Chasms and Chinks

King Meets King

At first, the Pevensies and the Dwarves managed to get through the forest at a crisp pace, even thinking a few times that they had struck on a path. If you know anything about woods, as Peter, Trumpkin and Gimli did, the paths you usually find aren't paths at all. This is why people get lost so often in the woods, sometimes even to their deaths.

After plodding on for what felt like three hours, Trumpkin froze and demanded the other with a sharp whisper to stop.

They all did.

"There's someone-something following us."

Susan notched an arrow to her bow as soon as Trumpkin spoke, looking around her to the dark woods. Gimli lifted up his axe on the alert, already seeing what Trumpkin was speaking of, and instinctively stood in front of Lucy. Whatever happened, he didn't want her to get hurt.

At Peter's nod, they all continued on.

As much as possible they tried to keep away from the woods, sticking to the open woodland to their right to keep away from whatever it was that was following them. Eventually though they had to press to a dense part of the forest, but everyone kept a look-out, and it appeared as if their alarm was unfounded.

Then something dark leaped out of the shadows at Lucy, already upon her before Gimli could even react. Soon though, the Dwarf swirled around and cracked whatever it was on its skull, blood spurting everywhere. Two arrows ensured the creature's death, respectively from Susan and Trumpkin. Peter rushed to Lucy, pushed the corpse off of her and sighed in relief once he saw that she was okay.

"By Jove, that was too close!"

Gimli inspected the animal, which turned out to be a gray bear. Turning, he saw Trumpkin saying something to Susan, who was still pale until now.

"...left your bow too late."

"I thought it might be... you know... a Talking Bear."

"That's the problem with it," Peter said, helping Lucy up onto her feet. "We don't know anymore. It seems as if there are more dumb beasts than those who do have minds here in Narnia."

"You cannot risk it anymore," Gimli said. "If anything like that happens again, then we might not be too fortunate. But, my lady, are you all right?"

Lucy flushed a deep red and nodded. "Yes, thank you, Gimli."

"Everyone must be more wary, okay?" Peter said. "Let's move on."

Trumpkin hastily spoke. "Wait, Your Highness, I know you're hoping for a grand breakfast at Caspian's camp, but meat's precious scarce there."

Both of them turned to see Gimli stiffen at the mention of 'precious', as if he was deeply troubled.

"...and there's good eating on a bear. I say we stay-only for a while, of course-and take a bit of its meat. Master Dwarf and High King, I grant you know how to skin a bear?"

The two girls paled and excused themselves, making the others smile fondly at them as they went off.

"Let's get started, then," Peter said.

Edmund and Legolas finally reached a clearing in the woods leading to, they hoped, Aslan's How.

Before they could take another step creatures leaped out of nowhere, fauns and satyrs and dwarves, quickly surrounding them and making sure they saw their weapons drawn. Other persons, men this time, led them-one with his head covered with a heavy hood and the other with a strong stance and armor. Legolas noticed firsthand how this guy had his hair game on straight, then the familiarity of this other person, despite the covering on his face.