A/N: This chapter has a very different sort of feel than the past couple chapters, just to let you know.
Chapter 6: Unsuitable Pleasantries
"Where am I? What is this place?"
Everything was dark. All Reepicheep could feel was cold ground. No wait—there was something dry and crinkly under him. Leaves? Reepicheep got into a sitting position and became aware much his side hurt from being thrown on the ground. Who could have done this to him?
Gradually Reepicheep's eyes adjusted to the dark. He realized that he was in the woods. It was a dark and shadowed place, not open and well-lit like the construction site had been. The sudden change in lighting must have been what baffled Reepicheep's senses momentarily.
All of a sudden Reepicheep heard a low sound. The sound had been there since he was thrown on the ground, but he hadn't noticed it till now. It was someone's breathing. Startled, Reepicheep tried to draw his rapier. It was not at its familiar place by his hip.
"Your sword fell when I grabbed you," said a voice. "You'll forgive the rough ride—though it was exceptionally funny."
Reepicheep looked up and finally saw the Thing that had grabbed him. "Thumtikk?!" exclaimed Reepicheep in astonishment. "What has become of your good sense, Dwarf? Kindly explain why you gave yourself the undeserved dignity of grabbing my tail and taking me to this place."
"Well." The dark-bearded old creature shifted into a standing position. "I couldn't have you running back and telling the others about me, now could I?"
"What is there to tell?" asked Reepicheep impatiently. "The raid was failed, but what does that have to do with you—?"
Thumtikk interrupted with a cold laugh. "My funny little mouse, surely you know why the raid went wrong?"
Reepicheep's yes went wide as he realized the truth. "You told me had seen the signal—but there was no signal, was there?! You have lied, cheated, and used me to help you do it. Why, Thumtikk?
"My people fought alongside the White Witch," answered Thumtikk coolly. "And many of us also joined in secretly with the Telmarines. We pretended to be short humans and hid our Narnian heritage. For these reason, the Dwarves are horribly prejudiced. Narnians have hated and abused us Dwarves for centuries."
"So you sought revenge?" exclaimed Reepicheep. "To ruin our plans and do a service to the enemy is disgraceful to the highest degree. You may presume that I am stupid and naive, but I know one thing: you shall pay for your wrongs!" Reepicheep looked ready to attack the Dwarf, but his heroism was cut short as Thumtikk thrust something over top of the Mouse.
A cage. A cold metal cage with barely enough room to stand up.
"Release me this instant!" Reepicheep screamed in rage. "If I get a sword in my hands, so help me Aslan, I'll cut you to ribbons!"
"Oh, how scary," the Dwarf chuckled. "What can a cute little Mouse like you do?"
"You have no right to keep me here," Reepicheep shouted, throwing himself against the bars. "What justification can you possibly offer for this atrocity?"
"A simple justification. You are small, weak, and foolish. I have the power over you because of superior strength. If more people understood this law—survival of the fittest—Narnia would see much fewer troubles. The creatures in hiding would not feel the need to rebel against a higher power, if they accepted the law. If they accepted it, Old Narnians would not need to hate the Dwarves just because we chose the more powerful side. It's such a simple lesson, but for you, the learning comes hard." With that, the Dwarf laughed heartily.
The laughter was hideous to Reepicheep, who felt as if he was being tortured. A great wave of wrath came over him that anyone would dare to willfully restrain him from freedom. Not to mention the fact that, after the embarrassing warrior meeting, being laughed at was the thing Reepicheep hated most in the world. The wrath almost overcame the pain that Reepicheep also felt; the emotional pain of being betrayed and used. How could anyone think this was funny?
"Well," said Thumtikk, standing up with the cage in his wrinkled hands, "the fun's over for me. I'll take you somewhere you'll never be able to blab about my treachery."
Reepicheep shouted and struggled the whole time Thumtikk walked. After a while the Dwarf slowed down and said, "Better shut up now, Mouse. Look where we are."
He whished he hadn't looked. The Dwarf had brought Reepicheep to a small Telmarine farm. Humans' smell, mixed with hay and coy, was clear in the air. Reepicheep could not bear to think what Greenathreep would do when he found out his son had been killed by humans.
"I said the fun was over for me," Thumtikk stated; "but it's just starting for you." Then he left the cage in the human's barn. With one more nasty leer he left the farm.
Reepicheep took a deep breath to try to calm down. He waited for the humans to come. There was silence in the hay-filled barn, but only for a moment. Reepicheep's fine-turned ears heard a strange sound, like a guttural moan. Then without warning something pounced so forcefully it knocked the cage over onto its side.
A cat! Reepicheep realized with a shock. It is smaller than a talking cat, but still a bit bigger than me; and it certainly has the upper paw in this fight!
The cat's paw suddenly delved between the bars of the cage, almost slicing Reepicheep. A single claw almost as big as Reepicheep's forepaw, and there were five of them! How can I get out? Reepicheep's heart was beating furiously and he was shaking with adrenaline.
The cat meowed loudly and struck again. Reepicheep dodged, retreating to the far corner of the cage. He tried to squeeze his body between the bars. He could almost hear Thumtikk laughing at him now. How funny this situation would look to a cruel Dwarf or Human…but how deathly serious it was to the mouse caught in the trap. I must get out! was Reepicheep's only thought. This was a life and death situation.
Suddenly searing pain tore through Reepicheep's exposed back. His fur was damp with blood and his body momentarily numb with shock. It only took for a second for Reepicheep to realize that the cat's claws cut into him and he was being dragged toward his feline enemy. Reepicheep braced himself to break away from the agonizing contact; he knew that tearing himself away would hurt far worse than the original puncturing. With a scream of pain, the brave Mouse tore apart from the claws and dove between the bars on the far side of the cage.
At last he was free! But not once did Reepicheep stop to gloat. He knew that if he stopped even once, the cat could pounce and try to back his back. Reepicheep climbed into the hayloft, darted out the window, skittered down the gutter, and raced into the woods.
The Mouse had not been running long before he heard something else chasing him. Reepicheep felt utterly overwhelmed; how many big frightening creatures were going to cause him pain tonight—physical, emotional, or both? Knowing he could run no more, Reepicheep stopped to make a final stand.
As the Mouse turned around he saw what was chasing him. It was a wolf! Fear and hopelessness washed over Reepicheep…until he realized tha tit was only his friend, Sarclaw.
"Thank Aslan you're alright," said the noble wolf. "You should get on my back quickly—your father and Rhevercheek are worried sick."
Reepicheep lost no time in explaining Thumtikk's treachery. "It's all because his ancestors worked with the White Witch!" he concluded.
Sarclaw's golden eyes were grim. "Ancestry does not determine a person's character," he stated in a low voice. "I'm your friend. And yet my people served under the White Witch too—according to legend."
Reepicheep looked shocked and he backed away defensively. "So you're a traitor too! Get away from me!" he shouted deafeningly. "How can you expect me to trust you? What are you going to do me if I let you take me?!"
"Calm down!" barked Sarclaw. "Now I can see you're in some kind of shock, but you must trust me. If only because I've known you for four years—get on my back."
With great reluctant, Reepicheep said, "I will follow you. Walk ahead and I shall follow you on foot." It was too great a risk to put himself completely in the Wolf's power.
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Lights flickered in the distance. As they got closer, Reepicheep knew the lights were torches held by the Mice outside the Burrow. Each had an anxious expression as Reepicheep approached.
Geeniveek was the first to rush to her friend. She threw her arms around him. "Reepicheep! Thank Aslan! Are you alright? Oh Reepicheep, did they hurt you?"
Reepicheep did not respond in any way to her hug. He was stiff and appeared to have trouble focusing on anything. "I am fine," he muttered.
"No." Geeniveek stepped back and tried to hold Reepicheep's wandering gaze. "Something's wrong. What happened to you?"
Suddenly Father and the Mouse Chief rushed up. Both embraced Reepicheep. "You're safe!" cried Father, while tears streamed down his face. "No matter what anyone says, after what happened tonight, Reepicheep is never going to battle!"
Reepicheep did not seem concerned with anything. "I will never, ever let me guard down again," the Mouse swore. "Father, tonight has, if anything, strengthened my resolve to fight. I shall fight all the harder."
With that, the dazed young Mouse walked into the Burrow. The other Mice stared after him in silence.