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English
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Published:
2015-02-15
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2025-06-29
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Hunger

Summary:

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit and hobbits eat seven large meals a day. However the Dwarves are unaware of this fact so when Bilbo goes into hibernation, it is safe to say they freaked out.

Notes:

First actual story on here and will be slow at Updating.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Bilbo Baggins was hungry. There, he said it. Well, if he was being more honest he'd say he was famished despite the meal the Dwarves had just given him. It was safe to say that when he expected to lack in food, it was only from missing a couple of meals a day, not most of them. As rations were constantly small and only served at a maximum of twice a day (if he was lucky) it seemed to be hitting him harder than the rest. Afterall, he normally ate seven full meals a day, not two small servings.

His stomach grumbled but he never asked for more. He was a respectable hobbit and never wanted to appear greedy and the other Dwarves never complained of hunger, even Bombur. So on he trudged through the cold, slick mud, eyes widened in hope of finding more food.

A few days later in their travels the ground cleared up and they decided to make camp near a slow moving stream. Fili and Kili were out searching for more firewood as they always seemed to be. Ori was covering his ears as Dwalin and Dori were fighting around him. Nori was sharping his blades while talking to Bifur. Bombur and Bofur were preparing dinner. Gloin was tossing pebbles into the river as Oin was fussing over a scratch on Thorin's face. Sighing, Bilbo rose and walked to Bofur.

"I'm just going for a walk," he said.

Bofur nodded, "Okay but be careful though. "

With that, Bilbo walked into the forest, ever eager to find more food.

It was quite by accident when he was walking back that he found some food. He tripped over and exposed tree root and landed face first in a pile of leaves. Groaning in pain, Bilbo slowly rose only to freeze when his eyes locked onto a peculiar patch of flowers right next to his head. How he didn't spot them before was a mystery but Bilbo was glad. He knew these flowers well and knew they were both edible and delicious. Hastily he jumped up and grabbed as many of the flowers as he could fit in his pouch before returning to camp just as supper was served.

Approaching the fire, he sat down slightly away from the rest of the company before being served and then surrounded by the Durin brothers. Bilbo looked between them suspiciously but they just smiled making Bilbo even more nervous.

"Mr Boggins-" Kili began.

"Baggins," Bilbo corrected for the umpteenth time.

"-we were wondering," Kili continued without missing a beat.

"Whether you could tell us about hobbit courting traditions?" Fili ended.

Frowning in confusion, Bilbo between their eager faces before sighing.

"I guess I could do that. "

Fili and Kili's grins expanded so fast that Bilbo started to regret agreeing.

"Hobbits don't have very complicated courting traditions, to be honest. It starts by one making a flower crown for the intended with the flowers they believe reflects the personality of the intended. If the intended agrees upon the courting he or she then offers to cook all seven meals for the hobbit the following day. Then it is just an exchange of gifts or stories until the intended proposes to the courter."

Bilbo looked up at the brothers once more, to find their mouths wide open.

"You have seven meals a day?!" Kili asked.

Bilbo frowned, "Yes of course we do. There is breakfast, second breakfast, elevenies, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and then supper."

The boys frowned before Fili noticed some flowers hanging out of Bilbo's pouch.

"What are those? What do they mean?" He asked curiously.

Kili leaned around Bilbo to see what Fili was pointing at.

"Master Boggins, are you courting someone?"

Bilbo turned a bright red before hiding the flowers once more. "No! I am not courting someone! These are for eating!" It was too late for Bilbo to realise his mistake as he watched their faces brighten.

"Can we please have some, Master Boggins?" Kili asked eagerly.

"NO,"

"So they are for courting. Who are you courting Master Baggins?" Fili asked thoughtfully.

"Is it uncle Master Boggins?"

Bilbo spluttered as he turned bright red, his eyes automatically darting to where Thorin and Dwalin were talking together. Admittedly, he did fancy the exiled king but he would never court him. Thorin hated his guts and had done nothing but try and send him home this entire journey.

"No, definitely not!" Bilbo managed to get out.

"So it's not uncle? He will be upset at that. Is it Bofur?" Kili continued.

Bilbo was very red by this point.

"I am not courting ANYONE!" He must of shouted a bit too loud as the entire company stopped to stare at him, even Thorin.

He watched sourly as Thorin rose from his position on the other side of camp and walked towards the trio.

"What is going on here?" Thorin asked authoritatively making Bilbo shiver which in turn made the brothers snicker. Thorin shot them both an icy glare before Fili spoke up.

"Master Baggins is courting someone and won't tell us who!"

Bilbo scrunched his face up on frustration and anger before spitting out, "These flowers are for eating and nothing more!"

"Then why won't you share them with us Master Boggins?" Kili piped in.

Thorin crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well- well I-" Bilbo began before Thorin interrupted.

"What our burglar is trying to say is that he was being greedy and didn’t want to share."

Kili looked hurt as he replied, "But- but Master Boggins? We share our food with you?"

Bilbo sighed and felt his shoulders drop. They were right, of course. They always shared the food equally among the company and it was not their fault that hobbits generally eat a lot more than Dwarves. Resentfully, he sort out the flowers from his pouch and handed them to Bofur who had risen to collect them. Bilbo watched as his flowers were evenly distribued among the thirteen Dwarves and himself. He almost cried in starvation as he looked down upon the two flowers returned to him from the entire meals' worth. Feeling completely depleted and empty with sadness, Bilbo munched on his flowers before preparing for bed, stomach still empty.

It was a fair number of days later, after the goblins and orcs and that shocking hug from Thorin, that Bilbo realised his system was slowing down. His cuts weren't healing at the right pace, his hunger was becoming less noticeable and his body appeared to be getting heavier. It took him a long time to notice this and then realise his body was going into hibernation.

It was safe to say that Bilbo's panic rose quite dramatically after that. Covertly and hastily, Bilbo started covering his feet and hands with spare rags and when they stopped for the night, he quickly added more layers to his body using his spare clothes. Hibernation could be stopped if he kept warm. Normally this cool winter weather would not affect his body so much but because of the lack of eating his layers of insulating body fat and slowly fallen away leaving him rather exposed to even the friendliest of weathers.

Bilbo thought about telling Thorin but decided against it. He had only just become useful in the eyes of the king and he didn't want to be a burden again.

This, however, quickly became impossible when his condition worsened throughout the night and into the following morning.

Bilbo was even slower than normal throughout the day, dragging himself at such a rate he could barely make out the rest of the company ahead of him. Realising he could not continue, Bilbo tried to prop himself against a tree before he promptly slid down it. Dizziness and darkness soon took over as he faintly heard Kili yell out his name in distress.