[thirteen: jam]

The four children and the beaver quickly run back through the woods in the direction they came, hoping that they could get back in time so they had a head start on the wolves who Genevieve assumed wouldn't be far behind her. As soon as they got back into the dam they burst through the little door at top speed, scaring Mrs. Beaver who held a claw to her chest.

"Hurry! They're after us!" Mr. Beaver told her and Mrs. Beaver dropped the pans in her hand and nodded.

"Oh, right then..." She dashes around grabbing things from various cupboards, confusing the children and making Mr.Beaver sigh.

"What's she doing?" Peter asked and Mr Beaver indicates she's lost it and Mrs. Beaver scoffs at her husband.

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

"I'm cranky now!" Mr. Beaver exasperates as the sound of wolves can be heard in the distance.

"Do you think we'll need jam?" Susan asks Mrs. Beaver as she helps to pack up necessities for the trip

"Only if the Witch serves toast." Peter jokes before the walls of the dam start to break as the wolves start attack the dam in a fury.

"Oh no!" Genevieve whispers as the Beaver's beckon the children closer.

+++

"Hurry." Maugrim demands as the wolves continue to paw at the dam in order to force it open. The wolves finally get in and the place is empty. One wolf starts pawing at a door, opens it and peers down a tunnel where a faint light can be seen in the distance and the wolfs rush in.

"Badger and me dug this. Comes out right near his place." Mr. Beaver said as they all ran through the tunnel at full speed.

"You told me it led to your mum's!"Mrs. Beaver says and Genevieve wants to laugh but is interrupted when Lucy trips on a root and howling fills the tunnel.

"Lucy!"

"They're in the tunnel." Lucy whispered as Genevieve helps Lucy up and they keep running.

"Quick! This way."

"Hurry!"

"Quick Lucy." Genevieve says as she holds her hand as they run.

"Run!"

"Quick! Quick! Quick!" Mrs. Beaver hurries. They continue to run further but come to dead end at the end of the tunnel.

"You should have brought a map!"

"There wasn't room next to the jam!" Mr. Beaver jumps up and into the hole and everyone else follows, Lucy being hauled up first by Genevieve.

Lucy backs away as the others emerge, trips and falls flat on her back. Peter and Mr. Beaver roll a barrel in front of the hole,  and Mr. Beaver turns and his face drops when he sees what Lucy tripped over – little woodland creatures turned to stone. Mr. Beaver cautiously walks up to a stone Badger and touches its paw before letting out a small sigh, ensuring to keep the tears that were welling up in his eyes in instead of letting them fall.

"I'm so sorry, dear." Mrs. Beaver says as she hugs her husband.

"He was my best mate." He states simply and Genevieve places a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"I'm so sorry Beaver." She says simply, knowing how much badger meant to him.

"What happened here?" Peter asked until the sound of paws can be heard above. A fox appears on a little ledge above the Badger hole and everyone takes a timid step back.

"This is what becomes of those who cross the Witch." He says simply, his voice playful but stern.

"You take one more step, traitor, and I'll chew you to splinters!" Mr. Beaver sneers, the anger suppressed from seeing his best friend dead taking over.

"Relax. I'm one of the good guys."

"Yeah? Well, you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones." Beaver sneers once again and Genevieve places another hand on Beaver's shoulder to get him to calm down.

"An unfortunate family resemblance. But we can argue breeding later. Right now we've got to move." The fox commands and Genevieve nods, somehow trusting the fox as if he had some sort of important meaning for Narnia at that second.

"What did you have in mind?" Peter asked and the fox spoke to them in hushed whispers before the Pevensies, Potter and Beavers ran off to hide.

The Wolves suddenly burst out of the barreled up hole and encircle the Fox who was in the process of covering the tracks with his tail seconds before they came bursting out of the tunnel.

"Greetings, gents. Lost something, have we?" The Fox asks as Maugrim seems to circle him, thinking it was too coincidental for the fox too be there.

"Don't patronize me! I know where your allegiance lies. We're looking for some humans." Maugrim sneers and the fox laughs but the wolves just growl at him.

"Humans? Here in Narnia? That's a valuable bit of information, don't you think?" One of the other wolves pounces on the fox and grabs him harshly in his jaws. Maugrim walks right up to him until he is stood right in front of him and sneers.

"Your reward is your life. It's not much, but still. Where were the fugitives?" Maugrim pronounces clearly and the Fox hangs his head in shame and points with a paw.

"North." He whispers and the wolves drop him and run North but Maugrim lingers and stand over the fox's body.

"Smell them out, I hope I won't be seeing you again."

+++

The four children and the Beavers sit around a lit fire, accompanied by the same fox who yelps as Mrs Beaver attempts to sort out his wounds with a towel and disinfectant.

"They were helping Tumnus. The Witch got here before I did. Ow! Oh!" The Fox tries to explain before the pain from his wounds reach its optimum due to the disinfectant and he squints.

"Are you all right?" Lucy asked and the Fox just looked at the young girl, a small smile on his face.

"Well, I wish I could say their bark was worse than their bite. Ow!"

"Stop squirming! You're worse than Beaver on bath day." Mrs. Beaver says and Beaver turns to look at the children around the fire.

"Worst day of the year."

They all sit in silence as Mrs. Beaver continues to clean his wounds until he is all patched up and stands to look at the children and the Beavers with a proud smile.

"Thank you for your kindness, but that's all the cure I have time for." The Fox stated and all the children looked at him sadly, feeling that they had not paid him back for sparing them instead of giving their location to the wolves.

"You're leaving?"Lucy asked and the Fox turned to the youngest of the children and gave her a sad smile before nodding.

"It has been a pleasure, My Queen, and an honor, but time is short and Aslan himself has asked me to gather more troops."

"You've seen Aslan?" Mr. Beaver asked, eyes wide.

"What's he like?" Mrs. Beaver questioned with a bright smile on her face.

"Like everything we've ever heard." The fox started before turning back to the group. "And he asked me to send you a message Miss Genevieve."

"What is it?" Genevieve asked as she stepped forward and the Fox turned to her and gave her a prideful smile.

"He told me to say : Decisions are hard but they are also essential. When the time comes choose wisely between what is right and what is easy. " The Fox said to her and Genevieve nodded as she sat back down around the fire. What did he mean?

"So he's everything?" Mr. Beaver asked about Aslan again and the Fox turned to him again and nodded.

"Everything we've read is true. You'll be glad to have him by your side in the battle against the Witch." He directed towards the three Pevensie children.

"But we're not planning fighting any witch." Susan made clear and the Fox looked shocked as he turned to Peter with a pleading look.

"But surely, King Peter, the prophecy!"

"We can't go to war without you." Beaver said and Peter just shook his head as he looked at the rest of the group with a sad look.

"We just want our brother back." And with that the Fox walked away.