"But first, where are my nephews?"
This is the first chapter I have written since I posted two years ago so my style is very different and probably not as good. I'm trying to get back on track so I will edit this later when I finish the fic.
Dwalin stepped up, "I told them to go get the horses. Figured it would keep them busy."
Thorin glared at him, "You did this without consulting me?"
"Thorin," Balin raised his hands passively, "They'll be back soon, they just have to round up some horses."
Bilbo shook his head, drawing the attention of the Company. "You shouldn't have sent them out there after dark. It's not safe."
Gandalf frowned at the Hobbit, "Why not, Bilbo?"
...
The night air was cool and crisp on Kili's face as he raced through the Shire, Fili hot on his tail.
"Kili, slow down!" Fili yelled, trying vainly to keep up with his more fleet-footed sibling. Kili simply laughed and went faster, the wind blowing his hair back from his face as he ran down the hill stopping only once he had reached the bottom. Fili stumbled to a stop beside him after a few seconds, his breath heaving hard.
"Dwalin said to go collect the horses, not to run all the way there." Fili admonished, shaking the dust off his trousers.
"He did say to do it quickly." Kili shot back playfully, punching his brother on the shoulder then ducking when Fili swung back.
It was bordering on nightfall and the moon was at a crescent, giving very little light to see by; neither could see much in the distance but flickering torches illuminating the roads around Hobbiton. Both of them were to busy arguing to notice the dreary air of the small town and the lack of noise was filled with the ruckus the young dwarves made. Neither gave much thought to the consequences of the noise, and apprehension banished by the little they thought they knew about the place. Once they actually could see the wall that lead out of Hobbiton, Fili quieted a bit, noticing the still atmosphere and the lack of movement around him and Kili. Although it was nearly night time, shouldn't at least someone be out? It wasn't horribly late; the stars weren't even fully out yet.
"Kili, hush." He said, putting a hand out in front of his still-chattering brother. Kili looked at him worriedly and opened his mouth to say something, but Fili quickly slapped a hand over it.
"Don't say a word." The blond dwarf cautioned in a whisper, removing his hand from Kili's mouth when his younger brother nodded. "Good. I don't know why, but this place seems almost too quiet. We should be more careful."
Kili nodded again and they continued on, keeping silent this time. As they navigated the twisting paths attempting to find the gate again, the chill of the town became more noticeable. Fili continuously glanced over his shoulder and the nagging feeling of being watched increased with each step he took. Kili still seemed unaware, although he did seem less cheerful. The quietness became stifling and the limited light wasn't helping. Night was falling quickly and the shadows were almost pitch-black giving Fili more to worry about. Anything could be hiding in those shadows without him knowing it was there.
"Fili." Kili whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Do you feel like someone's watching us?"
"Yeah, but it's probably just our imaginations. Don't worry."
"Alright."
Silence fell once again. Neither dwarf was willing to break it again, so it remained whole. Fili continued to look over his shoulder periodically and was given a scare when a scrawny cat appeared in his line of vision. He mentally cursed himself for being so scared of the cat, then he tossed a rock at it, missing, but making it hiss rather intimidatingly.
"Leave the cat alone." Kili said, always in defense of animals whether or not they deserved it. Fili winced at how loud his brother was and shushed Kili again.
"Sorry." The smaller dwarf muttered, kicking a rock like a child would.
Once again, they focused on the road and their miniature quest. The feeling of being watched reappeared and stronger than before.
Suddenly, as if on instinct, Fili threw himself in front of his brother, knocking Kili to the side of the road. All that Kili heard was a soft whoosh and a thud before he tumbled down the bank on the edge of the road and blacked out.
...
"We need to find them, then." Dwalin announced, "If it's not safe out there..."
Balin calmed his brother and turned to Thorin, "I agree, but Thorin, we don't know anything about this place. We need to hear the burglar out first."
Thorn agreed, "Well, hobbit. What do you have to say?"
They turned to the hobbit who wished he could blend into the wall.
"What?" The nervous hobbit asked, although he was sure he knew exactly what.
Thorin approached him while talking, "Obviously the Shire isn't the same place Gandalf remembers. We'd like to know where these Men came from, and you are the only person who can tell us."
Bilbo gulped, he could be killed for talking to a stranger about this, but he knew he couldn't leave them in the dark.
"Alright," he said after talking a deep breath, "What do you want to know?"
"Everything."
As Bilbo opened his mouth to speak, a heavy pounding could be heard on his poor door.
"That'll be the boys." One of the dwarves stated matter-of-factly. Bilbo didn't care who it was as long as they stopped putting dents in his door.
As with Gandalf, the entire group of dwarves flooded over to the door and Thorin opened it saying, "Are you al-"He was cut short by the collective gasps around the room.
Behind the door was one dwarf, younger looking than the rest, with brown hair and a small beard. However, his hair was matted with blood and a nasty-looking wound cut across the side of his face. He was leaning heavily on the side of the door, his clothes were askew and faint traces of blood could be seen on them. The entire company stared at him and one word slipped out of his mouth before he slid down to the floor.
"Fili."
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