CHAPTER 4: ON THE ROAD (EDITED)
Malakai was grumpily shifting her weight in the saddle trying to ease her aching behind, her stiff legs and her pained back. Sitting on a pony was something she would never get used to, especially with the dwarven prince sitting behind her, calmly conversing with Gandalf. She had been reluctant of moving since they had set off; with Thorin's hands, holding the reigns, they were resting on her thighs. It was a feeling that put her on edge. She flinched with every movement of his hands, which sent an uncomfortable and strange prickling sensation through her body. His scent had also been lingering in her nose far too long than she liked. I can't take this anymore. He's driving me mad. I have to run it off, she grumbled. She leaned forward to place a hand on the pony's neck and whispered in the Verdari tongue.
"Please stop, my friend. I need to stretch my legs, and I'm sure you can do without the extra weight." The pony stopped immediately and Malakai took the chance to jump off its back.
"What are you doing?" Thorin demanded. Without answering him she took off her fur cape and tossed her loose belongings from the saddle bundle to Gandalf.
"Look after my belongings", she muttered. "Please", she quickly added, not wanting to be whacked by his staff, and with that swiftly disappeared into the dense forest.
"I should have known that riding wouldn't be to her liking." Gandalf chuckled. "Let's keep going." The dwarves rode on, all in silence. Every now and then, the younger brothers spotted her, running or jumping past the trees and occasionally swinging through them like a monkey.
"Gandalf, what is she doing?" Kili asked from far behind.
"Oh, she is just going for a run. She is a child of the Wilds after all and they don't fancy sitting still for long periods of time. No, they much prefer traveling by foot." Malakai took this chance to cleanse her nose and smirked. All the whispers of how they doubted her abilities. Malakai would not let that continue. She would give them a show to remember. Glancing around, she spotted a tall tree and started to climb it with little to no effort. At the top she took a deep breath of fresh air. The wind danced through her dense curls and the view was breathtaking. She always loved the scent of the forest, it reminded her of home. Gandalf gazed up to the trees, trying to locate her, as he noticed that Thorin was sitting stiffly in the saddle ever since she has been absenced.
"Ah, there she is", he noted, when he spotted her. The dwarves followed his gaze, and even Thorin seemed to think it best to see what she was up to.
"That's very high. How is she going to get down from there?" Fili wondered, indicating slight worry for the girl.
"I suspect that she will take the fastest route." Gandalf shrugged. The dwarves stared at him, wondering what he meant by that. Malakai spared no glance at them, as she leaped from the tree and started to fall down, gaining speed rapidly. The company could all see the huge grin on her face as she twisted and turned in the air, before landing easily on her feet. She twirled and then ran to Gandalf.
"How are you feeling, my dear?" the wizard handed her her bundle.
"Much better, thank you." she smiled. Now if he thinks I'm getting on that monstrosity again, he has another thing coming, Malakai thought, while she redressed. Thorin rode up to her and offered his hand, which she ignored.
"Get on", he ordered, his tone stern.
"No, thank you. I'd rather walk", she snapped at him.
"That was rather rude", Gandalf scolded Malakai, as he whacked her on the back of her head. Thorin scoffed, a small smile appearing on his face and signaled for the company to continue. They watched as Malakai skipped in front of them. She seemed much happier, as Gandalf had said, when she was on her own two feet. After a few minutes, Malakai suddenly froze. They halted the ponies and Thorin looked frustrated. As he opened his mouth to speak, she raised her hand to her lips, silencing them.
"Somebody's following us", she whispered, loud enough for only Gandalf and Thorin to hear her. Thorin appeared skeptical but when he saw Gandalf tense up, so did he. Soon enough they heard a distant voice yelling.
"Stop! I signed it", Bilbo walked up to Balin with the contract, his breath heavy. It was obvious that he wasn't cut out for this kind of quest, if running such a short distance took it out of him. Then again, who am I to say that. I can sprint faster than any animal on Middle-earth. She heard Bilbo trying to convince them that he wouldn't need a pony, but was lifted up by his arms onto the smallest one called Myrtle. Malakai couldn't ride her because the poor animal was too small and even if she had been a good size, she would never ride again, unless absolutely necessary. She could hear Gandalf praising her ears but it didn't bother her. As they continued, she heard Bilbo call out to the company that they needed to turn back.
"What is it now?" they asked him.
"We have to turn back. I forgot my handkerchief." The Dwarves just stared at him, wondering if it was a joke or not.
"Here", Bofur said, "take this." He ripped of a piece of his jacket and threw it to him. Everyone laughed at him and even Thorin let out a chuckle.
"Move on", Thorin ordered. Poor little thing. He isn't in the comfort of home. He has to learn quickly to adapt or this will be most unpleasant for him. While they rode on, Malakai was walking at the front of the company, something that Thorin was not fond of. He was the leader, so he should be at the front, but she was their guide. It was a good way for him to see what she was capable of, anyway. Every now and then she would whistle a tune and look up into the trees. It made him a bit nervous, especially when he noticed something moving in the branches of the trees. To his surprise it was a simple squirrel with a nut between its teeth.
"Thank you." She smiled at the little rodent and took the nut. The squirrel had opened it for her and she chewed it. The squirrel returned many times, each time with a nut.
"Gandalf, do you want one?" Malakai asked the wizard.
"Oh, thank you my dear", he smiled and took one of the nuts to eat. Thorin eyed the Wizard and then looked back at her. Their eyes met briefly when Gandalf spoke.
"What do you think the weather will be like tomorrow, my dear?" Thorin was surprised about that question and looked at Malakai, who sniffed and gazed up into the sky.
"It might rain", she said lazily, chewing on another nut. Thorin watched her and noticed that the squirrel was clinging onto the front of her bodice. When her arm appeared in that view, his eyes snapped up to meet hers.
"Do you have to stare at my chest like that?" she pulled on her cape. He only looked away and silence fell again.
"Can't you all gallop, or something? At this rate I'm stuck with you for longer than I want to," she grumbled. The pace was slow for what she was used to.
"You should know that dwarves aren't well accustomed to riding", the Wizard raised an eyebrow. That she knew well. Dwarves had no love for anything apart from cold stone and metal. It was beyond her understanding how they could live inside their cold and stuffy mountains.
"They could at least try", she mumbled.
"I have noticed that you can't ride either", Thorin spoke this time. She glared her displeasure toward him.
"No, I can't, but I can run faster than the fastest horse on Middle-earth, stupid dwarf", she hissed, her eyes glowing gold. She had surmised from all the previous attends that he was slightly distressed by her golden eyes.
"Now, now. How about you go run ahead and find us a nice place to set up camp, Malakai?" Gandalf suggested. Malakai grunted and she sprinted ahead. The two riders looked after her as she disappeared into the distance.
"She has an excellent nose. A very skilled tracker, don't you think?" Gandalf chuckled, but Thorin's interest was elsewhere.
"She has strange eyes", he noted, looking at Gandalf, waiting for an explanation.
"Yes, every Verdari has those. When angered they glow golden", he explained. "I think it's rather beautiful, don't you? The colour of gold." Thorin looked at the wizard. He couldn't deny that gold was a beautiful colour. He had never seen such eyes before. He did not want to admit that there was a bewitching quality to them; he had avoided succumbing to it thus far anyway. As they rode on, Malakai returned with the news that there was a good camping spot a few miles from them, before she disappeared again.
"Gandalf." The wizard glanced at the Dwarf.
"What exactly are the Verdari, if as you say, the stories are not true?"
"You would have to ask Malakai. The Verdari are very private about their culture, much like Dwarves." Thorin huffed. Of course he had to ask her. They arrived at the cliff that would serve as their lounging for the night. Relieved that they could finally rest, the company spread their bedrolls. The ponies were given food and water and all their luggage was removed. Malakai had to smile at herself hearing the ponies relieve and while sitting on a rock she watched the dwarves with utter curiosity. What caught her eye immediately was the Dwarf named Gloin, armed with his axe as he was about to walk past her.
"What do you intend to do with that, Master Gloin?" she asked.
"I'm hungry and my stomach can only be filled with a juicy piece of meat fresh from the fire", he grumbled. He lifted his axe and was about to swing it at a small tree. His axe was ripped out of his hands and he stumbled forward.
"Don't do that!" she snapped at him. This caught everyone's attention but she didn't care. She threw the axe away from her and darted off into the bushes, disappearing from sight.
"Who does she think she is, that wretch!" Gloin fumed as he stood and walked to retrieve his axe.
"She is a protector of the forest, Master Gloin. I wouldn't try to fell a tree in her presence again, or you will lose more than your axe." Gandalf noted with a tone that made Gloin shrink away.
Soon, Malakai returned with a large bundle of sticks and old branches under her arm. Without a word, she tossed them before Gloin's feet.
"Here is your precious firewood. Enjoy your meat", she hissed and climbed up the cliff. Malakai seated herself above the company on a ledge, while the rest sat around the fire. The low murmur of the Dwarves annoyed her. Drowned in thought, she played with one of her knives, stabbing it into the earth repeatedly. The murmurs started to die down when she suddenly heard orcs screech in the distance and with her sharp eyes, she scanned the surroundings. Her hand rested on her bow, ready for anything that might pop out. Although she didn't expect Thorin to approach her. He stared at her, and after awhile she locked eyes with his.
"Yes?" she asked.
"I would like to speak with you", he told her, rather formally. She stared at him, feeling slightly confused at his courtesy, but smiled.
"Alright, I guess I can spare a few moments." She jumped down from her perch, landing with a heavy thud, her legs crouched. She stood up and sat down on a rock, his eyes following her.
"Ask away", she said. He sat down on the rock and turned to face her.
"Where are you from?" he asked, rather softly.
"I lived in a small village with my clan, before I moved away", she answered plainly.
"Clan?"
"Yes, clan", she confirmed and then tilted her head with curiosity. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know much about the Verdari. I would much appreciate it, if you could tell me the truth", he said. Thorin was met by silence and by an intense stare of narrowed eyes and a slight frown.
"Can I trust you?" she finally asked. He stopped for a moment. He didn't know, but what he did know was that it would be better to trust each other, rather than fight, for the sake of the company. He finally nodded.
"Swear, that you will not tell anyone of what I am about to say." He needed to know. Any information would be useful and if he had to keep it to himself, so be it. "I swear on my honor as King that I will take this to my grave unless you say otherwise." He never lowered his gaze from her. After some time she nodded.
"We were created by Orome for one purpose. To help, yet all we received in return was fear and hatred." She spoke softly, almost whispering.
"You speak of help, but of what help do you speak?" Thorin asked with a hint of curiosity.
Malakai examined his face with squinted eyes. Noisily she inhaled through her nose, standing up to glare down at him.
"Earn my trust and in return I will tell you more, Thorin Oakenshield." And with that she was gone.