The ride for the next several hours was smooth, and a little while after the rain stopped the Company came upon the ruins of an old farmhouse. It looked as if it had been torn into by something very large and very brutish the way the roof had been ripped away with one and one half of the walls. Of the two brick walls remaining, there were several large gaps haphazardly created and still crumbling. There also seemed to be a puddle of dried blood in the grass, though Kali did not mention it aloud.

"We will camp here for the night," Thorin announced, raking his gaze over Fili, Kili and Kali, "Fili, Kili... Kali... Look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

Fili and Kili nodded, making their way to where many of the ponies were tied. Kali remained where she stood, watching. Listening as well, to Gandalf, "A farmer and his family used to live here."

Thorin ignored Gandalf, "Oin. Gloin."

Gloin looked up from his hands, "Aye?"

Thorin continued the intended orders, "Get a fire going.

"Right you are," Gloin nodded and turned to his brother. Together they got to work.

Gandalf spoke once more to Thorin, trying to grab his attention, "I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley."

Thorin glowered up at the wizard, "I have told you already I will not go near that place."

Gandalf frowned. Thorin was clearly getting on his nerves, "Why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice."

Thorin's glower deepened, fashioning his entire aire back into the one of a man who'd endured hell, "I do not need their advice."

But Gandalf was not phased, "We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us."

"Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the elves look on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father."

It is the Mirkwood elves you received betrayal from, Kali was speaking in her mind, too timid to tell this information to Thorin directly, Lord Elrond and the elves of Rivendell have no reason to be at the center of your quarrel with Thranduil.

"You are neither of them," It was very clear now that Gandalf's patience with Thorin was wearing thin, "I did not give you that map and key to hold onto the past!"

Thorin's voice was low. Warning, even, "I did not know they were yours to keep."

Finally having enough, Gandalf suddenly spun on his heel, stomping away from the Company. Bilbo, who hadn't been paying much attention, asked Gandalf as he passed, "Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only around here who's got any sense," Gandalf replied with contempt.

Still confused, Bilbo continued to ask, "Who's that?"

"Myself, Mr Baggins!" Gandalf barked, finally reaching his horse, "I've had enough of dwarves for one day."

Kali watched as Gandalf steered his horse away from the gathered Company. Her alone time was short-lived however, when Thorin saw her standing there, "Kali!" She jumped and turned to find Thorin less than a foot behind her, "Did I or did I not tell you to go look after the ponies?"

Kali couldn't help but raise a brow at him, "You did. However, Kili and Fili do not need a third set of eyes at the moment."

Thorin's nostrils flared a bit, "Get over there and help them."

Kali grit her teeth, a snide comment crawling up her throat. Before it could escape her lips, however, the little voice in the back of her head spoke up. Saying it will not prove your purpose to Thorin, "Very well."

Those two short words in a stiff, restrained voice was all she could make out before turning and seeking out the brothers. How dare he think of himself inferior to me? but then, the other voice spoke up, He thinks himself inferior to everyone because he is King, "Well as much as it may pain him to think," Kali spat, "He is not my King. He may have been Prince during mother's time but at the moment he's no Mountain and he's no Kingdom to rule over."

"Something the matter again?" Fili was at her side, "Some think others crazy when they begin talking to themself."

"I talk to myself plenty," Kali reminded him, "You know that from our short time together in Ered Luin."

"Short time together indeed," Fili agreed in a heartbeat, "You had been there an entirety of eight days, and suddenly I awake one morning and, from Odik, find you had fled."

"I enjoy travelling," Kali's tone had a bit of defensiveness to it, "If you wished for me to stay put you should have requested before you retired for bed."

Fili shook his head, "I wish not to keep you from your adventures, for those I am happy. It is my only regret that we parted on a bit of sour note."

Kali rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder as best she could whilst walking side-by-side with him, "All is well, Fili. You are completely forgiven."

"It should not be that easy," Fili patted the hind-end of a pony they'd passed, "To be forgiven for something like that, Kali."

"'tis not in my upbringing to hold grudges for long, Fili," she smiled warmly at Fili in an attempt to reassure him.

Kili stepped out from behind nearing bushes. His expression gave way the fact he'd been eavesdropping, "Erm... Fili?"

"What is it, Kili?" Fili frowned, immediately concerned with whatever was troubling the younger one.

Before Kili could say anything, though, he was interrupted by the arrival of Bilbo, balancing three bowls of soup on his arms as he stepped over a fallen tree, "Here you are."

"Follow me, the three of you," Kili turned on his heel without saying a word about the soup and led the way further into the thicket, eventually stopping in the center of the two haphazard rows of ponies, "We seem to have encountered a slight problem. We had seventeen ponies."

Kali did a quick headcount, "Now there's fourteen."

Fili stepped off and returned moments later, "Daisy, Minty and Bungo are missing."

"Well that's not good. That's not good at all," Bilbo's now worried gaze flittered between the three dwarves, "Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

  "Uhh... no. Let's not worry him," Fili forced a tiny small at the halfling, "As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it."  

Bilbo's gaze was now everywhere except the dwarves, and soon it fell upon a horizontal tree, "Well... uh...look, some--something big uprooted these trees."

Kili nodded once, "That was our thinking."

"Something very big, and possibly quite dangerous," Kali added as an afterthought.

"Hey!" Fili started, then began tiptoeing towards something, "There's a light. Over here! Stay down."

They all got ahead of Bilbo, but not by much. Soon the four were crouching behind another uprooted tree, peering into the distance. Looking closer at it, they realized it was a fire, and something from near it was laughing harshly.

"What is it?" Bilbo asked, setting the bowls of soup he refused to be-rid of on top of the tree.

 Both Kili and Kali narrowed their eyes, "Trolls."

 With a sudden, silent jump over the log, Kili, Fili and Kali were off again, making their way forward to get a better look. Bilbo began following, paused and then turned around to get the bowls once more. In the midst of getting to the others, Bilbo tensed up and was forced to duck behind a tree as a massive mountain troll making it's way back to the fire. He had a pony under each arm, and each pony was squirming and whinnying for someone to help.

 Bilbo leaned over and hissed at the other three, "He's got Myrtle and-" there was a small pause in which he looked back at the troll to see who else he had a hold of, but even then he didn't want to finish, "Nonoro."

 Kali gasped, "Nonoro!" Her voice was slightly louder than the other three would have liked. Bilbo had to remind her to be quieter, but her shrill response was none the quieter, but was what they were all thinking, "I think they're going to eat them! You have to do something!"

"Me?" Bilbo was shocked.

 Kili nodded enthusiastically, a plan clearly brewing in his head, "Yes! You! Mountain trolls are so slow and stupid, and you're so small."

 Bilbo had now begun furiously shaking his head, "N--n--no-"

 Kili's grin spread wider, "They'll never see you."

 "No, no, no," Bilbo was still insisting he not do his burglaring. 

How will he get any practice to face Smaug if he cannot even get past a couple trolls? Kali asked herself, "It's perfectly safe!" she told him, not knowing if it was actually perfectly safe for him or not, "We'll be right behind you!"

 The three of them took the bowls of soup (long since gone partially cold) out of Bilbo's grasp as Fili began whispering hurried directions at Bilbo, "If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl."

 With one last fleeting push of the confused hobbit toward the fire and the three trolls, the dwarves left before Bilbo could turn and question them further.