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They were all looking at him, waiting for answers: answers which he had to contrive and make seem sincere. Lying was hardly new to him, and Kun was accustomed to putting on an act, especially for authoritative figures, but he could hardly breathe now for reasons beyond the blow to his chest. There was another dwarf, though the “defenders” still seemed to be much fewer in number than before. Another dwarf! If this one was as crazy as the other…
The strange dwarf and the girl seemed skeptical, which both infuriated and frightened him. But there was no way they would not follow him to save their hobbit friend…not this kind of people.
It was hardly convincing, though, his story of “fighting off” the wargs with Toby. Kun did his best not to show any anger as he tried to imagine what was going through Lea’s and the dwarf’s minds. The way the dwarf looked at him…it was with disgust. They thought him a coward. They hated him for wanting to survive. They thought him a coward, but he knew he was smart.
“I…” Kun lowered his head, hiding the anger in his eyes, and making a show of sadness and shame. His fists were clenched, but at least any anger could be assumed to be directed at himself. “I…ran. I did. I abandoned him.”
He began pouring emotion into his voice, and allowed his body to shake with his fear. “I was scared, I…I was never ready to defend anyone, I should never have come. I have only failed the town, failed you…and…and Toby.” He practically sobbed.
“I just hope it is not too late to do something about it. To rectify what I have done.”
Kun paused as his eyes glistened with tears. He had often used tears to get out of trouble. Everyone thought him pathetic, wimpy, girlish anyway, and he was always about using things to his advantage.
“I should have helped him then and there, but…I will help him now, though I need your help.”
His gaze was pleading but contained determination as he looked up at the others and pulled himself to his feet.
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