𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬
———✰———
Edmund was freezing when he entered the queen's courtyard, but he was hoping that the Queen would give him a coat or wrapped him up in hers like she did last time. As he walked further in, he started to walk through stone figures. He stepped on the remains of a fire in front of a lion which made him look down and pick up a charred log which he used to draw a pair of round glasses and a moustache of the creature making him smile slightly. Edmund continued to walk through the stone-filled courtyard and over, what he assumed to be, a stone wolf until it leapt up and pinned him to the icy floor below growling "be still, stranger, or you'll never move again! Who are you?"
"I'm Edmund! I met the Queen in the woods! She told me to come back here! I'm a son of Adam!" Edmund called out frantically and only at his last sentence did the wolf get off of him.
"hmm. My apologies, fortunate favourite of the queen. Or else, not so fortunate. Right this way" The wolf growled slightly in his low, rough voice.
Edmund started to climb the steep and icy staircase until he got to the top to reveal a throne room. He smiled when he saw the ice throne with the queen's fur jacket draped over it. Edmund and the Wolf, who had finally joined him in the room, walked forwards to the throne.
"wait here" The wolf ordered before he left.
Edmund looked around at the throne room before he walked up to the throne and sat on it smiling widely as he imagined what it would be like to have a throne.
"Like it?" the Queen's voice came from the room entrance that the wolf had left through.
"uh yes, your majesty" Edmund told her as he leapt from the chair and the smile slipped off his face slightly.
"I thought you might. Tell me, Edmund are your sisters deaf?" The queen questioned Edmund making him confused.
"no" Edmund frowned.
"and your brother, is he unintelligent?" the queen carried on.
"well, I think so. But mum says-" Edmund started to ramble but was cut off by the queen shouting "then how dare you come alone!"
"I tried!" Edmund defended.
"Edmund, I asked so little of you," the queen said as if she was a disappointed mother.
"they just don't listen to me!" Edmund defended but the Queen just kept talking "you couldn't even do that"
"I did bring the halfway. They're at the little dam with the beavers" the word vomit just spilt out his mouth he couldn't stop to think what he was saying he just wanted to please the queen.
"well. I suppose you're not a total loss then, are you?" the queen told him, and Edmund walked closer to her as her words got kinder.
"well, I was wondering, could I maybe have some more Turkish delight now?" Edmund asked apprehensively.
"our guest is hungry!" The queen spoke to Ginarrbrik who Edmund had only just noticed was there, but he didn't notice the cruel smiles that spread across their faces.
"this way," Ginarrbrik said before he pulled out the knife and pressed it onto Edmunds back before he marched the two off "for your num-nums"
"Maugrim?" the queen called out to the wolf who had led Edmund to her "you know what to do"
At her command, Maugrim let out a howl summoning the other wolves as Edmund watched in horror as the wolves burst into the throne room.
———✰———
Beaver, Susan, Lucy and Peter ran to the Dam as fast as they could when they started to realise that the queen's wolves were coming after them.
"hurry, mother! They're after us!" Mr Beaver shouted as they entered the dam.
"oh, right then" Mrs Beaver stuttered before she started dashing around the kitchen.
"what's she doing?" Peter asked Beaver as the three children watched with confused faces as she collected food. Beaver just made an action to Peter that showed he didn't really know what his wife was doing.
"oh, you'll be thanking me later. It's a long journey and Beaver gets pretty cranky when he's hungry" Mrs Beaver explained as she carried on collecting food from the kitchen and Susan decided they weren't going to be able to talk the woman out of it so she may as well help speed it.
"I'm cranky now!" Beaver shouted at her trying to get her to understand that they don't need food they need to leave since the Wolves were probably outside now.
"do you think we'll need jam?" Susan asked as she helped Mrs Beaver.
"only if the witch serves toast" Peter shot at her sarcastically but sounding panicked as well.
As the Beavers heard the scratching of the wolves the two Beavers lead the three siblings to a secret tunnel in their house that the wolves hopefully wouldn't be able to find.
"badger and me dug this. Comes out right near his place" Beaver told the Pevensies.
"you told me it led to your mums," Mrs Beaver said to him sounding outraged.
"Lucy!" Susan let out as the girl in front of her tripped over a root making everyone stop and look back at the two.
"they're in the tunnel!" Lucy whispered in terror as the group heard the growls and scratches in the tunnel.
"quick! This way" Mr Beaver lead them as Susan helped Lucy up.
"Hurry!" Mrs Beaver added.
"run!" Peter shouted back to his sisters who were behind him.
"quick! Quick! Quick!" Mrs Beaver told the siblings before her husband lead them to a dead-end in the tunnel.
"you should have brought a map!" Mrs Beaver told her husband.
"There wasn't room next to the jam!" Mr Beaver exclaimed before he turned and jumped up into the hole with the others following and Peter coming out last.
"Lucy!" Susan exclaimed making sure she was alright as Peter and Beaver placed a barrel over the hole so the wolves wouldn't know it was there.
Lucy backed away from the hole before she tripped over something and fell on her back making Mr Beaver turn to her as she grunted, his face falling when he realises what she tripped over, woodland creatures all turned to stone. He walked over to Badger and touched his paw.
"I'm so sorry, dear" Mrs Beaver comforted her husband from behind him as the Pevensies stood away slightly letting the Beavers have their moment.
"he was my best mate" Beaver admitted.
"What happened here?" Peter asked as he and his sister walked closer to the scene and saw all the creatures that had been turned to stone.
"This is what becomes of those who cross the witch" an unknown voice announced, and the group turned to it to reveal a fox standing on the ledge above the entrance to the badger's house making peter hold his sisters protectively.
"you take one more step, traitor, and I'll chew you to splinters!" Beaver said angrily as he walked over to the fox with his wife trying to hold her back.
"relax. I'm one of the good guys" The Fox chuckled as he jumped down from the ledge.
"yeah? Well, you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones" Beaver challenged.
"an unfortunate family resemblance. But we can argue breeding later. Right now, we've got to move" the fox said his tone going from playful to serious.
"what did you have in mind?" Peter spoke as he and the others heard the wolves getting closer.
Minutes later the Pevensies and Beavers were sat in a tree as the wolves burst through the barrel as the fox was covering the Pevensies tracks with his tail.
"greeting, gents. Lost something, have we?" The Fox asked them smiling patronisingly.
"don't patronize me! I know where your allegiance lies. We're looking for some humans." Maugrim told the fox as he circled him.
"humans? The fox laughed here in Narnia? That's a valuable bit of information, don't you think?" One of the wolves pounced on the fox and grabbed him harshly between his jaws making Lucy gasp loudly but peter put his hand over her mouth so the wolves below wouldn't hear.
"your reward is your life. It's not much, but still. Where are the fugitives?" Maugrim spoke harshly and the Fox started to pant and hang his head in shame making the five up the tree think he was going to give him away before he nodded his head in a different direction and spoke North. They ran north.
"smell them out" Maugrim ordered as the wolf holding the fox tossed him to the side making him cry out and lay there in pain. The five up the tree looked from above before they jumped down from the tree