Kili laughed as he ran, a well worn leather bound book tight in his grasp. He stumbled only a little as he ducked through the under brush, cackling as his brother rounded a tree and caught up with him, equally gleeful grin on his face.
"Give it back!" a voice cried from behind the brothers, young Ori racing around trees to try and catch up with the mischievous Durin heirs.
"Only if you can catch us!" Kili yelled back, earning a frustrated shout from Ori and a laugh from Fili.
"C'mon, guys! This isn't fair!" Ori shouted after them, shrieking when his foot got caught on a root, and he tumbled to the ground, somehow managing to get caught up in his lengthy scarf on the way down.
The brother simply continued to laugh, and ran on, finally stopped once they reached the banks of a river, both panting and leaning on each other for support.
Ori burst through the underbrush a few minutes later, red faced and panting, his scarf askew, and braids half undone. "Give it back!" he shouted, his face turning redder as the brothers huddled together and began flipping through the younger's journal.
"Stop!" Ori surged forward when Fili stopped Kili's flipping, the two obviously begining to read the writing inside, rather than simply flipping through and looking at the doodles along the margins. "This isn't funny anymore!"
The brothers reacted to Ori's outburst by jumping apart, Kili holding the journal high above his head, Fili grabbing Ori around the middle to restrain him. "Now, now, Ori," the blonde cooed while Kili grinned and reopened the book, "we just want to have a peek! See what you've always got your nose stuffed into."
Ori wriggled in Fili's grasp, kicking the elder Durin in the shin, before scrambling for his book again. "It's none of your business, what I've got my nose stuffed into!" he snapped, jumping at Kili, who held the book above his head. "Give it back!"
With a rather ill fated swat, Ori finally managed to knock the book from Kili's hand, only to have it tumble off the side of the tall embankment the three were standing on.
"NO!" the red head cried, diving for the falling book, his hand outstretched even as the brothers caught him and dragged him back from the edge. "No, no, no!" he cried, falling to his knees and burrying his face in his hands, shaking his head.
The brothers shared a quick look of shame and guilt, never having meant any harm to the younger dwarf. They'd only meant to tease Ori, never actually having wanted to read the writing inside the journal.
"Come now," Fili murmured, moving to crouch beside the youngest of the trio, "It's just a book."
"IT IS NOT JUST A BOOK," Ori shouted, pulling his hands away from his face to punch Fili roughly in the arm, his face red, tears yet un-shed in his eyes. the elder Durin flinched away, rubbing at his arm. "It's my journal! I write everything in there! About-about Mam, and Da, and Dori and Nori, and, and-I want it back!" He cried out when Kili approached him, flailing an arm out and managing to swat the brunette in the knee.
Kili backed away after his failed attempt at comforting, sighing quietly, and wandering over to the edge of the embankment while Fili tried once again to pat Ori on the shoulder, only to get smacked once again. He smiled a little sadly at the display, before peering down towards the water, lighting up when he saw Ori's book caught up on the roots of a tree.
"ORI!" the younger Durin shouted, grinning brightly as he began to climb down the embankment, his brother shooting up and running over immediately. Ori sighed and shook his head, not wanting to see what the brothers were up to now. He'd lost his precious book. He really didn't care about a stupid fish, or pretty rock they may have found.
"Hey! It's your book!" Fili chirped, climbing down after his brother, Ori perking up a bit at the new exclamation. he dared not mover from his spot, however, not wanting to get his hopes up. He really couldn't help sitting forward, though, one hand pressed to the dewy grass in anticipation.
Ori cringed back when he heard a definite splash, followed shortly by another, slumping back on his haunches, the small shred of hope he'd had quickly vanishing. So much for that.
"Tada!" Ori glanced up as two soggy dwarflings climbed back up over the embankment, Kili holding Ori's book up by the binding in triumph. The elder brother handed the slightly damp book to the red head, sheepish smile on his face.
"I am sorry," he murmured, Fili nodding fiercely at his side.
"We only meant to have a bit of fun. Didn't mean any harm. We'd have given it back to you, honest," Fili said adamantly, thumping a fist to his chest.
Ori clutched his book to his chest, sighing in contentment, before gazing up at the sopping wet brothers, a tiny smile slowly crawling across his features. "Fools," he muttered, earning loud laughs from the other two.