This is the prompt series that spawned from my multi-chapter cannon-based fic 'Soul Forge'.

It's not necessary that you read 'Soul Forge', though I hope you do anyway. :)

Prompts are always welcome- just leave me a comment!

One: Snowflakes

…

The first snowfall of the year is always a big to-do in the Blue Mountains, where Dis and her sons make their home. Fíli and Kíli are notorious for their playfulness, and their mother has always been amazed that so much energy can be contained in such small bodies.

Fíli is no more than twelve years old, but already he has learned the joys of winter play and looks forward to the snow from the first cool winds of autumn. Each morning, he rushes to the window and presses his nose against the glass, searching the skies for the tell-tale darkness of heavy clouds. It doesn't take long for his ever-present shadow of a brother to begin following suit- both boys in nightclothes and stocking feet, peering intently at the sky.

After weeks of fruitless weather-watching, the skies finally open up during the night, blanketing the mountains in a thick cover of white. When morning comes, Fíli is first to the window, rubbing his small fist over the glass to clear the frost away. He looks out the window, halfway through the sigh that has become his daily habit, before realizing the whiteness in front of him. "Snow! Kíli! There's snow!"

There is a shriek, followed by a loud crash, and the younger dwarf rushes into the room. "Snow!" Kíli throws himself bodily at the window, thumping against the cold glass with a delighted smile.

If the boys were given a choice, they would be out the door that very minute, but mother knows best and Dis is soon wrangling them to the table for breakfast. "Food first. Then we can get you bundled up to go outside." This earns her two identical pouts and Kíli's trademark puppy dog eyes. "If you lads keep pulling those pouts your faces are going to freeze that way. Now eat up." The boys attack their breakfast with vigor, stuffing their mouths and swallowing before they even taste the food.

"Done!" Fíli finishes first and pushes back his plate, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his sleep-shirt.

"Done too! Kíli mimics his brother's actions, then smiles excitedly. "Snow!"

"Alright, you monsters, let's get you into warm clothes." It takes a great deal longer to get them dressed then Dis expects, mostly because neither boy can seem to hold still. Thick woolen socks go under their boots, pulled far up their legs for added warmth. She layers them with shirts and thick sweaters, followed by their fur-lined coats and warmest mittens. Finally, she tops each head with a knitted hat and a kiss. "I do believe you'll be warm enough now." Dis stifles a laugh as Fíli moves towards the door, his tiny body round and awkward from all the clothing.

"I hafta pee." Kíli frowns, flapping his mittened hands to get his mother's attention. "Mama!" With a sigh, Dis begins unwrapping her son, and it is longer still before both boys are ready to go.

...

Outside, the sun glints off the snow as the boys take their first steps onto the virgin whiteness. The snow is the perfect kind of damp stickiness for molding, and it doesn't take long before both boys are happily rolling giant snowballs around the yard.

"Forts, Fee!" Kíli has his back pressed against a snowball almost as big as he is, pushing with his little legs to try and get it to roll.

"Good idea, brother! Then we can have a battle!" Fíli adds his weight to Kíli's and the snowball rolls several more times before coming to a stop with the others.

They mound the snowballs together, packing the damp snow into the joints with the precision of a dwarven craftsman. The sun is peaking in the sky by the time the boys deem their fort adequately built. The U-shaped structure stands just tall enough that the dwarflings can sit within it and not be seen, but not so tall that they will not be able to launch an attack when the time arrives. Once their garrison is complete, the two move on to rolling snow between their mittened hands to create snowballs. Fíli has the procedure down to a science, finding the perfect dampness of snow and packing it tight enough to be aerodynamic. Kíli's smaller hands do not lend themselves to snowball-making, and his first attempts crumble in his fists.

"Stupid snow!" Kíli pouts, kicking at the base of their fort with a booted foot.

"Hey now!" Fíli glares at him. "You don't have to be mean to our castle, just because you can't make a snowball."

Kíli makes his best puppy dog eyes at his brother. "Help, Fee..."

Fíli, unable to refuse his brother anything, sighs and scoops up a handful of snow. "Okay... First you need to find snow that is wet enough so it sticks together..."

…

By the time their Uncle Thorin comes over for supper, Fíli and Kíli have amassed a large cache of snowballs. Thorin walks up the path towards the house, pausing slightly to take in the inordinate amount of tiny footprints in the yard. As he walks past the snow fort, a stocking-capped head pops up and giggles, only to be pulled back down by a mittened hand. He takes a few cautious steps nearer to the fort. "Boys?"

SPLAT! The first snowball hits Thorin in the chest.

SPLAT! Another sails through the air and thumps against his arm.

Thorin thinks fleetingly that both of his sister-sons have abnormally good aim, before the next snowball lands square in his face. SPLAT!

"Boys!" Thorin roars, scooping up a handful of snow and rolling it between his hands. "Give up while you still can!"

"Never!" Comes the giggled replies as both dwarflings peek over the edge of their fortress.

SPLAT! A snowball lands atop Fíli's head.

SPLAT! The second hits Kíli in the shoulder.

"Uncle Thorin!" Fíli shrieks, as the cold snow slips down the back of his neck. Kíli takes one look at his brother and laughs so hard he tips over and has trouble righting himself again.

The battle is on in full now, both boys tossing snowballs as fast as they can, trying to hit their uncle before he can retaliate. Thorin alternates between pelting his sister-sons with snow and purposely missing, just to hear the boys delighted laughter. It doesn't take long for the youngsters to run out of snowballs and Thorin takes the opportunity to cement his victory, scooping up an armload of snow and dumping it haphazardly over the wall of the fort. There is a squeal, some not-so-quiet whispers, and then both boys crawl over the wall in defeat.

"You win, Uncle Thorin!" Kíli surrenders, shaking the snow (and his hat) from his head.

Fíli picks at the ice clumped in his mittens and shrugs. "We almost had you though!"

"That you did, boys." Thorin smiles. "Now why don't we head inside before your mother gets cross with us. I do believe it's supper time." Each boy grabs one of Thorin's hands and they tramp through the snow towards the house.

…

Dis helps them shed their damp clothing and sets them to eating the warm stew she prepared. Nothing seems to wear a child out quite like a long play out in the cold and soon both boys are wrapped in blankets, tucked close by the fire. Kíli's dark hair sticks up in a wild cowlick from his hat, and Fíli's nose is rosy from the cold.

"Can we play in the snow again tomorrow, mama?" Fíli asks through a yawn.

"We will see, my jewels." Dis smiles at her boys- each unique as the snowflakes they have been playing in.

"We have to beat Uncle Thorin." Kíli's words lisp around the thumb in his mouth.

"We will see." Dis says quietly.

Full bellies and the warmth from the fire have made the boys drowsy. They sit together in an overstuffed chair, Kíli snuggled down with his head in his brother's lap. Fíli's breath is soft and even, a contented smile on his lips.

...

A/N: After 'Soul Forge' ending the way it had to, I figured we'd start off with something light and fluffy. :) What did you darlings think of the chapter?
If you've got an idea for a prompt- leave it in the comments! It can be from the book, the movie, or even an idea about he boys growing up.