Homeward Bound Part One: An Unexpected Journey

Chapter Seventeen

Walking out of the clearing proved to be just about the last thing Bilba's adrenaline was willing to help her with. By the time she got back to camp her entire body felt shaky and weak, each footstep dragging with exhaustion. Fili corralled her as soon as she stepped into view and she allowed herself to be led without protest to Oin. He promptly began fussing over her leg and hand while Bilba leaned back against the tree they'd sat her against. Fili dropped beside her and she sighed and leaned against his shoulder.

The action brought back a random memory of her friend Violet Cotton and Violet's older brother, Ardor. He'd been so protective of Violet, following her about, making sure she was safe, offering his shoulder as a pillow any time she tired. Bilba had been so jealous and had begged and begged her mother for a big brother of her own.

Her mind drifted, sleep pressing down and the memories shredded and drifted away like foam on waves.

Whatever happened to Ardor? Her mother's voice, distant and almost indiscernible began speaking and Bilba remembered suddenly being sat down so Belladonna could explain to her that Ardor had been killed by a wolf.

It happened at the beginning of the Fell Winter and his death ended up being simply the herald to many more that would follow.

Violet never smiled again.

Lifting a hand weighted down by the chains of sleep, Bilba awkwardly patted Fili.

"Don't die." Her words were slurred so it was likely he didn't understand what she was saying. She was only barely aware of it herself.

She thought she felt the low bass of his voice answering but, by that time, she was too far gone to hear it.

What in the world was that horrid stink?

Bilba clawed groggily back to consciousness. Her eyelids felt heavy and it took several minutes to pull them open and a few more of blinking to clear the blurriness in her vision.

She was startled to find she was still leaning against the same tree, her head on Fili's shoulder. He, in turn, was sound asleep, his breathing deep and even. Feeling a pressure against her opposite leg Bilba looked to see Kili curled up alongside her, equally sound asleep. A clean white bandage was taped over the slice she'd taken to the thigh and another was sound around her hand, covering the wounds in her palm.

A look out from there revealed almost the entire camp was in the same position. She hadn't particularly thought about it before but it made sense she wouldn't be the only one exhausted from the night before. None of them had slept while tied up in bags, and on a spit, and it was likely many hadn't even gotten dinner before they'd had to run off after the Trolls.

The same stink from before assailed her nostrils and, with a start of horror, Bilba realized she was smelling herself. Her brain dutifully identified the smell as dried Troll blood and just like that her skin was crawling at the thought of having it on her. She scrambled to her feet as quickly and carefully as she could, finding it a testament to their exhaustion that neither of the Pretty Twins moved, went to find her pack and began to pull out a new set of clothes.

Once she had what she wanted she carefully pulled out the rings and doll, wrapped them up in one of her spare handkerchiefs and gently placed them at the very bottom of her pack. She stood up and began carefully picking her way out of the group.

"Don't go far; we don't know what else is in the area."

Bilba bit back a scream and turned to see Bofur sitting in the shade of a tree. He raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "We don't give up on setting watch just because it's daylight you know." He had one arm thrown loosely over his knee and Bilba could see he was holding a block of wood with several pieces carved out. The other hand held a short knife.