Warnings: nope
Word count: 1616
Other: A falconet is a small or a young falcon.
Please check the author's note at the bottom!
Requested: by Drag0nRider201
Your falcon almost attacks Thorin, but he doesn't dwell on it for long, as you are far more interesting.
Rosie thrilled above you happily, diving down and swooping in a circle as you watched her. Her light-striped chest shone in the light of the sun as she rode an air current to gain more height. The way the light caught onto her wings and illuminated them, making it seem like she was on fire, was beautiful.
"Alright, girl, one more time, and then I think it's time for us to head home." You directed your words to the bird flying above you and gave two clicks on your tongue to get her attention. Before you could give her any more directions, she had already dived down, wings tucked tightly against her body, eyes tightly on her target.
When you saw her diving straight towards the separate figure of the band of travelers that had stumbled onto your land, you gave a long, ear-shattering whistle. The dwarves jumped at this, and Rosie stopped her dive, spreading her winds and gliding onto the branch of a nearby birch tree. She let out a confused thrill, shuffling her wings, and organizing her feathers. You hurried out of the hill and towards the clearing in the woods.
"I'm so sorry." You breathed out, extending your hand. Thorin, who had fallen when he had seen the birds diving towards him, reached to grab your hand. But it was too high for him to reach, and he had to climb up from the ground,
"No harm was done-" he started, but stopped when you gave him a strange look. You turned away, giving a short whistle, and he realized that you weren't talking to him. The falcon, the same one that had dived for him earlier, took off from the branch it had resided on and flew onto your extended arm, landing neatly onto the leather wrist brace.
"You did very well, my girl." You cooed at her, petting the feathers on her head gently. As it seemed she'd had enough, you offered her a piece of meat from the bag you had hanging on your waist, and you dismissed her with a click of your tongue.
"Your falcon tried to attack me!" Thorin now recovered from his shock, accused, and you rolled your eyes.
"Rosie is a young falcon, she got confused. She would have realized her mistake before anything could really happen. Did you fear that she might carry you away?" Your voice had a teasing tone to it as a smile took over your lips. Thorin could see how Fili and Kili were hiding smiles behind their hands. The falcon was nowhere to be seen now, and you didn't appear to be threatening. You carried a sword at your hip and he suspected you had at least five daggers hidden away in your clothing, but you didn't seem like you would pull one out at any moment. It was quite the opposite, you seemed relaxed, your other hand tucked into your pocket, hair tied back with a strip of fabric, a feather tucked into your bun.
Rosie dove down from the sky and landed neatly on her perch, watching the company of dwarves with her dark eyes for a while, but lost interest in the newcomers quickly. She started preening her wings, straightening them out, and going through them, one feather at a time. The other perches were empty, leave for Midnight, the largest of your falcons, sleeping with her head tucked under her black wing. The other falcons were no doubt out hunting.
"How many falcons do you own?" Bilbo's eyes were wide as he took in the structure you had built at the side of your house. It reached across the whole wall, propped up by a few wooden beams hammered into the ground, and the large oak that rested on the side of your house. It was covered by a roof, keeping the sun out, and the perches were built up high, near the roof, neat nests assembled at the foot of them.
"I do not own them, Master Baggins." You smiled, watching as Rosie jumped into her nest and began reorganizing the sticks it was built of.
"They are free to come and go as they please, but they do tend to spend their time here. I have raised most of them from chicks after they've fallen out of their nests or such. They know they are safe here." Thorin watched as you continued to explain your relationship with the falcons to Bilbo, and curiosity rose inside of him. He yearned to know more about you.
- - -
As night began to darken, most of the falcons began returning home from their trips, carrying a mouse or two in their beaks. Most of them made their way to their perches and started to eat, but some swooped a ring around you as a greeting before heading to eat themselves. Seregon, named after his reddish-orange eyes, landed next to his mate, gifting her one of his mice. The dwarves watched them interact with each other, flying around the dwelling you had built for them, cooing and chirping. You worked on keeping the fire going, adding a few logs into it, making sure it was hot enough so the dwarves could keep cooking. You were offered a plate from the stew, which you gratefully accepted. You ate slowly, trying to seem nonchalant, all the while keeping an eye on Thorin. He intrigued you, and you wanted to know more about him.
The dwarves began to retire for the night, exhausted after the long journey and full meal. Your house wasn't big enough for them to all fit inside, so they had decided that they would all sleep outside. Your yard didn't have roots or rocks sticking out of it, so to them, it was better than the softest down mattress. Most of them had already drifted off, only Thorin and Dwalin sitting up. You, who had promised to stay up with them, stating that you could rest tomorrow, walked among your falcons and made sure they weren't injured. Thorin watched from his bedroll as you returned to your stump, pulling your blanket onto your legs in the chilling night. The sky was filled with stars, and the only thing blocking your view of them was the occasional bat that flew past.
A shadow swooped over the pair of you and Rosie landed on your shoulder, cooing and nibbling your ear with her beak.
"What can I do for you, darling?" You asked, but she just cooed, leaning closer and twisting her head, exposing her neck to you. You let out a small laugh, and scratched her gently, causing her to close her eyes in delight.
"They really like you." You jolted lightly and turned your head to see Thorin lounging closer, a small smile on his lips. You returned it and resumed scratching Rosie, who was again tilting her head at you and chirping.
"I quess they do, they've been with me their whole lives. I'm the only family they know, and they are mine." Your tone wasn't sad like he expected it to be.
"Why are you here?" He asked, gesturing around, "You could live in a village and have an easier life, so why out here?" He asked, and you let out a small laugh.
"Because I want to. I am content, living here with my falcons and having the peace I need. I don't want anything else." Your tone was light, but Thorin could sense there was something else to it, but he could see that the topic was a sore spot for you, so he decided to drop it.
You sat in silence as the darkness settled across the camp, only the shuffles of Rosie's wings audible in the cool night as she continued to preen her feathers. Thorin kept a close eye on you, trying to figure out what it was about you that kept tugging at his heart, urging him to get to know you more. He kept repeating your words over and over in his head. "I am content. I don't want anything else."
Unbeknownst to Thorin, your brain was running in the same direction. He intrigued you, but you kept repeating to yourself over and over that he would leave in the morning and that he clearly had a more important goal in his journey. The thought didn't ease the urging sound at the back of your head to get to know him more.
Wattpad stopped working while I was in the middle of writing this and I had a partial heart attack when I thought I might lose the 700 words I had written from then on. I didn't, and here it is!
Also, thank you so much for 300 000 reads! I never expected to reach this number, and I'm flabbergasted that this is actually true. I love all of you so so so much!! I am super grateful for every vote, comment, and read and really hope that you have enjoyed what you have read.
Question: Is there a oneshot in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit oneshots- book that you would like to get a part two/three? Leave the name to me in the comments and I'll see what I can do.
(Little one part 6 and Mend 3 are already in the making, so those two are covered.)
Part 191.
Nine more parts to go!