Catalina Baggins was a curious young girl. She had long, straight brown hair and eager deep brown eyes, with small feet. The curious part about her appearance was simple and easy-Hobbits did not possess straight hair and had large hairy feet. Each and every Hobbit that ever was and ever will be had eye pleasing curly hair-except Catalina Baggins. Straight. As. A. Pin. It did not help her mother was a half human half hobbit who had curly hair but small feet-but that was where she must have gotten her odd genes.
She wasn't known to make many friends either, which was as equally curious. Hobbits were naturally sociable creatures. Catalina, however, would rather sit down and read a nice, long book. In truth, the characters within the book were her friends-it just so happened they weren't real. She did have one friend, and that was her uncle Bilbo Baggins. In fact, she went over to his hill nearly every afternoon for tea.
On this particular afternoon, she found herself running very late. Her cat, Socks, had been in labor since early in the morning and she had to make sure she was okay. So since six in the morning she found herself by the tabby's side, coaxing her along into giving birth. At five pm, she finally gave birth to three beautiful young kittens. After she got them cleaned up and made sure they had proper bedding and food, she set of to Bilbo's.
The walk to his was relatively short, but she walked slow so she could watch the sun slowly dipping lower into the sky. She walked up to his doorstep, her footsteps light and sure, looking at the rather weird mark on the door. Didn't Bilbo just get his door painted last week? Yes; she remembered him being quite adamant about it, but decided not to ask as he opened the door.
"Catalina, my dear niece!" Bilbo greeted her graciously. He stepped aside to let the slight girl in. He regarded the girl with great pride; he always thought of his niece as the most beautiful hobbit in the Shire, even with her curious hair and hoard of books.
"I am so sorry I was late, Uncle." Catalina fretted as she walked inside, setting her bag of odds and ends on the floor to the side, shedding her light shawl on one of his million hooks. Bilbo, unlike her, adored visitors and invested in many coat hangers. "Socks had her kittens and had a hard time through the labor. I had to make sure she was okay."
"Oh, it's perfectly fine my dear girl." Bilbo responded, leading her in to where his tea kettle was whistling. He pulled it off the burner and poured them each a hobbit sized cup. "How many did she have? Have you named them yet?"
"Oh Bilbo, they're simply wonderful! There are three; I did not have time to name them but the boy has spotted orange and white, while the two girls are black and orange. They're beautiful, I wish I could have brought them over to show you." She sighed wistfully, before accepting the cup with an appreciative smile, showing off her straight, pearly white teeth.
In truth, the girl was closer to Bilbo's age than Bilbo was to his older brother's age. Bilbo was, oh, how old was he now? Fifty? And Catalina was just going on thirty. They both were the only children in their families. Maybe this was how they found themselves spending so much time together.
"I'm sure they are! I'll be over tomorrow morning to meet the young ones." Bilbo assured her, smiling as he sipped at his tea. She grinned at him before taking a drink, leaning back in her chair and enjoyed the feeling of the hot drink make it's way down her body.
"You would not believe my morning, Catalina." Bilbo said, shaking his head as if he could not believe it himself. Catalina sat up, urging him to go on as she listened. "A rather strange old man came to porch today. Would you have guessed it was Gandalf the Wizard?"
"Gandalf the Grey?" Catalina questioned, leaning in more, excitement etched onto her features. The wizard from her books!
"Yes, yes, whatever you would like to call him. He was dressed in all grey." Bilbo allowed, before continuing "the master of fire displays. Anyhow, he asked me to go on an adventure! Do you believe it? DO you believe it? A hobbit! On an adventure!" Bilbo laughed, his voice rising an octave. It had happened to him and he still could not come to reasoning with it.
"Oh Bilbo, you will go, won't you?" Catalina asked, smiling brightly. "You cannot pass such an invitation! The chance to go off into the realms of elves, dwarves..."
"Silly Catalina! Are those books going to your head? Hobbits do not partake in adventure!" Bilbo laughed, shaking his head in amusement. What an odd child-an odd [i]hobbit[/i]. Aside from Gandalf, Catalina was the most out of sort character in the Shire in what was probably a hundred years.
Catalina sighed softly as Bilbo went on to describe the rest of his day's events. She absent mindedly looked around his home, finding everything in order as it always was. The plates were respectively stacked in their cupboards, with the teacups in their holding next to them. The sink was clean and empty, and a plate of biscuits sat upon his counter. The utensils sat upon his wall ordered for what it is used for.
The hobbit hole was a very pristine place-she knew for a fact that her uncle dusted the mantle place every morning. It was a very large hobbit hole as well; with many guest rooms and a large pantry place-large for even a hobbit, and filled with goods. Bilbo always had things in order, and if they were not in order something was very wrong.
"Bilbo," Catalina asked, interrupting his rather long story of how he came across a mouse outside in his garden. "Are afraid of going on an adventure?"
"Of course not." Bilbo scoffed, almost offended. "No no, not at all. I am just far too busy to be bothered with this adventure things. Bothersome troubles they are." He waved the thought off, going to take another drink before realizing his cup was empty. He got up to fill it.
"But uncle," Catalina protested, setting down her cup, displeased with his answer. "All you do is sit here and talk to neighbors. You have never set foot out of the Shire! None of us have, really. Wouldn't you like to see the world beyond? Like Mirkwood, or Lothlorien, or, or-"
"I've already told you no, young girl." Bilbo responded, chuckling uneasily. "You are certainly the most of the hobbits."
She was about to reply when there was knocking heard. Bilbo set down his cup, excusing himself before going to open the door. [i]Company at this hour?[/i]Catalina found herself thinking as she got up to see who it was as well.
"Dwalin." She heard a gruff voice say. She peered around the corner to see a stout, balding dwarf with a long yet short beard and an equally long eyebrows were bushy and his eyes were fixed. He was wearing a cloak over what almost looked like armor. This dwarf gave a bow, looking up at Bilbo as he said "at your service."
Bilbo, being the respectable young hobbit, quickly fixed his robe, pulling it tightly around himself and tying it. "Bilbo Baggins, at yours." Dwalin then promptly invited himself in, taking off his cloak and hanging it by Catalina's shawl. "Do I know you?"
"No." Dwalin said shortly, before turning to him. "Which way is it laddy? Is it down here?" Looking about the place. Catalina quickly went back to her seat, surprised at having a dwarf in the same hole as her.
"I-i-is what down where?" Bilbo asked, completely confused.
"Supper. He said there would be food."
"H-he said?" Bilbo questioned, his confusion somehow growing. "Who said?"
Dwalin found the dining room perfectly fine, and sat down across from Catalina, giving her a short nod. She smiled back as greeting, studying him. A dwarf!
Bilbo called her to the door, quickly explaining to her in a quiet voice that he did not know the dwarf and that she should wait in one of his guest rooms until he comes for her. Catalina knew that her uncle was worried for her safety, so she nodded and grabbed her bag before scuttling off into the room across the kitchen where Bilbo did all of his cleaning.
She heard another knock at the door, but blocked everything out from that point on as she took out a book about the elves. Catalina rather enjoyed reading about the elves, their otherworldliness excited and calmed her at the same time. The dwarves, on the other hand, sometimes struck her as greedy and rough. Which she supposed was fitting, since they lived in mountains and were always making and breaking things. Dwalin only served to help prove her opinion.
Catalina ignored all of the bumps, the grunts, the laughter, the cheers, the shouts, the knocks, and the demands as the hole seemed to continuously fill with more people. Well, at least she tried to ignore it. Who could forget about the racket going on just a few feet outside her room? She could practically feel Bilbo's annoyance and utter confusion.
She heard a rather young but masculine voice start to sing "blunt the knives bend the forks-" and decided now was as good a time as ever. Catalina stepped outside of the room, prepared to scold the people within the hole at their loud behavior, when a plate her her. Yes, someone was throwing Bilbo's good plates, and they [i]hit her[/i].
"Oh, miss, we apologize!" Came the same young man's voice who started the song. He gripped her arm gently to keep her upright as the force of the plate almost knocked the small girl down. The man-well, dwarf-had long dark brown hair and stubble of a beard and mustache. He had thin, pink lips and bright, eager brown eyes and was holding a pipe (of what she did not know). The dwarf also found himself studying the rather short girl (and he supposed she was a hobbit), noting her very long brown hair and sun kissed skin.
"Ah, well I suppose it was an accident." Catalina found herself allowing, her face flushed. She always found herself having a hard time staying angry. The dwarf grinner at her, letting go of her arm when she was stable.
"Kili." He said, a smile on his face as he gave a small bow. "At your service."
"Catalina, and I am at yours." She returned the smile. "Excuse me." Catalina moved on to find Bilbo. She passed Balin, (a white haired and bearded dwarf, who was very kind and grandfatherly like), Ori, Nori, who both told her there should be a Dori around, along with Oin Gloin, Bifur, and Bofur. She also met Fili, who informed her was Kili's brother. He had long blond hair, and a longer beard and mustache than Fili. He had many braids in his hair, even his mustache was braided with a bead dangling off the ends of each end. This was not even all of the dwarves, for most of them were too busy with their song and the throwing of Bilbo's belongings to introduce themselves.
"I told you not to come out, Catalina!" Biblo scolded as he stood with a very tall, very grey old man. He smiled down at her, sensing something very different between the two young hobbits. He suspected the girl already had found her want for adventure, seeing as how she was a descendant of the great Took line.
"Forgive me Bilbo, but I grew weary and curious of all of the noise." Catalina explained, before smiling up at the man. "You must be the great wizard, Gandalf the Grey."
"Why yes, yes I am." Gandalf responded, very pleased that the girl knew him. "And you must be Bilbo's niece Catalina."
"Indeed I am. Nice to meet you, Gandalf." Catalina smiled, before looking around Bilbo's once immaculate hobbit hole. There were crumbs on the floor and tables pushed together.
The dwarves gathered together in Bilbo's dining room to talk things over. Catalina busied herself with cleaning things up, until she heard a solid thud upon the floor. Bilbo had fainted!
After a few minutes he awoke, and a dwarf she could not remember the name of brought him a cup of tea. Gandalf stood talking to him earnestly, explaining the importance of his heritage. She always loved hearing the tale of their ancestors. Gandalf excited her, but Bilbo only looked worried and torn when he explained the wonders of the adventure... and also the risks. Bilbo finally declined, padding off down the hallway.
"It appears we have lost our burglar." Balin stated sadly. Catalina cast him and the great king Thorin a look of pity before going to check in on the guest bedrooms, assuming they'd be staying the night. She made up the bedrooms. She came out to the sound of the dwarves humming, all of them looking grave in the living room. Kili stood staring at his uncle as he handled his pipe.
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.
For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
they shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.
On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
We claim our long-forgotten gold.
Catalina did not realize she was crying until she felt a large hand rest gently on her shoulder. She quickly wiped at her eyes, looking back to find Kili giving her a soft smile.
"We are not only looking to claim our gold." Kili murmured, looking down into her brown orbs. She gazed back up into his. "We look to claim our home."
"It is a very sad tale." She said softly, finally breaking the trance and looking at all of the now somber dwarves. She pressed her lips together, feeling the threat of tears once more. She wanted to help them in any way possible.
Gandalf noticed this, and weighed his options. The girl would bring great comfort to Bilbo. The dwarves could have a cook. They would have a sisterly or motherly figure to look out for them (though he knew that she would end up being the daughterly figure to most). Yes, she would bring much comfort to all... Except maybe Thorin. Thorin would definitely prove difficult to convince-but Gandalf was a wizard, and he would have his way. He called Thorin off to the side.
"What is it, Gandalf?" He asked, eyeing the young girl as he took in how close his nephew was to her. Kili must have thought her pretty; but it was understandable. They had not come across as many girls with such natural and easy beauty as the Catalina girl.
"You are not going to like it, my friend." Gandalf informed him, before taking a drag from his pipe, and blowing out one of the smoke rings he was so fond of. "Catalina will be a great aid to Bilbo. She would be, ah, an accomplice to his burglarizing."
"A woman? Nay, a child! She would be nothing but a burden with us. Mr. Baggins will just have to make do without his partner." Thorin snorted. How could Gandalf expect him accept this?
"She is coming! If she so chooses to..." Gandalf said, his voice threatening to rise. "Besides; you asked me to find the fourteenth companion on your journey and I have. We have two halflings on our hands-that makes one normal person."
"I do not wish to quarrel with a wizard." Thorin grumbled, the days events weighing down on him. "She may come, but she is not my responsibility."