking himself on the low entrance. It opened up into a small cavern. Nightfall had come and with it; lightning and heavier rain. Thankfully he and Fili kept wood in the cave towards the back in the event they ever needed shelter here on a rainy night during hunts.

Reaching the back of the cave where the wood was and a few old blankets were rolled up and tucked into a small pocket of rocks, Kili lowered the female to the ground, trying his hardest to keep her covered by his coat. He was grateful for his brother's ingenuity in keeping some supplies here, even if it was only some wood and blankets.

He stood up and shook himself a little, pulling his damp hair off his face and neck before setting about to start a fire and before long had a small fire burning; basking the walls of the cave in an amber glow. Grabbing the blankets from where they were tucked away, he laid them out and tried to make some semblance of a bed by the fire for the female.

Kili needed to get her warm and that shoulder patched. If he managed to achieve that then hopefully she would survive the night.

He crouched by her; slipped his arms beneath her knees and torso and lifted her up from the ground. Depositing her upon the blankets he draped another over her.

Kili peeled his coat back from her shoulder; it was still weeping blood and looked worse than any injury he'd ever sustained. Kili had been bruised, broken and he'd bled but not in the way this female had.

Pushing himself to his feet, he walked to the entrance of the cave and collected two cupped hands worth of water.

He poured it down into the wound and around the angry, tender flesh that had been torn so savagely.

Drawing his dagger, Kili tore a strip of cloth from the blanket she lay under only to freeze when a whimper reached his ears. His eyes flew to her face and Kili watched as her eyes began to flutter open.

Two unfocused amber eyes stared back at him.

He'd never seen such beautiful eyes; blues, greens, browns and greys were the colours of dwarf eyes. Amber was a shade he'd never thought to be an eye colour so hauntingly beautiful. They were glazed over; she was in a great deal of pain.

Kili wondered then as he stared into her eyes what her name was.

Then suddenly as though she'd awakened from the last remnants of unconsciousness, the female tried to move away from him; a frightened animal.

Kili caught her, preventing her from escaping too far and keeping her covered by his coat and the blankets. She moaned in pain, her hand reaching up to clutch at her wound as she eased herself back down. He was silent, unable to find words as his eyes slipped over her features as though only just noticing how fair she was for a female of another race. No wonder her bird form was so pretty.

Aside from amber eyes, she had a thin nose and full, pouting lips upon a soft face pale in complexion. Her neck was slender; shoulders delicate. Dark hair spilled down past her shoulders in a mess of waves and curls.

"You're safe," he murmured, unsure why he even spoke. There was every chance she couldn't speak.

He lifted his gaze back to hers. Her lips were parted as though she was about to speak however after a few moments, they closed again. Kili knew she was following his every movement as he leaned away to grab at the strip of cloth.

He pulled her shoulder up so he was able to slip the cloth beneath and over the back of the wound.

"Who- Who are you?" Her voice was soft and husky, dry from a lack of water. She licked her lips to wet them and Kili tried to ignore the feel of his ears burning at his like of such a gesture.

"Kili of Belegost," he answered as he began to wrap her shoulder as best as he was able.

She nodded, her fingers coming up to play with his coat that was still wrapped about her slight frame. "You're the one who did this, aren't you? I remember this coat."

Kili's hands faltered at her half-question and refused to look at her; still feeling sick to his stomach for almost having killed her. The silence that followed was answer enough. Kili wouldn't say it aloud.

"Why did you?" He froze, eyes shutting as the memories of why he had done such a cruel thing came back to him. Now he looked back on it, the cause hardly seemed worth the trouble that he'd gone through to prove himself better than Gris.

"I am sorry for having caused you harm. It was not my intention to almost kill you," he supplied, avoiding her question.

Delicate, ever so soft fingers closed around his hand and Kili flinched. "Why are you helping me?"

"You would've died," he muttered, pulling his hand free and tying the cloth ends together.

With her shoulder taken care of, Kili leaned back and rested down beside her. He didn't wish to move away from her as quickly as he initially had thought was wiser to do. If she wanted to hurt him she would have already, he was safe for now for there was little she could do while injured.

"What is your name?" he asked when she had settled back into his coat and the blanket; those haunting amber eyes gazing into the fire.

"Kanara," she whispered, turning her head to look at him. Kili nodded. "You're dwarf kind."

"I am," he affirmed.

They fell into silence; Kili had many things racing through his mind – apologies and questions for her, but they were never voiced. Guilt bubbled in his stomach, making it ache. It was going to be a long watch.

Thunder rumbled outside the safety of the cave and Kili noticed the way Kanara flinched each time. She was shaking too. How could she still be cold? His coat was lined with dark padding that would have kept him warm on a snowy winter night and the blankets no doubt amplified that heat.

If anyone were to be shaking it should be Kili.

"Are you cold?" he asked after watching her a little longer. She shook her head but he noticed the way she buried herself deeper into her cocoon of warmth. "Then why do you tremble?"

"I am frightened of the storm." It was barely audible and Kili realised she was ashamed of her fear. Despite his hesitation to place himself any closer to her, Kili shifted himself until he was lying behind her. Leaning his broad chest against her back, he felt her tense when his arm came about her hips.

A frightened animal he reasoned. He told himself to not move. Just lay there and allow her to calm, see that he meant her no more harm than he'd already dealt her that day.

It took some time but eventually she leaned back into his chest, her trembling abated as she shifted in close to him. "Thank you," she murmured.

Kili did not answer her; his cheeks and ears burned as he tried to keep his breathing steady. In her settling she had pressed her rear back into his hips and her thighs against his, brushing against him in an innocent enough manner that earned a less than innocent train of thought from the princeling.

He was more than thankful for his coat and the blanket wedged between them in that moment. Kili was a youngling, yes, but he was not naïve to the fairer sex. Despite his beardless appearance, he had garnered attention from the female population through his years. The feel of a woman pressed up against him was not a new sensation; a few of the women back in Belegost had joined him in bed before but this, this was different.

Kanara was prettier than those women and she was more fragile than they were. Where as they had been aggressive towards him as much as he had them Kili had little doubt she would be the opposite. The unease in Kili's stomach was burned away and replaced by a warmth that caused him to shift and move about restlessly.

He must have been irritating her for she pushed herself up, propping herself up on her good arm and looked down upon him. Kili watched her silently, dark eyes darting from her liquid gold ones to her mouth.

The temptation was there and he held himself back – barely. Kili rarely thought of anything being beautiful that didn't involve his arrows or bow but in that moment he found this female more beautiful than words while buried within the confines of his coat.

He didn't know whether it was consciously done or not but Kanara licked her lips and Kili's restraint snapped. She may not be of his kind but Kili was not going to miss the chance to taste her.

He pushed himself up, one hand caught hold of her chin and he leaned down to kiss her softly. She only hesitated for a moment but his hand held her fast so she wasn't able to fly from his reach. Her lips were soft and parched but warm, oh so warm. He slipped his hand from her chin to her cheek and felt her tremble as his tongue swept out across her lower lip.

Her lips parted and Kili took the invitation; tongues and teeth collided as he pulled her head closer.

His breathing was ragged when they parted; eyes darker than a starless night as he stroked her cheek and watched the blush rise upon her neck and cheeks. He leaned in again as though to claim her lips but he dipped his head at the last moment and sought out her throat instead. She whimpered into his hair as teeth nipped at her before a tongue soothed the marks.

Kili shifted and pushed himself up better into a sitting position, before he threaded his free hand beneath the blanket and his coat. She trembled and probably would've darted away when his hand settled upon her thigh had he not been cradling her head while devouring her throat.

He withdrew from her, his other hand wrapping about her waist and he picked her up. She was blushing furiously as he settled her into his lap, her legs upon either side of him. Kili looked her over; cheeks aflame, eyes cast low, with a shy smile gracing her swollen mouth, Kili let his gaze fall lower. His coat was tied about her loosely and he liked the way it fell over her delicate shoulders. She had to hold it up with her good hand.

Pale, supple, strong thighs were bared to him and Kili didn't resist his want to run his fingers along the flesh. Palms settling on her knees, he trailed his hands up the firm flesh, heat beating faster when she leaned into him rather than withdrawing from his touch.

His hands curved round, slipping beneath where his coat was bunched by the tops of her thighs until he was grasping the flesh just below her rear, thumbs stroking softly.

"Kili." He liked the way she whispered his name; as though it was a plea to continue, her only way to ask him to keep going. He drew her in closer; his mouth claiming hers again.

His hands released her and came up to tug at the ties of his coat while his lips curved across her defined jaw and down her neck. It loosened and slipped inch by inch with each lace undone. Kili withdrew when he completed his task, eyes falling to where he could now see her pale skin between the two sides of his coat.

His breathing grew heavy, eyes dilating as he slipped the right side of the coat open and her breast was exposed to him. It was like unwrapping a gift on his birthday; only with more finesse. Kili was rarely a patient, slow person however a part of him knew that if he was aggressive and hasty with this little female she would no doubt flee from him.

The coat slid down her arms and pooled about her waist and thighs as he removed the left side.

She was built so differently to a she-dwarf but Kili admired her frame for a moment; breasts that could easily fit into his palms, a waist that dipped in and then fanned out into wide hips. Kili ran his hand across her flat stomach and around her back.

"Beautiful," he murmured, glancing up at her. She was blushing furiously, eyes cast away from his and to the fire. Kili brought his hand up and took her cheek, making her look at him. "Little bird."

He saw her smile. Yes, little bird; his little bird from this night on and the title fitted her perfectly. Kili felt hands sliding from his shoulders and down over his chest. He didn't say a word, watching her face as her fingers pulled at the ties of his tunic. She hid nothing; her eyes were dark with curiosity as his chest was slowly revealed.

With the ties undone, she hesitated for a second before taking hold of it and pulling it up his torso. Kili took over when he saw the pain flash across her face and reminded himself that she was injured.

Tossing the tunic aside, Kili grabbed hold of his coat and trapped her arms within it, smirking when she struggled to pull her hands free. Leaning in he pressed a kiss to her lips and felt her lips curve from a frown into a smile and he pulled back enough to trail kisses down her throat. She tilted her head back and Kili could feel how she trembled against him.

His lips didn't stop at the hollow of her throat. No, Kili tightened his hold on trapping her hands as he brushed his chin against one rosy nipple and felt her shudder. He grinned as he bowed his mouth and captured the hardening peak between his lips. She whimpered above him as he suckled on the bud, his teeth scraping across the sensitive peak and he groaned around her when her hips pushed into his crotch. Experience didn't stop natural instinct.

Kili released his hold on her injured arm and slid it down across her stomach and towards her hips. He could feel her tense and released her other arm in order to wrap one strong arm about her waist and pull her to his chest. She whimpered into his hair when his fingers brushed below her belly button.

He felt a hand grab at his hair and grinned, lips still on her breast as his fingers finally sunk into the curls between her thighs until his thumb found her clit. The cry that he ellicted from his little bird brought him satisfaction as her fingers tightened in his hair and jerked his head up to meet her gaze.

Truly, whatever end Kili met in his life, the sight of Kanara in that moment would be the last thing he'd want to remember for it was by his doing alone that her eyes were dilated and half closed, and lips parted just the slightest, a fine sheen of sweat upon her ivory skin. Her breathing was ragged, Kili's become shorter as he watched her eyes slip shut when his fingers ran along her folds and pressed into her warmth. She gasped and wriggled, her hand coming down to clasp his forearm tightly.

She shook her head at him. Kili had to lean in and press a kiss to the corner of her mouth before he spoke: "Let me, I'll not hurt you." To encourage her, he circled her clit with his thumb and pressed his fingers further into her. She moaned, eyes closing and he grinned when he noticed that she was biting her lip. "Little bird."

Her eyes opened and slowly her hand released his forearm. Her hand moved to his stomach, brushing over the hair splattered across it. Kili's stomach coiled and he leaned in to kiss her tenderly as he took the chance and slid one finger into her heat, groaning softly as he felt how wet she was. She whimpered; hips pushing onto his hand as her own came up to cup his cheek and she kissed him. The kiss broke as he thrust his finger into her; thumb teasing her clit and she leaned her head close to his.

He watched her; the way she would bite her lip or gasp silently as he hit a particularly good spot within her. Kili smirked as her cries grew louder. What would it matter how loud he made her cry, no one would hear them above the storm outside.

Her legs trembled, her hips rocked against his hand as she gnawed playfully at his lip whenever she wasn't gasping, moaning and whimpering.

Kili wanted to watch her break; see how she looked in utter rapture and abandonment. "Come little bird," he growled against her mouth, "sing for me."

And sing for him she did; his name upon her lips as she let go and fell over the edge. Her grip tightened upon his hair, nails scratched into his neck and cheek as her back arched and her body shuddered violently. Kili took the opportunity to press wet, open mouthed kisses across her collarbone and chest.

She was breathing heavily, her hands not releasing their tight grip upon him as she leaned against him and buried her head into his neck. Kili withdrew his fingers, earning a soft moan of protest. Her lips pressed to his neck soft and tentative as her grip upon him finally slackened and she managed to pull herself back a little from him.

Her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke: "Kili."

He bumped his nose against hers and grinned a little when she blushed; cupping his cheek affectionately and leaning her weight upon him further. Kili wrapped one strong arm about her waist and being mindful of her shoulder rolled her down onto the blankets, kneeling before her. She stared up at him, hands fisting into the blankets and skin gleaming from sweat.

Kili ran his hands up the backs of her calves and slowly drew her knees apart. He settled between them, laying his weight over her upon his knees and hands. He ran calloused hands along the supple, trembling flesh of her thighs.

"Do people do this often?" she inquired softly, hands splaying out across his chest while her eyes devoured him properly for the first time. Kili was young and from his years spent running around and training he had gained strong arms, broad shoulders and a muscular torso. Dark haired covered his chest and she seemed amused by this.

He covered one of her hands with his own. "When it is with the right partner, yes they do."

Kanara nodded, fingers slipping into his hair. "You are very hairy; do you have bear in you?"

Kili chuckled as he released her hand in favour of tucking her hair back behind her ear and kissing her gently upon the lips. "No bear, little bird – dwarves are simply hairy individuals."

She smiled. Kili felt his heart warm upon the sight. He leaned in and pressed kisses along her jaw. "What did it feel like?" he asked.

"Like I was flying in the morning sun," she told him.

Kili leaned back, pushing himself back onto his knees and reaching for the buckle of his belt. He undid it and glanced at Kanara. She was watching him curiously, head tilted slightly. Pulling his belt off, he dropped it to the side.

He leaned back over her. "Make me fly too, little bird," he murmured, nuzzling his face against her throat as one arm wrapped about his shoulder. He knew she would not understand what he meant but Kili silenced her with a passionate kiss before she could question him upon it.

Leaning into her thighs, he grabbed one of her legs and pulled it about his hips, murmuring for her to not let him go; he'd keep her safe. He unlaced the stays of his breeches and pushed them to his knees, kicking his boots off and finally struggling free of his pants. He breathed out a sigh of relief to be freed from them.

Slipping an arm about her waist, he propped her up from the ground to protect her shoulder and leaned back enough to find her eyes. "Don't look away," he whispered. She nodded and with that, Kili took hold of her hip and pushed himself into her.

Her startled whimper was drowned out by his deep growl. Kili squeezed his eyes shut, breathing heavily through his nose. He wanted to move but held himself steady above her, hugging her closer to him. Kili watched her eyes water and leaned in to kiss her mouth gently. She kept her eyes on his; questions were bubbling within her amber eyes.

Kili drew in a deep breath and gave one thrust, breaking through that final barrier. Kanara cried out, choking on a sob as she tensed up and dug her nails into his back. Kili groaned as he felt her tighten about him. He nuzzled her throat, murmuring apologies and promises to her.

"Relax, just breathe little bird," he coaxed, running his hand from her hip along her thigh. Kili pressed kisses along her good shoulder, nipping with his teeth. She shivered, the softest of moans slipping from those full pouting lips. Her other leg came about his hips, drawing Kili closer. It pushed him further into her and he grunted, feeling his stomach tighten.

"Kili," she breathed and he gave one experimental roll of his hips. She winced but did not stop him.

Kili groaned as he withdrew; she was warm, tight and welcoming. Her arms embraced him; her lips brushed his brow as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Kili tried to take it easy; didn't want to hurt her more than he had but his control slipped when she cried out as he thrust deep within her and hit a particular spot. He hit the spot repeatedly, thrusting hard and deep. He could feel the coil within his belly tightening. His breathing became laboured, sweat covered his brow and chest and he had never felt more alive than he had in that moment. Past lovers had been mere rolls in sheets, or hay in some cases. Kanara was beautiful, naïve and warm.

He thanked Aulë within his prayers for giving him such a gift as he watched Kanara's head drop back against the blankets and her teeth gnaw at her lip. Kili ran his mouth along her throat, teeth sinking into the pale column of flesh.

He marked her as his. Whether they would see one another again or not past tonight, Kili wanted his mark upon her.

His thrusts became uncoordinated and jerky; he could feel how tense his stomach was; how ready he felt to just slip over the edge into blinding euphoria however he wanted Kanara to join him in that tumble.

He leaned up to her ear, nipping at the lobe. "Little bird, fly with me," he murmured, kissing just below her ear and it seemed to be the last straw. His next thrust, Kanara's muscles tightened around him and Kili moaned aloud, fighting her muscles in order to ride into his release.

Her release came with her crying out his name to the world outside, back arching and her eyes shut tight. A loud, rumbling growl escaped Kili, her proper name on the end as he thrust into her deeply and felt himself release into her; light exploded around his vision and blinded him as he soared.

He slid his arm out from beneath her and leaned his weight more upon her, mindful of her shoulder as he rested his head between her breasts and sighed heavily as he shook in the aftermath of his climax. Kanara was trembling beneath him, her legs slipped from his waist and dropped to the blankets.

He pushed himself up after managing to regain some semblance of his conscious thoughts back and glanced up at his little bird's face. She was staring up at the ceiling; amber eyes wide. "Little bird." Kili cupped her cheek in his hand, turning her eyes to him.

Her eyes softened into content when they rested upon him, as though she'd been worried he would disappear before her in the blink of an eye. Kili leaned up and kissed her chastely. Removing himself from a top her, much to her disliking for she curled herself upon his chest and side when he collapsed by the fire.

Kili glanced down at her as she rested her head upon his broad chest and tangled herself in against him, only wincing when she moved her shoulder into an uncomfortable position.

She looked up at him and Kili smiled softly, wrapping his arm about her, brushing the hair back from her face as he tugged the discarded blanket up over their nude forms.

She nuzzled her cheek against his chest. It would be the first time Kili ever allowed a female to lay with him after the act was done and dusted and he was glad that Kanara was that female; his little bird.


Kili awoke to the sounds of his name being shouted out in the distance. He groaned and rolled over. He expected to feel a warm, soft body follow after him and collapse upon his back, as she had done previously during the night when he'd woken up to check on her shoulder. They had not spoken, both exhausted but when he had collapsed onto his stomach and laid his head upon his arms, Kanara had rested herself over his back and shoulder. Kili had enjoyed the closeness of his little bird. She seemed to like laying upon him as though he were a bed for her alone.

So when he didn't feel Kanara shift closer to him, Kili jerked awake and pushed himself up off his stomach.

His eyes flew to where she should've been. Empty. The blankets alongside the fading fire were void of any tiny female. Clutching the blanket to his waist, Kili climbed to his feet. He was alone. His clothes had been folded and placed near the blankets. What caught his attention most was the single, small white feather place delicately upon the pile. Crouching down, Kili picked it up and studied it for a second before a smile broke his frown.

She had left him a present to say goodbye. Kili's head jerked round when he heard his name in the distance. He knew the voice anywhere. Thorin was out looking for him.

He could hear the birds outside singing and saw the sun breaching its way into the cave's mouth.

It was time to head back to reality.

Setting the feather down, he dressed and folded all the blankets up, put out the fire, collected his bow and quiver and then took the feather back up. He eased the snow white feather into one of his pockets where it would be safe and headed for the cave's mouth.

Fili was jogging towards it when he appeared outside, yawning and stretching in the warmth of the fresh morning sun. His older brother halted in his strides. "We thought you dead," he whispered before grabbing Kili into a tight hug. "When you didn't return, we came searching this morning once the storm had past. I found your arrow; well the head of it in one place and the shaft in another covered in blood and thought the worst had happened."

Kili grinned crookedly at his older brother. "I needed to find shelter in the storm so I came here for it was closer once I found her." He had passed by his brother and began to head in the direction of home.

"Her?"

Kili froze mid-step and glanced over his shoulder. "The bird I shot was female. She lives. I only crippled her wing so I thought I'd look after her."

Fili raised one blonde brow at him but just shook his head, holding his hands up. "If you say so," he mumbled, brushing by him. "I'm just glad you're safe, little brother. If only until uncle gets you in his sights."

Kili chuckled and followed his brother. A soft, sweet sound drew his attention and he turned, glancing up to find a black and white bird perched on a low tree branch, watching him intently. He smiled and bowed playfully to her before approaching. She was beautiful as both human and bird.

"Little bird," he murmured, reaching out to brush one finger along her breast, grinning when she nipped playfully at his finger and her feathers ruffled.

She gave another soft, sweet sound and he realised that she was talking to him. Smiling, he leaned in closer to her and gathered her into his hand so he could bring her to his eye height. Amber eyes watched him closely as he stroked the underside of her beak and she crooned and leaned into it.

Putting her back up on the branch, Kili smiled at the little birds' downtrodden, forlorn expression as she bowed her head to her breast and her wings dropped. "Kanara, I promise we'll see one another again."

He turned and began to walk off, smile fading as he heard her sorrowful singing behind him. After being restricted to Belegost for a week, Kili did return to the cave and a waiting Kanara; her human side wrapped within the blankets as though she'd been sleeping there during the nights.

When he joined her upon the blankets, words were barely uttered unless in the heat of passion as he claimed his little bird and marked her anew as his.