Concerning Hobbits

Pansy walked behind Kili and Fili through the forest, careful no to set even a toe off of the path. She looked at the twisted trunks of the trees and vines curling up them as big as her arm (if not bigger). She tried to follow the trunks up to the top with her eyes but eventually they faded away. No sunlight reached this place and it was unnervingly quiet. Pansy sucked on her bottom lip as she made sure to stay very close to the dwarf brothers. Kili who had a very serious stare as he scanned his surroundings while File lagged a few steps behind him, looking about casually. “how are they not petrified, they’re too young to have seen the things Thorin and the others have, and still...” Pansy’s thoughts trailed off as she realized she was falling behind them she quickly caught up.

“they path goes this way!” She could hear Gloin shout out. The trees bellowed hollow sounds and deep crackling as if the were moving somehow. Pansy while looking around this way and that reached out and grabbed the back of Kili’s cloak, ignoring the small sharp pain in her fingers. Kili looked back at her and watched as her eyes darted around. It seems she had not noticed she had grabbed him at all. He glanced over to His brother who raised his brows and smiled. Kili’s cheeks tinted pink and he turned his gaze to the road ahead.

It was hard keeping track of the stone pathway, it was worn and in some patches, the stones had been torn up. Pansy was sure to hop over the patches. One couldn’t be too careful and she didn’t want the forest playing any mind tricks on her.

The deeper in they went the darker it became, the air much closer now and heavy. If felt strange just breathing. It seemed like the woods were changing around her, rearranging themselves. And Pansy didn’t like it. She walked nearly directly behind Kili now “it's ok Pansy” he said with a smile, but she wasn’t listening. Kili sighed and shook his head. “give me your hand, there is a slope here” he said hoping down the hill he reach out his hand to her. Pansy reached out for it absentmindedly while she looked around, he took it but as he went to help her, her foot got caught in a vine. “eep-yaaah!” Pansy yelp as she stumbled forward. Kili reached out his arms catching hers and Fili had grabbed the hood of her cloak slowing her fall speed while laughing. “careful” Fili said through laughs. Pansy looked up at Kili blinking “I’ve got you” he said with a smile. Pansy blushed and stood up on her own and looked back at Fili with an apologetic smile and giving the same to Kili. “thank you” she said to them. “I need to watch the road ahead of me!” she thought. No more looking everywhere at once, as that wasn’t as good of an idea as she had thought.

“are you alright?” Bilbo asked her as they continued along. “well taken care of Mister Baggins!” Kili said proudly. Bilbo eyed him up and down “I should say so” Bilbo said turning his attention back to Pansy. “I don’t like this place Bilbo” Pansy said to him, feeling miserable, but then how could one not feel miserable in such a miserable places such as this. Dark, dry, dirty and cold not even the rain reached through to the bottom. “it can’t be much farther we’re moving quite fast” Bilbo assured. Pansy scrunched up her nose “are we?” She asked watching Bilbo go ahead of her, she looked up to Kili “it doesn’t much feel like it” she said to him before going ahead of he and Fili who were now headed up to the front of the company.

It had to have been another day now, the company had not stopped and Pansy found herself terribly tired, her eyes fluttering trying to keep open. Her legs ached and the one time they had stopped was to make meager meals. She came upon another slope, Pansy watched her feet this time and went down it on her own. When she bumped into someone and landed on her backside. “umph! Oh for goodness sakes! Every time I think I am being careful!” she shouted at herself crossing her arms and grumbling for a second before trying to get to her feet. She looked up to see she had walked right into Thorin who had stopped to try and find which was the path went as it was covered by a mass of thick dark vines and tree roots. Dwalin at his side knocked the rod of his axe against the ground and found the stone, he pointed showing that the road curved around almost in a U shape. “but we just went that way” Pansy sighed, Thorin looked back at her and gave her shoulder a shake for encouragement before heading on. “don’t worry Pansy I don’t like it here either, and my feet hurt stepping on all these roots and what not” Ori said leaning down to her ear. Pansy nodded at least she wasn’t alone in this, she looked down at her small feet and wished they had been large and more leathery like Bilbo’s. She was also starting to consider the need to shoes, as she watched the dwarves stroll alone in their boots.

Pansy’s eyes grew large at the sight of a vine that was as thick as her whole body. “Air I need air! M head it’s swimming!” Oin called out. Pansy looked back at him. It was true, the air had become even closer, her body felt heavy and her feet sluggish. She had thought it was just her mindset about all this. Pansy followed behind Ori and dumped into him by mistake she wanted to scream and shout curses that this happened again, but instead bit her lip and screamed inside her head. Ori looked back at her and gave a quick sorry before looking around Dori to see what the hold up had been. “Keep moving” Thorin ordered stepping out of the line of dwarfs and heading to the front once more. Pansy looked around and then followed behind him. “Nori, what's the holdup?” He asked. Pansy looked up to Nori who held a dazed and confused gaze. “why have you stopped?” Thorin asked. Pansy followed it and gasped, “no, no” she groaned as she looked at the huge gaping drop off ahead of them. “the road” Nori said pointing “It's disappeared!” He said.

“Whats going on?” Kili asked making his way towards the front “we’ve lost the path!” Dwalin shouted back. Pansy bit at her jaw and looked around maybe they’d missed a turn. The companies voices seemed to echo unnaturally through the wood as they spoke. “Find it!” Thorin ordered, “all of you, all of you look for the path!” He called out. Pansy scurried off in search, all she could think about was what Beorn and Gandalf said about Mirkwood, she didn’t want the forest to give her illusions and more importantly she didn’t want to be lost in the sea of darkness and gloom forever. At one point she nearly dropped to her knees to search for the stone pathway. Biting her tongue to keep from panicking. But now that many of the dwarves were panicking as well she found it much harder to keep calm. Because them keeping calm was the main reason she could stay calm (or as close to calm as a little hobbit could).

The group tried backtracking their steps. Only no one could outright remember the way back. Pansy had her eyes glued to the ground, so as she would not miss any of the stepping stones should she find the path again. Soon the air around her felt a bit more spacious. Pansy looked up and saw why she was walking all on her own. Not a single body was next to her. Looking around more she saw everyone was still fairly close by, but in searching they had all split up. “I don’t remember this place, none of it seems familiar,” Balin said, his voice echoing and swirling about. Pansy bit her lip “oh no...is-is it starting? The Illusions?” she thought to herself, looking for the nearest body. “it's got to be here!” Fili called out as Pansy scampered to Bofur “my heads all swirly is yours?” she asked him, Bofur nodded and helped her up a steep rocky climb, there she saw Bilbo resting on the root of a tree “what hour is it?” He asked. “we do not know” Dwalin answered him while gazing through the trees with squinted eyes.

“I will tell you the Hour, it is the hour that Gandalf needs to return to us!” Pansy snapped stomping past the two of them. “we don’t even know what day it is” Dwalin said. Pansy spotted Thorin down a very rocky slope, she carefully tried to make her way down. Struggling to throw her legs over the large rocks and tree roots. “is there no end to this accursed forest!” Thorin shouted out in frustration. Pansy lost her footing on something sticky, soft and thick. She fell but luckily landed in a large amount of the same thing. Looking down, however, she felt less lucky and screamed as she found herself stuck in a shallow pit of webs. She tried to rip them off of her but then t hey stuck to her hands. “ahhh!” Pansy kept screaming as she tried to brush them off of her. Tired and delirious it seemed as if the webs were trying to swallow her hole. “help! Get them off me! Ahhh!” She cried out. Thorin dashed up the rocky slope and found Pansy, pulling her to her feet, he brushed the webs free and cut them when needed. “calm yourself down little Baggins you are quite alright” He said. Pansy sniffled and then growled throwing the last bit of webbing to the ground. “No, no I am not! I hate this horrible filthy place! I am sick of seeing these twisted old trees! These bothersome boulders nerve boggling vines! I want air! I want a rest! I want sleep! I want Ou-out!” Pansy screamed at the top of her lungs. Thorin look at her with a bit of sympathy and patted her back “don’t touch me!” Pansy barked pushing past him and down the hill. She stopped herself and turned to him sharply with a poorly executed curtsy “but thank you” she huffed before continuing on down.

Bilbo walked to Dwalin’s side as they watched a mildly stunned Thorin “I don’t think I’ve heard er snap like that her hold life” Bilbo said as Dwalin looked at him. “very loud for such a wee thing” Dwalin said.

As they continued on, more and more of these large thick webs hung from the trees, with all manner of things caught within them. They were sticking to Pansy’s hair, feet, and clothing. She would try to dust them off but it wasn’t long before she got more stuck on her. She felt light headed and dizzy, the world around her felt like it was spinning. “It is just the lake of sleep...” she told herself, but she still feared the illusions. Her eyes watched Kili and Fili ahead of her. They seemed to be fine, even if Kili’s eyes seemed a bit wild and an unsure. Pansy bit her lip and looked back to see Bilbo swaying a bit. “maybe it isn’t exhaustion” she though heart racing. Ahead of her Ori, Nori, and Bofur seemed to have found something. Ori picked up a small bag of sorts “look” he said sluggishly handing it over to Dori “ it’s a dagger pouch, theres been dwarves in these woods!” Dori said equally dragging in his words. Pansy walked to them as Bofur grabbed the bag. “The dwarves in the blue mountains made this, it is exactly the same as mine!” he said. Pansy shook her head and rubbed her temples. Bilbo walked beside her and stopped he looked at her and then to the three dwarves, shaking his head he sighed “Because it is yours, Bofur” he said, “we are going around” Bilbo twirled his finger round and round, Pansy followed it making herself dizzier “in circles, do you understand we are lost!” Bilbo snapped. Pansy shook her head and tried to steady her mind. Her stomach felt ill. “we are not lost!” Dwalin snapped as he walked past Bilbo. “we keep heading east “ Thorin said ahead of the small cluster. “but which way is east?” Gloin asked from the middle of the group. “we’ve lost the sun!” He added. And they started to bicker among themselves.

Pansy could hear her heart beating in her ears, and things because swirly, her stomach turned. Leaning against a tree she leaned her head back, taking deep breaths and closing her eyes she tried to make the illness in her belly go away. “Pansy are you alright?” Bilbo asked. Pansy shook her head “I do feel well Bilbo I- oh!” Pansy turned her back to him and ran behind the tree, grabbing her stomach she leaned over a hurled, twice. Reaching for her hankie she wiped her mouth and tossed it over the mess before stepping from around the tree. “I am not well, this place, it’s witchcraft, it’s making me so, so dizzy” Pansy said in a faint voice.

Bilbo looked around, they had to get out of there, looking up he could very faintly see a speck on sun through the top. “we have to find the sun” he said to himself before looking at the tree nearest to him. “wait! Do not go alone” Pansy said going to him. “you are not well you stay down here and rest, I will but take a peek and be right down” Bilbo reasoned. Pansy didn’t have the will to argue and nodded while swallowing down what felt like round three on its way. Bilbo gave Pansy’s arm a light squeeze and started to climb up the tree.

Meanwhile, Pansy looked on hopelessly at the arguing dwarves, Ori and Nori were near fighting with Kili until Fili stepped in the held them at bay. “stop it! All of you! The forest is making you do this, stop it!” She called out she covered her mouth and the forest spun around more “ugh, Please” she burped “you’re making me s-sick moving around so much!” she called to them but they continued on. “I-I can’t take it!” Pansy thought giving up on playing peacemaker she ran off to find a quiet place. But she stopped in her tracks.

“hehehe”

Giggling? Pansy looking around she could have sworn she had heard giggling. “hahha hee hee” More of it. Pansy listened as closely as she could. She looked up and locked eyes with Thorin who was listening as well “what is that?” she saw him mouth to himself. As he glanced down and to the side. “Quiet! All of you!’ he yelled, turning to face the company. “we are being watched” he said taking a hushed tone. “you heard the voices too?” She asked him as she got close. “voices? I heard steps, what voices?” He asked. Pansy bit her lip. She knew she heard them. Was it the illusions? Pansy turned her head and her gaze fell on the giant webs “or was it something else...” she thought to herself. The company gathered together, and once again Pansy found herself with Kili and Fili. “someone or something is out here, they are are getting closer, fast” Thorin warned.

“what is it?” Kili asked, “I cannot say” Thorin said, “everyone get together and make yourselves ready they are coming.” He added. The all pulled free their weapons and stood close. “get behind me Little Baggins” Kili said stepping in front of her. Pansy looked about she could still hear the gleeful laughter. She had to find it.

Slowly and carefully she crept away from the group. “I wouldn’t wander, little one” A soft airy voice called to her. Pansy looked about and saw no one. “it’s just to forest” she told herself as she kept going. “hehe feast, feast!” something cackled. Pansy’s blood ran cold as she looked behind her she could no longer see her company. “Little Baggins!” she could hear Kili calling. “not again”

“where did she go!?”

“find her!” she heard Thorin called out. She knew she ought to have turned back, but that laughter. With a deep breath and pulling forth her crossbow she followed it. “turn back” That same soft airy voice said with sternness as a gust of wind blew at Pansy, nearly knocked her back. Pansy stumbled but remained on her feet. She looked around “w-hat?” she gasped aiming her bow this way and that. “who-who’s there?” She asked. “who indeed, heed my words little one, go back to your company” the voice said. “but I need to find out what is out there” Pansy said. “and here I go again talking to things that are not there” she muttered. Looking around for someone she said “are you like the voice in the goblin tunnels?” she asked pausing “are you the voice from the goblin tunnels? Your voice has changed” she said. The voice laughed “no little one, we are not the same, one yes but not the same” it said. Pansy frowned “I do not understand” she said, not noticing how close she was to a web. “look out!” the voice called, but it was too late, Pansy screamed as out from the web lunged a spider the size of a pony. Pansy screamed and ducked out of the way, turning around only to find the spider sizing her up. “you’re nothing but a morsel!” it said in a high voice full of disappointment. “run!” the airy voice called as a soft wind blew, “follow the wind” it said as leaves caught up in the breeze showing her way. Pansy followed it.

Looking behind her she could see the forest vines weaving into the spider’s way. She had no time to question it, as strange as it was, she had to get back and warn the others.

To late.

Pansy watched as the dwarves fought back many large spiders. Pansy took aim and fired at one wrapping Bombur up. Her poor aim and fumbling fingers and what was left of fingers, made the arrow slip and instead it but grazed the spider. It hissed at her and dropped Bombur who had been completely wrapped up and scuttled over to her. Pansy ran, but there was no one to help her everyone was busy. “hehehe, You look sweet, I love the crunchy ones!” said the spider as it cornered her. Pansy screamed and turned her head away as she soon found herself encased in webbing. Faintly she could hear Kili calling out to her in the distance.