Hey, everyone. To get legalities out of the way, I don't own anything about the stories and movies referenced in this story. And now, let's dive in.

Chapter 6

Arrival

Kitty crouched down in a snow-covered bush. There was a small gap between branch and snow that provided cover for her. The snow was rather comfy, like a pillow. If it weren't for the fact that it was freezing cold, Kitty might have been tempted to take a nap. But there was another reason to stay awake. She needed to keep to the plan.

A rustle sounded behind Kitty. The cat turned around, dagger at the ready. After another rustle or two, Perrito crawled over.

Kitty relaxed. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"Checking up on you," Perrito replied. "How's your hydration level? I brought some fish for you. All that can be spared right now."

Kitty nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Perrito." She took the fish and ate some. There was no need to worry about water. Most of the land around them was water, in a way. "So, how're the others doing?"

"Well, Puss is waiting at the lamp post, last I checked. He seemed to be complaining about his boots."

Kitty furrowed her brow "Why? He loves those boots."

"Oh, it's not the boots themselves. It's the fact that snow keeps getting on them. Ruins the quality."

"That's Puss for you."

"Agreed. Still, I can't really blame him. It seems he holds those boots to the same level of significance as I do my jacket. Perhaps in a different context, though."

Kitty shook her head. Originally, Perrito had thought that being tied up in a sock and tossed in the river when he was a pup was a game. It was only on their way to the ship after the adventure of the Last Wish that Puss and Kitty had gently told him the true unpleasant meaning. Perrito had been shocked at first, almost as shocked as realizing the words he used to say that came out as beeping sounds were curse words. After thinking long and hard, he had decided to keep the sock-jacket, as it was a good way to keep warm and a good reminder that the past doesn't have to define the present and the future. That was the beauty of Perrito. Every negative could be turned into a positive, and empathy was aplenty with that dog.

Perrito's discussion pulled Kitty out of her thoughts. "Mrs. Beaver is at the dam, preparing dinner. Mr. Beaver's checking on Puss last I heard and Humpty is at the cave. No sign of anyone arriving yet."

Kitty nodded. This would make day three after Tumnus' arrest. Not a sight nor sound of anyone or anything here. If things didn't change in a day or two, she might ask if a different search strategy was required.

When the beavers and fairy-tale creatures had started discussing the most effective way to search for the Pevensies, many ideas had been given. Search all throughout the land, put up posters, even listen to chatter close to the secret police to see if they had gotten news. All turned down due to reasons of danger or inefficiency. It was Humpty who had come up with the plan. After hearing about how his friends arrived here, as well as how the Daughter of Eve arrived before, he had suggested that each of them stake out a spot to see if humans would come. The remaining members of the group could be messengers, relaying information and food to the other team members.

The main spots chosen were rather logical. The lamp post was one, as it was in a secluded spot with trees friendly to the Beavers. It was where the Daughter of Eve, Lucy Pevensie, had been seen coming and going to Narnia. The cave was another spot. If the fairy-tale creatures had come through that way, it made sense that others could follow. Failing those spots, Mr. Tumnus' cave made a good option. The humans would probably go to a place they were familiar with, and Tumnus was the only other place aside from the lamp post that fit the bill. Tumnus' place was the only risky one, as it was probably guarded or monitored by the secret police. Someone sneaky needed to be the one to stake it out.

And being sneaky was exactly how Kitty had found herself lodged in a bush outside Tumnus' cave. Having soft paws made traveling through the snow relatively easy. And Kitty had the most experience breaking into places quietly. She was the perfect feline for the job. So while the others switched places at regular intervals, she stayed out at a single spot, not switching with anyone.

Another rustle in the bushes further away broke Kitty out of her reminiscing. Two moments of recollection in under an hour. She really needed to get that checked. Getting distracted was bad for stealth missions.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Kitty asked Perrito.

Perrito shook his head. "No. The others are too far away, and I know nobody followed me. Whoever this is, it's somebody new."

Kitty leaned into the bush, pulling Perrito with her. "Whatever you do, stay absolutely quiet," she whispered. "We don't know who's making that noise. For all we know, it could be the secret police. Understood?"

Perrito nodded, indicating Kitty's logic was sound.

Kitty smiled, turning back to see who these newcomers would be.

To her surprise, four humans came walking into the woods. All four of them were wearing brown or gray fur coats. But the fact that they were human wasn't what surprised Kitty. Instead, the humans looked to be about children. One boy, who looked to be about thirteen, was looking around at the others, keeping an eye on them. A girl was walking alongside him who looked to be about twelve, having a subdued smile on her face, as if what she was seeing around her was wondrous, but she was trying to hold it in. Another girl who looked to be about eight walked in front, a wide smile on her face. She was talking about meeting up with Tumnus and what they'd all do. And bringing up the rear was a boy who looked to be about ten. While the other children had smiles on their faces and were looking rather excited about everything, the boy had a frown on his face, as if he wasn't feeling as excited as the others.

Kitty shook her head. Children?! Why children? They were to be protected from danger, not actually in danger themselves. Still, she knew that there were a few humans who had done great things in her world when they were children. Maybe there was more to the children than met the eye.

Suddenly, the younger girl saw the broken-down door. She gasped and ran towards the cave. "Lucy," the older boy said, running alongside the others into the cave. So, Lucy was the name of the youngest.

Perrito started to move forward. Kitty pulled him back. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm going to make introductions. It's quite clear that these are the humans we're searching for."

Kitty shook her head. "While I appreciate the gesture, Perrito, I don't think that's such a good idea. For one thing, we don't know if these humans are friendly or not. For another, they might freak out if they see a random animal coming towards them right as they're learning about Tumnus. It's better to take things slowly and wait for Mr. Beaver."

Perrito looked a little sad but nodded. "Right. You make a good point."

Kitty smiled at Perrito. "You still have an important part to play here, Perrito. Now we can let the others know the humans have arrived. If you hurry, maybe you can get back and make introductions alongside Mr. Beaver."

Perrito perked up. "I'll run like the wind. But as quietly in sound as the wind is in vision."

With that, he tiptoed hurriedly out of the bush and back into the distance. Off towards the lamp post. Kitty hoped he could make it in time. If the others didn't get here, she'd have to start introductions, and Kitty wasn't sure if meeting a cat with a dagger was a great first introduction.

Kitty pulled out Tumnus' periscope. Humpty had modified the device to become a telescope and had made a few other copies with his spare time. Stake-outs required something to do on top of constant vigilance.

The Pevensies were looking around Tumnus' place. Kitty heard Peter reading the charges against Tumnus. Lucy looked fearful as the charges were read. Kitty couldn't really blame the kid. It wasn't easy knowing you were responsible, however unintentionally, for getting your friend in trouble.

A rustle alerted Kitty of her friends' arrival. Mr. Beaver and Perrito came crawling over. "Where're Puss and Humpty?" Kitty asked.

"I met Mr. Beaver as he was coming to us. Puss had seen the Pevensies and informed Mr. Beaver. Now, he's gone to get Humpty. They'll meet us on the way."

Kitty nodded. "Makes sense."

"So, is it really them?" Mr. Beaver asked.

"See for yourself," Kitty replied, passing the telescope to Mr. Beaver.

Looking through the spyglass, Mr. Beaver gasped. "It really is them. To think I'd live to see this day."

"So how do you want to play this?" Kitty asked.

"Well, I was thinking I'll go on out there and introduce myself," Mr. Beaver said. "Then you all come afterwards."

Kitty looked over at Perrito, who was nodding his head in agreement. "Why don't you take Perrito? He'd fit more naturally with first introductions than me."

Mr. Beaver nodded, seeing the hope in Perrito's eyes. "Alright. I could use a hand with this."

Perrito grinned. "Thank you so much. You won't regret it."

"How should we let them know we're here?" Kitty asked.

"We could give a call out." Mr. Beaver suggested. "Only question is what sound to make to signal-"

Perrito gave a quick "psst" sound. Noticing the others' look, Perrito shrugged. "Simple and direct. I thought that's what we were going for."

Well, it seemed to work. Kitty noticed the Pevensies move out of the cave. They seemed to think a bird nearby had made the sound.

Mr. Beaver and Perrito went into the clearing. The Pevensies stopped moving, noticing the two animals. The older girl and younger boy looked hesitant. The older boy and younger girl looked more like they were curious rather than suspicious.

The older boy held out his hand, making a nicking sound. It looked like he wanted Mr. Beaver and Perrito to come closer. It reminded Kitty of some of the actions humans had done meeting an animal they wanted to keep. She only hoped these humans didn't do declawing like her own humans had. The two animals crept closer, looking at the older boy's hand. Mr. Beaver turned back to the boy. "I ain't gonna smell it, if that's what you want."

"Should we be talking now? I don't want to freak them out," Perrito said to Mr. Beaver. He turned to the humans. "Does talking freak you out?"

Kitty didn't miss the shocked look of three of the children. Only Lucy looked unaffected, smiling and giggling a little.

"I take it by your silence that this is either really normal or really freaky. Either way, it's nice to meet you all," Perrito said with a big smile.

The older boy shook his head, composing himself. "It's nice to meet you too."

Kitty nodded to herself. Preliminary greetings had appeared to go well. Now for the next move.

"Lucy Pevensie?" Mr. Beaver asked.

The girl that Kitty had identified as Lucy walked forward. Her smile disappeared, replaced by a questioning look. "Yes?"

Mr. Beaver looked over to Perrito. Perrito reached inside his sock and pulled out the handkerchief. It hadn't changed much since Tumnus had given it to them. Perrito's sock-jacket was deemed the best place to hide it. Extra care was taken to ensure that the handkerchief didn't get dirty or sweaty while it was in there.

Lucy walked forward, reaching for the handkerchief. "Hey, that's the hankie I gave to Mr. Tum-."

"-Tumnus," Mr. Beaver finished. "He got it to us before the arrest."

"Is he alright?" Lucy asked.

Perrito and Mr. Beaver looked at each other. "That's a complicated question," Perrito replied.

"And one that should be discussed further in." Mr. Beaver added.

With that, Mr. Beaver and Perrito started making their way to Kitty. Kitty noticed the older girl grabbing her siblings before they started following. "Wait. Shouldn't we think about this before following strange creatures into the woods?"

"They say they know the faun." The older boy replied.

"They're animals. They shouldn't be saying anything," the girl replied. So, animals didn't talk in the humans' home world. Kitty could detect the suspicion and concern in the girl's tone. A tone that seemed to indicate logic and reason were very important to the girl. Kitty wasn't sure if that would be a help or a hindrance.

"Everything alright?" Perrito asked, turning around.

"Yes. We were just talking," the older boy replied.

"Oh. Well, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but talking is probably better in a safer spot," Perrito replied.

"Do you mean the trees?" Lucy asked.

"Yes," Perrito replied. "I haven't seen anything per se, but I have heard that they're always listening and that some are fully willing to share information with the Witch. And we don't want too much word to spread right now."

"I suppose we don't," the older boy replied.

"Excellent. So come on. The sooner we move, the sooner we can talk about Mr. Tumnus. In the meantime, we can talk about the weather and ourselves as we walk." Perrito said, going back to the forest.

The four siblings looked at each other and began to follow the two animals.

Kitty took a breath. Now seemed as good a time as any to introduce herself.

As the group passed her bush, Kitty walked out, keeping her dagger sheathed.

The humans turned in shock upon seeing Kitty. "Who's that?" the older girl asked.

"Oh, that's just Kitty," Perrito replied. "She's really nice and a good friend of mine. There's no need to worry."

The humans looked hesitantly at Kitty. Kitty bowed her head. "Kitty Softpaws, at your service. And you all are?"

"Lucy Pevensie," Lucy replied.

The other humans were shocked at Kitty talking, but less so than before. "Peter Pevensie," the older boy replied.

"Susan Pevensie," said the older girl.

"Edmund," the younger boy added.

Kitty nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She stuck a paw out toward the forest. "Shall we get going?"

"Yes, let's," Mr. Beaver said. The group continued to move deeper into the forest.

After a few moments, Edmund broke the silence. "So why are you called Softpaws?"

"Edmund!" Susan said.

"What? It's just a question." Edmund replied.

Kitty turned back to the others. "No, no, it's fine. It's a valid question. Well, my paws are so soft, I could… borrow something from someone and they'd never even know it." To demonstrate, she held up her paw. In it was a gray fur coat.

Everyone followed her gaze to Edmund, who suddenly found himself without his coat.

"That's incredible," Lucy said as Edmumd put his jacket back on. "How'd you do that?"

"Well, when you don't use your claws as much, you can borrow items pretty easily," Kitty replied.

"Why don't you use your claws?" Edmund asked.

Kitty faltered a little, eyes on the nubs where her claws would be. "That's a little more complicated to answer. Remind me to tell you sometime."

"Why not now? What else are we going to talk about?" Edmund asked, looking closely at her paws. Kitty wondered if he suspected the truth.

Before anyone could reply, a rustle sounded up ahead. Everyone turned to see Puss and Humpty walking forward. "The way ahead looks clear," Puss said.

"More friends of yours?" Peter asked cautiously.

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Perrito replied. "These are my other friends Puss in Boots and Humpty Alexander Dumpty."

The humans' eyes went wide when Perrito had finished introductions. "Humpty Dumpty? Like the nursery rhyme?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Humpty said.

"Where you sat on a wall and had a great fall?"

"Well, some of those details are off, but that's the one," Humpty said.

"And one that we could talk about more later." Mr. Beaver replied. "Come on, we need to get somewhere we can have a proper talk before nightfall. We don't want to be out here then."

No, they did not, what with the secret police and the cold weather. Kitty nodded her assent. "Well, let's get going then," she said.

With that, everyone kept going. As they walked along, everyone started talking quietly. The girls talked with Perrito and Humpty, each exchanging some information about their homes. Perrito and Humpty were very surprised to hear about the idea of moving vehicles that were faster than horses and flew through the air. Lucy and Susan were surprised to hear how many fairy-tale and nursery rhyme characters Perrito and Humpty had seen in their world.

Kitty then noticed Peter and Edmund had started slowing down. Kitty slowed down behind them, trying to catch what they were saying.

"Hold up, Peter. If you're not feeling high and mighty, I've got something to say."

"What is it, Ed?" Peter asked in an annoyed tone.

"Not so loud. Don't want to frighten the girls or alert our 'guides.'" Edmund took a breath. "Look, are we sure we're doing the right thing? I mean, we're following a group of creatures we know nothing about to the middle of the woods. How do we know this isn't a trap?"

"Well, that's a nasty idea," Peter replied. "Still though, beavers are never on the wrong side in the stories."

"If it comes to that," Edmund replied, "which is the right side? How do we know the Fauns and these cats and beavers are on the right side and the Queen is in the wrong? We don't really know anything about this place."

"If I might make a suggestion," Kitty interjected, deciding enough was enough.

Peter and Edmund jumped, Edmund more so.

"Perhaps one way to tell is by checking our actions. So far as you've seen, one side has been helping keep you all safe, while the other has been arresting folks who saved your sister's life. I would say that's good enough to at least be open to the helpful side."

"You all say that the faun saved my sister's life. But how do we know that's what really happened?" Edmund asked angrily. Peter looked over at Edmund, half angry that Edmund was being so rude, but also seeing that Edmund had a point.

"Well," Kitty responded. "I can't say that I was there when Mr. Tumnus helped Lucy. But I can tell you what I heard from reliable sources. The arrest was not pretty. The Queen's forces were not nice or gentle in the least. You do raise a good point, but I would say the actions taken by both sides should help you understand which side is the right one. And frankly, where I'm from, it's quite rude to be talking about others behind their backs and accusing them directly of lying. So I'd suggest you wait on making judgements until you have understood the actions of both sides."

Edmund frowned, face red. Kitty was unsure if he was ashamed of his accusations, or embarrassed that he was caught in the first place. Peter looked at him sternly. "Sorry about that," Edmund grumbled, noticing Peter's stare. Edmund then ran to catch up with the others.

Peter looked down at the ground, embarrassed about the whole thing. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have talked. Edmund's always been a little… rough around the edges. He has a good heart though, I'm sure of it."

Kitty nodded. "It's a fair question he brought up. But there are more tactful ways to ask the question, and non-verbal ways to observe and decide for yourself." She pointed her paw forward. "We should get going."

Kitty and Peter caught up with the others just as they started climbing up the hill. Lucy looked over at Puss, who seemed to be struggling with the climb. "Do you need help, Mr. Puss?"

"Just Puss, please. And no, I am fine. I'm just not used to traveling this way," Puss replied.

Kitty looked over at Puss, who had some objects slung over his back. "Are you carrying your boots?"

"Yes. I don't want them to get sullied by the snow."

"You do realize you can always clean them once you get home?" Kitty asked.

"True. But I don't want them to get dirty at all," Puss replied.

Kitty nodded. Upon seeing the baffled looks of the humans, Kitty answered, "The boots come from one of Puss' dear family members. They hold sentimental value to him."

Soon they reached the other side of the cave on top of the hill. "Ah, here we are. Looks like Mrs. Beaver is expecting us," Mr. Beaver said, noticing the smoke coming out of his chimney.

"It looks lovely," Lucy said.

"Oh, it's merely a trifle. Wait'll you see it when it's done." Mr. Beaver replied.

Mrs. Beaver came out of the cave once they reached the bottom of the valley. "Beaver? Puss? Kitty? Humpty? Is that you? How's your day been-?"

Mrs. Beaver's jaw dropped as she saw the Pevensies coming with Mr. Beaver and the others.

"Here we are, me love," Mr. Beaver said. "We've found them. Here are the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve."

Mrs. Beaver put her paws to her lips. "So you've come at last. To think that I should live to see this day." Kitty was reminded how alike Mr. and Mrs. Beaver were. One of them sometimes repeated the same thing as the other.

Mrs. Beaver looked down at her fur and turned to Mr. Beaver. "Look at my fur. You couldn't give me ten minutes warning?"

"I would have given you a week if I thought it would've helped. Besides, you think you need time? I wish I had a month's warning." Mr. Beaver replied, chuckling. Everyone laughed a little at the small jokes.

Mrs. Beaver turned to the group. "Where are my manners? Come inside, come inside. Dinner's almost ready."

One by one the group went inside. Mrs. Beaver, then Susan, Lucy, Puss, Humpty, and Peter. As Kitty started to follow Edmund, she noticed him looking towards the distance. His eyes had a slight longing to them. Turning, Kitty saw two hills towering in the distance. The same hills Mr. Beaver had said led to the White Witch's house.

"Enjoying the scenery, are we?" Mr. Beaver asked Edmund.

Edmund turned, looking sheepish, and walked inside.

Mr. Beaver turned to Kitty. "We both saw where he was looking, right?"

Kitty nodded. "Towards the hills. Do you think he knows what's there?"

Mr. Beaver shrugged. "I don't know. As far as I know, Lucy was the only Pevensie to come to Narnia before today. Edmund shouldn't know about Narnian geography. Still…" he added, rubbing his chin. "it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on him. There's something about the boy that's all too familiar."

Kitty nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Mr. Beaver went inside. Kitty followed him, interested to hear what news Mr. Beaver was going to share with the Pevensies, and resolving to keep an eye on Edmund Pevensie.

So, the Pevensies have arrived, and meetings are happening. Additional meetings coming up. As always, please rate and review.