Far from the sea and the mountains there was a peaceful valley of rolling hills and babbling brooks, the land safe from the dangers of the world. On one side was a vast forest, fog always a constant within the trees. They say all those that wander in will never wander out, forever becoming lost. On the other side was a wide river, the flowing waters much too fast to cross by oneself. This valley was called The Shire, the peaceful home of the Hobbits.

Hobbits were short compared to the other races, often being mistaken for the children of men. They were often called Halflings, but any hobbit would tell you that they were half of nothing. To outsiders Hobbits had no secret language like the Dwarves or longevity like the Elves, there was nothing special about a Hobbit. When asked most Hobbits give a secret smile and turn the conversation to another topic. It's done so masterfully that most don't realize that their question was never answered in the first place.

Now from one Hobbit to another the conversation takes a different turn. See Hobbit's have a secret that no one but another Hobbit know about. They had the ability to change their skin. A gift from Yavanna, the mother whom created them. She gave them the gift to change their skin into that of an animal to protect themselves from danger during their Wandering Days.

Not long after a hobbit is born, they will change their skin for the first time. Most hobbits will change into a small rodent or bird, often taking after one parent. The first change was an indication of what their personality would be like, if they would be adventurous and search for fairies or if they would be quiet and prefer to stay indoors.

The second change would come when a hobbit came of age, the shift happening shortly after their 33 birthday. Now this shift would be different from their first, often being a bigger animal. Hobbits never would shift into a large predator, never needing the larger form. The Shire was a peaceful place, never having seen war or famine.

This brings us to a hobbit hole in Bag End where Belladonna Baggins was just giving birth to a baby girl, Bungo Baggins pacing nervously in the drawing room. His nails had long since been bitten down, fingers running through his hair. Belladonna gave a final scream, the wail of her daughter joining her shortly after. The midwife came from the master bedroom, a small bundle held in her arms.

"Here is your daughter. She has been named Donnabell." Bungo took the bundle carefully, letting the midwife instruct him on how to hold his newborn daughter. He moved to his chair, cradling the small body against his chest. The midwife gave a short nod before leaving the room to back to Belladonna.

Bungo looked down at his daughter, a smile spreading across his face. He was so happy right now. His daughter had a small tuff of auburn hair atop her head, face scrunched up and eyes closed. She had Bella's nose and his cheeks.

"Hello my dear daughter. Welcome to the world. We have waited for you to join us anxiously. You will be loved and cherished." He whispered to her, giving her a light kiss on her forehead.

Across Hobbiton another baby was being born, Lily Took giving birth to her fifth child. Brom Took sat in the kitchen with rest of their children, Berylla and Folco sitting quietly at the table and coloring. Dal and Petal had change into their other skin, a small sparrow and dormouse playing atop the table. The sparrow gave a little twitter, flapping his tiny wings and hopping around with the dormouse scampering after, little squeaks coming from her. Brom kept an ear toward the master bedroom, wincing every time his wife let out a scream. He gave a sigh of relief when a baby's cry filled the home instead of Lily's screaming. The midwife came out, humming a small tune to the bundle in her arms.

"Another daughter." The midwife gave him the newborn, fusing at Dal who tried to fly by jumping off the table.

"Did Lily name her yet?" He asked, running a finger down his daughter's cheek. She gave a little snuffle, eyes cracking open.

"Yes. She named her Hollyberry." The midwife put Dal at the center of the table before turning and leaving the room.

"Petal, Dal, shift back. Come meet your new sister." He sat back in his chair, Berylla and Folco already crowding around him to see Holly. With a ripple, Petal and Dal became hobbit children once more, jumping from the table to crowd around their dad with their siblings.

"She's so small." Dal commented, poking at Holly's cheek. The newborn gave a little cry, upset at the sudden touch.

"Of course she's small, she was just born dummy." Berylla said, giving her brother a scathing look. Dal went red in the face, ready to yell back but a look from his father stopped him. He muttered under his breath instead, sticking his tongue out at his older sister.

"Can I hold her Papa?" Petal asked, standing on his foot to see Holly better. Folco sat on his father's lap, sucking his thumb.

"Not at the moment. Let's wait until she's a little bigger." Brom gently told his oldest daughter, rocking Holly gently.

Holly and Donna had their first change shortly after they were born, Holly shifting first with Donna following a few days after. Holly took after her mother, her first shift being a bunny. It started as a normal day, Brom got up early to cook breakfast, Berylla joining his shortly after. She always helped him make breakfast, waking not long after the sun rose in the sky. Dal, Petal, and Folco slept till their mother came to wake them, Petal being the hardest to wake. She would roll back over, dragging the blanket over her head and glare at anyone who tried to take it from her. The smell of breakfast would get her out of bed, a little blanket monster shuffling down the hall to the dining room.

Lily held Holly in one arm, Folco's hand in the other. They had just sat down to eat when Dal let out a little shriek. Where his sister had been now was a tiny bunny, nose twitching and making tiny distressed sounds. Brom looked to his wife, lifting an eyebrow.

"I blame you." He told her jokingly, the air rippling around his wife. Another bunny joined the smaller one, Lily's fur being darker than her daughter's. She was able to calm Holly down quickly enough, coaxing her daughter to change back after many minutes.

It was three days later that Donna had her first shift, one moment sleeping peacefully in her crib, the next she was a screaming baby bluebird. Bungo and Bella rushed to their daughter's room, Bungo more frantic than his wife. She gave her husband a reassuring look before turning into a bluebird herself and worked to calm their screaming daughter.

Holly and Donna grew like all hobbit children, surrounded by family and love. Holly spent her days with her cousins and siblings, Donna usually joining them. They would run though the woods and fields in search of fairies and elves, sometimes daring each other to go into Rushock Bog. Both girls would come home to their parents covered in dirt with leaves and twigs in their hair. Donna looked like a mini copy of her mother, dark auburn hair and hazel-green eyes whereas Holly looked more like her father, pale blonde hair and light blue eyes. Everything was good, the Shire filled with the happy laughter of children and the bustle of hardworking hobbits.

But that would soon change. A winter unlike any before swept through the Shire, snow blocking doors and freezing winds near lifting Hobbits in the air. It was so cold the Brandywine River froze completely over. Soon after that the wolves came, the winter starving them and driving the large predators in search of anything to eat. With the wolves also came Orcs, the vile creatures riding their wargs, killing many Hobbits and forcing the rest to hide away in their homes trying to wait out the winter and hope they didn't starve. Belladonna Baggins would travel her sister's home each day, bringing home food for her starving daughter and husband. Donna would beg her mother each day not to leave, waiting anxiously by the window for her mother to return when her begging did not work.

Each night doors were blocked, windows shut tight and locked. The wolves were desperate for food, throwing themselves against doors and windows to get to the Hobbits inside. Holly would huddle with her siblings in front of the fireplace, hands over her ears to block out the howling.

One day, as Holly was playing with Folco, they heard a terrible screaming. The sounds were followed by squishing and crunching. She shared a grim look with her brother, both knowing that another Hobbit had become a meal to the wolves and Orcs. It was a long winter, seeming to on forever, but finally the snow began to melt and the river started to thaw. Many funerals were held once the weather was warmer, so many Hobbits having died from the wolves or starvation or Orcs.

Donna had lost her mother, Bella leaving one day and not coming back. The young Hobbit had ignored her father's warnings and went out into the snow to look for her. Find her she did, but Bella was no longer alive when she did. Wolves were already eating away at her, hardly anything left of the once adventurous Hobbit. Donna had to hide herself up in a tree so the wolves would not get her as well. She was never the same after that day. Her father seemed to withdraw into himself, a shadow of his former self. The loss of his wife causing him to die from heartache not long after Donna became of age.

The Fell Winter it would be called, most Hobbits refusing to speak of the dreadful time. Holly and Donna grew, no longer as joyful and happy as they once were. Donna was quiet, mostly reading while wrapped in her mother's coat, tears long since dried on her face. Holly would sit with her grandmother and knit, making blankets, scarves, mittens, and any kind of heavy clothes. She didn't want to be caught unaware again.

When the two Hobbits came of age, they got their second shift. Donna was ashamed of her second animal skin, refusing to tell anyone what she had become. Bungo would become tightlipped whenever anyone asked him, shaking his head and walking away quickly. Holly took one look in the mirror at her second animal skin before changing back and crying loudly. Many Hobbits had a second shift that they were ashamed of, the harsh winter causing the peaceful race to take on shifts that would better protect themselves. So many shifts of this variety had not been seen since the Wandering Days.