Telling Fili and Kili that the twins are going to help them is one thing. They are in a unique position to see just how much Billana's search for an escape route is costing her. Telling Balin and Thorin is another matter. For a start, neither of them see her as a hobbit when she visits them, she is always in her cat form with her hobbit voice. Secondly, because no matter how much the twins mean to her and how good they have been to her, they are still elves and as far as Thorin and Balin are concerned that means that they cannot be trusted.
"Are you out of your mind?" Thorin snaps when she tells him. Billana takes a sharp breath, she had not expected him to be happy but she hadn't expected this level of venom either. "Elves are the reason that we are trapped in this pit instead of making our way to the mountain. Why would you trust to others? They will betray us as surely as Thranduil has."
"Do you have a better idea?" She replies, tail lashing. "I don't have any prior experience of finding my way out of any sort of dungeon, let alone an elf one. I am exhausted, Thorin. I'm shifting daily, more than once some days, and more than I ever have before. I'm hardly sleeping, I'm definitely not getting enough to eat and haven't since we got into Mirkwood." He stares at her silently. "At least I'm doing something, or trying to. What are you doing? Because all I've seen so far is you pacing this little room screaming demands and obscenities and when you're given the chance to change your mind and get us all out of here you reject it every time."
"I was under the impression that you were capable of solving the issue without my having to pander that elf," he growls.
"Well, this is how I'm solving it," she informs him. "If I had more time- but I don't, and since Thranduil isn't admitting that he's holding us there's nothing to stop him from just getting rid of us. Something which my friends are none too happy about. Frankly, I'm not that thrilled about all of this either and, well, honestly, you contracted me to go and rob a dragon and at this point I'm starting to think that that might be the easiest part of all of this. Finding us a way out will take months on my own, we don't have that time."
She almost wishes that she had changed back for this conversation, not certain that a talking cat carries quite the same weight as an angry hobbit. That said, there is very little intimidating about hobbits when they are clothed, let alone naked. Perhaps a wolf would have been better, she thinks, but it's too late now in any case. She rarely loses her temper, it doesn't help when dealing with animals and has never been of benefit when trying to deal with her own kind either. Something about the stubborn nature of dwarves, and Thorin in particular, brings it out of her, however, and perhaps she should learn to guard her tongue around him a little bit more closely. After all, it was only a week ago that he warned her not to challenge him. It makes her wish for Balin, who would at least know what to say to convince Thorin that this is a situation that he needs to accept rather than rage against. She isn't actually all that sure Balin would have taken her side, however, he certainly hadn't been impressed with the development when she had told him.
"You know I will hold you responsible should they betray us," Thorin tells her.
"You wouldn't be the only one," she replies with a toss of her head and a flick of her tail. "I need to get back, but I'll keep you informed."
He nods and she squeezes under the door, running back to her cell and cursing him under her breath. He doesn't make it easy to help him, she wonders if he ever has, and once back in her cell she doesn't bother to change back straight away, curling up in Fili's lap and letting him run his fingers through her fur. She could stay like this forever, she thinks, no pressure, no expectation, no dragons or dwarf kings that expect her to do the impossible. The life of a cat is a simple one and she could enjoy it.
"You have to change back eventually," Fili tells her after a couple of hours. She almost asleep under his gentle touch, purring contently.
"I don't think she wants to," Kili comments, "and if Uncle was as difficult about all this as he usually is I don't blame her." She grumbles, but takes the hint and shifts back.
Being bare in front of them doesn't bother her now like it used to. With the daily shape changes and the resulting nakedness when she changes back, she has quickly come to accept that they will see her unclothed. Then there is the matter of the way that they have begun to explore one another. Though things have not progressed further than she is comfortable, she will admit that it has been a fascinating experience that has helped her become further accustomed to being in her own skin near them.
"What happened, Kitten?" Fili asks as she pulls her clothes back on with a sigh.
She would prefer to remain wrapped in Fili's coat and arms, but the longer she stays wrapped up in either of them, the less she wants to move or remember her argument with Thorin. She explains their discussion, telling them about her argument with their uncle. Kili is grinning at her when she is finished, his arms wrap around her and he kisses her until she is breathless.
"I wish I had seen it, Kundith," he says. "It isn't fair that we've had to put all of this on you, I dislike having to leave you to fight our battles for us."
"I don't mind," she whispers, "I just wish I wasn't so tired."
"Rest, Kitten," Fili tells her. "Let your friends handle it for a while."
She could get all of the rest in the world, she thinks, but it would not make up for the lack of food and the constant fear of being caught by the elves. There is little else that Fili or Kili can do to help, however, there isn't anyway for them to get extra food or get out of the cell. All they can do is comfort her and hold her and they do it far better than she could have imagined. She settles for curling between them and this time when Fili tells her that she needs to stay in the cell and not change for a couple of days she cannot think of any reason why she might do any differently. Elladan and Elrohir have both told her that she needs to rest more as well, they have promised that they will handle things and that promise allows her to relax as much as she may for a few days.
Which she does and even though she doubts how much sleep may restore her, it proves to do more for her that she could have hoped. She still spends most of the time hungry, but she is less tired and when she finally does shift so that she can go and discover what progress the twins have made it comes more easily.
"We have an idea," Elrohir tells her, "but it will need to wait another four days until Thranduil is sufficiently distracted and we can get the keys off Galion, although the final part will be easy enough. He is very fond of Thranduil's wine. We will have your belongings in a safe place to pick up on the way out, don't worry, and supplies enough to see you to the mountain. It would be best that you not be seen in Laketown until you've completed your errand." She nods. "You had better get back to your dwarves and don't take anymore risks, we'll fetch you when it's time."
She pecks his cheek quickly, the twins have become accustomed to physical gestures of affection when they come from the hobbit even though such things are not common among their own kind, and he chuckles before shooing her away. She follows his instructions, trotting through corridors and past other cells until she comes to the one where the red headed elf has been locked away. The others have all shown some signs of improvement since the Miruvor arrived, but this one still mutters dark and vile things to herself. Legolas and Elladan are stood outside the cell, her friend has his back to her and Legolas, now accustomed to the mouser that has such a fondness for hunting around the cells, ignores her completely. Billana still slows a little bit, aware that Legolas also knows that the twins have a fondness for this particular cat and that she normally winds around their ankles at least once. Maintaining appearances is important, after all, and she's curious about why he is down here.
"There isn't anything else we can do," Elladan says, "short of taking her to Imladris, and I'm not sure the risk is worth it."
"To yourself?" Legolas sneers.
"To her," Elladan replies. "She's the worst of all of them, she's had twice the number of doses as the others and she's hardly made any improvement at all. I know that she is your friend, Legolas, but I think it's time to resign yourself to the fact that she might be beyond our reach."
"That's no cat!" The elleth screeches as she catches sight of Billana approaching. "No cat at all!" She reaches through the bars and Billana bolts from the clawed fingers as the elleth continues to scream that she is not what she appears. The sooner they all get out of here, the better.
A.N: This one didn't want to happen, mostly because I want to write the next chapter and Thorin was insisting on having his say.