Strider patrolled the boarders of the Shire, it seemed strange for Gandalf to ask him to guard this place. It was one of the most peaceful places in all of Middle Earth that Strider had experienced. Though the people who lived there where some of the most oddest people Strider had ever seen. These Hobbits cared for nothing of wealth and riches, instead content on what they had. They were also quite fond of food and drink and they had some of the best pipe weed Strider had smoked. But they cared not for the outside world, content to stay in their own little pocket of the world.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices, two very young voices.

"Merry, I thought he said that only his staff was magic."

"Of course he would say that Pippin, so people would go for the staff. But hobbits like us realize that he always wears his hat when performing tricks. So it must be the hat Pippin, and now thanks to our cleverness we have it in our possession."

"I thought we just grabbed it when he took it off in Bilbo's house"

"But we had to miss eleveniess to do so, and sit quietly under Bilbo's old cloaks."

Strider cautiously leaned around the tree he was crouching around and had to stifle a laugh at what he saw. In the hands of two little faunts was Gandalf the Grey's famous pointy hat. Neither faunt was much bigger than the hat they carried in their small hands.

Both looked proud as peacocks as they walked along holding the hat as best as they could without dropping it. Both looked like typical faunts with a headful of bright curls, and their eyes bright with mischief. Eyes that widened in shock as they caught sight of a member of the big folk watching them. The smaller of the two quickly let go of his part of the hat and turned quickly to the other faunt.

"Merry we've been seen, quick try to do a spell"

Merry put on the gray hat and quickly had to use both hands so that it didn't slip to cover his entire head before he looked at the stranger, "You didn't see us," he said in a haunting voice, waving his hand in Strider's direction.

Strider couldn't help but stare dumbfounded at the hobbits, the hobbit Strider guessed was Pippin leaned close to the one named Merry.

"I think it worked, look how confused he looks" he whispered. Strider had to fight off the urge in that moment to burst out laughing, both hobbits look pleased that they apparently had did magic. A look that quickly disappeared when the sound of an irate wizards rang through the Shire.

"Peregrine Took, Meriadoc Brandybuck, come back here!"

The two hobbits grinned at the man and ran away, the hat trailing behind them. And not a moment too soon when the Grey Wizard appeared from over the hill a stormy expression on his face. That cleared slightly when he caught sight of who was on top of the hill.

"Ah Strider, I thought you were still on business to the east it is nice to see you" greeted Gandalf coming to a stop.

Strider nodded, "I finished earlier than expected, you are looking well Gandalf but it would seem something has changed" teased Strider. "Have you lost something?"

Gandalf sent a small frown at Strider, "Yes, it would seem that two naughty faunts have stolen my hat, you wouldn't happen to have seen them?"

"I'm sorry but it would seem one casted a spell over me, they seemed convinced that the hat was the source of your power" laughed Strider.

Gandalf shook his head in exasperation, and begun to dig through his robes until he found his pipe. "Hobbits, especially those two have some strange ideas about wizards."

"They seemed harmless enough" commented Strider offering his pouch of pipeweed.

"You say that now, but I've already had to chase those two scamps away from my fireworks" chuckled Gandalf, blowing out a few smoke rings. "Never doubt the trickery of Tooks and Brandybucks, or the occasional Baggins."

"I thought Baggins were the most respectful hobbits in all of the Shire" said Strider thinking of all the conversations he had overheard about respectability and how the Baggins were one of the top families in the Shire.

"Appearances can be deceiving young Strider, there is a Baggins that riddled with a dragon and robbed from a great Kings."

"It must have been long ago Gandalf, from what my fellow Rangers say hobbits haven't left the Shire in decades except to go to Bree."

Gandalf raised an eyebrow but did not correct the young Ranger. "You would be surprised Strider at the spirit of adventure in some hobbits. I have spent a great deal of time here in the Shire, and yet I am still surprised at the new things I learn. Though they may seem fussy creatures they have great hearts and inner strength. You could spend a hundred years in the Shire and yet hobbits will continue to surprise you."

Strider remained doubtful, he looked out over the green hills and couldn't imagine what Gandalf said was true. Hobbits were tenders of the land, they did not even carry weapons they had to rely on Big Folk to protect them. There were no great songs about Hobbits and he doubted that many people even knew of their existence outside of Bree.

"I'm sure" he said lightly, but Gandalf could hear the note of disbelief in his voice. Strider could one day be a great King, but like a certain dwarf King he had a lot to learn about underestimating people. Strider cleared his throat awkwardly. "I am surprised that they would take your processions, I don't imagine many would dare take something of a wizards."

A look of extreme sadness passed over Gandalf's face. "A pair of dwarrow princes were the only ones, though those two managed to make off with my staff. Merry and Pippin remind me very much of them. They were also young and would only listen to a handful of people."

"I'm sorry" said Strider, recognizing the face of loss that passed over Gandalf's features he knew without even asking that the princes Gandalf spoke of were no longer in this world.

Gandalf cleared his throat, "Yes, well it would seem that the same person who could wrangle Fili and Kili can also hold his own with Merry and Pippin."

Strider turned to follow Gandalf's gaze to see an older hobbit leading the sullen looking faunts in their direction, Gandalf's hat perched atop of his greying curls.

"Gandalf it appears that I have run across your wayward property in the hands of these miscreants" said the older hobbit coming to a stop in front of Gandalf.

"But Cousin Bilbo we just wanted to borrow it" whined Pippin.

"In order to borrow something you first ask permission from the owner" lectured Bilbo. "Otherwise it is stealing and stealing is wrong."

"But you stole from a dragon" objected Merry.

Strider turned to Gandalf with disbelief in his eyes, surely this fussy pot hobbit wasn't the one Gandalf spoke of. Gandalf just gave Strider a small smirk and a nod.

"That was different, the treasure belonged to the dwarrows and I was just bringing it back to them" said Bilbo. "Now apologize to Gandalf"

The two faunts suddenly found the hair on top of their feet very interesting, "Sorry Mister Gandalf" they both said. Gandalf tried to look stern as he plucked the hat from Bilbo's head and put it on his own.

"No harm done Master Merry, Master Pippin, but if you touch my things again I'll have you washing dishes until the sun comes up"

Neither fauntling looked very scared of Gandalf's threat, but allowed Bilbo to lead them off. "Hobbits" chuckled Gandalf, "Now Young Master Strider, I must be off but I leave you with this word of advice for your time in the Shire. Get to know the people, they are more than what they seem."

With a swirl of his cloak Gandalf left the young Ranger to ponder his words and perhaps look upon the small people of the Gentle West in a different light.

The End.