Title: A hobbit in a tree

Author: Sheela

Rating: PG

Summary: When Legolas decides to show Sam the whispering of the trees, the hobbit finds himself confronted with a completely new experience – and a new truth about himself.

Spoilers: None really; set during 'The Fellowship of the Ring'

Disclaimers: None of these characters are mine, they're all the wonderful creation of J.R.R. Tolkien and belong to him alone.

Feedback: This is a trick question, right? Of course I love feedback in any form (except flames), comments or helpful criticism are always welcome.

Archive: If you want to archive this, great! Just tell me where it's going and give me credit for it please.

Author's Note: Please excuse any (hopefully minor) mistakes I made – English isn't my native language. Huge thanks go to my wonderful beta reader Kathy who did a fantastic job and helped me improve this very much. Thank you, Kathy! :-)  

Hope you enjoy!

*~*~*~*~*

Hobbits were not meant to climb trees. It was simply not in their nature. The small folk had no love for heights, which was also the reason why they preferred to live in holes, or at least in houses on ground level. Those were the simple facts and everybody knew it.

            So what on Middle Earth had possessed him to agree to this in the first place? Sam wondered, slightly panicked. He clenched his eyes shut at the sound of yet another ominous creak. What was he, Samwise Gamgee, a simple gardener from Hobbiton, doing up here in a terribly high tree?

            'What will the Gaffer say about this?' Sam thought. 'That is, if I ever live to tell him about it...'

            'He'll say: "Samwise, we hobbits are about as fit for climbing trees as we are for swimming or flying."' The hobbit told himself. 'And he is right with that.'

            So just what was he doing here? Sam wondered again – for the umpteenth time. He realized he had been asking himself that question rather regularly lately, ever since he had departed from Rivendell a several days ago with the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring.

            Here he was, an ordinary hobbit on the way to a strange, evil land so far away that his simple mind couldn't even begin to grasp the incredible distance. But he had sworn to accompany and to protect Master Frodo, no matter what, and Sam intended firmly to do just that. Even if it meant following his master over thousands of miles to a destiny still unsure.

            At least they were no longer alone on their journey, and that was a comfort to some extent. With the four hobbits were now five mighty warriors, representing the free races of Middle Earth. Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took (or rather Merry and Pippin) had been with Frodo and Sam from the beginning. Gandalf the Grey, who had sent Frodo on this mission with the ring in the first place, was also with them, a fact for which Sam was grateful. After all, the wizard had accompanied Frodo's uncle on his own famous adventure, and Bilbo had returned in on piece, which was something that Sam was hoping to do as well.

And then there was Strider – no, Aragorn, as Sam had to remind himself constantly – whom they had met in Bree. Sam had not trusted him initially, but after the Ranger had saved their lives from the Ringwraiths, he had decided Aragorn was 'not that bad' after all.

            The second man in their party was Boromir from Gondor, a proud warrior. He had come to Rivendell, asking for Elrond's help in unraveling the meaning of an enigmatic dream and joined them on their perilous journey mostly because they had the same way for a long distance. Sam had a hard time judging him, the man was a bit reserved and quite determined when it came to his city, but so far he seemed nice enough, and lately he had begun to show a certain fondness of the two younger hobbits, Merry and Pippin.

            Representing the dwarves was Gimli, Gloin's son, a sturdy, grumpy-looking warrior with a mighty beard and an even mightier axe. Even though he wasn't much bigger than the hobbits, one could tell that his strength surpassed theirs by far.

            And finally there was the one member of the fellowship that fascinated Sam the most: Legolas of Mirkwood, the elf. The hobbit had always loved and admired the elves, whom he knew only from the ancient tales and from Bilbo's adventure stories. To come to Rivendell, and meet elves in person and had been a dream come true for Sam.

To have one of the Eldar race with them on the journey now seemed to make it all worthwhile in Sam's eyes. For him it was already enough to watch the quiet wood-elf striding along gracefully, hardly making any sound or leaving imprints on the ground. To the hobbit's delight, Legolas treated him with a friendly respect. And once he heard of the gardener's fascination with his kind, Legolas was gladly willing to answer all his questions about the Eldar. Thus, for Sam, the walking hours just flew by.

Biting his lip, Sam's mind came back to the present. His fascination with the elves was actually the reason why he was in this situation right now; namely high up in a tree, a fall of a few dozen feet between himself and the solid ground.

'Me and my big mouth.' Sam scolded himself. 'Always getting me into trouble, like the Gaffer used to tell me. Why couldn't I for once keep my mouth shut?'

Among the things that fascinated Sam the most about his elven companion was his love for the trees. When his scouting was needed, Legolas would vanish noiselessly into the trees within a heartbeat and could not be detected, no matter how hard the others would strain their ears and eyes. More than once he had startled them – or at least those of the fellowship who were not used to the ways of the elves – by suddenly appearing without making a sound. In an instant, he would be standing behind them, telling them casually what he'd seen, as if he'd done nothing unusual. Yet Sam had noticed the mirth and mischievous glitter in the elf's eyes when he did so, particularly when he managed to make Gimli jump and produce that odd, dwarfish yelp of his.

On many nights, after the group had set up their camp, Legolas would leap into the nearest tree and perch himself on a bough, listening to the forest sounds with half-closed eyes. Sometimes the wanderers would hear him, high above their heads, singing in the Elven language. Aragorn had explained to Sam that this was the natural behavior for the elf. Since Legolas was a wood-elf, his heart belonged to trees. He could even hear and understand their whispers.

So in his own stupidity, Sam had mumbled one day that he too would like to hear the whispering of the trees. To his amazement, Legolas had heard him and had immediately asked the hobbit if he would like to come up into the nearest tree and listen. Taken by surprise, Sam had declined, saying that hobbits were not made for climbing trees.

'Which is true!' He now thought stubbornly. All he could see around him was the green of the leaves and he didn't like in the least the way the branch under him was beginning to sway.

Ignoring the hobbit's protests, Legolas had told Sam that he had nothing to fear, he'd help him with the climbing. His so-called friends Merry and Pippin had been enthusiastic about the idea, telling him that this was a chance he mustn't miss. Sam snorted at the memory. Of course, they weren't the ones hanging most precariously, high above the ground.

But as the day progressed, even Frodo said he should do it. So finally, when the fellowship stopped for the next night's rest, Sam agreed to Legolas' offer.

Happy to show the hobbit more of the wonders he heard, saw and felt in the trees the elf quickly choose a suitable tree, an old oak which was more than forty feet high. The tree's lower branches permitted – in the elf's opinion – a relatively easy climb, and so he presented it to Sam and his spectators.

Awed by the height of the tree he was supposed to climb, Sam had started his first attempts at ascent with meager success, under the watchful eyes of the rest of the fellowship. After the hobbit had – despite Legolas' helpful advice – landed on his backside for the forth time ere he even reached the first branch, the elf opted for a new approach. Sensing that the critical audience wasn't helping Sam's nervousness at all, he sent them away, asking them to find something better to do. After all, Legolas hadn't meant his offer to be a source of amusement; his suggestion had been a serious one.

Merry and Pippin were quite disappointed about this development, for they had hoped for some entertain­ment in watching their friend's attempts at climbing. But their elven companion's stern look put an early end to this fun.

Gimli the dwarf only grumbled into his beard. "Like any sane person would really want to watch a sneaky elf lead a good hobbit into the flimsy, senseless tree-world of his..."

Once their audience had left, Legolas knelt down, so that he was on eye level with Sam.

"I can see now what you meant by 'Hobbits are not made for climbing', my friend." He told him. "But the fact that you lack some agility when it comes to climbing does not mean that you must do without the whispers of the trees forever. Not as long as you have a wood-elf with you." With that he turned his back to Sam and crouched low.

"Come now, young hobbit." Legolas said, looking over his shoulder. "Climb onto my back and hold on tight. I shall do the rest of the climbing."

Sam hesitated. "Are you sure, Mr. Legolas?" He asked uncertainly. "I'm pretty heavy. For a hobbit, that is..."

The elf merely smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. Don't worry, I have carried heavy packs before, on earth as well as in trees. You shall be safe on my back. The last time I fell from a tree that I was climbing was a long time ago."

"Just how long ago, exactly?" The hobbit asked cautiously.

"Well, let's just say, I was still a very young elfling then."

Now that was a rather vague answer for Sam because to him, Legolas – with the exception of his eyes – actually looked younger than Sam's age. And while the hobbit knew that elves were immortal and aged without appearing to do so, he had no idea how old their elven archer might be. Sam had heard in Bilbo's tales that elves weren't very forthcoming with their true age, and so he had not yet dared to ask his companion how old he really was.

Seeing the doubtful expression on Sam's face, Legolas laughed. "For your peace of mind, let me tell you that it was far longer ago than even Bilbo's great grandfather could think back."

Reassured, the hobbit nodded and stepped closer. Putting his arms around Legolas' shoulder and fastening his short legs around the other's waist, Sam climbed into a piggy back position. He grinned to himself; he hadn't done this since he was a young hobbit. Actually during the last few years, he had been the one to carry around some of the hobbit children from time to time. To be the carried again was a new experience that sent Sam into a short fit of nostalgia.

Despite the new burden on his back, Legolas stood back up with one fluent motion. Shifting his weight slightly to find the right balance, he pulled the hobbit's arms a little tighter around his throat, so that the smaller creature wouldn't slip off.

"Are you ready, Samwise?" He asked. As an answer, he could feel the hobbit nodding his head behind him. "Alright." He went to stand under the great oak, then leapt up and effortlessly pulled himself and the hobbit up the first branch.

On his back Sam gave a small startled squeal. The elf set a strong – so to speak – pace. Within a few heartbeats he jumped from limb to limb, only pausing shortly to regain his balance between leaps. They were quickly gaining height. Pressing his face into Legolas' back, Sam closed his eyes tightly. He didn't really want to see the ground becoming more and more distant. So far the hobbit couldn't say that he enjoyed the experience; the swaying of the branches they were perched upon temporarily and the creaks they produced didn't create a feeling of trust in the hobbit – quite to the contrary.

Just when Sam thought that his stomach might soon voice protest against this height and way of movement in a rather unpleasant way, the elf stopped, perched on a spot close to the trunk.

Relieved about the pause, Sam heaved a small sigh and carefully opened his eyes. Daring a look around, he could see nothing but leaves around them. It was only when Sam looked up that he could see bits of the blue late afternoon sky between the green.

Now that they weren't moving, all that the hobbit could hear was his own breathing and the occasional rustling of the leaves as the wind caressed them. It was very calming, and Sam slowly allowed his eyes to close and again laid his head on the back that supported him. Beneath him he heard the faint sound of the elf's heartbeat; a slow, steady rhythm, seemingly in tune with rustling of the leaves. To the hobbit it was a soothing sound and wonderful, like everything else about the race of the Eldar that Sam adored so much.

In front of the hobbit, Legolas was busy eyeing the tree around them, looking up critically at the very top, then looking at the neighboring trees, even though Sam did not understand what it was he could possibly be searching for.

After a while the elf eventually spoke up, looking back over his shoulder at the hobbit. "I fear I misjudged our joined weight and the tree I chose, Samwise. Forgive me. It seems that this oak is not inclined to let us reach its top; the branches become too thin for an elf and a hobbit together."

Hearing this, it was Sam's turn to look up at the treetop curiously. However, he could not tell any specific difference between the branch they were perched upon and those higher above.

"Does that mean we'll go down again, Mr. Legolas?" He asked, not sure if he was relieved at the prospect of solid ground beneath his feet or a little disappointed that his trip was to end so soon.

But the elven archer shook his head, which cause some of his long blond hair to tickle Sam's face. "No, my friend. I promised to let you hear the whispering of the trees and I intend to keep that promise. We'll just have to take to another tree." Again he looked around shortly. "There, that beech next to us would be just right: strong branches, a light climb, interested and friendly. It would have been my first choice anyway, but then I thought that perhaps the deeper voice of an oak would be easier for you to hear."

Sam nodded simply, glad that Legolas couldn't see his eyebrows rising in bewilderment. The hobbit did not understand what his companion meant. An interested and friendly tree? The deep voice of an oak? But if he asked Legolas now what he'd meant, Sam knew he was likely to get an answer that would confuse him only even more. As much as he admired the elves, in the short time that he had come to know some of them personally, the gardener had found that they liked to speak in confusing terms and if asked about it they would only answer in even more riddles. And since his head was already swimming enough from the height without the added help of elven riddles, the hobbit decided to change the topic slightly.

"So we will go down now, only to climb up the next tree?" He asked.

Legolas shook his head again and laughed softly. "Nay. Why waste the time? The beech is not far away – I'll get us there in no time. Hold on tight to me!" He told Sam.

"Huh? Why? And what do you mean with 'Not far away'?" The hobbit asked confused. Again he didn't understand what the elf what talking about, but something told Sam that it didn't sound good.

But Legolas didn't answer his question. He simply started rushing along the branch they stood upon, away from the tree trunk into the direction of the beech. Sam saw a blurry of green flash past them as they raced towards the end of the limb.

"No! Master Elf! You can't mean that!" the hobbit shouted in fear. The creaks of the limb and the sound of smaller branches snapping grew louder, and Sam could feel the elf's body tense beneath him, preparing for the leap.

"No! Mr. Legolas! NOOO!" Reaching the thin, outer part of the limb the archer leaped high into the air, towards the beech that was about a dozen feet away; with one hand he reached to secure the hobbit's hold on him.

"NOOOoooo.....!!!" Sam screamed in panic. He could feel the wind stroking wildly over his face as they jumped, could feel them falling, falling towards the hard ground beneath them, towards a certain death. The hobbit pressed his eyes shut tight and grasped blindly for Legolas' shoulders and throat, nearly choking him in the progress.

They seemed to fall forever – even though in reality it took little longer than a single heartbeat. Eventually Sam heard a loud Thud! and felt his bearer land in a cat like crouch, absorbing their fall easily. The hobbit's high pitched scream ended, still echoing through the trees. However, his eyes remained shut and he kept his iron like grip on Legolas, his entire body shivering in shock.

"Sam, my friend, are you alright?"

Sam heard the elf's question, even heard the mixture of real concern and slight amusement in it, but he couldn't answer. At the moment he doubted that he would ever be able to say or do anything at all. All he could do, was clutch to Legolas' back and try to keep his own heart from beating its way through his ribcage.

'Thank the heavens, I'm alive.' Sam thought. 'I'm alive. I don't know how, but I'm still alive. I'm alive...' He took several slow breaths, trying to convince his heart to return to a normal rate. 'Oh, when the Gaffer hears about this... he's never going to believe me. And of course he was right all along. We hobbits are not made for climbing trees! Just like we are not made for flying! But maybe Mr. Legolas didn't know that. I only wonder how the elves can do this all the time...'

Somewhere along his thoughts Sam realized that Legolas had started moving and taken to climbing again. Climbing further upwards...

'Somebody save me!' Sam thought, feeling his panic rise again. 'Maybe Strider can talk Mr. Legolas out of this and help me down from here!' But somehow the hobbit didn't dare voice his protest, he merely pressed his face into his bearer's back.

He felt Legolas' muscles move underneath him as they went upwards; his arms reaching out to grasp the next branch, leaping easily from one limb to another, shifting their weight to regain perfect balance. Sam never heard the slow rhythm of the elf's heartbeat quicken, his breathing remained steady. For all the hobbit could tell, they might as well be on a Sunday walk around the lake in Hobbiton, so effortlessly Legolas was making his way through the labyrinth of the branches.

Occasionally Sam felt a leaf or two stroke across his arms or face, a soft caress, soothing in its simplicity. In a way, it calmed Sam's wildly beating heart, and he felt his panic subside.

After a few minutes of climbing Legolas finally stopped, standing close to the trunk.

"Sam?" He asked. "Samwise? Come now, there's nothing to be afraid of. We're here."

Hesitantly Sam opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Around him he saw nothing but green. Well, green and silver-blonde – since his cheek was still pressed into Legolas' back, the elf's hair covered most of his vision. Carefully Sam loosened his grip around Legolas' throat and inched back. Taking a look around the hobbit found that they were perched on one of the highest branches, only a few feet between them and the open, endless sky. Above them the morning sun was shining, promising a beautiful day.

Sam took a deep breath; the air seemed to be somehow better, clearer up here. From their post he could see far out over the land, the green hills covered with trees and the mountains towards which they had been walking for the last few days. It was an amazing sight.

"Wow!" The hobbit breathed, unable to find any better fitting words for this.

But then Sam made one fatal mistake: He looked down. Down to the ground that was at least fifty feet below him. At the sight of this incredible height that he was currently exposed to all of his hobbit instincts kicked in. Giving a frightened squeal, Sam pressed his eyes shut again and clinched tightly to Legolas. Not anticipating this move, the elf was momentarily thrown off balance and had to shift violently to prevent them from falling, a movement that resulted in another panicked scream from Sam.

As soon as he regained his balance Legolas tired to calm the hobbit on his back, who was now shivering violently.

"Sam, it's alright. See, we're safe." He told him. "I promised I wouldn't let you fall, and I won't. There's nothing to be afraid of."

The hobbit heard him, alright, however, he didn't reply. In fact Sam seemed to be unable to do anything but clinch to Legolas' back and wish to feel the save ground under his feet. Even with his eyes closed, the gardener still could see the terrible fall underneath him in his mind's eye and nothing that his companion might say could change that picture.

Still trying to reassure his 'passenger', Legolas chatted on. "Come now, Samwise. Have no fear, you are safe and... Oh hello. What are you doing here?"

The sudden change in the elf's speech got Sam's attention. It sounded as though somebody new had arrived. Maybe Strider had indeed come to his rescue! But the hobbit hadn't heard as much as a rustling of the leaves as somebody climbed up to them – or was it possible that there was another elf? This thought and his curiosity finally got the better of him and Sam opened his eyes. Again all he could see was Legolas' back, the newcomer was hidden from his vision. Trying to get a better look the hobbit stretched and looked over the elf's shoulder.

But before them wasn't a human or another elf. Perched on a branch less than a foot away from them, was a small, reddish-brown squirrel. However, Legolas didn't seem to mind the fact that he was talking to a mere animal as if it was a real person.

"Oh, I see this is your tree, right? Well, don't worry, we're not trying to intrude your home – we're only visiting." The elf told the squirrel. The small creature lay its head to one side and gave them a judging look. "My name is Legolas Greenleaf and this" the archer patted Sam's hand on his shoulder lightly, "is Samwise Gamgee. I hope you don't mind our presence." Careful not to frighten the animal Legolas extended his open palm towards it.

His own fear momentarily forgotten Sam watched in awe as the squirrel sniffed with its tiny nose, twitched its ears and then slowly crept closer. After a moment of hesitation it jumped onto Legolas' palm, studying the elf's features intently. Seemingly satisfied with whatever it found there, the creature quickly sprinted up his arm and stopped only in a short distance in front of Sam's face.

The hobbit now found himself only inches away from the squirrel which scrutinized him in turn. At this nearness, Sam could see the animal's fur shining in different shades of red, brown and gold, the small white spots on its face and stomach, and the intelligent glittering in the creature's deep black eyes.

After a long staring contest the squirrel suddenly shook its head and gave a chittering noise, which sounded either like laughter or clamour – Sam couldn't decide which. Then the animal jumped onto the next branch and hopped away, pausing only once to look back critically at the two intruders in its tree.

Sam tried to follow the squirrel's path with his eyes, but soon it had disappeared from sight. Instead the hobbit found something else that caught his interest. For the first time in his current adventure he really paid attention to the things that surrounded him. They had been traveling south and here the spring was already more advanced than it would be at his home in Hobbiton. The trees had already gotten most of their new leaves, their fresh green banishing the winter as though it had been nothing but a bad dream.

The leaves of the beech were glittering in more than a dozen different shades of green, depending on the angle of the sunlight that fell upon them. The wandering morning sun brought brilliant highlights here and deep shadows there, which changed slightly as the leaves swayed softly in the light breeze.

Was it really possible that Sam had never before seen a tree as clear as this? Sure he was a gardener and knew a lot about plants and trees in general; but the hobbit couldn't remember ever seeing such a beautiful play of colors in a tree. For the first time in his life, Sam wished that he had become and artist instead of a gardener, so that he would now be able to capture this sight and show it to all the people in Hobbiton. It was simply enchanting...

Suddenly Sam realized that he wasn't hanging on Legolas' back anymore, but instead stood upon the limb near the tree trunk. Somewhere along the line of his adoring and musing the elf must have put him down without him noting it.

But to his own surprise Sam found that wasn't afraid because of this fact; he was way too calm now for a panic attack. As long as he didn't look down again (which Sam certainly didn't intend to do!) he would be fine. Carefully, he let himself slide down until he was sitting comfortably on the branch with his back leaned against the tree trunk.

Taking another admiring look around Sam found that Legolas was sitting a few feet away from him on a limb that was a little higher. Catching the hobbit's awed expression, the elf smiled broadly at him, looking very pleased with himself.

"Ah, I see you finally learned to see what's around you. Good." The archer said, his voice soft. "But now, you also need to hear. Relax and concentrate, Sam. Listen closely. Listen to what's going on around you. Listen to what nature is telling you." 

Obeying, the hobbit shifted into a more comfortable position and tried to listen to whatever it was he was supposed to hear. At first he was tempted to say that there was nothing but ordinary sounds around him. But then he became aware of single sounds that he had ignored before. The twittering of a few birds that were sitting in the trees around them and calling for their mates filled the air, the sound of their different melodies mixing and mingling.

Then there was a slight breeze that caressed the trees, causing the leaves to rustle softly every now and then. The sound was so soft and soothing, Sam heaved a sigh of content. Now he understood why Legolas liked the trees so much. In spite of their detestable height, they had a wonderful effect on one's mind.

But just when Sam started to believe he had discovered everything that was to find in a tree, he became distantly aware of a new sound. It was quiet and not clear to hear, yet definitely there. Bewildered Sam looked around to locate the source of the sound, but as soon as he moved and strained his eyes, it was gone.

Disappointed the hobbit leaned back against the trunk. And when he began to relax again, the sound started anew. It was like a whispering on the wind or a mumbling of the leaves. Straining his ears to hear more, Sam closed his eyes. He still couldn't locate the source of the whispering, it seemed to come from all around him. The sound was soothing beyond comparison; the tone unlike anything else the hobbit had ever heard and yet it seemed so well-known – as if it had always been there in his life, like a close confident. After a while Sam thought he could make out single words; melodic noises but neither could he understand them nor place the language. It wasn't Westron, the common speech; it wasn't the tongue of the dwarves which Sam had heard sometimes when Gimli was swearing about one thing or another; and neither was it Sindarin or Quenya, the languages of the elves which the hobbit had heard often in Rivendell. This was a completely different tongue and Sam doubted that he would be able to even imitate it. If somebody had pressed him to describe the sound he heard, he would have said it was like wind and sunshine and spring and earth and strength and age and... and just indescribable.

Giving up all attempts to understand and explain what he heard, Sam leaned back and simply listened, letting the whispering take him away.

Seemingly hours later and still way too soon, Legolas gently tapped on Sam's shoulder and told him that they had to return to the others. In a daze, Sam climbed onto the elf's back and let himself be carried down towards the ground. This time the hobbit wasn't afraid, and didn't have the mind to think about the height or the possible danger. All he could do was look up at the gradually distancing tree top and listen to the last remains of the whispering.

It was only when his feet touched the solid ground that Sam's mind returned to the world around him. Shaking his head as though clearing it from dreams, the hobbit looked around; the sun was now low in the sky, and a short distance away, he could see the rest of the fellowship gathered around a small campfire.

Then Sam turned to look at Legolas who was standing beside him, smiling down at his companion.

"I take it you liked the experience?" The elf asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"Yes! Of course! Thank you so much, Mr. Legolas!" Sam exclaimed. "That was so wonderful! Simply incredible! Did you hear...? It was so... so..."

Legolas put a finger to his lips, hushing the excited hobbit. "Shh... yes it was... don't try to talk about it. Words will always fail to capture it and you will only spoil it for yourself if you try to find words for it."

Sam nodded, seeing the truth and wisdom in these words. But even if he couldn't tell others about it, never in his life would he, Samwise Gamgee, the ordinary hobbit and gardener forget this most extraordinary day.

"Alright then. Let's go back to the others, shall we?" Legolas asked.

"Yeah, okay." Sam replied. "Thank you. Thank you very, very much."

"You're welcome, my friend."

Arriving at the camp, the two climbers discovered that most members of the fellowship were asleep, taking their rest for the day after they had gotten bored of waiting for the two climbers. Only Aragorn and Merry who had the first watch were awake.

As Sam and Legolas stepped closer, Aragorn looked up from the campfire he was tending to.

"I take it all went well?" He asked.

"Of course. What could go wrong?" Legolas answered.

"We heard something like screams twice. Was that you?" The ranger questioned further.

Sam felt the color rise to his cheeks. Oh yes, the screams. He had completely forgotten how afraid he had been and how loud he had screamed. He saw Legolas looking shortly at him as if he was considering something. It seemed as though Sam would have to admit his embarrassing panic now...

But just when the hobbit was about to begin speaking, Legolas cut in.

"Screams, you say?" He asked Aragorn, sounding surprised. "No, we heard nothing, right Sam?" He shot his smaller companion a short look and winked. "Maybe it was some kind of wild animal..."

"Yes, maybe..." Aragorn consented.

At last Merry could no longer contain his curiosity. "And?!? How was it, Sam?" He asked, wanting to hear the detailed story now.

However, he was severely disappointed. Sam merely studied him for a long moment, before giving his friend an enigmatic smile, his eyes twinkling. Then he calmly went to unpack his sleeping roll and settle down.

"Oh well," he eventually replied nonchalantly, still grinning to himself. "We hobbits may not be made for climbing, but we're definitely made for trees!"

The End

Copyright Sheela

Sept.2002