{"sf1_id":119558,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Always Me - Chapter 4","author":"Otter Miqmah","words":3822,"posted_at":"2010-01-14T02:57:00.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Fox","Lion","Mild Drama","Story Series"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/119558-always-me-chapter-4","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/119558","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=119558\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":" **Chapter 4**\n\n**Unforeseen Circumstances**\n\nI spent two weeks at that circus.\u0026nbsp; I had been stolen from my home, and introduced to a new one, but, as the old toad had warned me, nothing was going to stay normal anymore.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe witch appeared in my dreams again and warned me that something was going to happen very soon, and that when it did, I would have to run to the tallest mountain on the horizon, and not look back.\u0026nbsp; I was not allowed to mention what she told me, and the secret was my burden for three long days.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer message left me in fear and Ludme, who was began learning a few small broken English fraises from the teal bird, had noticed and asked me about it.\u0026nbsp; I just shook my head each time he brought it up and he eventually stopped asking.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo one had seen the old toad in days, and she was refusing to take guests.\u0026nbsp; There was always bright purple smoke coming from the small crack in the door, but otherwise there was no sign of life in the secluded boxcar.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAn undertone of concern had nestled amongst the furs of the circus, and the unease grew stronger with each passing day.\u0026nbsp; No one knew what was going to happen, and we were all a little edgy.\u0026nbsp; Even the air seemed tense as the nice dessert breeze stopped.\u0026nbsp; It was only a matter of time.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt all started one afternoon.\u0026nbsp; After a performance, we all walked out of the tent to see the sky getting unusual dark.\u0026nbsp; There was a strong wind blowing against the tent, and the worried confusion amongst the group was evident.\u0026nbsp; We stood there silently watching the dark clouds twirling in the desert sky.\u0026nbsp; The cooling winds picked up and the first drops of rain started to fall.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOne fell on my nose as I looked down to shake it off.\u0026nbsp; When I looked back up, I noticed that the old toad's car door was wide open, and the persistent smoke had stopped.\u0026nbsp; I wasn't the only one who noticed, and everyone was whispering to each other.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThere was a loud crack of thunder, and everyone jumped.\u0026nbsp; The sky split and a white vein of energy rocked to the desert floor, and everyone rushed into the tent to hide.\u0026nbsp; Inside, the toad was standing in the center looking back at everyone with an unmistakably serious and shaken look on her face.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe spoke, and everyone gasped.\u0026nbsp; I saw someone faint in the corner of my eye, and the air in the tent got thicker.\u0026nbsp; She explained more and pointed outside of the tent, and paused.\u0026nbsp; There was no sound other than the wind whipping the side of the tent, and the muffled thunder.\u0026nbsp; She began speaking again and the performers started moving once they got their instruction.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI watched as the crowd slowly thinned.\u0026nbsp; With one more instruction, the last of them moved out with their job.\u0026nbsp; I stood there in the middle of the room confused and scared, and the old toad walked up to me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Herb, there is a war coming.\u0026nbsp; Do you remember what I told you to do?\" she said seriously, her orange eye staring into mine.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI nodded.\u0026nbsp; She patted me on the shoulder.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Keep the whistle safe, and yourself safer.\u0026nbsp; Now go, child, I don't want to you the middle of this.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI ran up and gave her a tight hug, tears forming in my eyes.\u0026nbsp; She hugged back and pulled away.\u0026nbsp; I wiped my eyes and started off.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI snuck under the back wall of the tent and gasped at how bad the storm had gotten.\u0026nbsp; I could see the sheets of rain drenching the earth.\u0026nbsp; The thunder cracked in the air and the wind threatened to rip the tent right off its foundation.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI peeked back under the tent, but no one was there to look at.\u0026nbsp; I sighed and started on my way.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe rain pounded my head and shoulders as I walked, and the dry dirt formed to a slippery mud from the flooding rain.\u0026nbsp; As I got out far enough, I looked around for the tallest mountain.\u0026nbsp; There were two off in the horizon in opposite directions, but I couldn't tell which one was taller.\u0026nbsp; I stood there trying my best to figure it out, but both looked the same.\u0026nbsp; Fear ran over my heart, not knowing what to do, and I began to panic.\u0026nbsp; I ran back to the tent and tried to find the toad.\u0026nbsp; There was still no one in the tent, so I walked across the ring, listening to the rain and wind pounding the tent fiercely.\u0026nbsp; The door to the tent had blown shut, but I lifted it open.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy eyes grew wide as I witnessed the entire circus lined up for a battle.\u0026nbsp; The toad was wearing a large helmet with the red glass orb from the portrait on top and was standing on a large pillar of wood shouting instructions.\u0026nbsp; People were holding sharpened sticks, other had rocks tied in slings.\u0026nbsp; The once fun loving clowns were washed of their makeup and as serious as any other.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSomeone yelled and pointed off to the distance and everyone followed.\u0026nbsp; There was a large stripe of black coming between two large hills.\u0026nbsp; The toad yelled something and everyone got into position with their weapons ready.\u0026nbsp; The toad pulled out two of the sticks like the ones Ludme used and started chanting something in her load croaking voice.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI watched as the black stripe grew larger as it moved closer.\u0026nbsp; My heart stopped when I saw what it was.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSpiders.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThere were thousands of them crawling as fast as they could towards the tent.\u0026nbsp; I yelped and dropped the curtain.\u0026nbsp; I wanted to run, but I had grown attached to these furs and didn't want to leave them.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI knew that those spiders where there because of me, and because Ludme had killed the one to save me.\u0026nbsp; My eyes welled up as I thought of what I had done.\u0026nbsp; I wanted to sit down and cry, but I knew there was no time for that now.\u0026nbsp; I sighed, lifted the tent again and looked at the faces of my new family.\u0026nbsp; I saw Ludme standing amongst the ones holding the sharpened sticks.\u0026nbsp; The rain water poured down his face and off his nose.\u0026nbsp; His hands griped the stick tightly with his eyes intently watching the moving horizon.\u0026nbsp; I knew what I had to do, and it was not what I would have chosen.\u0026nbsp; I dropped the wall and ran.\u0026nbsp; I ran across the dry tent floor and out the other side.\u0026nbsp; I made it to the spot I had been before and sighed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI looked at the two mountains and my brain rushed to which one to pick.\u0026nbsp; I closed my eyes, and I saw the toads face.\u0026nbsp; She told me that I knew which way was right and I opened my eyes and ran.\u0026nbsp; I ran, and I ran, and I ran.\u0026nbsp; I ran until the mud caked to my shins.\u0026nbsp; I ran until I could not hear the fighting.\u0026nbsp; I didn't look back, but the images of the toad and Ludme fighting for their lives would not leave my head.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy tears mixed with the rain and mud.\u0026nbsp; I had no idea how far I had gone, and it seemed like the mountain never got closer.\u0026nbsp; The mud was getting thicker by the minute, and I kept on getting stuck.\u0026nbsp; But I pulled myself foreword because I knew I had to.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nA grove of the scaled tree started coming nearer as I ran, but I was getting so tired.\u0026nbsp; I made it my goal to make it to those trees before I could rest.\u0026nbsp; The mud was so thick and deep that I didn't think there was any solid ground left in the world.\u0026nbsp; I fell and covered my entire front with the heavy wetness.\u0026nbsp; I clawed and struggled and cried until I was under one of the trees.\u0026nbsp; I pulled myself closer and leaned against a trunk and looked back.\u0026nbsp; There was nothing.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't see a tent, or any war; nothing.\u0026nbsp; It was behind me now, and there was nothing I could do.\u0026nbsp; I sat under the tree letting the rain slowly wash me clean. I could feel my legs sink into the soft earth, but I didn't have the energy anymore to do anything.\u0026nbsp; I stared off into the distance watching the storm swirl and the night take over.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI slipped unknowingly into sleep, and I hoped I would wake up again.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs I opened my eyed, I looked around.\u0026nbsp; The storm was gone, and the earth was cracked and dry again.\u0026nbsp; The sun was high in the sky, and a gentle warm breeze jostled the few patches of free fur.\u0026nbsp; I lifted my paw and cracked it out of the mud it was sitting in.\u0026nbsp; I pulled the other one, and then tried to stand up.\u0026nbsp; With a few heaves, I broke free and I wiped myself off, watching the chunks of mud fall and smash against the ground.\u0026nbsp; I looked off in the distance hoping to see something to let me know what happened, but there was only dessert and sky with nothing in between.\u0026nbsp; I stepped out of the oasis and looked at the mountain.\u0026nbsp; It was still so far away, but it was much larger then it was by the tent.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI looked around inside the oasis for anything to bring with on my long journey.\u0026nbsp; I saw that there were fruits in the trees that looked like burnt-orange avocados.\u0026nbsp; I found a stick and started whacking at the fruit patch until a few fell down.\u0026nbsp; I picked one up and smelled it.\u0026nbsp; It smelt sweet so I started to peel it.\u0026nbsp; The inside what white and creamy.\u0026nbsp; I stuck finger in and pulled some out.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI debated on wither it was poisonous or not and stuck it in my mouth.\u0026nbsp; It didn't really taste like anything, but I decided to wait and see if it had any negative effects before eating more.\u0026nbsp; I found a puddle between a few trees with water, and I took a long drink knowing it may be my last for a while.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy stomach didn't feel funny, all my fingers were still moving, and I wasn't dead from what I could tell, so I stuck as many of the fruits in my pockets as I could manage.\u0026nbsp; I spent a few last moments in the shade before starting out again.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe earth was sharp and dry beneath my toes.\u0026nbsp; The sun beat down on my back as I moved towards the mountain.\u0026nbsp; It was much easier at night to move, but I didn't have time to stop.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy eyes rarely left the view of the mountain.\u0026nbsp; It wasn't hard considering that it was the only thing to look at for miles.\u0026nbsp; The sun reflected upward from the ground and I started to feel the heat deep inside of me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI went to open my mouth, and my lips separated like they were glued together, and my tongue peeled from the roof of my mouth.\u0026nbsp; I looked around but didn't see any oases nearby, so I pulled out one of the fruits.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy pockets must not have been a very good transport because the once orange skin was now bruised and covered in large brown splotches.\u0026nbsp; Sighing, I peel of the top section and watched the off-white liquid poor down to the ground and splatter in a chunky star shape.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI held up the fruit and looked inside, watching the creamy goop slosh around.\u0026nbsp; I held it up to my nose and took a whiff, pulling it back quickly.\u0026nbsp; It smelled like rotting feet.\u0026nbsp; But, I needed something to quench my thirst, so I plugged my nose and downed the thick drink.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI felt a little woozy as I chucked the empty shell as far away from me as I could.\u0026nbsp; I coughed, and covered my nose as the smell erupted from my mouth.\u0026nbsp; I debated about using dirt to clean out my mouth, but decided on just closing my mouth forever instead.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe taste lingered on my tongue and I took a few moments to spit out the fowl saliva that kept forming as I walked.\u0026nbsp; The woozy feeling started to get worse with the heat, and I needed to find some shade.\u0026nbsp; I stumbled to my knees and looked around.\u0026nbsp; There was a grove of the scaly trees a few hundred feet off in the distance, and I stood up and made another goal.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe horizon started to warp slightly as I started to walk, and I felt my balance slowly leave me.\u0026nbsp; I heard my stomach start to grumble and a sharp pain took over as I stumbled further.\u0026nbsp; I knew that I had to get to the trees as soon as I could, so I started running.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe ground felt like it was falling apart below me as I wobbled and tripped on my own feet.\u0026nbsp; The activity only made my condition worse, I started to pant, and I could feel my stomach start to heave. I covered my mouth and ran quicker.\u0026nbsp; The little grove of trees was getting closer and when I could start to make out the details of the leaves, I just sprinted, feeling the liquid going up my throat.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI felt my foot catch on a crack of mud and I fell.\u0026nbsp; The earth spun beneath me, scraping my back as it did.\u0026nbsp; I landed on my bottom and hurled the white liquid between my legs in front of the trees.\u0026nbsp; My stomach churned and emptied itself as I cried out in pain.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhen it was done, I closed my eyes and collapsed backwards, feeling the world around me spin out on control.\u0026nbsp; My claws dug into the dry earth as I waited for it to stop.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI heard something move in the trees, but I was in no condition to look up since it was probably just some small animal.\u0026nbsp; I heard the noise again and then something coming closer to me.\u0026nbsp; I felt a tap on my foot and I scrambled up and away.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nStanding there was a scraggily looking figure looking at me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI paused as I tried to figure out what he wanted.\u0026nbsp; He said something in a language that sounded a lot like hissing, and I backed away a little more.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe tilted his head and said something else in another language that had a lot of whooping in it.\u0026nbsp; I must have looked confused because we went through a few more strange languages, taking a step closer each time, with me scooting even farther back.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nFinally, he smirked and said \"Are you alright?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI nodded, still trying to figure out what he was doing here.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You took quite a spill there,\" he said pointing with his thumb over to the white splotch of vomit.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI nodded again.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe took a step closer and held out a paw.\u0026nbsp; I stared at it for a long time and then decided to trust him and took the offer.\u0026nbsp; He hoisted me up and I wobbled in place as I regained my balance.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Did you eat one of those orange fruits from the trees?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI nodded again, and he started laughing.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I remember making that mistake.\u0026nbsp; I'm Skippy.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I... I'm Herb.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe smiled.\u0026nbsp; There was something kind of off about him, but I couldn't tell what.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't even tell what species he was.\u0026nbsp; I blamed it on the fruit as he talked me into getting out of the sun and told me about his experience with it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI chuckled a little, but grabbed my stomach from the dull pain.\u0026nbsp; He noticed and moved over to an old dilapidated bag where he dug around.\u0026nbsp; He pulled out a piece of cloth and unfolded it.\u0026nbsp; Inside was what looked like pieces of bark or jerky.\u0026nbsp; He ripped off the corner of a piece and gave it to me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Shlu bark.\u0026nbsp; It'll settle your stomach a bit.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI grabbed the mysterious food and stuck it in my mouth.\u0026nbsp; It was salty and rough, so I began chewing it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSkippy chuckled as he watched me laboriously tackle the bark in my small jaw and leaned back against a tree.\u0026nbsp; I quickly joined him while working at the soggy, stringy bark, and noticed that my stomach had started to calm.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"So, what brings you around these parts of the woods?\" Skippy said giving a grand gesture into the small patch of trees.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm on a jor...\" I paused, not wanting to give too much information, \"I need to get to the mountain.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"The mountain, huh?\" he said scratching his chin. \"What's up there?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI didn't know, so I didn't answer.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Ahh,\" he said nodding and smiling.\u0026nbsp; \"I understand.\u0026nbsp; It's a secret.\"\u0026nbsp; He leaned back further into the tree and closed his eyes.\u0026nbsp; \"Don't worry, little buddy, your secret secret is safe with me.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI laid back and started my much needed rest.\u0026nbsp; I could feel my feet pulsing from the break, but I just didn't have the energy to care. I sat there silently for a long while.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well, if you are dying to know,\" he started with no cue, \"I'm a drifter of the dessert. \u0026nbsp;And the forest.\u0026nbsp; And the ocean.\u0026nbsp; And wherever my feet will take me.\u0026nbsp; I've been all over this pathetic marble of a planet, and I've never found a place worthy of calling my home.\u0026nbsp; But, I'm still searching, not that I would settle down if I found it.\u0026nbsp; This life is just too fun to stop!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI opened one of my eyes and peaked at him.\u0026nbsp; He was still sitting there with a big grin on his face.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You don't talk much, do you?\" he said.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI shrugged.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Pfft.\u0026nbsp; You're the first living thing I've seen in months that I haven't regarded as food, and you won't even give me a decent conversation,\" he said crossing his arms in mock frustration.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm eight, what do you want?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well, where are you from?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"My home.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well, where is that?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I don't know.\"\u0026nbsp; I looked down to my lap.\u0026nbsp; \"This is the first time I've been away.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"First time?!\" he said sitting up.\u0026nbsp; \"What on earth are you doing in the middle of the dessert on your own?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I... I don't know...\" I started to tear up as all the frustration bubbled to the surface.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Whoa, whoa, calm down. \u0026nbsp;I didn't mean to make you cry.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis words didn't help, and the tears continued to flow.\u0026nbsp; The uncontrollable feeing of hopelessness started to take me over.\u0026nbsp; I was tired.\u0026nbsp; I hurt inside and out.\u0026nbsp; I had no idea what or where I was going.\u0026nbsp; And I just wanted to be back home.\u0026nbsp; I pulled up my knees and hugged them, burring my face and feeling my mud crusted pants dampen from my tears.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI felt a hand pat me on the back and I heard the drifter try to comfort me some more, but I was so far out of my league there was nothing he could do to help me.\u0026nbsp; I started trying to tell him about everything, but the tears stole my voice and scrambled it into inaudible whines muffled through my legs.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Now look here.\u0026nbsp; If you don't stop crying, you are going to dry up like a raisin.\u0026nbsp; Think I'm lying?\u0026nbsp; I've seen it happen before.\"\u0026nbsp; He made a loud silly sucking noise like a raising drying up quickly, and I giggled past my tears.\u0026nbsp; \"That's right, you'll just shrivel up and be no more, so you'd best stop crying, don't you think?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI looked up at him and his warm face held a wide smile.\u0026nbsp; I smiled back and started wiping away the tears and looking down at my muddy paws.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Welcome to the dessert, kid.\u0026nbsp; You're going to get that stuff in places you didn't even know you had.\u0026nbsp; It's why I got rid of my mane.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI suddenly recognized him as a male lion.\u0026nbsp; His mane had been cut down haphazardly, like he had down it himself.\u0026nbsp; But I didn't see a tail.\u0026nbsp; I decided it would be rude to ask, so I stayed quiet.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"How long have you been here?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe put his fist to his chin and looked up in thought.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Don't know.\" He smiled.\u0026nbsp; \"I don't keep time or calendars; I just go by what the earth tells me.\u0026nbsp; But if I had to guess, I'd say a few years at least.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Wow,\" I said, knowing that I had only been alive for just slightly over a few years.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Ahh, it's not that bad.\u0026nbsp; Once you learn where the food and water is, life here is pretty good.\u0026nbsp; Well, the company is a little scarce, but you being here right now means it's not totally lonely.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Why do you stay here?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well, it's something you'll understand more as you get older, but some folks, like me, just can't stay in one place.\u0026nbsp; There is like this great big call to us to go and see the world.\u0026nbsp; And in my case, that big call has been calling me everywhere.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI nodded, not really understanding why anyone would give up a warm safe bed for a tree in the middle of the dessert.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Something tells me that you have a similar call.\"\u0026nbsp; He looked me over.\u0026nbsp; \"But I don't think you realize what it is or why you have it.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe memory of the words of the toad entered my head.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And you wanna know something?\" he smirked.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI looked up at him and nodded.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I think I can hear my call, and it's somewhere past that mountain.\"\u0026nbsp; He pointed off to the great red mound still seeming impossibly far away.\u0026nbsp; \"Kid, I'm coming with you.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI felt my cheeks lift up in a great big smile.\u0026nbsp; That was the best news I had heard in a long while.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe lion looked off towards the mountain for a while, thinking to himself and I followed.\u0026nbsp; He turned to me and I looked at him.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We leave tonight!\u0026nbsp; There is a lot we need to prepare, so let's get it all done before sun down!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/117185-always-me-chapter-3.json"}