Chapter 4

            The next morning dawned misty and cold.  Gandalf sat up, struggling through the thick fog. He looked around and noticed the two sentries who had the last shift that night.

            Legolas walked alertly, easily parting the fog. Rain dripped from the tips of his hair and water coursed down his face. Next to him stood Katie.   She looked miserable. The lack of sleep showed, and the giggling stage had been passed twice over.

            "I believe you can come sit, Legolas. Rest until the rest of the group has awoken. I'll keep guard," Gandalf said walking to where Katie and Legolas stood.

            Legolas nodded gratefully and climbed into his bedroll.  Gandalf grabbed Kate before she could climb into hers. She glared at the wizard.

            "I must talk to you.  You seem to be able to talk to everyone and suggest things to them," Gandalf began.

            "We are all friends, Gandalf. Everyone listens to everyone else. You will not find one of us to lead the others. We owe our power of decision to our equality and democracy. Please do not ask me to make them my enemies by ordering them to do anything. I cannot survive without their friendship," Katie interrupted, irritation flashing in her eyes.

            "I do not want you to rule them, Lasselantavanima. I only ask you to try and be the voice of reason," he continued. "Go to bed now, Lasselantavanima."

            "Gandalf, if the occasion arises when we need a voice of reason, the job shall fall to those who are thinking clearly when the decision is needed," Katie answered. "You need not worry about us. We collectively take care of each other.

            "Why are you being so irritable, Lasselantavanima?" You are elf. Elves do no get irritated, and if they do, they do not show it," Gandalf asked as Katie stalked to her sleeping bag. She stopped, spinning with elfish precision and waking Jenny up with a face full of cloak.

            "You want to know what's wrong, Gandalf? I'll tell you," she hissed. "I'm in a place almost completely foreign to me. I got three hours of sleep last night because of Jenny's chocolate withdraw and my sentry shift. I am allergic to the cold, so I am itchy. I too, need chocolate, just like most of the rest of us.  I'm not yet used to being an elf. I hear, see, and smell things that I normally could not sense. Moreover, I have read the books. I am having an ethical battle with myself about whether or not to warn you about what lies ahead. So, Gandalf the Grey, don't mess with me."

            "Did you get my chocolate?" a small voice came out of the silence.

            "Pearl, I told you that I don't even know what chocolate is," Gandalf responded tiredly.

            Jenny's adorable hobbit face fell. Then a sudden malice flashed in her sparkling blue eyes. She stood slowly, anger a cloak thrown about her, and walked over next to Katie. They stood there, both glaring at Gandalf with anger.

            "Meep!" he squeaked and jumped into a hollow log, the tip of his hat sticking out the end of the log. Jenny began to giggle, as did Katie. The rest of their friends got up just in time to see them fall to ground from giggle exhaustion. Gandalf stuck his head part of the way out, his large nose resting on the end of the log.

Later the same day, the fellowship was on their way towards the mountain Caradhras. Gandalf had sent Legolas and Boromir to scout ahead. He would do anything to get rid of the irritable she-elf.

            He looked back to see Jenny riding her sleeping bag like a sled and pouting. 'How in the world is she moving?' Then he noticed Pippin struggling to walk. 'Hmm… maybe they…'

            Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of two humans walking towards them. He motioned for the fellowship to stop, and everyone except Jenny prepared to fight. Luckily, it was Jennifer and Boromir followed closely by Katie and Legolas. In Legolas's arms, he carried a black dance bag.

            Katie walked toward Jenny and thrust a piece of paper in front of her face. Drool began to drip down Jenny's chin.

            "What is on that piece of parchment, Lasselantavanima?" Gandalf asked suspiciously.

            Katie turned, sending Gandalf a very happy look, "Hayden Christianson."

            "Yip!" Jenny squeaked, jumping up and down in joy. "That means that bag is mine! Chocolate!" Jenny dashed for the bad and grabbed it into a big hug.  It disappeared to the eyes of the male fellowship from its place on the ground.

            "Gandalf! The bag has disappeared! What should we do?" Sam asked worriedly.

            "Nothing. It was probably an illusion, Samwise. Forget about it," Gandalf said, eyes never leaving the sight of Jenny smearing brown stuff all over her face. "What are those things going into your mouth?" He asked Jenny.

            Jenny stopped with a piece of chocolate in her hand and one halfway to her mouth. "This is chocolate," Jenny smiled, glancing over at Gandalf.

            When she looked back, she found that both pieces of chocolate bar had regenerated into whole ones. "Wow" Jenny murmured before breaking the chocolate into thousands of tiny pieces. The rest of the girls looked don in amazement as chocolate grew before their eyes. "Help me,' Jenny commanded pulling a bag of chocolate bars from her dance bag.

            "What else have you got in there?" Jennifer asked. Jenny pulled out two bags of giant marshmallows.

            "Sugar high!" Katie shouted.

            "Hyper!" Michelle squeaked.

            "Fun!" Esther yelled.

            "Great! More trouble," Chelli muttered. "Now another reason to take my revenge on Gandalf! Mwahahahaha!"

            The girls turned to give Chelli shocked glances. "What? He gave me the name Petunia and gave you sugar. I have every right to play a trick on him,"

            Erika nodded in agreement before continuing to break the chocolate into lots of little pieces.