Fingers crossed I can update again soon, but for now, enjoy. I hope everyone has a good Christmas.


Chapter 7: Problems


A dry heaving sound filled the rocky cranny Dwalin and his two companions were hiding.

"It's alright, lad," the seasoned warrior said in as comforting a voice as he could manage while patting the younger of his two charges on the back softly as the brunette remained hunched over, "Don't try to hold it back, but don't try to force it either." The youth responded by allowing another dry heave to roll through his body.

"Is this a bad sign?" Ori said hysterically from beside him, "He was hit on the head pretty hard and-" Dwalin tuned the unhelpful dwarf out.

Was Kili throwing up a bad sign? Dwalin wasn't sure. Though the burly dwarf was trained in dealing with sick or injured soldiers, he did not have the expertise to deal with such a situation as this. He could deal with lacerations and arrow wounds to a degree, as well as low to moderate fevers and other varying sicknesses. What he was not entirely sure about was head wounds, many of which could be fatal, had been fatal to many of the bald dwarf's good friends and comrades. The one thing he had been sure about was to get the injured dwarf straight to a healer, but, as his own personal run of luck would have it, Oin was not with him and neither was Gandalf or even the tall warrior's brother who knew just how to deal with such things.

Sighing, Dwalin rocked back on his heels, deciding that it was not too much of a big deal now that the brunette had stopped and was back leaning against one rocky wall with his eyes closed. He would have to keep a close eye on the lad, but there was not much else he could do except to keep him awake.

"Kili," the disgruntled dwarf said as he came to a decision, "I need you to keep your eyes open." The bald warrior's words hung unacknowledged in the air for a good while, a period of time long enough for Ori to increase his panic, green to such scenarios as this but head filled with the stories of endings to such scenes.

"He's not opening his eyes," the younger dwarf cried in despair, "What's wrong? Why is he not opening his eyes?"

"I don't know," Dwalin half growled, trying to keep his already thinly worn patience as he stressed over what to do next. Ori, however, was clearly not reassured by these words.

"He's hurt and we don't have Oin to tell us what is wrong," the ginger haired scribe cried, "Fili will have our heads if the orcs and Thorin don't get to us first if Kili dies on our watch. What are we going to do? Kili's not going to die is he? Oh no, he's going to die. He's going to d-"

"Ori, shut it!" Dwalin barked harshly before turning back to his second worrisome quarry, "Kili, open your eyes." The words weren't so much of a request as an order.

No sooner had the command left the greying dwarf's mouth, the exhaling of a deep breath filled the air and round brown and somewhat resentful eyes opened to give him a half-hearted glare.

"There's no need t'shout 'bout it," the brunette slurred in a slightly shaky voice, "Can't I take m'time?"

"Keep your eyes open at all times," Dwalin growled in return, "Unless I say otherwise. You got that?"

Kili blinked in affirmation, choosing to do so rather than moving his head in a simple nod and making the world swim even more. Turning away from the youngest under his charge, Dwalin regarded Ori who was staring back up at him with large eyes widened by shock and fear alike. Resisting the urge to bang his head against something, the oldest and most experienced dwarf of the three forced himself to calm down and think things through, his nose wrinkling unnoticeably at the smell of the recently disposed contents of the company archer's stomach.

"We need to get moving if we are ever going to meet up with the rest of the company," he said after a small pause in which he had taken the time to gather his thoughts, "Can you stand?" Kili grimaced and shook his head ever so slightly as he became the focus of Dwalin's gaze.

"Not 'less you can stop the wor'd swayin'," the brunette informed him with the same crease still lining his forehead. Dwalin eyed him through half squinted eyes before turning back to where Ori was now standing, wringing the edge of his knitted jumper between his two hands nervously.

"Help him up," the taller of the two said bluntly as he moved to peer out of their hiding space and into the forest beyond. After several moments, pierced by a small groan and a heavy exhaling of air, the seasoned warrior signalled for his two companions to follow him as he carefully exited the small and rocky enclosure. Dwalin glanced back for a brief second to ensure that both Ori and Kili were fine before walking forward in the direction they had come, axes drawn as if he were awaiting an unexpected ambush, which he was. Ori was now his usual quiet self again, wary of everything around him, not that Dwalin missed the noise. He needed to not be distracted or else he could miss something. Kili, however, obviously did not want to be so silent.

"You know where we're goin'?" he asked, his voice low, his slow and dodgy pronunciation the same as before.

"I know where we have to head," came Dwalin's answer, the older dwarf unhappy with the slow pace being set by the two dwarves behind him, "Can you not move faster?"

"W'can try," Kili replied, his voice none to confident. Dwalin's bushy eyebrows drew together as he inspected the area surrounding him and the two others, brow furrowed deeply.

"Do not push yourself if it will only make your condition worse," the bald warrior informed the injured dwarf of the three. He did not want to have to be carrying anyone as it would only serve as a hassle and present themselves as easier targets to the orcs.

The trio continued on for some time in the same formation; Dwalin at the front and Ori supporting Kili at the back. Movement shifted the branches of the trees across from them at one point, but none of the dwarves took notice of it until a black shafted projectile came hurtling out through the leaves to be acknowledged by a loud and colourful grunt of anger.


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