Graveyard shifts were always slow and so a handful of sentinels could be found in the office during those long, dull hours while the others patrolled the city. It wasn't the most exciting shift either, but it was part of the job-- every sentinel had to pull that shift sooner or later, with or against their will. There were a few officers who preferred the long, dull hours of the night and one of them happened to be that notorious, mischievous elf. Then again, it was only expected. Shania lived on an unwavering diet of coffee, donuts, muffins and the ocassional beer; it was no wonder that the girl could often be seen bouncing off the walls at all odd hours.

Despite the dozen or so desks present in the office, no lower-ranking sentling had one of their own. Each simple desk was identical to the other, plain, wooden and sturdy with the same supplies necessary in their drawers for the paperwork of the shift to be completed. Well, almost all of them anyway. At the furthest, southern corner of the office a pair of wooden desks could be found, each facing the other so the sentinel at the station could communicate with the other easily, just like the others. Upon closer inspection, one of them was a tad off. The in and out box had been carefully pushed against the wall making it just a tad more difficult for the paperwork to flow through the chain of command. A large cup of java rested toward the left hand corner, exactly two and a half inches from the edge, a small plotted plant adorned the right hand edge (same two and a half inches provided) while all along the small ridge where the desks met each other, six home made dolls were present. It was obvious that who ever made the dolls had spent a long time on them since each one had been worked on to resemble particular members of the force. One the left hand side rested a somewhat floppy-eared rat doll with dreadlocks with a tiny name tag that read "Carnely" with a scruffy vulpin to its right who was obviously Shcrau and Gilgal sat next to it. A grey,white and black wolfie with the name "Zeamass" also found its home on the desk followed by a tiny version of Nags and a makeshift Shania complete with tumbleweed hair flanked the right.

And who had claimed that particular desk as theirs? Well, if the two and a quarter jelly donuts resting smack dab in the center of it on top of a porcelain plate did not answer the question...

Shania let out a deep sigh as her delicate fingers adjusted and balanced a pencil into place. She had spent the last forty-seven minutes building the four walls of a wooden cabin around her donuts and the silence was getting to her already. "NAaaAagaa!!" Whined the elf, gingerly picking up the remaining quarter of one particular donut. "I can't believe our shift just started. Its driving me crazy."

Naga looked up from where she sat across her apprentice, a file in hand. "Lay off the donuts and coffee for a while then. You'll unwind."

The suggestion sent shivers down the younger sent's spine as she slapped a hand against her chest. Almost as if on cue the most shocked gasp escaped Shania's plump tiers. "You offend me with such talk! How could you-- me, give up donuts?!" Four pair of eyes turned in their direction and a few chuckles echoed Shania's surprise. Everybody knew such a feat was *impossible*. It was rumored, after all, that the elf bled coffee and her sweat was sweet glaze.

The irrdu rolled her eyes and laughed. Such a dramatic little apprentice she'd gotten; there was never a dull moment with that one around. Naga threw about a suspicious look to those in the room before she leaned forth, those black eyes filled with mischief. "Hush, erfring, or you'll be cut off for two days.. as much as it'd kill me."

Shania had been about to answer the threat with her own sassy reply when from the corner of her eye she spied the most interesting sight. Slowly, those bright sapphires turned toward the figure that had just entered the Sentinel Guild and fought back the laugh that threatened to erupt from her lips. Since her arrival 'to the big city', as country-folk like her thought of Sauronan, the elf had seen lots of strange things.. but a living,breathing tree as a sentinel? Or rather-- a living, breathing tree in general. The elven sent might have grown up in the woods with a pack of loving wolves and a handful of vulpins but not once had she laid eyes on a treant. It was an amazing thing, to see it move, as its slow grace gave the impression that it was trying not to smash things in its wake.

"Umm... are these purses good for anything?" It said, dangling the issue purse from one of its many branches. In that giant 'hand', the purse looked more like a dead mouse than anything else.

"Try putting some gold in there and you tell me." Responded Naga, fighting back the urge to laugh herself. Shania and Naga-- two of the weirdest sentinels with the oddest sense of humor. It was hard to gage what they found amusing at times. The 'erfy' looked down at her own purse and poked at it a few times. She had never really paid attention to it anyway.

The treant, on the other hand, shifted about in place before doing as it was told. The task alone took a minute, and his attempts extended it to five. Mentor and apprentice watched the tree in awe; it was like seeing a baby trying to stuff a square peg in a round hole. "Its not working."

"So what does that say?" Mumbled Naga.

"Its virtually useless." Responded a chorus of bored sentinels. The treant grinned, obviously not caring if it was the butt of a joke or not. Of course, that only made the cheeky little sentie that much more giddy and after downing another jelly she was already bouncing off her chair. By the look in those bright blue eyes, that mind was working a mile a minute.

Leaves rained about the office a moment later as the deep, low and slow tones of the treant echoed across the room once more. "So... is there... anyone... interessted in..." It was here when it paused for a breath before continuing. " an... app--"
"Naga! NAGA! NAAAGA!!!" Shania had read the treant's mind and had practically jumped across her desk onto her mentor's squashing dolly Schrau, Gilgal and half of Carnely's tail. Pencils scattered in all directions, the coffee almost spilled, the plant shifted an inch toward the ledge while the donut, somehow, remained untouched. "Can we keep him? CANWEKEEPHIM?! Please! Pretty Please!!"

The mentor on the other hand, would have fallen off her chair completely if it had not been for Shania's death grip on her shoulders. "Well.. do you want a fellow appre--" The irrdu didn't finish her sentence as the elf responded with a tighter grip and a high-pitched squeal of delight.


A good half hour later, the trio were present in the swearing in room, hotly debating what the treant's title should be. String, as was its name, could not think of a proper title whilst the other two rambled on at the mouth about keeping their Donuty theme intact. Eventually, Shania tapped her chin, raised her finger and stared at String. "Oooh, I know.. I know!"

The other two turned to look at the short little creature before them, eyebrows raised. "String, the Donut Tree!"

Naga let out a soft whistle of approval while the apprentice in question let out a soft sigh. Leaves rained down at the women as it shook its head. "Oh, if only donuts grew on trees."

"If only they did," consented the short apprentice. It was by accident that the trio had come up with the proper title for the treant.

' String the Treant wishes Donut grew on Trees.' The name alone set the trio into a fit of laughter.

"Donut Bunch unite!" Squealed Shania, brandishing her brand new blue crystal axe in one hand. "And lets go smite some living art to celebrate..."

And so they did.