Destitute {the hobbit/Kili Durin}

V

"Orcs" Nikoleva and Kili answered at the same time. 

"Orcs?" 

Thorin, who had been leaning against the rocks, quickly got to his feet and scanned the valley.

"Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there" Fili pointed out. "The lowlands are crawling with them".

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep" Kili chimed in. "Quick and quiet. No screams, just lots of blood," The hobbit turned to look out over the cliff as the two brothers started to chuckle amongst themselves under their breath.

"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" Thorin asked as he looked at them with a glare. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" 

"We didn't mean anything by it" Kili muttered ashamed for what he and his brother had done. 

"No you didn't" Thorin spat. "You know nothing of the world" The brothers hung their heads in shame as Thorin walked towards the edge of the cliff. His arms were folded as he looked out into the distance. 

"Don't mind him, laddie" Balin spoke up, grabbing the attention of Fili, Kili and Bilbo. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs" 

Nikoleva glanced at the dwarven king, then to the group before pulling out her pipe and lighting it. She looked out to the distance as Balin continued. 

"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. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King. Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armour rent...wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken." 

The white haired dwarf paused before he continued. "Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King" 

While he said his last few words, the dwarves began to waken and stand up as Thorin turned around. They looked at him in adoration and loyalty and for that he was grateful. 

"And the pale orc?" Bilbo asked. "What happened to him?" 

"He slunk back into the hole he whence came" Thorin answered, anger and grief lacing his voice. "That filth died of his wounds long ago" He moved back to where he was previously resting and looked at his companions. "Get some rest, we have a long road ahead of us" 

The dwarves listen to their king as they dozed off back to sleep. Nikoleva was wide awake as she suddenly stood up, alarmed, as she looked out to the distance. 

"Send word to the Master. We have found the Dwarf-scum." She had heard an orc speak from the other side of the valley. She tensed slightly as she recognized the voice. Yazneg. One of the pale orcs commanders. 

"I told you, they are not safe here" She hissed quietly knowing that Gandalf was awake and now standing behind her. "I should have killed him long ago"

"And you would have if he did not stop you" 

"Nikolai had nothing to do with this, this is someone else" She knew exactly who it was and didn't want to say as the dwarves were just laying a few feet away from them.