04-09-2020, 06:44 PM
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No crying like this had ever fell upon his young ears. It scared him, shook him down to the very marrow of his bones until his ribcage tightened inward on itself, squeezing lungs as so all he could manage out were choppy and frantic breaths. A single scream flipped his day on its back, all normalities waggling legs helplessly in the air like an upside-down turtle. Mom and Dad weren't there, there was nobody but his siblings once scattered about the household with noses buried in miscellaneous hobbies.
When Simon startled from his crayon scribblings of sunsets and islands, two brothers abandoned their pastime to dash out the door. "Wait--" he called, stopped by the distance already putting his meek voice outside earshot. Tufted ears pinned to his skull; a panicked glance scanned the now-lonely room, his paws tingling as his heart quickened. Atticus and Ivan could be headed straight for danger, but to follow would leave Alice and Winston exposed and vulnerable. Dad could save them, right? Or even Mom... but they weren't coming for any sort of rescue. Shaggy fur standing on end, the boy took a shuddering breath before oversized paws stumbled out the front door after his elder brothers.
"Wait! Hold on!" sounded the breathless pleading as the tabby kitten forced numbed paws to speed up, thudding and crunching dully against the forest, "You don't know what's out there!" Several times he tripped over curving root or upright stone, gracelessly catching himself before his sprint could halt facefirst. A creeping sense of familiarity chased after him, soon keeping in time with his pace like a predator flanking prey. He skidded to a stop, his head turned to face it and green eyes flitting from nothing to even more nothing.
Yet momentum did not halt with his feet and the ever-late brother collided into the toppled body of Ivan, sprawled on his side and dazed. Twitchily, he staggered to stand, head drooping as though he couldn't support it fully. His wandering gaze found the fright responsible for such chaos, a shiver rolling through his scrawny frame. A real live beast, snake-like and all-seeing, filling the sky and swallowing all light only to reflect it back at him through glinting scales. The familiarity seized him once more and all he could do was blankly stare, muscles tensing mindlessly as pupils stretched and as heat rose to his features. What bad timing for one of his "seashores".
When Simon startled from his crayon scribblings of sunsets and islands, two brothers abandoned their pastime to dash out the door. "Wait--" he called, stopped by the distance already putting his meek voice outside earshot. Tufted ears pinned to his skull; a panicked glance scanned the now-lonely room, his paws tingling as his heart quickened. Atticus and Ivan could be headed straight for danger, but to follow would leave Alice and Winston exposed and vulnerable. Dad could save them, right? Or even Mom... but they weren't coming for any sort of rescue. Shaggy fur standing on end, the boy took a shuddering breath before oversized paws stumbled out the front door after his elder brothers.
"Wait! Hold on!" sounded the breathless pleading as the tabby kitten forced numbed paws to speed up, thudding and crunching dully against the forest, "You don't know what's out there!" Several times he tripped over curving root or upright stone, gracelessly catching himself before his sprint could halt facefirst. A creeping sense of familiarity chased after him, soon keeping in time with his pace like a predator flanking prey. He skidded to a stop, his head turned to face it and green eyes flitting from nothing to even more nothing.
Yet momentum did not halt with his feet and the ever-late brother collided into the toppled body of Ivan, sprawled on his side and dazed. Twitchily, he staggered to stand, head drooping as though he couldn't support it fully. His wandering gaze found the fright responsible for such chaos, a shiver rolling through his scrawny frame. A real live beast, snake-like and all-seeing, filling the sky and swallowing all light only to reflect it back at him through glinting scales. The familiarity seized him once more and all he could do was blankly stare, muscles tensing mindlessly as pupils stretched and as heat rose to his features. What bad timing for one of his "seashores".