"In a Tent Somewhere Near Whitwell" or "The Truth About Merry"

A planned walking trip takes an interesting turn thanks to the weather.

Author: Grey Wonderer

Rating: PG-13

Category: Canon-Humor/Parody

This story was written for Marigold's Challenge 28. My elements to include were a shepherd's crook and a cask of honey. Oh, and the story had to have one naked hobbit in it. SO.....

The Disclaimer:

These are not my hobbits, I just undressed them. They are the creations of J.R.R. Tolkien who originally undressed them. I am just following his lead.

Beta by Marigold

Rated PG-13

"In a Tent Somewhere Near Whitwell" or "The Truth About Merry"

~~~~~~~~~

"Remind me again why I wanted to come with you?" Merry called out over the driving rain and the howling wind. "Just a small hint to reacquaint me with my reason for begging you to bring me along on this miserable journey."

Frodo sighed, lowered his head and continued to work on getting the tent set up. He ignored Merry's ranting, which had been going on for some time now. Frodo couldn't actually blame his younger cousin, but still, between the rainstorm and Merry's dissertation on their trip thus far, Frodo was developing quite a headache.

"I actually imagined walking all over the Shire to be enjoyable! I thought you had fun on these adventures of yours!" Merry shouted as he pounded a tent stake into the ground a bit too enthusiastically. That particular stake would take ages to remove when they were ready to leave. "I pleaded with you! I even felt a tiny bit sorry for Pippin because he wouldn't be allowed to come with us. I also felt like gloating for some reason because 'I' would be coming along. In fact, I believe I did gloat!"

Merry had gloated. Frodo recalled that very clearly. As they sat in the Bag End kitchen late one evening just before the end of the winter months, Merry had gloated and Pippin had sulked. Frodo had not intended for Pippin to be involved in the discussion but the youngster had slipped out of bed and overheard the two of them as they planned this trip. From that moment, Pippin had tried his best to convince someone, anyone at all, that he was old enough to accompany Frodo and Merry on the walking trip. In the end, Pippin's parents had stood firm and refused to allow Pippin to go wandering about the Shire with his older cousins. Frodo was in full agreement with them.. The lad was too young for such a trip. He and Merry would be gone for nearly a month and that was far too long for Pippin to be away from home. The only positive thing about having Pippin along would have been that right now, Pippin would likely having been singing while working on the tent instead of complaining. Granted, Frodo would have had to follow behind Pippin and repair whatever portion of the tent that Pippin had attempted to set up, but at least Pippin would have remained cheerful.

"All it has done the last two days is rain!" Merry was shouting into the wind. "Rain, and storm and then rain some more! My skin is permanently pruned. I look as if I am eighty-five rather than twenty-five!" Merry assaulted another tent stake with his rock and the rest of his tirade was lost for the moment.

Frodo finished with his own tent stake and made his way over to the ponies, both of which were huddled underneath a large oak tree at the moment. The tree afforded them some shelter from the storm and Frodo had taken an old oilskin and spread it above the ponies in the lower tree branches to block more of the rain. The ponies were not dry but they were somewhat protected as long as they remained underneath the makeshift shelter. As Merry continued to work on the tent, Frodo fed the animals, stroked them, and tried to settle them as best he could. He checked the ropes that secured them to the tree. It wouldn't do for the ponies to work free and wander off.

As near as Frodo could figure, they were camping about three hour's walk from Whitwell where Pippin's family lived. Frodo had wanted to reach Pippin's family's farm this evening in time for supper but the rain had slowed them down considerably. Now, he and Merry would have to make do with a cold meal. They would travel on tomorrow in what Frodo hoped would be better weather. He also hoped that Merry would be in a better mood. Frodo found himself thinking back with fondness to the first stage of his journey.

He had left Bag End with his pack and his favorite walking stick a few evenings ago just after supper and made his way to Buckland on his own. That part of his journey had been peaceful. He had enjoyed the songs of the birds, the smell of the spring flowers, and had fallen asleep looking up at the stars at night. When he had arrived in Buckland at Brandy Hall to collect Merry everything had taken a turn for the worse. The weather had changed from the idyllic balm of spring to rain and he and Merry had decided to bring along a couple of ponies. That had been Merry's idea really. Frodo always enjoyed walking but Merry had pointed out that the ponies would be useful to carry supplies and they could ride if they became tired. Frodo had agreed wanting to allow Merry to help plan things in some small way and the intrusion of ponies on his walking trip had seemed a small thing. He had to admit, that since the weather had assaulted them from the moment that they had left Buckland, that he was grateful for the ponies.

The tent was up and Merry was currently standing, if slightly bent over, inside complaining to no one. Frodo could hear Merry muttering as he approached the tent carrying their bedrolls and packs in his arms. Frodo's face was nearly hidden from view by his load as he entered the tent and dropped the bedding and packs to the ground. Red-faced and dripping wet from the rain, Frodo smiled at Merry and said, "I've seen to the ponies. I'm not altogether happy with the arrangements that I've had to make for them, but I think they will get through the night."

Merry grunted. "At least neither of them begged to come on this cursed excursion! The ponies were left with no choice. I, on the other hand, actually asked to come along!"

"Just get started taking the wet oilskins off of what I can only hope will be our dry bedding," Frodo sighed pointing to the pile at their feet

Merry actually growled at him but he set to work and so Frodo decided to let it pass.

"My clothing is soaked!" Merry announced a bit later as he opened his pack. "I don't have a single dry piece of clothing in this entire water-logged pack!"

"I'm afraid mine didn't fair any better," Frodo sighed. " It is fortunate that the blankets and bedding remained dry or this would be a very uncomfortable evening indeed."

"Would be?" Merry sputtered. "Frodo, we have no dry clothes. We can't build a fire. There will be no hot meal. We are a good three-hour's ride from Whitwell and the ponies can't travel any further in this downpour! We are going to have a miserable night. Last night at least we stayed in that broken down old Inn. I mean, it was in dreadful condition and the roof leaked but we had a fire and a hot meal."

"Merry," Frodo said as he began removing his jacket being careful not to let it drip on the dry bedding. "You complained all evening about that Inn. This should serve as a lesson to you. I am guessing that you can now see the finer points of the "Last Chance Inn"."

"There were no finer points," Merry said, still holding fast to his unpleasant mood. "The floor in our room slanted downward, the roof leaked in three spots, the bed was so lumpy that I began to suspect that there were moles sleeping in the stuffing, we had to go out into the rain and get our own wood because the Inn had no staff to speak of, the owner charged you a price that would have bought and paid for the entire Inn, and the window wouldn't close."

"You've forgotten the table," Frodo smiled, unfastening his waistcoat.

"No, I've not forgotten it," Merry said with a shiver dropping his soaking wet pack to the ground. "It only had three legs and one of those was shorter than the other two. You had to put a stick of firewood underneath the leg in order to keep our food from sliding off onto the floor. How could I forget that?"

Frodo laid his waistcoat on top of his own wet pack and slid his braces off of his shoulders. He smiled at Merry as he began to unbutton his shirt. "Maybe tomorrow will be better, Merry. We will-"

"What are you doing?" Merry interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Frodo frowned as he removed his shirt.

"You're undressing as if you have something dry to put on somewhere in this sodden mess," Merry said accusingly. "You don't, do you?"

"No, but I am not about to spend the entire night sitting about in wet clothing," Frodo said as he put the shirt onto the growing pile of clothes at his feet.

"You mean to say that you plan to completely disrobe in this tent?" Merry said looking stunned.

"I do," Frodo said as he began to unfasten his trousers. "And if you don't want to catch your death you will do the same."

Merry made a choking sound and turned his head quickly away from Frodo who was fast becoming naked. "You can't be serious!"

"I think you can plainly see that I am quite serious," Frodo smiled stepping out of his short clothes and shaking his damp curls a bit.

"It isn't proper!" Merry objected still not looking in Frodo's direction.

"Merry," Frodo laughed. "It can't be helped. We have no other choice in the matter and I am certainly not going to crawl into my nice, dry blankets in my wet clothing and lay there all night shivering when I can remove my wet things and sleep nice and dry and warm."

"You're going to sleep in the altogether?" Merry sputtered.

"I am," Frodo said still amused at Merry's sudden need for modesty. "Just pretend that you are getting ready to skinny dip in the Brandywine and remove those wet things of yours. Then you can climb into your nice, warm, dry blankets and get comfortable. You're shivering with the cold."

Merry removed his jacket quickly and then said, "That is all I am taking off! It's just unseemly! Two grown male hobbits sleeping in a tent in the middle of nowhere naked!"

Frodo laughed and climbed underneath one of his dry blankets. He sat tailor fashion on the ground and began to remove some cheese and crackers from the food pack, which had faired much better in the wet weather. "Honestly, Meriadoc. There is no one within miles of here except the occasional sheep or cow. No one will ever know about it. Besides, I would rather that an entire group of travelling hobbits happened by and found me sleeping naked than if they came by and saw me sitting in a dry tent in my wet clothes shivering like a ninny hammer."

Merry groaned. "Don't even think such a thing!"

"Merry, you are being ridiculous," Frodo laughed gently as he popped a bite of cheese into his mouth. "Bilbo and I have had to do this on several occasions. The weather isn't always cooperative and sometimes things are less than comfortable on the road. An experienced traveller learns to make the best of things."

"Frodo, there will be gossip if anyone hears of this," Merry said finally daring to look over at his older cousin who was sitting comfortably under a blanket and munching on a cracker. "Folks will say all manner of unkind things if anyone finds out about this."

"So far, Meriadoc," Frodo grinned. "The only thing folks will say is that Meriadoc Brandybuck doesn't have the sense to remove his wet clothing and climb under a nice dry blanket. That is all anyone who came upon us could say."

Merry frowned. "How can you just sit there naked, eating crackers?"

Frodo laughed and spit crackers onto his blanket. "Merry, it isn't that dreadful. It's only you and me here and I have seen you naked before."

"When I was a child," Merry objected. "In case you are unaware, I am a grown hobbit now and you most assuredly have not seen me naked in some years."

"Fine," Frodo grinned. "I will close my eyes while you shed your wet things and get underneath a blanket. I wouldn't want to see anything that I am not supposed to see."

"This isn't funny," Merry growled removing his waistcoat and dropping it onto his jacket. "What if word gets out about this? Folks will talk about us like they do about Tolman Cotton's cousin, Rusty and that friend of his."

Frodo smiled. "What Rusty Cotton chooses to do is his own concern. You are aware that different hobbits have different preferences aren't you?"

"I'm not a child, Frodo," Merry said with a shiver. "I know that not everyone takes their tea in the same manner. I am twenty-five you know!"

"Then act it," Frodo challenged. "Take off those uncomfortable wet things and crawl into your bedroll. "I'll even share the food with you, you silly Brandybuck."

"Well, close your eyes so I can get undressed then," Merry said grudgingly. "I suppose you are right. No one will see us all the way out here in the middle of nowhere."

Frodo closed his eyes and smiled. "Where ever did you hear that ridiculous phrase?"

"What ridiculous phrase?" Merry asked as he removed his shirt.

"Not everyone takes their tea in the same manner?" Frodo snickered.

"It's the polite way to say it," Merry said in annoyance. "It's what some folks say when discussing folks who have other tastes when it comes to sex."

"What folks are those? Pippin's old maiden Aunts?" Frodo chuckled.

"Well, you know what I mean," Merry said and Frodo could hear his younger cousin crawling into his bedroll and pulling up blankets. "You can open your eyes now."

"You're quite sure that you've hidden the Brandybuck assets from view?" Frodo teased cracking one eye open slightly to find Merry wrapped up tightly in blankets with only his head and one arm visible

"This isn't funny," Merry said, flushed with embarrassment. "If anyone found us we'd look like a couple of, well a couple of-"

"Unfortunate hobbits that became drenched in a downpour and had to make the best of things?" Frodo asked arching an eyebrow. "Or Rusty Cotton out for a night of fun with his lover?"

Merry groaned. "Will you please not even joke about that? You may not ever want to marry but I'd like the opportunity at some point. I don't want my chances of courting a lass or two spoiled because I was found naked in a tent with my much older bachelor cousin!"

Frodo howled with laughter. "Oh, Merry, really! I'd sooner bed Rusty Cotton than you."

"Frodo! This is no joking matter!" Merry objected. He paused and looked perplexed. "You can't mean to say that Rusty Cotton is better looking than I am."

Frodo laughed even louder. "Offended your pride, have I?"

"Not that it matters, but I happen to be far better looking than Rusty Cotton!" Merry snorted. "His eyes are too far apart and he's rather stoop shouldered. He also has that rather pasty pallor all of the time. Looks unhealthy."

"Noticed Rusty, have you?" Frodo asked. "Maybe I'm the one who should be nervous about this sleeping arrangement."

Merry blushed. "Pass me the crackers and be quiet!"

"Where did we put that cask of honey that your mother insisted we bring along?" Frodo asked. "I think these scones that we have would be less dry and tasteless if we put a bit of honey on them."

"It's just here, behind me," Merry said, relaxing a bit with the talk turning away from Rusty Cotton and back to food. He reached behind himself and carefully popped the lid off the small cask. Pass me a spoon and some scones and I will put honey on them."

Frodo complied and the two were soon enjoying scones with honey, crackers with cheese, and some apples. Merry's nervousness disappeared with the meal and the two settled down to sleep wrapped in dry blankets while the rain fell outside of the tent.

*****

"Surprise!" a high-pitched whisper greeted Frodo along with sunlight filtering into the tent through an open flap. Frodo pried his eyes open and found himself staring over at his younger cousin, Pippin. Pippin was standing in the tent's opening, mouth wide open, eyes huge, and a shepherd's crook in his right hand. The nearly seventeen-year-old Took looked as if he'd seen a ghost or perhaps an adder. His expression was one of complete shock.

"What are you doing here?" Frodo asked still trying to wake up fully and squinting against the sun.

"I could ask you that same question," Pippin murmured not taking his gaze from whatever it was that was holding his attention. Pippin swallowed. "So, this is why I couldn't come along then?"

Frodo ran his hand through his hair and sat up. "I repeat, what are you doing here?"

"I was out looking for a couple of the sheep that Nell seems to have lost and saw your tent," Pippin mumbled. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I never would have suspected this. I only thought that I'd come by and see if you and Merry wanted to come up to the smial with me and have second breakfast only now I can see that you wouldn't want to and that even if you did want to this would likely kill my mum. She'd never stand this news. She's not as young as she used to be and she's easily shocked."

Frodo followed Pippin's gaze and his eyes widened. There, laying on his stomach and snoring away, was a very naked Merry. Apparently his younger cousin had kicked off his blankets during the night and was now sleeping like a log, a very naked log, very close to Frodo's own blankets. In fact, one of Merry's arms was stretched across Frodo's waist. "Pippin, this may look a bit awkward, but I assure you it isn't whatever you are thinking," Frodo said quickly.

Pippin managed to take his eyes away from Merry's naked behind and looked at Frodo, scowling. "It's all right, Frodo. I won't tell anyone. I know all about these sorts of things but I just didn't know that you and Merry were playing hide the sausage."

Frodo nearly choked. "Pippin, Merry and I aren't playing anything. I can assure you that-"

Pippin rolled his eyes skyward and heaved a great sigh. "I am not a child, Frodo. I know all about this sort of thing. Actually, it does explain why you've never married. I am surprised about Merry, though. I never would have thought that he'd be interested in, well, in you. It explains why you're still unwed and all though."

"What does my marital status have to do with anything?" Frodo blurted out letting his blanket fall to his waist revealing his bare chest.

Pippin cleared his throat and twirled the shepherd's crook in his hands. "Well, if it's lads that you fancy then you certainly wouldn't be wanting a lass about your smial to spoil your fun now would you? Besides, it'd just be wrong to marry a lass and allow her to think that you fancied her when all the time you were boffing Merry."

"I am not boffing Merry!" Frodo objected a bit too loudly and Merry grunted in his sleep and rolled onto his back revealing a very healthy erection.

Pippin's eyes widened. "All right, then Merry is boffing you," Pippin said looking unashamedly at Merry's groin. "He seems fit for it at least. Pearl always did say that she thought that Merry-"

"Peregrin Took, will you get your mind out of the bedroom and back to common sense?" Frodo hissed looking around for something to cover Merry with but finding only his own blanket which he wasn't about to give up now. Pippin had seen enough already.

Pippin shrugged. "I never would have thought that Merry would fancy lads. He seemed so interested in lasses. In fact, I rather thought that he was interested in Nell at one time. I guess I was wrong about that." Pippin continued to stare at Merry's naked form as he spoke. "This is something about Merry that I truly would not have suspected and I did think that I knew most of Merry's secrets. This will certainly come as a surprise to my sisters. Does Merry's mum know what you're doing on this walking trip? Or Uncle Doc?"

"Pippin, Merry and I got caught in the rain last night and had nothing dry to put on. We had to undress in order to sleep so that we wouldn't get our bedding wet. There is absolutely nothing for you to tell your sisters, Merry's parents or anyone else! There is nothing to tell!" Frodo sighed as he noticed that some of Pippin's attention was still on Merry. "Will you kindly reach over there and cover Merry with that blanket?" Frodo pointed to Merry's cast-off quilt nervously while trying to avoid looking at Merry.

Pippin smiled. "Find him a bit too distracting, do you?"

"Peregrin Took, I am seconds away from coming over there and -"

Pippin grinned. "Don't get up on my account," Pippin said quickly and Frodo clutched at his blanket. Pippin leaned over and began to pull a blanket over Merry with one hand while leaning on his shepherd's crook with the other. "There, now you can concentrate properly again, Frodo." He stood back up.

"Pippin, this is not what you think it is," Frodo said sternly. "Merry and I just got caught in that storm last night. You did hear the storm, didn't you?"

Merry snored softly and Pippin smiled sweetly. "I did. Dreadful storm. Frightened the plough pony and father had trouble getting her into the barn." Pippin grinned a bit and then looked down at Merry. "Seems Merry's made a wee tent here in this bigger one," Pippin joked pointing to the blanket that was now covering Merry and which was slightly raised in one area.

Frodo groaned and tried to ignore Pippin's idea of humor. "So, you heard the storm and you know how very hard it rained last night," Frodo said trying to change the subject.

"I did indeed," Pippin smiled. "It's also why I'm out this early in the morning trying to find those sheep. Nell thinks several of the wee ones wandered off during the storm." Pippin looked thoughtfully at the shepherd's crook and smiled again. "I'm out doing a bit of 'wool gathering'." He laughed. "Get it? Wool gathering? See, sheep are covered in wool and-"

"I get it, Pippin," Frodo sighed.

Pippin rocked on his heels a bit and smiled. "My, this is awkward, isn't it? I mean, you must have thought you were further from the farm when you set up camp last night or you might have camped in a more discreet location for your fun and games. You're only about an hour's walk from my family's home."

"Pippin, Merry and I are not engaging in any fun and games!" Frodo hissed. "We simply didn't have anything dry to sleep in last night."

Pippin smirked.

"I am telling you the truth," Frodo said. "All we were doing was trying to get warm."

Pippin crossed his eyes and then said, "Did you? Get warm at all?"

Merry groaned and sat up rubbing at his eyes. He squinted at the light and then looked at Frodo. "Last night wasn't so bad. I'm sorry I complained, Frodo. I'd just never done this before."

Pippin dropped the shepherd's crook and put both hands over his mouth for a second. "You deflowered Merry!" he said between his fingers as he glared at Frodo.

"I did no such thing!" Frodo shouted, forgetting himself and standing.

Merry's head jerked in Pippin's direction. "What are you doing here?"

Pippin was unable to answer now because Frodo had allowed his blanket to fall when he stood and was now standing naked in front of Pippin. "I have had entirely too much of your insinuations, Peregrin Took!" Frodo said angrily.

Pippin stepped back a few steps, tripped over the shepherd's crook and sat down hard on the ground at the foot of Merry's bedroll. "I told you I wouldn't say anything to anyone!" Pippin said. "It's just a surprise is all! I didn't know that you and Merry were quite this close. I have other cousins that are charting these particular waters but I didn't know that you and Merry were sailing the forbidden seas, rowing your boat in another direction as it were!"

"You didn't know that we were what?" Merry demanded, glaring at Pippin.

"Lovers?" Pippin whispered now nearly nose to nose with Merry.

Merry choked and turned to look up at Frodo. "I told you! Didn't I tell you that if anyone found us out here like this they would think we were up to something? Didn't I tell you that, Frodo?" Merry quickly closed his eyes when he realized what portion of Frodo that he was looking up toward. "Put that thing away, will you? You're going to put my eye out!"

Frodo looked down and realized that he was completely exposed. He reached down and grabbed a blanket and pulled it around his waist. Pippin had covered both eyes with a hand and was now spouting dramatically, "If you'd told me then I certainly wouldn't have come anywhere near here! All you had to do was to tell me. One of you could have said something. I mean someone could have just said, 'Look, Pippin, we'd love to have you come along on our walking trip with us, but we've made a few extra plans. You see, we're rather more close than you think we are. We're lovers, Pippin! In fact, we plan to toss the sheets with one another all across the Shire and naturally we don't want you along for that.'" Pippin made a small disgusted snort and continued. "I, naturally, wouldn't have wanted to come along for that! I happen to fancy lasses, or at least, I think I might when I'm old enough to fancy anyone, but if you two fancy each other then that's fine with me. I don't mind having a couple more male cousins that enjoy this sort of thing. The Tooks have always looked the other way when this sort of business happens. We're very open-minded about our back-door cousins. If you and Frodo are tossing one another then,-"

It was just at that moment that Merry, desperate to make Pippin stop, reached behind him for the nearest object and seized the cask of honey.

*****

"You didn't have to pour it on me," Pippin complained as he walked along between his older cousins some time later using his shepherd's crook as a walking stick. "You've turned me into a lure for angry bees, Meriadoc!"

"It seemed the only way to shut you up," Merry shrugged, walking rather stiffly in his still-damp trousers. He and Frodo had been given little choice but to wear their wet clothing. Neither of them had thought to spread their things out so that they might dry a bit during the night. At least the sun was out today.

"I don't think this honey will ever come out of my hair," Pippin moaned putting a sticky hand into his even stickier curls. "Besides, you shouldn't be angry. You admitted that you would have thought the very same thing if you'd come upon two naked male hobbits in a tent in the middle of a meadow so I don't see why you were so upset with me for thinking it."

"Because, I was one of the naked hobbits that you were thinking it about!" Merry growled. "Honestly, Pippin, I can see why you might think something like that about old Frodo here, but me?"

"And just why can you see how he might think something like that about me?" Frodo demanded as he stopped on the road near the gate to Pippin's family's farm. The three of them had walked from the campsite leaving the ponies to graze in the meadow. Pippin stood between his two older cousins coated in honey and holding his shepherd's crook as Frodo glared over his head at Merry.

Merry shrugged. "It's only that I'm still young yet and courting all sorts of lovely young lasses and you, well, you spend most of your time reading and puttering about in your garden with Sam. In fact, if Sam weren't seeing Rosie Cotton now, folks might think that you and he-"

"Sam Gamgee!" Frodo objected looking outraged. "Are you actually going to stand there and tell me that folks might think I was boffing my gardener?"

Merry shrugged. "Some might." Pippin, who was standing near Merry, nodded in agreement.

"That is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard in all my years, which, as you and Pippin keep pointing out, are considerable!" Frodo groaned and went through the gate ahead of his cousins. "Me! Me and Samwise Gamgee! Of all the impossible ideas! Next you'll be telling me that you think I'm bedding the Gaffer!"

Merry and Pippin exchanged amused looks. "It could happen," Pippin whispered.

Merry put a finger to his lips. "Don't say another word. I only coated you in honey. No telling what Frodo might do to you if you get too cheeky. He's not in a very good mood. He's complained the entire trip. Frankly, Pip, you should be glad that you didn't come with us. Our cousin Frodo is not the best of travelling companions."

Ahead of them on the path Frodo continued to talk to himself as he walked. "Samwise Gamgee and I! There can't possibly be anyone in this entire Shire who would be cracked enough to believe a thing like that! Sam!"

Pippin snickered and licked the honey from one of his fingers as Frodo continued to rant and rave.. "I hope we don't run into any bees," he frowned. "This honey is likely to make them swarm all over me!" He scowled at Merry.

Merry grinned and pointed just behind them. "Here comes one of your lambs. I guess bees aren't the only ones that like honey. The lamb came up to Pippin and began licking his trouser leg. "Careful Pip," Merry laughed as he watched the over-enthusiastic lamb attack Pippin's trousers, "The sort of rumor this type of thing might start is far worse than me being caught naked in a tent with Frodo. A more than average fondness for animals cannot be overlooked by anyone, not even Tooks." Merry winked as the lamb continued to lick honey from Pippin's leg dangerously near the groin while Pippin tried to push the animal away. Still laughing, Merry walked off as another lamb came up beside Pippin.

"It's the honey!" Pippin objected loudly hurrying after Merry and trying to out distance the determined sheep. "Honestly, Merry, it's only the honey!"

The End

Grey_wonderer 04/11/2006