Chapter Text
When Radagast had looked Bofur up and down and declared quite spontaneously, "Why you must be a kindred spirit!" before returning to his conversation with Gandalf, Bofur had not given it a moment's thought. They did seem to share a similar taste in clothing after all.
But now, now things were getting a bit silly...
The first bluebird to land on his head had startled him from a nap. Instead of flying away in fright, it peered down at Bofur from its furry grey perch and twittered merrily at him.
"Why, hello little fella, " Bofur greeted him rather cheerfully. "You must be one of Beorn's good folk. Are you here for somethin'?" Bofur's eyes roamed over the rolling grassy fields of Beorn's paddock. There was not a soul in sight, save for dragonflies dancing over yellow buttercups that swayed in the gentle breeze.
Bofur's wee visitor cocked its head to the side at the question. It chittered a little and then pulled at the grey wool under its feet.
"That be a no, then? Well, I suppose you may join me if you like. It's very peaceful here." Bofur shifted back against the sunwashed fence and closed his eyes, preparing to slip back into a restful slumber.
Then, he felt another small being land on his head. And then another.
One drowsy eye opened and rolled upward. Three little bluebirds peered at him. "Ah, I see you've invited your mates. Very well then." He sighed, closed his eyes, and focused on the warm feeling of the sun upon his skin.
Just as Bofur began to drift into sleep once more, the sweet melody of bird song filled the air, originating from his hat. And then a few more voices joined the chorus. Bofur gazed outwards unto the field and noticed that five more bluebirds were hopping towards him, twittering happily as they did so.
"Uh, well, lads? And um, lasses maybe? I really do like company, I do, but you see I'm quite knackered and this is such a lovely place for a nap..." The newcomers flew up and took their positions upon him, two settling into the valleys of his earflaps and the others working their way up his chest and shoulders.
A dun pony trotted up the dirt path on the opposite side of the fence. The birds flew up into the air in alarm and landed in a patch of grass not but a few feet from Bofur.
Bofur turned his head towards the noise and called, "Excuse me? Can you ask your friends here if they needed anythin' from me? I can't understand them, and they won't leave me be."
The pony stopped and regarded Bofur with a quizzical look before shifting into his human form. He snorted (rather like a pony Bofur thought in hindsight) and shook his head. "Don't be daft. They're just birds, is all. As if we'd want to be so small or frilly..." The man shifted back to a pony and resumed his course past the field.
After the skin-changer was gone, the birds resumed their places upon Bofur's body. Bofur sighed and resolved to just ignore them as he really desired a good resting in such...a delightful.....place........zzz.
"OY! Bofur! You know ye've got some birds upon you, lad?" The voice cut through Bofur's dreams like Glamdring through the Great Goblin's neck.
"For Aulë's sake, Nori... I was sleeping." Bofur whined miserably.
Undeterred, Nori shifted the leather bag upon his shoulder and then leaned forward to shoo away the bluebirds that were covering Bofur. The bluebirds landed upon the ground near Bofur's feet and chattered angrily at the strange dwarf that disturbed them. Pushing playfully at Bofur's head, Nori replied, "I'm going to pick some fruit in the woods. Seeing as how you're doing nothing, you can help me."
Grumbling under his breath, Bofur looked to his wee companions, who were still angrily twittering at Nori. "Looks like there will be no more peace for me today." He pushed himself to his feet and stretched his arms over his head. Yawning, he turned to Nori, "Alright, alright. I'm up, blast it all. Lead the way."
As he followed Nori over the fence, he felt something land on his head again. When he pulled his hat down to glance at the bluebird that puffed itself at him happily, he then spared a look behind him and noticed that seven bluebirds were following them down the lane into the forest. "Well, I'll be..."
{¤v¤} {¤v¤} {¤v¤} {¤v¤} {¤v¤} {¤v¤} {¤v¤} {¤v¤}