AN: Thank you very much to Queen Su and yetti for their reviews! You fuel my brain and my fingers to type. Please review other people too! You would make me update even quicker. Everything is coming to a head in this chapter so beware! AND REVIEW!

A pair of pained brown eyes stared intensely into her own and Hattie found herself struggling not to avert her gaze and run away as quickly as possible. Her hands shook uncontrollably and she had to take a deep breath to control them – otherwise it would be impossible for her to complete the task that she had to do. Gripped in her quivering fingertips was the rough, wooden shaft of an arrow; its point embedded deeply in the horse's flank. His glossy black coat was slicked with dark sweat and his sides trembled with the fatigue of constantly being tense and in agony. Nostrils were flared: wide and red.

Obviously the winged beast was incredibly stressed out and Hattie desperately wanted to end his anxiety. And to do that she needed to remove the arrow - that was what was causing him the pain. How to go about it was the more difficult part. She vaguely remembered some of her First Aid lessons in school when her teacher had told her about removing shrapnel from blast victims. That was an important skill in the war. This skill could be put into practice now, in the middle of a magical forest on a flying horse; probably not exactly what her teacher had had in mind.

"This is going to hurt," Hattie informed her patient, gently.

"You don't say," Sharp said, sarcastically, from where he was sat, a little way away from the massive black horse and the girl. For his comment, he was thrown a withering look.

"Kolfinna, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, human," the horse nodded, bracing himself.

Hattie didn't bother counting to three or giving Kolfinna any warning as to when she was going to yank the arrow out. That would give him time to panic; instead she just did it. The animal let out a heart-rending scream of pain and jerked violently away from the girl, his wings flapping frantically. But the sharp arrow was out and that was all that mattered. Quickly, Hattie moved in to calm the panting horse as he whimpered and rolled his eyes fearfully. She ran a hand along his damp back and whispered softly in his ear. Kolfinna stopped prancing and became still so she could bandage him up.

Already, the girl had very little in the way of possessions so she had to use the bottom of her flimsy nightgown in order to staunch some of the flow of blood. Soon the material was soaked scarlet and of little use so she had to throw it away. Fortunately, the bleed seemed to be slowing as it clotted so stopping the stream was not as essential. Still, Hattie couldn't help worry about infection as she stared at the coal coloured horse, its hair matted with drying blood. The cloying, metallic smell hung in the air and she wrinkled her nose.

"Thank you, Daughter of Eve." Kolfinna turned to her, his expression sincere – if a horse could look sincere. "I'm not sure I would have survived had you not done what you did."

"Oh, it was nothing. You're not out of the woods yet. If I just had some more equipment: bandages, needle, thread….then I could help you more," Hattie garbled.

"This is more than enough." The Talking Beast offered her a bow of his mighty head. "I would like to know, in what way can I repay you for your kindness?"

"Um…."

"Look, Horse, she doesn't need your help. She's got me." Sharp had come closer to the pair now he saw any danger of being kicked had passed. He was eyeing Kolfinna with wariness.

"And what use is a wily, untrustworthy Fox?" The stallion replied, curtly.

"I'm plenty more use than you!" Sharp cried indignantly. "I'm leading her to the Kings and Queens of Narnia so that they may help her find her brother."

"Her brother? He is lost?" Kolfinna directed this question at Hattie herself and she nodded mutely.

"Some men stole him right from her house. She doesn't come from this world, see, she comes from the land of humans," Sharp interrupted, obviously revelling in the knowledge he had only recently acquired.

"One of the Lone Islands?"

"No, halfwit, Spare Oom and beyond."

"Oh, you are one of them," Kolfinna said softly, his brown eyes tracing Hattie's face and making her feel very uncomfortable.

"Them?" she asked.

"You are of the land of our sovereigns. Not like the Calormenes or the Telemarines."

"Er…I don't think so." Hattie was very confused.

"Well, I would also like to help you on your journey so you can arrive safely at Cair Paravel and find your missing brother."

"Thanks, I guess."

In all honesty, Hattie was astounded that such a magnificent – albeit slightly aloof – creature would want to help her without her even asking. Ever since arriving in this foreign land she had been surprised by its occupants. She had been glad to have Barney by her side let alone a fox and a winged-horse. This was getting beyond ridiculous. She felt like she was in one of those story books she read when she was little – surrounded by a band of animals. Still, she couldn't very well refuse the kind offer could she?

"We will be moving on then?" Kolfinna asked politely.

"Yes, we should be," Sharp stated flippantly and began padding off into the undergrowth. A couple of feet behind him, the golden-haired canine followed leisurely, his nose buried in the leaves.

"I would ask to know your name, Daughter of Eve, I feel rude not to have thought before."

"Hattie," Hattie supplied.

"Well, Hattie, it is nice to meet you. Shall we walk?"

"Oi, you coming or what?" The fox had suddenly reappeared in the clearing with an exasperated look on his furry face.

"Yes, Sharp."


Snow swirled lazily around the girl's head as she walked, lacing her blonde hair with a powdery icing. The entire world had turned white. Only the blurry dark outlines of trees could be made out in the snowfall. She had had several close run ins with fallen logs and overhanging branches because of the obscured vision. It wasn't just the difficulty seeing that was a problem but also the fast dropping temperature. Still dressed in her nightgown and bare feet, Hattie was at the mercy of the elements which, at this moment in time, did not seem to be looking upon her kindly. Goose pimples were rapidly enveloping her naked arms and her teeth chattered uncontrollably. Her hands were icy and turning blue.

"I…cannot….believe….its…..snowing…." she stammered, desperately rubbing her arms in an effort to keep warm. Usually she liked snow but this was different, not least because she hadn't enough layers on.

"Well, it is the Thirteenth Night of Winter," Sharp stated as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. His russet coat was spiky with frost but because of its thickness it didn't bother him. The same with Barney.

"The weather here is balmy. One minute its clear, then its raining, then its sunny, then its snowing! I'm in my nightclothes!" Hattie cried, frustrated.

"Here, let me help." Kolfinna extended one of his great ebony wings above her head so it acted as a shield and shelter from the snowstorm. It didn't stop the girl's feet from still being numb however. She was bound to get frostbite, Hattie thought bitterly, and then her toes would fall off. Fabulous.

"Thank you," she said even so. Manners were always necessary, even if one was feeling down.

"Maybe we should search for some proper shelter, like a cave or something," Sharp suggested, nosing the powdery snow at his feet disinterestedly.

"No, we need to keep going. Rupert might not have much time left." Hattie's tone was vehement.


And so the four carried on for hours, bowing their heads against the cold snow and the unyielding wind. Even the animals, with their thick coats, began to feel the full force of the wintery weather. They all huddled closer together for warmth – despite their differences, survival was more important.

Suddenly, Sharp spotted a flash of movement up ahead and he froze. What was that? Immediately alert and wary, the fox bid his companions to be still and silent whilst he went to investigate. Hurrying forward, his belly slung so close to the ground that the underside brushed the fallen snow, Sharp followed his eyes and his nose to where he was sure the movement had come from. Pushing through some ice covered leaves, the creature caught sight of a small flickering fire and the black entrance to a cave. Sitting in the mouth of the cavern were several figures: one boy, two centaurs, some fauns and a leopard. A small distance into the cave, two horses were tethered, their heads hung together for companionship and comfort.

Just as he was about to turn back and inform his friends they should probably move away, Sharp heard a scream from behind him – back where he'd left the others.