Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Strange, everyone seemed to already be here. "Kili, open the door. Quickly" Gandalf urged. He looked tense. I opened the door and peered outside. Standing there was a great black wolf.
Little smaller than a...
On the first night of our journey, we camped at the edge of a gorge. With woods to our right, and a cliff at our backs, we felt safe. We were sitting around a warm fire. Most of the dwarves were already sleeping. Fili, Kili and I were sitting together. Kili was sharpening his daggers.
I yearned to change into human form, to be back on two legs. But I knew it would be a great shock to the dwarves. I doubted thei poor hearts could handel it.
Gandalf sat nearby, smoking. He looked deep in thought. His eyes were far away.
Bilbo stood up from where he had been lying and stretched. He walked to where the ponies were standing and gave his an apple. He mumbled quietly to it.
Suddenly, the air was pierced with a shriek I knew all too well. Bilbo looked up, his eyes full of fear.
"What was that?" Bilbo asked me.
Kili confirmed my fears. "Orcs," He said.
"Orcs?" Bilbo repeated, coming towards us. Thorin jerked awake from where he had been dozing.
"Throat cutters," Fili continued. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."
"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet. No screams, just lots of blood." Kili said.
Bilbo looked like he was about to faint. Fili and Kili looked at each other and started laughing. I smiled, but then looked at Kili with a stern expression. Thorin also did not look happy.
"You really thinkit's funny?" I asked softly, remembering that horrible night when my mother was killed. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"
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Kili's expression was instantly somber. "We didn't mean anything by it," He apologised.
I was about to reply, but Thorin spoke with harsh annoyance in his voice.
"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world," He said and walked to the edge of the cliff.
Kili looked truly hurt. Then old Balin came out of the woods or wherever he was. I didn't know where he came from. He had clearly heard everything.
"Don't mind him laddie," He said to Kili. "Thorin has more cause than most, to hate orcs."
Kili still looked a little upset. Fili looked at his uncle. I stood up, placed my head on Kili's lap, laying down. Balin started talking again. Kili looked down at me, startled.
"After the dragon took the lonely mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy, had got there first," Balin began.
