A/N Hey everyone! Erin here. It's been a LONG time since I've written anything for the story and I decided it was time to show another side of Erin. This is based on the chapter "First Battle" from the third story. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

The Cat's Meow

Erin sat next to Niori on a mossy log and watched as the campfire fizzled out slowly. Twirling a long piece of blonde hair around her finger, she looked over to Elijah, who was sitting across from her. His eyes lit up with excitement as Niori explained to him (in simple terms) the technology behind TVs and other gadgets from their world. "My father and the others were very lucky to witness such magic," Elijah proclaimed, as he poked at the fire pit with a long stick.

Niori and Erin exchanged glances and chuckled. There was a rustle in the woods beside them and Erin put her finger to her lips, "Someone's here".

They all jumped to their feet and started looking around attentively. Erin pointed to a spot between two large trees and Niori nodded as she reached for her bow, only to realize that it wasn't there. Suddenly, Eomer emerged from the forest with a panicked expression on his face, "Get armed! We're about to be attacked!" He shouted, "Anyone who can hold a sword, axe, or bow, do so quickly as there isn't much time!"

The three friends stared at him, extremely confused. How could they be under attack when their camp was in such a private and secure location? They had made sure of it. Niori and Eomer spoke to each other in nervous voices and then they ran off towards a nearby tent that was stacked with all of their weapons. Erin turned to Elijah, "What's happening?" She asked, slightly frightened, "I thought we were safe here?"

Elijah shrugged and started to walk towards the tent. "Where are you going?" Erin asked, "You aren't really going to fight, are you?"

Elijah looked slightly offended, "Of course I am. I must help the others! What use am I if I hide like a coward?"

Erin felt a hard lump in her throat and swallowed, "…But I have only drawn a sword once against Gollum… I am not prepared for this!"

"Well then, stay here. Take shelter and stay out of sight. I will be back as quickly as I can," Elijah spoke, as he turned again and headed toward the tent.

"OK, please be careful!" Erin yelled after him.

She watched as all of her friends charged through the forest and into battle. As she started to walk back to her tent, she began to regret not following her friends. Did they think she was weak, a coward? Both? She definitely wasn't, but unlike the others, she had little opportunity for training. While the others marched on together, fighting battles along the way, Erin travelled with Frodo and Sam to Mount Doom. Pregnant and miserable, she had fought a different type of battle. However, she was no coward.

Erin bolted through the tent doors and found her bag. Rifling through it, she pulled out a pair of green pants and a dark green top. If she was going to do this, she had to do it right, and that started with proper attire. She quickly changed and then peeked out of the tent doors, looking around wildly for any sign of life. The air was polluted with noises of war, men were screaming and swords were clanking loudly. There was no one in sight so Erin bent her knees and ran quietly to the armoury tent.

She opened the flaps and stared in at the weapons. Although many were missing, there were still plenty to choose from. Erin's eyes moved over the weapons slowly. An axe would be too heavy and bulky. A bow would be too intricate and Erin knew she would clumsily fidget with the arrows. She needed something easy and fast; something to match her cat-like reflexes.

Finally she spotted exactly what she wanted. In the left-hand corner she saw a small, but sharp looking dagger. She hurried over to it and grabbed it. Bending down, she attached it to her calf under her pants. She also grabbed a longer sword and attached it at her waist. She was ready.

Erin turned around and faced the entrance to the tent, about to walk out onto the grass to practice a few swings. Suddenly, she heard voices. Men. Two of them by the sounds of it.

Her heart raced in her chest and she could almost hear it pounding in her ears. She intended to at practice first, but now she was going to have to just jump right into battle. The shadows of the two men appeared on the tent and Erin took a deep breath. She drew the sword and wrapped two hands tightly around it.

With a shout, she ran through the tent door and swung her sword wildly. She managed to hit one of the men in the shoulder with the side of the sword but in a flash, the other man charged at her and knocked her onto the ground. "What do we have here?" The man sneered, stepping onto Erin's wrist with one foot.

With the other foot, he kicked the sword away. Erin curled up into a ball. If she appeared weak, the men wouldn't attack her immediately. The other man rubbed his shoulder where he was hit and approached Erin, bending down to look at her closely, "A lovely young lady with a strong arm. I'm sure the men back at the camp would enjoy her thoroughly".

Erin shuddered at the thought. She slowly moved her hand under her pant-leg to retrieve her hidden dagger. "Don't be scared, little girl. We men know how to treat a lady right".

Erin's face turned red in anger and she let out a yell, drawing the dagger quickly. The man crouching over her appeared surprised as she slashed his neck open and a red line began to appear. He reached for his neck as blood spurted out like a waterfall. Within a moment, he was on the ground, writhing.

"What have you DONE?!" Screamed the other man, drawing his sword.

Erin quickly reached for her sword a few feet away and sprang to her feet, just in time for her sword to come into contact with the other man's. Their swords clashed again and again.

Thinking back on her friends practicing dueling, she thought of the perfect way to get the upper hand. As their swords clashed again, Erin backed up slightly and let out a loud cry. She spun around quickly and with as much force as she had in her, she slashed the sword at the man's neck, cutting his head clean off.

She watched as his limp body fell to the ground and his head rolled a few feet away. Erin dropped her sword and fell to her knees, gasping for air. It took a minute to sink in, but she soon felt a feeling of pride and of victory. She was not the weakling she imagined everyone thought she was; she was strong and cunning.

As Erin rose to her feet, she sheathed her two swords and turned to the men who lay lifelessly on the hard ground. "What a mess," She breathed, "Well, better take care of these two".

One by one, she dragged the men's bodies to the edge of the forest nearby. She gave them a shove and they toppled down an incline to a rocky area with a small brook. Wiping her hands, Erin returned to the camp to see her friends walking back through the woods.

She threw sword back into the armoury tent, but decided to keep her dagger on her, just in case she was ever caught off guard. Niori and Jane were first to emerge from the forest, along with Elijah. They all looked at her and smiled, even though they were pretty beat up from the fight that had just occurred.

Elijah ran to her and gave her a hug, which left her dumbfounded for a moment, before a smile began to form on her face. Elijah pulled away and examined her face, which was dirty from the scuffle and a bit bloody. "What happened to you?" Elijah asked, a little bit of worry in his voice.

"Yeah, what were you doing all of this time? Why do you look like you just got run over by a herd of elephants?" Niori asked, laughing.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Erin replied, with a smug smile.