The Edge Of the Wild (Hobbit fanfic)

Chapter 15: Riddles and the Pale Orc

Bilbos POV

"Well, Baggins first." Gollum sat down on a large, damp rock and stared straight at me.
"Thirty white horses on a red hill. First they champ, then they stamp. Then they stand still" he stared into space trying to figure out the answer.

"Teeth? Teeth! Oh, yes, my precious But we... We only have nine." He chuckled at himself.
"Our turn. Voiceless, it cries. Wingless flutters.Toothless bites. Mouthless mutters" he creeped closer to me.

"Just a minute. Uh...Oh. Oh!" His face lit up.
"We knows! We knows! Shut up!" He continued to mutter to himself. I looked at the large pool of water. A gust of wind rippled against the water.

"Wind. It's wind. Of course it is" he growled deeply at me.

"Very clever, Hobbitses. Very clever." He started running towards me but I quickly held my sword up to him.

"Ah-ah-ah. A box without hinges, key or lid. Yet golden treasure inside is hid."
He scratched his head. "Box. Oh, um...Box. The lid and a key." He banged his fists against the rock floor.
"Well?"

"It's nasty. Box. Key?" I edged closer towards him.

"Do you give up?"

"Give us a chance, precious! Give us a chance!" He screwed up his face, clearly thinking about the riddle.
"Eggses! Eggses! Wet, crunchy little eggses. Yes. Grandmother taught us to suck them, yes! We have one for you. All things it devours. Birds, beasts, trees, flowers. Gnaws iron, bites steel
Grinds hard stones to meal." After two seconds he screamed at me.

"Answer us!" His teeth bared tightly.

"Give me a moment, please. I gave you a good long while." Birds, beasts... Beasts? Trees, flowers. I don't know this one." Gollum started to grin widely.
"Is it tasty? Is it scrumptious? Is it crunchable?" He grabbed my arm and I yanked myself back.

"Let me think. Let me think."

"It's stuck. Bagginses is stuck." He stared at me for a few minutes, his eyes wide like saucers and his mouth open with a cracked smile.

"Time's up." I suddenly realised the answer.

"Time. The answer is time. Actually it wasn't that hard."
He screamed and ran towards me.

"Last question. Last chance." He nodded at me.
"Okay. Ask us. Ask us!"

"Yes, yes. All right," I felt the ring he had dropped earlier when jumping up and down.

"What have I got in my pocket?" He huffed at me.

"That's no fair. It's not fair! It's against the rules! Now ask us another one."

"No. No, no, no. You said ask me a question. Well, that is my question.
What have I got in my pocket?"

"Three guesses, precious. It must give us three!"

"Three guesses. Very well, guess away." It wouldn't be fair if I didn't give a fair chance. I know he will never guess what I have in my pocket. He thought for a while before finally guessing one answer.

"Handses!" I shook my head.

"Wrong. Guess again."

"Fishbones, Goblins' teeth,
wet shells, bats' wings..." He muttered quietly to himself.

"Knife! Oh, shut up!" He is getting more furious by the second.

"Wrong again. Last guess."

"String. Or nothing."