I still don't own it.
Before you freak out, I did say I would do Eustace next. But I haven't yet—sorry! That's next. I promise.
Before LWW
Ages:
Peter—11
Susan—10
Edmund—8
Lucy—6
He felt a small thrill of adventure as he crept through the moonlit sea of grass; the strange, floral scent was intoxicating and he closed his eyes, throwing back his head and smiling. The only sounds were the crickets chirping and the slight swish of his bare feet in the long blades of grass.
Peter blinked as he stepped into a shadowed forest. The trees swayed in the fragrant breeze, their leaves whispering to each other. He sighed contentedly, peace stealing over his features. Peter breathed in again and his brow furrowed in confusion—the sweet scent had morphed into a putrid stench, like rotted meat, along with something else.
If cruelty was a smell, then this was what it would smell like, he thought. His heart began to race and he shuddered.
He needed to find somewhere to hide.
A sound behind him made him freeze. Laughter? But it sounds so familiar… he wondered. Then he recognized the sound.
It was his sister's laugh.
"Lucy?" he called, foreboding constricting around his chest.
The laughter continued, sounding further away. Peter felt fear rise up and twine with his foreboding and he began sprinting as fast as he could after the sound. Another peal of laughter followed the last, and Peter gritted his teeth and ran even faster.
A growl echoed through the forest, seeming to pierce through to his heart. Two high-pitched shrieks wove through the trees and Peter felt horror rise up and threaten to immobilize him, but he resisted.
The sounds around him seemed to wrap around him, almost mocking him: twin screams, a trembling war cry and the scrape of metal on metal, a ringing howl. Then came a sound that made Peter's heart skip a beat: a scream—his baby brother's scream. His vision blurred momentarily, but he shook his head and kept running.
When he finally burst into the clearing, a nightmarish vision met his eyes. An enormous wolf, its fur shining like flawed silver, stood over his three siblings. Its eyes shone with triumph and it threw back its head in an unearthly howl. Then it lowered its head to fix its gaze on his three siblings.
"Peter?" The door creaked slightly and a small, dark-haired figure appeared from behind it, his brow creased from worry.
A small squeak answered him, and his eyes shifted over to rest on the bed in the corner of the room. Another squeak made him rush over to the edge of the bed. "Peter…" he murmured.
The scene changed and Peter was momentarily blinded by sunlight. He blinked and his eyes adjusted; he looked around himself in awe.
"PETER!" His brother's voice sounded strange, almost muffled.
He looked up. A frightening creature snarled at him, swinging its weapon in an arc toward his head.
Peter ducked, swinging up his arm. A harsh clang echoed around him as his sword (how did he get a sword?) blocked the blow. His arm swung again and he batted the creature out of the way. He heard himself yelling at his brother, but didn't understand the words.
He whirled around, blocking and slashing with surprising accuracy.
Then he heard a yell and spun around.
His brother stood with his sword outstretched toward a tall woman who held a broken wand. Another series of clangs echoed around the battlefield.
And then a small cry caught Peter's attention and he froze.
He saw his brother collapse and screamed wordlessly.
"Peter!" Edmund ducked, narrowly avoiding his brother's flailing arms.
Said brother tossed and turned, gasping for breath. His cheeks were streaked with tears.
Edmund tried to grab Peter's wrists, but found that his brother seemed stronger than he was while he was awake. Edmund gritted his teeth and flung himself over his brother's body, successfully pinning him down.
"ED!" Peter screamed, his voice sounding strange. He felt himself swing his sword again before he ran toward his brother.
He got about halfway there before slamming into something solid.
Peter's breath left him in a gasp. His movements became frantic as he struggled to reach the small figure curled on the ground. He felt like there was a sheet of glass between him and his brother, blocking him from going any further.
He felt himself fall to his knees; his body racked as he sobbed.
Edmund buried his face in his brother's nightshirt. "Shh, Peter. Shh…" He felt his brother shudder under him and he sat up cautiously.
"Ed?"
He started at the rough voice. He looked down at his brother and tried to smile. "Morning, Peter," he whispered, watching as Peter's eyes flickered open.
He felt his brother's arms wrap around him and sat on the bed beside him. Edmund smoothed Peter's hair down, a shaky smile on his face. He heard his brother sigh softly.
"It's all right, Peter. You're safe."
Peter relaxed and a smile formed on his face. "Thanks, Ed," he murmured before dreamless sleep claimed him again.
Author's Note:
Yes, I did just update—it's not just a figment of your imaginations! I've been on vacation and getting ready for school to start up again, so I haven't been writing lately…
But I'm back now. And I should write faster once I get into school.
Reviews, please! Even one-word reviews (terrible, great, okay, etc.) count.
~Elissa~