Kili was lost, of this he was sure after wandering for hours in the forest. The sun was hidden behind clouds, revealing the true darkness created by the surrounding, ancient trees.
The dwarf sighed, placed his back to a nearby tree and slid down it to sit on the grass. How did he even get into this mess? He was supposed to be with a hunting party from Dale, celebrating the King's oldest daughter's anniversary. Fili had been all over her and Kili had looked everywhere but at the couple in a bid to ignore their public affections.
That's when something caught his attention.
A white stag.
No one else seemed to notice the creature except for the young Durin Prince. He remembered he had stopped and admired the strange animal, deciding it would make an excellent trophy. So he took his bow and aimed.
As he did this, the stag darted away into the darkness of the forest. Kíli was determined to not let it slip away so he followed, not realizing how far into the woods he was going.
To make matters worse, after an hour of giving chase his pony started to act strange. Kíli frowned and looked around while trying to calm the terrified animal.
It must be this cursed forest! I have to find Fili, he thought.
The dwarf looked on the ground searching for traces left by his pony but to his amazement, they were gone. As soon as the animal stepped away the dirt would somehow rearrange itself so nothing was left. Kíli watched in horror and cursed.
How can I be so stupid? Good job Kíli!
Mirkwood Forest was known to be a realm controlled by wicked beings. It had enchantments that prevented travelers from finding the right path, and monsters lurked in wait. He had heard of spiders, from the King of Dale himself, huge beasts that feed on any living being and mated so fast that it was almost impossible to simply destroy their nests.
But who knew what other wicked creatures inhabited this dark forest? Kíli hoped that he wouldn't have to find out.
As the prince looked around, he pondered his next move. He could stay where he was and wait for the party to find him. He still had enough food left to tide him over for at least a day but who knew how long it would take to find him? Nobody really ventured off the tracks and with good reason. The spells that surrounded the forests were too strong to be broken and even the rescuers could get lost.
The other possibility revolved around him just walking around until he found the path; but then again if it were that easy, he wouldn't even be lost to begin with.
Kíli groaned and threw his hands over his head. It was going to be a long night.
Kili awoke from slumber and looked around. His pony was gone. Still dazed, he jumped to his feet and looked at the broken branch that he had tied the animal to.
Perfect. Just perfect! As if the situation wasn't bad enough.
Suddenly Kíli froze as he heard a cracking noise. He turned around, scanning the surroundings. He saw nothing. After brief hesitation he walked around the clearing he was in, and at one point, near a cluster of trees, saw out the corner of his eyes, a shadow shift within them.
"Come out, I know you're in there!" he shouted, nocking an arrow, grip tight on the bow.
Smart move idiot! Now everybody will want to join the party.
There was no reply, and no shadows moved again. It made Kíli even more nervous. Rustling came from the right. He looked around swiftly but once again saw nothing.
With a furrowed brow he walked forth, pausing after a few steps when something caught his eye. A pebble lying on the grass. It was quite a strange stone, perfectly oval and crimson.
Kíli picked it up and studied it more closely, but was interrupted by the same noise. Looking up, he now saw two new pebbles of the same color resting at about one meter intervals between each other.
The dwarf walked up to them, keeping an eye out for the source, still on guard. He saw nothing, no one was in sight. He guessed whoever, or whatever, it was, had to be throwing them from the treetops but he couldn't see a thing. The trees were so tall and their branches so sprawling that they created a dark, impenetrable dome.
Soon another pebble dropped.
"Come out I say," he yelled. "Why are you giving me stones?"
As he stepped forward to pick up the pebbles, another two stones dropped in front of him and sudden realization hit him.
The thing wants me to follow…
He took but a minute to weigh the possible outcomes of this, then shrugged and stepped forward again..
I have nothing to lose. I'm already lost. Let's see where this leads…
After half an hour of following the pebble trail he gave up trying to find who was throwing them. He had at one point tried to climb the trees and see who was up there but without any success. It was as if all his dexterity had been lost, making gripping the trunk near impossible.
He began to lose to patience five minutes later when high bushes arose in front of him. A final red stone fell between the branches and all was now quiet.
"Right then," the young Prince muttered. He gripped his bow hard and inhaled. Upon exhaling he charged through the foliage. The bush was thick, and caused him to shut his eyes as he beat his way through.
As he shot out his hand again to box away more thicket he realised all he was swiping at, was air. Instantly he opened his eyes, and then blinked in shock, stunned to see where he was.
How is it possible? He wondered. The road is here! But…I remember coming this way before and there was nothing but trees and brambles.
There was a post to his right, and scribbled onto the wooden sign was: 15 km up to Dale. He waited, a little unsure about what to do, and threw another glance back to the woods. It was still, void of even shadows.
That strange thing helped me find the path. He said to himself. Well this sure is going to be a great story to tell!
The prince grinned as he put the last red pebble in his pocket and started following the path to Dale.