Fili and Kili belong to the master J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters and storylines belong to me.

Bullies and Bogies

Kili breathed in the fresh air as he left the halls of stone. It was the first bright day after a long and harsh winter and all he desired was a chance to work with his bow. Thorin insisted that he become skilled with the weapon, considering that the best and most formidable warriors could use any weapon in their arsenal and he wanted his nephew to be formidable. As he started walking he heard the unmistakable voices of young dwarves and it sounded like they were heckling one younger. He moved stealthily toward the voices and saw four of the older dwarves surround Glar, the youngest child of Glis and Kili's apprentice archer. Kili may not have been an expert in the craft quite yet but he saw no harm in teaching the basics to one so young. He moved ever closer but stayed back to watch how Glar handled himself. If Kili needed to step in, he would but it was better to teach the young dwarf to fight his own battles.

"Look at the pretty little maid with her toy. Did your sister make it for you from pieces of her loom?" The question caused the older dwarf's thickheaded compatriots to laugh and Kili rolled his eyes. Couldn't they come up with something more original?

"Did your sister braid your hair?" The younger dwarf retorted and Kili stifled a laugh. Glis' son had the sharpest tongue of any dwarfling he'd ever met, almost as sharp as his own.

"You...you have no right to talk to me that way, you're just a weak little elf-maiden who's afraid to fight That's why you play with that bow. You're a coward." At this line of talk Kili pursed his lips together. He'd heard it all before but had proven himself to be skilled in sword as well as axe so the taunts proved meaningless but as a young dwarfling they'd cut to the quick.

"Are you calling Lord Kili a coward as well or King Thorin or your Uncle Dwalin? They all handle a bow, and do it with skill." Glar pointed out and Kili allowed himself a small chuckle. Leave it to the lad to come to the defense of others.

"Shut your trap!" The older one shouted and Kili saw Glar smile triumphantly before the bully grabbed his bow and broke it over his knee, causing the younger dwarf's face to contort in devastation. Kili was enraged by such disregard for the young dwarf's property and was about to come out of hiding to soundly thump the older bullies when Glar gathered himself up and stared his bully directly in the eye.

"You shouldn't have done that Norn. Don't you know that breaking a weapon in spite sends the baalruun after you?" The younger dwarf asked while Norn's brow furrowed.

"Baalruun? I've never heard of such a thing. You're making this up." He said a bit uncertainly and Glar shook his head solemnly.

"If you'd paid attention in Master Bombur's lessons you would know of the creature I speak. The baalruun is made of shadows, dark and deep that envelope a cruel, spiteful, dwarf when he least expects it. Once it has its prey it whisks the dwarf away to the lands of darkness where they must live their long days without the warmth of the fire or the love of kin. Watch your back Norn, it will be coming for you. In fact I just saw the shadows move by the bush at the mouth of the cave." He told Norn and the older dwarf looked to the bushes, where Kili happened to be hiding, and suddenly made a mad dash toward the training grounds with his lunkheaded friends following behind. Glar sighed and picked up his bow, staring at it mournfully before he stuffed it into his quiver and began to trudge back to the mouth of the mountain. He walked past Kili, not even noticing his mentor within the shade of the bushes and continued on, his feet as heavy as his heart and Kili felt for him. He decided that the dwarfling would be avenged, he'd just have to get Fili's help to do so.

…

"I talked to Bofur and he'll have the horn done for us by midday. Mother gave me the cloaks, we just have to promise not to destroy them." Fili informed his brother as Kili sat at his work table, carving intricate designs on the training bow he had once used. It seemed a fitting replacement for Glar's lost weapon.

"Thank you brother. Did you tell Mother why we needed the cloaks?" Kili asked, not wishing to bring his mother's wrath down upon them.

"Not the entire story but she is in agreement that something needs to be done to the young rascals. Glar is far from their only victim." Fili told his brother as he sat next to him and began working on the arrows Kili had set up to work on after he'd finished the bow. "He's the only victim to fight back with words though. The baalruun? Such a clever tale."

"Indeed, he's a smart lad full of fanciful stories and already has a head full of wisdom. He would be better suited to be a bard than a warrior." Kili praised the dwarfling before he blew sawdust out of his final carving.

"Who says he cannot be both? I have finished these arrows, should we prepare the cloaks?" Fili asked his brother who nodded.

"Yes we should. The baalruun stalks this night." He grinned at his brother before they broke into hearty laughter. They were going to make Norn pay for mocking those he thought weak.

…

Norn walked through the halls of stone nervously as he made his way to his family's rooms. He'd been jumpy all day and that made him angry. He'd taken his anger out on his friends, who wound up deserting him out of pure self-preservation, and on any dwarflings unlucky enough to cross his path. Once his friends were gone he'd ventured into the tutors' rooms to seek out Master Bombur to find out about the baalruun but the large dwarf had already been gone by the time he arrived and the other tutors were annoyed by his presence so he'd been cast out. He had determined that the only thing to do to protect himself would be to go home and hide under his bed until the break of the new day. Then he'd have to seek out Glar and beat him to a pulp for scaring him so. He was lost in thought as he turned a corner and almost missed the shuffling sound that preceded him in the hallway. He stopped, his heart choked with fear and started violently when he heard it again, this time louder. That was all it took and he raced down the corridor only to see two, large billowing shapes rushing toward him and emitting an eerie sound. Being the fool he was he rushed toward them and was suddenly enveloped in darkness and his brain did what any sensible brain would do. He voided his bladder and fainted.

…

After Fili and Kili dropped an unconscious Norn off at his family's quarters and made sure he was well. They also told a thrilling tale about saving him from a ravening attack by cobwebs. Once they left Norn with his fretting mother they retreated to Kili's room to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and continue working on Glar's bow. They had much work to do still and not very much time to complete it in.

…

Three days later Glar walked onto the practice fields. His father had told him that Lord Kili wanted to work with him and his stomach turned in knots. Not only had he failed to defend himself from those lunkheaded louts but he'd lost the bow he'd scrimped and saved and worked hard to purchase for himself. He was sure Lord Kili would turn him out in disgrace and sneer at him for his failures. He did not expect the wide grin and kind eyes on the older dwarf when he walked to the target range.

"Glar! It's good to see you lad, you've been absent of late." Kili greeted and Glar's stomach turned again.

"Ummm, Lord Kili...I can't practice with you today, you see..." He started then floundered and Kili gave him a kind smile.

"I see you're missing a valuable component to archery young master." Kili said curiously and Glar hung his head lower.

"It's my fault Lord Kili. I was being teased by Norn and he broke my bow when I teased back. I know I should have fought harder to protect my bow." The young dwarf said and made to turn but Kili stopped him.

"From the sounds of it you did the right thing. Were you outnumbered?" Kili asked and Glar nodded, suddenly more confident. "Sometimes the best course of action is to just stand still, fighting is not always the answer. It is not cowardice to turn away from an unfair fight, it's survival. You did well and it shows that my gift for you has come at the perfect time."

"Gift sir?" Glar asked and Kili walked to the target and brought out a bit of cloth wrapped around a familiar shape. He placed it in Glar's hands and motioned for him to open it and the excited dwarfling pulled back the cloth and gasped. "This is for me?"

"Yes Master Glar, your technique has improved and you're learning at an excellent pace. I believe you are ready for a heavier bow." Kili told Glar and the lad reverently set his new bow and arrows down and ran to Kili, hugging him tightly while Kili hugged back and grinned. "Alright, enough of that. Show me how you string your new bow."

Glar disengaged and with a wide smile he rushed back to his bow and strung it with the hands of an archer. In time he'd be comparable to Kili and, if Kili were a good enough teacher, Glar would surpass him. Kili couldn't wait for that day and beamed with pride as Glar's first arrow flew and came to rest next to one he'd loosed earlier. It appeared that Glar was well on his way to that goal and Kili would do what he could to help the dwarfling achieve it.