Heart of a Warrior ➝ The Hobbit ✓

Part Nineteen

PART NINETEEN ~

Alissa slumped back against the wall, her eyes dancing in the shimmering firelight. Fili had fallen asleep long before, after they had filled themselves with as much as they could scavenge from the tender rabbit. She closed her eyes and let the darkness evade her mind, but she was still awake and alert and couldn't drift off into a sleep as she had hoped.

Standing up impatiently, she wandered round the cave, inspecting the cave walls in hope that the tedious task would make her weary, but to avail.

She huffed in annoyance and walked to the hollow of the entrance, staring out over the dense forest. Her gaze skimmed through the tree tops several times, when suddenly she gasped and frowned, squinting her eyes to clear her vision.

Thin wisps of smoke were rising into the night, leaving a sharp trail of grey fog against the starry sky. She kept her gaze glued on the dispersing wisps and quietly called to Fili.

He grunted and shuffled among his blankets, but didn't wake. She knew she shouldn't go out alone, but she was eager to find the source of the fire. What if it was Kili? It was surely a possibility. And if it were orcs, or any other such beast, they would take care of it, leaving one less worry for the future.

She debated silently in her head and eventually decided against it. If they set off first thing in the morning, there was still a chance they'd be able to catch whomever had camped there, or at least follow their trail if they had long since gone.

With this thought in mind, she settled once again by the fire, tucking her legs up to her chest, and drifted off into a slumber, in which memories from her past evaded her thoughts as a dream.

~

A young Alissa came to an abrupt stop, breathing heavily. She doubled over and tried to regain her breath and calm her racing heart.

After a moment, she stood back up and studied her surroundings, her chest still heaving. She was amid a dense cluster of trees. Crisp leaves blanketed the floor and the overhanging branches entwined to form somewhat of a canopy, which the sun broke though a little further along.

The child heard what seemed like a grunt behind her. Another growl and hiss followed and Alissa started running again, her feet thumping wildly as she raced through the forest, dodging past outstretched branches and protruding roots from the towering trees.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw specks of dark, mottled armour against the light foliage and increased her pace, bolting through the trees. Her foot suddenly caught among the tangled undergrowth and she was sent flying forwards, tumbling to the ground, where she continued rolling down a somewhat steep slope. Her body tumbled down and eventually came to a halt at the bottom.

Her whole body ached and she laid motionless while the world spun about her. Soon the forest faded from view and she slipped into an unconscious state.

~

"Alissa!" Fili's sharp voice roused her from her dream and she woke with a start. Confusion passed over her, but she quickly regained her senses and took in the dimly lit cavern in which they had took shelter.

Memories of last night flooded through her mind and she looked at Fili with desperation. "We need to go!" She cried, jumping up and hurriedly packing her blankets in the pack and taking a gulp of water to soothe her dry, aching throat; they could visit the stream on the way there to refresh themselves and refill the water-skin. 

"Wait! What's going on?!" He asked in bewilderment, his eyebrows raised in question.

Alissa paused for a moment and gestured outside the cave. "Last night I saw a smoke trail in the sky. Possibly from a camp. It could be Kili," she explained hastily.

But Fili's eyebrows still knitted into a deep frown and he shook his head. "But what if it's not! What if it's an orc camp and we've followed the completely wrong trail? The footprints leading away from the cave is our best shot at finding my brother."

Alissa considered this for a moment before replying. "Fine. We'll follow the prints, but if they're nearing the path to the camp, then we'll know he was there and the prints will lead us there anyway. And if not, we can either head there anyway to kill the orcs, or completely follow the trail and wait for the orcs to attack us.'

Fili sighed and shrugged before nodding in agreement. "Okay. We'll decide when we get to that point. But we'll head down to the stream first and refresh ourselves," he said, expressing Alissa's thoughts precisely.

The girl nodded and handed the dwarf his pack. He smiled his thanks and they both exited the cave, although Alissa hesitated at the hollow. She took one last glance around the shelter before following Fili down the hill towards the forest in which they'd spent so much time in.