Dawn was breaking over the hills, in beautiful hues of purples, pinks and blues. Aragorn was helping the hobbits load their packs on the ponies. Legolas was saddling his own mount. Gimili sighed, pick up his pack and grabbed his axe. Feeling a squish under his thumb, he froze. Turning his gaze downward he saw a slug stuck between his axe and hand.

A scream like nothing anyone had heard before pierced the morning. A scream of pure terror. Legolas whirled, dropping his bed roll and putting an arrow to his bow in one flued movment, his eyes wide. Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords at the same moment, the hobbits all jumped. They all stared at the sight before them. There was Gimili, screaming bloody murder, swinging his axe wildly and doing what looked like a cross between an irish jig and a one man game of leap frog.

"Get it off! Get it off by thunder. Someone get it off!"

Legolas ran to him, ducking a swing at his head and grabbed the axe from Gimili's hand.

"What is it Gimili? What is wrong?"

Legolas was now on the ground in front of the panicked dwarf, the axe to the side, his hands on Gimili's shoulders. Gimili took three great heaving breaths and relaxed slightly.

"A slug!" He said looking slightly embarresed.

"A slug?" Legolas asked looking puzzled.

"Yes, a slug! Are you deaf? A horrible, slimy, squishy..."

Gimili switched into dwarfish at this point. Muttering far less flattering words than horrible, slimy and squishy.

Legolas grinned, suddenly understanding.

"So the great axe whielding, orc head splitting dwarf is afraid of something after all."He said, a smug smirk on his face.

Gimili shot him a glare that would have made milk curdle while it was still in the cow, and stomped away.

Gimili was in a sour mood the rest of the day, hardly speaking at all. Legolas on the other hand was in a very bright cheerful set of mind, whistling merry tunes under his breath. When they stopped for the night Gimili simply set up his bed roll, took his dinner and sat under a tree away from the group.

Soon after, Aragorn sat on watch, while everyone lay in their bed rolls.

"Good night." Pippin said.

"Sleep tight." Frodo responded.

"Don't let the bed slugs bite." Legolas finished.

" um.. Legolas? You know it's bed BUGS right?" Sam asked.

"Are you sure?" Legolas asked back, a snicker escaping his lips.

"LEGOLAS!" Gimili screamed.

Legolas giggled like a child as everyone else groaned.