Returning Home: A Hobbit Fanfiction

Chapter 21 - Consequences

~~ Elena~~

Elena was sure they looked like zombies, staggering down the mountain and covered in blood as they were, squinting in the bright sunlight. Bilbo had dried blood covering his forehead, and she knew that the bandages wrapped around her head were rather loosely wrapped, and she was willing to bet that there was still some blood seeping through the bandages in the back. Her head was still hurting, but the fresh air and the water she was drinking helped immensely, which was a good thing considering their current situation.

The Company was gone.

She huffed out a sigh as she looked around the empty clearing, where she could tell that they had rested. Her time spent with the Bounders in the Shire meant that she had at least some tracking skills; and a group of fourteen dwarves and a wizard would have a hard time leaving no signs at all, particularly if you knew what you were looking for. She looked down at a scuff mark in the dirt that bore the mark of a boot she knew well. Most of the footprints had been obliterated, but this one was still somewhat noticeable.

"That's Celia's bootprint," she pointed out for Bilbo. "So we know at least she made it out alright." Her fist clenched reflexively.

Her sister most likely knew that she had disappeared by now, and probably believed that she was dead, along with the rest of the group. She flinched at the memory of Fíli reaching desperately for her, yelling her name. Her little sister and her next closest friend both believed she was dead, and she wasn't sure which thought hurt more - that Fíli had to believe he watched her die, or that her sister had to believe she never got to say goodbye.

"My guess is they moved on," Bilbo commented. "If Fíli thought he saw you die, and me go with you, then they probably wouldn't have waited for us. We'll need to go after them." He looked around the clearing. "It's probably an accurate enough guess to say that they went down the mountain, the only question is in which direction." He scanned the hillside, as if they might see the group in question  waiting for them. 

Elena nodded, taking another swig from her water skin. "It should be easy enough to tell the direction." She pointed at some marks on the ground, then further down the mountain. "The trail leads that way. We should get going, though. They're being followed by Azog, and we need to stay out of his way, if at all possible. If we get captured, there's no one to come after us." 

Bilbo nodded somberly, his fingers splaying out over one of his pockets. Elena eyed him, biting her lip. She was well aware of the fact that Bilbo now held the weapon of the dark lord, and had to restrain herself from commenting on it. The less Bilbo knew about the ring until it was time, the better. She didn't want him focusing on it anymore than necessary - or herself. She didn't know if she could be tempted by it, and she didn't really want to find out for herself if she could.

"Right. Let's get going," she said briskly, setting off down the mountain in a trot, following the general direction of the trail left by the others. "We'll need to keep moving if we want to catch them."

Bilbo hummed in agreement, easily keeping up with her, although she could tell after almost two years of living with him that he was distracted by something, most likely his head wound, as it looked rather painful. It seemed to have stopped bleeding, however, and they were in a hurry, so she let it be. Once they caught up with the others, Óin or Celia could look at it. 

They were fairly fit, particularly after the time they had spent journeying already, so they were able to keep the pace they had set for a good length of time, before they slowed down to a walk, eventually returning to their previous pace. Elena stopped every now and again to ensure they still had a trail to follow, but the Company had essentially gone straight in one direction, making it easier for them to track. They followed that routine for several hours, thus saving some reserves of strength for if they needed it later.