Chapter 37

Thorin and Company turn toward the forest. "Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day."

Dwalin said, "Durin's Day. Let's go!"

Thorin said, "This is our one chance to find the hidden door."

The Company enters Mirkwood. They are following the paved path that started at the Elven Gate. Thorin leads. At one point, the path turns a corner. Thorin said, "The path goes this way."

As the dwarves, St. Anel and Bilbo keep following the path through the forest, it twists and turns over all sorts of terrain such as bare ground, high ledges, fallen tree trunks, and more. The color palette used is very blue/gray, and gloomy. Dwalin thumps the handle of his hammer on the ground to find the paving stones of the trail. "This way."

They continue walking. Bofur said, "Air. I need air."

Oin said, "My head, it's spinning." The dwarves suddenly run into each other as Nori, in front, stops abruptly.

Oin asked, "What's happening?"

Thorin said, "Keep moving. Nori, why have we stopped?"

Nori said, "The path...it's disappeared!"

Dwalin asked, "What's going on?"

Oin yelled, "We've lost the path!"

They are standing in front of a steep cliff, and there is no path ahead of them. Thorin yelled, "Find it. All of you look. Look for the path!"

Meanwhile, the path is not far away from them, but on the other side of the cliff. They had unknowingly left it some time ago. The Company wanders through the forest. The forest is beginning to affect them mentally, and they stagger about. Balin said, "I don't remember this place before. None of it's familiar."

Dori said, "It's got to be here."

Thorin asked, "What hour is it?"

Dwalin said, "I do not know. I don't even know what day it is."

Thorin asked, "Is there no end to this accursed place?"

The dwarves are all muttering and rambling as they wander about. Bilbo absentmindedly plucks a spider web; it vibrates, and the vibrations continue through the various linked spider webs and far off into the forest. Bilbo wants to pluck again but St. Anel stopped him. "Stop Bilbo. Something is watching us." she said.

Bilbo asked, "How come you're not affected yet?"

St. Anel said, "The gold on my head keeps me leveled if only for a little while."

They continue walking; Bilbo looks down and sees himself walking backward, although it's actually just an illusion. He looks back at Dori, behind him, and sees himself. His entire vision begins shifting and tilting. Ori leans down and picks up a tobacco pouch. Dori then takes it from him. Ori said, "Look."

Dori said, "A tobacco pouch. There's dwarves in these woods."

Bofur takes the pouch from Dori. "Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine."

Bilbo said, "Because it is yours. You understand? We're going round in circles. We are lost."

Dwalin said, "We're not lost. We keep heading east."

Oin asked, "But which way is east? We've lost the sun."

As the dwarves begin bickering indistinctly, Bilbo looks up and sees a bit of sun through the tree canopy far above him. He speaks quietly, and no one else can hear him over the bickering. "The sun. We have to find the sun. Up there. We need to-"

The dwarves have started fighting and pushing each other around. Thorin stands apart, listening. He hears the strange whispering sound that Bilbo heard earlier and mutters to himself. Thorin asked, "What? What's that?" The whispering continues; Thorin turns and yells at the dwarves. "Enough! Quiet! All of you! We're being watched."