Fili sat quietly wrapped in a blanket, sleepy gaze focused on the crackling flames of their fire. Across from him, Kili sat, back against a tree, snuggled in a blanket as well, and his injured ankle in Dwalin's hands. "You're lucky boy, it's only sprained, but it's a bad one, might be a bit before you go and challenge undead in their barrows again."

The tone of sarcasm in Dwalin's words made Fili wince. He watched his brother look up to Dwalin with a mixture of shame and relief. "We didn't intend on being attacked by Barrow Wrights, it was just a bit of bad luck."

Dwalin removed bandages from his pack and wrapped Kili's ankle. "Than what were you doing being chased by them then? More than bad luck I say, you were up to something fool hearty no doubt, a warrior does not need to prove himself by taking on something he is not ready for."

"But we weren't Mister Dwalin." Fili defended. He felt a spark of anger penetrate his gloom, clutched his fingers into fists and glared at the older Dwarf. "We had no idea we were camping in a barrow mound. It was dark and we were tying to get out of the rain. It was a mistake."

And embarrassing mistake, Fili chewed his lip despondent. "Not that it really matters, I nearly got us both killed and failed to protect my brother."

"But you did protect me!" Kil's wide eyes filled with disbelief. "You found our way out and helped us to get away. I was the one who sprained his stupid ankle!"

"But I couldn't fight them." Fili insisted. The older boy sank back into his blankets and stared at the stony earth. Kili didn't understand, because he was asleep at the time. He didn't see Fili fail to fight the Wright. Grieved, Fili drew his knees up and hugged them. He was so scared he just gave up. How could he be a heir to the throne of Erebore if he was a coward?

Dwalin watched the exchange in silence. His hard features softened some. "Raining eh? That's the about the time I realized you weren't camped where I told you. Damn fog got you all turned around. Didn't I warn you to camp well before dark?"

"Just said keep an eye on the road." Kili replied. "And couldn't see it at all when it started to rain."

"I thought I was going to a safe spot, but I didn't. Some scout I turned out to be." Fili pressed his face into knees and clumsily wiped a tear from his eyes. "I'm sorry Mister Dwalin."

Silent, Dwalin studied Fili. Fili wasn't sure what he was thinking, but prepared himself for a harsh lecture. Moments passed, next to Fili, Kili blinked large tear filled hopeless eyes at the warrior dwarf. "It's not Fili's fault… If it was anyone's fault it was mine, I didn't take what you said seriously. But Fili did. He kept on worrying about the road, every where we went. He also kept reminding me of time, but I ignored him."

Mister Dwalin lifted a brow. "What made the two of you wait until it was dark to set camp?"

"We gathered many sticks and made many snares, more than I could count, and it be hundreds of snares!" Kili waved his arms around, to emphasize hundreds.

A faint smile creaked across Dwalin's face. "That's a lot of snares. Exaggerating a bit aren't we lad?"

"He's exaggerating a lot." Admitted Fili, "but we did sent lots of traps, got distracted doing it too. By the time I realized what time it was, well, it was too late to walk back without getting lost."

"Lots of Connies then?" The remark caught both boys off guard.

Fili blinked. He was down right confused now. "Lots."

What was the use of lots of connies if you were too frightened to go back to bring them home.

Dwalin must have suspected what he was thinking, the dwarf stood up and crossed over to Kili, and placed a rolled blanket down by his head, eased the teenager down, and signaled Fili to lie next to him. "Well, guess you learned your lesson the hard way. Not much more I can do to impress how dangerous it is when you've already experienced a worse punishment than I can dish out. And I suspect you'll punish yourselves over it too and have more than your share of nightmares too."

Relieved, Fili decided not to argue with Dwalin. Yes, he'd punish himself. How could he ever forget Kili's terrified face screaming at him to wake up? Not to mention the Barrow Wright, the memory of the undead monster would follow him for the rest of his life. The older boy nudged close to Kili and laid his head on the bed roll. "I'm sorry."

A breath shuttered from Dwalin's chest. "I should have kept a closer eye boy, this isn't entirely your fought. I have some blame here too. I'm supposed to make sure your safe. Now, enough of the blame game, get rest, we'll discuss it later."

"But you weren't even there." Fili protested. "I was in charge."

"Enough." Dwalin straightened the blankets around the two boys and sat back down by the fire.

Even though it was morning, Fili was grateful for the fire. It made him think of the strange beautiful glowing woman and her song. Closing his eyes, Fili suddenly realized how tired he was. He ached for sleep, as if he were up for several days in a row. The ground felt comfortable, they were safe with Mister Dwalin, and soon they'd be home in the camp outside of Bree, Even his sorrow seemed far away as sleep made his mind wander. Relaxed against his brother's back, Fili listened to Kili's deep breaths. His younger brother already dropped off to sleep.

Tired as he was, Fili didn't want to sleep, there was a part of him very much terrified of it. Sleeping was too close to what it felt like to be near a singing Barrow Wright. The youth tried to make his mind wander. He thought about rabbits and their taps, how many would they catch? A second of nausea reminded him how terrified he was to turn to the fields they set the traps in. In fact, he never intended on going there again, even if Uncle Thorin threatened to beat him for being a coward. Those rabbits could rot as far as Fili was concerned.

Weary, Fili sighed, he felt sleep creeping up on him. His body was very heavy, and it became very difficult to stop his mind from wandering. A moment later, despite his efforts to avoid it, Fili fell into a deep fitful sleep.

Fili slept most of the day away, both physically exhausted and mentally drained, the youth didn't have the strength to wake up any earlier than late afternoon. Hazy with a sleep laden mind, Fili slowly cracked his eyes open to see Dwalin standing at the other side of their camp, looking at a blurry pile of something. The warrior was hunched, arms folded and Fili recognized that his right hand was scratching his beard.

Wearily, Fili rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and lazily sat himself up against a tree. By the position of the sun in the sky, he deduced it was about 2 in the afternoon. "Mister Dwalin?"

"Aye, you're awake laddie?" The grizzled dwarf looked over his shoulder and nodded to Fili. "We had a visitor while your were sleeping."

"A visitor?" Fili came to his feet, and ignoring his nakedness padded over to the older dwarf. In front of him was a pile of large dead rabbits and quails. Puzzled the boy rubbed his sleepy eyes once more, as if he were dreaming. "From our traps?"

"Aye, a golden haired lass and her husband, dropped them by, said it would be a pity to waste them." Dwalin explained. "Same lass that lead me to you and Kili."

Surprised, Fili rubbed the back of his head. Was it the same women he and Kili saw singing? It than occurred to him that Dwalin had never left. "How did you find us? And why? I thought we were alone?"

"No, of course not, just thought you were. If I left you unattended to get into trouble, your Uncle would take my head. I was camping here. I was watching you all the long." Dwalin explained. He turned to Fili, apologetic. "I set out to find you when you didn't show up at your assigned camping spot right before dark. Spent most of the night searching the moors for you, until that Lass showed up, told me you were in the barrows, so I followed her."

For a moment, Fili was certain he saw fear in Dwalin's dark eyes. The thought of the Barrows bothered him too.

"She spoke to you?" Fili spotted his pack and a bundle of clothing near the pile of rabbits. He quickly picked them up and went though them. The clothes smelled fresh, like a field of flowers and were clean. "I thought she was a spirit. Kili and I heard her singing in the barrow. It woke us up."

"Might have been." Dwalin knelt down, accessing the pile. "There are stories, and she had something supernatural about her. I suppose there has to be good spirits around to balance out all the evil things out there."

Fili nodded. "One could hope. But she was certainly beautiful, like a golden sunrise over a field of wildflowers and running streams." He quickly pulled on his under clothing breeches and tunic.

Dwalin laughed. "Well we should count ourselves lucky then lad. Not every day you get to see someone as fine as her."

"No I guess not." Fili dropped his pack on the ground next to Kili and sat down. The fire was gone, and Kili claimed all the blankets for his own. The younger dwarf whispered in his sleep and twitched restlessly. He was still pale from the night before, and Fili swore there was fear etched across his brow. "What are we going to tell uncle?"

Dwalin frowned, "I'm thinking about it. Can't hide anything from your mother, no use hiding it from Thorin, guess the truth is our only choice." The dwarf crossed over to the camp, and sat down, arms folded. His harsh features became gentle. "Fili, I was scared to death for you. Thought I was going to lose both of you. The undead are not anything to trifle with."

"And a warren of connies isn't worth waking them up over?" Fili ventured. He still felt uneasy about what happened, and just thinking about it made him tremble.

"Ultimately this was my responsibility. I choose this warren convinced we'd be far enough from the Barrows…" Dwalin shrugged. "Guess I was wrong."

"Because you were looking at the ruins too?" Fili asked feeling a little better. "I thought the ruins were where the barrow downs started too, not that close to the warren."

Dwalin reached out and patted Fili's shoulder. His face filled with regret. "If anyone should say they are sorry lad, it's me."

Fili didn't agree or disagree. They should have listened in the first place, but he said nothing. If Dwalin wanted to take responsibility for everything there would be no arguing him out of it. Instead Fili nudged the ground with the tip of his boot and thought about what happened the previous night. "What do Barrow Wrights do? I tired to fight it, but I just gave up and couldn't move. I think I wanted to go with it." He shivered.

Dwalin pulled out his pipe, filled it, tapped it down and lit it. "They cast magic on you, Fili make you give up on life, than they drain your soul and kill your body. Not pleasant at all."

The Wright's song, Fili remembered it well, it made him weak, and glum. "I tried to fight it."

"The fact that you tried says a lot boy, most people when they encounter them lose that battle without a fight. Says something about your doesn't it?" Dwalin puffed out two rings and steadied his attention on the tween. "Once you fall under their spell, there is no waking up."

What did it say about him? Fili wasn't sure. He was dumb enough to camp on the Barrow Wright's front stoop in the first place. "Says I'm too stupid to know when I'm beat?"

"Says you're gonna be a fine warrior sometime once you iron out all the kinks of youth, boy." The older dwarf laughed. "Now, lets wake that brother of yours and tried to figure out a way to get all those connies back to camp."

A fine warrior? Fili blinked that was the last thing he thought he was, Kili was the one who protected him. He'd be a finer warrior. Not arguing with Dwalin was a wise idea. So instead he nodded, relieved the connies were in camp and not in the barrows.