nadad = brother
nana = sister
nan'ith = little sister
+l+
Aaaaaaand queue the squealing fangirl.
Emery's mental jaw is hanging as wide as it can possibly go. Inside the gates is a scene straight out of a medieval fantasy. Buildings made of wood and stone stand close together, some connected to each other, most no more than two stories high. She can see houses, store fronts, vendor stalls, an inn, a stable, and a few animals scattered around. The most interesting part, though, is the population of Dwarves. Mostly dwarrows, with a few dwarrowdams here and there. Aside from the dresses, she can tell the dams from the dwarrows because of the amount of facial hair. The dams have light sideburns or the occasional small mustache, but none have beards. None of the Dwarves wear bright colors; all of their clothes could be put into what film-costume designers would call the "mushroom colors" category. All of them have wild hair, and all of them have braids and metal beads decorating it. A few dwarflings can be seen running around or clinging to the adults.
Thorin and his nephews walk through the dirt street, the boys rushing ahead and then returning like yo-yos. After about fifteen minutes, they approach a house. Kili rushes inside ("Ama! Ama! Come quick! Look what we found!"), but Fili waits for Thorin at the door and holds it open as he walks inside. Squealing fangirl, take two.
The home is small and cozy. What looks like the living room is a square room about ten feet wide. There's one small couch and an armchair, both of them worn and seemingly handmade. The floor is mostly covered by a plain rug, but the stone floor beneath it can be seen around the edges. There's a low square table (also handmade) about three feet across. There's one open door on the right side of the far wall that appears to lead to a kitchen. On the other side of the room is a narrow staircase leading to a second floor. Rushing down that staircase is Kili, followed by a less-hurried dwarrowdam. She looks so much like Thorin and Kili, there's no doubting that she is Dis, Thorin's sister, Fili and Kili's mother. She slows on the last few steps as she catches sight of Thorin with the large wolf cub in his arms.
"Thorin, what's this?" She eyes Emery. "Why have you brought a wolf into the house?"
"Ama, she's injured. We found her trapped in a ditch in the woods," Fili says. "She's friendly, see?" He pets the top of her head, and she moves around so she can lick his hand. "Uncle said she fractured her right hock," he adds. Dis's weary expression morphs into one of concern. She walks forward slowly, keeping her eyes on Emery.
"Her mother wasn't with her?" Dis asked. Thorin shook his head.
"She was alone. Kili found her in a ditch early this morning and came back to tell me. If the mother was able or willing to come back to her cub, she would've done it by the time we reached her," he answers.
"Uncle says she won't make it on her own with a fac-fracted hock," Kili tells his mother. "Please can she stay? Please, Ama?" he pleads with Dis. She looks reluctant at first, but then Fili joins the pleading. With both of her sons making pouty lips and puppy dog eyes, she quickly loses what remains of her resolve and sighs.
"She may stay." The boys start to cheer, but she interrupts. "She may stay only until she is well enough to survive on her own. Understood?" Fili and Kili's faces fall a bit, but they nod.
"What'll we name her?" Fíli asks. The adults look at him. "Well, we can't just keep calling her 'the pup' or 'it,' can we? She needs a name," he elaborates. Kili immediately agrees and begins suggesting names. Emery wonders if that's a good idea. If Dis will only allow her to stay until she's healed, then it's probably better if the boys form as little attachment as possible. It seems the adults think the same thing. Thorin and Dis look at each other, then Thorin crouches down to the level of the dwarflings.
"Fili, Kili, giving the pup a name may not be such a good idea." At their confused expressions, he explains. "She will only be here for a short time, and then she will have to go back to the forest. Giving her a name will only make it more difficult to let her go when that time comes." The boys nod sadly in understanding.
+l+
By the time the sun goes down, Emery's comfortably situated on a folded blanket under the living room table (the only place she can be without tripping anyone), and her leg is wrapped up nicely after a visit from the town's healer (who happens to have Oin as an apprentice). Dis is in the kitchen, preparing an unknown something that smells delicious. Thorin is sitting in the armchair, smoking pipe-weed and watching the boys, who are laying on their stomachs on the floor, facing Emery. Kili, having insisted upon calling her something after getting confused, has dubbed her Lassie. Dis gave her a bowl of water earlier, which she lapped up quickly, so her thirst is no longer an issue. Her hunger, however, might just get to her if she doesn't get a taste of whatever Dis is cooking. Speaking of which...
"Boys! Time for dinner!" The dwarflings scurry to their feet and rush to the kitchen. Thorin follows behind at a much slower pace. Now the only occupant in the living room, Emery sighs and curls up, tucks her head into her side, and closes her eyes. If she's not going to eat, she might as well sleep. This plan does not work out. Only a few minutes later, the boys come back with three plates. They lay on their stomachs and place their own plates in front of them. They put the third on the floor in front of Emery. With smells flooding her nose and the steam particles landing on her tongue, her hunger erases all coherent thought and she lunges at the food. The boys snort and giggle, but she cares only about filling her stomach with the delectable contents of the plate. Thankfully, there's a lot of food, and by the time she finishes her plate, she's full and content. She hears a low chuckle and looks up to see Thorin watching the three of them with a soft smile on his face.
With a belly full of Dis's delicious cooking, Emery feels the pull of sleep. Before succumbing to it, she licks each of the dwarflings' cheeks (causing them to giggle once more) as a goodnight gesture. She then curls up and closes her eyes. Soon, she drifts off into the first peaceful sleep she's had since arriving in Middle Earth.