A NEW GENERATION
Presenting chapter 7! This is where we finally learn what's happened to Puck (yes, I will be merciful to you guys, and keep you in suspense no longer), and Terence is featured in here as well. What happens here is a very significant part of my story. Read on, and see for yourselves.
Chapter 7
Meanwhile, Puck was toddling about the woods that lay outside Cair Paravel.
Somehow, the little impish faun had managed to get out of the castle, across the courtyards, across the beach, all the way to the forest at the far end—and without getting caught by anyone. Unknowing that his parents were worried sick about him at that time, unaware that everybody at the castle was looking for him, he decided in his young mind that it would be great fun to go exploring. He had never been this far from the castle before, especially on his own, and he was most eager to see the world outside his home.
For a time, the little faun wandered aimlessly through the wood, marveling at the flowers and the trees that grew there, and shivering all over with excitement.
Everything was so big, and so tall—certainly not as big and nowhere near as tall as the castle where he lived, but still impressive nonetheless, at least to his eyes.
And green…he had never seen so much green. It was wonderful!
Puck could feel his whole body tingling quite pleasantly as he drank in the sights around him.
Presently, as the young faun set hoof within a sunlit clearing, he froze momentarily in his tracks upon seeing his godfather.
Terence had just rinsed off his bloodstained face in a stream of cool water, and the young man now sat very quietly on a moss-flecked log next to the stream with his head in his hands. As soon as Puck laid eyes on his godfather, his whole face positively glowed with delight, and he did not hesitate to rush in Terence's direction. Terence, with his head bowed down and his face hidden from view, did not see the little faun coming, and it wasn't until Puck bugled to get his godfather's attention that the young white-haired man looked up from his hands.
Although Terence was no longer bleeding, and his face was washed clean, his right cheekbone was still badly bruised, and the right of his nose was considerably swollen. He had never realized Tumnus could deliver such a punch.
When he saw it was only Puck before him, he frowned and said in a low-toned murmur, "Oh, it's you."
Puck just grinned from ear to ear, not the least dispirited by Terence's less-than-warm reception of him.
"What do you want?" Terence asked him dully.
Puck bleated once, and reached out to tug at Terence's hand. When Terence refused to budge from the spot, and when he withdrew his hand, Puck did not leave him; but rather pawed eagerly at the ground with one cloven hoof, and bleated a second time.
Terence understood that his godson wanted to play, but he shook his head and waved a hand to dismiss the little faun, saying melancholically, "Not now, Puck. I'm not in the mood."
After what had transpired between him and Tumnus that afternoon, playing was the very last thing Terence felt like doing.
However, Puck was not the sort who was put off easily. The young faun had that special spark of vitality and zest about him that appealed immensely to other people. When he wanted something, he usually got that something, one way or another.
The more Terence tried to resist Puck, the more adamant the little faun got.
Why was Terence just sitting there, Puck wondered? He blatted impatiently, and though he had not yet learned to speak, Terence understood the message perfectly: Hurry up! Let's go!
"Well, well, aren't you the persistent one," Terence mused aloud. "You get that from your parents, I'll bet."
Abruptly, Puck wheeled around and took off in the opposite direction.
"Hey!" Terence called after him. "Puck, what are you doing? Get back here!" Almost without thinking, the young man leaped to his feet and sprinted after the imp.
That was just what Puck had been hoping for. The faun youngling eagerly ran and concealed himself behind a tall tree, but by the time Terence caught up to that tree, Puck had already moved on to another one. And no sooner had Terence started toward the second tree than Puck gleefully raced to hide behind a third, and then a fourth.
This time, Terence decided to play along.
Standing perfectly still on the spot, with his back facing Puck, the man asked aloud, in feigned astonishment, "Where did he go? Did he vanish into thin air? Did he grow wings and fly away? Did he become invisible? Where could he possibly be? I just have no idea!"
Behind the tree, Puck clapped both his hands over his mouth to stifle a snicker.
Terence smiled craftily to himself. Now we shall see who's the smart one around here, little guy, he thought shrewdly.
Without making a sound, he very slowly and very deliberately advanced to the tree where Puck hid, acting as though he were interested in something else, and then, when he felt the time was just right, he abruptly whirled and dashed around to the other side of the tree, exclaiming, "Gotcha!"
To his astonishment, Puck was not there.
"Puck?" said Terence bewilderedly.
A noisy bleat sounded from behind just then, making Terence jump.
When the silver-haired youth turned around again, Puck was standing right there. Puck beamed up at his godfather, his eyes shining brightly, his leaf-shaped ears flicking in all directions, his little downy tail wagging frantically behind him.
Terence had to admit, he was impressed with the lad's quick-wittedness.
"Say, you're good at this," he commended.
Puck squealed joyfully in response.
Terence tried not to smile, but he honestly couldn't help himself, and before he even realized it, an audible laugh escaped from his mouth. "Oh, get over here, you!" he grinned, lunging out playfully at his godson, but Puck expertly dodged away at the last possible moment.
Together the two pursued one another throughout the wood, running from here to there, till eventually they were quite out of breath and ended up collapsing into the soft grass. Terence spread out flat on his back, his face quite flushed from laughter and the spirited activity, and Puck lay right next to him.
As Terence caught his breath, and as his wild heart slowed to a steady gallop, he marveled at how much better he felt. For the first time in what seemed the longest time, he felt lighter, more cheerful…more like his old self again, actually. It was like his little interaction with Puck had unburdened him of the unpleasant emotions he had kept bottled up inside throughout the past month. He never knew he'd been weighed down so heavily, to feel this light.
While he lay there in the cool grass, Puck snuggled closer to his godfather's side, and when Terence presently raised himself to a sitting position, Puck crawled into the young man's lap and wrapped his arms around him, holding Terence like he never wanted to let go.
All at once, Terence felt deeply ashamed of himself.
With all his self-absorption, with all the hostility and negligence and indifference he harbored within, he'd been missing out on what was truly important.
Terence recalled with sharp, burning guilt the horrible things he had said to Tumnus that day concerning Puck, and he sincerely wished he had kept his big, fat mouth shut then and never spoken such words.
It wasn't Puck's fault that everyone spoiled him and indulged him so much. He was only a child, after all—hardly much more than a baby, really.
Babies couldn't help themselves. They couldn't provide for themselves. They needed a lot of love and nurturing, someone to shelter them and protect them—someone to care for them and cherish them. And Terence knew he had failed miserably in his part.
With the way he had been acting these days, he had to be about as low as a worm's tail end.
"I'm sorry, Puck," Terence said contritely. "I've been acting real stupid, haven't I? All this time, I've been thinking of myself, and I never made any time for you. I suppose I let my pride get the better of me, and I guess I wasn't as prepared for this kind of big change as I'd thought. I'm so sorry, little pal. Forgive me?"
In childish comfort, Puck reached up and placed a tiny hand against Terence's uninjured cheek. The gesture was undeniable, and Terence smiled, touched.
"I now understand what all the fuss is about concerning you," he said softly. Smoothing Puck's unruly blonde curls away from his forehead, he went on, "You're all right, Puck. You deserve more than the treatment I've been giving you these days. You deserve a lot more."
Puck made no response to this, but he tugged affectionately at Terence's long white goatee, and Terence lightly ruffled his godson's mop of curls in return.
At length, Terence gently made Puck slide off his lap and he stood on his own feet, saying, "Well, little guy, I think it's time we headed back for Cair Paravel, don't you? Your parents must be worried about you." In his mind, he added resolutely, And it is high time I shelved my pride and made amends with Tumnus and Lucy. I hope they will both forgive me.
Puck decided to race his godfather home, and so he therefore spun around and was off like a streak of lightning. "Hey!" Terence called again. "Hey, come back! Home is the other way!"
But Puck kept running, and Terence bolted after him.
"Wait!" the white-haired youth kept hollering. "Puck, wait!"
Whether the faun didn't hear him, or whether he didn't understand, Puck simply continued to go where he was going; and as the forest grew thicker and deeper, it wasn't long before the little sprite had vanished altogether from Terence's sight.
"Puck!" said Terence frantically. To himself, he thought, Oh, no! I hope I haven't lost him!
He kept rushing in the same direction himself, adroitly avoiding low branches and gnarled roots that were in the way. He called for Puck repeatedly, keeping his eyes and ears alert for any sign whatsoever of his godson.
And then, just when he was on the verge of panicking, Puck suddenly appeared, as if by magic.
However, rather than run away from Terence, the infant faun now darted toward his godfather, just as fast as he possibly could—and far from looking playful, he seemed genuinely frightened this time. Terence stopped and crouched down, and Puck all but flung himself into his outstretched arms, burying his head deep in the young man's neck.
"Hey, what's the matter, little guy?" Terence asked bewilderedly, feeling Puck's body trembling, hearing the faun youngling give out a piteous whimper.
A low, ominous growl sounded right then.
With a start, Terence snapped his head up at once to see a pack of vicious wolves emerge from the trees, like ghosts from the shadows of the night. There were five wolves in total, all of them big and bloodthirsty-looking, and together they started slowly toward Terence and Puck, their tawny eyes flashing, curling their black lips to reveal long, dripping yellow fangs.
Terence and Puck © unicorn-skydancer08
Other Characters © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media
Story © unicorn-skydancer08
