As the contingent of mice climbed atop a very amused dragon, Caspian mounted up and looked for Edward. The blond was still talking with the old fawn, Zachary, Caspian recalled. He pointed out a cluster of stars to Edward and gave him a gentle hug before the man walked back towards the horses with most of the big cats following him. Underneath him, the prince's horse skittered to one side when it saw the lanky predators, but Caspian calmed it by whispering in its ears and running his fingers through its mane. Edward mounted up next to him and pointed out the cluster of star just a little to the northeast. "The How lies under that bundle of stars. We'll follow that through the forest until we reach it."

"How will we keep track of them in the woods?" Caspian asked.

"I'll ride with you and climb up into the trees whenever you need me to check," chattered a voice and the prince noticed, for the first time, the bundle of fur on Edward's shoulder. A furry head with intelligent eyes popped up and Caspian found Pattertwig staring at him. "I can also show you where the nuts are so we can gather them for provisions, and the fruit trees, and the berry bushes, and the-"

"Pattertwig," Edward interrupted, "what did I ask you to do?"

The tiny creature's head slumped. "That we need to travel with speed and stealth. So we won't stop to pick anything, and that I need to be quiet."

The older man nodded. "Yes. Still, you can tell us when we pass those trees. We'll need to gather provisions eventually and knowing where to find those trees will be important when we do. Just try not to chatter too much." He smiled at the squirrel, who nodded emphatically. Then he turned in the saddle and addressed the cats. "One of you should go ahead as a scout. Silkesh, that'll be you. No arguing!" He finished when it looked like a fight might break out. "We're going now."

Silkesh shot into the underbrush and, after a minute or two, the rest of the group followed. Caspian looked back at the clearing, where the griffins and Fa Mung still waited. "Why haven't they taken off yet?"

"Look at the sky," Edward said by way of an answer. "The stars have come out, but there's still a bit of sunlight. They'll wait until it's darker than pitch to follow us. Griffins and dragons both have excellent night vision, as well as cats. That's why they're scouting ahead for us." He turned and gave the young prince a smile. "What you said back there was impressive. Also, it's true. You'll be a good king."

Caspian turned away to hide his smile at the praise and then said on a more serious note, "We have to win my kingdom back first."

"For that, Sire, you will have all our teeth and claws," one of the cats said unexpectedly, making Caspian's horse shy away a bit.

The prince soothed his mount quietly. Looking down, he almost didn't see the lithe shape next to him that had spoken. Then they passed through a smallish clearing and the moonlight revealed the figure of a jaguar. Dappled leaf patterns from the branches overhead had camouflaged the cat. "Thank you for your comradeship. What is your name," Caspian asked.

"Roskin, Your Highness," the cat replied, purring a little on the first letter. "I and my fellow cats were found by your teacher where we'd hidden in the southern forests of Narnia. I in particular am honored to be a part of this." A purr resonated in her chest. "He told me many stories about you while we were traveling."

Caspian grinned at the cat. "I am glad to have you, Roskin. Maybe you can tell me some about your family later." In response the purring grew louder and Roskin buffeted the prince's boot with her muzzle.

A few minutes later, Edward sent Pattertwig up through the branches to check their course. "We're headed in the right direction," she squirrel said in his rapid-fire fashion, "and I saw the dragon and others flying overhead as well. Oh, and the tree I climbed up had the most abundant crop of almonds."

Edward nodded. "Good, thank you Pattertwig. Can you run ahead and ask Silkesh to come back to us? We're getting close, so he doesn't need to scout for us anymore." The squirrel bobbed his head and scampered off through the branches. The blond threw an arm out and said, "We'll stop here for a bit and rest until the two of them return."

"We don't need a rest," one cat spoke up with an affronted air.

"The horses do, though, and Caspian and I have had nothing to eat for hours." He stood in his stirrups, reached over his head, and plucked an apple. "An old orchard is as good a place as any to stop." He threw the fruit to Caspian, who waited until his teacher also had an apple before taking a bite. The fruit was sweet and juicy, tasting all the better because of his hunger.

He finished the snack in minutes and had started looking for a second one when Silkesh came into view with Pattertwig following a moment later. The cat bowed its head and addresses the two humans. "There's about ten minutes ride more in the forest before we come out onto a large grassy area. The How is in the middle. May I suggest that the king and his teacher continue into the How while I and my fellow cats hunt in these woods for provisions?"

Edward opened his mouth to answer, but deferred at the last moment to Caspian. If he was going to be their king, he would have to start making these decisions on his own, no matter how much Ed wanted to play big brother. Caspian nodded. Roskin spoke next. "I suggest Pattertwig lead them the rest of the way and go to the How with them, but I should also go with them. I am the biggest of the cats."

The growls that answered the suggestion were affirmative, so the smallest member lead the two men and single cat through the rest of the forest and out onto the plain. There wasn't much more than blackness in front of them, which made Caspian's shoulders slump. He'd been hoping to at least see the How. But he drew his shoulders back again, promising himself that he would see it tomorrow, and continued on into the place that would soon be so much more than just a place to sleep.

That thing with Roskin kind of just happened, but it's part of what I'm trying to do. See, because Edward and Caspian still had their horses, they could go farther afield in Narnia and gather together more people, like the big cats and griffins we saw fighting in the first narnia movie. Also, Caspian isn't under quite so much pressure because he has a wiser head to depend on, and so can be a little more friendly with his troops. Hence, Roskin. Dang, I'm having too much fun creating original characters, Like Zachary Tumnus, Fa Mung, and Silkesh.

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