The Fox & The Crow

Chapter Twenty *not edited*

I can feel my body going limp and I lean against the post as I sink onto my rug. My heart rate spikes and my breathing becomes shallow. My fingers tremble as I try to cover my ears to stop the loud noises of distant bombs, but they only increase.

As I look out into my dark tent, the ground beneath me shakes slightly as more bombs go off. The room twitches and for a moment, I see a stove light. A thin woman sits near it, clutching a small child. She turns and looks into the fire before throwing a glass bottle into it. The fire swallows the drink and the woman seems to relax.

My fingers tremble as I pull them from my ears. Another bomb goes off and I cover them quickly, my eyebrows knit tightly together. The young woman turns and holds out an arm for me to take. When I do, she pulls me near to the fire.

I stare up at her, perplexed at her presence. Another bomb goes off and I push myself against her chest.

Her body shakes slightly and when I look up at her, I notice that she is laughing, though I cannot hear it. She looks down at me with kind eyes and says something.

¨What did you say?¨

I hear another bomb go off, closer, and I squeeze my eyes shut. She puts a finger under my chin and lifts my face to her. She smiles and then takes my hand and wraps it around the hand of the sleeping child. I can feel her heartbeat coursing through my fingers.

I look back up to the woman and she uncovers my ears and bends towards me. Blowing into them, she begins to speak.

¨Open your eyes. You're safe.¨

But I am too afraid to open my eyes because if I do, the fire will have gone out and the room will have returned to its cold and lonely state. I watch, helpless, through closed lids as the light grows dimmer.

Blinking a few times, my eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. The stove light no longer present. In my hand, I feel a small warmth where I held the sleeping child. A soft wind brushes past my trembling legs, whistling across the top of my tent and pushing past its flaps.

I wipe cold sweat from my brow and move to stand, my breathing shaky.

Stepping out from my tent, I am met with the kisses of the cool night air, the soft smell of lavender wafts through the camp.

Taking in an unsteady breath, I begin to walk around the camp, trying to clear my mind.

The visions and false noises first started in the hospital. I had heard stories of people tested on and sent away for them, so I never spoke up. I'm sure that Sally guessed I had them since I would often shake in the afternoons. He never said a thing. He would take my hand and ask if I wanted some of his tobacco. I would laugh and it would soon be forgotten.

Never have I missed him so much.

A stronger wind rushes past me and I feel it grab at my hair and my fingertips playfully. I look to my side, smiling slightly at the disposition of it when I see the tent beside me open slightly to reveal a sleeping form.

They take in deep, calm breaths and no panicked movement crosses their resting face. I step closer and recognize Edmund. His lips slightly parted, making his scars more distinct. He never spoke of it with his siblings, the beatings the Witch gave him, but now and then, when he would train, Lucy would say she could see a change in his face as if he believed he was in danger. A panic in his eyes, she says it haunts him.

I only allow myself to feel a hint of sympathy for him before turning away from the tent.

A branch snaps not far from me and my head quickly turns in its direction. Suddenly, feeling vulnerable, I cautiously crouch down and push myself against Edmund's tent, looking wide-eyed towards the place of the approaching noises.