Peter looked at the mouth of the tunnel, making swift calculations. It would be a tight fit, if he could get his shoulders in at all, but he had to try. As he was pulling off his tunic, Sir Tikk went squalling down the tunnel, headed for Leonie.
"Don't get in my way, Tikk," he called, getting on his hands and knees. "We'll both get stuck." His bare skin had broken out in goose bumps as he lowered himself to his lean belly, pulling his arms in front of him, like a diver ready to cleave the water, and started to drag himself forward into the tunnel. Then, as he feared, his shoulders hung up against the sides of the opening.
It was dark as pitch without the light, and Peter began to breathe heavier, fighting a bout of claustrophobia. He kicked the ground outside, pushing hard, and digging into the tunnel floor with his fingers to drag himself forward. At first he was afraid he couldn't get through, then, with a searing shock of ripping pain that made him cry out in agony, his shoulders slid reluctantly inside.
Peter shut everything out of his mind but moving forward, ignoring the cold, the darkness, his shoulders scrapping the sides of the tunnel, until his fingers touch chilled flesh. Wrapping his hands around the hobbit's ankles, he shouted, "I've got him!! Pull me out!!"
Reggie began barking and bouncing around Red in nervous excitement.
