It was chucking it down, there really wasn't any other words to describe the absolute downpour that rained upon the poor sods as they trudged on. Huge pine and elm trees towered above them and water cascaded from their branches and onto the Company, adding to what had already seeped into their clothes and packs, which stayed there and weighed them down. The ponies weren't happy, and neither was anyone else.
"Here, Mister Gandalf?" Dori called from the middle of the group, water spilling from the front of his hood and onto his nose, "Can't you do something about this deluge?"
Bilbo's pony flicked her head back, splattering him and anyone directly behind him with rainwater, which just so happened to be Balin. And Dwalin chuckled at the sight of his brother.
"It is raining Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain has done!" Gandalf replied irritably, "If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard!"
"Are there any?" asked Bilbo, squinting through the rain.
"What?"
"Other wizards?"
"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the white. Then there are the two blues'..." Gandalf frowned, thoughtfully, "You know, I've quite forgotten their names..."
Bilbo looked at him expectingly, "And who's the fifth?"
"Well, now, that would be Radagast, the brown."
Bilbo wiped the rain out of his eyes, "Is he a great Wizard? Or is he more like you?"
Gandalf turned to face Bilbo, and was quite insulted, "I think he's a great wizard, in his own way. He prefers the company of animals to others. Radagast keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world."
Mud flicked up from Fortinbras hooves, catching on Morlia's back, her hood and beard. She closed her eye in annoyance and rubbed a clenched fist at the dirt near her mouth. And decided that she needed something to keep her going. She shoved a hand into a leather side pocket and grabbed some of her bread, only to find that the rain had found it before she had.
The soggy lump dissolved in her palm and fell to the floor with a splulch. Nori snorted and nudged Bifur. She swore at them.
"Don't worry," called Bofur, and searched for his own bread, however when he found it, his was also drenched. How incredibly sad he looked.
Morlia reached across to him and clapped his back, "We all know you loved that piece of bread."
"It was a lovely spongy slice from Hobbiton," Bofur clasped Morlia's hand in his, and leant towards her, brown eyes meeting green eye, "I was going to share it with you."
She patted his hand and gave a small smile.
"What about me?"
They turned to see Nori waving.
"What about you?"
"Were you going to share it with me and Bifur too?"
"Of course, I would have shared it with you two as well."
"And me?" asked Ori.
"Yes-"
"Us too?" Fili and Kili called.
"Yes, of course, lads!"
"And me?" asked Bombur.
"No."
The Company chuckled around them.
"Why not?" Bombur cried to him, "I could have made some stew to go with it!"
"Of course you could've, brother dear, but you've had enough bread as it is!"
The farmhouse was broken and bare when the Company reached it; it's fragile red tiles hanging precariously from the splintered wood of the roof. The sun had begun to fade again behind the horizon, leaving embers of red and orange light dancing about in the remaining clouds above them. The rain had come to an end around mid-day, to their delight, but still they remained damp and groggy. A fire was swiftly lit and it spat at their outer clothes which were hung closely around it, in hopes that they would dry sooner.
A tall figure suddenly stormed out of the old farmhouse. And briskly strode down the hill, muttering to himself.
Bilbo glanced up from where he was hunching over the fire, and called to him, carefully, "Is everything... alright?" But when the wizard made it clear that he wasn't going to stop, Bilbo abruptly stood up, "Gandalf? Where are you going?"
"To seek company of the only one around here who has any sense!"
The crease between Bilbo's brows deepened, "And who's that?"
"Myself, Master Baggins!" Gandalf shouted, "I have had enough of dwarves for today, thank you!"
Bilbo turned to Balin, who watched the scene with pursed lips, "Is he coming back?"
Balin held out his hands and shrugged, "I don't dare meddle with a wizard's business, lad. He comes and goes when he pleases."
Thorin rubbed his brow and sighed with irritation as he marched out the abandoned house, "Come on, Bombur," he mumbled, "We're hungry."
The Company tied up their ponies in the wood next to them, and they slumped down on the grass mounds, some of them lying back and immediately closing their eyes.
Bofur's face said everything as he peeled his damp sleeve away from his skin. Morlia scraped her matted hair back and shoved it in a blue woollen hat, which went completely against her rough character. Bifur polished his axe. No, not the one in his head. Fili polished his knives: Kili looked like he was going to fall asleep.
"Fili, Kili- look after the ponies," Thorin called from the fire, "We need to keep a look out."
Fili got up, giving a hand to Kili, who looked absolutely appalled at the thought of it.
"No, no, no," Morlia stood and waved for Kili to sit, "I'll do it, you look like you might fall over."
"I can do it!" Kili protested.
Morlia shook her head, "Rest."
"Yeah?" Kili tapped a finger at his chest, "Well, I am younger, so means I've still got extra energy, right?"
Thorin looked between Morlia and Kili for a moment, "Go on then, Kili."
Kili thanked his uncle and jogged over to the darkening trees with his brother. Morlia watched them go and turned to Thorin.
"Don't look at me like that."
"Don't look at you like what?"
"You always used to give me that look when we were younger," Thorin muttered.
Morlia let out a sudden bark of laughter and shook her head, making her way to the roaring fire and sitting down next to Dwalin.
The air began to smell of sausages and stew as the night continued. The Company chatted and laughed away most of Bilbo's uneasiness, but he still fidgeted and glanced down the hillside every so often, just in case he could spot even the smallest glimpse of the wizard's hat.
"He's been a long time," he fretted, while helping Bombur with the stew.
"Who?" asked Bofur, ladling the stew into two bowls.
"Gandalf," stressed Bilbo.
"He's a wizard! He does as he chooses," Bofur handed Bilbo the bowls, "Here, do us a favour: take this to the lads," he nodded in the direction of the wood and then slapped Bombur's greedy hand away from the stew.
Bilbo looked over the hill once more, then trudged towards the forest with the bowls in his hands, stepping on old twigs which snapped under his hairy feet. He spotted Fili and Kili and smiled as he jogged over to them, holding out the bowls ready for them to take. However, they didn't take them. They just stood there in the darkness.
"What's the-" Bilbo hesitated, "-matter?"
Kili licked his lips and scratched at his stubble, "We're supposed to be looking out for the ponies."
Bilbo frowned.
"Only, we've encountered a slight problem," continued Fili, just as nervously.
"We had sixteen."
"Now there's... fourteen."
They quickly shook themselves out of their stupor and inspected the ponies, counting them on their fingers.
"Daisy and Bungo are missing," Kili concluded, worriedly.
Bilbo tripped a little as he followed them, "Well, that's not good; not good at all- shouldn't we tell Thorin?"
Fili made a face and waved a hand at Bilbo, "Uh, no. Let's not worry him," he glanced quickly at Bilbo, turned away, then glanced at him again, "As our official burglar... we thought," he smiled, "you might like to look into it."
They all turned a corner and found a great big uprooted tree laying on the ground before them, with others that had been badly bashed around.
Bilbo took a deep breath, "Well, uh… look, something big uprooted these trees..." The poor Hobbit stumbled across his words.
Kili hummed and nodded, "That was our thinking."
"Something very big, and possibly quite dangerous," Bilbo confirmed.
Fili hurriedly motioned them over to where he was, "Hey! There's a light, stay down!"
They peered through the branches, curiously, then the brothers' faces paled quite suddenly.
Bilbo looked between the two of them, "What is it?"
"Trolls."
The brothers ran towards the glowing red of the Troll's fire and Bilbo followed them, then returned to grab the two bowls left where they were hiding. And he hid against a tree as an absolutely gigantic troll, lumbered through the trees, heaving a pony under each arm.
Bilbo's eyes widened as he rushed over to Fili and Kili, whispering loudly, "He's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're going to eat them!"
The brothers stood there, silently.
"We have to do something!"
"Yes! You should!" Kili nodded his head at Bilbo, who looked alarmed, "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small!"
Bilbo shook his head, desperately, "No, no, no-"
"They'll never see you!"
"No-"
"It's perfectly safe! We'll be right behind you!"
"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl," Fili assured him, and they nudged him towards the fire.
Bilbo sighed.
"You what?" Dwalin yelled, standing abruptly.
Fili and Kili winced.
"Trolls, there are trolls, in the forest."
"That forest? Right there?" Dwalin pointed aggressively into the trees, "These woods?"
They nodded, slowly.
"Bilbo? Where is Bilbo?" Bofur asked hesitantly.
The Company froze where they were and their eyes widened.
Thorin rushed to the brothers, hand on the hilt of his sword, then his eyes swept across the silent Company and met his nephews eyes. "Gather your arms, quickly."