A/N: This is a modern day AU where the dwarves are all hunters. Might become a series down the road... Let me know what you think!
xxxx
Fili was driving down the road in a desolate patch of eastern Oregon, Kili snoring lightly in the passenger seat when Kili's phone rang. Kili jolted awake with a snort and brushed the hair from his eyes before answering the phone.
"Hello? Oh, hey…yeah, we're fine," he said, rolling his eyes. Thorin, he mouthed to Fili. Fili shook his head and chuckled as Kili continued.
"Yes, we're fine. On the road to a salt and burn. Yes, it's good, Gloin told us about it. Piece of cake. No, I know not to underestimate…I know pissed off ghosts are dangerous. We'll be careful, Uncle, promise. Yes, Fili promises too," Kili said, glancing sideways at Fili shaking in silent laughter.
"I know, Thorin. We'll be fine. Yes, we'll let you know as soon as we've finished. Fili says hi. Okay, talk to you later. Bye." Kili hung up the phone with an exasperated huff and leaned his head back against the headrest as Fili burst out laughing.
"I know it's just because he cares, but honestly!" Kili groaned. "It's not as if it's our first hunt without him."
"No," Fili allowed, then added, "it's our third. He's just worried about us. And rightly so, little brother. You do have a penchant for finding trouble."
"I do not," Kili muttered, scowling.
"The last hunt?" Fili questioned.
"An anomaly," Kili answered.
"What about the time in Baton Rouge, with Thorin?"
Kili's frown deepened.
"Or San Antonio? Or Baltimore?"
"Okay, fine! You've made your point," Kili grumbled.
"Don't worry," Fili said. "You're still young. Still plenty of time to turn you into a ferocious hunter like Thorin and Dwalin. And me."
Kili snorted. "You're only two years older than me! And I'm already a better shot than you."
"Maybe, but in hand-to-hand your ass is mine."
Kili laughed and shook his head, then unfolded a large road map.
"Right. Still another, what, three or four hours before we hit Corvallis? You wanna swap out?"
Fili shook his head. "I'm good. You drove all morning. Get some sleep."
Kili yawned, then shrugged. "Just wake me up if you need a break, okay?"
"Yep," Fili answered. He grinned when Kili started snoring again.
xxxx
The next day found them at a dilapidated house that stood abandoned on the outskirts of Corvallis.
"Well," Kili said, looking up at the crumbling exterior. "This isn't cliché at all."
Fili grinned. "What were you expecting? Come on, let's go find the family plot."
Resting a shovel over his shoulder Kili trailed after his brother. The house stood on nearly ten acres of wooded terrain, and they'd been searching for well over an hour before Kili started to lose his patience.
"Why couldn't Gloin have done just a little more research on this thing?" He muttered. "Or why couldn't the family plot be in a logical place, like near the house?"
Fili rolled his eyes. "Gloin did pretty well getting that Nelson's remains are in a family plot rather than a cemetery at all. And would you want your family buried right next to your house?"
Kili sighed sullenly. "No. I wouldn't. And I know Gloin did a good job. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Fili said. "You've always been impatient. Can't help yourself."
"Yeah, I know- wait. There. Over there, under the trees, does that look like a cross?"
Fili looked in the direction Kili indicated, then let out a sigh of relief.
"Yes, yes it does. Thank Mahal."
"Race you!" Kili cried, then bolted for the small plot.
"Kili- damn it," Fili said, then took off after his ever impulsive brother. Kili was standing in the center of the gravestones, a triumphant smile on his face.
"I win," he said, "as usual. Which means you get to dig." He held the shovel out with a flourish, grinning as Fili snatched it from him with a grumble.
"One of these days," Fili said as he thrust the shovel into the ground, "I'm just going to kick your ass. It'll be great."
"Yeah, whatever," Kili said holding the shotgun and grinning at his older brother. "You know you love me."
Fili flipped him off and kept digging.
Maybe ten minutes had passed when a light rain started that quickly grew heavy. Kili swore and flipped his hood up, tightening his grip on the shotgun and looking to his brother.
"Do you want to switch out?" He asked. Fili shook his head, sending droplets of water flying.
Half an hour later, Fili was drenched enough and tired enough to take Kili up on his offer. Only a few minutes had passed when Fili thought he heard something crack distantly in the trees, impossible to really discern above the steady thud thud of Kili's shovel.
"Kili!" He hissed. "Stop for a minute." Kili looked up with a puzzled expression but obeyed, frowning.
"Listen," Fili whispered. "There!" Fili could see as his brother heard the same sound that had first alarmed him, ditching the shovel to pull a pistol from his waistband.
"What is it?" he asked quietly, heaving himself out of the shallow hole.
"Not sure," Fili answered, "but I think there's more than one."
Kili's eyes widened and Fili saw his left hand graze the spot Fili knew held his Bowie. Whatever was out there, depending on numbers, could very well prove to be more than their weapons could handle. He cursed his own stupidity at having left everything in the trunk, but they hadn't been expecting a fight.
Everything got very still and quiet for a moment so that it seemed almost as if even the very wind and rain waited. Fili tightened his grip on the shotgun and tried to ignore his heart pounding in his ears. Kili glanced at him and offered a grim smile.
What burst out of the trees was unlike anything Fili had ever seen. It was humanoid in shape with thin, spindly arms and legs, its skin tough and brown. It had slits where a nose should have been, fangs for teeth, and eyes yellow and shaped like a cat's. In its hand it held a crudely fashioned weapon that resembled a machete. It headed straight for his brother.
Kili cried out in surprise and spun, firing three shots. Fili watched in stunned relief as the creature fell to the ground and lay still.
"What the hell was that?" Kili gasped, eyes wide.
"I don't know," Fili answered. "I think more are coming."
As if on cue more of the creatures came out of the trees, five or six, all of them directly targeting the brothers. Fili fired and took down the one nearest him, turning quickly to take down one coming up on his side. He could only catch glimpses of Kili, but the bark of his gun was rhythmic and oddly comforting.
"Fili!" Kili screamed, and Fili whirled around just in time to watch a creature that could have easily killed him fall to the ground, Kili's knife sticking from its back.
And then it was over. Fili wiped a shaking hand across his mouth, looking at the bodies of the dead creatures strewn over the ground, black blood staining the grass. Kili was standing there, hair wild and eyes wide, black blood spattered across his face.
"Fi?" He said.
"You okay?" Fili answered. Kili blinked, then nodded. Fili could see him trembling. He strode forward and wrapped his little brother in a hug, feeling as his brother stiffened, then gave in to his hold.
"'M okay," Kili murmured into Fili's shoulder. "We're okay."
Fili held on and silently thanked Mahal that they were safe, both of them. They'd been lucky; though both had trained for years and certainly hunted before, never had it been so intense nor so combat-heavy, and never had it been without Thorin or Dwalin there. They'd been lucky.
After a few moments they broke apart and Kili ran a hand through his hair.
"So. Now what?" He asked quietly.
Fili shook his head, thinking.
"I think we gotta find out if there are more. We have to go after them," Kili said after a beat.
"No," Fili said quickly. "I think we need to call Thorin."
"Fili, we can do this. We just took care of all of these…whatever they are, and if there are more we need to keep them from hurting anyone else."
Fili sighed. "I know what you're doing, Kili, and believe me, this is not the way to do it. Thorin won't be impressed if we jump into a hunt without research, under-armed and under-manned, and he sure as hell won't be impressed if we get ourselves killed. We need to call Thorin and regroup before we do anything else."
Kili looked down, brow furrowed and jaw clenched.
"Fine," he said. "We call, and then if he says it's okay, we hunt them down on our own."
"Okay," Fili answered. "If he gives us the go ahead, we'll do it."
Kili clearly wasn't happy with Fili's decision, but Fili was grateful that he seemed to be going along with it. He'd faced Kili's stubbornness enough times to know that had his brother decided to dig his heels in, they'd never have gotten out of the forest. Fili dialed his uncle.
Thorin picked the phone up on the first ring. "You're done? How did it go?" He demanded. Fili sighed.
"It was- well, we're okay, but there were these-these things, Thorin, unlike anything we've ever seen, and they just burst out of the trees. They looked like, I dunno, like goblins maybe? That sounds crazy I know-"
He was cut off by loud swearing.
"Fili. You and Kili, you're okay? You weren't injured?"
"Yeah, we're fine, we're just going to finish the salt and burn and then either hunt them down or-"
"Fili, listen to me, this is more than the two of you can handle on your own. You need to get out of there as quick as you can, meet me and Dwalin in Seattle. You understand?"
Fili blinked, startled by the seriousness of Thorin's tone.
"Uncle, I-"
"Fili, do you understand?"
"Yes. I understand."
"Good. I'll call again to check on you. Be swift, be safe."
"We will, Thorin," Fili said with a frown. He was starting to get seriously freaked out.
"I love you boys. You know that, right?"
Fili swallowed thickly. "We know."
"Good. I'll call back in fifteen minutes."
The phone clicked off and Fili looked up at Kili with wide eyes.
"What did he say?" Kili asked quietly. He'd picked up on Fili's mood, of course. He always did.
"I think we're in a whole lot more trouble than we realize," Fili answered.
xxxx
They were nearing the house when Kili fell. He'd been stumbling a bit, but Fili had been able to convince himself that it was a result of exhaustion more than anything else. Then Kili had fallen flat on his face, and as clumsy as his brother could be, that was out of the ordinary. And while Kili popped up after only a few seconds, a sheepish smile on his face, Fili was still worried.
"Kili?" He said, frowning as he got a good look at his brother. Kili was pale and drawn, breathing heavier than it should have been. Kili met his eyes, and he looked frightened.
"I-I dunno what's wrong," he said with a frown. "I shouldn't be this tired."
"C'mere," Fili said, drawing Kili in closer. "Are you sure you didn't-"
As he spoke, Fili ran his hands down Kili's shoulders, freezing when he hit a warm, damp patch on his back.
"What?" Kili mumbled as Fili lifted his shirt. Fili blanched at the sight of a fairly deep gash stretching across his brother's shoulder blade, blood staining his entire left side. The cut already looked red and irritated. Fili swallowed thickly and took a deep breath to keep himself calm.
"What? What is it?" Kili repeated. "Is it bad?"
"Not too bad," Fili managed. "You just got nicked a little bit."
"Weird," Kili said, straining to see his back. "I never even felt it."
"Probably just adrenaline," Fili said, fighting to stay calm. "I've got a bandage with me, but you'll need a few stitches later."
Kili snorted. "Such a boy scout," he said. "Always prepared, huh?"
"Yep," Fili said as he pressed the bandage to Kili's trickling wound. He was more than a little concerned about Kili's lack of pain and the signs of early infection. Thorin had seemed so worried and now Kili was wounded…
"Hey, let's just get back to the car, okay?" Kili said quietly. Fili nodded, grateful not for the first time for the way his brother could be cool and level-heaed when the situation called for it.
"Right. We can figure it out from there."
And so they headed off again, but with Kili in the front this time and Fili all but hovering at his shoulder. Fili wasn't sure to be relieved or concerned that Kili allowed it.
xxxx
By the time they reached the car, Kili was trembling with exhaustion, but he managed a weak smile as Fili helped him sit in the passenger seat.
"Guess I need to work out more," he said as Fili cut his shirt off. Fili laughed weakly, more to humor Kili than anything.
"I've been saying that for years," he said, then took a deep breath and pulled off the bandage. The wound had stopped bleeding, to Fili's relief, but appeared even redder than before.
"How's it look?" Kili asked.
"It's stopped bleeding," Fili answered. He paused. "Kili. We need to try holy water." Kili stiffened beneath his hands, then nodded.
"Do it," he said. They'd seen the effects of holy water on supernaturally inflicted wounds before, and both were well aware of how it had made even Dwalin nearly cry.
Fili poured it on quickly. Kili didn't even flinch.
"Well. That was good, right?" Kili said. He looked back to Fili and, as always, read his expression easily.
"I'll be okay, Fi," he said. "We'll get to Seattle and-and Oin will fix everything up."
Fili looked at him, abashed that his little brother was sitting there trying to give him comfort. He wasn't sure what to say.
Finally, he just said, "Course you'll be alright. You're tougher than a little scratch."
Kili grinned toothily, showing white. "Damn straight," he said.
xxxx
An hour in and with Kili sleeping fitfully, Fili called Thorin. He didn't even give his uncle a chance to speak. No use in drawing it out.
"Thorin. Kili's hurt. Gash on his left shoulder blade, not too deep, it's already stopped bleeding, but Kili didn't feel it and it didn't react to holy water."
He'd been expecting cursing, perhaps, or an explosion of sharp words, but instead there was just silence. It was much worse than being chewed out.
"U-Uncle?"
Thorin let out a long breath on the other side of the line. "Fili, listen to me. The wound isn't supernatural, but it's almost certainly been caused by a poisoned blade."
Fili sucked in a quick breath and nearly drove off the road as his heart started pounding and his ears roared. He blinked rapidly and forced himself to breathe deeply.
"Fili!" Thorin shouted over the phone. Fili wasn't sure how many times he'd already said it.
"Y-yeah," Fili said, wiping a shaky hand across his mouth. "I'm here."
"Good. Listen to me Fili, you just drive like hell to Seattle, okay? Keep your brother warm and as hydrated as you can get him. I'll tell Oin what to expect and we'll have everything ready for you."
"Okay," Fili said. "Okay. But Thorin, after we get there and Kili's okay, you're going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do."
"That's fair," Thorin said after a pause. "Be safe. Call if anything changes."
"Okay. Bye, Thorin." Fili hung up and slammed the steering wheel in frustration, then took a deep breath and grasped Kili by the leg. "Hang on, Ki. You're gonna be okay. We'll get you fixed up. Just hang on."
xxxx
The drive was hellacious. Kili started rambling deliriously three hours outside of Seattle and was unable to keep any water down shortly after that. Fili had bundled him up in an awful foil emergency blanket they'd had in the trunk, but Kili still shivered heavily, teeth clattering together. Fili talked to him the whole way, chattering about anything and everything. He told himself it was so that Kili wouldn't be alone, but the truth was it was as much for his sake as for Kili's. The silence of the car broken only by Kili's moans and slurred words would have been too much to bear.
Fili clenched his jaw and drove faster and cursed his uncle under his breath.
xxxx
As soon as Fili pulled up in front of the house that his uncle rented, Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, and Oin were all swarming the car.
"Fili! Are you alright?" Thorin barked, yanking the door open and crouching at Fili's level. Dwalin had already slung Kili into his arms and was carrying him into the house, Oin following close behind. Fili watched them go, then turned to Thorin.
"If he dies, it's on you," he said, then shoved past Thorin and headed for the house.
xxxx
Oin had forced a foul smelling concoction down Kili's throat and now the injured man lay mostly still, if not completely peacefully. His fever was steady, but the redness of his wound had started to abate slightly. Oin was hopeful that they'd gotten Kili to help in time for him to recover without any ill effects, but he wasn't certain and everyone was somber and quiet. Fili refused to leave Kili's side, bathing his forehead with a damp rag, shushing him gently when he cried out. He had vague memories of his mother doing the same for him once, long ago.
"Fili."
Fili didn't turn at the sound of Thorin's voice, though it sounded more contrite than was typical for his uncle.
"Fili. I am sorry."
"Yeah, well, that doesn't do us much good right now, does it?" Fili muttered, still avoiding looking at the other man. "He's hurt, maybe dying, and-and-" Fili gave up trying to vocalize his frustration as Kili stirred, whispering nonsense under his breath, and Fili soothed him quietly.
"You knew what those things were," Fili said when Kili was calm again. "You-you weren't even surprised. When were you going to tell us? What were they? Thorin, we weren't prepared, we were nearly killed. Why didn't you tell us?"
Thorin exhaled heavily after Fili finished speaking, eyes hooded. Fili watched him closely, trying to understand, but Thorin was closed off.
Finally, he said, "We'd hoped you would never need to know."
Fili frowned at that and waited for Thorin to continue. To his surprise it was Balin, who had been leaning unseen against the doorframe who spoke.
"Those foul creatures were Orcs. They've not been seen in this world since before you were born, and we had reason to believe- to hope, really- that they'd not come back. That you lads found some is a bad omen indeed."
"Orcs?" Fili said, shaking his head in confusion. "A bad omen? What-what is going on here?"
Thorin looked at him, expression unreadable. "Orcs are the minions of a demon called Smaug." Fili inhaled sharply at the name; that, at least, was familiar to him. "The orcs that you and Kili met mean that-"
"That Smaug is back," Fili whispered.
"Yes," Thorin said lowly. "And you can be sure he'll be coming for us."
Fili swallowed thickly and held Kili's hand tightly in his own. Things had just gotten a hell of a lot more complicated than he could ever have imagined.
"But we defeated him once. We can do it again," Fili said. If he'd been hoping for false reassurances, he didn't get them.
"The last time cost us dearly," Balin said, and Thorin shuddered minutely. "But there are other hunters who will help us this time, and perhaps, with Mahal on our side, we will be able to defeat him once more."
"For good, this time," Thorin added, walking closer to Fili. He brushed a hand lightly over Kili's pale face, then rested it on Fili's cheek. "I am sorry that you and your brother have been drawn into this conflict," he said. "I would have you live peacefully, ignorant of the evils that are in this world."
Fili didn't say anything, just clasped his hand over Thorin's.
"But no use in thinking about that now. Now we are here, and you can be damn sure that I will not allow any more harm to befall you or your brother so long as I draw breath."
Fili blinked rapidly, unsure what to think.
"Do you trust me?" Thorin whispered.
Fili took a deep breath, glancing first to his brother, then back to his uncle.
Finally, he nodded. "Yes," he whispered. "I do."