Isolation - Stay at Home Potluck Story
Jul 7, 2020 21:46:54 GMT -5
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Post by 🍁Searipple101🍁 on Jul 7, 2020 21:46:54 GMT -5
Four moons had passed since the earth ceased was attacked. In the wake of the flames and suffocating smoke, Applereed was left to fend for himself. Panic had gripped each cat of his clan as roaring heat roamed the land, consuming all life that laid in its path. All but he had fled, because fate would have him sealed within a rabbit’s hole as the flame surrounded. His survival was pure luck, but now he traveled a wasteland in search of those he’d lost and who had lost him, all of it seemingly in vain.
Each pawstep the orange tabby took was met with a sickening crunch while ash still floated delicately among the occasional breeze, stirred up like unwanted memories. No matter how far the tom traveled, the land was always the same – black and empty.
Applereed trekked along even still. The sun’s heat beat down upon his back, but it burned with only a fraction of the intensity the wildfire had possessed. Still, he hated it. It caused his mind to swirl, as did the crippling loneliness he’d experienced since the incident.
He wasn’t even careful anymore as he placed his burnt paws against ashen ground. There was no need to be careful, as he no longer felt there. A burnt log next to two large rocks marked his way, showing, at least, that he wasn’t going in circles. The rest of the land, however, all looked the same.
Charred stumps once mighty trees resided all around him. Grass and lush undergrowth were reduced to nothing more than cinders or delicate frames held together by next to nothing. Even the slightest breeze scattered them to the wind.
“I have to be getting close,” the exhausted tom muttered out loud to himself – a habit he had taken up just to hear a voice. “They have to be around here somewhere… How far did this fire burn?” His glazed eyes scanned the hilly landscape, but it presented only what he had seen countless times before, on a daily basis.
Just then, a loud grumble seemed to echo, causing the tom to jump. However, it quickly became apparent that the sound was local in origin – his stomach. Food was scarce here, after all, so his body protested. Yet it always managed to startle him each time it did so.
He let out a sigh and shook his head slowly from side to side while padding on, causing an odd scene to nonexistent spectators. This became how he walked, swinging his head from side to side with each step, as if swaying to music he’d never heard.
“I wonder if Nectertail would walk with me if she were here?” Random thoughts began to make their way into his tired brain. “She was a nice cat and good Warrior, too. I remember training with her before. It was fun. Fishing was fun. I bet the icy water would feel great right about now…”
He looked to his left and then his right. Of course, no other living things made their presence known, but Applereed didn’t care. He didn’t notice. “Hey, Nectertail, do you remember when we snuck out of camp as kits?” he asked the dry air.
Higher went the pitch of his voice without thought. “Yes, I do remember. It was so delightful to wander and see what it was like outside camp walls.”
The tom nodded to his words and replied. “Yeah, that was pretty nice. Wasn’t so much fun when we got caught, though. I didn’t like getting yelled at. Who would have thought we’d get in so much trouble for only going a couple fox-lengths outside of the camp?”
“Not me! I thought it was funny, afterwards, though!” he squeaked excitedly then laughed in a high tone. But it went on and on, eventually morphing back into his regular voice. Yet it continued still, until the tabby had to pause in his steps just to laugh like mad.
This went on with Applereed throwing his head back to the sky, jaws parted and shoulders bouncing in crazed jovial bliss. In an instant, it all stopped, and he screamed at the top of his aching lungs instead. He screamed to the sky, at the sun, and to whomever wasn’t listening.
“You took everything from me! Everything!” Echoes didn’t come back in the barren landscape. “Four moons you’ve kept me here! What am I being punished for?” Had he possessed the ability to cry, tears would have been streaking down his face. In the absence of this, a shrill and guttural howl filled still air, straining and stinging his damaged throat.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to filthy earth. Yet he yelled once more, voice cracking at the finish. “Help me! Somebody, please!” His nose fell, burnt ears folded back, as his glossy eyes closed. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry…” he chocked, feeling his soul crumbling like dead fallen leaves underpaw.
Just then, something rustled within the nearby ash. Applereed’s head shot up, vision instantly in the direction of the welcoming sound. Before him, in the distance, a rabbit appeared to his gaze. Much like himself, it had survived the initial blaze but now starved for both company and sustenance.
Suddenly, it was like Applereed had struck gold. The animal was clearly injured and thus unable to easily escape even his ragged form. His stomach roared to life, mouth watering in accompanying response. He had to have it.
Without a thought to even be stealthy, the emaciated tom gathered all of his remaining strength and bolted towards the rabbit. His paw pads felt only the pressure form his weight but nothing else as they grazed the ground. With eyes transfixed on his target, he was sure to never miss.
Unlike expected, the creature didn’t move. It didn’t try to avoid its impending doom and instead seemed to embrace it. In an instant, it laid on the ground, pinned under once-white paws. No struggle was given, not even a little, but that didn’t matter to the predator.
The tom relished in the natural high of the kill, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Even for such a short time, it felt wonderful – the first wonderful feeling he’d had in so long. His heart pounded with glory, but the moment his nose got closer to his prey’s hide, his body wretched.
It reeked of smoke and decay, almost as if it had already been dead. Its back legs were skeletal and charred, devoid of any muscle left behind. Then, he noticed its eyes, foggy like fresh milk droplets. And maggots appeared writhing from within.
Applereed retracted his paws and stepped back, horrified by the realization. His prey hadn’t been alive for a while, probably having starved to death. Now, its body was begin claimed by both the earth and by maggots. He wanted to vomit.
“You have to eat it, Applereed,” the high-pitched voice came back to his ears.
“But look at it! It’s being taken over by fly larvae… I can’t eat that! It’s carrion,” he protested, shaking his head vigorously.
His jaws parted to speak again. “But if you don’t eat it then you’ll surely starve and become it. You’re already nearly there.”
“But…” His mind could not reason with itself, not against what he knew had to be done.
“Eat it, Applereed,” the soft voice whispered. “You have to.”
Clenching his jaw, he nodded to no one but himself and the voices in his head. Without trying to breathe, he crouched down and chomped into the disgusting flesh of decay. Holding his breath did sedate the taste some, but it wasn’t truly gone. Still, he did what he had to do in order to survive and finished what meat was left.
“Good boy,” the voice caressed his ears. “Now, let’s keep walking. I’m sure we’ll find somebody else soon. How much further can it be?”
So, the lonely tom pressed on slowly. His feet stumbled in his path and head swayed once more to no music. With the sun beating his already battered body, his mind swirled as walked into vast stretches of scars.
Each pawstep the orange tabby took was met with a sickening crunch while ash still floated delicately among the occasional breeze, stirred up like unwanted memories. No matter how far the tom traveled, the land was always the same – black and empty.
Applereed trekked along even still. The sun’s heat beat down upon his back, but it burned with only a fraction of the intensity the wildfire had possessed. Still, he hated it. It caused his mind to swirl, as did the crippling loneliness he’d experienced since the incident.
He wasn’t even careful anymore as he placed his burnt paws against ashen ground. There was no need to be careful, as he no longer felt there. A burnt log next to two large rocks marked his way, showing, at least, that he wasn’t going in circles. The rest of the land, however, all looked the same.
Charred stumps once mighty trees resided all around him. Grass and lush undergrowth were reduced to nothing more than cinders or delicate frames held together by next to nothing. Even the slightest breeze scattered them to the wind.
“I have to be getting close,” the exhausted tom muttered out loud to himself – a habit he had taken up just to hear a voice. “They have to be around here somewhere… How far did this fire burn?” His glazed eyes scanned the hilly landscape, but it presented only what he had seen countless times before, on a daily basis.
Just then, a loud grumble seemed to echo, causing the tom to jump. However, it quickly became apparent that the sound was local in origin – his stomach. Food was scarce here, after all, so his body protested. Yet it always managed to startle him each time it did so.
He let out a sigh and shook his head slowly from side to side while padding on, causing an odd scene to nonexistent spectators. This became how he walked, swinging his head from side to side with each step, as if swaying to music he’d never heard.
“I wonder if Nectertail would walk with me if she were here?” Random thoughts began to make their way into his tired brain. “She was a nice cat and good Warrior, too. I remember training with her before. It was fun. Fishing was fun. I bet the icy water would feel great right about now…”
He looked to his left and then his right. Of course, no other living things made their presence known, but Applereed didn’t care. He didn’t notice. “Hey, Nectertail, do you remember when we snuck out of camp as kits?” he asked the dry air.
Higher went the pitch of his voice without thought. “Yes, I do remember. It was so delightful to wander and see what it was like outside camp walls.”
The tom nodded to his words and replied. “Yeah, that was pretty nice. Wasn’t so much fun when we got caught, though. I didn’t like getting yelled at. Who would have thought we’d get in so much trouble for only going a couple fox-lengths outside of the camp?”
“Not me! I thought it was funny, afterwards, though!” he squeaked excitedly then laughed in a high tone. But it went on and on, eventually morphing back into his regular voice. Yet it continued still, until the tabby had to pause in his steps just to laugh like mad.
This went on with Applereed throwing his head back to the sky, jaws parted and shoulders bouncing in crazed jovial bliss. In an instant, it all stopped, and he screamed at the top of his aching lungs instead. He screamed to the sky, at the sun, and to whomever wasn’t listening.
“You took everything from me! Everything!” Echoes didn’t come back in the barren landscape. “Four moons you’ve kept me here! What am I being punished for?” Had he possessed the ability to cry, tears would have been streaking down his face. In the absence of this, a shrill and guttural howl filled still air, straining and stinging his damaged throat.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to filthy earth. Yet he yelled once more, voice cracking at the finish. “Help me! Somebody, please!” His nose fell, burnt ears folded back, as his glossy eyes closed. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry…” he chocked, feeling his soul crumbling like dead fallen leaves underpaw.
Just then, something rustled within the nearby ash. Applereed’s head shot up, vision instantly in the direction of the welcoming sound. Before him, in the distance, a rabbit appeared to his gaze. Much like himself, it had survived the initial blaze but now starved for both company and sustenance.
Suddenly, it was like Applereed had struck gold. The animal was clearly injured and thus unable to easily escape even his ragged form. His stomach roared to life, mouth watering in accompanying response. He had to have it.
Without a thought to even be stealthy, the emaciated tom gathered all of his remaining strength and bolted towards the rabbit. His paw pads felt only the pressure form his weight but nothing else as they grazed the ground. With eyes transfixed on his target, he was sure to never miss.
Unlike expected, the creature didn’t move. It didn’t try to avoid its impending doom and instead seemed to embrace it. In an instant, it laid on the ground, pinned under once-white paws. No struggle was given, not even a little, but that didn’t matter to the predator.
The tom relished in the natural high of the kill, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Even for such a short time, it felt wonderful – the first wonderful feeling he’d had in so long. His heart pounded with glory, but the moment his nose got closer to his prey’s hide, his body wretched.
It reeked of smoke and decay, almost as if it had already been dead. Its back legs were skeletal and charred, devoid of any muscle left behind. Then, he noticed its eyes, foggy like fresh milk droplets. And maggots appeared writhing from within.
Applereed retracted his paws and stepped back, horrified by the realization. His prey hadn’t been alive for a while, probably having starved to death. Now, its body was begin claimed by both the earth and by maggots. He wanted to vomit.
“You have to eat it, Applereed,” the high-pitched voice came back to his ears.
“But look at it! It’s being taken over by fly larvae… I can’t eat that! It’s carrion,” he protested, shaking his head vigorously.
His jaws parted to speak again. “But if you don’t eat it then you’ll surely starve and become it. You’re already nearly there.”
“But…” His mind could not reason with itself, not against what he knew had to be done.
“Eat it, Applereed,” the soft voice whispered. “You have to.”
Clenching his jaw, he nodded to no one but himself and the voices in his head. Without trying to breathe, he crouched down and chomped into the disgusting flesh of decay. Holding his breath did sedate the taste some, but it wasn’t truly gone. Still, he did what he had to do in order to survive and finished what meat was left.
“Good boy,” the voice caressed his ears. “Now, let’s keep walking. I’m sure we’ll find somebody else soon. How much further can it be?”
So, the lonely tom pressed on slowly. His feet stumbled in his path and head swayed once more to no music. With the sun beating his already battered body, his mind swirled as walked into vast stretches of scars.