Moon

Chapter 8: A Kid Again

*Edited*

"I have never been so wrong, in all my life," said the deep voice she had learned to love.

"Is the great Thorin Oakenshield, actually apologizing?" giggled Moon as her eyes fluttered open.

Her vision was blurry, and a searing pain danced across her wings. She felt someone beside her, and a hand on her face.

"Are you alright?" asked Thorin.

"I will be as soon as you stop needing to be saved," she laughed, her blue eyes clearing as she looked at the King. She was suddenly aware of how very close to her face Thorin was, and a warm, fluttery feeling spread through her stomach.

"Ha ha. You are just so funny. I'm dying with laughter inside, really," said Thorin, rolling his eyes.

"Are you going to continue to stare at my awesomeness, or help me up?"

He laughed and grabbed her shoulder, causing Moon to hiss in pain.

Worry etched itself onto his face. "Are you okay?"

She whimpered and he wrapped his arm around her waste to pick her up.

"Oh my- Moon," gasped Bilbo.

"What? What's happened? What's wrong with my wings?" she cried, panic lacing her words.

Gandalf gently pushed Bilbo back and touched the part where her wing connected to her back. She hissed and snapped at his hand before gasping.

"I-I'm sorry, Gandalf. I-I-"

"It's okay, dear," said Gandalf, not at all worried about his hand. The joints of Moon's wings were swollen and bloody. She was lucky that the breast plate she was wearing dove under her wings and strapped around her neck, otherwise whatever she was wearing would of had to have been cut off.

"Your wings," gasped Bofur.

"What's wrong with them?"

"Moon, they have been infected from lying in the dirt. They were raw from the strain Dori and Nori put on you. Does anyone have any alcohol?"

"No, no, Gandalf, please," she gasped, trying to bolt. Thorin, Fili and Kili could barely hold her back as Dwalin stepped forwards.

"Aye," said he.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" whimpered Moon, putting all her strength and weight against the three dwarves.

"Hold her still!" said Gandalf sternly, and Dwalin joined the other three in attempt to constrain her.

"On the count of three. One, two-" Gandalf dumped the whiskey on her shoulder blades and she howled in pain,"three."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch," Moon was mumbling as she tried to run away, but wincing every time her wings moved.

"Come back!" Thorin yelled.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch," was her response and she jumped into a pile of snow.

"Moon!" Thorin laughed, running after her to help her out of the snow.

Her wings rustled and poked out of the huge mound, completely healed.

"Okay, one: What ever happened to three? Two: WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LET ME JUMP IN THE SNOW?" yelled the winter dragon.

"No reason in particular," answered Gandalf.

"Ha. Ha. Ha," she hissed with venom.

"There's something I've been wanting to try," said Gandalf. A little burst of light flew out of the end of his staff and hit Moon in the chest. She cried out before shrinking down to the size of a three year old.

"Well that did not work at all," commented Gandalf cheerily, hitting the end of his staff on the ground and inspecting it.

Moon laughed, pushing Thorin into the pile of snow and skipping away.

"Hey!" Thorin yelled, spitting snow out of his mouth and tumbling out of the deep drift.

Moon only laughed and ran towards Dwalin.

"Shhhh hide me," she giggled. Her wings disappearing as she hid behind the dwarf.

"Where did her wings go?" asked Bombur.

"She was normal, until she was- okay well maybe not entirely normal," said Gandalf, as a bushy tail and little ears poked out of her hair. Her armor had shrunk down to fit her size, a little tail hole even appeared.

"Hee hee. He'll never find me, will he, Mr. Dwalin?" giggled the three year old Moon.

"Mmmhhhh. I wonder where Moon is...?" Thorin said, creeping towards her hiding place. "Oh! Dwalin, when did you grow a tail?"

There was a loud giggle of: Oops! and the tail disappeared behind Dwalin's legs.

"What's that giggling sound?" Thorin asked. The company shrugged and Moon slapped a hand over her mouth. It made her giggles sound like farts.

They waited for about ten seconds, and Moon burst into laughter, rolling down the bear-shaped rock the company was standing on and tumbling into the grassy bed below.

"Catch her!" Thorin yelled. Now, to the passerby this would look quite amusing, because a company of thirteen dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard were chasing down a little girl with fox ears and tail.

"You'll never catch me! I'm the gingerbread- Ooofff," Moon ran right into a tree, knocking herself out cold.

The company finally reached her, and Bilbo poked her face. "Will she be alright?" he asked.

"Of course! She did this all the time when she was a child!" said Gandalf with the air of someone commenting on the weather.

"What exactly just happened?" asked Bofur.

"I was wondering the exact. Same. Thing," said Thorin, and they all looked at Gandalf.

"Well, I was trying to hit her with a jet of snow, I've been practicing, but I said the incantation wrong. We'll just have to deal with her until she goes back to her normal self. She only knows what she did at the age of three. Each time she ages, she will gain new memories and experiences back."

"When will she turn back into a dragon?"

"At eighteen."

"Exactly how long will that take, Gandalf?" Thorin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Two to three days," said Gandalf breezily.

"Remind me to never go on a quest with a wizard," sighed Thorin as Balin handed her to him. "What am I supposed to do with her?"

"Hold her, Thorin."

"Oh... Well, I suppose we walk from here. Move on!"

As the company walked along, Moon snuggled into Thorin's fur coat. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she screamed,"MOMMY!" before hitting Thorin in the face.

"Sorry!" she squeaked, now the size of a six-year old. She jumped down from his arms and ran to Gamdalf.

"Gandalf? I wanna see mommy," Moon sniffled.

"Your dream was true, dear. I'm sorry."

Tears welled up in her deep blue eyes and she kicked the ground.

"Oh..." she said quietly.