To Learn

Chapter 4: Meaningful Words

.I'm so The Witch came out of the tent, and walked with selfish pride, looking at Edmund. She didn't actually look happy, but there was this cold satisfaction in the brief way her lips quirked up that made my skin crawl. As if she's had an even bigger price.

A lion, bigger than I've ever seen, also walked out. He looked at Edmund, and there was this sadness that I could not comprehend.

The lion looked forward "She has renounced her claim on the Son of Adam's blood."

A choir of cheers overwhelmed my hears and I let out a breath of relief. In the middle of his excitement, Edmund hugged me smiling brightly for the first time since I've met him. I could help the laugh that erupted from me. Still, he said nothing of my fate.

"How do I know your promise will be kept?"

The lion, tired of her insults, lets out a powerful roar. The Witch sat on the "throne" instantly, causing laughter to erupt among the crowd of warriors. They turned tail and without a word left the camp.

Does that mean... I am free?

"Let go a get you that bath." Edmund said excitedly and took off without waiting much of a response. As a four legged beast, it is easy to keep pace with a child, just need to trot or walk. I, of course, was exited for the bath myself and decided to trot behind the grinning boy. His joyful sibling followed close behind. Soon, we reached a river and without thinking I trotted to the deepest part, which I may add, is not that much. It just reached my shoulders, to be specific; my back is as tall as Edmund. I held my breath and submerged my head, wetting myself completely in the fresh river. I emerged and hurriedly started to clean myself, to the best of my abilities. Having paws for hands is a handicap in this kind of situations.

"If you come to a more shallow part, I think we can help you. You're the one who needs a bath, not us." Edmund joked. I look at him startled, embarrassment slowly creeping up my face that, thankfully, is unable to blush, earning a laugh from his siblings who struggled to stand upright.

In the midst of their laughter I smile to myself as an idea pops on my mind. I stealthily move forward and go underwater, using the currents to distort and hide my position. Once I'm right in the middle of the four, stand and shook my whole body, wetting everything in my immediate vicinity and hearing a couple of squeals and surprised yelps. I sigh in mock contentment, I wasn't completely clean yet "Ah, Don't worry lads I'll leave you space so that you can take a much needed bath." I state smugly. It's fun to be naughty once in a while. It was easy, when you're smothered by four children at the same time.

I take a step forward but I'm quickly stopped by a very, very wet and smug Susan. "Oh, but you're not finished yet." Somehow materialized a bar of scented soap. I plead "No, Susan, no please." I look around and with horror see that the others have a fistful of soap too. "Wait, no," I jump back when Lucy tries to swipe my chest with the soap. "The scent is too strong and it'll last for days." I whine childishly. I have no time to get away from Edmund, who took the opportunity when I stopped backing away, and he instantly started to rub it along my back. The others did the same when I was taken by surprise. Devilish opportunists...

"You better not leave any remnant of that horrid soap on my fur." I pouted in defeat.

"We will, now stop squirming." Peter chuckled.

After much scrubbing and whining and laughing and drying, I was finally clean, I haven't take a proper bath in... a hundred years? I think that would be accurate, now that I think about it. Ugh, too long. "Wow, your fur is so pretty." Lucy said in awe, caressing the same spot she had been scrubbing so vigorously before. "I though your fur was brown." Susan added, amused. I snort, but I guess, after being dragged around the forest floor, bleeding and such, could maybe change you fur color rather efficiently I would say. "Hmm."