"You're sure that's her?" Adan huffs, his lip curling back slightly in what Edmund has learned is his annoyed look.
"I'm sure," Adan says in his low, gravelly voice, "That it is a her." His golden eyes easily follow the girl in question as she passes below. "And I'm sure," the black Wolf continues, "that no other human females are likely to be wandering this close to Harfang. At night. Alone." All good points. Edmund nods once, knowing Adan can see him clearly, even on this moonless night.
Edmund, however, finds himself straining to see the shadow of a figure moving hesitantly toward the inviting warmth of the cave. He shifts closer to the edge of the hill, causing a small drift of snow to tumble over the edge and land with a muffled pfft below. The shadow stills, and Edmund loses sight of the edges of her form altogether.
"Should I cut off her retreat?" Adan asks when she slowly slinks from beneath the shadow of one snow-laden pine tree and darts to the next. Edmund hesitates before giving the order, not wanting to truly scare the girl. But then again, after two days searching for her it wouldn't do to have her slip away and get lost again.
"Circle around the left, but keep your distance for now. I'll head right." Adan stalks away silently, his dark fur blending into the shadows of the forest. Edmund waits a moment, then he backs away from the edge carefully and starts down the more gentle slope, hoping Phillip will stick to the plan and keep quiet long enough for him to get into position. The Horse is just inside the cave with the rest of the gear, and the girl might be suspicious enough of a horse without a rider.
They've been careful to stay out of sight since picking up her trail earlier in the afternoon. The snow did make it difficult to find a trail at all, at first, but Adan is the best tracker in Narnia. And once the trail was clear enough for even Phillip and Edmund to pick out, Edmund had sent the Wolf ahead to find a good place to overtake her.
Edmund's boots skid on the last of the incline, the half-melted snow creating a hazardous trek after the day's unusual warmth. Still, this high in the northern mountains, the air holds a chill most of the year, even when Narnia's spring festival begins in just a few days.
And Susan will kill me if we're not back in time. She hadn't been pleased to be left to finish the festival preparations alone, especially since she's sent invitations to every kingdom on the continent and quite a few beyond. But the Narnian monarchs could no longer hope that the situation might resolve itself.
The north is nothing but trouble. Edmund pauses to brush an errant glob of snow out off of his shoulder. Ever since the Giant Wars, when the Narnians had discovered there were actually whole countries in the Northern Wilds they'd yet to make contact with, it's just been one thing after the next. Edmund had balked when Peter received the letter from Corsecant, knowing it would be nothing but bad news. He takes little satisfaction now, though, seeing how right he'd been.
Coming to the last of the trees before the cave, Edmund slows to a stop and peers around a thick pine. There, hesitating just beside the cave entrance, can only be the missing princess of Corsecant. From this far behind, all Edmund can make out is her hooded outline in the glow of the fire from within the cave. Beyond her, he can see Phillip watching her keenly, benign and silent as instructed. Edmund waits until she finally steps inside to approach. He can't see Adan, but he knows the Wolf has likely been keeping watch for most of the time it took for Edmund to navigate the slushy hill.
With slow, carefully placed steps Edmund treads closer. His hand strays to the sword at his waist, but he catches himself halfway through the motion, doubting the girl is any kind of threat. More likely, he decides, she's just an inexperienced, pampered princess who managed to get herself lost in the woods. That she's survived this long on her own is admirable, but Edmund is too annoyed with the panic and chaos she's caused in both their countries to think too charitably of her.
"It's quite safe, I assure you," Edmund hears just as he reaches the entrance of the cave. Blast that Horse! He may be well-meaning, as usual, but it was never clear how much the northerners really knew of Narnia and their Talking Beasts. Edmund had thought it was best to introduce such a thing cautiously, and as the girl backpedals through the doorway and collides into his chest, he decides he was right yet again.