Nothing Without You

Chapter 3: Distraction.

Kili continued to run through the trees, jumping over fallen logs and ditches. Heart beating rapidly in his chest, fearing for his friends, and the pain from his arm pulsed into his skull and resonated in the area behind his eyes. Every footstep made it feel like a small explosion inside his head. He pushed low hanging branches out of his way and slashed at the thick foliage with his sword. Finally the trees began to thin - he had wandered further into the woods than he had first though, and therefor too far away to warn his friends about the wargs before they attacked. He cursed himself quietly for not arriving back quick enough. He could the ferocious growls of the wargs and the slashing and pounding of the company's weapons getting louder as he approached.

The wargs didn't seem to fall - they had only managed to kill one - despite all the blows the dwarves landed, and the fact they were outnumbered didn't seem to make any difference. For the beasts were far larger and quicker, and their dark fur helped to conceal them in the shadows cast by the silver moon. The hides of the wargs were thick and almost impenetrable upon the first attack, any damage made at all didn't seem to slow them down for very long. Thorin looked about him desperately, if the wargs would not fall they needed to get away. They wouldn't reach the woods before the beasts caught them but then he remembered the few lonely trees that scattered the campsite. He peered up. They were tall and with branches that would be easy enough to climb.
"The trees!" He shouted, "Climb the trees!" He swiped his sword at a warg, cutting its nose, it yelped and fell back, rubbing its muzzle with one of its great paws. "Quickly!" He jumped from the edge of a tall rock and grabbed onto a branch, pulling himself up he could hear a warg try to snap at his legs, but he lifted them before the its jaws were able to get him. He continued to scale the tree and glanced quickly down, Nori and Bofur had joined him and were climbing just below him. Dwalin, Gloin, Bombur and Oin climbed the tree to his left, heaving their weapons with them. Balin and Bifur climbed the one to the right and Fili, Bilbo, Ori and Dori climbed the one beside that. Dori was practically pulling Ori up it and Bilbo was pushing the young dwarf higher, desperate to get further from the ground and the wargs, who were obviously irritated that their lunch were now out of their reach, instead two had begun to snap at each other like they blamed each other for the dwarves getting away. Once Thorin felt they were high enough, almost to the very top of the bare trees, he leaned against the thinning trunk and breathed heavily. "Is everyone alright?" He called. Multiple puffed voices came back to him, informing him that they were safe and unharmed.
"What about Kili?!" Fili yelled. Even in the shadow of a branch above him, Thorin could see the worried look on his face as his eyes flicked between his uncle, the wargs beneath them and the forest. "What if they got him in the woods?! Or what if he returns and they attack him?!" Fili's voice broke slightly with concern. He stared at his uncle who was silent for some moments, he could feel twelve sets of eyes upon him.
"He will be okay, Fili." He reassured with a nod, putting away his sword, it was no use to him in the tree. "He will sense they're here, he has keenhearing and sharp eyes."
"You tell him that! Instead of calling him useless!"
"I did not say that to him."
"You as good as did!" Fili growled. Thorin sighed heavily, this was not the place to get into an argument. Fili crossed his arms and turned away so that he was facing the opposite direction to his uncle.

The dwarves were still up their trees, sat now on the branches and looking down at the wargs who circled the trunks, heads tilted upwards and eyes shining with hunger.
"Do you suppose they'll leave soon?" Ori asked quietly.
"Once they realise that we're not coming down they'll get bored." Bilbo shrugged. He shifted his position, the branch he was sat on was not very comfortable, and the rough bark was starting to itch. He looked over at Fili in the other tree, who had his back against the trunk, one leg pulled up and the other dangling over the side of the branch. It was a relaxed position but Bilbo knew the blonde dwarf was far from relaxed. He had barely looked away from the forest, the only time his gaze broke was when the wargs made a particularly unhappy noise, to which he'd make a disgustedlook, like the creatures made his skin crawl, and then he'd look back towards the trees hoping to see his younger brother peek through the plants. If Kili was sat up in the trees with him he was sure he would be antagonising the wargs by throwing branches and pieces of bark at them, laughing when they got angry. Bilbo had seen Thorin glancing at Fili many times, then looked away with regretful sighs.
"Well I hope these vile creatures get the idea soon," Bofur grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, "This tree is incredibly uncomfortable." One of the wargs, with mucky brown fur, stood up on its back legs, front paws leaning against the tree and jumped. His jaw snapped at one of the lower braches but it couldn't get high enough to get the dwarves and the hobbit. Bilbo was sure he saw Ori poke his tongue out at the animal, he smiled slightly. Then a large stone flew through the air and hit the warg on the muzzle.
"HEY!" came a yell. They all looked to see Kili stood upon the ridge where the woods began waving his right arm above his head, "HEY! OVER HERE!" He threw another stone that hit another warg on the shoulder. All of the beast's attention where on him now. And all of the group's attention for that matter. Kili drew his bow and pulled an arrow from its quiver. He pulled the string of the bow back so that his knuckles brushed his cheek, then he released the arrow. It travelled soundlessly through the air before piercing the skull of the brown furred warg, a perfect shot. The animal fell instantly and soundlessly to the. Kili smiled. "YOU WANT SOME YOU UGLY OVERGROWN MUTTS?! COME AND GET ME!!" Then slinging his bow across his back he dashed back into the trees, the remaining three wargs ran after him, not thinking of the dwarves in the trees anymore. "COME ON, COME AND GET SOME NICE TASTEY DWARF!!" Kili's shouts began to fade as the darkness of the forest swallowed him up.
"KILI! NO!" It was Fili who was shouting now, panic obvious in his voice. He began to half climb half jump down the tree and within moments his boots hit the ground and he drew his sword from the sheath and moved to follow his brother.
"Fili, stop!" Thorin was beginning to climb down his own tree.
"I will not wait! I'm going after him!" The younger dwarf cried, glaring darkly at his uncle. Thorin went to say something but he was cut off, "Whatever you're about to say, don't. I am going after my brother, I will not let those wargs harm him. Are you going to help me, or are you going to stay here?" Fili sounded as though he was almost daring Thorin to hold him back or to stay behind, but Thorin said nothing.