Prey's Paradigm
#1 of Paradigm's Simple Shorts
This short is set in a world I've been crafting for a few months now. I saw an anthro picture of a rabbit and a fox getting along. It made me wonder what kind of social structure would exist where all the animals have similar levels of intelligence, but some still needed to eat meat. It was an odd thought, after years of enjoying the art of this community, to have a picture suddenly create such a thought. It of course went back a few hundred years to the middle ages/renaissance. In the current time there'd be meat substitutes and the point would be moot, but what about a time that didn't have those? Here's a glimpse into the world I call "Predator's Paradigm".
I walked up to the apple stall, the squirrel running the stall was busy bartering with a chipmunk. Their squeaky voices went back and forth over the prices. I looked around and everyone was minding their own business. I grabbed an apple and quickly stuffed it into my coat. I turned around, and immediately made eye contact with a gray fox.
I had never seen a predator before, but here, at the worst possible moment, one was staring me down. He had a well worn brown cloak on, the hood was up. Underneath the cloak was a sword on his right hip. He had no shirt, but was wearing a pair of worn out pants, a slightly lighter brown than his cloak. Underneath his hood, he was smiling at me, a grin that new a meal had just arrived. He started walking towards me, his left hand drew a dagger from behind his back.
I ran as fast as I could, weaving between the people meandering about in the market. The weight of the apple in my coat may as well be the weight of a noose around my neck. I took a right into residential area and hopped over a fence, as a rabbit I'm good at that. As I hop over the next fence I look over my shoulder to see that the fox hasn't been slowed down by the obstructions at all.
After jumping over another fence I immediately turned left and ducked into the next alley in the hopes of losing the fox. Even though the fox could probably smell me with how much I was sweating. The plan didn't work, before I could make it into the alley the fox came over the fence and immediately spotted me and followed.
The weeks of emaciation I had endured were beginning to catch up to me. My legs were beginning to protest, my breaths were becoming labored. I turned an ear back to the fox giving chase. He didn't appear to have fatigued at all. It was obvious from the start who would come out on top, and this further evidence made it clear that the inevitable wouldn't be waiting much longer. I still denied it, I couldn't let him catch me. Even as my legs refused to run at full speed. I could not will them to move any faster, and the fox was now gaining ground. I could hear him getting closer and closer.
My emaciation fully caught up to me. Not eating in days caused a dizzy spell and I lost my footing, The corners of my vision faded to black and everything else became a blur. I came tumbling down, and I couldn't get up. I only managed to squirm and crawl.
Soon a weight landed on me, and something cold was pressed against my neck. I new my life was over at this very moment. "Yeild," He said before setting his knee upon my spine and removing the dagger from my throat.
My addled mind tried, but failed, to find relief that my life would last a little longer. I tried to have hope that when I was at the gallows someone might buy my freedom. I still knew in the depths of my mind that no one I knew could afford such a cost.
My hands were moved behind my back and bound. Then I felt rope around my ankles before they were pulled taught as my ankles were bound together. After binding me the fox turned me onto my back and took the apple from my coat. He then stood up and began dragging me along the ground.
The sand and dirt ground against me as he drug me along, creating a slew of small cuts and bruises, some staining my coat with blood. While being dragged I managed to regain full consciousness. I had no knife though, so I wouldn't be able to escape the binding on my ankles. Even then I would only be caught once again by the fox.
I was being dragged through the market place, my battered body for all to see. He stopped dragging me and I looked up to see what was going on. We Where back at the apple merchant's stall. He gave back the apple and said "I saw him steal this apple."
The squirrel looked at me, part in fear of the predator, part in pity for me. I could see in her eyes she wanted to say that it was alright, that I could be let free, but she was too afraid of the predator to bring the words out of her throat.
After the short exchange was over he began dragging me out of the town. I began to squirm once again in panic. The courthouse was the other way. If he was to sell me to the court to be executed, and sold to the highest bidder as food, he would be dragging me the other way. No, I was going to be his meal, he was going to kill me and eat me himself. I struggled against the bonds to no avail. My ears heard a chuckle from the fox. We both knew it was useless, but panic knows no logic.
The fox pulled my squirming form into the nearby woods. Eventually we stopped in a very basic camp. All that was here was a fire pit, a tarp forming a tent, and a small pack no doubt full of supplies.
He threw the rope he used to drag me over a thick branch with some height to it. Then he pulled the other side, lifting me by my ankles into the air. I knew what he was doing and began to squirm once more, tears beginning to flow from my eyes. Soon I was fully suspended upside down from the tree. His hand grabbed my chin and thrust it towards the ground. I looked down, unable to look anywhere else. I then felt a sharp pain in my neck. I tasted iron, and warmth spread up my neck and chin. I could see the blood beginning to pool on the ground, and spray the surrounding area. My mouth was soon full of blood and I had to open it to let it fall with a splash to the ground.
I was still as soon as the knife slit my throat. I had given up fully. As the pool of blood on the ground grew, my field of vision shrunk. As my vision was almost entirely faded out, my body began squirming of its own accord. Soon my world faded to black, and I lost all sensation.