The wolves finally were able to push away the barrel and raced out of the tunnel. In the middle of the clearing they found the fox sweeping the snow with his tail.
"Greetings gents." The fox causally greeted. The wolves circled him, but he was clever and kept watching Morgrim while in the crouch position.
"Lost something have we?" the fox continued.
"Don't patronize me! I know where your allegiance lies. We're looking for some humans." Morgrim told him in his gravelly voice. Up in the tree above them, the fugitive group was hiding on the branches.
"Human's here in Narnia? That's a valuable bit of information now, don't you think." The fox retorted. Peter looked at the girls beside him nervously. Suddenly a wolf grabbed the fox on the back from behind. He whimpered at the pain of the teeth digging into him. Up above Lucy almost gasped, but Peter quickly covered up her mouth. They had to be silent. Beaver was being silenced by his wife beside him.
"Your reward is your life. It's not much…..but still." Morgrim threatened. Aleisa looked down at the scene below with wide eyes. Now was the moment of truth…..was the fox on their side or not?
"Where are the fugitives?" Morgrim asked again. The fox stared at him with hate before letting out a pained sigh.
"North…..they ran north" he finally told them. Morgrim turned toward his group.
"Smell them out." he ordered. The wolf holding the fox harshly threw him aside and took off. The fox let out a pained grunt and laid still in the snow. The ones in the tree all looked down at him sadly, not sure if he was alright or not.
After the wolves had left, they all climbed down from the tree. Peter helped them all down since he was the tallest. When Aleisa was close he grabbed her waist and gently set her down. She smiled up at him.
"Thanks." She told him. Peter nodded his head to her. They made their way over to the rest of the group and made a fire. Once they had gathered around the good sized fire, Mrs. Beaver began stitching up the fox. He was alive, but still a bit worse for wear.
"They were helping Tumnas. The Witch got here before I did." The fox explained to them.
"Ow!" he whimpered as Mrs. Beaver worked on him. Peter watched them carefully while holding his piece of bread. Aleisa was over helping Mrs. Beaver mend the fox, since she had some knowledge of first aid. He stared at her from across the fire. The low light brought somehow brought out the brightness of her eyes and the gentleness of her face. He still couldn't shake the warm feeling he had when he was around her.
"Are you alright?" Lucy quietly asked the fox as he continued to grunt and groan in pain.
"Well I wish I could say their bark was worse than their bite. OW!" he flinched away from the hands that were mending him.
"Stop that, you'll tear the stitching." Aleisa kindly scolded him.
"You're worse than Beaver on bath day." Mrs. Beaver added.
"Worst day of the year." Beaver mumbled to the other three children beside him. They let out an amused smile. The fox got up after a few more stitchings.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm afraid that's all the cure I have time for." He informed them.
"You're leaving?" Aleisa asked him. They all looked at him curiously.
"It has been a pleasure my Queen and an honor." He answered bowing to her. Aleisa looked down in embarrassment, she was no queen.
"The time is short and Aslan himself has asked me to gather more troops." The fox continued with a broad smile. The beavers gasped.
"You've seen Aslan?"
"What's he like?" the asked him. The Pevensies and Aleisa watched him in interest.
"Like everything we've ever heard." He told them with an awestruck tone to his voice. The fox turned toward Peter.
"You'll be glad to have him by your side at the battle against the Witch." He informed. Peter looked at the ground with an unsure expression.
"But we're not planning on fighting any Witch." Susan spoke up with certainty.
"Surely …..King Peter….the prophesy." The fox implored. Peter looked up and looked back at the fox.
"We can't go to war without ya." Beaver added. This made Peter even more unsure about their decision to stay away from the fight. He looked over at Aleisa who was silently asking telling him the same thing with her eyes. Her expression almost made him change his mind. He looked over to Susan before answering.
"We just want our brother back." He told them. Aleisa could tell that he was still on the fence about it, but didn't push the matter. The fox nodded his head and went on his way. Not long after he had left the group decided to get some sleep for the night so they could set out early in the morning. As the darkness had grown, so had the level of chill in the air. Around the fire they all settled down in groups to stay warmer. The beavers huddled together and Susan had snuggled down with Lucy. Peter and Aleisa nervously looked over at each other. Logically they should sleep near each other…however that was also a bit awkward for both of them.
"I guess we should get some sleep then." Aleisa poorly started the conversation. Peter nodded.
"I guess so…." He trailed off. The thought of being so close to her made him feel a bit jittery. Aleisa shivered and despite her feelings, decided that she would much rather be warm and uncomfortable for a short amount of time.
"Come on now. I won't bite I promise." She assured Peter with a teasing smile. He grinned back and laughed at her banter. He lead her over to the wall of one of the houses near the fire. Sitting against it he gestured for her to sit down next to him. She complied and sat close to his side soaking in the body heat. After a moment or two the events of the day seemed to take their effect and she quickly nodded off to sleep with her head resting on his shoulder. He smiled down at her and rested his head on top of hers. It fit perfectly like a puzzle piece. He fell asleep thinking about the curious girl beside him, and all the adventures they would soon be facing together.