You Could Have Caught Me

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except, wait no, and never mind. I do own, no, not that either, maybe I, no? Oh, well I definitely own that, wait... Oh yes, Close Encounters of a Shiny Kind, was taken from a song from a play I did in 3rd grade.

Close Encounters of A Christmas Kind.

Close Encounters of a Christmas Kind, Odd space creatures seem to come to mind, it's a story strange but true, and now we brought it here for you! Santa never thought he'd see the day, when space creatures would take him away...

Chapter 14

Close Encounters of a Shiny Kind

We had made a camp in the middle of a very freaky forest. Now, I knew that Fangorn wasn't haunted, but it's like going to into a haunted house, you know that the monsters are just actors, but they still scare you.

But anyway, I stayed rather close to Legolas in Fangorn. Why? Well, if number one he looks like Orlando Bloom isn't a good enough reason, he has arrows and knives, and is very good with them. I am pretty much safe with him around. Of course I still had my knife that Boromir gave me, but I couldn't look at it.

I had nighttime watch that night. I was sort of falling a sleep a little. Just dozing, still awake. When I saw an old dude walk right to the edge of camp.

"Who goes there?" I asked loudly, even though, I knew.

I awoke the others, Gimli sprung up, as did Legolas and Aragorn.

"Come sit by the fire if you are cold." Said Aragorn.

But the old man was gone.

Legolas turned around.

"The horses!"

I swore underneath my breath.

"What?"

"Uhhh, I was cussing out the old man?"

"Do you know what I think?" said Gimli "That was Saruman, sure enough. Who else would steal our horses?"

"We still have our feet. We started with them, and we can still use them." Said Aragorn

"Yes, but we can't eat our feet."

I gave in to a little laugh at that.

"What's so funny?" Gimli turned to me.

"Oh, nothing. Just that right before I, err, landed here, I had a conversation with my friend about licking ones feet. Just never mind."

"Yes, well, you may go to sleep, I will take over your watch, I need to think rather than sleep."

I gladly gave over my watch to Aragorn. But I couldn't fall asleep.

This night seemed to take longer than ever. Nothing seemed to happen, except for a few whinnies of the horses in the distance, and then everything stood still.

I guess I fell asleep at some point, because I was being awakened by someone.

"Leave me alone, my alarm goes off in 5 more minutes, just wait."

"No, I do not believe the dawn will not wait another 5 minutes, even to someone as demanding as you."

I opened my eyes, it was Legolas.

"We're leaving?"

"Yes."

I groaned and got up.

We moved out, walking. I missed Aracaran. I think my feet missed him most of all.

I sort of zoned out because Aragorn asked me a question, and I didn't answer right away.

"Do you think the horses were scared away?"

"Huh? Oh, Yeah maybe."

"Legolas?"

"No, their whinnies weren't of frightened beasts."

"I wish I could see a boot print, or something!" said Gimli angrily kicking the springy grass that covered the bottom of Fangorn Forest.

"I know it was that scoundrel Saruman, but still." He continued to muse on like this.

I was looking around me.

"This isn't a Tropical Forest, I mean it certainly is hot enough, but no tropical rainforest has grass." Legolas looked at me. "That is because of course, the upper layer of the forest is so dense that no sunlight can filter through, like it is here. I don't see how this grass can grow!" I said. I had done a project on Tropical Rainforests and their different layers, and how they can be distinguished.

"But, see it doesn't rain here either! This is the most confused forest I have ever been in." I said with finality.

Legolas laughed.

"Are you sure, that it's not the forest that's confused, it's you?"

"Well, it's impossible." I said "Grass, any plants for that matter, cannot grow, where there is no, water, or sunlight. It's a proven fact."

"Well, I know how it can." Said Legolas

"Really?"

With a smile, Legolas said "It's magic. The forest is alive."

And with that, Legolas would not say another word on the subject, of course figuring that he's about 3,000 years older than me, well maybe he knows something.

Soon, we stopped abruptly.

"We have walked into a net!" said Legolas "There in the trees!"

There, a dark figure, cloaked in a drab gray cloak and a wide brimmed hat, pulled over his eyes.

Do I need to give you any more hints?!?!

"It's Saruman, I tell you! Legolas, shoot him!"

Apparently so.

But by some act of will, I knocked the arrow out of his bow.

"Wait!" I hissed at him.

"You're on his side!"

I rolled my eyes; this was getting to be too much like the Salem Witch Trials.

"Just wait, all right?"

They nodded their heads, remember, I am omniscient.

The old man walked with surprising quickness to us.

He was standing right in front of us.

"Well friends, I wish to talk with you."

"Shoot him now Legolas!"

"I said, I wish to talk with you, put down your bow Master Elf."

"I told you so."

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

The bow fell to the ground.

"Same to you Master Dwarf."

Gimli's hand, for the first time in ages, I think fell off his axe-hilt.

"What is your name?" asked Aragorn.

"You have not guessed it yet? Well, I think you know it; yes you have heard it before.

I let out a cough that suspiciously sounded like 'Boromir'

"Boromir?!"

Oops. I mean cough GANDALF cough.

But of course, these guys apparently weren't listening.

"I'll dent your hat, Saruman!"

The old man jumped onto a nearby rock, and threw off his drab robes.

"Mithrandir! Mithrandir!" cried Legolas

"Gandalf! You come to us in our hour of need!" said Aragorn

"Yes," he said rather thoughtfully "They did call me Gandalf. Sit now, and tell me what has happened since I left."

So we sat down, and told him, mostly them, what had happened. I noticed that Gandalf's robes were a very bright, very shiny, white. Whew. Did someone give him some bleach or what?

"Ah, poor Boromir, I knew he was in peril, Galadriel told me. I am glad he escaped."

"Escaped? What do you mean escaped? He died!" For being omniscient I sure wasn't showing it.

"Yes, I remember you. Different from everyone else. Had to be different. Had to stand out. What I mean child is that he would have had a worse fate it if he hadn't 'escaped' there."

"I'm glad my plan didn't work then."

"You had a plan?" said Aragorn

"Yes," I said "I knew that Boromir was going to die, and I didn't want him to, that's why I jumped in the river, I thought it would buy him some time. And when I was about to leave, I was going to stop Boromir from attacking Frodo. But I failed. Not that's a bad thing right?"

Gandalf just raised his eyebrows at me.

"Come," he said wrapping himself in his old drab cloak. "We are needed in Rohan."

"We are going to walk to Rohan?" asked Gimli

"Wait, I hear hoof beats." Said Legolas "Of more than just one horse."

"Yes, one horse couldn't bear us all, could it?" said Gandalf

All of a sudden I saw our horses, along with a pure white one. Its beauty would have rivaled that of my old horse, Ghost's beautiful coat.

Gandalf explained that it was Shadowfax, of course, I already knew, I was more excited to see my horse Aracaran.

"Aracaran! You silly little thing, why did you run off?" I said.

Gandalf then spoke "Shadowfax, if he will, will bear me, and Hasufel shall bear Aragorn, Arod shall bear both Legolas and Gimli, and what did you call this one? Its name used to be Befusel, but I noticed that it wouldn't come to me by that name. Aracaran, Noble Red, a very fitting name. You shall ride him."

So we mounted and once again rode off.

Wow, that's long! I'm so proud!!!