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branching-paths · 7 months ago

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Of Battle Cries

I'm back baby!!! Sorry for the long wait, this one is a doozy, but y'all already know the gist! Have fun!!!

Kili's POV

Three days since we emerged from the Goblin tunnels, with barely anything to eat. Right now, we were camping in a hidden gully, and everyone was getting worried. Myrin and Bilbo had gone missing, and there was no sign of them. Right now, Balin was up top, keeping watch for Goblins, Wargs, Orcs, and anything that could kill us. None of us were seriously hurt, just a few bruises, maybe a cut, but we all were fine. Gandalf was leaning up against a tree, glaring at Thorin. Thorin had his head held in his hands, grumbling to himself, every now and then shaking his head. Then Gandalf stood up and shook his staff at Thorin.

"Why did you lose my hobbit," Gandalf snarled. Thorin stood up and glared back.

"Why did you bring him, he's been useless since he left the shire," He growled back. Gandalf took a step towards Thorin.

"I do not bring useless things, and he hasn't been useless! He saved you from the trolls, and might I remind you that he helped Myrin take care of you and Oin while we were staying in Bree?" Thorin growled and lowered his gaze. I glanced at Fili, who glanced at me and shrugged.

"What do you suggest we do then," Thorin growled.

"Return to the tunnels and look for your missing companions," Gandalf shouted like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and in a way it was.

"What about leaving nobody behind," I shouted. Thorin flinched and looked at me, a pained expression in his eyes.

"It's suicide going back in there," Dwalin growled back. "As much as I don't agree with the idea, we must venture on without Myrin or the hobbit."

"Why don't you agree, you hate them both," Fili snarled at Dwalin. Dwalin stood up and pointed at Fili.

"I don't hate them, I just don't trust them," He corrected. "There is a difference!"

"You wouldn't strike up a conversation with them, and I don't trust either one bit," Dori growled. As everyone started to yell, I had enough.

"STOP YELLING," I shouted. "This won't solve anything! Petty issues aside, preferences and dislikes aside, should we go back and find Myrin and Bilbo?"

"While you all are deciding, they could be getting mauled," Gandalf reminded.

"For all we know, they could be dead already," Bofur added. "Why risk our hides if they're already dead?"

"Because they deserve more," I shouted. "Think about it, you are running for your life, being chased by goblins and Durin knows what else down there, you're all alone, and you die. Wouldn't you want someone to find you and give you a proper burial?" As the company thought, the gully grew silent. "Bilbo did sign the contract, and it states that we would take care of his funeral if it happens," I added.

"I would hope that I won't need to have one," Bilbo said behind me. Oh, how he startled me. If he hadn't dodged, I would have run him through, and I didn't need a wizard against me! Everyone crowded around Bilbo, slapping his back and giving him brotherly hugs. Balin came down, absolutely puzzled at how the hobbit had gotten past him, but Bilbo wouldn't give him any answers. Thorin stayed back, he wasn't a hugger or anything of that sort.

"How did you get out of there," Dori asked. "There were guards and we heard Wargs on the way out!" Bilbo smirked and slid something into his pocket. Gandalf sniffed and leaned forward.

"What does it matter," THe wizard said. "He's back!" Thorin looked up and growled at the wizard.

"Something that does matter," Thorin snarled. He turned to Bilbo and his gaze softened from anger to confusion. "Why did you come back? Last I remember, you were going back to Rivendell." Bilbo shuffled his feet and looked around, a thoughtful look plastered on his face.

"Well, Thorin you are right, I miss my books, armchair, and not having to worry about whether or not I'll live another day, and because of that, I have been rather useless," Bilbo said. "I would like to go home, but then, I realized that you all don't have a home. Or maybe you have one, but it's just a house, not a home. That got me thinking, and I have decided to do anything within reason to help you get your home back." Bilbo's eyes landed on Thorin and pain crossed his face for a split second, I barely caught it.

"Did you see Myrin down there," I asked. Bilbo looked at me and opened his mouth. Then a howl split the air.

"Crap, how did they follow me," Bilbo shouted, looking behind him.

"This way, quickly," Gandalf shouted, running down, farther into the gully. I ran ahead of everyone, only to stop as I came to a large hill, covered with rocks. Fili ran into me, just about knocking me over the edge. Someone else ran into us, and then Bombur tumbled into us. The entire company tumbled down the rocky slopes, then it turned into an avalanche of little pebbles. We came to a stop at the bottom, my lower half was under the rocks, and I was almost certain that I had a few in my trousers and boots. Gandalf, who was the only one besides Bombur who had everything above ground, looked back up the slope and chuckled.

"I believe that will stump them for a while," He chuckled. Thorin pulled his foot out of the rubble and helped Fili out. When everyone was out of the rubble, we continued to run away from the Goblin tunnels, and away from the mountains. I looked over at Bilbo and felt my mouth open up.

"Stop, stop, The hobbit's injured," I shouted, pulling Bilbo to a stop.

"What," Gandalf, Thorin, and Bilbo shouted. I pointed to his shirt, which was covered in blood. Oin lifted the hobbit's shirt and grunted.

"It's not my blood," Bilbo shouted, pulling his shirt back down. He had been frowning two seconds ago, but now he was panicked.

"What hobbit," Oin asked.

"It's Myrin's-"

"Climb the trees," Balin shouted. Wargs burst into the clearing I stopped the company in. Everyone scrambled to the trees, swords and other various weapons drawn. Those who weren't climbing were fighting off the Wargs. Gandalf climbed the tree at the far end of the clearing, disappearing into the boughs. Dori reached down and pulled up the hobbit, who had his sword stuck in a Warg. Bilbo and sword came up as the rest of the Wargs sprinted into the clearing. They snapped at the lowest branches, tearing them off the trees and shaking them, the company, horribly. The Wargs circled the trees and sat under them so we couldn't escape. It was at times like these that I wished that I had my bow still. However, Gandalf came up with the next best thing, flaming pinecones of all different colors. He handed one to me and Fili, we snatched more off the tree, lit them up, and threw them at the Wargs. When it hit their pelt, it stuck and I felt a little sorry for the creatures as they went tearing back into the woods, howling. Then the Wargs got smart and started to dodge the pinecones. They hit the ground and started to burn the layers of pine needles and other things that lay on forest floors. Then Wargs with Orc riders came into the clearing. The Orcs were as fouler than the others that attacked us, not only in smell. They rode towards our trees staring into the boughs.

"Fifteen bird in five firtrees," One shouted. His voice sent chills down my back. Not only was he off-key, his voice sounded like knives on a chalkboard.

"Their feathers were fanned in a firey breeze," Another yelled, sing-songing too. "But, funny little birds, they had no wings! Oh, what shall we do with the funny little things? Roast 'em alive, or stew them in a pot; fry them, boil them, and eat them hot?" More Orcs had joined the first two by this point and were laughing at us.

"Fly away little birdies, while you still can," One shouted, his voice worse than the first.

"Go away, you naughty boys," Gandalf yelled. I couldn't help but be shocked! How could Gandalf not be afraid?! "Little boys who play with fire get punished," Gandalf added. The Orcs, as much as I wished they had, didn't mind Gandalf and continued to sing.

"Burn, burn tree and fern! Shrivel and scorch! A fizzling torch to light the night for our delight, Yo HEY!" At this point, I was quaking in my boots, they frightened me so!

"Bake and toast 'em, fry and roast 'em! Till beards blaze and eyes glaze, till hair smells and skin cracks, fat melts, and bones black, in cinders, lie beneath the sky! So the dwarves shall die and light the night for our delight! Ya hey, Ya harri hey, Ya HEY!" As their song finished, I was beyond terrified. Over twenty Orcs were around the trees, or just emerging from the tree line. One just coming into my view, however, looked just like an Orc that older children would describe to scare the younger dwarflings. Thorin lowered the branch in front of him and stared at the Orc. The Orc raised his head and sniffed the air. He turned to the rider next to him and said something in Orcish. They both smiled, sending chills down my back. Thorin lowered his head and growled at the two Orcs, shaking his head.

"It cannot be," He mumbled quietly. Azog said something more, and the Wargs launched at the base of the tree Bilbo and the Ri's were in. The tree started to fall over, it knocked into my tree and the company was forced to jump from tree to tree until we all were in the last tree. Wargs started to dig at its roots, and the tree lurched backward, over the edge of the cliff I hadn't noticed before. The tree was balanced on the edge of the cliff, almost horizontal, and we all were hanging from the boughs that didn't break when the tree landed. Thorin was on the trunk, the least dazed of us. He looked up at Azog, who was almost smiling back. It was a sight that I could never forget... Azog reached behind with his good hand and grabbed something that was on his saddle. The Pale Orc raised it high and glared at Thorin as a sack cut in half fell off whatever the orc was holding. I felt my eyes bug.

"MYRIN," Fili shouted. That's what Azog was holding, and I wanted to rip him a new one! Saying one thing, and doing another are two different things, I found out then. Terror and shock kept me frozen to my branch, where my feet were dangling over nothingness. Thorin looked back at Fili and I, determination crossed his face. He got to his feet and drew Orcrist. Azog smiled again and leaned forward on his Warg saddle, egging Thorin on. Thorin brought up his armguard and raced down the trunk. As he did so, Azog threw Myrin to the ground, she rolled near the cliff and stopped. I glanced back towards Thorin, fear pricked my heart again as I saw Azog bash Thorin's face with his four-bladed mace.

"THORIN," I yelled as he fell to the ground. I swung up onto my branch, only to have it snap under my weight. Fili grabbed my arm and heaved me up to the branch that was supporting him. We both turned back to the cliff, where Thorin was getting chewed on by the White Warg like a piece of meat. He yelled out and brought his sword down onto the Warg's muzzle. It yelped and threw him across the clearing. Thorin bounced on the rock and rolled to a stop, dazed. Azog pulled his jaw in and growled something to the other Orc. That Orc snarled/smiled and slid off the Warg, sword drawn. It crept over to Thorin and put his sword at his neck. He raised it up and Bilbo tumbled into the Orc, stabbed it a few times, and stood between Thorin and Azog. Thorin's head jerked as he slipped into unconsciousness. Azog growled and rode his Warg towards Thorin, but Bilbo wouldn't have any of it. He swung his sword a few times, and that was enough to make Azog hesitate. Fili and I took that chance to get up off the branch and attack the Orcs. Dwalin, Gloin, and Balin were with us in attacking. We slashed and hacked at the Wargs and Orcs, and then something grabbed my shoulders and lifted me into the air. I looked up and saw Lakita. Then she dropped me and I yelled. I landed on the back of a giant eagle, Fili landed seconds later. The eagle circled the blazing clearing for a while as others picked up the rest of the company. Lakita scooped up Myrin and flew away, the eagles seeming to fly another way. We flew away from the clearing, and Azog's howl of furry pierced the night.

"Thorin," Fili shouted a while later. The sun was just coming over the horizon, and we could barely see our uncle. He was in bad shape, and if it wasn't for the eagle's hold on him, well..... I'm not going to think about it. A few minutes later, we came to a bear-shaped rock and that's what the eagle set Thorin down on. Gandalf was next and he raced to Thorin. Fili and mine eagle landed and we scrambled off, racing over to Thorin. He took a shuddering breath and his eyes flung open.

"The half-ling," He mumbled. Gandalf sighed and leaned on his staff, getting up.

"It's alright, Bilbo is here, he's quite safe," He mumbled back. Thorin started to get up, so Dwalin and I helped him to his feet. He shoved us off rather rudely. Thorin glared at Bilbo, who was noticing the anger on Thorin's face.

"You," Thorin growled at the hobbit. "What were you doing, you nearly got killed!" Thorin took a few steps forward, still glaring at Bilbo. "Did I not say you would be a burden," He asked. "That you would not survive in the wild?! That you had no place among us?!" If Thorin kicked Bilbo off the rock, I would never forgive him! Thorin's gaze softened and he walked towards Bilbo. "I have never been so wrong in my life," He said, embracing the startled hobbit. I was beyond startled, and so was Fili. Thorin never hugged, unless you get lost for a few days..... Fili leaned on my shoulder and sighed.

"I thought he was going to kill him," Fili mumbled. I leaned over.

"So did I," I agreed. Thorin let go of the hobbit and looked him square in the face.

"I am sorry that I doubted you," Thorin said. Bilbo held up his hand and looked around as if the rock we stood on would give him words.

"No, I would have doubted me too," Bilbo said. "I'm not a hero or a warrior..." Bilbo looked up at Gandalf. "I'm not even a burglar." Everyone chuckled. The eagles screeched and returned to the west, back towards the mountains. Thorin looked beyond the hobbit and the smile on his face disappeared. Bilbo noticed and turned around.

"Is that what I think it is," He asked. Thorin didn't answer, he just walked beyond Bilbo, an even brighter smile starting to show on his face. I wondered what he was looking at, so I walked towards him, then I spotted it.

"Erebor," Gandalf said. Bilbo looked back at him, surprised. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great Dwarf Kingdoms of Middle Earth."

"Our home," Thorin added quietly. I looked at Fili and smiled, looping an arm around his shoulders. A bird twittered past and Oin pointed it out.

"A raven, the birds are returning to the Mountain," He shouted, holding up his flattened trumpet. Gandalf looked at the bird and shook his head slightly.

"That my dear Oin, is a thrush," Gandalf corrected. Thorin heard it twitter and the smile brightened. I could almost see the gears in his head working.

"But we'll take it as a sign, a good omen," He said softly. Bilbo and he shared a look and the hobbit nodded.

"I do believe that the worst is behind us," Bilbo said. I found myself nodding, agreeing to the hobbit's words.

"We can't stay up here all day," Thorin said loudly, turning around. He took a step forward and winced, but he continued. Dwalin stepped up and supported Thorin until we got to the stairs. Then Thorin leaned on the rock and made his way down.

About an hour later, we were almost down to the ground. Thorin was getting worse, now he was panting with every other step, but he wouldn't accept help from anyone. The injuries that I could see were numerous. He had a nasty cut above his left eye, his nose had another, his arm was held against his ribs, where I was sure a few were broken, and he was limping on his right foot. But he walked with a certain air around him that said he was on a mission, and nothing would stop it. That and the smile had brightened tenfold, I think he was doing great, despite his panting and limping. We came around the last corner and Thorin stopped. I could barely see him around the corner. Everyone else hesitated, then ran forward. Screeching came and I sprinted around the corner. Lakita was backed up against a spire of rock, wings raised offensively and trilling angrily. I ran towards her head and started to pet it. She lowered her wings and trilled at me as Fili went to the saddle and checked on Myrin, who somehow got on Lakita's back.

"Shhhh," I told Lakita as I rubbed her head. "Anything Fili," I asked, peeking around the griffon's head. Lakita trilled again as Fili pried off his glove and licked his finger. "Fee..." He looked back at me, tears in his eyes. Tears welled in my own and I raced to the saddle where Myrin was laid across. "No, she's alright, you just didn't check hard enough," I screamed as I reached for her. Fili grabbed my arms and held them at my sides. "NO, SHE ISN'T DEAD," I screamed. Fili held me tighter as I struggled against him. Tears fell off my face, she couldn't be dead! Fili lowered to the ground and turned me around, I buried my face into his shoulder, still sobbing. Then I remembered something. I turned towards Bilbo and looked him in the eye.

"Why is Myrin's blood on your shirt," I snarled at him. Bilbo looked up from staring at his feet and looked me in the eye.

"We ran into each other," Bilbo said. Anger started to boil.

"And you two didn't stay together," Dwalin asked. Bilbo nodded with a gulp. "Why would you two of stayed separate, there's strength in numbers!"

"She was leading away some Wargs," Bilbo said. "If I had known that she was going to get killed, or that she was injured, I would have gone with!"

"You sent her to her doom," I snarled at him. Bilbo looked at me, shocked. "She was injured and you knew it, yet you still let her go!"

"Kili, hold your tongue," Gloin shouted.

"NO! This hobbit has betrayed Myrin, and I refuse to travel any longer with him!"

"Kee, Bilbo didn't betray anyone," Fili said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "He just said he didn't know...." I stared at him, was he really doing this?! "You've had a stressful day, probably need some sleep-"

"I'm just fine," I shouted, wrenching my shoulder out of his grip. Before anyone could say anything, I ran into the woods to clear my head.

A few hours later, I was in a different clearing, and I was hearing sobbing, but it wasn't my own. Curious, and needing something to get my mind off of Myrin, I got up and crept towards the sobbing. I stopped just out of sight of a form hunched over, leaning up on a tree. I couldn't see his face, but I knew who the owner of Orcrist was.

"Kili," Bilbo called, stumbling into the clearing. Thorin's head shot up and looked at the hobbit. I backed farther into the bushes. "Oh, Thorin..... Sorry, but have you seen Kili?"

"No," Thorin croaked. He cleared his throat and looked up at the hobbit again. "I haven't seen him, did he run off or something?" Bilbo walked towards Thorin, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, he thinks I killed Myrin." Oh, right...... I kind of forgot about that........... Note to self, when Bilbo is alone, apologize to him. Apologizing in front of a crowd is very embarrassing.

"What," Thorin shouted.

"Myrin and I met each other in the tunnels, and she was injured at the time with Wargs on her tail. She told me to take one path, while she took another, and to not look back no matter what I heard. Her left shoulder touched my chest, and some blood got on-"

"That hair-brained idiot," Thorin mumbled. Bilbo stopped explaining and looked Thorin square in the eye.

"You talking about Myrin, me, or Kili?"

"Myrin," Thorin growled. He mumbled something quietly, I didn't hear what he said exactly. A tense and awkward silence followed.

"Did she have any family," Bilbo asked.

"No, just friends she thought family," Thorin said wistfully.

"What were you doing out here," Bilbo asked.

"Thinking, mourning, regretting, hurting-"

"Myrin's going to come back and kill you," Bilbo shouted. Thorin jumped. I must say that I did too, I hadn't heard that much reprimanding in the hobbit's voice. "You're injured, and here you are sitting in the dirt, getting mushroom spores and other things into those wounds! Back to camp, this second!" Bilbo was up and wagging a finger at Thorin. "Besides, when Fili and I went to search for that dim-wit, they were preparing Myrin's body. It would be an insult to miss her funeral."

"Now she's going to come back and kill you," Thorin chuckled. "Nobody can get away with calling Kili a dim-wit." Thorin looked around and frowned. He stumbled to his feet and stumbled back to camp.

"I know you're there Kili," Bilbo said, looking right at me. I stood up and walked out of the bushes.

"Bilbo, look I'm sorry about-" Bilbo held up his hand.

"Apology accepted Kili," Bilbo said.

We all were at the camp, crowded around a rock bed that everyone had made to rest Myrin's body on.

"I don't know about Dwarven traditions, but in the Shire, when a lady dies, those who knew her best would say something," Bilbo had said when Nori suggested that we just put her in the river, a true traveler's burial. Normally, we would put the dwarf in the ground, and then bury the coffin with molten gold. Seeing as we were short on gold, and shovels, we went with the Shire tradition. All eyes went to Thorin, he knew her best, even better than Fili and I, even though she had raised us. I turned my gaze to Thorin, tears welling in my eyes and blurring my vision.

"She deserved more than this," Thorin started. His face was still covered in blood, and you could see that he had been crying, thanks to the little clear spots running down his face. "Myrin deserved more than to be murdered by an Orc... She deserved more than to have her family killed... Myrin has been my friend since she was very small, and couldn't ask for a better friend, confident, or a warrior...... Fate has never been kind to her, not even in death. I had hoped she would have died in some lucky dwarrow's embrace, surrounded by her friends and family... At least now she will be...." Thorin nodded and Dori moved to pick her up, but Dwalin held up his hand.

"Might I say something," He asked. Thorin nodded again. "Like you said, you couldn't ask for a better confidence. There are so many things that I regret saying to her, and many more things I wanted to thank her for. Up until a few years ago, I wouldn't even think about her without getting a snarl, BALROG, I couldn't even talk to her without insulting her in some way or another. I know it's too late to get her apology, but I hope she can still hear me." Dwalin turned to Myrin's ashen face and folded his arms. "Myrin Flamebird, I am sorry for everything, for doubting you, but mostly for creating most of the chaos that affected you in Ered Luin."

#the hobbit #bilbo baggins #branching paths #fili #kili

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