FURKHITH
Disclaimer: Tolkien would be spinning in his grave if he knew fan fiction for his books was around. This is a Hobbit fan fiction, and I obviously don't own the characters in this story.
A/N: My knowledge of Hobbit and Dwarven behavior is going off what Tolkien says in The Hobbit, the movies, and the LOTR trilogy. This is set before the Company enters Mirkwood, but after they escape the Misty Mountains. Also, Furkhith is Dwarvish for "Life of All Lives." Thanks to Princess Shania for that information.
Bilbo Baggins had a squeamish side. Especially when it came to the sight of blood or anything else to do with the insides of one's body. Before he'd gone on this…adventure, he thought with some regret, he'd been quite fine with never knowing the details of how animals were skinned or gutted or otherwise generally killed in order that they might be cooked afterwards. That had been, in his opinion, something a gentle-hobbit such as himself didn't concern themselves with.
So naturally (to Bilbo's mortification), Bombur had chosen to skin, then proceed to gut and clean, a nice fat rabbit that Kili had shot earlier that day directly in front of one Bilbo Baggins, without bothering with the courtesy of asking him if he minded seeing such a sight. Which, of course, he did mind seeing, judging by the wave of nausea that was going through his body the longer he watched. Poor Bilbo was used to receiving his meat, when he chose to eat it at all, already skinned and ready to cook, courtesy of the butcher himself. By the time Bombur was done skinning the rabbit, Bilbo Baggins had excused himself from the rest of the company, his face ashen as he walked into the thicket of trees next to their camp.
After dislodging the contents of his stomach(which was not a lot to begin with), Bilbo made his way back towards the glow of the fire, hoping that no one had heard him doing such a thing. That, he decided, would have been the end of his unwanted reputation as a thief, and his reputation in general. He was greeted when he returned to camp by the smell of roasted rabbit, and a wooden plate with just that was shoved into his hands by Fili, who gave him a sunny look. Feeling that it would be beyond rude to refuse to take the plate, no matter what his stomach thought on the subject of rabbit at present, Bilbo thanked the Dwarf prince with a thin smile. After several minutes of shuffling his rabbit around his plate with his hand, Bilbo wondered if it were possible to feel sicker than before just by the mere sight of the rabbit in front of him. "Lad? You ok? You look mighty pale." A surprisingly gentle-sounding Dwarvish voice asked, causing Bilbo to look up from his plate. Seeing it was Dori, Bilbo frowned without thinking, not wishing for anyone to know he was disgusted by the sight of a rabbit being skinned and thus not eating.
Years of experience as an elder brother had given Dori time to learn when someone was uncomfortable about a subject, and he could see all the signs in Bilbo's pale, fearful face and eyes. It worried Dori to see Bilbo not eating; it was a clear sign to Dori that something was not right.
"Lad, tell me what's wrong. You've barely touched your food, and we know you barely get any thanks to Bombur" Dori said calmly, gesturing to the fat Dwarf with a grunt of annoyance. Bilbo looked down at his plate, refusing to reply. He figured if Dori learned that he couldn't stomach the sight of a rabbit being skinned, the Dwarf would tease him and tell the whole company that their burglar was a weakling. That was something Bilbo refused to let happen, even if it meant resisting Dori's piercing look that made him feel like a tween again. His resistance lasted all of twenty minutes, and even then only because of Bilbo's stubborn pride.
"I-I saw the rabbit being skinned earlier, and it didn't agree with my stomach." Bilbo admitted in a quiet voice, hoping no one else was listening in. To Bilbo's surprise, Dori didn't laugh like Bilbo thought he would. Instead, a gentle smile appeared on the Dwarf's face as he regarded Bilbo with what Bilbo thought was a knowing look.
"I can see why. You're like Ori when it comes to these things, Lad." Dori said softly, slipping into older brother mode. Unsure whether to be proud or offended by that statement, Bilbo said nothing. Noticing this, Dori explained "Ori tends to avoid Bombur when it's time to start dinner, and I don't blame him. Skinning a rabbit isn't a pretty sight to see." "I know that, but…" Bilbo began, then trailed off. His self-esteem was his own business, he thought, not anyone else's. Dori, however, guessed why Bilbo had stopped speaking.
"You're no weakling, Bilbo. None of us think that." Dori said firmly. A stunned look crossed Bilbo's face at the words, and he raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "Lad, even I got disgusted by the sight of disembowelment once upon a time. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Dori said. Feeling slightly reassured by that, Bilbo smiled at the thought of Dori being disgusted by food. That wasn't something the hobbit had ever thought Dori could be disgusted by. As a result, his own nausea had faded, to his relief. Pleased by the smile that had appeared on Bilbo's face, Dori relaxed.
"You better eat your dinner now, else Bombur will get it." Dori teased, getting up. A flash of fear crossed Bilbo's face at the thought of his dinner going to Bombur, and he clutched his plate close to his chest as Dori walked away. Whatever Bilbo may have thought earlier on the thought of eating was forgotten in his desire to have something to eat before Bombur took it away.