The Hobbit who Cried Wolf
Pippin and Merry, for once, had used up all the tricks they could think of on the other hobbits. They did it all the time that everyone was expecting them to play some kind of trick.
They were sitting on one of the rock walls along the Shire with their hands resting on their cheeks. Unlike the other hobbits, they were not feeling happy. They were waiting for an idea to pop up in their heads.
"How about playing a trick on Sam? We could take his flour and tell him that his cow ate it?" Pippin suggested. Merry frowned at him.
"No, that won't work on Sam. He knows when we play tricks like that on him. Besides, he doesn't own a cow."
"We have to do something, Merry. I'm starting to get very bored just sitting here," Pippin began to whine. Merry rested his hand on his cheek again and both hobbits thought long and hard about what kind of joke they could play. Pippin smiled again and looked as if he finally had a new trick up his sleeve.
"What about Gandolf? We could take his staff away and hide it in the woods."
"No, Pippin," Merry sighed and shook his head. "We did that the last time he visited. And what happened; he controlled his stick into beating our rear ends. Come to think of it, I think I would prefer doing his dishes instead of doing that again."
"Yeah," Pipin sighed and rubbed his butt, "I think doing the dishes is better." After a few minutes, Merry sighed and jumped off the rock wall.
"I give up, Pippin. Me mind is dry. Why don't you call it quits to? We're only wasting our time here."
"I think I'll stay a wee longer," Pippin mumbled. "I'm sure I can think of something." Merry shrugged and walked away, back to his hobbit hole.
Pippin must have started to drift off to sleep, because someone woke him up.
"Hey, since ye is slacking off, why don't ye make yourself useful by keeping an eye on me sheep?" Pippin swallowed hard and he went a bit pail as he opened his eyes. It was Mr. Maggot! The hobbit Merry and Pippin often steal vegetables from!
"Um, why would you ask me to help you? Not that I mind or anything, but I'm always playing tricks on you," Pippin stammered. Farmer Maggot glared at him.
"Well, I don't trust ye, but if you help me it can be payment for all those times you stole from me. And I have the vegetables to pick, so ye can look after the sheep."
Pippin was still trying to figure out how he got into the mess when Farmer Maggot pushed him into the pasture where the sheep were grazing.
"So what do I do?" Pippin asked, feeling stupid. He had no idea how to look after sheep. Farmer Maggot frowned.
"Just look after them and if they start moving towards the woods just lead them back," he walked away with his pitch fork and whistled a common hobbit folk song.
Pippin stood there alone with a herding stick in his hands. Pippin looked slightly at it, then back at the sheep. Then he had an idea; what if he stampeded the sheep into Mr. Maggot's vegetable garden? That would show him in trusting Pippin. But then he looked out towards the woods and had an even better idea. Wolves often came out of the woods to stalk sheep. Yeah, that was it! This would be a joke that Mr. Maggot deserved.
Pippin put on his best worried face and ran out the pasture like someone was chasing him. He ran to Mr. maggot.
"Farmer Maggot! It's terrible! I was watching the sheep as you wanted me too, but then I saw a wolf come out of the woods. I tried to stop it, but it ran off with one of your sheep!" Pippin was chuckling to himself in his mind. Even though it wasn't a very nice trick, it still was pretty funny to him.
"What?!" Farmer Maggot shouted and left the garden. Pippin took this opportunity to take a few cabbages and carrots and tomatoes.
He soon joined Farmer Maggot in the pasture. Maggot frowned at him.
"I counted all my sheep twice and they're all here. I didn't see any wolf."
"What, but I thought I saw one," Pippin continued to lie. "Actually, I think I ran away before seeing exactly where the wolf was coming from. It must have gotten scared and ran off when I called for your help."
Farmer Maggot frowned, but softened after a minute.
"Well, an honest mistake I guess. But make sure next time to catch that wolf."
"Oh, I will, Mr. Maggot. You can count on me." When Maggot was out of sight, Pippin began to laugh and snicker. This was the most fan he's had since, well, yesterday.
The sheep brayed and tried to chew on Pippin's bottom pants. Pippin shrieked and tried taking it back.
"No! You can't eat me! I'm a Shirefolk! I'm your friend!" Pippin ran to the fence and climbed up like it was a chair and the sheep where mice.
"Get away from me!" he screamed. Farmer Maggot noticed Pippin's strange behavior and walked over the side of the fence he was standing on.
"What's the matter, Pippin?" he grumbled. Pippin was a bit startled and pointed to the sheep.
"They tried to eat me!" Farmer Maggot stared at him with sarcasm.
"Nonsense, these sheep are as harmless as the grass they eat. Now for the last time, look after them!" he pushed Pippin back into the pasture and in the middle of sheep.
"No! No!" Pippin cried as he stared in horror at all the sheep standing around him. But all they did was stare and him and chew the grass. Pippin stood up and straitened his short and pointed a finger at one of them.
"I'm not afraid of you! So don't try anything!" He heard growling from a distance and looked towards the woods to see...a wolf walking out towards the pasture.
"H-Help! A wolf in the Shire! A wolf!" he called out for help. No one came. Again, Pippin tried calling louder for help. But no one would come.
Pippin felt really scared and worried. No one believed him! At last his tricks backfired on him. Pippin didn't want to be a coward, although the wolf look fierce. Yet he wasn't going to run away. Somehow he figured that he would get into more trouble if he didn't protect the sheep.
He stood tall and firm and waved the herding stick around and shouting at the wolf.
"Go on! Get out of here! Ha!" he succeeded in scaring the wolf off by hitting it on the head. The wolf growled but ran off back to the woods. Pippin felt faint and lead on the herding stick for support.
He heard Merry, Frodo, Sam, and Bilbo close by and shouted to get their attention.
"Hey! I did it! I scared off the wolf!" Pippin said as they came closer. Frodo smiled in a way that was obvious that he didn't believe him.
"Sounds like the last two stories that Farmer Maggot told us you played on him."
"You don't believe me? But I told you I did scare off the wolf!"
"I didn't see a wolf," Sam frowned and crossed his arms.
"You didn't see it because you were too far away," Pippin tried to tell them. He looked to Bilbo, surely he would believe him.
"You believe me, don't you Mr. Bilbo?"
"I have seen some strange creatures in my earlier days. And wolves are common in this area," Bilbo smiled.
"Uncle, you're not helping! Besides, you don't think Pippin's really telling the truth, do you?" Frodo told him. Bilbo shrugged.
"He's a practical joker, true, but I don't think he would play a joke on anyone if it was true."
"Well, I believe him," Merry said, standing up for Pippin.
"Don't encourage him, you fool!" Sam scuffed.
"But I did see a wolf!" Pippin insisted. Bilbo's face became serious.
"Yes, he's seen a wolf."
"Uncle," Frodo rolled his eyes, "how do you know he's telling the truth?"
"Because it's standing right behind him," Bilbo nodded towards the wolf growling behind Pippin. Pippin, Merry, Sam, and Frodo jumped at the sudden surprise and appearance of the wolf. Pippin screamed and jumped in Sam's arms. Sam only dropped him on purpose.
"Wait a minute. Pippin if you kill this wolf then it will give you the proof you need for Farmer Maggot," Frodo told him as he helped him up. Pippin began to whimper.
"But I can't kill a wolf!"
"You have to Pippin, it's the only proof you have!" Merry encouraged him.
Pippin swallowed and picked up the herding stick and walked towards the wolf.
"S-Shoo! G-Go away!" the wolf snapped and the stick and spit flew from it's mouth. Pippin turned away without hesitation.
"Okay, I'm going home!"
"Pippin!" Merry said, turning him around to face the wolf.
"I can't kill it!" Pippin whined.
"Then bash it out on the head or something!" Sam yelled, pushing the stick in his hands when Pippin tried throwing it away.
Pippin swung the herding stick at the wolf, but it grabbed the stick in it's mouth and snapped it in half. Pippin held up the short end and whimpered. He couldn't do this! He wasn't brave enough!
"Here! Use this!" Bilbo shouted as he threw him a sword.
"Mr. Bilbo!" Pippin said in utter amazement as he caught the sword. Bilbo shook his head.
"It doesn't matter where it came from, Pippin! It's the only thing around that can kill it, so use it!"
Pippin swallowed and turned back to the wolf that was slowly advancing towards him. The wolf growled and jumped at Pippin! Pippin screamed and pointed it towards the wolf's chest as it forced him down by its leap.
"Pippin!" The hobbits shouted. Frodo walked over to the wolf corpse and rolled it off him. Pippin was hyperventilating, but he wasn't harmed.
"Pippin, you're alright!" Merry exclaimed as he ran to his friend's side.
"I didn't think you could do something like that, "Came Farmer Maggot's voice. The hobbits turned to look at him walking up. "I saw the whole thing. I must say, I'm impressed, Pippin."
"T-thank you, Mr. Maggot," Pippin said as he struggled to get up.
"I'm sorry for doubting you," the farmer apologized, "however, next time you wish to tell a joke, don't steal someone's vegetables in the process." He pulled out the vegetables from Pippin's pocket with a smirk. Pippin found himself chuckling.
"Aye. And I'm sorry for lying to you." Maggot, Sam, and Merry helped Pippin back to his hobbit hole.
Frodo eyed the sword that Bilbo had tossed to Pippin that stuck to the dead wolf.
"Uncle, Where did that sword come from?"
"Never mind that, Frodo. Why don't you go and help your cousin?" Bilbo suggested kindly. Frodo smiled and shook his head in defeat.
"Alright," he chuckled, "I'll go see what I can do."
"That's a good nephew," Bilbo smiled as he patted him on the back. Frodo ran off to catch up with the other hobbits. Bilbo took the handle of the sword and pulled it out of the wolf corpse. He smiled as he put it back in it's sheath.
"Good job, Sting," he mumbled.
End