Gimli was relaxing on the grass in a clearing, admiring the braids of his beard when Merry ran up to him. "Gimli, I think there's something 
wrong with Legolas," the young hobbit panted. 

Turning to the hobbit, Gimli looked up at him. "And what makes ye think I can help?" 

Merry shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to work out how best to say it. His eyes drifted down to the mass of braids now 
clearly visable in Gimli's beard.

Gimli caught the direction of the hobbit's gaze. "I see. What's he doing to cause such a fuss?"

Merry was about to answer when Pippin ran by, screaming for help with Legolas close behind "But I'm almost done!" the Elf cried.

Grumbling, Gimli stood, then scooped up the beard bug, who was now three times his orignal size. Merry's eyes widened when he saw it. 
"What's that?" he seemed to have momentarlity forgotten his friend's distress.

"A nuisene." the Dwarf grumbled and took off after Pippin and Legolas, axe in one hand, beardbug in the other.

They caught up to the pair a short distance away, Pippin backed fearfully against a tree, Legolas on his knees before him. "I never noticed 
before how soft hobbit hair was ..." Legolas was stroking Pippin's feet, running his fingers though the hair.

Gimli dropped his axe and set the beardbug in Merry's hair, causing the hobbit to yelp in surprise. Reaching foward, he took hold of Legolas' 
hair and pulled back, forcing the archer away from the Hobbit. "Leave the Hobbit's alone, Elf," he growled in Legolas' ear. "Or I'm getting 
Aragorn to teach me how to shave - got it?"

Legolas gave a tiny whimper and nodded, letting go of Pippin's feet. As soon as he was free, Pippin launched himself at Merry, hugging the 
other Hobbit tightly. "What's that?!" he asked when they pulled apart, looking up at his friend's hair.

"Oh!" Legolas noticed the beardbug in Merry's hair and reached for it, yelping when he realized painfully that Gimli still had a firm grip on his 
hair. Keeping his head still, his long arms reached for the bug, which leapt happily onto his finger, crawled up his arm and into his hair at an 
alarming rate.

Only when the hobbits were gone did Gimli release his hold on Legolas. "A dwarf never gives in to defeat."