Hi guys! Guess what? I got braces. AND I CAN'T EAT ANYTHING. NOT EVEN MY PRECIOUS PIZZA. BECAUSE I LOVE PIZZA AND I COULDN'T FINISH EVEN ONE SLICE! ARGH! Anyway, I made this chapter extra long because I love you all :)

The next morning, the company decided to continue on their journey. Kili was given a new bow and a quiver full of arrows to replace his old weapons. It took some time to get used to it, which sadly resulted in a tree being pelted with arrows as he tried to get his aim back.

Thorin was pleased with Fili and Kili becoming close. One night at dinner, they had been murmuring to each other with small giggles until Fili tackled Kili to the floor. The dwarves had all jumped to their feet to pry him off, only to discover that Fili was tickling him and that the younger dwarf was squeaking with laughter and begging for mercy.

When Beorn gave them the ponies to ride, Kili was uncomfortable with it. He didn't understand the use of reins when you could just tell the beast where to go. (He was still upset about losing his beloved warg.) Fili tried to show him, he still didn't like it. He muttered something along the lines of "Wargs are more trustworthy and battle-ready" when Fili helped him get up on the pony.

When they finally did resume their journey, with all the dwarves healed enough for traveling, Kili kept shifting in the saddle uncomfortably. Fili looked over and sighed. "Just relax, it's not like you're about to be attacked."

Kili took a breath. "I want Junithril back," he murmured. His bond with his warg was strong.

Fili reached his hand out and gently gripped a lock of Kili's hair with his fingers. Kili gave him a smile. "I'm not leaving again," he said softly.

The journey at that point was relatively peaceful. Each dwarf kept a knife ready as they approached the forest of Mirkwood, ready for something to happen. When they reached the edge of the forest, Thorin ordered them to dismount and to send the ponies back. The dwarves were upset about this and didn't try to hide their dismay at having to send them back, but Thorin didn't wish to have Beorn be angry at them for stealing the ponies. After all, Gandalf had warned them that Beorn had been following them from a distance and that he would be a bad enemy. Kili didn't like that the grey wizard was leaving them; the young dwarf had taken a liking to him after he showed him such kindness at the Carrock. Kili watched as the ponies began walking back to their master as the dwarves walked the opposite way into the dark forest. For a moment, he looked to see if Beorn was anywhere within his sight; then he gave up and followed the company quickly.

Kili held an arrow in his hands as they walked. He felt nervous and anxious as he stuck close to Fili. He could sense the danger around them; anything could jump out. Fili gripped his hand, as if he could feel Kili's uneasiness.

Their food and water dwindled down quickly. Kili longed to shoot something for food; a squirrel or chipmunk or some form of creature that would provide meat. But Thorin ordered him not to waste his arrows and the company suffered their hunger, only taking a little food when they truly needed it.

When they found their path blocked by running water, Kili felt frustrated. His throat was dry from lack of water. The river was black with flowing water, but Beorn had warned them against it.

The dwarves tried to think of a way to cross it. There had been a wooden bridge at some point, but it had rotted and fallen, leaving only the broken posts near the bank.

Bilbo kneeled at the edge of the river. "There is a boat against the far bank!" he cried, despair in his voice.

"How far away do you think it is?" Thorin asked.

"Not at all far. I shouldn't think above twelve yards."

"Twelve yards! I should have thought it was thirty at least, but my eyes don't see as well as they used to a hundred years ago. Still, twelve yards is as good as a mile. We can't jump it, and we daren't try to wade or swim."

"Can any of you throw a rope?"

"What's the good of thought? The boat is sure to be tied up, even if we could hook it, which I doubt."

"I don't believe it is tied," said Bilbo. "Though of course I can't be sure in this light; but it looks to me as if it was just drawn up on the bank, which is low just there where the path goes down into the water."

"Dori is the strongest, but Fili is younger with better eyesight," Thorin said. "Fili, see if you can see the boat Mr. Baggins is talking about."

Fili went up to the edge of the river and knelt down, staring across the water. Kili could see the boat from where he was standing, but he didn't bother saying anything; he may have been an archer, but he wasn't good with measuring distances.

"I think I can see it," Fili murmured. The others had tied a rope to a large iron hook and handed it to him. Fili took it and stood, balanced it for a moment, then flung it across the stream. Kili could see that it had landed a 2 feet short of hitting the boat. "A couple of feet and you would have dropped it on the boat. Try again. I don't suppose the magic is strong enough to hurt you, if you just touch a bit of wet rope," Bilbo said, still peering across the water.

Fili picked up the hook when he had drawn it back, rather doubtfully all the same. This time he threw it with more strength.

"Steady!" Bilbo said, "you have thrown it right into the wood on the other side now. Draw it back gently." Fili hauled the rope back slowly, ad after a while Bilbo said, "Carefully! It is lying on the boat; let's hope the hook will catch."

It did. Fili pulled; and Kili went up to help him. Then Oin and Gloin. They tugged and tugged, and suddenly they all fell. Bilbo was on the look-out, however, caught the rope, and with a piece of rope fending off the little black boat as it came rushing across the stream. "Help!" he shouted, and Balin rushed forward to grab the boat before it could float off.

"It was tied after all," Bilbo said, looking at the small bit of snapped rope that still dangling from a side of the boat. "We're lucky that our rope was stronger!"

"Who will cross first?" Fili asked.

"I shall," Thorin said. "With Bilbo, Fili and Balin. That's as many as the boat can hold at a time. After that Kili and Oin and Gloin and Dori; next Ori and Nori, Bifur and Bofur; and last Dwalin and Bombur."

As Bombur complained about always being last, Kili turned, hearing a rustling in the bushes. He tensed, hearing deep, almost ragged breathing. Something was watching him, and it wasn't one of the dwarves. He felt almost afraid. But the other dwarves were right behind him; they could protect him if he couldn't do it himself.

But at the same time, it felt like something was calling out to him. Beckoning him home; but home wasn't with the company.

Home with Azog.

At that point, Kili would have denied the idea of wanting to go back. But the urge to do so was strong. Fighting and raiding villages was what he was raised to do. Ignore the pain. Keep fighting. That was what he did and what he was good at. And he missed Junithril so badly...

Then the warg jumped out.

Kili opened his mouth to yell when a brown warg leaped out of the bushes at him. An orc sat on the warg's back, an axe in hand. No sound came out of the dwarf's throat as the orc grabbed him by his tunic and lifted him onto the warg. He whimpered as they turned and vanished between the trees.

The dwarves hadn't noticed a thing.


Fili stepped out of the boat and onto the land. He turned with a smile, feeling proud of himself for having been the one to reel the boat in. After sending the boat back across the river, he looked up.

Kili was gone.

Fili looked around quickly. "He's behind one of the others, that's all," he murmured to himself. But something told him that Kili wasn't there at all.

"Thorin," he whispered to the older dwarf. "Kili's gone."

Thorin looked at him with a frown. "What?"

"Kili isn't there!" he said. "Look!"

Thorin glanced up and looked across the river. He frowned more with a concerned expression. "Dwalin!" he called across the river. "Where is Kili?"

Dwalin frowned, then glanced behind him. "What- he's not here!"

The other dwarves looked up in alarm. "He's gone!?"

Fili felt afraid. "He couldn't have just left," he told himself.