Lucy ran. Strands of hair damp from the falling snow found its way into her mouth. She grabbed at her face in an attempt to brush it away, silently berating herself for ever thinking getting a short haircut was a good idea. It was growing out, close to her shoulders now, but not long enough to pull back, which ended up being a nuisance in situations like this.
The Pevensie children had woken up to a sparkling layer of snow outside their windows, the first snow of the season. That afternoon Lucy bundled up, begging her siblings to go outside with her and play. Peter and Susan agreed, but Edmund hung back. They hadn't seen snow since the White Witch reigned over Narnia, and the sight of the flurries outside sent goosebumps of dread over his skin. He told his siblings he was going to go read and he'd see them later. Susan, Peter and Lucy shared an understanding look before they set off.
The children had a good, long snowball fight, which fondly reminded them of their first day in Narnia. As they chased each other, they gradually ventured farther and farther away from Cair Paravel and deeper into the woods. It wasn't until Lucy had snuck up on Peter and tackled him from behind, causing them both to crash into Susan and fall into a drift of snow, that they realized how late it had gotten.
Peter was laughing and trying to get untangled from his sisters' grabbing arms. "Alright, girls, you win! You win," he managed to get to his feet and brush the snow off his coat. "By Jove, look at the sky! The daylight's all but gone."
"Where are we?" Susan asked, now sitting up. Lucy was trying to get the giggles out of her system from a few moments earlier, calming down when she noticed the long shadows stretching across the snow.
"We're only a bit outside Cair Paravel," Peter replied, holding out his hand to help one of his sisters up. Susan took it.
"Isn't that Cair Paravel over there?" Susan pointed out over the trees. "How did we get so far?"
Lucy took Peter's next offer of his hand and stood up by her siblings, squinting to look where Susan was indicating. "How queer! It must've been magic!"
Peter turned and looked at where they were pointing. A puzzled look came over his face. "I'd swear—"
A howl cut Peter off, and the children whirled toward the noise. They could just make out a large grey creature a good distance away, getting bigger by the second as it swiftly approached the three.
"I believe that's a wolf," Susan breathed, alarmed.
"A talking wolf?" Lucy asked, hopeful. She looked up at her brother, whose face had gone pale.
"A talking wolf, Lu. But not anice wolf." He gently grasped her shoulder and took a step back.
"Did you bring your sword, Peter?" Susan asked breathlessly.
"No. I hadn't any idea we'd venture this far," he mumbled. "Perhaps we'd better—"
"Run!" Lucy yelled, and the three siblings lost no time in turning tail and fleeing from the advancing wolf, now a few dozen feet away and gaining.
Lucy had started running first, and was the head of the group for a few seconds, but her older siblings were faster, and soon they both took the lead. Lucy ran as fast as her short legs could carry her, but the sun was almost done setting and they were losing light. It was hard to see her siblings through the trees. She looked over her shoulder, then wished she hadn't. A wolf was only a few feet behind her, snapping at her greedily with his teeth. She screamed.
Before Lucy knew what was happening, Peter was in front of her again, and then she was in his arms. "Hold tight to my neck, Lucy, don't let go!" he ordered, and she obeyed without thought or argument. They were moving, running fast, but not as fast as before. Susan was far ahead now, barely visible in the darkness. Lucy jostled up and down in Peter's arms as he ran, and she could hear him breathing hard. She continued to hold on as tight as she could to make it as easy as possible for him to carry her. Out of curiosity, she turned her head again to see where the wolf was, and she screamed again as she watched it pounce.
The next few seconds were a blur. Lucy was thrown to the ground, but it didn't hurt. It was cold and wet. She heard snarling and grunting, and occasionally the sound of feet hitting snow covered ground. A couple cries of pain were heard, and Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to know who was making them. After what felt like an eternity, the noise died down, and then it was quiet. Lucy kept her eyes shut in fear of what lay before her.
A hand met her shoulder and she jumped. Her eyes peeked open. "Peter?" Lucy was in his arms in a moment, her face pressed against his chest. Something warm and sticky met her cheek, and she leaned back. "Peter," she breathed, noticing the long gash across his torso. Red stained his tunic.
Lucy's hands went to her pockets immediately. "Oh, bother that cordial—!" She cried, trying to find it. She knew she had left it at Cair Paravel, seeing no need to bring it with her, but she continued to search desperately anyway.
"Lucy, I'm alright," Peter insisted, and the laugh in his voice is what made her look up at him. His eyes showed no signs of agony. Now that she really looked, the gash was starting to only look like a scratch.
"You're sure?" she asked him quietly.
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm just trying to figure how I managed to kill a wolf on pure adrenaline, without my sword." He wrapped Lucy up in a hug again. "I guess you're just too precious to lose," he murmured in her ear.
Hot tears burned Lucy's eyes, and she hugged her brother tighter, vowing to never let go.
A/N: Peter says a lot of random British phrases in Prince Caspian(the book) so I thought I'd sprinkle some of that canon in cause I think it's hilarious.