Next chapter of this :) Sorry it took so long to come out. Tell me what you think! Please review :) Thanks!
Bilbo Baggins was a very respectable hobbit.
He lived in Bag End in a lovely little hobbit hole. He was looked up to and never did anything unexpected.
So, why-oh why!-had he agreed to go on this adventure!
It had started off well enough-songs, stories, laughter and sunny days.
But now, now!-It was rainy, gloomy, tiring and all together horrid.
If the weather wasn't enough-he was still adjusting to the company he traveled with.
Now, Dwarves are quite entertaining and enjoyable tot ravel with-if you're use to them.
The constant playful arguments were a bit much for the peaceful hobbit.
Even remember all their names was a challenge!
Let's see…Bifor, Bofur, Fili, Kili, Bombur, Ori, Balin, Dwalin…uh, Thorin…Oin, Gloin and…uh, oh drat. There are two more!
Anyway, the bets and laughter were okay but the rainy days had dampened all of their spirits.
Erebor be blast!
Bilbo missed his armchair and his garden.
He spent most days daydreaming about the Shire as he tried to keep up with the Company-he was still trying to get use to the pony as well.
This whole adventure was making him go back to thinking adventures to be nasty uncomfortable things.
The Took side of him was slowly withdrawing back into him as his Baggins side took over as the rain pounded on.
"Hold!"
While Bilbo had been lost in his daydreams, Thorin had seen something and stopped the Company.
"What is it, Thorin?" Gandalf asked, urging his horse forward.
"I'm not sure. I feel as if something is about that should not be." Thorin answered, his brown eyes scanning the woods around them.
"Yer just being paranoid." One of the dwarves said with a laugh after they had all scanned the forest around them; It may have been Bombur.
Thorin shook his head and they moved on-a bit more observant and on alert than before.
Now, Bilbo was an alert, cautious hobbit even if he wasn't an adventurer.
His keen hobbit eyes were probably the only pair of eyes, besides the wizards all knowing ones, that noticed the dull red fabric that vanished as quickly as his eyes had noticed it.
Thorin was right in the fact that someone was following them. Whether they meant harm or not he didn't know.
Bilbo shivered and pulled his borrowed cloak closer around him, trying to block out the cold and the unwelcome visitors.
He glanced around at the band of dwarves and sighed, maybe he should invest in a padlock for his house to keep unwelcome visitors out when he got home.
If he got home.
~•~
The traveling remained dull and generally peaceful.
Every once in a while, Bilbo would see a bit of silver and dull red and he knew someone-or something-was following them. Although he didn't know the significance of that at the time.
They had been traveling quite a while that day when Thorin decided they'd stop at a broken down building-it looked as though it'd been a home at some point.
"We camp here tonight."
The dwarves slid off their ponies and began to unpack.
"A farmer use to live here." Gandalf said as he walked through the remains of the old building.
"I think it best that we move on." he said, turning back to the dwarves.
Thorin shook his head, "No, we've come far enough today."
Bilbo glanced back and forth between the two arguing leaders.
Gandalf to move on and Thorin to stay.
Finally, Gandalf had had enough.
He left, mumbling about the stubbornness of dwarves.
"Is he-Is he coming back?" Bilbo asked Bofur, who was leisurely unlading the food from a pony.
"Hard to say, that. He's a wizard. He goes where he wants."
Bilbo nodded nervously and glanced back to where the wizard and his steed had disappeared.
"Fili, Kili, watch the ponies." Thorin commanded and the two nodded and went off to keep watch.
"Get the fire going and get some food going."
The dwarves bustled to get everything ready and Bilbo did his best to stay out of the way.
He had a bad feeling when the wizard hadn't returned by nightfall.
~•~
"Here, be a good lad and take this out to the lads."
Bilbo nodded and took the two bowls Bofur handed him, whilst shooing Bombur away from the pot.
He carefully made his way away from the camp and to where Fili and Kili were watching the ponies.
He smiled when he made it over to them-only spilling a few drops!-but he frowned went he noticed the two brothers standing motionless staring at the ponies.
Bilbo walked over to them, careful to not spill anything in the bowls.
He walked up between them and stared from one to the other who stared straight in front of them silently.
"We had fifteen ponies…now there are only thirteen."
"Daisy and Bungo are missing." Kili said, walking over to a rather large tree that had been pulled out by it's roots, by the look of it.
"Well, that is not good. Well, that is not good at all! Um, shouldn't we tell Thorin?" Bilbo asked, wandering after them-bowls still in his hands.
"Uh, no. Let's not worry him." Kili said, waving his hand dismissively.
"As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it."
"Well, uh…Looks like something…uh, big uprooted these trees." Bilbo said, motioning to the trees.
"That was our figure."
"Yes, something very big and possibly…quite dangerous."
"Hey, there's a light!" Fili whispered, leaning closer to the ground and pointing further ahead.
"C'mere!" he said, motioning his brother and the hobbit closer.
"Stay down." Kili whispered as they crouched closer, behind a fallen tree.
Several rough noises and laughter came from where the fire was and Bilbo glanced at the brothers nervously, "What is it?"
"Trolls." Kili said, staring at the fire intensely.
Both brothers took off to get closer, leaving a very confused Bilbo behind him.
He followed shortly after, leaving the bowls but turning back for them and running after them, soup in hand.
They snuck up just in time to see a troll carrying two more of their ponies-Myrtle and Mindy-to a makeshift pen.
"He's got Myrtle and Mindy!" Bilbo whispered, very much concerned for the ponies, "I think they're going to eat them. We have to do something!"
Both brothers turned and looked at him.
"Yes! You should!" Kili said, putting his arm around Bilbo and giving him a little push forward, "Mountain Trolls are slow and stupid and you're so small they'll never see you!"
"No, no, no, no, no!" Bilbo said, wagging his finger at the darker haired brother.
"It's perfectly safe! We'll be right behind you." Kili reasoned and Fili jumped in in agreement.
"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl." Fili said, pushing him the rest of the way forward.
"Twice like a barn owl and once like a and once like a….fellows, are you sure this is a good-"
Bilbo turned around and there were no brothers to be seen.
They'd left him!
Well, nothing to do but to get this done!
"Mutton today, mutton yesterday and blimey if it don't look like mutton again tomorrow!"
"Quite your whining! These aren't sheep. These is West nags!"
"I don't like horse. Never have. Not enough fat on 'em."
The trolls argued as Bilbo began to sneak forward to save the ponies.
~•~
The Dwarves remaining at the campsite laughed and ate and told tales-unknowing of the danger the small hobbit was in. Or, the danger they-themselves-were in.
In the trees above, two eyes were watching them below-waiting for the perfect opportunity.
As they moved around below, an arrow was silently pulled out of the quiver and laced into the bow-the tip of the arrow glinting softly in the moonlight.
The bow was drawn taught slowly-to avoid drawing attention-not like the dwarves were playing much attention anyway.
The archer took aim and the bow settled as if frozen in time-waiting to be released.
~•~