I do not own any of the characters or The Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) Those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence..

Please review! I love getting them- they keep me encouraged! J

Landing on the ground beside the groaning prince, Cirashala took a moment, forcing herself to take deep, slow breaths even as her back felt like it was on fire. Turning toward Kili, she began to crawl towards him, the effects of hunger finally beginning to take their toll even as the last shreds of the elvish pain tea she had drunk six days prior left her body.

I-I don't know what was in that tea that kept me going for so long, She thought to herself shakily, even her thoughts a bit stuttered as she struggled to focus amidst the pain. But I sure as hell wish I had some more of those herbs right now!

Lifting up her head as she reached the writhing young dwarf, her blue eyes widened as she took in his pained expression and his hand clutching his torso. His grip was so tight that his knuckles had begun to turn white, and his flush shone even more brightly against his damp, ghostly pale cheeks.

"Y-your ribs," she breathed, face paling considerably as well. "T-they're out of place again, aren't they?"

XXX

Kili groaned, before turning pain filled eyes toward her. Shaking his head ever so slightly, he shut his eyes again, fighting the urge to throw up.

He had been so close. So close to reaching the forest floor, before his exhausted limbs finally gave out. Landing hard on his back, pain shot up through his body even as the wind was knocked out of him, leaving the young prince gasping for air. Each ragged breath rattled in his lungs, and his fear that had begun with her ominous words a few moments prior began to grow.

Pneumonia.

The young prince had never had it himself, but he had indeed heard of it. It happened a lot during the winter- especially when people were forced to share close quarters with one another. Influenza spread like wildfire, especially amongst humans. He had only heard of it happening amongst dwarves once before, and it had greatly perplexed the healers at the time as to why such hardy beings would succumb to this very human ailment. But it was indeed very rare among dwarves, and no one of Durin's line had ever had it before.

The young prince was pulled out of his thoughts as he suddenly became aware of black spots dotting his vision. Kili blinked, but the spots remained, swiftly increasing in number. Glancing toward the concerned young woman, he frowned as the words she spoke were drowned amidst the sudden rushing sound in his ears.

XXX

"…li? Kili, can you hear me? Please say something!"

Heavy lids forced their way open, meeting very worried blue orbs.

"W-what happened?" the young prince whispered, furrowing his brow in confusion. The last thing he remembered, he had been thinking about what she had said in the tree, and then all had gone black.

A slight sigh of relief left Cirashala's mouth.

"You passed out," she replied, her eyes filled with concern even as her voice wavered slightly, jaw set against the pain. "Can…can you sit up at all?"

Attempting to do so, the young prince felt a wave of dizziness come upon him. The forest began to spin, and his head thudded back against the ground with a slight groan, eyes shutting in the hopes that the spinning sensation would cease. Panting slightly even as his stomach began to churn, he shook his head.

"I-I don't think so," he whispered. Hearing a slight shuffling beside him, the young dwarf's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, before opening in surprise as he felt an arm slip below his neck.

Cirashala carefully maneuvered her right arm underneath Kili's head, trying as best she could to not jostle her splinted wrist. Reaching over, she picked up the water skin she had found amongst the wreckage, before bringing it to the dark haired dwarf's cracked lips.

"Drink some water," she said quietly. "If you do get sick, at least your stomach won't be empty. It's far worse to throw up when it is." Kili nodded, slowly sipping at the lukewarm water.

"Where did you find the water skin?" he whispered hoarsely after he had drunk a few mouthfuls.

"In the wagon," she said quietly, the dead orc carcasses surrounding them making her more cautious about speaking louder than absolutely necessary out of fear of more unsavory characters nearby. "There was a hidden spot in the bottom of it."

He glanced up at her, and she saw the unspoken question in his eyes.

"I found a little food that doesn't look spoiled, but I didn't find any medicine."

XXX

Sighing heavily, Kili nodded as she gently laid his head back down. His whole body ached, and his stomach continued to churn, but he forced himself to think clearly and assess their situation.

She had found food, and a water skin amidst the wreckage. The young prince knew that orcs wouldn't bother taking anything with them that was not riches or meat, but in their hunt they would leave behind anything that would burden them down and make them move more slowly.

"Cira?" he whispered, looking toward her even as she sipped a little water as well. Questioning blue eyes turned, meeting dark ones. "You need to help me up."

Cirashala's eyes widened, and she shook her head.

"You just passed out, after falling out of a tree," she protested quietly. "You're also sick. You need to re—" Kili raised a hand slightly as he shook his head, cutting her off.

"We need to gather supplies," he replied, "And get far away from here before more orcs come. We…cannot fight them."

Cirashala swallowed heavily, glancing at the dead corpses surrounding them. They had been very fortunate that the smoke from the funeral bier had concealed their scent from the orcs, but there was no guarantee they would be able to hide so easily should more come upon them, especially since her back wounds had cracked and begun to bleed a little again. She didn't have to be from Middle-earth to know that the scent of fresh blood would cause more orcs and wargs to come after them faster than a heartbeat as soon as the wind carried it to them.

Nodding, albeit hesitantly, she looped her arm around Kili's, before slowly helping him to his feet.

XXX

It took a minute for the forest to stop spinning, and Cirashala kept a firm grip on his arm until Kili was steady on his feet. Glancing at her, the young prince nodded, and she relinquished her grasp.

"Where exactly did you find the water skin?" he asked, his gaze focused on the overturned wagon. Cirashala pointed towards the wreck.

"In the bottom of the wagon," she replied. "I saw a plank slightly offset, and was able to pry it off. There's a hidden compartment in between the two axles." Kili nodded, before heading towards the wreck.

Ducking under the torn canvas, the young prince looked around the wreckage, his dwarf eyes becoming accustomed to the difference in light instantly. He immediately saw the compartment in question, the pried off boards laying on the ground next to it. Lowering himself to his knees, he peeked inside, needing little light to see the contents.

There were two bags of dried beans, a sack of flour, a crock of what Kili believed was likely butter based on the few runes he could see at his angle, a small sack of sugar, a small sack of salt, a few crocks of what he assumed were baking supplies given the runes etched on them, a slightly chipped small iron pot, two Y rods and a cross bar, a small steel ladle, and two wooden bowls. There were several torn bags of flour, butter, and dried beans, and several broken crocks, that had fortunately diverted the mice from the unbroken foodstuffs. The dishes all had some chips or cracks in them, but were still fairly sound.

Glancing around the inside of the wreck, Kili's eyes landed on two packs, one ripped and housing mice, but the other out of their reach and fairly sound with minimal tears. He also spotted a tightly sealed barrel that had somehow missed being broken in the fall, and, noticing some fluid on the ground next to it, dipped his fingers in it and brought it to his nose.

"What is in the barrel?" Cirashala asked, coming up behind him. Her eyes blinked as she squinted in the darker area, taking a moment to become accustomed to the light. "I can't read runes- only the Shire writing." Kili glanced up at her in confusion.

She can speak some Khuzdul, but she cannot read runes? He thought to himself. How would she know the Shire letters?

"It's brine," he replied, before glancing around the wreck. Spotting what he needed, he gestured towards the tool. "Hand me that crow bar under the broken crate."

Cirashala nodded, handing the slightly rusty iron rod to him, her brows furrowed.

"A-are you sure you should be—" she began, before shutting her mouth with a click as Kili stuck the crowbar in the seal at the top of the barrel and heaved it off with a crack in a matter of seconds. Glancing inside, the young dwarf smiled in relief.

Thank Eru, he thought to himself. Perhaps we finally have a little bit of luck on our side.

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HERE'S HOPING I CAN GET ANOTHER CHAPTER OR TWO OUT THIS EVENING! Also have a medical procedure early tomorrow morning that will hopefully provide me some answers to ongoing health issues, so wish me luck! I apologize for the long interlude on writing- it's nearing springtime, which means I will be SUPER busy for a couple of months sewing, spring cleaning, sorting out my closets and getting rid of the useless crap we don't need, preparing for the birthdays (beginning of April, May and June in my family), planting my huge garden, fruit trees, and berry bushes, and building lots of extra planters for them, and building my daughters a bunk bed and moving them into a shared room. So I apologize in advance for sporadic updates, and will try to write as much as I can when I do get the chance to write :) Thanks for your patience!

A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan: Thanks :D I will do what I can :D It might still be a few days or so between updates, but I will do what I can! And still sharing one computer right now, but hopefully mine can get fixed (again)…

A response to guest reviewer Kaia- Here it is :D I am so sorry I haven't updated recently til now- life's getting busier and busier! Nearing springtime, which means planting time, sewing , a birthday coming up, spring cleaning, organizing, etc. Plus the stupid health issues meaning that I take up a LOT more time on food prep. Oi….it's crazy busy! But I will update as I can!

Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- You guys are so awesome! :D :D :D