The Beast Must Die: Chapter 9

The pure silence of the deep forest was suddenly shattered as an arrow cut through the air, sailing with perfect grace and blinding speed, and with a loud thunk coming to rest in a thin forest evergreen approximately 100 meters or so from the archer. Susan looked up from her bow, smiling in the satisfaction of another perfect shot. Together, she and Lucy ran after the arrow.

"wow, that was amazing Susan, I do say you're getting better and better at that…" Lucy was cut off by a low, deep moan that sailed through the treetops, an almost inaudible cry of pain carried on the light forest breeze.

"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Susan called out to the tree she just shot." Lucy caught up just as Susan had finished working the arrowhead out from the tree's rough bark, already the hole was filling with sap.

"Oh dear, here you go Mr. Tree, we are so very sorry!" Lucy pulled out her bottle of cordial and poured some on the tree. Before their eyes the hole closed, the bark came back together…and just like that the tree was as good as new. Soon the moaning wind died down, and once again, all was quiet in the deep forest. Lucy, recapping her cordial bottle, looked up at Susan as they walked aimlessly down a trail.

"Susan, do you think Peter and Edmund are done now so they can come and join us?"

"Maybe, Lucy, but I doubt it, a trial this size may take days, even weeks, they do have an entire army to go through after all."

"Yes, I suppose. Susan, why did Peter have to leave? Remember how he used to come walking with us, you two used to argue which was better, bows and arrows or swords, and we would go swimming in the cool rivers and dance with the fauns in the evening…now he's in the Castle, he's always in the Castle! I never get to see him, do you? I miss him Sue, I really do."

"Lucy, Peter's growing up. He has a job to do now, he's responsible for all Narnia…"

"-don't you miss him though?" Lucy looked up at her.

"Yes, yes Lucy I miss him too." They both walked on in silence for a while, finally Lucy spoke up.

"I think we should take a holiday! Even kings and queens are allowed to take holidays, right? We should travel all around Narnia, see it for ourselves! We could all go together, the four of us! Oh wouldn't it be lovely!"

"That's a great idea! We should definitely ask Aslan about it when we get back- Lucy don't move! Listen!"

Both of them suddenly stopped, and in the silence, far away they heard an animal…it was screaming. Not screeching or hooting or even roaring, this one was screaming.

"Susan! Look! Over there!" Lucy pointed to a small clearing a little ways from the trail, where a furry reddish animal knelt. Both girls quietly crept closer…soon both could hear it wasn't just screaming, it was screaming legibly…they could almost make out words…there! Now they both peeked out from the edge of the clearing, now they could see this poor creature more clearly. It was reddish brown, about four feet tall, but hunched over now, so it was hard to tell its true height. Then they got closer…

It's fur wasn't red, the creature was soaked in blood from snout to tail. Tattered remains of what looked like chainmail armor covered his torso, but even through the mail Susan and Lucy could see its chest heaving. It had stopped screaming now, and was sobbing violently, pouding the mossy clearing sod with it's clenched fist, whimpering something sounding like "go away…please leave me…" Lucy whispered to Susan

"Aw, susan look at it, it's crying, it must be terribly hurt, I should heal it!" before Susan could do anything Lucy scampered out into the clearing.

"Excuse me, are you hurt? I have something to help you feel better…are you alright?" Their cover blown, Susan ran to Lucy's side, now no more than five feet from this strange blood-drenched creature. It seemed to be ignoring them, it's face almost touching the soft forest floor, still sobbing mercilessly.

"No, I'm sorry, It wasn't me, I didn't…No, I didn't! I didn't!" was it pleading? Was it mad? Susan took a step closer, speaking softly and kindly
"Didn't what? What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is there anything we can do to hel-"suddenly the creature leapt to its feet and turned away.

"It wasn't me! No, I didn't! Stop it! Stop! Leave me alone! Go away! Please leave!"

Lucy crept up behind Susan, grabbing a handful of her dress. "I don't think he can hear us, Susan; something must be wrong with him, I should give him some cordial…that should make him all better, right?" she took a step toward him, but suddenly he wheeled around to face them.

"what…what are you doing here? Who are you? Where did you come-… Aww!" he now gripped his head in his hands, doubling over in pain. Writhing on the ground for a while soon he came to rest, and a dark purplish light started to creep across his matted fur spreading out from his chest, sinking into his skin. Slowly the creature rose, standing now to his full height, no taller than Lucy really, but his eyes…his eyes now glowed as if a red-black fire blazed behind them. They scanned the clearing, coming to rest on a tiny young girl with a crystal bottle in her hand. Slowly, softly, it growled.

"Lloooossseeee…" He took a menacing step toward her, its burning eyes now fixed, unblinking on his prey.

"Lucy get behind me!" Susan's bow was set and drawn, carefully she leveled it at this beast. "I don't know what you are or what you want, but one move toward my sister and you die, beast!" Susan's voice was level as the arm aiming her bow. Lucy turned to run, that's when it sprang, when Susan shot.

Her arrow flew true, her aim was perfect, it hit the beast in his side, in a hole in his chainmail. It roared now, and the glow throbbed for a second, then receded. For a second his eyes cleared, and he looked around, stumbled back, almost cried out in pain… but the darkness quickly retook control, and he steadied himself, his eyes blazing again, and with one paw wrenched the arrow right out of his side. Now he roared and leapt at Susan. She only had time to block with her bow, but the force of his attack knocked her back, and her foot caught on a tree root. She sailed backwards, landing with a thud, looking up just in time to see the monster grab her little sister, pick her up as if she weighed nothing, and hold her under one arm. Slowly he looked back, again he spoke, it seemed as if the very words he spoke were carved from, were made from darkness.

"onnne moovve…and shhee diieesss…" his claws ran menacingly across her throat, Lucy could barely even wriggle, much less fight his grip. Susan was frozen, torn by her need to protect her sister and her love for her sister's life. Susan watched the beast turn and dash into the forest, carrying Lucy away into the darkening forest. She now realized it was getting dark, it'd be way past dark by the time she got back to the castle, too dark to form a search party, and that animal could move like nothing she'd ever seen! The realization crept in, eventually seizing up her insides like a punch in the stomach. Lucy was gone! Susan got to her feet and, fighting back tears of fear and pain, turned back to the trail and began sprinting for Cair Paravel.