THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE BBC
PART 18
PETER'S FIRST BATTLE.
PREVIOUSLY: Peter, Susan, Lucy, the beavers and Chirp have finally met Aslan the Great Lion and they tell him of Edmund's plight. They ask for his help to save Edmund despite this betrayal, and Aslan promises that "All shall be done." but warns the children that saving Edmund will be more difficult than they think. Aslan welcomes the children and throws a feast in their honor. As the Narnians celebrate, Aslan takes Peter to see far-off castle, Cair Paravel, where he tells him that he shall be crowned as High King of Narnia. Peter is hesitant to take the kingship on his shoulders due to fearing for his family and the feeling of failure to protect Edmund. Their conversation takes an abrunt end when they hear Susan's horn ringing from the camp, calling for help, making Peter to dash back.
Note: I've been making so changes with the creatures, both those who are the prisoners in the Witch's castle and those who are in Aslan's army. Some are completely deleted and some replaced or switched places between the two.
Less than ten minutes earlier.
In the camp, after Peter had left with Aslan for their private conversation, Susan and Lucy had excused themselves too and departed from the tables (taking with the mugs of water with them), before the two girls, accompanied by the beavers, climbed on top of the hill where the Stone Table was to have a closer look at it.
Chirp, meanwile, looked down at them from the top of one of the stone monoliths surrounding the Table.
They stared in awe as the Stone Table stood gloriously against the evening sky, which clouds reflected the colors of the sunset's lights behind the tops of the trees surrounding its hill.
"It's huge." Lucy stated, realizing that the Stone Table was larger than she had imagined.
"And beautiful." Susan stated, even if the Table looked from the outside weathered over the course of the time.
"I've heard a stories of it ever since I was a young beaver kit... but seeing it with my own eyes from this close is..." Mr. Beaver trailed off, unable to continue.
"I know, dear one. I know." Mrs. Beaver said.
The girls and the beavers slowly circled around the Table and looked at the runes carved around it.
"What are these runes?" Susan asked as she ran her hand over some of them. "They look very old."
"They indeed are, Susan. My old pops once told me that these runes date from the Beginning of Time when Narnia first came to be." Mr. Beaver explained
"What do they say?" Lucy asked curiously.
Mr. Beaver, however, simply shrugged cluelessly. "Better not ask me, deary. These runes are so ancient that I cannot translate them."
Lucy looked at the beaver with slight disappointment, before Susan put a hand over her shoulders comfortably.
"It's okay, Mr. Beaver. That's not our primary concern anyway." Susan told him.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes! You're absolutely right!" Mr. Beaver said in agreement. "We must not stray from our very primary concern: the battle against the Witch when that time comes!"
With that, the beavers started to depart downhill, leaving the girls with the Stone Table.
Susan, however, cringed uncomfortably at the word of "battle", as she let go of Lucy's shoulder.
"Yeah, though that wasn't what I actually meant. I meant..." she called after Mr. Beaver, but quickly decided to let go of the matter.
After a while, Susan noticed Lucy staring at her from the hem of her dress all the way to her head, where the tiara the children had given her still was. There was a mixture of mischievious amusement as well as a deep longing in Lucy's face.
"What?" Susan asked with the chuckle. "Why are you looking at me like that? You too think I look funny?"
"Nah! It's nothing." Lucy lied, shaking her head. But after a moment she yielded nonetheless and told Susan what she had in mind. "Or, actually... It's just that... I was thinking when I looked at you... That you look just like mom in one of her dresses."
"Oh." Susan gasped softly, taken aback by such of comment, and the mention of their mother from her, before she looked down at her dress.
Her smile slowly melted into a slightly sad one at the thought of their mom, and she longingly began to recall those times with their mother before the war started in their world, like the time she helped her try on various fine dresses in front of the mirror in her and their father's bedroom, and sometimes Lucy used to peek in through the crack in the door unbeknownst to them... unbeknownst to her... at least until now.
"That is exactly what I was thinking when I put this dress on." Susan told her. "Mum hasn't had a dress like this since before the war."
Lucy looked solemnly down at her own lila dress, until after a moment of thinking an idea came upon her head.
"Mom would love to wear on a Narnian dress, don't you think?" Lucy asked with eager smile. "Maybe we should ask the Dryads and salukis which one would fit her most perfect and then bring her that one back!"
Susan, however, sadly shook her head at her sister without even looking at her. "I don't know, Lucy. We might never get back through the wardrobe." Susan lamented, unsure if it was even possible for them to ever return to their world, given the wartime here and their impending role in it, and the possibility of even the worst outcome for them.
Lucy frowned disappointed for her older sister being so pessimistic and looked away.
Seeing this, Susan, quickly feeling guilty for what she'd just said, turned her tone as she turned to her little sister.
"I'm sorry I'm such a dope." Susan said apologetically, making Lucy to look up at her again.
Then a small smile returned to Susan's lips when she recalled something else from their past times before all of this. "We two used to have a fun together, didn't we?"
"Yeah." Lucy said softly, remembering those times well, before her smile quickly became full and tight. "Until you outgrew our "silly things" and got boring. Lucy said, sarcastically mimicking Susan's voice with those two particular words, before laughing hilariously.
"Oh, did I?" Susan asked with mischievious smile, before she quickly grabbed Lucy's mug from her hand into her own and, without warning, threw the waters out of both mugs straight into her sister's face.
AH!" Lucy cried, surprised, while Susan chuckled mischieviously.
Lucy gave Susan "oh, you're on!" look, before she spotted Naiad walking along the hillside while carrying a bowl of water in her hands. Getting an idea for a sweet payback, Lucy ran up to the Naiad, leaving Susan to look after her with the baffled look on her face.
"Excuse me! May I borrow this?" Lucy asked from the Naiad, barely able to hold back her laughter.
Upon noticing Lucy running up to her, and that both her face and hair were wet, the Naiad raised her eyebrow at Lucy in confusion.
"Uh... yes, my lady. Sure." the Naiad said, still not sure for what Lucy wanted her bowl of water, but obediently handed it over to Lucy nonetheless.
Lucy then quickly thanked the Naiad before she ran away from her with the bowl, splashing the water out of it as she go, leaving the Naiad to look after with baffled look on her face and wondering that what was going on.
Susan, however, grew wide-eyed when she saw Lucy running back towards her with the bowl she had borrowed from the Naiad, and quickly realized what she was about to do.
"Oh, no! Oh, no! No! No! No! No, no, no, no! Nononono!" Susan desperately pleaded, backing away while holding her hands out in surrender.
However, cackling mischieviously, Lucy ignored her and threw all the water from the bowl on her big sister!
"AHH!" Susan screamed as the waster wahed over her face, hair and her dress, leaving her all over soaking wet.
"Ha-ha-haa!" Lucy laughed victoriously.
Up on the monolith, Chirp chirped in quiet chuckle as she watched on both Susan and Lucy being silly with each other.
However, Chirp suddenly caught a glimpe of large gray beast down below, that crept furtively around the Stone Table and along the eastern the hillside to behind the monoliths.
Chirp's eyes grew wide from horror when he realized it was creeping towards Lucy while her back was turned.
"Chirp, chirp! SUSAN! LUCY! LOOK OUT! BEHIND YOU! Chirp, chirp!" Chirp cried out in warning, flapping his wings down frantically.
Upon hearing Chirp's frantic chirping, Susan and Lucy ceased their playful banter and looked up at their robin friend to see what was going on.
The girls then turned to look behind them, and were shocked to find a large grey wolf standing there, having appeared out of nowhere, before the wolf changed into its anthropomorphic form which they recognized immediately.
It was MAUGRIM!
Maugrim opened his huge maw and barked ferociously in Lucy's face!
"RRAAAGGGHHH!"
Lucy screamed in terror and step back, before the wolf lunged at her with his claws stretched forward and his sharp teeth bared, ready to bite.
"LUCY! LOOK OUT!" Susan cried and without the second thought or hesitation, but thinking of Lucy's safety, shoved his little sister out of the wolf's way and down the hill.
However, this act left Susan herself wide open for Maugrim's attack, and she couldn't do anything before the fierce beast tackled her over to the hillside, capturing her by wrapping his clawed paws around of her.
"AAAAGGGGHHHH! NO!" Susan screamed in terror as she found herself in a life-threatening situation in the claws of a bloodthirsty wolf that snapped his teeth at her and tore her new dress to shreds with his claws.
"Maugrim's bark and Susan and Lucy's cries alerted the beavers and the entire crowd of creatures and animals still feasting around the tables. All the eating, laughing, music and merriment came to an abrupt end as they looked up at the Stone Table's hill to see what was going on.
They were all shocked to see something attacking Susan and Lucy from behind the stone monoliths and sending them both rolling down the hill before the attacker latched itself onto Susan as they tumbled downhill, till they landed to the foot of the hill and behind of one of the tables.
A rough landing helped Susan free herself from the wolf's grip, though, and in a panic, she quickly began crawling under the table to escape the beast.
However, seeing Susan trying to crawl away from under the table, Maugrim crawled after her and tried to grab on her ankle with his clawed paw, but the evil wolf only managed to get a pawful of Susan's dress' hem, which he ripped off with his claws, while Susan managed to get away for now.
Crawling out from under the table, Susan quickly stood up and ran off towards the rocks, pressing her back hard against them and remained there, scared out of her wits.
However, Susan knew that sooner or later Maugrim would be upon her again, and unwilling to sit still and wait for that, she began frantically searching for an escape route.
She briefly considered running out of the camp into the forest, through the entrance or behind the corner of the rocks, but quickly dismissed such a thought, fearing that there might be more enemies lurking outside the camp.
And she was right. Maugrim's lieutenant hiding behind the corner of the rocks and waiting for the moment to cut off Susan's escape, while Snowstorm was lying in wait on the branch of a tree standing outside the camp entrance and peered through a gap in the dense foliage towards Susan, ready to swoop on her if she tried to escape into the woods.
As she looked frantically left and right for an escape, Susan quickly remembered her gift from Father Christmas, her ivory horn, with which she could call for help whenever she needed it most. With that in mind, she quickly looked down to see if her horn was still hanging from her belt.
And yes! It was still there.
Immensely relieved that she hadn't left her horn in the pavilion for the duration of the feast, Susan wasted no time to quickly pick it up, put it to her lips and blew with all her might!
At the same time, enraged that Susan managed to get away, Maugrim stood up and violently bursted through the table under which he was, splintering it in half, before the wolf monster let out a blood-curdling roar, revealing himself to everyone.
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
At the sight of the wolf, whom they all recognized as one of the most feared servants of the White Witch, who has been terrorizing them in her name with an iron paw for the last years of the eternal winter, all the Narnians around quickly flew into a panic and scattered in every direction in chaos and disorder, screaming and crying in terror.
"THE WITCH'S WOLVES ARE IN THE CAMP! SOUND THE ALARM!" Mr. Beaver called out as he picked up the spear
Maugrim then began to trash around the camp while chasing a terrified Narnians away: He swept the remaining food and dishes off the tables before violently flunging them over one by one, and tossed the chairs around or smashing them to pieces. Maugrim did not even spare Aslan's table, but viciously splintered it, before he even went so far as to hold a tablecloth with Aslan's standard aloft for all the Narnians to see, before he contemptuously ripped it in half.
"HURRY! HURRY! EVERYBODY, HURRY!" Mrs. Beaver said as she and her mate helped to evacuate the Narnians away from the tables and the rampaging wolf monster.
Chirp immediately dropped down from the monolith and landed next to Lucy who was lying slightly dizzy on the grass at the feet of the hill after being thrown down the hill by Susan. Then Mr. Beaver came and together Chirp and the beaver helped Lucy back to her feet before the two quickly ushered her to go along with the others.
"Wait! Where's Susan?!" Lucy asked, too worried about Susan to worry about her own safety.
Lucy looked back at the camp around the feast tables which was mostly empty/evacuated. Only Maugrim was still there destroying the camp, as well as, much to Lucy's horror, Susan, who was standing against the rocks at the other end of the camp, holding her horn to her lips, ready to blow into it.
"SUSAN!" Lucy called with dread, and tried to pry herself free from Chirp's and Mr. Beaver's grasps, reach for her dagger and go back to help Susan even with the risk of her own life, but neither Chirp or Mr. Beaver would allow her to go and kept dragging her away from the camp.
"No! Lucy, wait!" Mr. Beaver pleaded at the same time as Susan blew her horn. "The help will be on its way soon!" he added assuredly.
After wrecking the camp and scaring everyone away, Maugrim began to look around for his prey, the Daughter of Eve, angrily wondering where she had gone, until his large pointy ears perked up in the direction of the sound of the horn that came from behind his back.
"TOOOOOOT! TOOT, TOOOOOOOOOOT! TOOOOOOT! TOOT, TOOOOOOOOOOT!"
Maugrim slowly turned around to see who had blown into the horn with the sound such as that, and smirked maliciously upon seeing Susan standing there, alone, helpless and cornered against the rocks with no way to escape this time.
"No where to run anymore, Daughter of Eve." Maugrim said tauntingly.
And as if to make things worst, another savage bark made Susan to look to her left and she saw Maugrim's lieutenant coming out from behind the rocks to his captain's side, changing to his anthropomorphic form as well, before both wolves advanced slowly but menacingly towards her from either side, baring their teeth and growling hungrily.
Seeing the monstrous wolves coming towards her, Susan, out of desperation, hurriedly lifted her horn to her lips and blew in it again.
"TOOOOOOT! TOOT, TOOOOOOOOOOT! TOOOOOOT! TOOT, TOOOOOOOOOOT!"
Elsewhere, Peter was still running back to camp as fast as he could, and after hearing Susan's horn ringing through the woods a second time, he picked up the pace.
He was breathing heavily as he finally arrived at the outskirts of the camp, where he saw creatures and animals fleeing the camp into the forest in terror.
The Dwarfs were surprisingly running faster ahead of the crowd with their short legs, some Fauns and Satyrs were hurriedly escorting screaming Dryads and Naiads away, and many animal mothers were carrying their scared and crying children in their arms as they ran, while the Centaurs, the Unicorns, Stags and Aslan's leopards and Satyrs were trying to keep the order amongst their ranks.
Peter hurried past the fleeing creatures and animals back to camp, frantically searching for his siblings among them.
He was half-relieved to find Lucy with (and in the clawed arms of) the beavers and Chirp, but the sense of dread didn't fade away from his face when he saw Lucy's face, which were as white as paper and her from tears welling eyes were turned in the camp's direction, and that there was no sight of Susan anywhere.
"Lucy!" Peter called as he hurriedly ran to his sister's side and quickly checked her up for any injuries. "Lucy, are you okay?! Where is Susan?!"
"She's still in the camp!" Lucy sobbed, pointing her finger towards the camp.
"What happened?!" Peter asked, turning to Mr. Beaver.
"Maugrim and the another wolf attacked! They have trapped Susan against the rocks!" Mr. Beaver said hurriedly.
Peter was left shocked by the reveal that Maugrim, that wolf captain from the lake he had confronted along with the Witch's owl, had survived from the tidal wave even after he had thought it had killed him. But he quickly brushed his shock aside at the most important matter at hand.
"Stay here, Lucy!" Peter told his little sister before looking up at the beavers and Chirp. "Keep her safe!"
Without waiting for their animal friends' response, Peter made a mad dash towards the camp.
When he finally managed to get there, but never ceased his running, Peter eyes went wide from horror upon seeing Maugrim and his lieutenant being almost ready to attack already from fear pale-faced Susan!
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Maugrim snarled in savage laughter.
"AAAAHHHHHH! HELP! HELP ME!" Susan screamed.
It was then when Peter rushed in, after having gone first to fetch his shield from the pavilion, knowing he'll need it against both wolves, and drew Rhindon out!
"MAUGRIM! GET BACK!" Peter demanded, charging towards the wolves!
Upon hearing Peter's voice, Susan turned her head to his direction and smiled with relief to see her brother.
"PETER!" Susan called.
Peter held his lion-shield up and in front of him with his left hand and with his right Rhindon at both wolves alternately.
"LEAVE! NOW!" Peter said commandingly.
Maugrim let out a taunting chuckle in response while holding his position between Peter and Susan, while his viciously snarling lieutenant began to slowly circle Peter from his right.
"Come on, boy!" Maugrim said, waving his clawed paw in mock-frustration. "We've already been through this before. We both know you got no MAN to do it!"
Peter, knowing full well from his last encounter with Maugrim that the wolf was once again trying to psychologically harass him with verbal demoralizing assaults to get him to let his guard down, tried to stay strong, unwavering, and alert for both wolves.
"Just give up like you did back at the lake. You stand no chance against all three of us." Maugrim taunted.
Peter raised his brow in confusion at the wolf's choice of words about there being "three" standing against him, and yet he saw no other wolves here but these two.
"PETER!" Susan called, catching Peter's attention. "WATCH OUT! BEHIND YOU!"
Heeding Susan's warning, Peter turned around and gasped in surprise to see Snowstorm swooping at him from the air, talons extended.
Instinctively, Peter raised his shield to protect himself before Snowstorm slammed his talons hard into it - although he didn't leave a single scratch on its surface - and the impact knocked Peter back a bit.
Peter looked up at Snowstorm - and was equally shocked to see the Witch's snow owl minion alive as well - as he glided high upwards, preparing for another attack.
Peter braced himself for that and raised his sword ready for strike, until he noticed the wolf lieutenant attacking him from the front and swiping his claws at him from above, forcing Peter to break off the counterattack and raise his shield up to defend himself from the wolf's claws.
Before Peter could respond to the lieutenant's attack with his own, the wolf raised one of its hind legs and kicked Peter in the stomach from under his shield.
And at the same time Snowstorm swooped down towards him from the right and grabbed the top of Peter's shield with his talons and pulled from it as he flew over Peter's head.
Both the lieutenant's kick and Snowstorm capturing and pulling his shield with his talons caused Peter to be knocked off/flung off his feet and thrown onto the ground.
Susan looked on this unfair three-on-one battle, horridied, while Maugrim sneered with the sadistic smirk.
Disoriented from the two-sided attacks and groaning in pain, Peter slowly got back up from the ground and braced himself as he turned to face the wolves again.
However, he was forced to watch his right too when he saw Snowstorm landing there, before the vile owl changed into his anthropomorphic form.
"Hoo-hoo! Out of all the Queen's enemies we've hunted down across Narnia for her, you three have proven to be even bigger thorns not only in hers but also in our sides than we thought! Hoo-hoo!" Snowstorm barked angrily, throwing his spread wings up in the air in frustration.
"But no matter! Hoo-hoo! We have one as a prisoner and now we will kill you two! That leaves the little girl to go. Hoo-hoo!" he added with the sadistic grin.
Growing angry at the snowy owl for him threatening Lucy's life, Peter turned to Snowstorm and raised his sword at him in challenge.
"I don't know which one you're more afraid of: returning to the Witch empty-handed or facing Aslan himself. But I suggest you to go, now, before that'll be put in a test when Aslan gets here. I'd pick the latter if I were you." Peter said, hoping to use his own impression of Aslan and their fear of him as his advantage against the three to make them leave.
This seemed to have the most effect on the lieutenant, who pressed his ears to the back of his skull and, whimpering in a low voice, looked nervously for the Great Lion.
Snowstorm too seemed to hesitate to advance any closer of Peter, as if his own fear of Aslan, though he tried to hide it with stoic facade, was holding him back.
The only one brave enough to challenge this fear was Maugrim!
"We serve no human! We fear no human! We serve no Lion! We fear no Lion! We serve Jadis, the Queen of Narnia, and either by the claws of the Great Cat, by your puny blade or by her wand, we shall die for her!" Maugrim declared as if blasphemously, before letting out a defiant roar in Peter's face. "RRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
Maugrim's defiance appeared to pull both the lieutenant and Snowstorm out from under a veil of hesitation born out of the fear of Aslan!
Inspired by the Captain of the Secret Police's utmost loyalty and devotion to the White Witch, the lieutenant growled at Peter aggressively again and Snowstorm flapped his wings frantically while hooting scornfully at Peter.
"Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! We didn't come all this way just to give up, not after all you human scum have put us through!" the evil snowy owl declared.
"Yes! We're tired of our little game, and we'd prefer to kill you quickly!" Maugrim added with the snarl.
"PETER!" Susan called out in fear, unable to do anything to help.
The three evil minions of the Witch pushed together Peter back and away from Susan, with Maugrim advancing from the front, Snowstorm from the right while preparing himself to pounce on Peter with his talons drawn forward and the lieutenant began to circle him from his right to get into a suitable position to attack him from behind.
Peter, finding himself surrounded, breathed tensely as his gaze - and the tip of his sword - alternated between the wolves and the snowy owl for only a second or two, for he dared not leave his back, the only gap in his defence, in the direction of one of his enemies for too long, that they might take an advantage of it against him.
Realizing this, Snowstorm and Maugrim began to take turns in making fake attacks on Peter - Snowstorm jumping up from the ground with her talons drawn towards Peter and Maugrim constantly swatting his claws at him, forcing Peter to go in defensive - while keeping his attention away from the lieutenant for as long as possible.
"What are you waiting for, captain! Hoo-hoo! KILL HIM! Let's finish this already!" Snowstorm urged impatiently between his own attacks.
"You should've finished the job when you had a chance, boy!" Maugrim taunted as he pressed his own attacks forward.
By now the lieutenant had already made his way to the perfect position behind of Peter's back while the latter was too occupied to defend himself against Snowstorm's and Maugrim's fake attacks to notice him.
And seizing his chance, the lieutenant pounced forward, claws drawn forward and teeth bared, ready to bite!
Until suddenly...
"HAA-A-ARRH!"
The lieutenant felt a gigantic paw slamming against his back and pinning him to the grond, causing him to let out a loud surprised whimper, which along with the loud growl caught Peter's, Snowstorm's and Maugrim's attentions.
Aslan had arrived, and he had prevented the lieutenant from treacherously attacking Peter from behind.
Maugrim held his ground by the sight of the Great Lion himself while giving him a scornful stare, but Snowstorm didn't have a guts like the wolf captain did.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" the vile snowy owl let out an ear-piercing scream of fear upon seeing Aslan in the flesh, and jumped back away from the Great Lion, flapping his wings frantically.
By the Great Lion's side stood Lucy, the beavers (with Mr. Beaver holding his spear at Maugrim and Snowstorm) and a group of Narnians: Aslan's Satyrs and Leopards, the Centaurs with their long swords, spears and longbows, a red-brown bull armed with axe, stags, Unicorns, largest of bears, the dogs, cheetahs and a tiger with the horn.
Through the entrance of the camp galloped Flamestorm the Centaur, along with the reinforcements of dogs, leopards, four Fauns, two Satyrs, four Wood Gods and the black bull.
And over the camp flew Pegasus, Griffin, Winged-Panther, the eagles, pelican, eagle-owl, Phoenix and Chirp the robin, who all perched on top of the rocks above of Susan. But not before...
"CHARGE!" Chirp chirped as the robin led the eagles, eagle owl, pelican and even Phoenix into a dive bombing against Snowstorm.
Chirp attacked first and hit the snowy owl on the face with his little talons, knocking him slightly back.
But the eagles and the eagle owl's own divebombings were much more effective compared to the robin's: The golden eagle knocked Snowstorm off his feet and onto his back to the ground. And as he struggled to get back up to his feet, the bald eagle struck him from the left that caused the snowy owl to fly backwards again and roll along the grass onto his stomach. And the eagle owl finished the job by stricking Snowstorm in the back of his head with his talons, causing the vile white owl to get his face knocked into the ground.
The pelican captured downed Snowstorm's leg with his beak and lifted the snowy owl off the ground and up in the air high enough before letting him go, causing the white owl to crash into the camp's gateway and fall with the heavy thud in the ground again.
The Phoenix then finished the job by literally setting his own feathers on fire - turning a bird-shaped fire-ball - as he dove down towards the downed, battered snowy owl who struggled to get back to his feet. Once Snowstorm was back to his feet, but seeing the flaming fire-bird coming towards him, he immediately realized that he was severely outnumbered and outmatched by the superior numbers of his Queen's enemies and Aslan himself.
"Hoo, hoo! Too many! Too many! Have to retreat... and warn the Queen! Hoo, hoo!" Snowstorm hooted near-panickedly as he hurriedly took off and flew away from the camp
But not before the Phoenix struck at him with both his talons and flaming wings, causing his flaming feathers to scorch Snowstorm's own white feathers in his back, wings and tail!
"AHH! HOO-HOO! AHH! AHH! AHH! HOO-HOO! AHH! AHH! AHH! HOO-HOO! AHH! AHH! AHH!" Snowstorm hooted between of screams of pain after he was severely burned by the Phoenix. The fire-bird, however, let the burnt and smoking snowy owl fly out of sight behind the treetops.
And then, all that was left was Maugrim, left behind by Snowstorm, confronted by both Peter and Aslan and surrounded by the dozens of enemies, whose numbers kept increasing as more and more Narnians arrived to the scene, armed and battle-ready.
But at the same time as the flying creatures arrived and Chirp led half of them against Snowstorm, Griffin flew down until he was right above Susan and gently but firmly grabbed her by her shoulders with his strong talons and lifted her off the ground into the air.
"NO!" Maugrim snarled as he saw this and quickly moved towards Susan to kill her.
Peter tried to follow him, shield up and sword raised ready to strike, to stall the beast, but Maugrim forcefully swatted Peter aside, causing him to fall onto his back to the ground, before resuming his attack on Susan.
But by the time he reached her, Griffin had already lifted Susan high enough and out of the wolf's reach - despite his furious and stubborn yet futile attempt to swipe is claws at Susan's legs swinging in the air either to get a hold of her or somehow just hurt her - before the Griffin put her safely down on top of the rocks next to Pegasus.
Unrelentingly, Maugrim threw himself towards the rock and clung to its highest edge with his claws, before the monstrous wolf, snapping his teeth and snarling savagely, tried to climb the rock to attack Susan again.
The Pegasus, Winged Panther and Griffin immediately set to valiantly and fiercely defend Susan from the wolf: Winged Panther and Griffin swiped their clawed paws/talons at his face to keep him from climbing to the rock, though Maugrim just brushed them off and almost managed to pull himself over the edge onto the rock, growling at Susan.
"AAHHHH!" Susan screamed in terror.
Then Pegasus reared up and, flailing his front legs and hooves wildly forward and towards Maugrim, knocked the ferocious beast off the cliff and sending him tumbling back to the ground.
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" an embittered Maugrim roared in rage at the flying creatures after getting back up.
Pegasus returned to it by neighing aggressively and stomped his hooves warningly against the top of the rock, while the Winged Panther growled and the Griffin screeched angrily at the wolf.
Now with Susan safe and Maugrim at their mercy, the Flamestorm Centaur charged forward, spear raised high and ready to spear the wolf to death. The other soldiers stepped forward, shields and weapons raised, ready to attack the wolf en masse.
"BACK! ALL OF YOU!" Aslan told them. "This is Peter's battle! Let the prince win his spurs!"
Hearing Aslan out, Flamestorm quickly halted his charge and lowered his spear down before holding it in front of his troops, signaling them all to halt.
The Narnians then withdrew, leaving Peter in the middle of the ring with Maugrim and giving him all the space he needed to defeat his enemy in a single combat.
Peter, who had hoped that he didn't need to fight Maugrim alone, was left dismayed after hearing Aslan tell the other Narnians to back off and let him fight the wolf alone.
Peter did not feel very brave to face the wolf on his own. In fact, the fact that he needed to fight him to the death made him feel sick.
Peter did not feel very brave right now. He could even feel his hands shaking a little from having to face the wolf on his own and to the death. The thought which made him feel sick!
Peter gave a look at Aslan, hoping for some help with this, but the Great Lion only gave him a solemn look, which told Peter a thousand words without needing to speak them out.
*He was on his own. This was his battle to fight and win if he could. For his own sake. He had to prove that he could do it not only to everyone else but also to himself. This is the way it has to be.*
Peter sighed quietly, knowing what he had to do and reluctantly acknowledged to himself that there were no options. So he turned around to face Maugrim in the single combat.
The ring was formed, but in a very unpleasant and rather disturbing way!
Peter saw how everything around him, the light of the sunset, the colors of spring and the camp, everything was suddenly covered in a creepy blood-red haze, and all the Narnians around him disappeared into the same haze as if they had never been there. He was left alone in this blood-red reality along with Maugrim
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Maugrim roared in bloodthirsty laughter, that echoed in the air as if they were locked in some cave, while the wolf monter waved his clawed paws at Peter, tauntingly beckoning him to come to him.
Slowly and cautiously, Peter advanced towards the savage wolf, ,eeting him in the middle of the ring.
Maugrim made the first move and swiped his claws at Peter, making Peter to jump back. Peter then made the next move and aimed a thrust of his sword at the wolf's left side. That stoke never reached its mark, however, as Maugrim side-stepped out of its way, before he swung his claws at Peter from below, stricking them hard against his shield and knocking him back.
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Maugrim roared in laughter again.
Steadying himself, Peter and Maugrim began to circle each other, each dueller looking for the perfect spot from one another and a perfect moment to go for it, while waiting for one of them to make the next move first.
"You may think you're the king, but now you're going to die like a dog!" Maugrim taunted with the savage smirk.
Peter made the next move and attempted to thrust his sword at the wolf, but Maugrim dodged that too, before the wolf before the wolf monster began to repeatedly slam his paws at Peter from above, forcing Peter to lift his shield up to protect himself from those sharp claws that scratched against the surface of his shield.
Each blow felt heavier than the next, pinning Peter down until he was on the ground on one knee. Out of desperation, Peter slashed his sword upwards at the wolf to drive him back, though he managed to wound the beast's left arm.
Maugrim let out a loud howl of pain and anger as he clutched to his wounded arm!
However, his eyes were flaming like embers as he turned back to Peter and attacked the boy with the feral rage. First Maugrim brutally swatted Peter's shield-arm aside, before he swiped his claws at his chest, tearing through his vest, tunic and flesh, leaving four scratches across his chest, before knocking the boy back.
Peter gasped in pain upon feeling Maugrim's claws scratching him across his chest as the wolf's attack sent him flying back, and then he grunted as he roughly landed onto his back to the ground.
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Maugrim roared angrily again as he advanced towards Peter now that the boy was wounded and down in the ground.
Hurriedly and brushing off the light pain he felt from the claw marks in his chest, Peter hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, and attempted to strike Maugrim again with his sword.
However, that strike never came when Maugrim swiftly lunged forward, his clawed paws stretched forward, before the wolf monster seized Peter from his throat!
"AGH!" Peter groaned as he felt Maugrim's strong fingers squeezing around his neck.
Howling in vicious laughter, Maugrim effortlessly lifted Peter off the ground into the air and shook him mercilessly like a rag doll, while tightening his stranglehold around Peter's neck, making the Peter's eyes and cheeks bulge as the boy groaned ahoarsely and coughed for the breath.
The drool poured out of Maugrim's mouth as he smacked his jaws hungrily.
"I wonder what Adam's blood might taste like." Maugrim said, licking his chops. "Let's find out, shall we?"
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Maugrim roared triumphantly and hungrily as he opened his mouth wide open, baring his teeth, and savouring this moment, he moved closer to bite Peter from his throat.
From that moment on, everything happened so fast that Peter could hardly even think at all!
As he struggled to breathe and break free from the wolf's relentless stranglehold, his survival instincts kicked in even harder as he felt the wolf's hot breath blowing against on his face, telling him that the wolf was intenting to clamp his teeth around his throat.
This caused Peter to kick the air desperately and flail Rhindon wildly forward to severely injure the wolf monster to make him let go of him. Even though his sword slashed Maugrim across his chest twice, Maugrim brushed this off and kept going for Peter's neck, until Peter plunged Rhindon forward as hard as he could, making the sword go through between the beast's forelegs into its heart.
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Maugrim let out a horrible and blood-curdling roar of pain and let go of Peter's neck.
Coughing violently for breath, Peter let go of his sword and quickly jumped back, before he stared at Maugrim in horror and confusion at what had happened and what he had done, which felt like after awakening from some horrid nightmare.
Barely alive and convulsing in immense pain, Maugrim clutched with his paws from his bleeding chest, where Peter's sword still stuck out, and let out one last roar in agony from his muzzle before he fell over to the ground.
Afterwards Peter cautiously approached Maugrim's body, not sure if the beast was still alive or dead. Holding his now steady breath, Peter carefully stretched his leg forward and lightly nudged the body with it to see if there was any reaction.
Maugrim, however, didn't react at all and just lay there motionless, breathless, dead.
Realizing that the monster was dead, Peter began to pant with exhaustion and was relieved that it was all over, before he reached out and grabbed Rhindon's hilt and pulled its blood-stained blade out of Maugrim's chest.
Then the blood red haze began to dissipate and everything around him returned back to its normal sunset and spring colors. The Narnians too emerged out of nowhere after the haze was gone, and the air of the camp was filled with the happy shouting, squealing, cheering and a choir of animal shouting as the Narnians, who had been following the duel all of time, waved their paws/hands in the air and cheered at Peter for his victory over the monster that had been terrorized them for all of these years.
Peter straightened his back and rubbed the sweat off his face as he turned to face the Narnians, and paid a look at each individual.
Aslan was looking at him proudly.
Lucy smiled broadly at Peter as she clapped her hands together congratulatingly along with Mrs. Beaver.
Mr. Beaver hopped around, smirking at Peter while shaking his into fists clenched paws in the air.
Flamestorm gave him a stoic look, but a small smile that visited on his lips just for a moment told Peter that he was both impressed and proud of Peter's victory.
The bull next to him couldn't help himself but to raise his head high up and let out a loud "MOOOOOOOOOO!" battle-cry from his muzzle in Peter's honor.
Chirp was chirping enthusiastically on the Rock, along with the other flying creatured who neighed, roared or screeched at Peter for his victory, while Susan watched on both relieved and happy for Peter.
Now that the wolf monster was dead and it was now safe to come down, Susan hurriedly climbed down the rocks, and once her feet hit the ground, she rushed to Peter's side and gave her tired and battle-worn big brother a relieved and grateful hug. Lucy too rushed in to give Peter a tight hug, and Peter returned to his sisters' hugs by wrapping his both arms around them and pulling them closer, clutching to them with relief.
The beavers and Chirp immediately came to the children's side to congratulate Peter.
"YOU DID IT, LAD! YOU DID IT!" Mr. Beaver cried out.
"Chirp, chirp! Well done!" Chirp, chirp!" Chirp chirped.
"Are you alright, dearie?" Mrs. Beaver asked, to which Peter nodded.
Aslan then stepped off from the wolf lieutenant's back, letting him to get up. Distraught by his captain's death and terrified of Aslan, the lieutenant whimpered as he changed into his normal wolf form and sprinted out of the camp and in the thickets as fast as he could... while the Narnians watched him go with contempt.
"Pegasus! Flamestrom!" Aslan called at the Pegasus and Centaur. "Take your men and go after him! He and that owl will be going to their mistress, the White Witch. Now is your chance to rescue the fourth Son of Adam. GOOOO!"
"I hear and obey, Your Majesty!" Pegasus, apparently the leader of the flying creatures, neighed in response before he turned to the other flying creatures. "Follow me! All of you!"
Pegasus then took off in the air, followed shortly by the Winged Panther, Griffin, eagles, eagle owl, pelican and Phoenix, who quickly disappeared behind the treetops and after both the lieutenant and Snowstorm.
"Follow me! After that wolf!" Flamestorm ordered as he galloped through the gateway and into the woods, followed by the Fauns, Satyrs, leopards, dogs and the bull he had brought in earlier, and shortly joined by three other Centaurs, two stags, two Unicorns, the swiftest of the bears, another bull, single-horned tiger and four horses, who gave the Wood God guards a ride on their backs. With a thunder of hoofs, the assembled rescue party quickly disappeared into the gathering darkness.
As the Narnians who remained behind in the camp watched them go, Peter was then approached by Aslan, who took a note at Rhindon's blade, which was still all smeared with the wolf's hair and blood.
"Son of Adam. You have forgotten to clean your sword." Aslan said with gentle reprimand.
Peter blushed in slight embarrassment of being reminded about that, before he stooped down and wiped his sword quite clean on the grass, and then wiped it quite dry on his coat.
"Now... kneel." Aslan instructed.
Somewhat confused by this but deciding to do as he was told, Peter stuck the tip of his sword to the ground and knelt on one knee before Aslan. The Great Lion then gently touched Peter's left and then his right shoulder with his great muzzle before he stood back.
"Rise up, Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane. Knight of Narnia." Aslan announced proudly.
Peter, staring up at Aslan in amazement that he had been just knighted by Aslan himself, stood slowly up.
Susan, Lucy, the beavers and Chirp all looked at Peter, so proud of him.
Then every Narnian present raised a hand or paw up in greeting. "HAIL, SIR PETER WOLF'S-BANE. KNIGHT OF NARNIA!" they chanted in unision.
Looking at his family, friends, and all of the Narnians, Peter couldn't help but smile with excitement and pride in himself, before he turned back to Aslan.
And, whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword." Aslan advised him.
Peter nodded his head.
TO BE CONTINUED.