Dawn (A Hobbit Fanfic)

Chapter 22 - A game of high-stakes whispers.

I cringed when I heard a loud knocking sound. It must have been Bilbo. Or, I hoped it was Bilbo. Fili noticed my reaction. "Can you hear what is going on down there?" he asked curiously.
"More or less. Be better if I sat a bit closer though."
Fili looked back at Thorin, who thought about it for a bit before he nodded. Fili's puppy-eyes, it seemed, were a lot more effective than my own. All of us moved further into Erebor. I went to stand with my back against the wall and listened carefully.
"Hear anything yet?" Gloin asked after what felt like ten seconds. I shook my head.
I heard something fall loudly and reported it. The Dwarves looked at each other, trying to decide what to make of that. They must have heard that too. I heard a large amount of coins move. Then after a bit, a fuckton more. "Something is moving. Something big," I reported.
"You don't think that would be the dragon, do you?" asked Ori.
"Unless there is some other giant creature in there you'd like to tell me about now, it may as well be," I theorized with the Dwarves.

"Shush, I'm hearing something," I said after a bit. "Well, thief, I smell you. I hear your breath. I feel your air. Where are you?" I heard a deep powerful voice say, I repeated to the Dwarves. They looked a mixture of shocked and scared but didn't say anything.
"It's the Dragon, he's moving," I reported and held my hand up to avoid getting replies.
"Come now, don't be shy. Step into the light. Mmm, there is something about you, something you carry. Something made of gold, but far more... precious." I repeated when I heard the Dragon speak again, mimicking the very exaggerated way the Dragon said the word precious, holding the s just like he did. "I don't think he knows where Bilbo is."

The Dwarves didn't seem to know what to make of that either and stayed silent. "There you are, thief in the shadows," My eyes widened in shock when I heard it.
"He's found him." I hissed and held up my hand to silence the Dwarves again. If Bilbo replied anything, I didn't catch it. Some of the Dwarves slapped their knees and went outside. Thorin went with them. I wanted to go too, but the majority of the Company was still here listening to my reports. They would still be a majority after I left. The whole situation with Bilbo and Smaug also worried me enough to stay put. If things got bad we would have to go down there and rescue Bilbo, and every second counts when you're on the run from a Dragon.

I heard a large amount of stuff shift again. "The Dragon's moving again." By now, the part of the Company that remained understood that I didn't want their commentary, so they stayed silent without me bidding them to.
"And, do you now?" I repeated what Smaug said, pausing at each word, I was puzzled. "Don't know if I heard that right." I continued. I didn't catch Bilbo's response this time either.
"Do you think flattery will keep you alive?- I think Bilbo is playing for time again. -No, indeed. You seem familiar with my name, but I don't remember smelling your kind before. Who are you, and where do you come from, may I ask?" I moved closer to the end of the corridor, in case Bilbo needed a distraction to slip away. I fully trusted him to handle the situation well, but there was a chance that Smaug might not agree with that sentiment.
"I hear movement again. Wait, he's saying something... Underhill. Don't know what to make of that."
"Impressive. What else do you claim to be?" I heard Smaug's voice loud and clear.
"Can't you hear the Dragon?" I asked. "His mere breathing is drowning out everything Bilbo says."
"We can hear it, but not the individual words," said Kili.
"I don't hear anything," said Oin.
I don't want to come across as rude, but Oin wouldn't hear the Dragon even if he was in Bilbo's place. I went back to eavesdropping on Bilbo and the beast.

"Lovely titles; go on," I repeated. "Barrels? Now that is interesting."
I paused and looked at the Dwarves in shock at what I heard next before I repeated what had shocked me. "And what about your little Dwarf friends? Where are they hiding?
He's on to us!" He either didn't smell me, or I smelled like Dwarf. I hoped the former because, well, have you smelled them? You need a bit more than sage to mask their scent.