Chapter Text
You watched over them briefly as they did this before sheathing your sword, and walking away from the gathering to a shredded pack that lay upon the ground just ahead of you.
“You’re not actually leaving, are you?” came a quiet voice that was branched away from the others. You did not need to look to know that it was the hobbit who spoke as you slung your bag over your right shoulder. “You could wait until morning?” he suggested, sounding hopeful. “At least then you could see! There’s no sense trudging around in the dark, eh?”
His voice was lighthearted, but it showed nothing for his exterior. You could see quite clearly that the little hobbit was anxious. Whether by your predicament or something else entirely, his nervous fidgeting as he rocked on his heels and pulled at his suspenders had shown you that he was troubled.
“Go back to the others,” you said, looking at him and holding his gaze. “Your concern is better placed elsewhere.”
Confusion appeared on the little hobbit’s face, but before he could question the meaning of your words a voice had called out to him for assistance. “I-I’ll be right there,” he had answered, briefly looking towards the others, but when he returned his sights to follow up with his question, there was only the darkness that greeted him. You were nowhere to be seen and he would not have the nerve to find you as he stared into the tree line.
“Come on, Bilbo!” called Bofur. “We need your help over here!” A hand clamped over Bilbo’s shoulder, startling him. “Hey, you alright there, lad? Didn’t mean to scare you...”
The hobbit shook his head as he looked at his fellow companion. “N-Not at all,” he said, mustering a grin. “I-I was just—um…” He tried to look for a response, but the look on his face could not fool the dwarf.
“He’ll be alright,” said he, gesturing his chin towards the trees. “He’s a warrior. He can take care of himself.” With an encouraging pat to the hobbits back, Bofur was off, but not without urging him to follow.
“It’s not him I’m worried about,” the hobbit muttered to himself before giving one last look into the trees and following after the dwarf.
You listened to this interaction from behind a nearby tree, and waited until their footsteps faded before peering in their direction. Although it was dark, the moon did shine, illuminating your former companions as they worked through the mess of the camp. It brought you guilt seeing this unfortunate struggle. You felt as though you were betraying them, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth, and a truth they would learn of soon enough…
Without any further hesitation, you bound through the darkness, leaving behind those who had been your friends.