The Path Through Mirkwood: 9 - Hunger
Characters/Pairings: Fíli/Bofur, Thorin, Thorin's Company
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror
Warnings: Body Horror, Oviposition, Medical Procedures, Character Death, Hallucinations
Summary: The things Thorin’s company encounters in Mirkwood are beyond their worst nightmares. As Fíli’s uncle says, the faster they travel, the sooner they will leave the forest and all its horrors behind - if they manage to....
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit.
Chapter 9: Hunger
Fíli woke to Dori cursing in a way that made him wonder if Dori had picked up some foul language from Nori or if it had perhaps been the other way round years ago. Fíli wormed his way out of his bedroll and hurried over to Dori.
“What’s wrong?”
“There was some rye bread in this pack that I wanted to serve for breakfast and now it’s gone!”
Fíli opened his mouth but Dori anticipated his question. “Don’t you go asking me if I am sure that it was in that pack! I may only have taken over this task yesterday, but I know my supplies.”
“I just wanted to make sure,” Fíli said. He looked at the others who had gathered round. “Who was on watch tonight? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”
Dwalin and Ori came forward saying they hadn’t seen or heard anything unusual during their watches.
Kíli shifted from leg to leg awkwardly. “I’m afraid I fell asleep during my watch. I’m sorry.”
Thorin stepped forward from the back of the group from where he had been watching. “Need I remind you all that we keep watch during the night for a reason? There is nothing in this forest that is not potentially dangerous, which is why each of you needs to take their duty seriously. If you don’t, some bread going missing might look like nothing in comparison. I doubt any of you wants to be responsible for the deaths of your companions, am I right?”
They all nodded solemnly, Kíli looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him up.
They travelled quietly, not really in the mood for conversation. At noon, Bombur began snoring loudly and they briefly hoped it meant he could be woken from his unnatural sleep. Again, their hopes were dashed as all attempts to rouse him were in vain.
The remaining day passed uneventfully. That evening, they made camp in a small clearing that allowed them to see the sky through the trees for the first time in ages.
It must have been in the middle of the night when a rustling woke Fíli. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, moving as little as possible so as not to give away that he was awake. Shifting subtly, he saw that someone had opened one of the packs and was searching through it. The person found what he was looking for and began eating.
Fíli silently crawled out of his bedroll and walked over to the thief.
“What are you doing?” Fíli asked when he was standing over him.
The other startled, dropped the piece of bread to the ground and quickly wiped the crumbs from his mouth. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Fíli realised that the thief was Bofur.
“Oh, hello Fíli. I was just checking that all the supplies were still here. I wouldn’t want them to go missing on my watch, would I?” Bofur laughed.
Fíli shook his head in disbelief. “I saw you. You were eating.”
“Oh that,” Bofur said, smiling. “I had some food left over from dinner. I saved it for my watch so I didn’t go hungry. It was right here in my pocket.”
“Why are you telling me lies?” Fíli asked, despairing. “I saw you take it from the pack.”
“I’m just so hungry,” Bofur said. “And now that Bombur isn’t eating, I figured it wouldn’t hurt if I took his ration. After all, I am his brother, so it ought to go to me.”
Fíli shook his head. “The food isn’t one of Bombur’s belongings, it belongs to the group. You should know that. You heard the discussions the group had about the topic.”
Fíli turned away from Bofur, his mind whirling. In hindsight, he should have seen this coming, with the huge appetite Bofur had developed lately. Still, he had never thought Bofur would resort to stealing, even less when the group depended on the food. Bofur’s fairness had been one of the many reasons Fíli had been attracted to Bofur in the first place.
“Fíli?” Bofur asked softly and Fíli realised he had been staring into the night for a long while.
He took a deep breath, braced himself and turned back towards Bofur. “I’m sorry, Bofur. This is a matter that concerns the entire group. I have no choice but to tell Thorin.”
“Bofur shook his head. “Please don’t! I will do whatever you want. I was just so hungry. I’m your fiancé. Please don’t do this to me!”
Fíli swallowed. “Thorin isn’t unreasonable. It is because I am your fiancé that I cannot impartially make a decision. And like I said, this concerns the entire group.”
Bofur grasped Fíli’s hand. “Please don’t.”
Fíli looked away. “I’m sorry, Bofur. I have to do this.”
He pulled his hand out of Bofur’s and walked over to Thorin’s bedroll, relieved when Bofur didn’t follow him. Fíli knelt down at Thorin’s side and gently touched his shoulder.
“Uncle Thorin?” Fíli realised he had subconsciously reverted to the name he had called Thorin when he had still been a dwarfling.
Thorin sat upright and was awake within seconds. “What is it?”
Fíli swallowed. “I know who took the food.” He quickly recounted what had happened. When he was done, Thorin got up and went over to where Bofur still stood rooted next to the packs.
Bofur answered Thorin’s questions, admitting he had stolen the food out of hunger.
Thorin wrinkled his forehead. “The rations are small, but not so small that anybody needs to go hungry. Did you really eat that entire rye bread last night?”
Bofur shrugged and nodded. “I was hungry.”
Thorin sighed. “I’ll take over your remaining watch. I need to think. Go back to sleep.”
Bofur hesitated. “Can I eat the remaining piece of bread? There is dirt on it, so I doubt anyone else would want to eat it anymore and I’m hungry.”
Thorin shook his head in disbelief. “You do realise that the entire reason you are in this situation is because you have been stealing food? So no, you may not keep the bread you tried to steal.”
Bofur nodded sadly and returned to his bedroll. Moments later, they heard his snores join those of the other dwarves. Thorin stared after him, still shaking his head. “Is there anything else I ought to know?”
Fíli shrugged helplessly. “He has had quite an appetite lately. Bifur and I have been giving him parts of our own rations. I just never thought he would resort to stealing... I don’t know... maybe I misjudged him...”
Thorin patted Fíli on the shoulder. “Even the best of us can have moral lapses. Don’t be too hard on him or yourself. Passing judgement about the thefts is my task, so do not torture yourself over it. And try to get some sleep.”
Fíli nodded and turned to leave.
“Oh and Fíli,” Thorin reached out a hand to stop him. “I’m proud of how you handled this. I know it was not an easy decision to tell me, but it was the right one. Sometimes duty to the group forces us to make choices we would not have made for ourselves. You will one day be a good king.”
Fíli thanked him and hurried off. He carried his bedroll from where Bofur was sleeping to the space next to Kíli, where he lay the remaining night, tossing and turning. Praise from Thorin had never felt so meaningless.
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Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror
Warnings: Body Horror, Oviposition, Medical Procedures, Character Death, Hallucinations
Summary: The things Thorin’s company encounters in Mirkwood are beyond their worst nightmares. As Fíli’s uncle says, the faster they travel, the sooner they will leave the forest and all its horrors behind - if they manage to....
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit.
Chapter 9: Hunger
Fíli woke to Dori cursing in a way that made him wonder if Dori had picked up some foul language from Nori or if it had perhaps been the other way round years ago. Fíli wormed his way out of his bedroll and hurried over to Dori.
“What’s wrong?”
“There was some rye bread in this pack that I wanted to serve for breakfast and now it’s gone!”
Fíli opened his mouth but Dori anticipated his question. “Don’t you go asking me if I am sure that it was in that pack! I may only have taken over this task yesterday, but I know my supplies.”
“I just wanted to make sure,” Fíli said. He looked at the others who had gathered round. “Who was on watch tonight? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”
Dwalin and Ori came forward saying they hadn’t seen or heard anything unusual during their watches.
Kíli shifted from leg to leg awkwardly. “I’m afraid I fell asleep during my watch. I’m sorry.”
Thorin stepped forward from the back of the group from where he had been watching. “Need I remind you all that we keep watch during the night for a reason? There is nothing in this forest that is not potentially dangerous, which is why each of you needs to take their duty seriously. If you don’t, some bread going missing might look like nothing in comparison. I doubt any of you wants to be responsible for the deaths of your companions, am I right?”
They all nodded solemnly, Kíli looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him up.
They travelled quietly, not really in the mood for conversation. At noon, Bombur began snoring loudly and they briefly hoped it meant he could be woken from his unnatural sleep. Again, their hopes were dashed as all attempts to rouse him were in vain.
The remaining day passed uneventfully. That evening, they made camp in a small clearing that allowed them to see the sky through the trees for the first time in ages.
It must have been in the middle of the night when a rustling woke Fíli. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, moving as little as possible so as not to give away that he was awake. Shifting subtly, he saw that someone had opened one of the packs and was searching through it. The person found what he was looking for and began eating.
Fíli silently crawled out of his bedroll and walked over to the thief.
“What are you doing?” Fíli asked when he was standing over him.
The other startled, dropped the piece of bread to the ground and quickly wiped the crumbs from his mouth. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Fíli realised that the thief was Bofur.
“Oh, hello Fíli. I was just checking that all the supplies were still here. I wouldn’t want them to go missing on my watch, would I?” Bofur laughed.
Fíli shook his head in disbelief. “I saw you. You were eating.”
“Oh that,” Bofur said, smiling. “I had some food left over from dinner. I saved it for my watch so I didn’t go hungry. It was right here in my pocket.”
“Why are you telling me lies?” Fíli asked, despairing. “I saw you take it from the pack.”
“I’m just so hungry,” Bofur said. “And now that Bombur isn’t eating, I figured it wouldn’t hurt if I took his ration. After all, I am his brother, so it ought to go to me.”
Fíli shook his head. “The food isn’t one of Bombur’s belongings, it belongs to the group. You should know that. You heard the discussions the group had about the topic.”
Fíli turned away from Bofur, his mind whirling. In hindsight, he should have seen this coming, with the huge appetite Bofur had developed lately. Still, he had never thought Bofur would resort to stealing, even less when the group depended on the food. Bofur’s fairness had been one of the many reasons Fíli had been attracted to Bofur in the first place.
“Fíli?” Bofur asked softly and Fíli realised he had been staring into the night for a long while.
He took a deep breath, braced himself and turned back towards Bofur. “I’m sorry, Bofur. This is a matter that concerns the entire group. I have no choice but to tell Thorin.”
“Bofur shook his head. “Please don’t! I will do whatever you want. I was just so hungry. I’m your fiancé. Please don’t do this to me!”
Fíli swallowed. “Thorin isn’t unreasonable. It is because I am your fiancé that I cannot impartially make a decision. And like I said, this concerns the entire group.”
Bofur grasped Fíli’s hand. “Please don’t.”
Fíli looked away. “I’m sorry, Bofur. I have to do this.”
He pulled his hand out of Bofur’s and walked over to Thorin’s bedroll, relieved when Bofur didn’t follow him. Fíli knelt down at Thorin’s side and gently touched his shoulder.
“Uncle Thorin?” Fíli realised he had subconsciously reverted to the name he had called Thorin when he had still been a dwarfling.
Thorin sat upright and was awake within seconds. “What is it?”
Fíli swallowed. “I know who took the food.” He quickly recounted what had happened. When he was done, Thorin got up and went over to where Bofur still stood rooted next to the packs.
Bofur answered Thorin’s questions, admitting he had stolen the food out of hunger.
Thorin wrinkled his forehead. “The rations are small, but not so small that anybody needs to go hungry. Did you really eat that entire rye bread last night?”
Bofur shrugged and nodded. “I was hungry.”
Thorin sighed. “I’ll take over your remaining watch. I need to think. Go back to sleep.”
Bofur hesitated. “Can I eat the remaining piece of bread? There is dirt on it, so I doubt anyone else would want to eat it anymore and I’m hungry.”
Thorin shook his head in disbelief. “You do realise that the entire reason you are in this situation is because you have been stealing food? So no, you may not keep the bread you tried to steal.”
Bofur nodded sadly and returned to his bedroll. Moments later, they heard his snores join those of the other dwarves. Thorin stared after him, still shaking his head. “Is there anything else I ought to know?”
Fíli shrugged helplessly. “He has had quite an appetite lately. Bifur and I have been giving him parts of our own rations. I just never thought he would resort to stealing... I don’t know... maybe I misjudged him...”
Thorin patted Fíli on the shoulder. “Even the best of us can have moral lapses. Don’t be too hard on him or yourself. Passing judgement about the thefts is my task, so do not torture yourself over it. And try to get some sleep.”
Fíli nodded and turned to leave.
“Oh and Fíli,” Thorin reached out a hand to stop him. “I’m proud of how you handled this. I know it was not an easy decision to tell me, but it was the right one. Sometimes duty to the group forces us to make choices we would not have made for ourselves. You will one day be a good king.”
Fíli thanked him and hurried off. He carried his bedroll from where Bofur was sleeping to the space next to Kíli, where he lay the remaining night, tossing and turning. Praise from Thorin had never felt so meaningless.
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