ALL RIGHT EVERYONE! So it's that time of year again, and it actually worked out so that one of the longer chapters is this one. So take this really long chapter as a Christmas gift, or just a gift if you don't celebrate Christmas! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays... all that good stuff :)

Anyway, we're back! Chapter 4 of Finding: Trust right here! I'm a bit excited. For future reference, I'm pretty sure that Tumnus has the longest chapters in this story.

Finding: Trust~ Chapter 4: Tumnus:

I could run all I wanted, but what was the point? I knew there was no way I would be able to escape simply by running. It was just a matter of time before the Wolves tracked me down and recaptured me. I needed another plan.

Maybe I could figure out a way to outsmart the Wolves. It wouldn't be easy, but I had to try. If I could lay out a false trail, or cover my scent and hoof prints, maybe I would have a chance.

How to cover my scent...

I kept running, trying to come up with a good plan. It wasn't long before I could hear the Wolves behind me, running at a smooth pace that would catch me in a matter of moments. I quickened my own pace, desperately praying to Aslan for a way to escape, though I was sure my thoughts were too jumbled for anyone besides Aslan to make out.

And then I saw it. A Fox. It was sniffing around, clearly looking for something, but spun around when it heard my hoof beats. It gasped as soon as it saw me.

"Tumnus! You're alive! You're," the Fox sniffed the air. "You're being chased by Wolves. Quick, up this tree. I'll distract the Wolves, though it's unlikely they'll fall for the same trick twice."

It wasn't easy to climb the tree, but I managed to hide myself in one of the middle branches. It was then I wondered if I could actually trust this Fox, who I had no memory of, or if he was planning to turn me into the Wolves. Was he the answer to my prayers, or one of the enemy?

It wasn't long before a pair of Wolves arrived. They stopped when they saw the Fox, and the larger one slowly walked up to the Fox. The smaller one circled around, trapping the Fox between the two.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here," the larger Wolf growled. "Master Avis," he spat out the words, filling them with as much hate and disgust as possible.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here," the Fox replied. "Abaddón and Lililtu. To what do I owe the honorof, once again, meeting with your esteemedindividuals?"

"Business."

"It always is," Master Avis said. "What sort of business is it today?"

"We are searching for a faun. He came through here. Tell us which direction he went and we will leave you here unharmed."

"I seem to recall this is the second time we have met under these circumstances. I really do believe I should receive some sort of payment for this information."

"You should be punished for your bad information and lies, Fox."

The smaller of the two grabbed Master Avis by the back of his neck and forced him onto the ground. I forced myself to stay silent; revealing my position wouldn't help the Fox at all, and it surely would get me killed.

"Tell us," the Wolf put his head in the Fox's face. "Where the faun went."

There was a silence as we all waited for the Fox's response.

"West," the Fox finally said. "He went west."

"Why should we believe you?"

"Because that's where Aslan's camp is. You know that, and he knows it as well."

The Wolf huffed. I held my breath. I didn't want this Fox to be killed for my sake.

"Come on, Lililtu, we have a faun to catch," Abaddón said to the smaller Wolf.

"What about the Fox?" Lililtu growled?

"Leave it here. If he has lied, we will return and... deal with him."

The two Wolves raced off.

Master Avis remained on the ground for another minute and watched them leave. Finally he whispered up to me, "It's safe to come down now, Tumnus."

I carefully climbed down the tree, a task that seemed much more difficult now that I didn't have two Wolves about to capture me. "T-thank you, Master Avis. I am in your debt." I gasped.

Master Avis smiled as much as a Fox could. "No, I serve Aslan, and therefore help his followers whenever I can. Besides, I came out looking for you and the young king. Do you know where King Edmund is? Is he safe?"

"No. He's not. He's still the Witch's prisoner-"

"What? No, that's impossible! The Witch is dead!"

I starred at him in shock. "What?"

"She was killed by Aslan himself! In battle the day before last," Master Avis frowned. "Are you... are you telling me you don't remember it? You were there! I saw you myself, after the battle was over."

I shook my head. "I don't remember anything," I said. Then I remembered something important. "And that's not all. I was with Edmund, and he... Aslan. I need to speak with Aslan."

Master Avis narrowed his eyes. "Tumnus, what is wrong with King Edmund? Has he... but he wouldn't have. Not after the battle. Is he hurt?"

"He cannot see. I don't know why, or how it happened, but he's blind now. Master Avis, we need to get to Aslan! We need his help!"

"Avis is fine, Tumnus," Avis said, lost in thought. "So you can't remember anything to do with the recent battle. Do you remember who the Pevensie's are?"

"Edmund told me he was a Pevensie, along with his brother and sisters, but other than that, nothing," I said.

"And I suppose it's unlikely that you actually do remember the location of Aslan's camp?" Avis asked.

"Unfortunately, no."

Avis began to pace, glaring down at the dirt as if the ground could offer him the answer he needed and muttering to himself.

"I have to do something!"

Avis stopped pacing. He turned to face me, eyes intensely focused and gazing into mine. "Are you even willing to walk straight toward the Wolves chasing you?"

I swallowed. "Is Edmund someone we can trust? He told me he betrayed his siblings."

Avis let out an exasperated huff. "Tell me that's not the only thing the Son of Adam told you!"

"Well," I thought hard. "he said he wasn't good enough to be king, and that I probably wouldn't trust him when I found out what he had done."

Avis surprised me with a fierce growl. "After what he did, he doesn't think we'll trust him!" he barked. "Sure, some of the Narnians have their doubts, but in all honesty, when you look at everything together, the fact that Aslan himselfclearly forgave King Edmund and how King Edmund acted in battle, it's a wonder those doubts still exist!"

"What did he do?"

Avis shook his head. "That's something you probably won't believe if I told you, and we don't have time. You must get back and tell Aslan what is happening, but be careful. The Wolves are on their way west as well, and will not stop until they find you. I must go back and make sure King Edmund is alright. I have a bad feeling the Witch's remaining followers are up to no good. Tumnus, as you trusted me when the Wolves were after you, trust the Son of Adam."

I nodded and watched as he ran away, following the path the Wolves had taken. Then I turned around and began back in the direction Avis had come from.

I hurried around a tree and tripped into a river. Its water flow clearly decreased, the river becoming much smaller. Most Narnian rivers flow from the Great River, which flows from west to east, so I knew if I followed the river to its source I would eventually come up to the Great River. Because of the way the river's flow rate was decreasing, I had to assume this was River Rush. Which meant I couldn't be far from the Stone Table, and Aslan's Camp was probably a few hours journey beyond that.

The thought startled me. Did I know where Aslan's Camp was? Was I beginning to remember what happened? I still had no recollection of the Pevensies, or the battle that Avis had mentioned.

This wasn't the time to figure out what I had remembered. I had to keep going. My life, Edmund's life, and many Narnian's lives depended on it. I just wasn't sure how.

THESE NOTES ARE SEMI-IMPORTANT TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS CHAPTER:

First, this name was very hard to find. I wanted this one to be perfect, because I'm sure he'll become very important later on. Please meet Avis, whose name means refuge in battle. He was in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (for sure the movie, not so sure the books)as the Wolf who saved the Beavers and Pevensie's from Wolves in a scene much like this, and later turned into stone by the Witch.

Second, I read somewhere that Narnian rivers flow west to east, but was unable to find it again. So if this fact is untrue, please let me know. If it is (and it's true because a fellow fanfiction writer invented this fact) please let me know so I can direct credits to the appropriate person(s). I did look up a Narnian map to make sure that all details are correct.

Third, I did some research on masking scents from coyotes, and found out it's virtually impossible. A coyote's sense of smell is so much more advanced than humans, and hunters have long debates over whether masking their scent even fools coyotes at all. Bears, wolves, and other predators have been known to mask their own scent to hunt their prey, but their prey does not have a good nose for such things. So in an effort to make this as realistic as possible...