Moon

Chapter 10: Spiders

*Edited*

The next morning, the company awoke to see Moon curled into a ball out in the field. Her wings were spread over herself in a protective fashion, and all of her body you could see was her hand, which was caked in blood and mud.

Thorin immediately rushed out to see if she was okay, but all the blood was dried, and she was sleeping peacefully.

He went back into the house and discussed provisions with Beorn. Bilbo glanced out the window to see Moon awake, her wings extended and her long blonde hair blowing back in the morning breeze. Bilbo was pleased to see how peaceful she looked, but the feeling quickly vanished as she caught his eye.

Her normally light, crystal clear orbs were now dimmer and sad. They were so close to the mountain now, that if you climbed a tree you could see it. Bilbo believed Moon could feel it as he remembered their conversation last night.

*Flashback Bilbo's POV:*
"What does it all mean?" I asked.

"It means I will have to kill Smaug, or he will have to kill me."

"And the part where 'Winter must not let him control her'?"

She heaved a deep sigh. "He can control me, if he wishes, and I have been training to fight back. I can feel the pull now, Bilbo. Like if I don't get to that mountain and does as he says I will simply burst. I have been trained well, and the prophecy has only now become reality, which makes it all that much harder."
*End Flashback*

"Come, Bilbo. We must leave quickly. Durin's Day will soon be upon us," said Thorin, shaking Bilbo out of his thoughts. He too, saw Moon in the breeze, and a weird feeling like butterflies erupted in his stomach.

He snapped out of his daze and put a hand on the hobbit's shoulder.

The company trotted out of the gates to meet Moon, who was now standing as still as a statue with her eyes closed. She seemed to have grown more weary over the journey. Her peppy aura had suddenly vanished into thin air.

Her eyes snapped open as she rustled her wings, smiling at the company. Her gaze lingered on Thorin before her cheeks went pink and she looked towards the edges of Mirkwood, previously known as Greenwood.

"It is sick," she said sadly, her eyes lingering on the dark and dense trees. Suddenly she turned and hissed towards the nearest hill. A large black bear stood there, returning the growl.

"He will see us to the border. He will go no farther than that."

Moon relaxed her stance and stiffly began to walk her way across the field.

"What is wrong with her?" Thorin asked Gandalf.

"Many things, in many different categories."

"That does not help."

"The by all means go ask her yourself!" said Gandalf.

Thorin huffed and pulled his pony up to trot beside her. It was not very happy about this, but stayed next to her all the same.

"What troubles you?"

"Many things," she answered. "So many I haven't a clue where to start."

"Start at the beginning."

She smiled sadly. "That's just the thing. I can't seem to find a beginning, or an end," she said before extending her wings and gliding to the very front of the company.

"Do you know what's wrong with her, Bilbo?"

"Wh-What? Why would I know what's wrong? Of course I don't know what's wrong! Sorry I couldn't help!" Bilbo squeaked hurriedly, basically tripping over himself to run and stand next to Moon.

"What is with people today?" mumbled Thorin to himself.

Within the hour, they had reached the edge of Mirkwood. Gandalf inspected the nearest tree, and jumped before looking away.

"Send the ponies back to their master," said Gandalf. "No, not mine! I still need it."

"You aren't leaving now, Gandalf?" said Bilbo worriedly.

"I have business to attend to. Stay on the path, if you venture from it you will never find it again. Do not enter that mountain without me," said Gandalf, mounting his horse and beginning to ride away. "And stay on the path!" the wizard called over his shoulder.

Moon's eyes suddenly flickered red and she stumbled backwards, only to have Thorin stabilize her.

"Moon are you-"

"I'm fine," she snapped, before her eyes turned blue again. "I'm fine," she said softly, more to herself than to Thorin. "I'm sorry, I-I don't know what came over me."

She pulled away from him and began to walk down the stone path, the company following after her.

"How long have we been walking?" asked Moon dreamily, several hours later.

"A couple years, maybe?" said Dori, looking confused.

Bofur picked something off the ground. "This looks exactly like mine. There are dwarves in these woods, from the Blue Mountains."

"Because it is yours! Can't you see we're going in circles!" cried Bilbo, he seemed to be the only one who had any sense left.

Moon normally did fine in these woods, but her eyes kept flickering red, and she was swimming in and out of reality at all times.

"We're lost!"

"No we're not, we're going east," said Thorin.

"How do we know which way is east?"

"We've lost the path!"

"Spread out! All of you! Find it!" ordered Thorin.

Moon's ears pricked as Bilbo flicked a spider web. She snapped back into her senses.

"Don't do that!" she snapped. "I've got to find the sun. Bilbo! Climb that tree! Find the sun!" she ordered.

He nodded and climbed to the top. A dark shadow egged into the corner of her mind and her eyes flickered, but she shook her head. Moon was determined to make it through here.

Suddenly, something pierced through her stomach and she moaned in pain.

"I hate spiders," she grumbled, before everything went dark.

Moon's eyes fluttered. "Eurgh. She heard hissing and saw the spiders freaking out as she moved.

"Surprise," she whispered, jabbing her sword through the webbing and killing the spider. She cut open the cocoon, only for another spider about to have her. It squealed as a small sword stuck through its middle section. The wretched creature fell out of the tree, and Bilbo helped Moon out of the sticky strings.

She tightened her grip on Flight, and set about cutting out the rest of the dwarves. A spider soared from the tree over, and when it was about to land on her she stuck out her sword.

"The idiot thing just killed itself," she said, cutting Dwalin out of a cocoon, but being her she didn't pay attention and her stumbled down to the forest floor.

"Sorry about that, Dwalin!"

He grunted in annoyance, earning a giggle. She was so surprised with herself she almost fell out of the tree. Moon realized how much easier it was to fight Smaug when she was happy.

"Hey Bilbo!"

"Yes, Moon?" he called, cutting Thorin out of the sticky webs.

"Remind me to always be happy!"

"Er- okay!" he said. Suddenly, she leapt from the tree and extended her wings, gliding trough the air.

She, of course, wasn't paying attention, and crashed right into a tree. Or, at least, she though it was a tree.

"Oh."

"My."

"Monkeys."

"What?"

"It's good to see you again...?"