Chapter 3 - Moody

Several weeks passed and they were quite fluent in the common language. However, Kili felt helpless, trying to learn yet another language he was not familiar with, which has been quite common as of late in his beloved Tauriel. She has had morning sickness everyday, ending up with a hunger he could not quite understand. A caterpillar had less appetite than her. He was already afraid to kiss her, fearing to end up baptized with her digestion. In order to eat, he had to take his meal away from her first, and then bring hers home, or else she would eat her portion and his, leaving him starving for the day. She began to feel his distance and it was not a pleasant thing to her.

"Melleth nin? Are there anymore of those berries?" she whispered to him.
He raised both of his eyebrows, remembering he ate the last ones while she was still asleep.
"Not in the house, but I can get some more for you" he responded, carrying a shoulder bag that Tauriel improvised for storage.
"Can I go with you?" she said all excited.
"No, I will not allow it. You are not feeling well and I will not risk you. I will return soon, I promise!" he said, caressing her face gently.

She smiled at him, puckering her lips for a kiss, but he kissed her forehead instead, departing soon. Her eyes questioned him, but he did not seem to notice it. His one-tracked mind was set in getting her berries. Even though Kili did his best to not let her see he was worried, he was truly panicking inside. Tauriel was his everything, and he would do anything in his power to guarantee her well being.

After a reasonable walk, he found the berry bushes. He grinned widely as he approached to them. His grin was slowly erased when he noticed the bushes were bare. Not a single berry left, not even new growths. Kili sighed, for it meant he would have to walk further, in order to find some. He paced the surroundings, totally out of luck. Finally he was tired and hungry. He sat for a moment to rest before going on. That's when an acorn bounced on his shoulder from above. He looked up and saw a pair of squirrels fighting for them at one of the branches. They took their struggle somewhere else. Hanging from the branches, he saw apples. The tree was crowded with them. So he climbed it to get as many as he could store in his bag. Some fell to the ground, which did not worry him because he could get them later.

Soon enough Kili climbed down, taking the apples that were on the ground and heading back home. On his way, he began to devour one or two of them, They were ripe and delicious. He tossed the cores carelessly, happy that he came home with something to eat for his beloved. Soon as he entered the cabin, his smile was erased with the scene he witnessed; Tauriel sat on bed, embracing her knees and rocking herself back and forth with tears in her eyes. Kili thought the worse. He dropped the bag and ran to her aid.

"What's wrong, love?" he said softly to her.
"You were gone for too long, where have you been?" she said sobbing.
"Trying to get you berries. There is none left in the bushes, so I had to improvise. But I found these! They are ripe and sweet. Just try them!" he said, smiling at her while handing her an apple.
"I want berries!" she said demanding. Kili sighed with exasperation.
"Tauriel, don't be irrational. Didn't you hear that there is none left?" he said, getting annoyed that all his efforts were up to nothing.

She could detect his annoyed tone and she had enough. First, his distance, and now he was mad at her.
"You do not understand my feelings! You do not care about me!" she said with tears in her eyes.
"By my beard, this is getting out of hand. What do you want?" he asked, visibly annoyed.
"I want you to leave! Get out of here!" She yelled at him.
"Fine! Granted!" He responded angrily, as he emptied the bag from all the apples he got for her. Once empty, he wore it again, grabbed a spear, a couple of apples for later, and headed to the door. He began to curse in Khuzdul under his breath.

Tauriel frowned, watching him depart, "But you just arrived. Where are you going?" she said sobbing.
"Away from you! I'm going hunting. Do not expect me anytime soon! You are hungry? There is apples. Else, starve!" Harsh words, but he was going nuts with her incomprehensible mood changes. It was too much for him to handle. He needed out to clear his mind and hunting would surely help him ease down. He did not turn back on his way out, so she would not notice the tears of guilt in his eyes. Kili felt bad for being harsh to her. Poor thing was exhausted, unable to discern well.

She watched him depart through the window. Once he was away from sight, she bailed regretfully like a baby. He would not be gone if she did not tell him to. With resignation, she watched the tabletop crowded with apples that he brought for her. She wiped her tears and decided to try one. The first bite felt like a heavenly snack. They were ripe indeed and very sweet. Soon enough she devoured about a dozen of them with desperate bites. Oddly enough, they eased her morning sickness sensation. However, she was so stuffed she got a tummy ache. Tauriel embraced herself for a moment, realizing her nipples changed to a darker color.

"I must look awful..." she thought. So she headed down for a bath in the waterfalls. That would surely calm her down...

Several hours passed and Kili returned home almost at sunset, with his bag full of fish. He was heavily exhausted, both physically and emotionally. He kept rehearsing apologetic words to tell her, but none were needed. Soon as he opened the door, Tauriel took his spear and bag off him, placed them aside, and embraced him tight, kissing him with desperation.

"Kili, I'm sorry melleth nin, I'm sorry." she said between sobs.
He smiled at her, misty eyed... "It's me who is sorry. Can you forgive me?" he told her.
"I love you!" was her response.
"I love you too!" he answered.
Kili kicked the door shut behind him, engaging with his beloved in a passionate kiss. They spent some time trying to make love. They could not finish it, they were so tired. It wasn't long before they fell asleep on each other's arms.

To be continued...