Bilbo lay in the tent, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, so he simply threw off his covers and walked out.
"What's wrong? Do you need to use the restroom?" Bernal's voice suddenly sounded beside Bilbo, startling the small hobbit.
He looked over, and after recognizing Bernal, he relaxed, then stretched and said, "No, I don't need to use the restroom. Actually, I didn't eat much tonight. I just can't sleep, no matter where I lie, I always get poked by a dirty branch or a small stone in the dirt."
Meanwhile, the dwarves' snores came in waves, especially Bombur's, which sounded like thunder.
Bilbo gave a thumbs-up towards Bombur's location and showed Bernal a helpless smile: "And these snores."
Bernal sat by the fire, holding his knight's greatsword, his chin covered in stubble.
He patted the ground beside him and asked, "If you really can't sleep, come and keep watch with me. Maybe you'll feel sleepy after a while."
Bilbo thought for a moment, then nodded and walked over: "Alright."
He walked to Bernal's side, first spread a clean mat on the ground, and then sat down.
"Want some apples? Don't let anyone else see." Bilbo magically pulled out two shiny apples from his pocket and asked Bernal.
Bernal raised an eyebrow but didn't refuse. He took an apple and bit into it, the sweet juice flowing down his esophagus into his stomach.
This made Bernal much more energetic. He said, "Is it a habit of you hobbits to carry snacks with you?"
Bilbo also took a bite of his apple at this point and replied indistinctly, "Something like that. If you don't stuff some food in your pockets, they'll come in handy when you get hungry before mealtime."
Then, while eating his apple, Bilbo enthusiastically admired the night scenery he had never seen before.
Night fell, the Milky Way faded, and the road across the plain stretched out under the dim moonlight. The low chirping of crickets occasionally came from the grass by the roadside, sometimes mixed with the distant howls of wild beasts.
The night wind gently brushed, stirring Bilbo's clothes, and bringing with it a mixed scent of earth and wildflowers.
Then he squinted his eyes at the Old Forest in the distance, passed down through generations in hobbit tales; those trees didn't seem so terrifying after all.
Bernal noticed Bilbo's gaze and asked with a smile, "Do you also feel like there's something in that forest staring over here?"
Bilbo was stunned; clearly, he hadn't expected Bernal to ask him this question.
He replied, "No, I was just thinking that everyone I know talks about how dangerous the Old Forest is, but now I'm less than a few hundred meters from it, and I don't feel anything uncomfortable. As for the gaze in our direction, I think it's probably a wild beast foraging at night? After all, we have a fire, so it's normal for them to notice us."
Bernal smiled meaningfully: "If only it were just wild beasts foraging at night."
Bernal's words sent a shiver down Bilbo's spine. He pulled his thick clothes tighter and asked, "What do you mean by that? Is there anyone else besides us in the Old Forest in this area?"
Bernal narrowed his eyes and looked at the forest, saying, "It's hard to say, maybe the other party isn't even human."
Bilbo pouted: "What is this, a scary story time at night?"
Bernal merely smiled faintly, said nothing more, and changed the subject, asking, "So, what do you want to talk about?"
Bilbo said, "For example, about Arthur."
Bernal looked at Bilbo: "But I remember Arthur saying he told you all his stories, didn't he?"
Bilbo nodded: "Yes, but he left out many details. For example, what exactly is his relationship with Millison?"
Bernal looked surprised: "I never thought you were such a gossipy person, Sir Bilbo."
Bilbo shook his head repeatedly: "No, this isn't gossip. I'm asking very seriously. Sir Rogier's visit last time allowed me to fill in many details of Arthur's adventures. Therefore, I also want to know some aspects from your perspective that Arthur might not have focused on."
Bernal chuckled softly: "That's a very novel way to gossip, but unfortunately, I don't know the specific relationship between that female swordswoman and Arthur either. From my observation, Arthur regards her as a confidante, without much romantic interest."
Bilbo nodded in agreement.
"What are you two talking about?" A voice not belonging to Bilbo or Bernal sounded from behind, startling the former, causing the apple in his hand to almost roll to the ground.
Bernal, however, didn't react much; he had already heard the undisguised footsteps behind him.
"Hello, Sir Bernal." Bofur's smiling face appeared, greeting Bernal respectfully.
Bernal nodded, indicating for the dwarf to sit down as well.
Bilbo calmed his startled nerves and said, "Why aren't you asleep, Bofur?"
Bofur was surprised and said, "Of course I'm not asleep, Bilbo, it's my time to keep watch."
Bilbo said, "Oh? Is that so? I thought Sir Bernal was keeping watch alone."
Bofur said, "Besides me, there's Bifur. But Bifur and I just woke up and exchanged shifts with Oin and Gloin."
Then he looked up and frowned, saying, "But they both said they went to use the restroom, and they haven't returned for almost ten minutes. Even if they were taking a long one, they should be done by now."
Bilbo, however, didn't pay attention, merely quipping, "Perhaps they both ate something bad last night, which is why it's taking them longer."
Bernal, on the other hand, asked seriously, "They've been gone for so long, aren't you and Bifur going to look for them?"
Bofur nodded: "Bifur went to look for them, and I came to inform you, Sir Bernal. Just in case Thorin wakes up in the middle of the night and doesn't see Bifur and me, he won't know where we went."
Bilbo finished the rest of his apple and said, "I thought you deliberately came to eavesdrop on our conversation."
Bofur also nodded: "In fact, I did hear your conversation and that's how I found Sir Bernal here."
Bernal interrupted their conversation and asked Bofur, "How long has Bifur been gone?"
Bofur paused, "Not long, just about two minutes ago."
Bernal sighed, stood up, drew the knight's greatsword from its scabbard, and said to Bilbo, "Bilbo, go wake up Arthur. Bifur and the others might be in trouble; I'm going to help. Bofur, you come and show me the way."
Bilbo grew anxious and nodded quickly: "Alright, Sir Bernal."
Bofur's expression also became serious. He strode forward, holding a torch, following behind Bernal, and raised his hand to point in a direction closer to the Old Forest.
"Oin and Gloin, those brothers, went in that direction," Bofur said, "because they needed to relieve themselves, they looked for a more secluded spot."
After seeing this, Bernal suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and said, "So they walked towards the Old Forest. The only commendable thing is that they weren't foolish; at least they went together."
Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly appeared ahead. Bernal immediately shielded Bofur behind him, raising his knight's greatsword with one hand and pointing it towards the source of the sound.
"I'mna Bifur!" The owner of the footsteps had clearly seen the situation here, and dwarvish was spoken anxiously from his mouth.
Bofur immediately recognized his brother's voice and quickly explained the meaning of the other party's words to Bernal, but Bernal did not lower his greatsword until the other party's figure appeared within the torchlight.
Bofur explained, "Because my brother's head was injured by an axe, his mind is a bit off, so he can only speak dwarvish."
Then Bifur glared at Bernal, his beard bristling, and babbled a string of words in dwarvish.
Bernal couldn't understand and looked at Bofur, asking, "What is your brother saying?"
Bofur nodded to Bifur while replying, "He said he found Oin and Gloin's shoes and axes that had fallen off, but he didn't see them. Even stranger, there were no signs of a struggle at the scene, as if Oin and Gloin had suddenly vanished."
Bernal frowned, "What was the environment like at the scene?"
Bifur understood the common tongue, so he spoke to Bofur again in dwarvish.
Bofur, acting as translator again, said, "He said there were only a few willow trees at the scene, and no traces of other animals having been there."
Bernal almost laughed when he heard "willow trees."
Due to his height, he gently patted Bofur's shoulder and said, "I know where Oin and Gloin went. Come with me."
Bifur looked at Bofur in confusion. Bofur and his brother exchanged glances, deciding to follow Bernal and take a look first.
At the very least, they couldn't let Sir Bernal go alone. That's what they thought.
Bifur took another torch from Bofur's hand, while tightly gripping the one-handed battle axe at his waist, and cautiously followed behind Bernal.
The place where Oin and Gloin disappeared was not far from the camp, only about forty paces away. It was clear that they had indeed just wanted to find a more secluded spot to relieve themselves.
After all, no one wants to sleep smelling of urine.
Bernal looked at one of the oldest willow trees and said to Bifur and Bofur, "Raise your torches and look up."
The two dwarves obediently raised their torches as Bernal instructed, and then they saw a terrifying sight—the missing Oin and Gloin were tightly bound by countless willow branches, entangled in the tree canopy.
Oin and Gloin's mouths were also wrapped with willow branches. After realizing their companions had noticed them, they continuously made muffled grunts, their eyes almost shedding tears from excitement.
The scene of Bifur just walking away had made Oin and Gloin's hearts sink completely.
However, if Bifur had left even ten seconds later, he would have been caught by these strange willow branches and hung upside down in the tree canopy, just like Oin and Gloin.
Bofur covered his mouth, crying out in alarm, "By Durin, what are these?"
The willow branches slowly crawled over Oin and Gloin's bodies as if alive, making them twist their bodies in terror from time to time.
Meanwhile, the willow branches closest to the torch, sensing the light, avoided it like snakes.
Oin and Gloin's eyes seemed to desperately say, "Get us down quickly!"
Bernal understood the dwarves' pleading gaze, raised his greatsword, and with a flash of cold light, Oin and Gloin fell to the ground along with the severed willow branches.
Bofur and Bifur didn't even see Bernal's sword swing.
"Oh, that hurts."
Gloin nimbly scrambled up from the ground, rubbing his sore backside as he ran and spoke.
However, the willow tree that had suspended them began to shake violently after Bernal severed some of its branches. The entire tree seemed to be roaring in pain, causing the ground near it to tremble slightly.
Bofur and Bifur were rushing over to assist Oin and Gloin at this moment, and they felt the ground beneath their feet vibrating.
Bofur shouted in confusion, "Whoa, whoa, what's happening now?"
But his movements were not slow; he directly reached out and grabbed Gloin, pulling him backward.
At that very moment, the ground where Gloin had just been suddenly cracked open, and a massive, damp, soil-covered root snaked out.
Gloin looked at the root with lingering fear and exclaimed, "By Durin, this willow tree is like a farmer with hands full of whips!"
Bifur and Oin, however, were not as lucky as Gloin. Perhaps due to the previous failure, the two dwarves, Bifur and Oin, were subjected to more root attacks.
However, relying on the dwarves' innate mastery of body balance, they did not fall into the suddenly cracking ground, but instead skillfully dodged several attacks by stepping on emerging roots or raised clumps of earth.
It was at this moment that Bernal's strikes severed all those roots, saving Bifur and Oin.
"Oh, thank you so much! Although my hearing aid fell under this willow tree and I can't hear what you're saying, I still want to say thank you!" Oin shouted loudly at Bernal.
Bernal swung his sword again, and a few more branches were cut down.
The willow tree simply couldn't get past Bernal to attack the dwarves.
"Sir Bernal! The other trees seem off too! They just moved!" Bofur, hiding behind Bernal, noticed the other trees and warned him.
Gloin shouted, "They must be working together! These trees weren't that close to me and Oin just now! They're moving trees!"
But Bernal only quietly reminded the dwarves, "Lie down on the ground, and be careful not to be hit by my sword wind."
He felt no tension, his eyes calm as water, without a ripple.
He swung the knight's greatsword in his hand, and invisible vacuum blades shot out like sharp arrows towards the surrounding trees, cutting fierce trajectories through the air and instantly piercing through thick tree trunks.
Under the cutting of the vacuum blades, the trees were all severed at the waist, emitting roaring sounds.
"Oh, this is truly magnificent, Sir Bernal!"
Bofur and the others, acting as the hype squad, cheered joyfully.
The creatures in the Old Forest were not Ents, but rather beings called Huorns.
They might be Ents that had become like trees, or trees that had gained an "Ent-like" quality, or perhaps a combination of both.
They can be understood as a transitional state between trees and Ents.
It was previously mentioned that the hobbits' extensive logging in the Old Forest had angered these Huorns, so they mistook the similarly short dwarves for hobbits.