Thank You - Just want to say thanks to Pearl Took, French Pony, and HobbitLoverLady for all of your wonderful reviews! I do like words of encouragement and constructive criticism. Both are the mark of thoughtful persons. Thanks again. Happy reading...

Chapter Four - Of All Things

"Pippin!" Merry yelled into the vast country of The Yale. He'd been searching for his wayward cousin for more than five minutes straight. "Pippin!!" Merry could see Pippin far ahead, going at a brisk pace over hills, around trees and high bushes. He hunched over with his hands on his knees to rest. After a minute he straightened up, cupping his hands to his mouth, "Pippin!!" He yelled, "If you don't stop and answer me, I'll tell your father!"

"What do you want?" A small figure turned and shouted in a small voice, far ahead of Merry. "Leave me alone!"

"No!" Merry shouted, "Stay where you are--I'm coming towards you!"

Pippin was nearly jogging and slightly out of breath when Merry finally caught up to him. "Stop!" Pippin ignored him and kept walking. Merry took hold of Pippin's arm and pulled him around. "I said stop!"

Pippin merely stood in place because he knew Merry would make good on his earlier threat if he didn't. He kept his eyes averted; anywhere but in Merry's direction.

"I know you're angry, Pip, but truth be told, I didn't know all of Frodo's plans, either."

"But you knew enough. More than I ever did!"

"The only thing I knew that you didn't was that Frodo wanted to be at Woody End by midnight tomorrow, and I still don't know why. He still wouldn't tell me even after you left."

"But why does he keep secrets like that? Doesn't he trust me? Doesn't he trust us? I daresay he's closest to you, Merry--why would he keep a secret from you?" Pippin stared at the trees around them, his anger was wearing off a little. "Is he in any sort of trouble?"

Merry shook his head, "I asked him the same question, and he told me no. But...he may not be telling everything, as he's done so far. I wonder if he will need us at his side at Woody End?"

The young hobbits fixed their eyes on each other. "Let's go." Pippin said. Both began running back in the direction of where Merry left Frodo.

Sometime later the young hobbits broke through the bushes and trees to find the East Road empty in both directions except for the broken cart laying on it's side further up. "There!" Merry pointed farther up the road, "There's the cart way up there." They continued to jog until they were within shouting distance. "Frodo!" They yelled. "Frodo!"

At last they came to the spot where Merry had left him. "Where has he gone? I told him to stay put." Merry gasped.

"Seems to me he had a mind of his own and left just like I did." Said Pippin, indicating with a nod towards his and Merry's packs on the ground. "He even took the pony."

Merry cursed. "Of all things..." He paced between the trees. "I need a rest; I can't go on just yet." He looked up into the sky, wondering how much daylight they had left. "What do you have in your pack, Pip? I'm afraid I didn't bring much except what I could purchase at the market in Bywater." Merry took out several pieces of fruit from his pack.

Pippin opened his pack and rummaged around, "I only have a few apples. That might hold us for an hour or so, unless you want to walk the rest of the way to Stock for more food."

"No." Merry shook his head. "He'll gain too much of a lead. He can't get too far leading a pony."

"What if he's riding it?"

"He couldn't; he didn't have a saddle, let alone stirrups to hoist himself up."

"But we've all ridden bare back enough times, Merry."

Pippin had a point. Merry imagined himself climbing onto the teetering cart and then pulling himself onto a pony. Then he said, "Perhaps we should run as much as we can. He's probably more than halfway there already!"

Merry and Pippin ran and walked in stints for many miles straight across the Yale country heading for Woodhall; the same direction their cousin Frodo should be traveling. The sun was nearing the horizon as the two lads trudged with heavy footsteps across the East Farthing Road and on towards the woods of Woody End.

Pippin was famished; it takes more than a few apples to keep the appetite of a growing hobbit teen at bay. "Merry, either we need to stop and rest, or find some food quick!" His growling stomach was making him slightly irritable.

Merry was in a more facetious mood, "Wait! Let me just run back to Buckland and get my Mum to make us a pot of potato soup!"

"Merry! Stop talking about food!" Pippin rubbed his tummy. "I'm so hungry."

Merry stopped walking; he spotted some crop fields far off ahead and remembered Frodo's earlier words, 'Do you remember what we used to do....?' He looked at Pippin, "I think I have an idea."

It was a large plantation that sat across the East Farthing Road, and the farmhouse could be seen further in the distance. "Let's wait until it's dark." Said Merry, leading Pippin into the shade of an elm tree.

The sun was now gone and twilight was past when the lads decided to start out. They marched alongside the fields until Merry stopped and dropped his pack at the foot of the fence; the less to carry. He motioned for Pippin to stay where he was. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Merry eased himself between the wooden slats in the fence.

Once he was on the inside, he skulked down and crawled to the edge of the cornfield. The corn stalks were tall; a natural abet for him in his forage for food. He cautiously looked around before stuffing a few ears of corn into his shirt. He continued to creep across the fields in the night, snatching stray vegetables that were in his path. There! He spotted the potato patch! Before stepping out into the open field he looked around for anyone watching. He didn't know why--he just had that feeling. Then he spotted him; that incorrigible cousin of his was trailing some yards behind him, shadowing his every move. Merry cringed.

Until now, Merry knew his cousin had never done this sort of thing before; Pippin had never really lifted from gardens or fields, not even in a contest coaxed by other lads. Pippin's father owned and farmed the lands round Whitwell, so Pippin never wanted in the area of food. In fact, it had been a long time since Merry himself had done anything like this and feared he may be out of practice. When he was a small child, Merry would tag along with Frodo on his little excursions to Farmer Maggot's field, usually ending up getting caught, and poor Frodo taking the brunt of it.

Merry stooped down and without a sound crawled to the potato patch on his stomach. He reached out and plucked a few nice round ones and carefully scooped them into his shirt. He noticed his hands were trembling. Then he heard them--dogs!! Merry froze; he didn't like dogs ever since he was a young boy. He jumped up and ran--nearly losing his plunder.

Pippin sped after him, whispering loudly, "Don't leave me here!" Merry ran for his life as he heard the barking get closer. He could hear Pippin running directly behind him, and so ran to one side, gently shoving Pippin ahead of him.

As he ran, Merry turned his head around to see what was chasing him; he could see not only one, but two dark shapes with very sharp fangs gaining on him fast. He could see the silhouette of another wooden fence coming up in the dim moonlight ahead of him, but didn't guess it would keep the dogs behind it. Pippin cleared the railing in one jump, and so did he. As he guessed, the dogs ran right through the fence and kept pursuing them, barking up a storm.

He stole another glance behind him and then stumbled, falling with a thud just short of a huge tree trunk. The dogs were almost upon him. He quickly gathered up the spilled contents of his shirt and started to get up and run again, but something jerked his leg back. One dog had a piece of his trousers in its muzzle and wouldn't let go, while the other one was snarling and baring his teeth. Merry turned onto his backside and scooted himself backwards until he met up with the tree trunk, all the while his trouser leg was being torn to pieces by snarling fangs.

Pippin stopped and looked back when he heard Merry fall. He saw his best friend lying on the ground fighting to get away from the dogs. "Merry!" His heart threatened to thump out of his chest. Pippin ran back to aid his vulnerable cousin.

Merry was sweating and spent, but wasn't about to give up yet. He kicked at the dog with his trousers in its muzzle using his free foot. The dog cried out and let go of him. The other dog lunged at him from the other direction, and Merry could only shield himself from the terror to come.