"That's because he's got my axe wedged in his skull!"
"Liar!"
"Am not!"
"Are to!"
Camilla listened to the dwarf and the elf arguing. Finally she walked up to them. "One hundred and thirty three. I win." She left the two, jaws agape. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the two had finally stopped fighting.
----x--X--x----
The group made their way towards Isengard. Camilla, a horse, walked riderless alongside the others, her head held high. She twitched her ears suddenly.
"What is it, Camilla?" Aragorn asked.
Camilla's nose twitched, and she let out a snort. "Pipesmoke…she murmured. "It's the hobbits!" She took off running before the others could register what she had said.
Merry and Pippin were sitting in front of Isengard. Pippin put his pipe aside. "Merry, what's that black speck?"
Merry lifted a hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the sun. "I dunno, Pip. Looks like a horse." As the object drew closer, it was a horse. At least, until it turned into a dog.
"Camilla!" Pippin jumped down from his seat. Camilla skidded to a halt in front of him.
"'Ello, love!" Camilla smiled as Pippin flung his arms around her. "Shush, s'all right, Pip."
Merry jumped down as well. "I can't believe you're here!" he exclaimed.
Camilla grinned. "Well, believe it."
----x--X--x----
After the incident with Pippin and the Palantír, Gandalf and Pippin were headed to Minas Tirith. Merry, after watching them leave, found Camilla pacing angrily, a horse, back and forth near the stables.
"Stupid wizard…thinks 'e knows everythin'…oh, the poor lil' thing…" She let out a snort of annoyance. "T'wasn't Pip's fault…Gandalf should've 'idden it, 'e shoulda known…"
Merry walked up behind Camilla. Camilla turned around, and suddenly reared up. "Ah! Camilla!" Merry screamed in terror and ducked, barely avoiding the mare's hooves as they came down next to him. Camilla glared down at him.
"Wot? Oh, 's 'only you, Merry." Camilla quickly changed to a dog and sat down next to the hobbit. "Sorry iffens I scared ya a bit, there," she apologized with a chuckle.
Merry managed a weak smile. "No, it's alright."
Camilla watched him for a moment. "Merry, wot's wrong?"
The hobbits remained silent a few moments. "It's just…Pippin. He didn't know any better."
Camilla nodded. "I know," she muttered. "I'm surprised 'e even survived somethin' like that." She laid down and rested her nose on her paws.
Merry blinked, and looked down at Camilla. "Hey, Camilla?"
"Mhmmm?"
"What are we going to do?"
Camilla didn't say anything for a moment, lost for an answer. Then, she spoke. "Merry, we're goin' tae fight our 'ardest. And 'ope it's enough."
----x--X--x----
Merry watched the troops prepare in utter humiliation. He would go and hide somewhere if he could make his legs work. Watching everyone else get ready to go of to war was agonizing. He could fight, too. But, no. He wasn't ready to go to war. He'd just run away.
The riders began to depart, their horses galloping into the distance. Merry sighed, and was about to turn and leave when something grabbed onto the back of his cloak. He looked up. A horse had dug it's teeth into his cloak, and was running off with him. Merry reached up, grabbing a few locks of the horse's mane, and swung himself into the saddle, where he clinged desperately to the reins.
"Put yer 'ood up, Merry," a soft voice whispered to him.
Confused, Merry did so. "Camilla?" he asked the horse.
"A course. The one 'n only. Methinks," Camilla replied.
The hobbit smiled. "So, are we going to our deaths, Camilla?"
"No, silly 'obbit. We're goin' tae war."