Woalds of Wardwood Chapter 7
Well, how was James getting along? Whilst he was still alive and free, he was, I am afraid been a bit annoying. To poor Smelli at the least. As annoying as Eustace in the start of the Dawn Treader. That's annoying! Still, I'm not sure I would have done much better at his age. He wasn't one of your natural outdoor types and he was finding that whilst some of the bould mountains might look attractive with their snowy peaks on tops and we might even consider them ideal sking country, to walk through them trying to decipher some map at the same time was hard work!
And the direction was difficult to find. Smelli couldn't get his Wolven head around the concepts of maps at all anyway! In some ways, I have a little sympathy with the Wolf. I suppose you might think the tale easier if I drew a nice map of the direction at the front. Which I might do. If I can find one. But I always feel that maps of magical worlds, well, sometimes just don't feel right. If one is walking in cold mountains, sometimes one could be anywhere if you don't really know it. Could be Narnia, could be Gondor, could be the mountains of somewhere could even be Scotland. At least that was what James was thinking.
However, firstly they walked along the totally wrong direction. 'I thought we were going East?' said James sighing as he had looked at the map and together they had deduced that the mountain range they were looking at was not the one they had thought.
'We were. But perhaps we were going a bit too straight East. Oh, hello I smell something,'
'Not surprising with you,' James sniffed as Smelli certainly was a bit on the smelly side. But been Canine that was how he liked it. But there was some scuffling and even James could hear the howls of an approaching pack. He tried hiding behind a bush, but it was no good, the Wolves smelt him and smelli out and sniffed at them in an intimidating manner. They growled and yowled at Smelli in the wolven tongue that grated on James's eyes. He did not, at this moment, appreciate the diversity of language around Narnia!
'You are with a young of man? Why don't you just savage him?' asked a particularly large and fearsome wolf. Smelli sighed and told the wolf about his life-debt. The Wolf wasn't that pacified. 'Well, you have a life-debt but we do not. I don't like young humans wondering about here. This is our country. You can't stop the entire pack...'
'Hold on!' said the leader of the pack. 'As it happens I know this wolf. Smelli, isn't it?'
'Oh, well, you must know him really well,' said the first wolf, impressed.
'But then why are you two around these parts? It's not normal man territory as Gnasher here said. Lost?' James was about to speak but Smelli interrupted the boy. He didn't exactly say what they were doing but he did mention the name of the wood which the map said was nearby. The pack-leader's eyes narrowed in a little suspicion. 'That's a strange thing to be looking for. But you aren't quite in the right area. You need the Silver wood. It's around 20 miles away. South-East I think. It's were the peaks of the Nu-Bould glistening of the waves of the ocean. Good day!' The Wolf-pack moved on.
'That was absolutely hopeless,' moaned James as he shivered in the cold.
'Well, no, it isn't on the map but that is classic Wolf talk. I think I do know the area that mighty was talking about. It is far away. I'm not sure how long it will take us to walk it.' It would be at least 2 days. James could ride Smelli for some of it but not all to his annoyance. 'Look, I can't carry you all the way. Firstly I am not really made for long distance traveling with a burden on my back. In some of the routes we wouldn't be that much slower walking. And I have a bad back. That spear still hurts you know. And I'm not sure I like your attitude!'
'And I'm not sure I give a stuff with bells on!' replied James. 'You wolves seem pretty useless to me you know,' he continued a little unfairly. 'If you can't carry me you can't do much good. Useless, useless, useless doggie,'
Smelli growled, 'I don't have to put up with this, do I?'
'Yes you do! You have a life-debt to me. Therefore you have to do what I say. Life-debt, life-debt, lifeey-debbbty,' James sang. He did consider going up to Smelli's long furry brown and white nose and slapping it saying that Smelli couldn't do anything but a look on Smelli's face told him that he should not perhaps push things. But he continued moaning, 'You can't bring me decent food, you don't even know about berries or nuts. What good are you?'
'Perhaps you'd prefer to be on your own? How many people are in this other place of yours?'
'Billions,' James had paid attention in Geography class recently.
'And all human. So there are possibly a Billion boys there and I have to have a life-debt with you!' sighed Smelli. 'Life-debt or no life-debt I'm not sure there are any honour laws which says that I couldn't just leave you. And then were would you be? And it's not my fault you humans have peculiar eating habbits. I bring you a prize rabbit and what do you do? Try to scorch the bloody thing!' Smelli was referring to James's rather crude cooking. He only knew that because he had been to Scotland with the Cub Scouts a few months earlier.
There was no answer to that and James felt he had better shut up for a while. He did have food but it was only dried nuts or fruit he had finished all the bread and did yearn for a change. Even if, as likely, he would be in the wild for a few days, he wouldn't starve to death. But he wasn't really enjoying his experience in the Narnian mountains I'm sorry to say. At least the weather was nice at the moment. A bit hot, a little like Switzerland in the summer but that soon changed.
In fact the next day James thought he encountered every season in one day. He wasn't far wrong that was how the weather could be in that part of mountainous Narnia. Unpredictable and dangerous. Cool in the morning, hot in the middle of the day, thunderous rain and wind in the afternoon and then very frosty in the evening. He didn't really enjoy it, it reminded him of his recent time camping in Scotland which wasn't one of his favorite recent memories he didn't like shivering in a tent and the only difference here was that some of the creatures could talk!
In fact, I can relate a little to James here. I remember camping in Scotland, cold, wet, miserable with stinging midges. Not my idea of a good time. James and Smelli had to hide occasionally as troops of men galloped or marched by on business of their own. But at least it gave him a sense that they were going in the right area. In the evening James looked with foreboding at the mountains, were here he did need Smelli's advice.
James had just stopped for a rest and tried to find a vaguely sheltered spot. 'I wouldn't stop here!' said Smelli.
'Why not?'
'You didn't notice but see those cobwebs? Spiders dwell here. Of a rather nasty giant and carnivorous variety. Capable of eating anything up to a Giant. I think we should move on. Tell you what, I will carry you this time.' Smelli's counsel proved to be sound. Just as he got onto Smelli's back a dreadful shape dropped from the wood. Bigger than Smelli and James combined and not alone. Dark, hairy and eight-legged. The creature also moved with surprising swiftness. It nearly plucked James, but Smelli galloped to safety just in time.
But the next morning proved more promising. 'Well, well, that looks like our mountains,' said James.
'Yep, fits the description,' Smelli agreed. Ahead was a range of several mountains with the sea in the background. Around it were many trees, valleys and woods. Birds fluttered around the rocks. The sun shone through clouds in the east. 'So, what does the map say?'
'It points out a mountain called Caradhras and gives us directions from there. Seems to be the biggest one. I don't think it's far, says one mile and fifty-three yards from the center view, I think I follow, 600 yards from the sea and with 3 streams crossing. Well, lets see!' It still took them until mid-day to find the wood and some of the journey was uphill.
James looked at the group of trees. They were silvery-green and many simply oozed power. There was some evidence of someone's activity probably human, human footprints anyway, horsehoofs on the ground and quite a bit of armour and even some pamphlets were left over. With a quick read James found that they were fill of pro-human propaganda. Plus some very accurate description of some of the trees, proving it was the place in answer to Smelli's questioning.
'We've found the place now what?' James asked.
'You have made some notes haven't you?' Smelli asked in reply.
'Yes,'
'In that case we get back as fast as possible. Well, not quite. I for one need a rest. And something to eat. Though we should get back to your country soon. It is on our normal routes anyway. It is always easier getting back than going!' By his country Smelli meant the human inhabited areas of Narnia rather than our world. 'In fact I think we should get back in a day or two. But lets lie up here for a while,'
James was happy to agree. Though in the cold he was forced to snuggle up to Smelli for the warmth. Warm and a bit, well, Smelly, he thought. 'Poo. Pong, pong, pongy. Smelli by name and Smelli by nature. You weren't called that name for nothing, were you?'
Smelli seemed a bit annoyed but then he turned his nose to James to look around. 'Funny you should say that. But Smelli isn't an insult to us Wolves. In fact it's quite a compliment. We Wolves do like a good sniff. Some of us male ones pride ourselves upon our smell. The more we smell the better. I don't like too much washing!' Here James had to agree. He only washed every day himself because his mother made him!
'And as to the name. Well, getting a name at all in a pack is quite a distinction. There are many that don't. And,' Smelli laughed, 'Names are not always complimentary. But we tend to be given those that match us. Though sometimes other people give the major Wolves names. And other wolves sometimes give them nicknames in return.
'The White Witch was one for that. Constantly giving wolves names like Tharakin or Fermachau. I don't think any Wolf ever called one that! And Aslan knows how you actually spell them, we Wolves been illiterate as you know! And as far as names are concerned, Smelli is one of the most common Wolf ones. Many like to be called that. I had no objection anyway. So it sort of stuck.'Well, wasn't that a fascinating insight into Narnian Wolven culture. No? Oh, well!
Later that day as the sun began to set behind the mountains, Smelli and James made their journey back to Narnia proper. Progress was swift as they used a main path that guided them. But there was plenty of noise. Birdsong, the sound of wind, animals rushing and the howls of dogs rather than Wolves, James thought. Indeed, he thought he could recognize one of the little dogs that ran alongside the path in the trees.
Then there was a noise behind them. Horses! Smelli took a look around and with his keen wolf-eyes, not the sharpest sight of all Narnian wolves, but not too bad, and said, 'We'd better hide. Those are human riders behind us including your friend, Lieutenant David!' but whilst James was happy to agree it was of no use. James tried to find cover in the long grasses next to the path but as the riders past one looked around and gave a cry and he was plucked out to stand before his former captor.
