Why aren't we moving? A prickle of unease slips through Serena's thoughts. Adan, now slowly pacing along the tree line again, hasn't stuck this close for this long all day. She stares past him into the forest, scrutinizing the vague trail he'd pointed out earlier. It's barely visible in the snow— which is several inches deep here. If Adan hadn't said otherwise she wouldn't have even noticed it, or perhaps would have assumed it was just the Wolf's own tracks from scouting ahead. Either way, Edmund hasn't made any move towards it.
Serena shivers as the wind blows down the mountain behind her, distracting her from watching the agitated Wolf and the motionless man. The gust of wind blows through the borrowed shirt and her own thin blouse beneath it. She busies herself with pulling the extra fabric of the oversized wool shirt tight around her before tucking her hands under her arms and wiggling her feet in her shoes.
It was frigid enough when they were hiking down the mountain, and now that they've stopped it seems so much colder. Even if the sun wasn't covered by ominous gray clouds, there would be little heat here in the shadow of the forest. She shifts her gaze to Edmund. He doesn't seem at all bothered by the cold, but he does appear to be massaging his temples. Serena wonders if it would be a bad time to ask for her cloak and the blanket back. She sucks in a deep breath, but before she can say anything he finally moves, kneeling to dig something out of the pack. She takes a step closer, hoping to reclaim the garments.
"Adan," Edmund says softly, causing Serena to stop short of reaching him. She watches as Adan crosses the clearing to where Edmund has pulled a folded paper— and none of the clothing— from the pack. Edmund crouches to unfold it, and Serena's curiosity brings her another few steps closer. He stares intently down at it— a map, Serena realizes when she stops just behind him.
"If we're somewhere near here," Edmund says quietly, pointing to the lower edge of a sparsely drawn mountain range, "We should start moving west, or at least southwest." He glances at something metal in his right hand and turns the map slightly clockwise before looking to Adan.
Can the beasts of Narnia read? Yesterday was the first she'd ever encountered a Talking Beast, and hearing Adan and Phillip speak was enough of a shock that she hadn't really considered what else they may be capable of. If they can speak, she reasons, perhaps other human abilities are commonplace as well? Still, Serena finds herself studying Adan more closely than the map as his intelligent eyes scan the page.
"If we're near there," Adan whispers sharply, drawing Serena's thoughts back to the matter at hand. "That map is incomplete at best," Adan says accusingly. Serena looks more closely at the map– which does look rather unfinished with its large blank spaces and limited features.
"All the more reason to not go wandering further in," Edmund hisses back. Edmund shakes off some snowflakes, resettles the metal thing along the right edge of the map, and then gestures at the mostly empty expanse of the map labeled "GIANT TERRITORIES" in small, precise capital letters. Serena feels her cheeks warm at the sudden realization that they're arguing. Maybe she should have stayed back. She considers slipping away now, but it feels like it's already too late. Besides, this is her first opportunity all day— or much longer than that, really— that Serena can at least hear what the plan for moving forward will be.
Adan shifts, causing Serena to glance at him. His eyes flicker up to her and then back to Edmund. It happens quickly, but Serena sees it and can guess what that look was for. He doesn't think she should be part of this conversation. She stays very still, but Edmund's stiffened posture makes it clear they both know she's there and listening. Edmund doesn't move, though, still waiting on Adan to reply. The wind shifts, blowing straight into her face, and she tries to ignore the loose hairs tickling her neck.
"On that we agree," Adan says slowly. At his quiet affirmation, Edmund shifts his gaze from the map to Adan. Serena can't see his face from behind, but whatever information is silently conveyed by Adan's serious look causes them both to turn suddenly toward the trees. She peers into the forest, too, but she can't see what has captured their attention. Then again, despite Adan's human abilities, he's also a Wolf and must sense things she would never be able to.
Serena hears the crinkling of paper as Edmund folds the map. She quickly backs up a step when he abruptly stands. Adan is already at the tree line and Edmund moves quickly toward him. She's tempted to follow, but instead— like every other time they've called for a stop and moved ahead to discuss something without her— she stays where she is. She watches as Edmund places his hand on the Wolf's shoulder and kneels beside him in the snow. The Wolf bows his head slightly, and Serena can't even hear the low rumble of his words with the distance and the wind. Edmund's tight grip on his sword, though, and the spiked fur along Adan's spine communicates more than enough to take Serena from uneasy to alarmed.
For several tense minutes she watches them. The only thing that moves in the clearing is the light snow that's started to drift down. It lands lightly on her cheeks when she looks up, eyeing the darkening clouds. She shifts anxiously, wondering which threat is the most worrisome— whatever the other two are discussing, being in the middle of Giant Territories, being hunted by traitorous guards, or simply the dark clouds threatening more snow and an early nightfall.
Serena's gaze is drawn away from the sky when Adan stands and stalks slowly along the edge of the woods. His ears pivot constantly as he paces to the left, then turns and stalks back to Edmund. The Wolf slowly shakes his head then, and Edmund looks down at his hand— at what Serena finally realizes must be some kind of compass— for a long while before turning around.
"We'll go west," he declares. He gestures toward the narrow, snowy space between the tree line and the base of the mountain behind Serena. She looks in that direction and watches as the wind descending from the mountains whips eddies of snow toward the tree trunks. It's definitely not the most inviting trail, but Edmund's tone really didn't invite any input and Adan is already heading in that direction.
"Scouting ahead," Serena observes, mostly to herself. Edmund clearly hears, though, and glances toward where Adan has almost disappeared before nodding. He stops just in front of her then, slipping the compass into his pocket before kneeling by the pack. He shoves the map back into the bottom and pulls out the jumble of fabric. Serena takes her cloak and the blanket gratefully as soon as he's untangled them and resettles both around her shoulders.
"Just in case," he says confidently– flippantly, even– as he dons his own cloak, but along with his cautious glance toward the woods and their odd conversation and behavior, it's little comfort.
"Just in case," Serena repeats softly. She glances toward their path, but she notices when Edmund's hands, which had been tying the pack shut, stop moving. She sees his jaw clench too before he bows his head and the deep hood of his cloak hides his expression. She wiggles her sore feet again and tucks her hands as far under her armpits as she can.