24/08/2008 14:04:00
The cold blistering winter wind smacked against the lioness fur as she bolted after the second youngest Pevensie brother. Edmund had been in Narnia before, and was mostly influenced by the White Witch and her "queenliness". Amber skidded forward as she came to a halt. She wouldn't dare go any further to the White Witch's castle. Edmund was only a few yards a head of her, but she let him go, there was nothing that she could do to change his mind. The Witch's castle was sitting on the glass cover of the water. The Witch herself about millennia ago constructed it of solid ice.
Amber looked over her shoulder as she heard the shouts from the other Pevensie siblings. Peter was the fastest out of them and reached her before the others. He shouted his brother's name and Amber tackled him to the ground. "Are you crazy?" Amber hissed, baring her fangs in his face. "She's using him as bait to get all four of you."
"Why would she do that?" Little Lucy asked as she, Susan and Beaver reached them.
"To kill ya!" Beaver said before Amber could reply. "To stop the prophecy."
Amber leapt off Peter and looked at the little black line move into the large doors of the ice castle. Peter got to his feet and brushed off the snow on his clothes. "What are we going to do?" he asked Amber with a glare.
"W-we go to see Aslan," Amber said with a slight stutter.
"Can you take us to him?" Peter asked her.
"I don't remember the way," she said. "But I bet Beaver knows."
"Aye, I can take you to him, though we must hurry. The witch is bound to send the police after us!" Beaver said and led the way back to his house. When they reached the half waypoint, they heard the barks of the secret police following them. Amber was preparing herself for a fight, she knew that there was going to be one. Lucy was struggling to keep up with her sister, though she pushed herself.
They reached the Beaver's in about ten minutes since the halfway mark. Beaver ran throw the door and shouted for his wife to get some things for the journey. Susan helped Mrs. Beaver gathering some things, suggesting that they should bring some jam. The Beavers started yelling at each, but was silenced by the wolves outside that were howling and scratching at his roof.
"This way!" Beaver said, showing them a secret passageway to exit the house. Mrs. Beaver was astonished that it led to Badgers and not to Beaver's mother as he had told her, she wasn't too happy about that but yet grateful at the same time.
Amber took the back as they started through the underground tunnel. Peter was holding a lit torch, which illuminated the tunnel. Amber jumped at the sound of a little mouse running through the tunnel, he claws skid across the hard floor. "Stupid mice," she cursed and continued to follow them. Beaver led them to a dead end, which annoyed the heck out of Mrs. Beaver. The beavers jumped up and took that way out, leaving Amber and the Pevensie's to find their own way out.
It only took a matter of seconds to find the real exit, especially since the wolves were right behind them. "Quickly!" Amber hissed, and pushed (with the assistance of Beaver) a barrel in front of the exit. "That should hold them, for a few."
Lucy fell over some statues and Beaver went over to look at them. Mrs. Beaver noticed that one of the statues of Badger, a very close friend of Beaver's. "I'm sorry," Mrs. Beaver said, giving her husband a hug.
"He was my best mate," Beaver sobbed slightly and then looked up at the sound of Amber hissing at something.
A full-grown red fox stood on top of a snow-covered rock. Beaver too thought that the fox was and enemy. The fox leapt off of the rock and stood in front of them, he glanced over at Amber and lowered his head as if bowing.
"You traitor!" Beaver snapped, stepping in between the fox and humans.
"No, no, no," the fox laughed looking at the humans. "An unfortunate family resemblance, and nothing more than that. I can help."
They could here the wolves barking in the tunnel, they were getting close. Peter looked over at the blocked tunnel and then at the fox, "What do you have in mind?"
The fox told the humans and beavers to get up into the tree as high as they could. Amber smirked and hid behind a tall bush, crouching down low ready to pounce on one of the wolves. The secret police burst through the tunnel, sending the barrel to the side. Instantaneously, the wolf pack surrounded the fox, baring their teeth and snarling.
"Good evening gents!" The fox replied, circle stepping to glance at all the wolves. "Lost something have we?"
"I know where your allegiance lies, where are the humans?" Maugrim growled, circling the fox with the others. His dark grey pelt blended in with the night, as did the others, making them almost shadows.
The fox laughed and glanced at the ground. "Humans, in Narnia? That's quiet a bit of valuable information."
One of Maugrim's accomplices jumped at the fox, burying his fangs into his flank. The fox squeaked and flinched at the pain siring through his fragile body. "Your reward is your life," Maugrim said and laughed. "And trust me, it isn't much."
There was a roar from the bushes and Amber leapt out onto one of the secret police members. "Why not pick on someone about your own size, or larger?" she hissed, pressing her forepaws into the side of the pinned wolf. Amber was much larger than Maugrim, she was about four and half feet in length; Maugrim was only about four feet in length.
"Is that a proposal?" Maugrim growled, sulking down and stalking toward her. He didn't wait for a reply and jumped into the air and landed on the lioness. She hissed and rolled onto her back, throwing off the wolf with her hind paws.
Maugrim scrambled back to his paws and circled the wrong lion with a smirk on his face. He watched as her hind paws moved to the side, allowing her from front to face Maugrim at all times. This time, Amber leapt up and pinned down the wolf. Maugrim was ready for her and darted to the side and jumped onto her back when she landed. She screeched and tried to shake the wolf off as his claws and teeth dug into her neck and injured right shoulder. Amber used her strength to lift Maugrim onto her back and bring him into the bushes. The lead wolf lost his grip and was flung to the ground by the strength of Amber's back.
Blood dripped off her shoulder and splattered on the ground, her injured was reopened. Her amber eyes narrowed at Maugrim as he raised a nostril and snarled. "Tell me where the humans are!" the wolf growled, tackling Amber into the clearing where the fox and other wolves were.
"North!" the fox said, when Maugrim pinned Amber to the snow covered ground. "They're heading north."
Maugrim smirked and got off of the lioness. "Sniff them out!" he ordered the other wolves and darted away. The fox was dropped and all the other wolves followed Maugrim. Peter, Susan, Lucy and the Beaver's jumped down from the tree when the wolves were far enough away; Amber had stumbled back into the bushes.
"Are you okay!" Lucy exclaimed kneeling beside the fox.
"Well, enough…" the fox replied, falling onto his stomach.
"Now, now, let me take care of you!" Mrs. Beaver said, before telling Beaver to collect some sticks for a fire.
The fox nodded slightly. Lucy straightened herself and glanced from side to side looking for Amber, then she remember that Amber had slipped back into the bushes. While Peter and Susan helped Mrs. Beaver move the fox closer to the tree, she went over to the bushes. "Amber?" Lucy called.
"Stay back!" Amber's voice spat from inside the shadows and was followed by a moan.
Beaver returned with some wood and a fire was started not too long after. The firelight reached beyond the bushes, revealing a naked girl standing behind a tree. "Amber?" Lucy questioned before running up to her sister and asking for her coat. Susan hesitated first and then agreed when she learned the reason why. She handed Lucy her coat and took a seat beside the fire to keep warm.
"Here," Lucy said, tossing the girl Susan's coat.
"Thank you," the girl replied, putting on the coat and wrapped in around her body so she was completely covered. She stepped out into the light next to Lucy.
Lucy looked at her thin oval face and short mixed blonde hair. "You're actually human?" she questioned.
"Yes," the girl replied, resting her beautiful amber eyes (no, they don't look like a cat's) on Lucy.
Lucy led her to the fire, where Peter and the others nearly had heart attacks. Amber smiled slightly and sat by the fire. Around her neck as a brown rope with a tooth hanging on it. "I should've told you," Amber began, looking deeply into the fire. "But the White Witch…"
"Save your breath, dear!" Mrs. Beaver said, walking over to examine Amber's injuries.
The fox stumbled to his paws and bowed his head. "I knew who your were the moment I looked into those amber eyes," he said and then looked at Peter. "I must go, Aslan has entrusted me with a duty that must not be postponed any longer."
"Thank you, for covering for us back there," Peter said with a smile.
The fox bowed his head to Peter and then limped away, ignoring Mrs. Beaver's warnings not to go. "Stop moving!" Mrs. Beaver snapped, looking at the bite on Amber's neck.
"I can't help it!" Amber hissed rolling her neck.
"You and that fox are worse than Beaver on Bath Day!" Mrs. Beaver exclaimed. "Is there…" The beaver pulled down the top right part of the jacket, revealing a glass shard in Amber's shoulder blade. "Oh dear, how'd you get this!"
Amber winced slightly as Mrs. Beaver tugged on it to try and get it free. "At Tumnus' house, when the wolves attack," she answered, and whimpered when the beaver tugged on the shard again.
Mrs. Beaver sighed and looked over at Peter. "A little help?" she asked. Peter nodded slowly and walked over, he was still stunned by the whole human-lion thing. "Careful now, we don't want to make it worse than it already is," Mrs. Beaver said, instructing him on how to pull the shard out.
He took hold of the shard and pulled back. Amber cried out in pain, leaning forward as he pulled back. The shard slid out of her flesh, spilling scarlet blood onto the pure white snow. Blood streamed down her back and Amber panted heavily. "Thanks," she said, turning to look at him. She blushed as he stared right back into her amber eyes. The butterflies returned to her stomach, and she looked away. Her skin grew long gold fur and she morphed back into the form of a young lion.