Friends and Foes

Moving on to chapter 2! A bit of forewarning: there is some violence contained in this chapter, and there is some blood involved. Nothing too gory or graphic, of course (I'm not the graphic type), but I figured I should let you guys know in advance.


Terence © unicorn-skydancer08

Other Characters and Narnia © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media

All rights reserved.


Chapter 2

Everywhere Terence went, it was the same.

All of his friends were completely caught up in something else, and no one had any "time to spare". Beaver was repairing a massive breach in his dam, Mrs. Beaver was busy with her sewing, Fox was trying to catch a fish at the pond for his supper; and, basically, everyone Terence ran into was either constructing something, or repairing something, or gathering food for the winter, or engaged in some other activity.

They all told Terence to come back later, and Terence reluctantly went on his way.

Eventually, he gave up altogether on trying to find a companion.

He now trudged alone through the woods, feeling more depressed than ever, paying very little attention to where he was going.

"No one cares about me," he muttered aloud to himself, kicking moodily at a stone and sending it skittering into a bush. "No one appreciates me, or any of the things I do. What good is it in having friends, if they don't have time for you, or bother to make any time for you? My friends barely know I even exist anymore. Maybe I should just leave—leave everyone and everything for good."

While Terence considered this, he was unaware that several pairs of eyes were watching him maliciously from the foliage.

An icy, flinty voice murmured, "Do it now, while there are yet no witnesses."

Terence did not hear this, but he did stop and look around bewilderedly when he heard a branch snap loudly. He looked in every direction, but saw nothing. At least, nothing out of the ordinary. Figuring it was just a squirrel, or some other woodland creature, Terence merely shook his head and started walking again.

And then all of a sudden, without forewarning, something hard and swift clubbed him straight across the back of his skull, knocking his lights out cold.

There was a flash of brilliant color, and then everything went black as Terence completely left his senses, and his body crumpled to the ground in a helpless, lifeless heap.


As Terence lay there on the forest floor, two giant minotaurs stood over him. One of them clutched a large blood-flecked bludgeon, its rock-solid end a handy weapon. There was blood on the back of Terence's head as well, on the very spot where the bludgeon had struck him.

It was not a fatal wound, but it was not a friendly one, either.

Someone came up to the minotaurs, and the minotaur responsible for delivering the blow proclaimed, "It is done. This fellow will give us no trouble whatsoever, now."

"He is yet alive?" inquired the same voice that had spoken before and demanded that the deed be done, while no witnesses lurked about.

"Aye," said the minotaur with the bludgeon, "he is alive still. But only just."

The second minotaur added, "I don't expect he'll awaken for several hours, three or four at the very least. And then I expect he'll be quite sore when he finally does come around."

"Well, then let us get on with it," said the heartless voice. "Pick up this piece of waste, and let's get out of here before anything else happens, or anyone spots us. Move it, now!"