I apologise for taking so long with this chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I also apologise for any spelling errors.
"…me. HELP SOMEBODY!" The voice shrieked from somewhere inside the shrouded mountain woods.
Morning fog lingered on the ground; or was it low flying cloud? Bilbo swivelled his large ears around so that he could more accurately pinpoint the noise. A call for help could hardly have been ignored by the little creature. He too was in a situation that called for immediate care and attention. He would have died if he hadn't have been found, and Bilbo knew that.
He was followed by the two Dwarf brothers, who had shifted into their leopard forms so that they could follow the skittish Kneazle; paying firm attention to the painted coat of the tiny cat as he ducked through the undergrowth.
They tailed him through the ferns and wild onions, and then followed further through a glade of bluebells that smelled sweet and inviting. They swayed under the wind the three cats created as they pelted through them. The blue nothing but a blur in their peripheral vision.
"Bilbo, slowdown will you. What will uncle say when he learns of our disappearance? He will have our ears if he is forced to track us."
Bilbo ignored the voice, not really taking in which brother said it. His attention was cast fully onto the frightened sounding voice calling through the woods like a lost phantom.
As they neared the sound increased, but still the Kneazle was the only Werecat able to hear. A Hobbit generally possessed good hearing; their large pointed ears offering acute hearing enabling them to listen out for their curious and hard to follow young. Their ears would often find, and then their large furry feet would follow wherever the ears led to.
The path suddenly banked down, a thin gulley just beyond a thick barrier of fir trees that led down a scree filled cliff. Bilbo had no trouble passing between the thick foliage and dense trees. His form passed between the rough bark and the prickly vegetation with no trouble for his lithe body. Unfortunately the leopard brothers tailing him had great difficulty following through.
The two had to sacrifice time following Bilbo by taking a less obvious route by climbing the nearest tree and vaulting over the branches so that they could pass over to the other side. Unfortunately the drop was higher, so they ran the risk of falling heavily and twisting their limbs if they landed badly.
Kili jumped up and onto the branch. He paused there for a moment, using his amazing sight he spotted Bilbo, who was making his way a little slowly, down the side of the cliff. He used his paws soft pads to seek out stones that wouldn't shift too easily even with his very slight weight. His tail acted as a counter balance to keep him safe and upright.
He tested the scree and bolted jumped down the short way. There was a merry little stream, bubbling away down the small valley. It was surrounded on both sides by a thin strip of rocks that acted as a type of river beach.
Even now the voice didn't cease. In fact Bilbo could hear it loud and clear and discovered that it was nearby. Very nearby.
"Help, cease this vile creatures devilish tricks. Unhand me villain!" Someone with a rather haughty tone of voice said in anguish.
Bilbo regarded the two salamanders wrestling on the stones with a disgruntled look in his eyes. Bilbo was panting slightly from the run. He actually expected the creature, whatever it was, to be in actual danger. Now he found that it was simply a petty dispute between two different salamander clans.
"Your kind have no business being so close to the water. What do you expect you slug!" The Salamander with black skin dotted with cerulean blue spots spat at the other. It was a thin, snaky creature with stick thin legs and bulging yellow eyes.
The starkly different, larger salamander pawed the ground with his large feet. "You river louts do not have full claim to this land. I was merely looking for some choice stones near the water to make my bed of embers until you doused my skin with moisture. How would you like me to boil your blood in return?" The striped red and yellow creature spat in return.
"Blood and guts, you have no right to take the stones left by the water. Our kind do not raid your dry logs in search of food and shelter. Taking what belongs to the water is a blasphemous act!" The spotted salamander splashed water over the other, making the striped salamander's skin steam.
The striped one screeched in anger. "They are but soulless rocks!" Flame gathered over the striped skin and inside the open maw. "Bilbo shot over and meowed loudly. The two salamanders spun around. Immediately the spotted one dived back into the water with barely a ripple to show for it; the other one stood his ground.
"If you are going to eat me go for it," it said as it gazed into Bilbo's eyes with multi-coloured irises, "I can't walk very fast out of this gorge I fell into and I can't enter the water."
"I don't mean to eat you. I heard a voice calling for help so here I am." The salamander regarded the Werecat wryly. "What was happening here?" He asked when he met with silence.
"I got into a dispute with one of the water 'manders. My kind and his kind don't get along very well, as you can see." He waved his arms about and revealed his bright yellow belly. The poor little fellow looked burned all over. "If I touch water I burn. If they touch fire they will burn."
"So how do keep out of the rain?" Bilbo asked, curious. "I don't suppose water can be told to not leak into the ground and rain seems to get everywhere."
"Hah, has a cat the business to pry into the affairs of an unfortunate amphibian such as myself?" It asked back.
"I'm not just a cat."
The two stared at each other for a few more moments, seizing each other up. No doubt one was sussing out the intentions of the other whilst the other was wondering what the one was going to do.
"I cannot disclose the methods of my people to outsiders. Let's just say that I have the ability to keep the rain off myself."
Bilbo's whiskers quivered. "But what if it rained right this second. What could you possibly do?"
"Ah, but it isn't going to rain this second. I know for a fact that it won't rain today at all, so all is well."
"Okay, so what are you going to do now? Are there others of your kind nearby?"
"No others. I live a solitary life. I just so happened to fall into this gorge and I haven't found a way out yet. It is so very long that I got tired and wanted something to eat."
Bilbo lay himself onto the ground, tucking his paws and tail close to his body. He completely forgot about the brothers behind him, watching from the trees. "But the spotted salamander was accusing you of taking stones."
"That was a fib. If he knew that I fell in here and got stuck then my kind would be mocked for a century. Salamanders seldom forget."
"Is that so?" Bilbo said with a flick of his tail. "Isn't it lonely being all by yourself? I was on my own a little while back but I met some people like me and I am glad of it." Bilbo could almost feel the happiness radiating from behind him from the two smug brothers.
"Who says I am lonely. I choose the life of a bachelor."
"Where is your clan?"
The salamander didn't say anything. His tubby belly rose and fell with each breath taken in and his vacant stare at the ground told Bilbo all he needed to know.
"Do you wish to join mine?"
The trio eventually returned back to the rest of the group. All in all they were gone about half an hour so they weren't actually missed. The group was settled down amongst the trees. Some were nibbling on jerky, others were sound asleep.
The brothers had picked up some spare fire wood on the return journey, so they placed the new collection near the already burning fire. They then joined their uncle, who was talking quietly to Balin, no doubt about the journey ahead.
Bilbo approached Bofur, who turned his head when he approached and gave him a warm smile and a pat on his golden locks when he sat down.
Bilbo dozed for a while until his cloths shifted. The salamander poked his head out and sniffed the air.
Bofur noticed the creature and gave a little start, which then drew the attention of the other dwarves instantly.
"Stop flapping about dwarf, I won't kill you!" The amphibian sulked. He crawled fully out onto Bilbo's shoulder and wrapped his long tail around the young Hobbit's upper arm. The salamander was so large that he could only balance his belly over the bone in the shoulder. Wrapping his thick tail around Bilbo's arm was the best way for him to stay put.
"Don't be rude Smoulder, Bofur was simply startled."
"That's a salamander of the ember clan," Bilbo turned at the voice belonging to Gloin. The dwarf was reclining on a fallen log next to the fire, taking in long drags from his pipe. "They hate water that has been in contact with the water clan and will thus burn. They can also predict the weather so's not to get wet. If rain is coming they will create a water resistant cocoon to surround themselves with."
Bilbo nodded, giving Smoulder a little stroke on his bulbous head. The fat creature somehow grinned at the dwarf.
The day was spent quietly, the noise of the fire crackling away merrily. The dwarfs were shocked to see Smoulder climb into the flames, yawn and then sit on top of the blazing embers to go to sleep. His stripes glowed strangely with the flames.
Bilbo fell asleep soon enough, so Bofur- with the help of Bifur- arranged their sleeping bags together to act as a large blanket, and surrounded the Hobbit so that he stayed warm.
Eventually Thorin made his way over as to inquire into the health of the little being.
"He appears to be doing much better, just seems tired is all. He was sick recently after all." Bofur replied quietly, shifting his hat around on top of his head.
"I am glad of it." He suddenly looked a little bit glum, more than usual. "He was in a bad place and I didn't help with the situation after all. What must he think of me?"
"It is hard to say, but I think that Bilbo has a kind and thoughtful nature," Bofur replied with a thoughtful look. It was tough for the simple miner to see his king with such doubt and hesitance. The dwarf was a strong and proud being and didn't often lower his head in shame. "Just spend some time with him and bond with him in both forms. Surely he will strike a kinship with you and seek your protection. He is so very young after all."
"I will be sure to remember your advice. Thank you Bofur."
Bofur nodded at the dark haired Werecat as he made his way back to his nephews.
Bilbo slept for the entire time it took for the dwarfs to gather themselves and to set off again. They couldn't linger too long otherwise Orcs would pick up their trail. Leaving footprints behind in these wild lands was the worst thing a traveller could do.
Bilbo was more sufficiently rested. He yawned wildly and allowed Smoulder to crawl up onto his shoulder where he wrapped around his thin neck and sat there. He enjoyed the softness of Bilbo's golden curls.
Soon enough they were traipsing uphill. The ground was steep in places with more boulders littered everywhere and fallen trees making the way tricky to traverse. Smoulder was worried about falling back into a gulley, but Bilbo simply told him that he would go in and fetch him if such a thing would ever happened again.
Smoulder wasn't mollified, so he continued to eye any gully they came across evilly.
The misty mountains were relentlessly high. It took hours for the dwarfs to get anywhere near the top of the mountain they were walking up. This mountain was only a foothill compared to some of the others sat deeper into the range.
The trees were already begging to thin out with the altitude; whatever was left near the top were sparse trees with bony looking limbs that resembled shrivelled up arms under the stark white light of the sickle moon.
The wind ruffled the pine leaves and the clouds gathered.
"It will rain soon," Smoulder said as he began to weave a cocoon for himself. Bilbo simply carried the fat salamander in his arms like he was an ugly baby.
The dwarfs would have soldiered on if it wasn't for Bilbo. Thorin called for a stop once they came upon a big enough crevice in between two very large boulders which would suffice in keeping the rain off them. Luckily it was only light rain and soon passed.
Smoulder allowed the cocoon to shatter as he returned to Bilbo's shoulder, right where his curls met the skin at the nape of his neck.
As the time went on, Bilbo found that he was growing more and more accustomed to travelling out in the wilds. The possibility of the journey carrying on way into the future made him realise that there was no going back. He was too far away from home and the urgency of the dwarfs to forge on made him forget about what he left behind.
The only thing he remembered was his mother. He would never forget her.
They were walking along a rather narrow precipice, right on the peak of a mountain. Bilbo threw his arms out to balance himself and half walked half ran along the ridge, making fun of the fact the mountain couldn't force the spirited little Werecat to fall.
Fili and Kili giggled at Bilbo's fire, making sure to watch him well just in case he caused a mischief. Luckily the slopes on either side of the precipice were not that sheer, so if any of them fell they would roll down a ways, causing them to walk back up quite a long way.
Bilbo allowed his tail to materialise on its own, an ability so rare in the Werecat world that the dwarfs behind marvelled at the fact that it could be achieved. You were either one of the free folk, or a cat. You usually could not be a mixture of in between.
The tail allowed for extra balance for the little person.
The dawn was fast approaching so Thorin called a stop. Bilbo, feeling chipper even though they had been walking for hours, found the tallest boulder within the campsites vicinity and crawled his way up. He sat on the top to view the sunrise.
It was glorious. The way the dusky pink sky was chased away by the misty blue that seemed to push its way in as the golden globe of the sun rose above the mountain range. There was barely a cloud in the sky, so the last vestiges of starlight easily made their way to their world without any disruption.
"Bilbo, are you hungry?" Bilbo was jostled from his thoughts when Ori called up to him.
Bilbo smiled and nodded. Smoulder licked his lips from his place on Bilbo's shoulder. Yes, Bilbo certainly could enjoy this little adventure, even if his mother wasn't there to join him.
Kili had managed to shoot a few partridges on their journey up the mountain. They were plump, well fed birds who were beginning to lose their summer coloration. Autumn was fast approaching.
The day was calm though with barely a wind. The company sat down with the birds roasting over fire situated within the shadow of a large boulder. The smell of them roasting was absolutely divine and Bilbo could already feel himself salivating that the thought of tearing into the succulent red meat.
He literally squatted near the fire as Bombur bustled about them, scattering wild thyme and sage over the skin. Bilbo's striped tail was swaying like a pendulum.
Ori sat nearby, sketching the young lad and capturing the moment, preserving it on paper for as long as the image didn't fade away.
Bombur was gracious enough to manoeuvre his large self around the little being without any compliant. In the end Dori bustled over and pulled him along to join his brothers, so as to get him out the cooks' way.
He sat next to Ori, who was now drawing Smoulder who had taken up his bed inside the fire. He often yawned, revealing a fleshy pink tongue and rows of sharp, albeit tiny teeth.
Once the partridge was served Bilbo tore into the flesh with the ferocity of one who hadn't eaten for many days. He forgot about the manners his mother urged him to follow until he noticed everyone smiling adoringly at him. He blushed bright red and returned to his supper with more grace and decorum than he did previously.
The first watch that morning was taken up by Nori, who shifted into his Caracal form. He sat upon the rock Bilbo perched on before and watched the hours roll by before he would wake Gloin up for the next watch.
Bilbo slept with Fili and Kili, curling up between them both. The quiet of the day carried on without a disturbance.
They were wholly unprepared for what found them later that afternoon.