Title: "Gimli's Wild Flight"
Author: Pirate Turner
Dedicated To: Amlugwen, who requested this
Rating: PG
Summary: Gimli decides to investigate a shortcut, but will he live to regret it?
Disclaimer: Legolas, the Lord of the Rings, Gimli, Aragorn, Frodo, and all other characters except the two humans at the end of the fic are © & TM Tolkein and are used without permission. Everything else is © & TM the author, Pirate Turner. I make absolutely no profit whatsoever off of this story.

Eight pairs of keen eyes peered out from a row of bushes as they surveyed the strange land that lay before them. There was a lighted building to the North, but no one could make out any further sign of anything living. "Any volunteers?" the Ranger whispered.

"Not me!" the twins simultaneously exclaimed.

"I told the lot of you that I did not approve of this investigation," the Elf whispered.

"It could prove to be a very valuable shortcut," Frodo reminded them, careful to keep his voice to a low whisper.

"But look at what happened the last time!" one of the twins exclaimed in an excited whisper.

Legolas nodded, a movement that sent shimmers cascading through his long, blonde hair. "Precisely," he whispered.

The Dwarf shook his head and snorted in disgust. "I'll go," he said. "I'm not afraid."

"Yes, Gimli," one of the twins again spoke. "We all know you don't fear anything."

The Dwarf had already left the safety of the bushes by the time the other twin added, "Except baths!" The twins burst into a giggle but silenced themselves when they received stern, disapproving looks from the others.

---

As he made his way as quickly as possible over the strange, flat terrain, Gimli clutched his ax more tightly. His eyes continued to steadily sweep his surroundings, and he never let his guard down. It was then that a humongous roar filled the sky, and the Dwarf's brave heart nearly leapt out of his throat. His eyes shot wide in horror as he turned slowly around, his ax raised and ready to strike, only to see the biggest and strangest dragon he had ever witnessed. Its roar was deafening as it descended toward him, and Gimli realized that his ax would do little to no good against the white beast.

Turning, Gimli began to run, but the dragon continued to close in on him. No matter how fast he ran, every time he dared to glance over his shoulder, the dragon was right behind him. Finally, however, the beast stopped, but Gimli continued to run for quite some time after that. When he could finally run no more, the Dwarf fell to the ground in exhaustion. His heart continued to roar in his ears even as he panted, struggling to recover as quickly as possible so that he could get back to the rest of the Fellowship and tell them what he had seen.

The Dwarf had almost finished recovering when another deafening roar sounded behind him. Slowly, he turned his trembling head to look behind him only to find an even bigger dragon, this one just as strange as the first, barreling down on him. He jumped to his feet and began to run once more, but no matter how fast he ran, he could not outrun it. This dragon did not slow to a stop but continued after him until it was directly upon him.

Gimli gulped, knowing he was doomed, and braced his trembling body as best as he could for when the gigantic head would come snapping down to devour him when the head suddenly passed over him. The Dwarf lay flat on the ground, his whole body trembling worse than a tiny leaf lost in a full-blown hurricane, with his little hands clasping together over his head. The dragon had almost passed completely over him when it suddenly picked Gimli up. Despite his valiant attempts to endure the horrors of these strange dragons in silence, Gimli let out a string of curses that would have even made Aragorn blush as he was lifted up from the ground and carried high into the air. Gimli struggled to break free, but no matter what he did he could not get himself out of what he was certain had to be the dragon's talons.

From far below, a voice exclaimed, "I have him!" An arrow flew sure and swift, and it pierced Gimli's jacket. The fabric ripped, and the Dwarf was sent tumbling towards the earth far below. It was the Ranger's strong arms that caught him and set him on his feet even as the others rushed to gather around him.

Gimli was still trembling when Legolas arrived, and he looked at the Elf's hand that tightly clutched his bow. "Thanks," he grunted softly as he looked away in embarrassment. The human ears could not make out the single word the Dwarf uttered, but the Elf and the Hobbits heard him clearly.

Legolas smiled. "Perhaps next time, you will all be more willing to listen to me when I tell you that we should not investigate a shortcut," he said as he returned his bow to its place on his back.

---

Meanwhile, the pilot of the first plane continued to stare at the landing field in shock as his head stewardess came up to him. "What's wrong?" she asked him, her face clearly etched in concern.

Scratching his head in confusion, the pilot said, "I could've sworn I saw some . . . thing out there . . . "

"You've been working too hard, Sir. We all have really. Perhaps a rest is just what you need."

He glanced uncertainly at her but then conceded, "Maybe you're right."

The End