Prologue

40 years ago: The Fell Winter

A sharp, bloodcurdling howl startled Bilbo out of her peaceful slumber. She wrapped her small form tightly in her quilt, and shuffled quickly towards her parents' room, where she was sure she would find Bungo and Belladonna Baggins in their bed, as well as the warm spot between them open for her to snuggle into. Instead, when she had reached the table marking the half-way point from her own room to her parents', a loud thump against the door made her freeze in her tracks. That thump was followed quickly by another. This continued until the wolf (Bilbo knew that's what it had to be) on the other side of the door realized its tactics were futile, deciding instead to scratch at the door, causing it to rattle on its hinges.

"Mother?" Bilbo called quietly, for fear her voice would only provoke the unwanted visitor. When she received no response, she tried again, this time a little louder.

"Mother? Father?" Still, the young hobbit heard only the scratching at the door. Finally, the incessant noise ceased, and Bilbo was about to continue her way towards that cozy spot in the bed when the thump came again, this time followed by the splintering sound of the wood of the door.

"Mother!" Bilbo yelled this time, plastering her back against the wall behind her.

A series of slamming sounds joined the noise from outside, and Bungo and Belladonna stormed from their bedroom, each wielding a gardening tool like a sword.

"Bilbo, dear heart, are you-" Bungo began just as the door burst inward, wood chips flying in along with a large drift of snow and the biggest creature Bilbo had ever laid eyes on. The wolf stood snarling, glaring down Belladonna, who had taken a defensive stance in front of her family.

"Away with you, beast, or I shall have to take drastic measures," Bilbo's mother snarled back just as fiercely. The wolf gave no pause. It took a step forward, fangs bared. Bilbo's eyes widened at the sight of her father moving to stand protectively in front of his two darling girls.

"Bungo, dear-"

"Not now, love," he replied over his shoulder, stealing a quick glance at his wife, "I've gotten this rare wind of bravery and I don't intend to waste it. Now," he continued, "you, monster, will go back to wherever it was you came from, else I will have to use this gardening tool improperly, and Yavanna knows how I'd hate to do that." Belladonna let out a light chuckle, and Bilbo's eyes only widened further. As she clung to her mother's leg, something moving behind the wolf's left hid leg caught Bilbo's attention.

"Mother," she whispered, tugging softly on her mother's sleeve, then harder when she noticed what appeared to be a head of blonde hair peek out from behind the wolf's back knee.

"Mother! Mother, there's a child! Behind the wolf!" That caught Belladonna's attention, and, apparently, the wolf's as well. Its low growling stopped, and it turned its head to nudge the blond head in front of it. A fauntling, smaller than any Bilbo had seen that could walk, toddled into the space between Bungo and the wolf. Before she knew what was happening, Bilbo felt herself rising from where she was crouched, slowly making her way towards the young one. Her father noticed before her mother, who was still gaping at the blonde fauntling, which was trying to hide itself deep in the folds of its worn gray cloak.

"Bilbo!" he called, reaching to stop her but only coming back with a handful of quilt. The wolf began to snarl again, but the fauntling turned towards it, putting a gentle hand on the creature's muzzle and smiling. The snarling stopped. Bilbo continued her approach.

"H-hello there," she chattered to the little hobbit, which now had its full attention on her, eyes the deepest shade of blue staring directly into Bilbo's. She smiled.

"It's okay," Bilbo held out her hand, "I'm not going to hurt you, little one." At this, the fauntling gave her (for Bilbo was sure the little hobbit was a girl) own smile, gap-toothed and brilliant. She all but leapt into Bilbo's arms, and giggled out a "bye-bye!" When Bilbo and her family tore their gaze from the fauntling, the wolf was gone.

Bungo had somehow managed to put the remains of their red door back into place, just enough to provide a barrier from the cold until he could carve a new one. Bilbo was now sitting on the couch in front of a roaring fire, watching the fauntling flip gently through one of Belladonna's adventure books. Her mother busied herself in the kitchen with warm cider for them all.

"Do you have a name?" Bilbo asked, really getting a look at the little thing. She seemed normal, Bilbo mused, but she was missing one very distinct hobbit aspect: she had no noticeable hair on her feet. The fauntling shook her head 'no' at Bilbo's question, just as Belladonna walked into the living room with a tray of cider mugs followed closely by Bungo.

"Here, little one, drink up," Belladonna said, handing one of Bilbo's old fauntling-sized mugs to their new arrival. The little creature quickly took it giving it a sniff. She crinkled her freckled nose, but guzzled the warm liquid quickly regardless.

"Mother, she doesn't have a name, or, by the looks of it, a home. What are we going to do?" Bilbo felt panic rise up in her chest. This little creature was lost, likely alone in this big old world, her parents' lives likely claimed by the very creature who delivered her to Bag End.

"Well, now," Bungo hummed, rising from his place on the couch, blowing smoke rings from his pipe, "if she's going to live here, she's going to need a name. But first, let's get this damp cloak off of her." Bungo reached towards the fauntling, but, before he could remove her cloak, the little creature squeaked, fanning her garment around her like wings. Bilbo gasped.

The inner lining of the cloak started deep red in the towards the lining, and grew slowly more golden on its way towards the center.

"Like a montbretia blossom," Belladonna mrmurmed, a smile clear in her voice. The fauntling blushed and giggled.

"Then Montbretia it is, my love," Bungo said, his gentle smile coaxing one out of Bilbo as well when the information dawned on her. She was going to be a big sister!