The Shire. And beyonde (A Pippin and Merry story)

"Pip! Pip! Come look at this!"
Called a jolly and merry voice.
"Coming Merry!"
A squeakier and happier voice replied.
Now, the owner of this voice was a young Hobbit called, Pippin. Of course, that is just a shortened version of the young Hobbit's name. Young Pippin's full name is, Peregrin Took.
As well as having a mop of hair on his head, curly and a sandy colour, he had hair on his dirty little feet. Curly and matted.
Though, all Hobbits had hair on their feet.
he is the youngest out of the pair, and everyone thinks he is too young to join in with most activites. But he is brave.. And jumps into the plans that Merry makes for him.

He was very jolly, and often found eating and smoking various things.
Pippin was never found without his cousin. And this leads onto the first voice, which belonged to Merry.
Merry's full name is Meriadoc Brandybuck.
The Brandybucks are well-known for being 'odd-folk'.
But Merry was a scheming and smart young Hobbit, and his plans were well-known throughout the Shire.


This is the Shire map:

The Shire is probably the cleanest, greenest and friendliest place you will ever see in your lifetime.
Hobbits and creatures there are polite, gentle and merry.
The Hobbits are especially well-known for throwing huge Birthday-Bashes for the oldest and wisest Hobbits in all of Hobbiton Shire.
Now, I will tell you later of the evil parts around the outside of the Shire, but not now, as you have not even learnt about Pippin and Merry's finding!

"Mushrooms again?"
Pippin sighed.
Merry was knelt beside an old oak tree, where a clump of mushrooms grew, bright and white.
If you were them, you would leave them alone, thinking the msuhrooms were poisenous, but not Hobbits.
"But Pip! These are great for eating.. Smoking.. And... Well.. Eating!"
Merry was barely able to contain his excitement.
"Help me pick em' Pip!"
He joyously called, put with a soft touch, he began to slowly take them out of the ground, keeping the roots in.
Pippin grinned and knelt beside Merry, glad to have someone who he was best friends with. Though Merry was eight years older than him and taller.
He envied Merry... His brains.. His plans...
He began to roughly pick the mushrooms out until Merry slapped his hand, telling him he was ruining the goodness of the mushrooms if he ripped them out of the good soil.

Pippin slowly picked the mushrooms until they had armfulls.
"Right, now let's head back to my hobbit hole and we'll sort em' into smoking and eating piles."
Pippin was already chewing on one of the mushrooms until Merry nudged him in the ribs.
Pippin's chewed mushroom fell into his pile and he grinned.
"Pippin."
"Yes Merry?"
"Have you ever wondered...What life is like.. Beyond the Shire?"
Pippin looked like he was about to drop the bundle of mushrooms, he walked directly in Merry's path and turned to face him, looking him straight in the blue eyes.
"Merry.. You're doing it again!"
Merry shook his head, a dreamy expression on his face.
"Think about it Pip... Many places no Hobbit has explored.Different mouth-watering species of plants and mushrooms. think Pip! We could be the first Hobbits to wonder outside of the Shire and return!"
Pippin scoffed, walking on again beside Merry.
"No. Bilbo Baggins has already done that. Remember?"
Merry frowned, shaking his sandy-blonde curls.
"But still... We could do all Bilbo did, and more!"
Merry sighed.
"But.... Think of the danger. Leaving the Shire... The evil beasts and things out there that many have seen, but not lived to tell the tale. Eh, Merry?"
Pippin said, a hint of fear in his voice and blue eyes.
Merry smirked.
"They're no match for a Hobbit like me, dear Pip! I would give them the old one two!"
Pippin chuckled along with Merry and grinned.
"Yeah... And I'd celebrate with a few good fireworks. And a Luncheon of Hobbiton Roast golden potatoes and chips."
Their mouths watered and their stomachs rumbled.
"Can't I just have one mushroom,Merry?"
Pippin asked, moaning.
Merry smirked.
"Okay Pip, we deserve it."
They both sat down under the shade of an Ash tree and they picked out three of the best mushrooms, chewing on them to their heart's content until they were full to bursting.
"At this rate, I won't be hungry for second lunch!"
Merry said, patting his belly and sighing with content.
Pippin looked shocked.
"But Merry! We always have seconds!"
Merry laughed joyously.
"Yeah... I was joking Pip! Did you think I was serious?!"
He punched Pippin on the arm playfully, the bundle of mushrooms falling to the floor, so he had to quickly regather them before they spoiled.
Pippin looked relieved.
"Don't joke me like that, Merry, I thought I'd lost you for good.."
And there they sat, until the sun-set, when they gathered themselves and walked along the muddy track back to Hobbiton from Bindbole Woods.

Update: You may join if you want to, the more the Merry....Ier. HAHAH!
No, really. It would be cooler.

Now.. We left them there, walking down the track to Hobbiton village.
But now we will return.
Pippin and Merry were now sorting the mushrooms into piles, Merry's mum and dad were away, sorting out Bilbo Baggins's 111 birthday party.
"No, that one's too good for smoking."
Merry pointed out as Pippin was about to put it in the 'smoking' pile.
Pippin nodded in agreement and put it into the eating pile.
Pippin stopped his work and looked up, watching Merry at work.
Merry was concentrating as he picked the mushrooms out of the two bundles they had taken back to his hole, frowning in concentration and muttering unknown things under his breath.
Pippin smirked. He was happy to have Merry.
Merry looked up and caught Pippin staring at him.
"What?"
He asked in a rude manner.
Pippin stopped smiling and hasitly looked down at the mushrooms, not really looking where he was putting one.
"Now, Pip! You've spoilt it, it's on the floor!"
Merry bent down on his wooden chair and picked it up, as it was covered in dust.
"Now for smoking."
Merry sighed, putting it down.
"Sorry Merry."
Pippin said in a worried voice.
Merry grinned.
"Don't worry Pip. Sorry for getting angry at you."
They always made up in the end. They never rested on an arguement.
Merry finally got up and idily walked over to the window.
Pippin looked confused and put the remaining mushrooms onto the table as he was holding them and he followed Merry, looking out the window.
He kept glancing at Merry's shinign, dreamy, face.
All that was outside was the shadows of trees and swaying laterns of the Hobbits wandering around the village, and the bright, round moon, gazing down at them and giving them a bit of light.
"Merry..."
Pippin said, looking at Merry again.
Merry didn't respond and carried on gazing.
"Merry!"
Pippin yelled.
Merry jumped awake and blinked, looking like he had woken from a good dream.
"Huh..?"
He said, blinking and shaking his curls.
"you were off with the elves again, Merry."
Pippin said, arms folded in an annoyed way, giving Merry an annoyed look.
Merry shook his head, running a hand through his curls to scratch at his head.
"I was? Oh... I remember..."
He said in a dopy fashion.
Pippin flicked Merry on the arm.
"Yes, you were! And it was more than likely about walking outside of the Shire!"
Merry shook his head.
"It was, wasn't it?"
Pippin pressed on.
"Pip, please don't. I'm tired."
Merry yawned loudly, demonstrating how tired he was.
Pippin shook his head.
"Stop fooling with me, Meriadoc Brandybuck. I've seen those maps, I have. I've seen the way you beg Gandalf everytime he comes on his cart. You want more maps. You ask him about the outside world outside the Shire boundries. Don't say I'm lying, Merry. I know you!"
Merry looked equally annoyed.
"Okay! If you must know. I was. I have. I want to! I want to see the outside world. Your head is still in the Shire, Pip. Mine is off somewhere else. On an adventure.. I know this is my path, Pip. I wanted you to take it with me. But I guess you won't!"
He looked away from Pippin, not waiting for an answer.
But Pippin looked stunned and shocked, eyes wide, mouth open.
"Merry.. I'm sorry for getting.. Annoyed.."
Merry shook his head as if he hadn't heard Pippin's apology.
"No. I will do this alone. You see Gandalf. He's alone. No company apart from his horse. That's how I should be..."
"Don't be silly, Merry. You have me."
Pippin said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He put his thumbs under his bracers, grinning.
Merry shrugged, shaking his head in a pitying fashion as he turned to the door of his own hole.
"But you won't join me.. I guess this is my own journey I will one day take.."
He quietly said, stepping towards the door. But Pippin quickly ran and barred Merry's way to the door of the hole.
"Let me think, Merry!"
He cried out, making Merry look at him in a shocked way.
"I need to think about this! About all we'd leave behind! This was merely a dream a few hours ago.. And now we're planning already!"
Merry shook his head, cracking a grin and laughing.
"Don't you see Pip! I've been planning ever since I was young. The mushrooms I picked just now with you!"
Pippin looked awe-struck.
"Were provisions?"
He said in a questionable way.
Merry nodded, laughing.
"Yep! And the already neatly-folded clothes on my bed!"
Pippin finally smiled and laughed, running at Merry, grabbing his hands and forcing him into a 'ring-aring-the roses' dance around and around.
They finally stopped, puffing and panting.
"Right.. It's Bilbo's birthday tomorow.. I think it should go off with a bang."
Merry suddenly said with a mischevious grin.
Pippin's smile faltered off for a few seconds, but then he grinned and hugged Merry.
"Always planning."
He said.
"I'm going to stay up and plan, you better get some sleep, Pip."
Pippin nodded.
"I will.. G'night Merry."
"Night Pip."
And with that, Pippin opened the door and the cool night breeze touched his cheeks.
He took one last fleeting look into the warm house, and closed the door behind himself.
When Pippin was gone, Merry went to the table, unrolled the scrolls of browned and aged parchment, looked at the maps and sat down.
This was the start of the planning days.

Still open for anyone to jooiiiiin xD

The next day, the Middle Earth sun shon bright and warm.
It warmed every hobbit's heart as they set off around the Shire, doing their jobs and daily activities.
Nothing ever changed.. Unless Gandalf came. Of course.
Though that wouldn't happen for months at a time.

After Pippin had eaten his fifth breakfast, he set off for Merry's Hobbit Hole.
Along the track to Merry's house. There was talk. Talk of Gandalf returning. These were some of the things Pippin heard:
"Did'ja hear? Gandalf is back."
"Not again! I remember he brought fireworks last time. A right old racket."
"But the children like him!"
"He always seems busy now-a-days though..You know what that means.."
"He's off seeing Bilbo Baggins a lot as well."
"Hmm.. Must be up to no good."
Pippin, of course, didn't agree with some of the things spoken about Gandalf, but he couldn't block them out. he just hoped that Gandalf would be gone, if he was around the Hobbiton town, in time for Merry to reach the door and leave. He didn't want Merry to go map-mad, or get any more ideas about leaving the Shire.
Pippin caught sight of Merry. For the first time, he was disheartened to see Merry out of the door and talking to one of the fellow hobbit neighbors. As Pippin wondered over to them both, he sadly heard the news of Gandalf. Merry's face.. It was delighted as could be.
He rubbed his hands together, grinning and beaming a smile.
"Right.. If Gandalf's coming, I better get to him before the children do!"
He then looked up and caught sight of Pippin. His smile seemed to falter, as he knew Pippin didn't want him to wonder of on an adventure away from the Shire. But then the grin returned and bounced up to Pippin, the other hobbit returning to his job of caring for the shire horses.
"So you heard.."
Pippin said in a hoarse voice. Merry nodded, smirking.
"We better head to Waymeet. I think the children won't catch up with him until he comes along the track to Hobbiton. Eh Pip?"
Pippin looked down at his hairy feet, and he kicked at a random pebble.
"Pip?"
Pippin looked up, sighing. He was going to give in....
"Fine. But NO running off without me."
Merry nodded and shook Pippin's hand on it.
"Okay.. Let's go meet Gandalf."
It took some time to get to waymeet, since a lot of different male and female hobbits kept stopping them, asking if they had heard the news.
They were especially keen to see if Merry had, as they knew Merry had always been eager to meet Gandalf every time. Merry and Pippin and to keep nodding, and it got very annoying soon enough.
As they reached the muddy track where the fields of crops and herds of cows were, they stopped. Only because Merry halted in front of Pippin, causing him to bump into the back of Merry, but he stopped, blinking.
"What?"
Merry was breathing hard, and exciteably.
"Can you see that?"
He said, squinting through the sunlight.
Pippin copied him, shielding the sun from his eyes.
He didn't know what he was meant to see, until the thing rose over the hill.
He heard it too.
The clip-clopping and wheel sound... The large shadow of a mare horse, and a cart.. And a point hat with a staff and a tall person.
Merry and Pippin looked at each other.
"Gandalf!"
They chorused and ran, arms flailing, in the middle of the road towards Gandalf's cart. Pippin had only sounded excited for Merry, as he did not want to annoy or upset him.
Gandalf's cart rumbled on. Pippin and Merry stopped. Pippin held his breath, then spoke.
"Merry.. I don't think he can see--"
"Shhhh Pip!"
They jumped up and down, waving their arms in the air.
"Gandalf! Mr. Gandalf!"
Called Merry.
Gandalf's cart still rumbled on. But it was really close. The horse didn't seem to care two hobbits were in the middle of the road. In fact.. It turned it's nose at them.


DUNDUNDUNNNN Anyone care to join? As Gandalf? Coooome onnnnn! You know you want to!!!!