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It's winter again in Erebor, the gates are closed and the dwarrow have stocked up on food. The dwarrow think they know what to expect from bilbo this year. They fully believe they won't freak out this time.
However Bilbo might have forgotten to mention something to them
Now last year Bilbo's hair turned white because hobbits have evolved it to hide from predators. But that's not the only thing that they have evolved to do… hobbits also hibernate
Every winter half the hobbits hibernate while the other halves hair turns white to hide them. They have evolved to do this so there's less mouths to feed during the winter. Each year the hobbits switch which group does what. And this year is bilbos year to hibernate…..bilbo is not a good communicator
Now bilbo does not want to hibernate this year; he knows there's no reason to not here. So he refuses to let his body and mind go into hibernation mood. Bilbo is just hoping his dwarrow dont exhaust him so he doesnt sleep..
It was hopeful thinking on his part
It all started with a fight, because of course it did.
Sometimes he hates how stubborn his dwarrow can be
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Bilbos POV
“Thorin! You can't stop me from walking around the mountain! I don't need a guard every time I walk out of your sight!”
Thorin my beloved my STUPID stubborn dwarf yells back “I can! I'm the king here! You will do as I say!”
I grumble under my breath and I stomp off out of our room. My dear husband apparently wants eyes on me at all times
WELL THATS BULL SHIT IS WHAT THAT IS!!
I stomp down the halls, I notice one of the younger guards following me and I growl lowly. Dwarrow are not good at sneaking around…unless your nori or maybe fili when kili is not around. But this young dwarf is making the loudest footsteps ever! Of course they already have someone following me!
I turn a corner and I put on my ring so that I can turn invisible and out of the sight of all the dwarrow
I yawn
I can hear the young dwarf freaking out when he cant see me anymore and i hear him yelling for dwalin but…i cant focus…
Damn it…. I can feel my body moving on its own. Towards the door to the mountain. I can feel my hands opening the door and slipping outside
My feet hit the cold grass outside. My body takes me to the side of the mountain and I start digging. My brain turns off once i do
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Bilbo digs and digs until there's a hobbit sized hole in the ground. He crawls in and buries himself down there. The only thing above the dirt is the end of his fuzzy tail. His cooper hair bleeding in with the fallen leaves and grass
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Thorins POV
I run through the mountain looking for my hobbit. Dwalin came running shortly after my fight with Bilbo yelling about how the guard we had follow our trouble maker hobbit came to him near tears about loosing him.
Everyone in the mountain is now searching for him.
I'm near the throne room searching for him in the spots he hides the most when Bifur runs over and yells “the front door is open!” (he is speaking Khuzdul)
Me and Bifur run to the main gate where the rest of the company is standing. We all quickly rush outside while the rest of the guards and other workers search inside. We all spilt up
Me and Kili are running around the side of the mountain “BILBO!!....BILBO!”
I dont know kili stoping right away only once im a few feet away do i notice he had stopped
I run back over to him “what is it?” “Look at the ground there…..is…is that his tail?”
I look over to where he's looking. Kili has always had sharper eyes than most of us.
It takes me a bit but I eventually see it. I run over as kili yells for the others. I kneel on the ground moving the leaves to find his tail…sticking out of the dirt. The dirt has most definitely been disturbed as well
“Kili….. What?”
Kili looks over my shoulder and he yelps in confusion “....is…is uncle bilbo…under the dirt?”
Soon the entire company is circling our hobbits tail looking down at it in confusion. Gloin reaches down to move the dirt when suddenly a large hand grabs his. We all look up in alarm when we see Gandalf “you must not mess with him”
I stand up “what is going on here?! Why is our hobbit underground!?”
Gandalf sighs “he's gone into hibernation. Each winter a group of hobbits hibernate while the other half hide using their white hair. It's so there's less mouths to feed when there's likely to be less food. This year is his year to hibernate and i believe he was trying to force himself not to which tired himself out forcing his body to do so anyway”
We each stare at the hobbit tail that doesn't move. Ori looks up at gandalf “how…how long is he gonna be down there? Is there anything we can do?”
Gandalf nods “he will be down there until spring. The hair on his tail will go white to better blend in with the snow so it will be more difficult to see him so I'd recommend cornering off this area so no one comes over here and bothers him. Hobbits can't be woken up once they are in hibernation otherwise their minds may become damaged due to the force awakeness. If I remember correctly one of bilbos cousins was forced awake and now has trouble walking due to his mind being unable to focus on it. I think he also is known for falling asleep anywhere even when he's standing”
I look over at Bifur who is staring at the ground bilbo is under in shock and determination.
Oin speaks up, very worried for their hobbit “....how can he breathe under there? What if he starves? What if he suffocates!"
Gandalf shakes his head “no need to worry about those things, hobbits slow their breathing down so much that the little air in the dirt is enough for them. His body will conserve any and all fat to keep the body alive, plus with them in this state their bodies need less nutrients. And he won't suffocate because the way hobbits sleep when hibernating is they curl their bodies into a ball to block their faces from their dirt”
I nod hearing that. I look down at the tail “...what will need to do when he wakes?”
“He will need to wash up since he will be covered in dirt but I would prepare a ton of food since he will be very hungry. Also his hair will get much longer while he's down there.”
I sigh…..i want bilbo
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Months pass with much slowness or at least that's what it feels like in the mountain.
Without their hobbit all the dwarrow in the mountain not just the company were feeling oddly dull
Meetings are more angry, the kitchens feel less energetic and lively, the halls quieter, hostility with the elves grow worse without their mediator, Bifur hearing what might happen if bilbo is forced awake has taken it as his personal job to make sure no one gets near bilbos place of rest.
So when spring time came everyone was excited. The kitchens started preparing a feast for when bilbo awoke. Kili and fili are sitting at bilbos little area at the distance just waiting
So when suddenly a small hand came out of the dirt Bifur, kili and fili all help him out of the dirt. A nearby guard sees and yells and runs to let everyone know Bilbo is awake.
Bilbo yawns as he sits in the grass before looking around “food…”
Bifur can't help but snicker at that as he wipes the tears from his eyes at seeing his friend again.
Bilbos hair is longer just like Gandalf said it would. When he went to sleep it went to his chin but now it's past his shoulders. There's white streaks in it just like there was last spring.
He is absolutely covered in dirt too.
Before kili and fili can help him up Bifur picks him up and puts him on his feet, steps a few steps back and then makes a motion for bilbo to walk towards him, bilbo looks at him confused but walks over to him after getting his balance back.
Bifur looks pleased and hugs bilbo. Bilbo just smiles and pats bifurs head.
The rest of the day is pure chaos in all the best ways. Seeing their hobbit back everyone's moods immediately brighten. Once bilbo is washed and changed, his new longer hair is braided and cleaned out by thorin and dori. Bilbo is taken to a huge feast where he is repeatedly tackled by dwarrow.
Afterwards him and thorin head to their bedroom.
Thorin holds him tightly and doesn't let him go. Bilbo sighs “thorin …honey…What's wrong love?”
“....you scared me…. You just disappeared after the fight….I thought you had left”
Bilbo hugs thorin tightly “i wont leave you love, im sorry I forgot to mention about it”
“..... i hated it…not having you here”
“...oh honey…come on ill give you all the cuddles you need”
Bilbo and thorin stay in bed all day the next day just cuddling