The Chronicles of Narnia: The Middle

Elizabeth stopped, thinking she'd heard something to her left. "Hello?" she called, "Any one here?" she started walking in that direction.

 

"At least try to keep together, okay?" William tried to deal with his sister. Turning to Elizabeth, he asked, "See anything?"

 

"Alright," Alexandria laughed. She grabbed William's hand and pulled him along as she jogged over to Elizabeth.

 

"There's nothing to see," Luke commented, following the others. "Liz, come back here!"

 

"Aw, come on, Luke," Alexandria called behind her. "Have some fun!"

 

Elizabeth looked at Alex, pretty much ignoring the others. "I think I heard something over here." she said, pointing in the direction she was walking. "Do you hear anything?"

 

Luke stopped and listened. "I can't hear... wait..."

 

"I don't hear anything," William murmured.

 

"Shh," Alexandria told William. "I wanna hear it."

 

Elizabeth started walking again, quietly, foward as she listened. She stopped, "I heard it again!" she said, excitedly.

 

"What is it, Liz?" Luke asked. "What do you hear, exactly?"

 

"It sounded like an animal moving..." Liz answered. "Something moved over there." she pointed off in the direction she was walking. "Hello?" she called out, to whatever she'd heard.

 

Luke sighed and rushed forward past the others, bursting into a small run. He dodged around several trees, looking around him for any sign of an animal.

He slowed when he saw little tracks in the snow, close to him.

"What are you?" he asked himself quietly. Then he stopped in his tracks, glancing around the tree and finally seeing something.

"Guys," he whispered over his shoulder. "It's a... badger."

 

Trufflehunter turned around to see who had spoken.

"Aw!" Alexadria squealed.

 

William grabbed Alexandria's hand tighter. "Don't go near it!"

 

"What's it doing?" Luke asked, taking another tentative step toward it.

 

"My name is Trufflehunter," the badger introduced himself. "I should be asking you what you are doing, son of Adam."

"He talked!" Alexandria exclaimed excitedly.

 

"He... talked...?" William repeated his twin, still holding her back.

 

Luke retreated the few steps he had taken forward, standing back next to Elizabeth.

"We're... lost," Luke began slowly, amazed he was talking to the animal. "We don't know where we are."

 

"You're near the Rush River," Trufflehunter answered. "And what are your names, sons and daughters of Adam?"

"I'm Alexandria," the excited girl answered first. "But you can call me Alex. And this is my twin, William. We all call him Will for short."