Hey everyone. Let's get legalities out of the way.

Disclaimer: I do not own any creatures, characters, or stories referenced in this story.

Now let's continue where we left off:

Chapter 8

Escape

Perrito ran back to the dam with the others. His mind was still reeling from everything that had happened. Somehow, he had gotten involved in events that would shape an entire world. Four siblings were prophesied to defeat the White Witch and free the land, led by a powerful being by the name of Aslan. This seemed somehow bigger than seeking a wishing star.

A howl suddenly sounded in the distance. "What's that?" Susan asked.

"The secret police." Mr. Beaver said.

"And if we can hear them," Puss said. "It means they aren't far off."

Nobody said a word after that. They were all too busy running back to the dam. A quick turn and a sprint down the hill, and they were there. "Hurry, dear. They're after us," Mr. Beaver shouted, opening the door.

"Oh. Right then," Mrs. Beaver said, running to a cupboard with a sack.

"What's she doing?" Peter asked.

"Trust me, you'll be thanking me later." Mrs. Beaver said. "It's a long journey and Beaver gets pretty cranky when he's hungry."

"I'm cranky now." Mr. Beaver said.

Susan ran in to help. "It's better to pack some food and supplies for the trip, when you think about it logically. We can't all eat plants."

"Can't argue with that," Humpty said, joining Susan and Mrs. Beaver.

Perrito ran forward to help. "Come on. The sooner we start, the sooner we get done."

Puss, Kitty, Mr. Beaver, and the two remaining Pevensies looked exasperated and nervous, but moved to help pack a few items. Food for nourishment. Blankets for warmth. All in a scurry to finish up before the secret police arrived.

"Do you think we'll need jam?" Susan asked.

Perrito grabbed the jar in his jaw, passing it to Mrs. Beaver, who wiped it off and put it in the sack.

"Only if the Witch serves toast." Peter replied sarcastically.

Sudden rustles sounded outside. Perrito turned to see the thickness of the walls fading, as if the timbers of the dam were being removed. Loud scraping sounds were heard at several points of the wall. The secret police had arrived.

"Time's up. This way!" Mr. Beaver said. He ran over to an inner wall that had a coat hook hanging from it. Perrito had been wondering about that spot, as there didn't seem to be any coats hanging from the hook. His curiosity was satisfied when Mr. Beaver pulled the hook down and to the right. The wall swung outward, revealing a small hole behind it with a rope hanging from the inside of the wall.

"Come on. Now's not the time to dilly-dally!" Mr. Beaver said, propping the wall for Mrs. Beaver.

"You girls next." Peter said.

"Perrito, go with them." Kitty said. "Somebody should be down there to check the tunnel first."

Perrito nodded. He soon found himself being carried down by Susan as they slid down the rope. The descent was not that deep. It was only a few feet down, leading to a cave opening that burrowed away from the dam.

Looking up, Perrito saw Peter and Mr. Beaver coming down, followed by Humpty holding a torch. Puss, and Kitty then climbed down the hole using their claws on the rope. With nobody to prop the wall, it slid back into place due to the pressure on the rope.

Mr. Beaver looked at the others. "Is everyone inside? Good. Now come on."

They started running down the tunnel. "Badger and me dug this," Mr. Beaver explained. "Leads straight to his place."

"You told me it led to your mum's," Mrs. Beaver said, surprised.

"Can we slow down a little bit?" Humpty asked, huffing and puffing somewhat.

"Keep up, Humpty," Puss said, pulling Humpty along. "We need to get away from the dam."

"Wait? Do you hear that?" Kitty asked.

Perrito pricked his ears. Now that he thought about it, he thought he caught some barking noises behind them. But there weren't any dogs in Narnia. Or at least, any dogs that Perrito had met yet. That could only leave one conclusion.

"They're in the tunnel," Lucy whispered fearfully.

"Quick! This way!" Mr. Beaver exclaimed.

"Hurry!" Mrs. Beaver added.

The pace quickened after that. The tunnel twisted and turned. Sometimes going downwards, sometimes upwards. Sometimes left, then right. But always one direction. Perrito was glad Peter had the torch. He doubted he would have been able to tell the right way if he had been on his own.

Suddenly, the tunnel ended in a large rock wall. There weren't any other turns to take.

"Now what?" Kitty asked the Beavers.

Mr. Beaver looked around. "Give me a quick second."

"You should have brought a map," Mrs. Beaver said.

"There wasn't room next to the jam," Mr. Beaver replied. He looked up at the ceiling. "Now I remember."

With that, he hopped up, burrowing away some dirt. Perrito found that what originally looked like a darkened corner of the cave was actually a concealed hole, leading to escape.

In quick order, everyone got out. Puss grabbed a barrel. "Help me with this."

As Mr. Beaver, Peter, and Puss rolled the barrel over the cover of the hole, Perrito helped Humpty carry some branches to shore it up.

"That won't hold them long," Puss said.

Silence met his comment. Perrito turned to see a shocking site. Several stones lay around the clearing. The stones depicted animals raising their arms with looks of terror on their faces.

Mr. Beaver walked up to a carved badger, a tear in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, dear," Mrs. Beaver said.

"He was my best mate," Mr. Beaver replied.

Perrito looked around. A gasp rose in his throat. All these carved figures. All the badgers, weasels, squirrels, and robins. All creatures that had been turned to stone?

"This is what becomes of those who cross the Witch," said a voice.

Perrito turned to see a fox standing on a small ledge. The fellow looked lean and thin. His face was hard to read, with no smile or frown to indicate his opinion on what he just said.

"Take one more step, traitor, and I'll pull you to splinters," Mr. Beaver said.

"State your business," Kitty said as she and Puss drew their swords and daggers.

"Relax," the fox said in a smooth voice, a small grin forming on his face. "I'm one of the good guys."

"Yeah? Well, you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones," Mr. Beaver said.

"An unfortunate family resemblance," the fox replied. "But we can argue breeding later. Right now, we've got to get you out of the secret police's grasp. I have a plan."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Kitty asked.

"You don't, unfortunately. It would take too long to explain or figure out a way to give proof. I guess the fact that I'm your only chance will have to be proof enough," the fox said.

Perrito took a good look at the fox before going into a small huddle with the others. "What do you all think?" Peter asked.

"I'm not sure. I mean, foxes aren't ever completely trustworthy in the stories," Humpty said.

"And even the trustworthy foxes I've met usually hold something back," Puss added.

"What choice do we have, though?" Lucy questioned.

"Perrito, what do you think?" Mrs. Beaver asked.

Perrito took a moment to ponder. He hadn't detected anything deceitful in the fox. No knowing smirk or condescending look. Then again, Puss and Kitty were always warning Perrito about deceitfulness. What if the fox was tricking them? It was a difficult decision.

Perrito took a breath. "I think we can trust him. We should give him a chance to prove himself. If we can't trust someone offering help, who can we trust?"

Everyone was silent as they pondered Perrito's words. Loud scraping occurred at the blocked hole. That settled it. Puss turned to the fox. "What do you have in mind?"

The fox smirked slightly.

Perrito saw the secret police charge out of the hole. They seemed to consist of several wolves, eight or nine in total. Moving quickly, they surrounded the fox, who stood alone in the clearing.

"Greetings, gents," the fox said. "Lost something, have we?"

"Don't patronize me," one wolf said in a gruff voice. "I know where your allegiance lies."

Puss turned to the others. "Maugrim," he mouthed.

Perrito nodded with difficulty. It was getting hard holding onto the tree branch alongside Peter and Lucy. He could only imagine how Puss and Humpty were doing next to Kitty and Susan. How they'd all gotten in the tree was beyond him. This plan was either crazy or clever.

"We're looking for some humans," Maugrim said.

The fox chuckled. "Humans, here in Narnia? Well, that's a valuable bit of information, don't you think?"

Maugrim flicked his head and another wolf charged at the fox. With a thrust, he scooped the fox up in his mouth, sinking his teeth into the fox's hide. Perrito started to gasp, only to feel his mouth clamped shut by Peter's hand.

"You do raise a good point," Maugrim replied. He looked to the side, pretending that he was considering what to offer the tortured fox. "Very well, your reward is your life. I'm afraid it's not much for the 'valuable information' you're offering, but that can't be helped. Besides, every piece of loyalty counts. Now, perhaps you can be a little more generous with your information."

Another wolf turned to Maugrim. "What about the other information the Queen wants?"

Maugrim turned to the wolf. "I was getting to that, fool. Don't interrupt." He turned back to the fox. "As I was saying, we're looking for some fugitives. Some of them are humans, as mentioned before. Others are not. Two cats, one dog, and one fellow who looks like a giant egg. Since I'm naturally generous, I'll make you an offer. You tell me information on one of those two sets of fugitives, you get your life. You tell me both, then we'll see about a more deserving reward if your story checks out. You can probably guess the punishment for lying."

The fox grunted in pain. He looked up briefly to glance at the figures huddled in the tree. Puss and Kitty grabbed their weapons. Perrito gulped. He wanted to trust that the fox wouldn't turn on them, but his life was being threatened. How far was the animal willing to go before he caved?

The fox looked back down "North. I saw the humans and some beasts running north."

Maugrim nodded. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" He turned to the other wolves. "Smell them out."

One wolf threw the fox down as the rest ran into the trees. Perrito leaned over alongside the others, looking down at the fox. He was not moving, barely breathing.

Lucy started to move forward, but Kitty held out a paw. "Wait." She held a paw to her ear. After five minutes, she lowered her head. "Ok. The coast is clear. I don't hear anything nearby."

Climbing down Humpty ran over to the fox. "He's still alive."

"Will he be alright?" Perrito asked.

"Possibly. I'll need some herbs though. Athelas, if you have it."

"The weed?" Mr. Beaver asked. "Rather common plant, that. I'll go. I know what it looks like."

"I'll help you look," Perrito added.

"We'll stay and set up camp," Mrs. Beaver said.

Perrito ran after Mr. Beaver into the forest. "We're looking for a green plant with small white flowers budding. It might be buried deep in the snow. Grows on the left side of the trees." Mr. Beaver said.

"Got it," Perrito replied.

With that, the search began. There were several false alarms, though Perrito was able to tell the difference before shouting out. Finally, he sniffed under a tree, following a peculiar scent. Underneath was a stalk of green plants, with small white flowers growing underneath them.

"Are these them?" Perrito asked.

"Aye," Mr. Beaver said. "Let's get these to the others."

They soon made it back to the camp. Peter and Susan were helping Kitty and Puss gather logs to build a small fire. Humpty and Kitty were tending to the fox.

"That's the one," Humpty said, seeing the others return.

A poultice was soon made and applied to the fox's wounds. His breathing started to come easier. "That's much better, friends. I owe you my life."

"You owe us? It's we who owe you," Perrito replied.

"Consider us even then. I saved your lives, you saved mine. I don't think we've had the pleasure of introductions. James Foxington, at your service. I also prefer James for short."

"It's nice to meet you, James," Susan said.

A short silence followed. Finally, Peter broke the silence. "So, if you don't mind me asking, how did you come across this place? And why are you helping us? I don't mean to be rude, but you barely know us."

"Well, I came to help because you all are the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. It was my duty to help you as a Narnian," James replied. "Also, I have special instructions to carry out over the next few days.

"As to my tale, that's smaller than the one attached to me. A day or two ago, the secret police finally tracked Mr. Robin down to his hidey hole. The Badgers had been harboring him and a few other fugitives from the Witch. I heard the group was even trying to figure out a way to get Tumnus' statue out of the Witch's house. As soon as she found out, the Witch went to make an example of them. As soon as I heard that she was on the move, I rushed over. But I was too late. She'd already been here and turned the inhabitants to stone."

"That was Badger," Mr. Beaver replied. "Always doing what's right."

"He was a brave fellow," James replied. "Just as you all are." He then groaned as Mrs. Beaver applied more herbs.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked.

"Well, I wish I could say their bark was worse than their bite," James replied, lifting his head to show a sly smile. He then yelped in pain as the movement aggravated the wound.

"Stop squirming," Mrs. Beaver said. "You're worse than Beaver on bath day."

"Worst day of the year," Mr. Beaver whispered to the others' amusement.

"Alright, that should do it," Mrs. Beaver said, finishing the knot.

The fox tested his bandage by standing up slowly and moving around. The bandage seemed to hold.

"Now, for the herbs to work, you shouldn't overexert yourself in the days to come. Give it a week, then you'll be good as new," Humpty said.

"Well, thank you for your kindness and charity," James said. "But I'm afraid that's all the cure and rest I have time for."

"You're leaving?" Lucy asked.

"With the secret police out there?" Puss added.

"I'm afraid so. It has been a pleasure, your majesties, and an honor," James replied, bowing. "But time is short and Aslan himself has asked me to gather more troops. Any refugees found are also to be sent to His camp for safety."

Both Beavers gasped. "You've seen Aslan?" Mr. Beaver asked.

"What's he like?" Mrs. Beaver questioned.

"Spare no detail." Humpty added, gathering a quill and paper in his hands.

Perrito leaned in. This was something he wanted to know as well.

James turned to them all. "Like everything we've ever heard," he replied with a cheeky grin. "I'm afraid words can't do Him justice. You must see Him yourselves to understand what I mean. Suffice it to say though you'll be glad to have Him at your side in the battle against the Witch."

Peter looked to the ground.

"But we're not planning on battling any Witch," Susan replied.

"But surely, King Peter, the prophecy?" the fox asked.

"We can't go to war without you," Mr. Beaver added.

Peter took a moment to consider his answer. When the boy looked up, his face was worn and tired. "We just want our brother back," he answered in a saddened tone.

Perrito recognized the look in Peter's eyes. There was a weight on Peter's shoulders. It was a similar type of weight Puss had carried on their last adventure. But unlike Puss, whose fears had caused an emotional weight, Peter had the weight of leadership on his shoulders. He had to consider how to keep his family together in this strange land. It was not an easy weight to carry, especially with a betrayal of one of their own. Perrito only hoped the boy would be strong enough for the trials ahead.

I know Athelas is a Middle-Earth plant rather than a Narnian one. But I don't know very many fictional healing plants from Narnia aside from a certain juice that may or may not come up later. Besides, it's a nice little connection of the two fictional worlds, given their respective authors were friends.

In the movie, the fox goes unnamed. I decided on a general name that could also fit the fox's style.

As always, please rate and review.