Contemplating Notions

Winds battered the trees with gale force, striking everything in its path, pushing everyone back from advancing forward. Taking shelter was their only option, despite Thorin's protests to move onward calling his company all cold blooded and women, often two the same in one insult…

Two large oak trees, with roots as thick as the towers of the north offered them a great shelter from the rain and winds, the surrounding trees swayed in protest, trying so eagerly to stand their ground against the cruel forced of nature. The ground was amiably dry, so Bofur lit a fire, and Bombur began to cook something warm and soulful to lift the group’s spirits. A wonderful stew adorned with the meat of Conies to be precise!

The group wolfed down their meal, demanding Bombur cook more, but he couldn't supply, since he ate most of it himself. The Dwarves all shrank back down into the cold, whining and moaning that their furs weren't thick enough, or the wind was stinging their face. Gandalf just laughed… presumably he had summoned a spell to keep himself warm while the others suffered in protest.

Only one little body remained very quiet, only but the chattering of his teeth could be heard as the group settled down, trying to sleep. Most of them had succeeded, but one Dwarf couldn't sleep, his face was beardless, and cold, his sleeping quilts weren't thick enough… He needed more warmth.

Kili heard a muttering in the dark not too far away, something along the lines of ‘Bloody wind, I want my Hobbit hole’, before a body tossed and turned trying to maintain a comfortable position on the hard, brown earth below him. The winds were dying, leaving a cold, lingering sting in the air.

“Bilbo… Are you awake?” Kili whispered.

“Actually, yes, I can’t get to sleep…” He sounded sad, and if anything Kili loved seeing people happy, or at least hearing their happiness.

“Neither can I. Say, it wouldn't be the cold would it?” He wanted to make small talk to keep Bilbo’s mind occupied.

“Definitely” Was Bilbo’s short reply.

Several minutes of silence passed between the two before Kili shuffled closer to Bilbo, but a meter away from his cold little body.

“Are you still awake?” he ushered, unable to hear the still consistent chatter of Hobbit teeth.

“Yeah… I’m still awake” Bilbo sighed. “Why, anything the matter?” he offered. Kili took the bait.

“What’s it like… having a home to go back to, and being safe with your family, you know… not having to fight like us Dwarves do every day of our lives” If Bilbo could see Kili's eyes, they were sparkling like an inquisitive child’s.

“Well… uh… Well it’s nice. It’s simple, and I like simple. But yet, Hobbits are known for being unadventurous, boring, and well, not very brave.” Silence befell him as he pondered deeper and struck up where he left off. “Unlike you Dwarves, you’re all so magnificent. You’re brave, cunning and wise, us Hobbits don’t venture out of our homeland, and I don’t suppose anything will ever want to claim our homeland either… So I hope you all rid the Dragon from your mountain. Then you’ll know what home feels like” Thinking about their quest, their deeds, Bilbo began to feel a warmth inside, his mind delved into a deeper consciousnesses and away from the bitter cold of the physical.

“I worry every day that Fili will be taken away. I want his safety, but I want a home. No more perilous quests, just a place to defend.” Kili’s eyes grew heavy too… Thinking of Erabor, restored to its former glory, standing proud and tall, hosting a fine kingdom of Dwarves. “Thank you Bilbo” he muttered as he went to sleep.
“Don’t mention it…” Bilbo offered as he too, went to sleep.

The sun blistered through the trees, baking and boiling everything beneath it. The Dwarves roused, tired and hungry, stripping from the thick layers that previously kept them warm, but now acted as a slow roast oven.

Bofur kicked a slumped body on the floor. It was Bilbo. “What’s this!?” he shouted playfully, commanding everyone’s attention.

“Looks like we got ourselves a cosy nest here!” Bofur’s face beamed with the glory of a thousand idiots, all staring down at two nestled creatures who to an innocent Dwarf, much unlike Bofur, would presume them to be keeping warm. But sadly… the rest of the group, were, like Bofur, and another onslaught of laughter and priceless insults were hurled at the Hobbit and the Dwarf, whose faces were now red, Kili was angry and Bilbo… well Bilbo was simply flustered from embarrassment.

“I don’t recall that happening while I was awake!” Bilbo protested, now placing a hand on his head and massaging his temples, trying to figure out what had happened. He remembered falling asleep talking to Kili, but nothing thereafter.

Kili was shouting at Fili, who was referring to him as being too friendly with male Hobbits, in a vulgar manner, all in jest.

“We were just talking!” He shouted, running around a tree to sit on the other side as if that would remarkably make him invisible.

“Sure thing little brother” Fili laughed. Kili sitting huddled in a huff against the old oak tree.

“Don’t pretend you like to snuggle next to big things Kili, the tree won’t hug you back”

Bofur interjected. “Were you holding the little hobbit against his will, or did he comply with your advance?” Idiots can say clever things after all…

“I didn't force myself on him at all; I must have rolled over in my sleep!” Kili defended himself.

“Ahh so you’re are saying that Bilbo complied then when you ‘rolled over’?” Bofur did little quotation marks in the air.

“No! I’m not saying that!”

“You forced him.”

“No! I didn't force him at all!”

“He let you?”

This wasn't getting anywhere. Kili became more and more frustrated at the jokes and lunged for Bofur.

“You did force him! Get off me I won’t snuggle with you!” Bofur laughed the entire time Kili tried to wrestle him to the ground before he realised what had been said, mortified Kili backed off.

“He didn't force me!” Bilbo shouted at them…

Again. Silence. This little Hobbit really didn't help himself…

“Uh, I didn't mean it that way…” he stated, with all eyes on him before the rest of the group just laughed. All but Kili and Bilbo…

Guilty until proven innocent. Or in their case, there was a lack of innocent minds that surrounded them...