Chapter 3: Into the Blood Wilds
The night was calm and the sky was dark being filled with black clouds that rumbled menacingly. Wind whipped through the wooded area we were wandering through. My family and I had long since separated from the others. The chinchillas and other mammals practically scattered to the winds once we made it out the hole. Though they seemed to stick somewhat close to the area we came from.
But my family and I moved farther. I had to practically pull my brother and mother out of the area far enough for us to avoid detection. We had to get far away so we lessened the risk of being caught again.
As we wandered I looked at our surroundings. The trees were stranger than any I had ever seen. Like skyscrapers draped in crimson bark and enormous leaves making up the canopy above.
I saw a rabbit stepping on one tree's roots suddenly be snapped being wrapped up by wooden tendrils before being dragged below ground without a sound.
I made an immediate note of which tree it was by marring most of the plants around it so we could avoid it later.
Mother found a nice sized plant covered in nutty tasting fruits. It's stalk was bright yellow with purple petals around each fruit. The fruits themselves tasted like a strawberry but seemed to have a tingling flavor. Not poisonous by any means. Just had a zapping sensation on my taste buds.
After alot of scrounging we managed to find a broken down building with some rags inside it. It must have been used as a trade point but was either abandoned or just destroyed.
Upon entering I realized the place was cleared out and the structure was in ruins. This wasn't a place to stay. But before I could leave I saw my brother dive into a crack in the floor. Something I had missed before.
The small crevice lead to a concrete shelter of sorts. It was as big as a sea can. The walls were bare but there was an old rusted bed in the corner. The legs had long since given out from rust so it was sitting on the ground. The mattress was stained by dust and dirt but the sheets were still nice despite having a few holes.
Mother immediately started shuffling the sheets into the corner of the mattress. Securing it against the walls and stuffing as much as she could around it making it look like a hill of sorts with a large hole in the middle.
I nodded and started scrounging around the bunker again for anything I could use. My size was a little smaller than my brother but I was faster. I was leaner and he was broader. Though he doted on mother more than me. Seeming to make sure she ate, drank, and slept.
So we kinda made our own jobs. Mother took care of the nest.
Brother took care of Mother.
And I was the scavenger.
I went out to find things and bring them back to the nest. And I was good at it. I had taken a handkerchief and turned it into a backpack for me to use for foraging. I had painstakingly folded the edges before using small twigs to sow through them like needles. I had grabbed grass which I split and braided before feeding it through the holes the twig left in the fabric. I did this a few times and my backpack was complete. Which was great because I was going to be needing it.
Squirrels are excellent at scavenging things. Food, scraps, anything. They are built to be scavengers. And the amount I could find was alot.
For instance I went into the woods to find a few nuts to bring home and smelled something amazing underground. It knocked on my nose with a honey like scent. I kept looking to find it till I found a spot on the ground. And much to my chagrin I had to dig for it. Almost three feet down. But I found it.
A large bulbouse thing. Looked almost like a cicada but had a softer exterior to it. And something was growing out of this bug like roots. Each root had a red bud on it that smelled like honey. And size wise this thing was half as big as me. 6 inches long and about 3 wide if I include the roots.
I quickly opened my pack to grab another handkerchief scrap to wrap around it and brought it home.
Thinking of how I was going to take care of it was a hard part. This thing looked like a plant. And I had never planted anything before. But if my science class was worth anything I'd say it taught me enough.
Plants need a container with soil and occasional watering. So I scrounged around till I found a pot in the corner that I filled with soil from outside before throwing the cicada in. It's bulbs stuck out looking like Christmas ornaments against the dirt.
The honey-like smell lured my family in from across the room.
I gently pulled one off and smelled it a bit more before taking a bite.
Juices flooded my mouth as my teeth pierced the crisp skin. Like ginger and honey mixed with lime. It was sour but it tasted good. I felt the unusual tingling sensation on my tongue as I ate but as it hadn't harmed me, I simply shrugged it off.
And though my family enjoyed the fruit greatly and we found peace in that time. It didn't last long.
It started in the early morning when I was out scavenging at one of my usual spots. A large yellow plant with blue flowers sprouting from its top. (I called it the sky plant because the blue reminded me of the sky and the stalks looked like spears of lightning) It also had drop shaped fruits that hung from under its petals.
I had just finished grabbing a few fruits when the ground shook.
I wobbled and got on all fours to not fall over. I shook my head a bit to make sure I wasn't imagining things. When I felt it again followed by a loud roar.
My ears perked toward the sound and found it was coming from the same direction as my home. (That's not good.) "Squeak."
I threw my pack over my back and started running. My all fours run will always beat my two legged excuse. Squirrels just aren't built that way.
But regardless I ran toward my home. And as I got closer the sounds intensified. Cracking concrete with the sounds of skittering insects. A thud of something heavy landing on the ground.
I soon found what it was and I didn't like it.
A large ape-like creature with leather-like armor on its shoulders and head was fighting a bus size centipede next to my home. The above ground store had been destroyed. It's walls reduced to rubble and the concrete was being sprayed about like toy blocks.
The ape roared at the centipede which hissed angrily back at him. The two creatures could give a tank a run for its money size wise. But they weren't my main concern. My family was. I could smell the honey like sent in the air and knew that it must've drawn the beasts here. And if that was the case I needed to deal with this fast.
I bolted around the battle till I came to a hole in the floor where I usually snuck in. The beasts paid no mind to me as I wasn't a threat. Let alone a snack for creatures like them. I threw my sack in before squeezing through. And I found why it smelled so heavenly outside.
Holes in the ceiling had opened up letting light in.
The pot the cicada was in was smashed to pieces and the thing was laying on the floor squished by rubble that fell from the ceiling. I looked around for my family in the midst of the dilapidated room and found a sight I never wanted to see again.
I was horrified. A pile of rubble had buried the bead crushing it under its massive weight. And out of that rubble I saw two grey tails sticking out. Unmoving. Blood seeming to come out from beneath them.
I felt a pain in my chest as Disbelief hit me. (Mom. Bro. Can you hear me?) I squeaked as I patted their fluffy tails but got no response. (They're dead) a whisper went through my thoughts as tears welled in my eyes. Cold sadness filled me as I knelt on the ground awkwardly. I felt like a hole should open up and take me too. That feeling lasted till another rumble shook the bunker taking me from my thoughts.
As I felt the rumbles and heard the roars I felt a burning anger take hold. The commotion outside caused dust to rain down on my loved ones grave.
I almost went out to scream at them. But a cold realization came. (What could I do to those monsters? I'm a god damned squirrel. What could I possibly do?) I thought as my rage and feebleness made me grit my teeth.
And suddenly the sweet scent came through.
I turned my eyes to the cicada and the fruits it gave off. And an idea cracked through my rage as a maniacal laugh came out. "Kekekekekeke."
I approached the cicada which was still half my size and began to rip it apart and eat it.
(If they came for you. Then I will take what they want and fuck them over.) I growled as I crunched on the things head. I was a third of the way through when my stomache told me it was full. But I kept eating. Something hard crunched when I got to the things center. Like a rock or something. But my teeth broke it and I swallowed it.
My stomache was howling at me to stop by the time I reached the roots. But by then the scent was leaving and my eyes watered at the pain I felt before I passed out.
🐿️🐿️🐿️
I don't know how long it was. Between my body spasming and the pain in my stomache. I would wake up to pass out again. Over and over it went on. I felt like fire burned through my body.
My veins felt like fire courses through them as my muscles felt like they tore apart. My skin itched like a sunburn but I didn't have the strength to scratch it. My head felt cold as sweat poured off my body.
I felt my bones rotating or breaking. (The only thing I could think would cause this is the cicada. That thing was truly not meant to be eaten by a squirrel of my caliber.) I thought as my mind began hallucinating my life before. My aunt and uncle beating me. Icy water being poured on me. It was hell.
The pain soon began to fade as I gained consciousness for the last time. I felt my mind clearing as the foggy hallucinations disappeared. I was still exhausted and didn't have energy to move but at least the pain was gone.
I let out a sigh before passing out into blessed sleep. Some time later I felt my stomache growl waking me from my sleep. I now realized I probably hadn't been able to eat in days.
I looked forward and saw the cicada fruits laying on the ground before me. But the smell of honey was enough to make me want to vomit. But I slowly dragged myself to them before slowly muscling them down my throat.
The tingling sensation wasn't happening anymore. But the taste I was definitely sick of. I still felt hungry and found my bag in the corner and pulled out a few of the fruits and small dead bugs to eat.
I finally heaved a sigh of relief when I looked around the place. Of course the sight of my family hurt more than I could possibly say. But the monsters were gone. There was no more thumping and banging. No more roaring and screeching. Just silence.
I felt a burning sensation in my eyes as I thought about my misfortune. "Why me?" I groaned as I leaned forward. "Why am I always stuck with the short end of the stick? Why!?!" I said as I slammed a fur covered fist against the ground.
My paw-fist hurt. But I didn't care. I lost too much to care. I went to stand but my body felt exhausted. I groaned as I dragged my body over to my family's grave to lay beside it. The smell of iron and blood seemed to have mixed with the dirt and dust making it easier to bare.
I let out a depressed sigh as I laid a hand on mother's large grey tail and fell asleep again.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone