After listening to Karl's account, Gandalf's eyes gradually lit up, and he was silent for a few seconds. Then he silently gave Karl a thumbs up, his expression saying: "I've learned something."
Karl chuckled. For someone like Thorin, this was the best strategy. To put it mildly, reality had not smoothed out Thorin's rough edges; he adhered to his principles. To put it bluntly, they hadn't suffered enough from harsh reality yet — they were still too green.
---
The camp was quickly set up, and a fire was lit to dispel the evening chill. But today, the atmosphere was noticeably different; the dwarves were not chatting and laughing as casually as usual. Instead, they kept their weapons close, and their gazes occasionally darted into the surrounding darkness.
Since noon, the company had only eaten dry rations, and everyone was looking forward to a hot meal. All eyes turned to Karl. Over time, he had completely won over their stomachs with his culinary skills. Now, they would rather go hungry and wait for Karl to cook than eat that dry, hard bread and salted meat.
Karl naturally noticed these expectant looks, smiled, and walked over to Kili. "Kili, may I borrow your bow and arrows? We're having barbecue tonight."
When Kili heard the word "barbecue," his eyes immediately lit up. He swallowed hard, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and saw saliva involuntarily dripping from the corner of his mouth. Then, without hesitation, Kili immediately took the bow and quiver from his shoulder and handed them to Karl with both hands.
"Use them freely! Do you want me to come with you? I'm a pretty good hunter too."
"No need, stay here and keep watch." Karl took the bow and arrows and checked the tension of the string. He slung the quiver over his shoulder, held the bow in his hand, nodded to Thorin and Gandalf, and headed into the depths of the forest. His figure quickly blurred in the firelight and eventually vanished into the thick bushes.
Everyone watched Karl leave, and no one doubted that he would catch prey that night. One night, when everyone was fooling around, Karl, despite being blindfolded, had easily found people hiding in various places. With such keen vision, finding a few prey in the forest at night should be a piece of cake.
---
Time dragged on slowly; the fire blazed brightly, and the dwarves sat around it, their stomachs beginning to growl with discontent. At first, they could wait patiently, chatting and checking their equipment. But as time passed, anxiety gradually built.
An hour passed, and Karl still hadn't returned.
"Grrrrrr..."
Throughout the camp, the rumbling of stomachs rose and fell, like some strange symphony. Bofur leaned against a tree trunk, clutching his stomach, and said weakly: "I'm starving... did Karl get lost?"
Fili shook his head: "Impossible. Karl has a better sense of direction than all of us."
"Yesterday at the crossroads, he pointed out the right direction to me at a glance."
"Then why hasn't he come back yet? It's been over an hour. Even if he only got one deer, he should have been done by now."
Kili looked anxiously toward the forest, unconsciously fiddling with a small knife in his hand. Thorin sat by the fire, looking somewhat weak. Hunger, combined with the strain of constant vigilance, had worn him down, but he refused to give in.
"Be patient! Karl said there are medium to large animals in this area, which might be why prey is scarce."
"He may have to go further to find his quarry."
This explanation was reasonable, but it did little to satisfy their hunger, and their stomachs growled even louder.
Thorin stood up and surveyed his companions. Most of them had stopped moving to conserve energy. Dwalin and Balin could still stand, but their complexions left much to be desired. Bilbo sat in a corner, hugging his knees, looking both hungry and cold.
Thorin asked: "Does anyone still have the strength? Could they go feed the horses?"
"The horses must not go hungry; we'll need them for the ride tomorrow."
After a brief silence, Bilbo raised his hand, his voice weak: "I... I still have some strength left, I'll go."
Thorin nodded, glanced at Bilbo's figure, and remembered Karl's warning. "Kili, Fili, you two go with him. Take your weapons and stay alert."
Kili and Fili exchanged glances, and despite their legs being weak from hunger, they still got up. Kili grabbed his sword, Fili took his axe, and Bilbo took out a few hay and bean cakes from his baggage and held them in his hands.
The three left the firelight and headed to the other side of the camp, where the horses were kept. The horses were tied to several trees, pacing restlessly and snorting loudly; they were hungry too.
"Come on, good boy, time to eat," Bilbo said softly, soothing a horse. He poured the feed into an improvised stone trough, and the horses immediately lowered their heads to eat. Kili and Fili stood nearby on guard.
Night had fallen; the moon was hidden behind clouds, and only scattered starlight gave a faint glow. In the darkness, the forest seemed eerie, leaves rustling in the wind as if something were moving.
"Do you think Karl will run into trouble?" Fili asked quietly, scanning the surrounding darkness.
Kili shook his head: "I don't know. But with Karl's abilities, he should be fine."
"He can send both of us flying with one kick, and we won't even feel pain."
"That's because he held back. If he went all out..." Fili said, touching his stomach.
He didn't finish his sentence because Bilbo suddenly let out a short cry. "What's wrong?" Kili immediately turned around, his hand on his bowstring.
Bilbo, pale, pointed at the horses: "Seven horses are missing!"
Looking more closely, the two men saw only nine horses near the tree where they had been tied, and a sense of foreboding rose in their hearts. They exchanged glances and simultaneously began to retreat, wanting to return to camp to report, but it was too late.
From the shadows, three enormous hands suddenly reached out. Each was the size of a washbasin, with fingers as thick as an adult's thigh. One hand covered Bilbo's mouth and lifted him up. Another grabbed Kili's arm, unable to break free. The last hand grabbed Fili by the neck, preventing him from crying out.
"Mmph! Mmph!" Bilbo struggled desperately, but the hand was as strong as an iron clamp. Kili tried to draw his knife, but his arm was twisted at a painful angle, making it impossible to reach his weapon. Fili began to strike the giant hand with his other free hand, but it was like hitting stone — no effect.
From the darkness came a low chuckle, like the sound of stones rubbing together. "Hehe... three little morsels..."
"The smell is pleasant... Dwarf meat is a bit tough... better than dry, tasteless farm meat."
"What is this little one...? I've never seen one before..."
From the shadows emerged three trolls; they were enormous, their skin as rough as tree bark, and a dirty greyish-brown colour.
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