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[giftless]

Just then, the one thing Edmund really missed was his dog. It wasn't really right to call Honour a dog, as he was in truth a direwolf and half wild at times. But he kept to Edmund's side much like a faithful, well-trained dog would, and the other half of him seemed quite tame at times. And what Edmund wanted him for just then was tracking, and

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[notamelion]

"Greetings, Son of Adam," said Aslan from the other side of the stream. He had been sitting there for some few moments, watching Edmund, and had only chosen now to make himself visible.

[giftless]

"Aslan," he gasped, his breath hitching and Edmund couldn't think of a sweeter sound than that voice. He looked up, and when he saw the Lion so close he shot to his feet and bounded across the water, grinning. Edmund wanted to run and throw himself on Aslan, cling to him like a child and bury his face in his mane. But when he got close enough to do just that, his doubts stopped him: his worries that Aslan would not be pleased with him, with Charlie, and that if he was man enough never to return to Narnia again, perhaps he was man enough never to take comfort in Aslan like a child again.

"I was looking for you," he said cautiously, but the joyous light in his eyes did not fade. "Did you see me?"

[notamelion]

"I always see you, Son of Adam," was Aslan's reply, low and gentle, slightly rumbling and almost something like a purr, as if he were a kitten instead of a grown Lion. "And I think you know that, yet something holds you back from welcoming me as you wish to."

[giftless]

And that was just the thing Edmund knew but had been frightened to admit to himself. Aslan saw, Aslan knew everything that Edmund had done or hadn't done, and what did he think of it?

"It's just that an awful lot has happened since I last saw you," Ed tried to explain. "I'm not sure you'd want me to greet you as I'd like."