{"sf1_id":654500,"sf2_id":"J1ORJZ4n","title":"By The Campfire","author":"CreativePr0cess","words":414,"posted_at":"2014-01-22T19:11:00.000Z","tags":["Depressing","Depression","Fox","M/M","Raccoon","Sad","Short","apocalypse"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/654500-by-the-campfire","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/J1ORJZ4n","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/85/26/85266d0c-4bef-4024-af1f-634ff7ba8584","description":"#1 of From The Ashes Saga\n\nA story about grief and regret. The prologue of \"From The Ashes\".","content":"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;I looked over the red fox boy's features, flames seeming to leap off his face in anger.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Freddy...\", I managed to say.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"No! Be quiet and listen, racoon!\" I shut my mouth immediately.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"You...\", Freddy began, his finger shakily pointing at me. \"You left us. You left the town.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; He was right. I left the town. A town I promised to protect under any circumstances.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"How could you... Just leave... Leave us all to die? Those monsters come at us like a storm.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; You don't understand... I wanted to stay, but I couldn't. I'm a coward, don't you see that?\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"You betrayed us. We all, straight from the beggining, when there were still fourty of us, swore we'd fight to the end.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Fight to the end we would have. The end of the entire town as we knew it. There wasn't a chance we could have survive, why don't you get that? \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I never thought that you would just... Leave.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; I asked you to come with me, didn't I?\n\n\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"When you told me your plan, I-- I didn't think you'd leave without me if I said I wouldn't go. Why-- Why did you go, Sean? Why did you leave the town?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; I noticed there was a pause, so I talked. \"Because... I don't want to die... I'm afraid...\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"So, you'd leave us all to die just to save your sorry ass?\" \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"NO! It's not like that!\" Freddy opened his mouth, but it was my turn to talk. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Do you think I did this on a whim!?\", I screamed. \"Do you think this is something someone decides to do overnight!? Because it wasn't! Do you think it was easy leaving the one I loved to die in a town surrounded by those things!? That's right, Freddy, I loved you! God damn it man! Do you know how hard it was for me to leave you? You could have come with me back when I asked you! There were only six of us at the time, do you think we stood a chance!? BECAUSE WE DIDN'T! WE WERE ALL DOOMED TO DIE! AND I COULD BARELY LIVE WITH MYSELF KNOWING I WAS MOST LIKELY LEAVING YOU TO DIE!!!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; ...\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; ...\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; ...\n\n\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Who am I talking to?\n\n\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The campfire I was screaming at crackled in response.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"From The Ashes Saga","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/656321-from-the-ashes.json"}}