A/N: A small break from the plot for a bit of character-centric chapter this time. If you've got any comments, questions, suggestion, fell free to let me know. It's always nice to hear from you readers. Cheers!
Bilbo was the first to wake as pre-dawn light began filtering through the trees. He lay still for a few moments, relishing the quiet, until a light weight gently fell onto his chest. His eyes fluttered open, frowning at the strange feeling, and he found himself face to face with a large, glossy-feathered raven. The raven croaked quietly and nipped at the surprised hobbit's curls, then jumped delicately to the leafy ground, tipping its head to the side and ruffling its blue-black wings cheerfully…if a bird can be cheerful, the hobbit wondered.
Bilbo sat up with a lopsided smile, feeling his Took blood stir at the strange sight. The bird hopped away towards the edge of the wood, and he slowly pushed himself upright and followed. After all, I'm already awake, he thought blearily as he slung his cape about his shoulder and padded after the bouncing bird.
Thorin was seated on a log at the edge of the wood, looking out at the frosty field to the north with Orcrist propped up nearby. To Bilbo's delight and wonder, several dozen birds fluttered about him – there was a whole flock of sparrows, two more ravens, a little falcon, and a handful of tiny, colorful songbirds chirping quietly around the dwarf; a pair of owls hooted sleepily from a branch above the dwarf's head. The hobbit couldn't help but smile as he heard Thorin murmuring to them, occasionally pulling out a few pieces of dried fruit or bread. On impulse, Bilbo dove into his pack and took out the heel of yesterday's loaf of bread – it was long since stale, but he knew birds couldn't care less.
The raven hopped about in place as Bilbo withdrew the bread then continued bouncing along the ground once he was on the move again, as if to lead him to the forest edge. Bilbo hesitated several feet back, but the raven was having none of it – with an annoyed little caw it leapt forward and tugged on the hem of Bilbo's trousers, and Bilbo couldn't help but grin and obey the strange bird. Thorin looked up as Bilbo stepped into his field of view, returning the hobbit's soft smile.
"You are up early." The dwarf king murmured as the little falcon perched on the log beside him.
"I like being the first one up. You didn't wake Fili to watch?"
"I hadn't the heart, and wasn't tired."
"Ah. Mind if I join you?" Bilbo asked, and with a nod from the dwarf he sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning back on the log where Thorin sat. Bilbo's raven friend hopped around him, croaking animatedly at Thorin, who seemed to be listening with a smile. The rest of the birds shied away from the strange hobbit, but the raven hopped bravely onto Bilbo's left shoulder with a proud caw.
"I see you've met Roäc. He seems quite taken with you."
"I think I've taken a shine to him as well." Bilbo replied, breaking off a piece of bread for the raven. "I never took you for a bird lover."
"All birds are precious to dwarves, ravens in particular are sacred to those of us from Erebor for their cunning and love of jewels. Every king in Durin's line has had a connection to bird-kind, and each one manifests itself differently." Thorin explained, stroking the head of the little falcon as two sparrows chirped quietly on his shoulder. "One of my forefathers had a friendship with the Eagles of Manwe, much like Gandalf, and another was able to teach Westron to the ravens of Erebor, in order to better carry messages. It would seem my influence is not so focused, but spans over more of bird kind. Do you…not like them?"
"Quite the opposite! I have always had a deep love of little wild things." Bilbo replied with a wry smile. "Although I am surprised to see this…flock. I think I would have remembered if this had happened before."
"This phenomenon only happens when one is king – I was not truly King Under the Mountain until…my father died." Thorin murmured. Bilbo looked up with sad realization.
"Oh, Thorin, I'm sorry…" Bilbo sighed, his fingers itching to reach out for Thorin's hand. Instead he busied himself with feeding Roäc another bit of bread, smiling lightly at the raven's contented noises.
"Gandalf found him wandering in the mazes of Dol Guldur, half mad and missing a finger. It seemed he had been there ever since the Battle of Moria. And yet he loved me through his torment, even to the last." Thorin said thickly.
"Losing a parent is never easy, though I don't pretend to know exactly what you are experiencing." Bilbo agreed quietly after a moment of quiet, his gaze settling on the blurry mountains in the distance. "My father was sick for nearly a year before he died. We all had time to prepare for the worst, so that when the time came…the hurt was not as bad as it could have been. But when my mother died…" He paused with a frown, taking a moment to feed another bit of bread to Roäc. "She had been healthy the night before. She had gone to bed after her nightly biscuit and tea, and simply…didn't wake up. My family was a small help of course, but nothing could have prepared me for the sudden void of living alone. There was no word big or heavy enough to describe how my mother's death felt. But in the darkest hours, my father's words would come back. 'Where there is life, there is hope' he used to say, and - especially now - I believe him to be right." Bilbo smiled sadly up at Thorin, who merely hummed with agreement in reply.
Easy silence followed the heavy conversation, each party letting the cobwebs of old grief drift away into the morning mists. After a minute, Roäc croaked softly in Bilbo's ear, once more nipping at his hair. Bilbo offered up another chunk of bread, which the raven quickly devoured. Bilbo reached up hesitantly to scratch the bird under the chin, an action which Roäc happily leaned in to. Thorin watched the brief interaction with a small smile, then held up a finger to the pair of sparrows on his shoulder and murmured a few words to them before turning his gaze back to Bilbo.
"Hold out your hand, Bilbo."
The hobbit obliged, offering up his left arm. The dwarf took it in his own large hand, then gently deposited the two sparrows on to Bilbo's palm without a word. Thorin slowly released the hobbit's hand, and Bilbo carefully brought it, along with the precious cargo, to rest in his lap. Using his free hand, he ripped off a piece of bread with great concentration and offered it to the little birds, making sure to keep it out of reach of Roäc. In a moment the sparrows were happily devouring the food, cheeping softly. Several more sparrows joined them, as well as a bluebird and pair of blood-red finches, all clustered on the hobbit's hand and knees as he fed each one a small piece of bread with great care. Roäc pecked at Bilbo's collar where the mithril shirt glinted, a little annoyed at the loss of attention, then fluttered to the top of Bilbo's head where he promptly fell asleep.
Bilbo was utterly entranced by the little birds, who now perched and fluttered around him as easily as they did with Thorin. He laughed once and beamed up at the dwarf, who was stroking the head of one of the ravens. Thorin couldn't help but smile back, the sight of the bird-covered hobbit lightening his heart. Soon the sun began peeking over the horizon, sending spears of pink light into the clear sky as the last few stars were chased away by the oncoming day.