{"sf1_id":880361,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Runaways","author":"tigerwriter93","words":2731,"posted_at":"2015-06-29T11:27:00.000Z","tags":["Bat","Female","Fiction","Incomplete","Male","Rat","Romance","Short Story","cave","fruit bat","literature"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/880361-runaways","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/880361","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=880361\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"It was a warm, spring\nmorning in the park. All the leaves on the trees and plants were healthy with\ngreen, and thick green grass blanketed any spot on the ground that wasn't taken\nby the trees and plants. Occasionally, a flower would bloom, giving a red,\nblue, white, or yellow accent against the green and brown. Birds called to one\nanother amongst the trees, squirrels and other small critters came out of their\ndens after a season of continuous slumber. \nThe crown jewel of this park\nwas a large natural pool that was being fed by a short, but rushing waterfall.\nAs the water crashed onto the rocks, it sprayed outwards, creating a mist. The\nsunlight overhead bounced off the droplets, forming a vivid and beautiful\nrainbow that spanned across the base of the falls. The pool drained into a\ncreek, which journeyed on its own amongst the trees.\nA deep cave opened up\nunderneath the rocky mound where the waterfall descended. It's mouth was just\ntall enough to fit an average sized human, about five and a half feet. \nInside, there were remains\nof what was once a fire, now cooled ashes and half-burnt logs. Next to the\nremains lay a petite, female rat, who was half asleep. She was human-like in\nher figure, but also had equal amounts of rat anatomy. Her fur was light brown\nand short, it covered all but her hands, feet, tail, and ears. She didn't show\nany muscle structure, though she was small and thin. She had fiery-red hair\nthat fell just midway to her neck. She wore a white, short-cropped shirt that\nshowed a bit of her yellow-gemmed naval piercing and tight jeans, her naked\ntail stuck out in the back. Her head was resting on her bunched up, dark yellow\nhoodie. \nAmber stirred and slowly\nwoke up. She raised her arms stretching her back and yawned. She looked around\nthe cave. Hmm? Wonder where Jeremy went off to? She got up to stand.\nShe walked out of the cave,\nshielding her eyes for a bit from the bright, morning sun. Crouching down by the\npool, she splashed some water on her face to get the sleep out of her eyes; her\nwhiskers twitched when they came in contact with the cool liquid.\nStill crouched, Amber\nglanced around the area for Jeremy. Where\ndid that goofball go?\nShe then heard a twig snap\nbehind her and suddenly jumped at the noise. She quickly turned her head around\ntowards the source and stood up, ready to bolt if she needed to. A maroon and\nwhite shape was poking out from behind one of the trees, trying to conceal\nitself as best as it could. \nAmber relaxed once she\nrealized who it was. \"You know, for something that's known to move silently,\nyou're not a very sneaky bat.\" She giggled.\nThe being behind the tree\nstayed put, but the maroon and white shape hid itself behind the tree.\nShe grinned and turned back\ntowards the pool. \"Ok, I can't 'see' you now.\"\nWhatever was behind the tree\ncame out from behind it. It slowly moved towards Amber, treading lightly as to\nnot step on another stick or make any noise.\nOnce it reached her, it\ncovered her eyes with its white paws, and unintentionally covered half her body\nwith its maroon wings. \"Guess who?\" it playfully asked.\n\"Gee, I wonder,\" she\nresponded sarcastically. She took the paws over her eyes and moved them\ndownward. They proceeded on their own and hugged her belly.\nHer head turned around and\nsaw the white fruit bat that was her boyfriend; he was just slightly taller and\nbigger than her, but not by much. He was white all over except for his maroon\nwings and the insides of his ears, the left had two ring piercings. His black\nhair was short but scruffy. He could only wear tank-tops because his wings were\nconnected to his arms, but it didn't matter, it was Spring and every day has\nbeen warm. Along with his grey tank-top, he had on loose jeans that fit just\nenough to hold up on their own, along with an old, leather belt. \nShe looked up at his bright,\nblue eyes. \"Morning Jer.\" \n\"Morning hun,\" he replied.\nHe pecked her on the lips and sat down next to her by the pool.\nBoth of them rolled up their\npant legs and placed there feet in the cool water, playing footsies and talking\nabout nothing in particular for a while. \nAfter a moment of silent\nbliss, Jeremy broke the silence. \"Aren't you glad you decided to come here with\nme?\"\nShe nodded. \"I really needed\nto get away from my mom; I don't know why it seems like she doesn't care about\nme anymore.\"\n\"Is it because of me? Of us?\"\nShe shook her head. \"No.\"\nHe looked off in the\ndistance. \"She did seem to approve of me when I first met her, and even when we\nstarted dating.\" He looked back at her. \"I don't mean to bring this up but, did...did\nshe start drinking again?\"\nAmber didn't move. Her feet\nstayed still in the water and her head looked straight forward at nothing in\nparticular. A tear rolled down her cheek.\nJeremy wrapped his winged\narm around her, pulling her close to his side. He rested his head on top of\nhers. \"I'm so sorry. We can stay here as long as you'd like.\"\n\"Thank you,\" she said\nquietly.\nAfter they released their\nembrace, he reached into his jeans pockets and took out a variety of\nodd-and-end foodstuffs. \"I managed to find some eatable berries, nuts, and\nmushrooms. I couldn't find anything more substantial, and I want to avoid going\ninto town.\"\n\"That's fine.\" She took a couple\nberries from his hand.\n\"I've always heard rats are\npretty good at scavenging; you should help me out sometime, we can get a lot\nmore with both of us poking around.\"\n\"But why couldn't we just go\ninto town to get food? I can always go to my place for money, it's not that-\"\n\"No Amber! I don't want you\nstepping into that place if you mom's been drinking! Remember what happened\nlast time?\"\nShe looked away from him.\n\"Besides, I know this forest\nlike the back of my hand. I can easily find something more substantial, it'll\njust take me longer. That's why I want you to help me out with that, even if\nyou think you might not find anything.\" He scratched the back of her head; her\nears twitched as he did so. \"Everything will be alright.\"\nShe gave him a small smile.\nSuddenly the sky flashed\ncrimson, and the air heated significantly for a moment then cooled. They both\nlooked up at the sky. Another bright, red flash nearly blinded them despite\ntheir attempt to shield their eyes. Birds and small critters scattered after\nevery flash. Off in the distance, Jeremy could see charcoal clouds of smoke\nbillowing up from several places deep in the forest as the taller trees fell in\nthose areas. \nAmber looked around at the\nchaos too, but she gave a small squeak and hid her face in Jeremy's chest after\nnearly every red flash. Eventually, she just kept herself pressed against\nJeremy's chest. \n\"Let's just go back to the\ncave and wait this out!\" he yelled amongst the destruction. \nThey both ran towards the\ncave. Another red flash struck the ground just behind them, lighting it on\nfire. They could both feel the searing heat of the flash on their backs, as if\ntheir backs were lit on fire. \nAmber let out a loud scream\nas she felt the intense heat; Jeremy just gritted his teeth and teared up\ntrying to tough out the excruciating pain.\nWhen the both got back\ninside the cave, they immediately leaned their backs against the cool cave\nwalls. The sound of destruction was muffled as soon as they entered. \nAfter some time, Jeremy\nlooked at Amber. \"Turn around. I want to check for blisters.\" She did as she\nwas told.\nHe lifted up her shirt up to\nher neck. Thankfully she's not fond of\nwearing bras, the damage could have been much worse. Her back was covered\nwith second-degree burns and most of her fur was burnt off, showing her\nblistered skin, only a few, light brown patches remained. \nHe looked over her shoulder,\nher burnt back still turned to him. \"Hey, um, Amber?\"\nShe turned her head slightly\ntowards his voice. \"Yeah?\"\n\"Um...do, do you mind taking\nyour shirt off? I-I just don't want you wearing anything tight while you're\nback's trying to heal.\" He started to blush.\nShe started to blush as\nwell. \"A-Actually...will my hoodie do? I just...I just don't feel that comfortable\nbeing topless in front of you,\" she said nervously. \"At least not yet,\" she\nquickly added.\nHis face started gaining\nit's natural color again. \"That'll work. I just want to be sure you're\ncomfortable.\"\nWith her back still turned\nto him, Amber lifted her shirt up the rest of the way until it was off. She\nthen grabbed her yellow hoodie off the cave floor and put it on. \nShe turned back around and\ngave a half-smile. \"Ok...I'm good for now.\"\nJeremy smiled back. \"Ok, my\nturn.\" He proceeded to take off his shirt and turn his back towards Amber.\n\"What's the damage? How bad is it?\"\nShe stood there in shock,\nunable to find the right words at what she saw.\n\"Look I know it's probably\nbad; my back hurt like hell when-\"\n\"There's nothing there!\"\n\"What?\"\n\"There's...nothing, just your\nbare skin.\" His whole back looked as if someone took a razor to it and shaved\noff all his fur, exposing his skin and muscles.\n\"What the-\" he said as he\nreached around with his paw. Sure enough, all he felt was bare skin, the fur\nending just past where his sides and back met. How? he thought. He felt his back a bit more, trying to comprehend\nthe strangeness of it all. After some time, he put his shirt back on.\nHe sighed, still turned from\nAmber. I've managed to stay hidden all\nthese years; how did they find out I was here? He turned his head back\ntowards Amber and gave her a half smile. I\ndon't want to go; I've found someone to love, someone to take care of...someone\nwho was willing to give me a chance.\nHe fully turned around back\nto her, beckoning her to come near him. She obliged. \"Let's just wait this out.\nMaybe this'll all end when nighttime comes.\"\nThey both sat down by the\ncave wall. Amber sat up as best she could to avoid irritating her back. They\ndecided to just hold paws for the time being. The muffled destruction was still\ngoing strong outside.\n\"Once everything clears out,\nI'll see if I can find something to heal your back quicker. At least, if they\nhaven't destroyed everything by then.\"\nThey both sat in silence for\nthe rest of the time. Jeremy rested his back against the cave wall while Amber\nfell asleep with her head on his lap, despite Jeremy's protests for her to keep\nher back as straight as possible.\nJeremy absently looked\noutside the mouth of the cave, the chaos still going strong outside. Why have you monsters come?\n*          *          *\n\"Amber can you please come\nwith me this time? We can gather a lot more supplies if we go together.\"\n\"...I'm too scared. And I\ndon't like that you always go out in that...frozen hell, especially with the way\nyou're dressed. Besides, bats aren't-\"\n\"I know. We bats aren't all\nthat tolerant of extreme cold, and I'm sorry that sleeveless shirts are the\nonly ones that'll work for me,\" Jeremy said irritably, \"I'm sorry I'm the way I\nam.\"\nShe looked up at him and\nstarted to tear up. \"No, I didn't mean it like that! You're handsome just the\nway you are, even with your large winged arms.\" \nHe smiled at her compliment.\nShe looked outside the cave\nentrance. \"It's just that...ever since that night...\"\nHe put a paw on her\nshoulder, giving it a comforting rub. \"Everything's going to be alright,\" he\nreassured her, \"and it's my job to take care of you. Don't worry about me; I'll\nbe fine.\" I just wish you still had that\nscavenging instinct you rats are known to have.\nHe crouched down beside her\nand gave her a peck on the cheek. \"I'll be right back; these guys should keep\nyou company in the meantime,\" he said as he gestured towards the dark cave. He\ngave a few short screeches to notify the natural inhabitants of this cave\nwhat's going on. They gave a collective screech back.\nHe stood back up and headed\nout into the cold winter's night.\nAmber and Jeremy hardly left\ntheir found cave since the attack, and the sudden winter made doing so even\nless inviting. The only time Jeremy would leave is for scavenging food or other\nbasic supplies; Amber never left the cave once.\nThe only sounds Amber could\nhear were the cold wind howling softly outside, the crackling of the fire,\ndistant, irregular squeaks from inside the cave, and her nervous, irregular\nbreathing. Why am I so scared to go with\nhim? Why am I so scared to help him as he's done for me? She felt nothing\nbut the freezing air around her; the small glow of the fire and her yellow\nhoodie did little to prevent it from piercing her skin.\nJeremy came back with some\nmore wood for the fire, partial bottles of water, berries, and a couple\nrolled-up sleeping bags that have seen better days. Most of these items were\nstored in a beat-up, black shoulder bag he also found. His white fur was even\nmore white from the snow, and his maroon ears and wings were now white also.\nHe noticed Amber started\ntearing up again and having trouble keeping her ears and tail warm. Ever since\nthat night, their special night they planned on a whim, she hasn't been the\nsame. Normally, she's very bubbly and full of life whenever she's around him,\nthat was one thing he loved about her. But now she's constantly scared.\nHe wished he could do more\nto keep her warm in this frozen wasteland they used to call home. She was only\nwearing a dark yellow, pull-over hoodie and a pair of tight jeans; her long,\nnaked tail stuck out in the back. He was only wearing a grey tank-top, because\nthose are the only types of shirts he can wear because of his wings, and a pair\nof loose jeans held up by a black, pleather belt. The freezing air bothered him\nsome, but taking care of Amber was a priority for him.\nWhile he was aware that he's\nstruggling to keep warm just as much as she is, he scooted over to Amber's side\nand held her in his skinny arms, while his thin, maroon wings embraced her\nfurther. \n\"I'm sorry...this might not\nhelp much,\" he apologized.\n\"It's ok...\" she said as she\nstared transfixed at the fire. \"But what about you? Even before all of...this, it\nwas at least brisk out that night. I get that it's because of your anatomy but\n-\"\n\"Don't worry about me.\"\n\"Jeremy I -\"\n\"Don't worry about me. I've\nbeen through worse than just being cold. You know that right?\" \nShe nodded.\nHe started petting the back\nof her head, ruffling her red hair some. \"Someone, or something, doesn't want\nme gone just yet.\"\nShe laid her head on his\nsoft chest, feeling his heart pound rapidly. \"You're just as scared as I\nam...aren't you.\"\n\"...Y-yeah.\"\nShe sat up and looked at him\nand he did the same, both scared about what will happen now. They shared a\nreassuring kiss, giving them a brief moment of ecstasy, before Amber rested her\nhead back on Jeremy's chest. He rested his head on top of hers, and kept his\nwings wrapped around her.\n\"You know I love you.\"\n\"Mmm. I love you too.\"\nThe dull hum of the wind\noutside and the steady crackling of the fire lulled them both to sleep; but the\nfear they both shared was still wide awake in their minds."}