*Wolf and Thorin glaring at each other*
Gandalf: *sigh* What happened now?
Bilbo: Someone took someone else's stuff and the prior started a fight, now they're glaring at each other...
Bofur: Well it could be worse-
*Fight starts up again*
Thorin: No hair pulling!
Wolf: No biting!
Gandalf: *sigh* Wolf doesn't own the Hobbit, she's actually tempted to write another fan fiction for an OC that constantly talks back to Thorin...
Wolf: HIS NAME IS SIR IDIOT THE BRAINLESS NOT THORIN! (PS this chapter's more serious with a lot less humor. But it's creepy isn't it Precious?)
Bilbo didn't like it. The feeling of falling...
Of course, it wasn't a feeling like in a dream, he was really falling with jagged curves of a tunnel leading down, down, down into a mountain.
So far this whole adventure business was entirely undeserved and he pondered what deity he made so angry they decided to spite him. Maybe it was several. In any case he fell for what felt like hours, when in reality it was a few minutes. A few minutes of scrapes from sharper rocks, bruises from blunt ones, and collisions with the band of dwarves he was travelling with... Why was he here again?
After that time a light came from the bottom of the dark passage and they all fell into a bucket-like cage. Thankfully Bilbo landed to the side more and narrowly missed being squashed by the large Bombur and his ungraceful like fall. He felt a little more at peace with his sword still in his hands.
The moment of relative peace was short lived when a number of goblins swarmed their persons with clawed and grabbing hands. They screeched and growled when the dwarves refused to be taken swiftly and immediately and fought back. Once Ori was grabbed, it was like farmers herding cattle, pushing and shoving. It was down to the last five when Nori put his hands on Bilbo's shoulders and looked him dead in the eye.
"You have to find a way out," At a sputtering from the child, he continued, I'll keep you out of sight and when you think it's best to slip away, do it. Find a way out or just hide, we'll find you okay?" A small nod from Bilbo, and Nori hid him by placing his pack by his side and blanket over his shoulders so Bilbo could just walk along with him.
The rest were herded away and Nori was finally shoved along as well. As they made their way, goblins at the back stationed themselves on the side of the gathering rather than to keep pushing them forward so only three goblins remained in the rear of the ensemble. They came near a small gathering of what looked like equipment and baskets and Bilbo saw his chance. He crouched down to be level with them and slunk over a little ways to look like he belonged...
It was a terrible plan, however it worked. The 'escorting' of the dwarves went along and Bilbo looked up in time to see Nori incline his head to him, a relieved, albeit small smile on his face, before turning around to not arouse suspicion. They left his field of vision and Bilbo was terrified.
What was he supposed to do now? The dwarves were gone and Nori expected him to hide or run and leave. he didn't want to leave them! Nori said they could get away and find him though. Was there an exit nearby? A way out? He hadn't a clue, he fell down a hole into this place, maybe that was the only way out.
'Oh confound it all!' Bilbo stood up and swiveled his head around to check the area for any more foul creatures. After it looked clear he took a step forward only to hear a loud screeching and realize something.
He never looked up.
His head snapped up and a goblin came shooting down from its place on an upper level with a barbed dagger. It let out a shrill cry and lunged. He lifted his still sheathed sword to deflect the blow and tripped over a pile of wood as the goblin was reaching to claw his face. However its claw snagged one of his buttons and fell with him into a dark hole.
Not as if it didn't happen to Bilbo nearly five minutes ago... He only hoped something would break his fall again, or else he was truly doomed.
During Bilbo's time with pondering about the Company, the dwarves were lead through the goblins' 'town' to a loud clanging and some grunting and chiseled noises from goblins surrounding them.
They were just reaching what seemed to be the center of their living space when they heard a resounding "Down, down, down in Goblin Town," across the cavern.
It seemed that they were trying to create a chorus... for a song?
...They were doing horribly, if this a goblin's version of music, they should just drag them all to Erebor and sing for the dragon within... It would surely kill him in a matter of minutes.
A few dwarves were deprived of their musing when their company halted at a large platform before the largest, and coincidentally, ugliest goblin of their time. A huge chunk of flesh acted as a beard for the thing and it swung about a large staff with an animals skull as it's mantelpiece. Just how fat was this thing? A number of boils and other such lumps littered his form and he swung one of his own servants from his staff and over the dwarves' heads.
He continued on, with what seemed to be a melody to the goblins, and finished with a dance-like twirl around to "Down, down, down in Goblin, Town-" He spun around a few more times before finally ending with a final note and making his way to his throne on stilts, crushing some goblins-for-stairs along the way.
He turned back to face the dwarves before him.
"Catchy, isn't it? It's one of my own," He seemed to search for the word for but a moment before adding, "compositions," He seemed very pleased with himself and flashed a disgusting grin before Balin's voice emerged.
"That's not a song. That's an abomination," when he finished there were indignant cries from the goblins, along with snarls while there were agreements from his traveling companions.
"Abomination! Deviation, mutation, that's all you're gonna find down here," With that he motioned with his staff and the dwarves were deprived of their visible weapons, equipment, and supplies. "Now, who would be so bold as to enter my kingdom?" Silence from the dwarves, "Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"
A goblin answered while its prisoners would not, "Dwarves your malevolence,"
"Dwarves?"
"Found 'em on the front porch."
"Well, don't just stand there! Search them!" The goblins swarmed them again, doing as instructed, "Every crack, every crevice," several more daggers, hidden axes, throwing knives, and an ear trumpet were removed from their persons. Some goblins went to the packs to dump them out and one was filled with candlesticks and silverware.
The goblin that spoke with its king earlier came up with a theory, "It's my belief your great retuberence, that they are in league with elves!" He handed over a candlestick which the king took and inspected.
"Made in, Rivendell," he scoffed and held it a little farther away, "Second Age. Couldn't give it away," He tossed it over the edge of the platform and a number of dwarves turned to Nori. Dori being the most unhappy, a scowl adorning his features, and his brother was seeing how to explain.
"...Just a couple o' keepsakes..." Taking on the most innocent voice he could muster. The Goblin King could care less and continued on with his interrogation.
"What are you doing in these parts?" Thorin was just stepping forward when a hand stopped him.
"Don't worry lads," He moved to take place in front of Thorin to further deter the dwarf from doing something stupid, like insulting their captors. "I'll handle this." He gave a tilt of his head in acknowledgement to the great goblin, who took a seat on his throne again.
"No tricks! I want the truth, words, and all."
Oin was not a happy dwarf at this point in time because he heard muddled versions of that, "Yer going to have ta speak up!" He raised up a chunk of metal, "Yer boys flattened ma trumpet,"
"I'll flatten more than your trumpet!" He made his way off the throne to tower over his captives. Bofur made his way in front of Oin to keep him out of the way, and hopefully distract the king with a little bit of a lie.
"If it's more information ya want I'm the one you should speak to!" The goblin halted and acknowledged him with a humph. Okay it was a complete lie, but he needed to stall. He looked around the cavern for a bit before answering with some chatter filled explanation. "We were on the road-" Cue a few minutes of stalling by what to call the road they were on," and then we weren't on the road like a path, like a track, and then we weren't," ahah he came up with something, good job Bofur, "Which is a problem, because..." He looks back to Dori, "we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday..."
Dori gets the hint and put a hand on Bofur's shoulder, "Visiting distant relations," Bofur just nods while the Goblin King's just muttering under his breath by now.
"Some inbreeds on me mother's side-" And was promptly cut off by the annoyed voice of the Goblin King.
"SHUT. UP!" Silence descended again. "If they will not talk," a glare is sent to Bofur, who did his best to look innocent, "We'll make them squawk!" Cheers rang out in the cavern from the goblins and their leader continues, "Bring up the Mangler! Bring up the Bone Breaker!" He pointed into the group of dwarves in general and said, "Start with the youngest!"
Unfortunately, several dwarf heads look to the ground to spot where their young hobbit really is, in order to better protect him, only to find him absent. Nori tried to quietly inform everyone Bilbo got away and was trying to find a way out. Their goblin speaker saw this and snarled. "I believe there's another trespasser Majesty."
"What?" The Goblin looked down to the group and glared, "Well then, where is he?"
"He must have gotten away, Majesty,"
That was the wrong thing to say, that goblin found out as much when it was flung off the edge with a flick of its leader's staff.
"You fools!" He turned to the goblins surrounding the dwarves and glowered. He turned to a wall of goblins to the side, several dozens, and pointed to the passage they entered from. "Find the last one!" They screeched and speedily crawled along the walls and some hopped off on the wooden bridges to find the last member of the Company.
Nori just hoped Bilbo found a way out and was safely away from there.
The young hobbit awoke to a throbbing in his temple. That wasn't the thing that hurt the most though. He felt a huge pressure on his chest and he opened his eyes and was met with complete darkness.
Why is it so dark? Surely there must be light somewhere? He blinked a few times to attempt to get his eyes adjusted. It seemed his fall was broken by something after all. he was facing down and he let his fingertips run over his cushion. It seemed a patch of mushrooms was his saving grace, and the source of discomfort to his chest. The space around him seemed to get a little more of a dark grey than a pitch black, so that must mean his vision was regulating.
Just as he was shifting to sit up, a grunting noise sounded to his right and found a shadowy figure lying down. He immediately flattened himself further into the pile but kept an eye on the creature that must be the goblin that fell with him. He looked about for his sword only to see the hilt jutting out on the other side of the mushroom wall.
Oh great.
Lovely.
Some great adventure.
He would have huffed in annoyance, or at his own slippery fingers when a heavy and stuttered breathing emerged from an opening in the caves wall up ahead. A new creature emerged and Bilbo had a feeling his eyesight was as good as it would get in his new surroundings.
He could see this thing. It was incredibly pale with gnarled and long fingers. A very boney figure, large feet, and a few long hairs attached to its head. He couldn't see the eyes per se, but he could certainly see its greyish tint like an animal from the wilds. It circled the goblin that fell like one too, examining it. He tried burying himself in the mushrooms further at that point. This thing was the stuff of nightmares some might say.
And Bilbo Baggins of the Shire would wholeheartedly agree with them. He could already tell he would have nightmares in the future because of this thing. He didn't see how it could get any creepier.
"Yes."
...Okay, it got creepier. And Bilbo decided once it was far enough away, he'd get his sword, and get out of there as fast as his feet would carry him.
"Yes. Yes. Yes!" It halted its movement for a moment, "Gollum. Gollum!" It stepped over the fallen goblin and moved to its feet. It began hauling the goblin away by its legs but was halted by its captive thrashing about. The creature found a rock and tried to deliver as many blows to its head as possible. After about the fifth hit, the goblin was unmoving again and tossed the rock to the side. It began to pull the goblin away and started muttering, "Nasty. Goblinses. Better than old bones precious. Better than, nothing."
It slunk out of view and Bilbo immediately made his way from the mushroom patch and grabbed his sword still in its sheath. He was most certainly not going to be following that creature. It just bashed a goblins head in with a rock! It was clearly dangerous.
Just like this whole bloody adventure. Nearly falling from mountains, almost getting crushed by those mountains, falling into a mountain, getting swarmed by goblins, and now. Oh, now, Bilbo fell further into a mountain with some unknown thing and he couldn't even see properly!
Wait. he unsheathed his sword and held it in front of him. Thank the Valar, it was illuminating the cave for him! The light from it reflected off something on the ground where the creature and goblin 'fought'. And there, on a bed of dark and rugged rocks, was a simple golden band.
The hobbit walked to it and bent to scooped it into his hand and examining it between his index finger and thumb. He turned it over again and again but saw nothing important on it, like an owner's initial, nothing. Just what was it doing all the way down there? Certainly someone cared for it once? Maybe he could keep it for a while-
Bilbo was brought out of his thoughts and almost instinctively hid away his new possession by an echoing voice, "Too many boneses precious! Not enough flesh! Shut up! Get its skin off. Start with its head."
Oh, absolutely not! He was most certainly not going, that-a-way, thank you! It would seem skin and a head were being removed and he would avoid that at all costs. He moved his sword to every corner of the cave he fell into and only found two ways out. Up. Or, the same way the creepiest thing he's ever seen in his little hobbit life went... Decisions. Decisions.
A loud screeching and scratching of stone came from above his head made the decision for him. Reluctantly, he followed the tunnel. As he made his way, he saw the new cave entrance held a little more light. He just stepped out of the tunnel and was met with a large underground lake. It rippled and shimmered and held a light all its own. At least he didn't need his sword to see here.
His musing was interrupted by a gravelly tune that was utterly fear inducing.
"The cold hard lands, they bites our hands, they gnaws our feet. The rocks and stones, they're like old bones, all bare of meat. Cold as death, they have no breath, it's good to eat!" He searched around for the voice to see if it was nearby. He found a shape like that of the creature from earlier in the middle of the water on a boulder, goblin still being beaten in the head with a rock. He ran over to the largest rock by the water and kept an eye on the creature, while hopefully out of sight.
The goblin throws its arms to defend itself again. How? That is a mystery. It's been hit in the head at least a dozen times and it's still moving. The creature didn't like that very much and just continued with what it was doing and after a few more good hits Bilbo noticed his sword's light flickering out. The light caught the creature's gaze and the hobbit pressed against the rock more as the light went out entirely.
The only source of light now was the water which didn't help Bilbo at all. He tried to prepare himself for a quick glance to where the altercation was but found the creature left its position.
His little hobbit heart couldn't take much more of this. He did a quick check of his surroundings and didn't see any shadows moving. He would have sighed in his small victory if it hadn't been for a heavy breathing from nearby.
Alright, he was going to have to start looking up more often. Everything that wanted to fight him would be above his head it seemed. Curse whichever being decided to make his life all the more difficult. Before he could tilt his head the creature landed in front of him, grinning like mad.
(Okay guys Bilbo isn't even a foot and a half tall, he is much smaller than Gollum. Just putting that out there ^^)
"Bless us and splash us precious! Is its even a mouthful?" It took a step toward the hobbit and without much thought, Bilbo put his sword to its throat. The thing looked startled for a moment. "Gollum. Gollum!" It scowled, looking back at the wielder of the blade as it took a step back, it certainly didn't seem threatening...
"Stay back. I- I don't want any trouble." Bilbo stuttered. Oh his little hobbit heart wasn't going to last much longer.
"It's got an elfish blade...But it's not an elfs," it stepped about the hobbit, unfazed and continued. "Not an elfs, no. What is it precious?" It halted. "What is it?" It spun around to face Bilbo and hissed.
Manners will always save your life, his father said not so long ago, he just hoped he was right.
"I, I'm Bilbo Baggins." His hands were shaking. Badly. Hopefully the creature, Gollum, as he decided to dub him, didn't notice.
"Bagginses?" It seemed to go over the name in its head and looked Bilbo in the eyes, "What is a Bagginses precious?"
"I'm a h-hobbit, from the Shire-"
"Oh! We like goblinses, batses, and fishes, but we hasn't tried hobbitses before!" It took a step toward the hobbit and then another, "Is it soft? Is it juicy?" Bilbo swung his sword and took more steps back.
"Stay back! I, I'll use this!" He jabbed it in Gollum's direction and received a snarl in reply. He tried to not sob and said "I don't want trouble." He could see his vision blurring and his eyes grew hot, he rubbed a sleeve over his eyes and continued with a sob and burning in his throat. "I just want out."
Gollum stopped scowling, "Why?" It took a step toward the hobbit, "Is it lost?"
Bilbo nodded and sniffed, "Yes and I want unlost as soon as possible." he wiped his eyes again.
Gollum almost looked guilty for a moment before smiling and exclaiming, "Oh we knows! We knows safe paths for hobbitses." He pointed out to the water, "Safe paths, in the dark! Shut up!" He hid himself behind a rock and snarled.
"I didn't- say anything-" Bilbo certainly didn't know what he did to deserve this but he hoped he wasn't about to be attacked.
Gollum showed his head and snarled out, "I wasn't talkin' to you!" He quickly retreated again but his voice seemed softer, "Well yes, we was precious, we was."
Forget his little hobbit heart. His little hobbit head couldn't take much more of this.
"I, I don't know what your game is-"
Gollum gasped and jumped on the rock in front of Bilbo, "Games? Oh we loves games doesn't we precious?" He looked to Bilbo again and went on, "Does it like games? Does it? Does it? Does it like to play?" It cackled like it told a particularly funny joke.
The hobbit thought for a moment and decided it was best to make Gollum happy rather than angry so he did what he thought was safest.
"Yes." That certainly pleased him. Gollum's face lit up and he seemed incredibly happy.
"What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up-up-up it goes, and yet, never grows?"
Oh it bloody well would be a riddle wouldn't it? Hobbits were fanatics when it came to them but he was seven! He only knew so many! He guaranteed if it wasn't for the dwarves, he could be learning the answer to this particular riddle at home! Not in some, dirty, slippery, disgusting-
"Mountain?" He surprised himself with that but was happy when Gollum laughed.
"Yes my precious! Oh let's have another one eh? Go on do it again. Do, do it again, ask us!" His face quickly frowned and shouted "No! no more riddles!" He turned away from Bilbo and continued muttering, "Finish 'im off, finish him now! Gollum. Gollum!" He hopped off the rock right in front of the hobbit and he would swear his heart stopped at that. He did however, come up with something to say that very well saved his life at that moment.
"No, I want to play! You're very good with riddles!" Gollum stopped and almost looked flattered and Bilbo continued. "Why don't we have a game of riddles. Just uh, just you and me yes?"
Gollum got right in his face, his breath nearly ending Bilbo's poor hobbit lungs, "Yes," He did a quick look around and faced him again, "Just, just us?"
Bilbo nodded, "Yes, and if I win, you help me get unlost yes?"
Gollum was nodding eagerly now, "Yes, yes-" he ended his answer with a growl and turned away,
"and if it loses? What then?"
"Well, if it loses precious, then we keeps it!" Gollum looked to Bilbo again and said, "If Baggins loses we keeps it!"
... He wasn't expecting that...
Gollum quickly turned around again and took a few steps away. "Keeps it? Keeps it! No, we eats it whole!"
Oh great. He was either to be eaten, a painful enough sounding experience, or, he was to be kept in a dark, dank mountain with a creature that seemed like it could never make up his bloody mind anyway! Perhaps he could sneak away...
"But precious! Bagginses likes games! Batses and fishes doesn't like games! We wants to keeps it!" Gollum threw a rock into the water at that point and snarled. Bilbo inched away from Gollum very slowly as to not draw attention.
"No we eats it! Two mouths to feeds? Its should be eats!"
"Precious! Bagginses isn't a mouthfuls yes? Hobbitses is small, we can keeps it precious!" Gollum threw another rock in the water in a rage.
"Fine!" He looked to the hobbit over his shoulder, who halted his retreat, and said, "If Baggins loses, we keeps it."
The hobbit just said, "Alright." At least he made up his mind. He put his sword back in its sheath and placed it on the rock nearby. Gollum ceased his snarling and seemed to smile and nod his head to Bilbo.
"Well Baggins first!" Bilbo went over all the few riddles he knew and tried to find a difficult one. Gollum seemed patient as he rested his chin on a rock in front of him.
"What's so weak, that saying its name breaks it?" Gollum tilted his head and started making faces. He would seem irritated, then ecstatic, then questioning, and finally skeptical.
"Quiet?" A frown and he grins, "Quiet! It's always quiets down here isn't it precious?" Bilbo just gave a nod and Gollum grew more serious. "Our turn," he began circling the hobbit again while speaking the riddle. "Voiceless, it cries. Wingless, flutters. Toothless, bites. Mouthless, mutters." he stops in front of Bilbo and he has to turn away.
"One moment," He moves over to the water and looks out at it, for anything that could help him.
"Oh, oh! We knows! We knows! Shut up!"
He watches the water move, trying his best to ignore the thing behind him. He takes a deep breath and watches the water ripple at a breeze. It whistled through the cavern and Bilbo smiled.
"Wind," more to himself than Gollum, before turning and smiling, "It's wind! I know it is!" Gollum growls and steps off the rock he was sitting on.
"Very clever, hobbitses," He continues advancing, "Very clever-" but Bilbo threw out a more difficult riddle his father told him.
"What can run but never walks, uh, often murmurs, never talks, has a mouth but never eats, has- has a bed but never sleeps?" Gollum halted and simply stared. He turned away and began muttering under his breath.
"runs, mouth, and a bed-"
"Well?" Bilbo asked.
Gollum looked over his shoulder again and slammed a hand on the stone below him, "It's nasty!" And turned away again.
"Do you give up?" Oh, was he hopeful now, maybe it wouldn't be so difficult to win! Then he could get out!
"Give us a chance precious! Give us a chance!" In frustration, Gollum began pounding the floor and snarling. He puckered his face up deeply, then suddenly opened his eyes wide as he got the answer. "Rivers! Rivers! Wet, running little rivers, we was in a rivers once wasn't we precious?" He began cackling again.
Bilbo couldn't help the sigh of disappointment but was distracted by a screeching that didn't sound far off. He got his sword from its sheath quickly and finally decided to look up for a change. Nothing visible, but just then, Gollum growled and Bilbo turned to the rock that was recently occupied before noticing his adversary's absence. He quickly began looking around again as Gollum spoke, his voice carrying in the cave.
"We have one for you. All things, it devours. Birds, beasts, trees, flowers. Gnaws at iron, bites at steel, grinds hard stones to meal. Answer us."
"One moment! I gave you plenty!" Bilbo repeated the riddle under his breath, "birds beasts, trees flowers. I don't know this." Terror ebbed its way up his spine at the knowledge he was about to lose at something any other hobbit would have won. What sort of hobbit loses at a game of riddles? None that are respectable for certain.
"Is it lost? Is it sad?" It nearly sounded cheerful that voice, which was not what Bilbo was feeling at all, but then the voice twisted and asked, "Is it alone? Gollum!" Hands try to grip Bilbo but he turned and backed away, a stray tear escaping his eye.
"Let me think! let me think!" He turned away and wiped at his eyes.
Gollum flashed a toothy smirk, "It's stuck. Bagginses is stuck."
He was going to lose. The dwarves wouldn't search for him, they wouldn't find him, they'd think he left and got away, and then they'd leave so they'd be on-
"Time's up." Gollum lifted his hands up and sent a sneer at Bilbo, he walked closer but was caught off guard when the hobbit said,
"Time," Bilbo spun around with a smile on his face, "The answer's time!" Gollum growled and slammed a fist into a nearby rock. "That wasn't too bad." The hobbit sniffled and rubbed a sleeve under his eyes and Gollum turned to face him again, looking far more angry than ever before.
"Last question, Bagginses." He took a step forward and sneered, "Last chance."
"Okay," Bilbo was thinking extremely hard about the last one, as Gollum said, last chance.
"Ask us," He blinked and smiled but lost it to a frown, "Ask us!"
"Yes, okay! Alright." Bilbo fumbled with the last one and racked his brain for just one more difficult riddle. He slowly reached to his pocket that held his new possession and frowned. What could he ask? Gollum obviously stayed in the mountain often. What could he ask? Gollum said ask a question. Not tell a riddle. Should he ask him what he's got in his pocket? No. That seemed like an awful idea. Plus, he never wanted Gollum to get his hands on what was rightfully Bilbo's. What could he ask then? Gollum was alone. Was there a riddle for that?
There was!
"What belongs to you, but is used by others?"
Gollum's face grew dark, "That's no fair! It's no fair! There isn't others down heres! Ask us another one!" Gollum literally started pouting, and that in and of itself was victory enough for Bilbo.
"You said ask a question, that's my question!" Gollum threw himself off the rock and landed right in front of Bilbo. The guy needed to learn about a lovely thing called personal space.
"Three guesses precious! Baggins must give us three!" He held up two fingers but oh well. Good enough for Bilbo.
"Okay three, guess away!"
"Foods!"
"Wrong. Guess again." Gollum starts panicking and throws things around.
"Fish-bones, goblin teeths, wet shells, bats wings," he turns to Bilbo and yells, "Knife! No! Shut up!"
Bilbo takes a step back.
"Wrong again. Last guess."
It seemed Gollum ran out of ideas and just shouted the first thing that came to mind. "String!" But spun around and pointed accusingly at Bilbo, like he'd lied, "Or nothing!"
And now Bilbo smiled. "Two guesses at once. Wrong both times!" And while the hobbit did a little mental happy dance, Gollum fell to the ground and sounded like he started crying. "Okay, I won. You promised to show me out."
Gollum stopped and lifted his head from the ground and glared with bared teeth at Bilbo, "Did we say so precious? Did we? Say so?" He got onto all fours and snarled at the hobbit, "What's the answer?"
"That doesn't matter. You. Lost." Gollum took a step forward and Bilbo a step back.
"Lost?" Another step. "Lost? Lost?" He reached to what he probably deemed clothing and froze. "Where is it? Where is it? No! Where is it! No! No! Curses and splashes!" He rummaged around the cave for rocks, bones and even into the underground lake crying out, "The precious is lost!"
"What did you lose?" What could it be panicking over so much?
"Mustn't ask us! Not its business! No! Gollum. Gollum!" He went over to the water and stared into it, looking distant and broken.
Okay, new plan. This isn't going anywhere, make him happy and then get out in the general direction he pointed earlier!
"Maybe if you tell me what it looks like I can help find it." That got Gollum's attention certainly and he peered over his shoulder at the hobbit. Almost trying to measure and see if he was lying. "If you want..."
Gollum is immediately in front of him and moving his hands this way and that.
"Its shiny! Smalls and pretty, shiny, it's our precious!"
Bilbo tried to look like he understood and immediately realized the ring in his pocket belonged to Gollum... But he wouldn't give it to him. He didn't deserve it. Shouldn't have dropped it in the first place. So he widens his eyes and looks at Gollum instead.
"Actually, I saw something like that over there." He points to where he arrived from. "I can't see too well so maybe you could see for yourself?"
"Yes! Yes! See we told you precious! We should keep Bagginses! Not eats it! Or lets it get away..." Gollum trailed off once he got out of earshot, and when he disappeared completely, Bilbo ran for it. He ran along the edge of the water and took many twists and turns until he found an opening in the cave wall. Once he was about to just take his chances he heard "Baggins!"
...Yep! He was definitely taking his chances! He ran and ran and ran.
His little hobbit heart was just going to have to cope.
Wolf: Whoooooooooo, that took a while :D Also, little tidbit of information, this chapter got deleted twice and I may or may not have almost smashed my laptop into several pieces... But it's okay! I'm not that strong :P
Bilbo: Really? I didn't notice.
Gandalf: Where's Thorin?
Wolf:... So yeah 2,000 extra words huh? I hope I made Gollum creepy enough-
Gandalf: Woooooooolf.
Bilbo: He can handle it. Also, Wolf really appreciates reviews so she knows if she's doing okay.
Wolf: It's true! Last note, do you guys want me to include the rest of the Company in the beginning of next chapter? Or just keep it until Bilbo catches up with them? If he catches up to them. Mwahahahahahahah!