Of Night Watches
The company had stopped for the night. The land around them was rocky and harsh. The sky was a cold, blue shade with dark clouds rolling across the moon and blocking much of its welcome light. It was not the pleasantest of nights. The watches had been assigned to the various teams and Ori and Bilbo had been unfortunate to catch the watch in the middle of the night. No one wanted that watch.
"Come on, hobbit!" A slightly too cheerful voice woke Bilbo. "It's time for us to start our watch."
"I really don't understand how this can possibly be a good thing." Bilbo grumbled as he got out of his warm blankets. "By the time we're done with our watch our beds will be cold because this is the absolute coldest part of the night, which is another reason to still be in bed."
Ori looked at him, slightly perplexed. He had shared all his watched with the hobbit and noticed that his companion's moods changed greatly, especially with the different watched they would get. He preferred it when Bilbo was cheery and they could just talk about things they liked or had done. But this watch was shaping up to be a rather one-sided complaint. "Look at it this way, Bilbo. We aren't far enough into unfriendly country to be attacked, probably, and if we are attacked you'll get some practice with that sword-dagger thing of yours and I get to use my slingshot."
The look on Bilbo's face quickly told him that Bilbo didn't think he'd said anything comforting or cheering. "If we don't get attacked we will probably still be rained on." He began, gesturing at the sky. "And it we are attacked I will be shiskabobbed before I have a chance to get any 'practice'." He finished a little grumpily.
"No you wouldn't." Ori said, as if it made perfect sense. "Don't forget, I have my slingshot." he finished, grinning.
Bilbo could tell he was trying to make him feel better (he had shared watches with him for a long time now, and he never seemed to stop being cheerful) so he decided to drop the matter and turn the conversation to something a little more pleasant. "I have wondered for a while now, all the other dwarves have big axes or something sharp like that, why do you have a slingshot?"
Ori shifted a little uncomfortably, like he was embarrassed. "Well, as you know, I never lived in Erebor. I grew up learning how to make toys and small household machines. All the dwarves, except Fili and Kili, are older than me and grew up learning how to fight with ancient dwarven weapons. And Fili and Kili had Thorin around and couldn't have learned anything else." he paused and saw Bilbo's eager face looking at him, fascinated. He briefly thought that he looked just like the children he used to make toys for and then he continued. "Anyway, when I was little I made a slingshot and practiced with it for a very long time, whenever my slingshot would get to small for me I would make a new one. When Thorin asked for volunteers it was the only weapon I could wield to speak of. I've gotten much better with others. " He finished, a little defiantly.
"That's...Amazing. Really, it is." Bilbo was looking at him with something akin to awe on his face. "Since you've been learning lately as well, do you think you could teach me how to use my sword?"
"If you really want me to, of course." Ori replied.
Further conversation was interrupted when Bilbo caught a very faint sound. Ori started to say something and Bilbo hushed him, trying to catch the sound again. Suddenly, he found himself with a bucket over his head and water everywhere. From the sounds he guessed that Ori had suffered a similar fate. When he finally wrestled the bucket off of his head he saw Fili and Kili doubled over laughing and Ori still struggling with his own bucket.
When he'd managed to help Ori out of his bucket he turned to the two mirthful dwarves and asked "What precisely was that for!?"
"Fun!" They replied simultaneously. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to sneak along a branch quietly enough so you won't hear?" Fili asked, a little put out.
"We almost had to abort several times because you kept starting a little, like you'd heard something!" Kili added.
"But why were you trying to duck us in the first place!?" Bilbo inquired, shouting now. He really didn't like being wet in the middle of the very cold night.
"To see if we could." Fili answered.
"I don't see how this night could possibly get any worse." Bilbo grumbled looking up a little at the sky.
As if someone up their thought it was a challenge a loud clap of thunder rang out and it started to rain, much to the dismay of them all.
