Hello there,

Here is the second chapter, I'm thinking of posting a chapter every four or five days, I have a lot of uni work so I think being that spaced out gives me some time. Please let me know what you think, this chapter is pretty solemn though.

Big Cheers for following/favouriting: SakuraDragomir!

I do not own The Hobbit, just my OC!

Cheers!

Chapter 1 – Wasted Prayers

"Ere, why can't we cook it yet?" Came a muffled rumble from somewhere to her left.

"Cos, we still ave that farmer and his family!" Came another rumble.

The fox's eyes were closed, her head pounding from somewhere behind her ears. A foul rot filled her nose then, making her sick to her stomach. What one earth was making that awful smell? She tried to stretch her legs out only to find their movement was restricted.

Opening her eyes brought with it a whole new onslaught of insults. It was dark, but her eyes adjusted quickly, showing her what she was gotten herself into, and what she was in exactly, was a cage. Her precarious situation hit her like a rock then, she launched into action, banging and thrusting herself into the bars of her cage. They didn't look like much, yet upon further inspection, she realized her cage was built from bones. Some still with flesh clinging to them. Lurching back she shivered. Where on Middle Earth was she?

"Hey, Bert" Came a loud familiar voice. She snapped her head round to see three large repulsive trolls staring at her. "Its awake"

"Good thing too, don't wanna spoil good meat" The other one said, the one that must have snuck up behind her, for she didn't recognize it.

She growled then, a low and rumbling sound coming from her chest. How dare they, just as she thought she was safe, she gets got by three of the stupid most ugliest monsters in Middle Earth.

One moved closer, its face peering right in through the bones. Its eyes were beady but filled with vile interest and hunger. She couldn't help but move away, her back legs backing up against more bone. Her heart sunk, she couldn't see any way out, and by the looks of it, she was next on the fire. She felt her hackles rise on her back, as the troll licked its lips.

"Found this, is it yours?" It spoke as if he thought she could understand, which of course she could. It held up her little leather sac and threw it to the back of the cave they were in. "What's a stupid dog like you need a pack for?"

"That aint no dog" Came another one, slamming something hard down on the top of the cage making her jump and hurl herself against the back bones. "It's a fox"

"Fox's aint tasty Bert, cant we crush it into Jelly?"

"Nah, I say we starve it and use its bones for tooth picks!"

"I wouldn't mind some of that fur, looks comfy" One added whilst scratching its rear end.

All their words flew through her mind, making the pounding pain worse. There was no way out, no way to escape these bones, and to get away from these monsters. A small whimper escaped her then as her mind pictured herself being torn apart for her fur and bones. Hadn't she already fled from harm, the South was supposed to be safer. She searched the cave for any signs of escape yet when she peered right to the back of the cave she spotted them. The famer that they were talking about was also locked up in a cage of bones. His wife and children clinging to him for dear life. She froze as her eyes met his, he was terrified. He was a thin man, as if they had been keeping him locked up for weeks. His wife too, her curly blond hair was all disheveled and matted with dirt. In her arms was a young boy, must have been about to his adolescence, his eyes were closed, shut tight, as if trying to block away the world.

The last in the cage was a girl, about the same age as the boy, her blond hair was stained red at the top, as if she had a head wound, her eyes kept falling shut, then the Farther would shake her awake again. They looked positively miserable, and helpless. The fox felt rage sweep through her at the thought of this poor family never seeing the light of day again.

The trolls left them then, left her to sit and sink into darkness, filled with images of her demise. They were going to starve her like the family and there was nothing she could do. Changing wouldn't be any better. She knew for a fact that the trolls would eat her then, and she still wouldn't be able to fit through the bones. This was it; this was how she was going to die.

Days had passed with her trapped within the cage of bones. She remained there, swallowed up in the dank and putrid cave. During the day the trolls would return. Firstly they would torment the poor fox, shove sticks through the bones and hit her with them, just to get a rise. Then they would talk in detail about how they would skin her, and how they would use her bones to create knives for cooking other poor defenseless creatures, and people.

It was day two, when the light had vanished from outside and the night had settled in, when the cave erupted into chaos.

Bert had demanded meat, grabbing his array of knives he and the two others moved to the back of the cave. All the while the fox grumbled and growled at them. They were heading straight to the family and she wanted nothing more than to jump out and deter them. The Father began shouting first, trying to reason with them, but it was no use they were halfwits that just wanted meat.

"Please, I will do anything!" He screamed, tears rolling down his face and into the bloodied dirt.

"You can shut it for a start!" Tom screeched. He reached his hand in over the top of the cage and started reaching for the Farmers wife. All four of them flattened themselves again the backbones, but they couldn't hide for long. Bert started shoving his stick in through the front and poking and swiping at them, their screams were echoing through out the cave. The fox was barking furiously at them, trying to swap their attention back to her, to no avail.

As Bert swung his stick the wife had flinched out of the way and straight into Toms hands. Immediately he started pulling her out, only to have the whole family leap and try to pull her back in.

The wife's screams were deafening as she was pulled between them, then before any of the family could react they were all grabbed as William joined in. The trolls fished the whole family out; the son and daughter were stuffed into one hand, their limbs twisting in awkward positions. The girl cried out in pain, there were so many screams, it was painful to watch and even more painful to hear.

Then the trolls made their way to the exit, the fox was barking and howling at them, the family making just as much noise. They must of scared away all wildlife close by, but the fox was furious and mortified at the same time.

"Please, help us!" They screamed.

The fox watched wide-eyed as the farmer turned to her as he was carried past her. His eyes were full of unshed tears at the doom he and his family were to face. He managed a small crooked smile, one that she knew she would never forget.

"Pray for us little fox!" He shouted as the trolls got out side of the cave. Then she was alone. She pinned her ears so she could hear the family, they were still shouting, then one by one the fell into the silence. The last voice being that of the poor farmer.