Bilbo should have counted himself fortunate that there had been an extra pony for him. The company had traveled long and far, with little to no breaks in-between. When it was announced by Thorin that they would stop for the night, he breathed a sigh of relief. After they'd eaten, everyone turned in for the night, but he could not sleep. Life on the road was so unlike what he was used to, and he found himself visiting his pony as a result of insomnia. “Hello, girl. That’s a good girl." Bilbo offered her an apple, then pet a hand through her chestnut mane. "It’s our little secret, Myrtle; you must tell no one.”

Kili was wide awake as well, and he was enjoying the company of both his brother and Saeril. The fire kept them comfortably warm, and he took notice of their burglar in the distance. "Suppose he'll want to keep her, once the journey is done," he remarked with some amusement, but then some terrible, unearthly shrieks could be heard from parts unknown.

Bilbo nearly jumped out of his skin, and he looked back to see if the others had heard it too. "What was that?!" So terrified was he that he abandoned Myrtle to regroup with the others, his eyes wide with fear. 

Kili was frightened himself, though seeing Bilbo so pale brought out his mischievous side. This was also an opportunity to bring some amusement to his godmother and Fili; he had the tendency to show off when he could. "Orcs," he answered lowly, and that one word was enough to wake Thorin, who had been dozing on the opposite side of the camp. 

Bilbo ran a hand through his curly hair, frazzled as ever. "[i]Orcs?[/i]" For the hundredth time that day, he regretted his choice to come. The creatures sounded positively awful; he did not wish to witness what came along with the scream.

“They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone’s asleep." Kili was fighting to keep a straight face; he knew this was a bit cruel, but Bilbo was such an easy target. "Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood." Once Bilbo's back was to them, he lost the mask of graveness and instead laughed with his brother. 

Thorin approached the four, his disgust evident. "You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

Kili looked to his uncle with a bit of surprise; he hadn't known him to be listening. "We didn’t mean anything by it," he protested quietly, his heart sinking. Losing Thorin's approval was a terrible feeling; one he'd felt more and more as of late. Why could he not seem to impress him?

"No, you didn’t." Thorin turned his back on them, then moved to overlook the valley below. "You know nothing of the world."

Kili fell quiet after that, for he had no way to defend himself nor to argue. It was true, after all. He knew nothing, and he'd only succeeded in showing how young and naive he really was. To hear his uncle so obviously disgusted was crushing, and he dropped his gaze, too embarrassed to look at his godmother or Fili right now. No matter how hard he tried, he never seemed to gain Thorin's approval, and it was a constant source of low self-esteem. Thorin's words were often taken to heart. Perhaps too much.