- Location
- Canada
[X]You learn to walk on your own two feet.
A World of Violence. (Original/Mixed-Crossover.)
- Thread starter TripleMRed
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
(Merry Christmas, you aesthetically pleasing individuals of questionable parentage! Hope everyone's having a good time this year with family and friends. Update's will be coming as soon as I can get to making them. Until then, have fun and stay safe this holiday season!)
Going for a walk.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
On your own two feet.
Learning to walk wasn't all that hard. Heck, you learned not long after being 'born', as Mom called what happened: Just move your limps to propel you in the direction you wanted. The hard part was having to keep yourself up against your own weight pulling you down, but that was eventually nothing to worry about as you got used to it.
However, you'd been walking on all four of your limbs. Not on just two, like the 'adults' you've seen. It's been a while since you were born, a full '12 months' as Mom put it. In that time, you've learned to understand more words, started playing with other neighborhood 'babies' like you, and getting out more in general. Now, however, you've decided it was high time you started walking like the grown ups! You've been doing some practicing when you could think to do it, but now it was time to do it for real!
---------------------------
Your brows furrow as you take a step forward. You're on your two feet, but you're not walking unassisted: The 'furniture' you've been climbing on when you could get away with was currently serving as the means by which you prop yourself up with your arms. It's difficult, as you've gotten bigger and heavier as time passed, meaning you'd have to keep yourself upright on only two feet with your increased weight.
You take another step forward. Your leg shakes for a moment but ultimately holds. Regardless of how hard it is, you've known for a little while that you would have to learn how to walk unassisted at some point. You decided that today would be the day you manage to do it.
Yet another step. Your leg shakes and ends up folding. You let out a grunt of annoyance at this as you try to lift yourself up onto two feet again, but find the whole thing incredibly difficult to do.
"'ere ya go, lassy." A familiar voice says from above you. Before you can look up, you feel a pair of hands pick you up by the arms and lift you upright. Once you're upright again, you look up to see good old Granddad smiling down at you. "Your pop did th' same thing when he was a wee bugger." The old man said with a chuckle. "Go on then, keep at it. I'll be here ta' pick ya up." He said encouragingly.
You give a huff of appreciation before you return to your attempts. You take a step forward. Your leg shakes violently again, but this time you manage to make it hold. Sasha peeks around the corner of the couch to stare at you. You grin as you now have a more tangible target of focus. You steadily increase your pace, slowly prying yourself away from the furniture you'd been using as a prop. You were moving on only two feet now. It was awkward, and hard, and Granddad had to pick you up when you fell a couple of times, but you eventually made it over to Sasha. The puppy, now about as half as big as you're current size, had long since gotten used to your style of play and didn't flinch as you gave her a boop to the snoot.
"Ha! Good work, lassy!" Granddad stated with pride. "Oh, jus' wait until yur mum and dad come back from work, will we have a surprise to show them, eh?" You smile widely as you look up to Granddad, putting your arms on your hips like Mom does when she gets annoyed....Why is the world moving like tha-Oh, you've fallen onto your back. This earns you a bout of laughter from Granddad and Sasha coming over to lick your pouting face. You're still going to need to get the hand of balancing on two feet....
--------------------
As time went on, you:
[]Play with your friends, Flint and Rhody.
[]Go on a trip with mom through the park.
[]You make friends with some neighborhood animals.
[]Write in.
Learning to walk wasn't all that hard. Heck, you learned not long after being 'born', as Mom called what happened: Just move your limps to propel you in the direction you wanted. The hard part was having to keep yourself up against your own weight pulling you down, but that was eventually nothing to worry about as you got used to it.
However, you'd been walking on all four of your limbs. Not on just two, like the 'adults' you've seen. It's been a while since you were born, a full '12 months' as Mom put it. In that time, you've learned to understand more words, started playing with other neighborhood 'babies' like you, and getting out more in general. Now, however, you've decided it was high time you started walking like the grown ups! You've been doing some practicing when you could think to do it, but now it was time to do it for real!
---------------------------
Your brows furrow as you take a step forward. You're on your two feet, but you're not walking unassisted: The 'furniture' you've been climbing on when you could get away with was currently serving as the means by which you prop yourself up with your arms. It's difficult, as you've gotten bigger and heavier as time passed, meaning you'd have to keep yourself upright on only two feet with your increased weight.
You take another step forward. Your leg shakes for a moment but ultimately holds. Regardless of how hard it is, you've known for a little while that you would have to learn how to walk unassisted at some point. You decided that today would be the day you manage to do it.
Yet another step. Your leg shakes and ends up folding. You let out a grunt of annoyance at this as you try to lift yourself up onto two feet again, but find the whole thing incredibly difficult to do.
"'ere ya go, lassy." A familiar voice says from above you. Before you can look up, you feel a pair of hands pick you up by the arms and lift you upright. Once you're upright again, you look up to see good old Granddad smiling down at you. "Your pop did th' same thing when he was a wee bugger." The old man said with a chuckle. "Go on then, keep at it. I'll be here ta' pick ya up." He said encouragingly.
You give a huff of appreciation before you return to your attempts. You take a step forward. Your leg shakes violently again, but this time you manage to make it hold. Sasha peeks around the corner of the couch to stare at you. You grin as you now have a more tangible target of focus. You steadily increase your pace, slowly prying yourself away from the furniture you'd been using as a prop. You were moving on only two feet now. It was awkward, and hard, and Granddad had to pick you up when you fell a couple of times, but you eventually made it over to Sasha. The puppy, now about as half as big as you're current size, had long since gotten used to your style of play and didn't flinch as you gave her a boop to the snoot.
"Ha! Good work, lassy!" Granddad stated with pride. "Oh, jus' wait until yur mum and dad come back from work, will we have a surprise to show them, eh?" You smile widely as you look up to Granddad, putting your arms on your hips like Mom does when she gets annoyed....Why is the world moving like tha-Oh, you've fallen onto your back. This earns you a bout of laughter from Granddad and Sasha coming over to lick your pouting face. You're still going to need to get the hand of balancing on two feet....
--------------------
As time went on, you:
[]Play with your friends, Flint and Rhody.
[]Go on a trip with mom through the park.
[]You make friends with some neighborhood animals.
[]Write in.
Last edited:
A Nutty Game.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
Squirrel Pals!
Over the course of your life, you've made friends. Flint and Rhody, for example, as well as some others in the neighborhood. One particularly special friendship you've made, however, was with some of the neighborhood animals. From the singing song birds to the scampering squirrels, you've found yourself having an understanding with the critters around your home.
----------------------
You stare unblinkingly at your opponent. The Grey-Back Squirrel stared right back, it's dark eyes also unblinking and its little nose twitching. You scowl at it. It twitches its tail. You bare your teeth. It rubs its two front paws together. Finally, it moves. Your arm shoots out, your hand trying to catch it, but the attempt fails. The squirrel deftly evades your attempt to grab it as it snatches the nut you had set between the two of you and it returned to its home in the hedge. You pout as you hear the chittering of several squirrels as they saw the whole thing play out. You lost.
You huff as you take out another nut from a little carrying bag beside you and place it in the same spot as the last nut. New round! Another squirrel comes out of the hedge and gets into position. Your father chuckles as he watched the events play out from closer to the house. Granddad was there too, but he was busy reclining on a 'hammock' on the other side of the yard.
"This is the 20th time, honey. Don't you think it's time to give up?" He asked. You don't look at him as you glower at the squirrel before you and give him a gruff huff of dismissal. You just know he's got a cheeky grin plastered onto his face. But you'll show him! Him and the squirrels! You'll show them all!
The Squirrel moved. You tried to grab it, realizing too late it was a feint and ended up closing your fist in front of the squirrel. The small animal hopped over your small fist and grabbed the nut. You tried to grab it with your other hand, but it's no use and you end up with your face in the dirt for your troubles. Dangnabit! [That's a funny word you hear Granddad shout when something he doesn't like happens, but you're pretty sure he wants to say something else but Mom doesn't let him say it.] That's what you get for sitting on your knees and putting too much momentum into your grabs.
Dad chuckles at your expense. You spit out the dirt that got in your mouth [It tastes awful, like it's a thing meant to be walked on and not eaten. Which it pretty much is.] and let out a frustrated huff. You reach into the bag to get another nut but find nothing within. You blink and your head whips to stare at the bag. You pick it up with both hands and stare into the 'plastic' bag. Empty. You blink several more times as you hear the collective of squirrels chittering mirthfully in the hedge. You huff as you stand up and dust off your pants before turning around and marching over to Dad.
"Give up?" Dad asks, a grin stretched across his face. You glare up at him before handing him the bag.
"M-...More." You demand seriously. You'll be darned if you're going to give up so easily! ['Darned'. Another funny word you hear Granddad say a lot!] Dad, for his part, chuckles yet again as he takes the bag from your grasp.
"Okay, honey, but this'll be the last bag-full." Dad says. You nod in understanding. That's fine. One more bag full is all you need, you know you'll get it right with the next nut! Dad goes back inside the house, leaving Granddad to look after you.
"Oy, lassy, looks like one a yur friends 's behind ya." The older male states. You frown quizzically before glancing behind you. You see a squirrel standing right behind you, holding a nut towards you. You look back at Granddad for a split second before you head snaps back to look at the squirrel. Who's standing right behind you. Offering a nut. You blink, ignoring Granddad's laughter, before you turn yourself all the way around and get on your knees. While you were still surprised the little guy had left the safety of the hedge to come all the way to you, you decided to play along. You take the partially chewed nut and place it between you and the squirrel.
The squirrel rushes forward not a second later, causing you to fumble in an attempt to catch it. You fail, of course, but you don't let it get you down. Dad will be back any second now with more nuts so you can continue the game. The squirrel, nut back in its paws, stares at you, its head quirked at an angle. You huff as you motion for it to go back to the hedge and wait for you to go over to it. It blinks and bobs its tail before turning around and scampering towards the hedge.
"Funny lil' bugger, comin' out in broad daylight like tha'-" Granddad begins when you see something enter your field of vision from above. Everything seems to slow down as you watch a Razorback Hawk fly from on down and land on the squirrel you had just played a game with, kicking a small cloud of dust up as impacted the squirrel with incredible force, enough to actually leave a small crater in the ground. You've seen things like this happen before. But never up close. Never in your yard. Never to one of your squirrels. You-
[]Stare wide eyed in shock as you watch the thing fly away.
[]Cry for help.
[]Go over and protect the other squirrels in the hedge.
[]Rush over and grab the stupid hawk before you;
-Squeeze it's dumb neck.
-Hit it's stupid face.
-Squeeze its dumb wings.
-Write in.
[]Write in.
Over the course of your life, you've made friends. Flint and Rhody, for example, as well as some others in the neighborhood. One particularly special friendship you've made, however, was with some of the neighborhood animals. From the singing song birds to the scampering squirrels, you've found yourself having an understanding with the critters around your home.
----------------------
You stare unblinkingly at your opponent. The Grey-Back Squirrel stared right back, it's dark eyes also unblinking and its little nose twitching. You scowl at it. It twitches its tail. You bare your teeth. It rubs its two front paws together. Finally, it moves. Your arm shoots out, your hand trying to catch it, but the attempt fails. The squirrel deftly evades your attempt to grab it as it snatches the nut you had set between the two of you and it returned to its home in the hedge. You pout as you hear the chittering of several squirrels as they saw the whole thing play out. You lost.
You huff as you take out another nut from a little carrying bag beside you and place it in the same spot as the last nut. New round! Another squirrel comes out of the hedge and gets into position. Your father chuckles as he watched the events play out from closer to the house. Granddad was there too, but he was busy reclining on a 'hammock' on the other side of the yard.
"This is the 20th time, honey. Don't you think it's time to give up?" He asked. You don't look at him as you glower at the squirrel before you and give him a gruff huff of dismissal. You just know he's got a cheeky grin plastered onto his face. But you'll show him! Him and the squirrels! You'll show them all!
The Squirrel moved. You tried to grab it, realizing too late it was a feint and ended up closing your fist in front of the squirrel. The small animal hopped over your small fist and grabbed the nut. You tried to grab it with your other hand, but it's no use and you end up with your face in the dirt for your troubles. Dangnabit! [That's a funny word you hear Granddad shout when something he doesn't like happens, but you're pretty sure he wants to say something else but Mom doesn't let him say it.] That's what you get for sitting on your knees and putting too much momentum into your grabs.
Dad chuckles at your expense. You spit out the dirt that got in your mouth [It tastes awful, like it's a thing meant to be walked on and not eaten. Which it pretty much is.] and let out a frustrated huff. You reach into the bag to get another nut but find nothing within. You blink and your head whips to stare at the bag. You pick it up with both hands and stare into the 'plastic' bag. Empty. You blink several more times as you hear the collective of squirrels chittering mirthfully in the hedge. You huff as you stand up and dust off your pants before turning around and marching over to Dad.
"Give up?" Dad asks, a grin stretched across his face. You glare up at him before handing him the bag.
"M-...More." You demand seriously. You'll be darned if you're going to give up so easily! ['Darned'. Another funny word you hear Granddad say a lot!] Dad, for his part, chuckles yet again as he takes the bag from your grasp.
"Okay, honey, but this'll be the last bag-full." Dad says. You nod in understanding. That's fine. One more bag full is all you need, you know you'll get it right with the next nut! Dad goes back inside the house, leaving Granddad to look after you.
"Oy, lassy, looks like one a yur friends 's behind ya." The older male states. You frown quizzically before glancing behind you. You see a squirrel standing right behind you, holding a nut towards you. You look back at Granddad for a split second before you head snaps back to look at the squirrel. Who's standing right behind you. Offering a nut. You blink, ignoring Granddad's laughter, before you turn yourself all the way around and get on your knees. While you were still surprised the little guy had left the safety of the hedge to come all the way to you, you decided to play along. You take the partially chewed nut and place it between you and the squirrel.
The squirrel rushes forward not a second later, causing you to fumble in an attempt to catch it. You fail, of course, but you don't let it get you down. Dad will be back any second now with more nuts so you can continue the game. The squirrel, nut back in its paws, stares at you, its head quirked at an angle. You huff as you motion for it to go back to the hedge and wait for you to go over to it. It blinks and bobs its tail before turning around and scampering towards the hedge.
"Funny lil' bugger, comin' out in broad daylight like tha'-" Granddad begins when you see something enter your field of vision from above. Everything seems to slow down as you watch a Razorback Hawk fly from on down and land on the squirrel you had just played a game with, kicking a small cloud of dust up as impacted the squirrel with incredible force, enough to actually leave a small crater in the ground. You've seen things like this happen before. But never up close. Never in your yard. Never to one of your squirrels. You-
[]Stare wide eyed in shock as you watch the thing fly away.
[]Cry for help.
[]Go over and protect the other squirrels in the hedge.
[]Rush over and grab the stupid hawk before you;
-Squeeze it's dumb neck.
-Hit it's stupid face.
-Squeeze its dumb wings.
-Write in.
[]Write in.
Neck Pains.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
Don't mess with the squirrels.
Something inside you forces you to move. You can hear Granddad yelling something at you, but you don't pay attention as you cover the distance between yourself and the hawk in a flash. The next thing you know, your hands are wrapped around the animal's neck, squeezing it tight. Stupid, stupid hawk, thinking it can take away your squirrel friends! You'll teach it a lesson it'll never forget!
The animal's eyes are wide and its large wings are flapping uselessly. You hear Granddad and Dad talking to you, but you don't listen as you continue to strangle the hawk. 'Just a little longer,' you think, 'That'll teach this stupid hawk!' You feel one of the adults grab you and try to lift you up, but that just causes you to squeeze the hawk harder. Your feel something crumble beneath your fingers and hear a crunch. The next thing you know, the hawk has stopped moving and it's head is hanging weirdly. You blink.
"Tabitha, drop it now!" You hear Dad order frantically. You blink again and your hands open up, letting the hawk drop to the ground. You stare, wide-eyed as it lay there, twitching on occasion, its head hanging awkwardly at an angle that was just wrong to look at. You actually started to feel a little sick as the weight of what happened began to dawn on you. "Dad, what happened!?"
"She was playin' with a squirrel when the bird came down on it. Next thing I know, the lil' lass is stranglin' the thing." Granddad explained.
"Oh Tabitha." Dad sighed. You don't react to him. You just keep staring at the dead bird on the ground. You can see the squirrels tail poking out from under its crumbled legs, unmoving itself. "Come on, let's go inside." Dad stated.
"Hey, everything alright?" The neighbor next door asked, concern obvious in their voice.
"It's alright, Tabby just got rough with Razorback Hawk." Granddad explained. The neighbor looked over the bushes separating the and winced.
"Yeesh, that's the second time this year. Kids and hawks don't mix." They noted.
"Come on, Tabitha." Dad uttered, with a low sigh. "Let's go inside." As he carries you away in his arms, you watch as the squirrels from the bushes began to come out of their hiding spots and began to drag the hawk's corpse away.
----------------------------
When Mom got home from 'work' that day, she learned about what happened. Dad had a sit down with you to try and explain that sometimes, nature took the lives of the creatures that lived near them suddenly and that it was for the best that one let it play out. Mom, however, was a bit different.
----------------------------
"So, honey." Mom began as she sat down next to you. You were seated in your bed, feeling....conflicted on the inside. "I heard about what happened." She paused as she looked you over and brushed some of your hair off of your face. "....What do you think about the whole thing?" She asked calmly, trying to see where you were mentally.
[]It's no fair. The squirrel was my friend, and now he's....
[]I don't feel good. I don't wanna talk about it...
[]Am I bad? I....broke the hawk....
[]Write in.
Something inside you forces you to move. You can hear Granddad yelling something at you, but you don't pay attention as you cover the distance between yourself and the hawk in a flash. The next thing you know, your hands are wrapped around the animal's neck, squeezing it tight. Stupid, stupid hawk, thinking it can take away your squirrel friends! You'll teach it a lesson it'll never forget!
The animal's eyes are wide and its large wings are flapping uselessly. You hear Granddad and Dad talking to you, but you don't listen as you continue to strangle the hawk. 'Just a little longer,' you think, 'That'll teach this stupid hawk!' You feel one of the adults grab you and try to lift you up, but that just causes you to squeeze the hawk harder. Your feel something crumble beneath your fingers and hear a crunch. The next thing you know, the hawk has stopped moving and it's head is hanging weirdly. You blink.
"Tabitha, drop it now!" You hear Dad order frantically. You blink again and your hands open up, letting the hawk drop to the ground. You stare, wide-eyed as it lay there, twitching on occasion, its head hanging awkwardly at an angle that was just wrong to look at. You actually started to feel a little sick as the weight of what happened began to dawn on you. "Dad, what happened!?"
"She was playin' with a squirrel when the bird came down on it. Next thing I know, the lil' lass is stranglin' the thing." Granddad explained.
"Oh Tabitha." Dad sighed. You don't react to him. You just keep staring at the dead bird on the ground. You can see the squirrels tail poking out from under its crumbled legs, unmoving itself. "Come on, let's go inside." Dad stated.
"Hey, everything alright?" The neighbor next door asked, concern obvious in their voice.
"It's alright, Tabby just got rough with Razorback Hawk." Granddad explained. The neighbor looked over the bushes separating the and winced.
"Yeesh, that's the second time this year. Kids and hawks don't mix." They noted.
"Come on, Tabitha." Dad uttered, with a low sigh. "Let's go inside." As he carries you away in his arms, you watch as the squirrels from the bushes began to come out of their hiding spots and began to drag the hawk's corpse away.
----------------------------
When Mom got home from 'work' that day, she learned about what happened. Dad had a sit down with you to try and explain that sometimes, nature took the lives of the creatures that lived near them suddenly and that it was for the best that one let it play out. Mom, however, was a bit different.
----------------------------
"So, honey." Mom began as she sat down next to you. You were seated in your bed, feeling....conflicted on the inside. "I heard about what happened." She paused as she looked you over and brushed some of your hair off of your face. "....What do you think about the whole thing?" She asked calmly, trying to see where you were mentally.
[]It's no fair. The squirrel was my friend, and now he's....
[]I don't feel good. I don't wanna talk about it...
[]Am I bad? I....broke the hawk....
[]Write in.
- Location
- Canada
[X]It's no fair. The squirrel was my friend, and now he's....
Life Isn't Fair.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
A talk about fairness.
"I-t's no fair. The s-squirrel was my friend, and now he's...." You start but can't find it in yourself to finish. Mom sighs as she wraps an arm around you.
"Tabby, dear, this is a lesson that everyone has to learn and that every parent hates for their kids to learn, even when they know they have to: Life isn't fair." Mom says with a surprising amount of bluntness. You look up to her. You've seen your mother's face every day since you were born last year, and never before have you seen her look so....tired. "The world we live in....it's not fair. Outside of those big walls is a horrible, horrible place-" She stopped and took a calming breath.
"....Momma?" You ask, concerned.
"....Life isn't fair, Tabitha." Your mother stated, starting over from the top. "Everything needs to eat. Us, dogs, squirrels, hawks, everything. So, the squirrels eat nuts and berries and sometimes meat if they can get some, while the hawks eat the squirrels. Then, when the hawk dies, it's eaten by smaller creatures and the remains are eaten by the plants. It's sort of a cycle. Everything needs everything else to live." You can tell from her expression that things aren't as simple as that, but you keep listening for a little bit longer. "So it isn't fair: The Squirrels can live on fruits and plants while the hawks need to eat the squirrels."
"But I don't want them to eat my squirrels." You proclaim. Your mother chuckles.
"Oh, my sweet lil' Tabby, I know. And that's alright. Nobody wants the things they like to die. But the hawk still needs to eat, and the squirrels are its food source. Plus, we can't let the squirrels population get too big," You jerk back a little as you stare at your mother in confusion. "If there are too many squirrels, they'd become pests and we'd stop ignoring them and start killin' 'em ourselves." You open your mouth to say something, but then you think about what your mother just said. Things need stuff to live. More things need more stuff. Too many things, plus not enough stuff, equaled...
"....Life isn't fair." Your grumble. Your mother sighs and brushes your hair a little.
"Not it isn't, dear. Not a bit. But that's why we made cities like this. So that we can make things fair, for ourselves at least." Mom explained. "It's not fair to lose a child because of wild animal attacks. It's not fair to lose friends to a fight for territory and resources. It's not fair to lose everything because the world itself strikes out against you. But in here, it's fair."
"For us." You repeat.
"Yes, dear, for us." Mom nodded.
"....But not for the squirrels." You grumble as you look down at the floor.
"I know it's hard to believe, dear, but it actually is." Your head shoots up to give your mom a bewildered look.
"B-but y-you just said life wasn't f-fair because the squirrels eat nuts and the hawks c-can't s-so they eat squirrels!" You say, pointing an accusatory finger at Mom. She chuckled.
"I did say that. But that's because life itself isn't fair. In here, however, things are far fairer than out there. Did you know that the squirrels and the hawks and all the other critters you see living in here around us are actually rather rare outside the cities?" You shake your head at your mother's question. "That's because out there, most die to other things. In fact, seeing a squirrel or a Razorback Hawk is rare because of how few of them make it to adulthood. About as rare as a rainbow around these parts."
"W-what's a rain-bow?" You ask, tilting your head curiously.
"Oh, it's this beautiful bridge of colors in the sky that happens when it rains. It doesn't rain very often where we live, so they're not very common." Mom says, a smile as she thinks about it. You try to imagine such a thing, but you can't really picture it right. "I'll show you some pictures when we're done here."
You sit and smile a little at that. "So, Tabby. From now on, when a hawk comes down after a squirrel, what are you gonna do?"
[]I'm gonna drive it off.
[]I'm gonna leave it alone.
[]Write in.
------------------------
Some time later, you:
[]Go to the park.
[]Are taken on a tour along with mom through something called a 'S'kool'.
[]Join your friends Flint and Rhody for a playdate while the grownups talk.
[]Your family takes you to a special event at a 'Cathedral'.
[]Write in.
"I-t's no fair. The s-squirrel was my friend, and now he's...." You start but can't find it in yourself to finish. Mom sighs as she wraps an arm around you.
"Tabby, dear, this is a lesson that everyone has to learn and that every parent hates for their kids to learn, even when they know they have to: Life isn't fair." Mom says with a surprising amount of bluntness. You look up to her. You've seen your mother's face every day since you were born last year, and never before have you seen her look so....tired. "The world we live in....it's not fair. Outside of those big walls is a horrible, horrible place-" She stopped and took a calming breath.
"....Momma?" You ask, concerned.
"....Life isn't fair, Tabitha." Your mother stated, starting over from the top. "Everything needs to eat. Us, dogs, squirrels, hawks, everything. So, the squirrels eat nuts and berries and sometimes meat if they can get some, while the hawks eat the squirrels. Then, when the hawk dies, it's eaten by smaller creatures and the remains are eaten by the plants. It's sort of a cycle. Everything needs everything else to live." You can tell from her expression that things aren't as simple as that, but you keep listening for a little bit longer. "So it isn't fair: The Squirrels can live on fruits and plants while the hawks need to eat the squirrels."
"But I don't want them to eat my squirrels." You proclaim. Your mother chuckles.
"Oh, my sweet lil' Tabby, I know. And that's alright. Nobody wants the things they like to die. But the hawk still needs to eat, and the squirrels are its food source. Plus, we can't let the squirrels population get too big," You jerk back a little as you stare at your mother in confusion. "If there are too many squirrels, they'd become pests and we'd stop ignoring them and start killin' 'em ourselves." You open your mouth to say something, but then you think about what your mother just said. Things need stuff to live. More things need more stuff. Too many things, plus not enough stuff, equaled...
"....Life isn't fair." Your grumble. Your mother sighs and brushes your hair a little.
"Not it isn't, dear. Not a bit. But that's why we made cities like this. So that we can make things fair, for ourselves at least." Mom explained. "It's not fair to lose a child because of wild animal attacks. It's not fair to lose friends to a fight for territory and resources. It's not fair to lose everything because the world itself strikes out against you. But in here, it's fair."
"For us." You repeat.
"Yes, dear, for us." Mom nodded.
"....But not for the squirrels." You grumble as you look down at the floor.
"I know it's hard to believe, dear, but it actually is." Your head shoots up to give your mom a bewildered look.
"B-but y-you just said life wasn't f-fair because the squirrels eat nuts and the hawks c-can't s-so they eat squirrels!" You say, pointing an accusatory finger at Mom. She chuckled.
"I did say that. But that's because life itself isn't fair. In here, however, things are far fairer than out there. Did you know that the squirrels and the hawks and all the other critters you see living in here around us are actually rather rare outside the cities?" You shake your head at your mother's question. "That's because out there, most die to other things. In fact, seeing a squirrel or a Razorback Hawk is rare because of how few of them make it to adulthood. About as rare as a rainbow around these parts."
"W-what's a rain-bow?" You ask, tilting your head curiously.
"Oh, it's this beautiful bridge of colors in the sky that happens when it rains. It doesn't rain very often where we live, so they're not very common." Mom says, a smile as she thinks about it. You try to imagine such a thing, but you can't really picture it right. "I'll show you some pictures when we're done here."
You sit and smile a little at that. "So, Tabby. From now on, when a hawk comes down after a squirrel, what are you gonna do?"
[]I'm gonna drive it off.
[]I'm gonna leave it alone.
[]Write in.
------------------------
Some time later, you:
[]Go to the park.
[]Are taken on a tour along with mom through something called a 'S'kool'.
[]Join your friends Flint and Rhody for a playdate while the grownups talk.
[]Your family takes you to a special event at a 'Cathedral'.
[]Write in.
Last edited:
Made it this long.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
You're-Still-Alive-Day!
"....I'm g-gonna drive it off." You say, you voice full of steely determination. Your mother doesn't say anything for a bit, even when she brushes your hair with her hand. You look up at her and see her face twisted up, like she couldn't decide whether to be proud or sad. "Momma? Are you o-okay?" You ask with concern.
"Oh, I'm fine dear." Your mother says with a slight snicker. "Just.....Just fine." You don't believe her, but you don't say anything more.
-------------
It's been 14 months since you were born and today was a special day. Your family had gotten all dressed up, you included, to go to some place called a 'Cathedral'. When you get there, somewhere inbetween your home and the Wall, you see a large building of stone and wood. Painted in a coat of warm colors, like your home, there were a number of statues lining its walls and courtyard. It kind of reminded you of 'church' that you went to with your family every Faraday.
Stone impersonations of people, both normal and hooded figures with large, bird like wings. 'Angels', you had heard people call them, beings that worked for someone called 'God' who guided and guarded the 'souls' of good people into a peaceful place. At least, that's the best of what you manage to understand. You can tell it was pretty complicated stuff your parents had to tone down to properly explain to you.
When you got inside, you saw rows of long, wooden seats facing the other side of a large room inbetween numerous pillars that help up the room, the sides of which were covered with colorful glass windows and large hanging fabrics that were made with loving detail and care. Seeing a massive sun with four wobbly arms on its cardinal points, making a sort of 'sun cross', embedded into the opposite wall suddenly gave you flashbacks. You've been here before, way back when you first left the 'hospital'. You were mostly sleeping back then, waking up just long enough to see that same symbol before falling back asleep.
Soon, you family found themselves getting seated near the front where you saw your friends and their family seated as well. Several rows behind you filled as well by people from the neighborhood as well as some strangers.
"Momma, what's everyone here for?" You ask. "It's not Faraday." Right? You're pretty sure today was Morchtday, the third day of the week.
"Well, honey, you an' a lot of other kids are 14 months old now." You hear Granddad whisper to you. "That means, we're having a little ceremony an' celebration."
"Okay, but why?" You ask, intrigued.
"Because, you're 14 months old." Dad states simply, like that explains everything. You blink before deciding to shrug. Oh well, adults were weird sometimes.
-----
After a normal 'Mass', or at least similar to the ones at the 'church' you and your family goes to, the 'Priest', or in this case 'Bishop',[Boy, that's a lot of funny words.] began to talk about the importance of this whole event. Something about the importance of children and how they are the future, how every one that lives as many months as there are 'Commandments' have survived the deadliest time for them and how their chances of living into adulthood were now much greater. Honestly, you weren't paying much attention.
After the 'Mass' had ended, where the 'Prie-', er, 'Bishop', told these really neat stories from long ago plus stuff about being a good person and 'God', you began looking around and just taking in the sights of the 'cathedral'. While the inside of your church was neat in its own way, reminding you of a fancier version of your home in a way, this cathedral looked like if someone took your church, made it big enough for hundreds of people to fit inside and made it as tall as a tree in those picture books you like to read.
You especially soaked in the detailed colored glass, how each one told a story in their own way. One showed a big Oros man talking to other people outside of his village. 'Ambar' was his name and he apparently is the 'Prophet' to have spread the word of God around, though he wasn't the first to hear it. Something about the First Prophet only giving the word to his neighboring tribes but Ambar was the one to spread it further than that.
Then there was 'Shimshon', Ambar's friend and guard and the first 'Pontiff' of the 'Church'. Which apparently was ironic, given he was really independent and a loner before he met Ambar, which was ironic in its own way given he was a normal sized guy and not a big guy like Ambar. His colored glass showed how he earned the respect of the wild Shinook of his homeland by beating them up, the image showing him frozen in time, his right fist clenched and pulled back as he used his left hand to hold an angered Shinook stallion in place.
Aside from Shimshon, the other painted glass windows were of the other 'Prophets' of the 'Faith' that came after Ambar to further guide the Oros. 'Benet', who used his revelations to make the now long-gone True Golems that once helped protect the Oros; 'Tarren', who founded the first convent of Nuns and who made the first Orphanage of the Church; and 'Rosa', who called the first, and so far only holy war, to lead the Oros people out of the oppression of tyrants, to name a few.
You recalled each story you were told as you scrutinized each image, though you're eventually taken out of it when Mom takes you by the hand and leads you out of the pew towards the 'Altar' at the front. The Bishop, an older Oros who was missing a large portion of his right ear, lifted up his ceremonial mask to clearly look at the assembled children before him. A scar ran down his face, the eye which it passed through having a white iris when his healthy eye was green. He smiled gently before nodding in approval.
"And so stand before us the future of our people and, with some hope, those who will continue our traditions and faith should their elders fall." The Bishop stated loud and clear, his voice strong despite the ravages on his body which he has endured. Taking a container of some kind from one of the Altar Server assisting him.
You spare a glance to Flint and Rhody, the pair looking to you too as you give them a little wave. They wave back before returning their attention to the proceedings before you. You turn your attention back just in time to be flecked with 'Holy Water'. You always like that part at the end of normal mass. Like being out in the rain or something.
"May you all live long, prosperous lives, and may you find a place within Heaven's Gates when you meet your end." The Bishop spoke in a slightly gentler tone as he spoke these words to the assembled children. As he finished using the water-throwing-wand-thingy to spray Holy Water on the assembled kids, the rest of the people within the cathedral clapped, with some even cheering. "So ends this month's Blessing of the 14th. There is a celebratory feast awaiting within the assembly hall, have a safe journey back home when you all leave."
Your ears perk up at that. 'Feast'? You know that word. That's the word Mom and Dad used to describe the time to eat during Ambarnalia, which involves lots of food.
"Oh boy, he said the 'F' word." You hear Granddad chuckle as your family heads away from the Altar.
---------------
[]Go to the park.
[]Are taken on a tour along with mom through something called a 'S'kool'.
[]Join your friends Flint and Rhody for a playdate while the grownups talk.
[]Write in.
(Sorry for the long wait, folks!)
"....I'm g-gonna drive it off." You say, you voice full of steely determination. Your mother doesn't say anything for a bit, even when she brushes your hair with her hand. You look up at her and see her face twisted up, like she couldn't decide whether to be proud or sad. "Momma? Are you o-okay?" You ask with concern.
"Oh, I'm fine dear." Your mother says with a slight snicker. "Just.....Just fine." You don't believe her, but you don't say anything more.
-------------
It's been 14 months since you were born and today was a special day. Your family had gotten all dressed up, you included, to go to some place called a 'Cathedral'. When you get there, somewhere inbetween your home and the Wall, you see a large building of stone and wood. Painted in a coat of warm colors, like your home, there were a number of statues lining its walls and courtyard. It kind of reminded you of 'church' that you went to with your family every Faraday.
Stone impersonations of people, both normal and hooded figures with large, bird like wings. 'Angels', you had heard people call them, beings that worked for someone called 'God' who guided and guarded the 'souls' of good people into a peaceful place. At least, that's the best of what you manage to understand. You can tell it was pretty complicated stuff your parents had to tone down to properly explain to you.
When you got inside, you saw rows of long, wooden seats facing the other side of a large room inbetween numerous pillars that help up the room, the sides of which were covered with colorful glass windows and large hanging fabrics that were made with loving detail and care. Seeing a massive sun with four wobbly arms on its cardinal points, making a sort of 'sun cross', embedded into the opposite wall suddenly gave you flashbacks. You've been here before, way back when you first left the 'hospital'. You were mostly sleeping back then, waking up just long enough to see that same symbol before falling back asleep.
Soon, you family found themselves getting seated near the front where you saw your friends and their family seated as well. Several rows behind you filled as well by people from the neighborhood as well as some strangers.
"Momma, what's everyone here for?" You ask. "It's not Faraday." Right? You're pretty sure today was Morchtday, the third day of the week.
"Well, honey, you an' a lot of other kids are 14 months old now." You hear Granddad whisper to you. "That means, we're having a little ceremony an' celebration."
"Okay, but why?" You ask, intrigued.
"Because, you're 14 months old." Dad states simply, like that explains everything. You blink before deciding to shrug. Oh well, adults were weird sometimes.
-----
After a normal 'Mass', or at least similar to the ones at the 'church' you and your family goes to, the 'Priest', or in this case 'Bishop',[Boy, that's a lot of funny words.] began to talk about the importance of this whole event. Something about the importance of children and how they are the future, how every one that lives as many months as there are 'Commandments' have survived the deadliest time for them and how their chances of living into adulthood were now much greater. Honestly, you weren't paying much attention.
After the 'Mass' had ended, where the 'Prie-', er, 'Bishop', told these really neat stories from long ago plus stuff about being a good person and 'God', you began looking around and just taking in the sights of the 'cathedral'. While the inside of your church was neat in its own way, reminding you of a fancier version of your home in a way, this cathedral looked like if someone took your church, made it big enough for hundreds of people to fit inside and made it as tall as a tree in those picture books you like to read.
You especially soaked in the detailed colored glass, how each one told a story in their own way. One showed a big Oros man talking to other people outside of his village. 'Ambar' was his name and he apparently is the 'Prophet' to have spread the word of God around, though he wasn't the first to hear it. Something about the First Prophet only giving the word to his neighboring tribes but Ambar was the one to spread it further than that.
Then there was 'Shimshon', Ambar's friend and guard and the first 'Pontiff' of the 'Church'. Which apparently was ironic, given he was really independent and a loner before he met Ambar, which was ironic in its own way given he was a normal sized guy and not a big guy like Ambar. His colored glass showed how he earned the respect of the wild Shinook of his homeland by beating them up, the image showing him frozen in time, his right fist clenched and pulled back as he used his left hand to hold an angered Shinook stallion in place.
Aside from Shimshon, the other painted glass windows were of the other 'Prophets' of the 'Faith' that came after Ambar to further guide the Oros. 'Benet', who used his revelations to make the now long-gone True Golems that once helped protect the Oros; 'Tarren', who founded the first convent of Nuns and who made the first Orphanage of the Church; and 'Rosa', who called the first, and so far only holy war, to lead the Oros people out of the oppression of tyrants, to name a few.
You recalled each story you were told as you scrutinized each image, though you're eventually taken out of it when Mom takes you by the hand and leads you out of the pew towards the 'Altar' at the front. The Bishop, an older Oros who was missing a large portion of his right ear, lifted up his ceremonial mask to clearly look at the assembled children before him. A scar ran down his face, the eye which it passed through having a white iris when his healthy eye was green. He smiled gently before nodding in approval.
"And so stand before us the future of our people and, with some hope, those who will continue our traditions and faith should their elders fall." The Bishop stated loud and clear, his voice strong despite the ravages on his body which he has endured. Taking a container of some kind from one of the Altar Server assisting him.
You spare a glance to Flint and Rhody, the pair looking to you too as you give them a little wave. They wave back before returning their attention to the proceedings before you. You turn your attention back just in time to be flecked with 'Holy Water'. You always like that part at the end of normal mass. Like being out in the rain or something.
"May you all live long, prosperous lives, and may you find a place within Heaven's Gates when you meet your end." The Bishop spoke in a slightly gentler tone as he spoke these words to the assembled children. As he finished using the water-throwing-wand-thingy to spray Holy Water on the assembled kids, the rest of the people within the cathedral clapped, with some even cheering. "So ends this month's Blessing of the 14th. There is a celebratory feast awaiting within the assembly hall, have a safe journey back home when you all leave."
Your ears perk up at that. 'Feast'? You know that word. That's the word Mom and Dad used to describe the time to eat during Ambarnalia, which involves lots of food.
"Oh boy, he said the 'F' word." You hear Granddad chuckle as your family heads away from the Altar.
---------------
[]Go to the park.
[]Are taken on a tour along with mom through something called a 'S'kool'.
[]Join your friends Flint and Rhody for a playdate while the grownups talk.
[]Write in.
(Sorry for the long wait, folks!)
Last edited:
[X]Go to the park.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
(Terribly sorry for the long delay, folks. University stuff has had my attention due to the approaching end of the semester. Still, an update is coming tomorrow. Once again, I apologize for the horrible delay.)
When you have ears like these, you don't need to seek.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
Hide-and-Seek.
You find yourself playing with your friends Flint and Rhody. It's a warm summer day and you're all playing hide-and-seek outside in the garden of Rhody's Aunt Honey. You asked Rhody why her own Grandad and her 'Aunt', which is a 'sister' of one of her parents, was taking care of her instead of them and her parents. Rhody had said she didn't know, but that Aunt Honey and Grandpa Rhody, who she was apparently named after, didn't like to talk about it.
You observe from behind some bushes as Flint stomped around the yard, scanning her ears to try and find either you or Rhody. Rhody, for her part, was hiding behind a tree on the other side of the yard from where you are. The game wasn't quite as fun as on the play ground in the neighborhood, where loads of kids could hide, but it was still exciting in its own way with just the trio of friends.
You glance through the leaves and see Rhody peaking out and looking at you.
'What do?' She asked by twitching her ears, using a code talk the other neighborhood kids used and taught them for playing hide and seek.
'Wait, let think.' You reply as you consider the situation. In a three player game of hide and seek, the one that got caught by the hunter was the loser while the one that didn't was the winner. At least, that was the variant you and your friends played when you were together. You consider your options. It was only a matter of time before Flint just gave up with trying to hear you out and just decided to look through the foliage for you.
You could just give yourself away and let Rhody win this one, you could wait it out and try your luck with Flint searching, or you could really try your luck and try to get into the house while Flint wasn't looking. You then notice some rocks near you. They're small, but big enough make some noise if they hit something.
[]Give yourself up.
[]Wait it out. (Roll to see if you are caught. 1d100.)
[]Try and get into the house. (Roll to see if you are caught. 1d100.)
-By yourself.
-Signal to Rhody to do the same. (Roll for Rhody as well.)
[]Throw a rock to distract Flint.
-Throw it somewhere random.
-Throw it where Rhody is.
[]Write in.
You find yourself playing with your friends Flint and Rhody. It's a warm summer day and you're all playing hide-and-seek outside in the garden of Rhody's Aunt Honey. You asked Rhody why her own Grandad and her 'Aunt', which is a 'sister' of one of her parents, was taking care of her instead of them and her parents. Rhody had said she didn't know, but that Aunt Honey and Grandpa Rhody, who she was apparently named after, didn't like to talk about it.
You observe from behind some bushes as Flint stomped around the yard, scanning her ears to try and find either you or Rhody. Rhody, for her part, was hiding behind a tree on the other side of the yard from where you are. The game wasn't quite as fun as on the play ground in the neighborhood, where loads of kids could hide, but it was still exciting in its own way with just the trio of friends.
You glance through the leaves and see Rhody peaking out and looking at you.
'What do?' She asked by twitching her ears, using a code talk the other neighborhood kids used and taught them for playing hide and seek.
'Wait, let think.' You reply as you consider the situation. In a three player game of hide and seek, the one that got caught by the hunter was the loser while the one that didn't was the winner. At least, that was the variant you and your friends played when you were together. You consider your options. It was only a matter of time before Flint just gave up with trying to hear you out and just decided to look through the foliage for you.
You could just give yourself away and let Rhody win this one, you could wait it out and try your luck with Flint searching, or you could really try your luck and try to get into the house while Flint wasn't looking. You then notice some rocks near you. They're small, but big enough make some noise if they hit something.
[]Give yourself up.
[]Wait it out. (Roll to see if you are caught. 1d100.)
[]Try and get into the house. (Roll to see if you are caught. 1d100.)
-By yourself.
-Signal to Rhody to do the same. (Roll for Rhody as well.)
[]Throw a rock to distract Flint.
-Throw it somewhere random.
-Throw it where Rhody is.
[]Write in.
Sneaky.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
Sneak Cheat.
You decide it'd be a clever idea to throw a rock to distract Flint. They're right there, in a tempting little pile to pick from after all. Taking a stone in your hand, you give it a toss in a random direction. Flint hears the rock land and goes to investigate. You smirk as you observe her go, leaving you to look where Rhody is.....Where she was. Where'd she go? Uh-oh, Flint's starting to actively search now after your little rock throwing stunt.
In short order, though you try to escape, you're caught by Flint. Turns out, you should have relocated when you got the chance to while the larger girl was distracted. As you walk towards the center of the backyard to restart the game, you see Rhody again: She snuck off to hide closer to the adults.
"Rhody, what're you doin' there?" You ask your shy friend. The demure girl's ears are lowered as attention from you and Flint falls on her.
"Uh, w-well, I thought if I s-stayed with the grown ups, you wouldn't notice me..." She said quietly.
"Feels like cheatin' to me." Flint huffed, crossing her arms.
"I-If it works, does it matter if it's cheatin' or not?" Rhody asks with a little grin. This earns a laugh from you and Flint. She was shy, but she was a total smart mouth when she thought she could get away with it.
"Alright, let's ask the grown ups if it matters." Flint says with a toothy grin of her own. Before Rhody could begin asking her not to, Flint walked over and asked her question. The Grown Ups, Mom, Flint's mom, and Rhody's Aunt, stopped their conversation about new 'weapon models' to look down at the biggest of the four children.
"Well o'course it's cheatin'." Honey uttered matter-o-factually. "But who cares so long as you win, right?"
"Honey, this isn't th' outside." Tulia stated. "We shouldn't be teaching our kids to cheat."
"Wha'? It's not like I'm tellin' her it's okay to cheat on tests or sports." Honey said in the same matter-o-fact tone. "Cheatin' to win in games isn't hurtin' anybody."
"You must have been very fun to play with on your childhood playground." Mom said sarcastically, her eyes giving Honey a lazily amused sort of stare. As Flint and Rhody go back to playing, you stay, listening to the grown ups talk.
"Nah, didn't have one a those." Honey said with wave of her hand. "Me an' me siblin's had to play inside. Outside's where all sort of nasty critters turned up." This earns a low, understanding chuckle from the other two women.
[]You just keep on listening to them talk.
[]You decide to start asking questions:
-What sort of nasty critters?
-The outside looks pretty fine to me. Lots of play grounds around the neighborhood.
-Write in.
[]Write in.
(Terribly sorry for the extended delay folks. Been caught up with a bunch of other things IRL, but now I've got more free time to focus on updating this on a hopefully normalish schedule.)
You decide it'd be a clever idea to throw a rock to distract Flint. They're right there, in a tempting little pile to pick from after all. Taking a stone in your hand, you give it a toss in a random direction. Flint hears the rock land and goes to investigate. You smirk as you observe her go, leaving you to look where Rhody is.....Where she was. Where'd she go? Uh-oh, Flint's starting to actively search now after your little rock throwing stunt.
In short order, though you try to escape, you're caught by Flint. Turns out, you should have relocated when you got the chance to while the larger girl was distracted. As you walk towards the center of the backyard to restart the game, you see Rhody again: She snuck off to hide closer to the adults.
"Rhody, what're you doin' there?" You ask your shy friend. The demure girl's ears are lowered as attention from you and Flint falls on her.
"Uh, w-well, I thought if I s-stayed with the grown ups, you wouldn't notice me..." She said quietly.
"Feels like cheatin' to me." Flint huffed, crossing her arms.
"I-If it works, does it matter if it's cheatin' or not?" Rhody asks with a little grin. This earns a laugh from you and Flint. She was shy, but she was a total smart mouth when she thought she could get away with it.
"Alright, let's ask the grown ups if it matters." Flint says with a toothy grin of her own. Before Rhody could begin asking her not to, Flint walked over and asked her question. The Grown Ups, Mom, Flint's mom, and Rhody's Aunt, stopped their conversation about new 'weapon models' to look down at the biggest of the four children.
"Well o'course it's cheatin'." Honey uttered matter-o-factually. "But who cares so long as you win, right?"
"Honey, this isn't th' outside." Tulia stated. "We shouldn't be teaching our kids to cheat."
"Wha'? It's not like I'm tellin' her it's okay to cheat on tests or sports." Honey said in the same matter-o-fact tone. "Cheatin' to win in games isn't hurtin' anybody."
"You must have been very fun to play with on your childhood playground." Mom said sarcastically, her eyes giving Honey a lazily amused sort of stare. As Flint and Rhody go back to playing, you stay, listening to the grown ups talk.
"Nah, didn't have one a those." Honey said with wave of her hand. "Me an' me siblin's had to play inside. Outside's where all sort of nasty critters turned up." This earns a low, understanding chuckle from the other two women.
[]You just keep on listening to them talk.
[]You decide to start asking questions:
-What sort of nasty critters?
-The outside looks pretty fine to me. Lots of play grounds around the neighborhood.
-Write in.
[]Write in.
(Terribly sorry for the extended delay folks. Been caught up with a bunch of other things IRL, but now I've got more free time to focus on updating this on a hopefully normalish schedule.)
Story time with Honey.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
Those sorts of nasty critters.
"What sort of nasty critters?" You ask. You've heard of a few things before, but mostly from the telly and only in passing. Your parents never seem to want to get into depth in regards to the topic of the things that live on the outside with you, for some reason. In fact, Mom seems to be looking at Honey with pleading eyes for her not to start talking.
"Well, around my childhood home, we had lots of beasts that loved to live in lava." Honey stated. "See, we lived way out to the southwest, where the biggest volcanoes around these parts are. Lots of lava, lots of critters that lived in 'em."
You listen as Honey regales you with descriptions of some of the beasts she used to live near: Magma Sharks that swam through the rivers of molten rock, fire breathing Blast Backs that could cloud the sky with smoke from the flames of their erupting backs, packs of Burn Hounds that prowled for easy prey, slow, plodding Lava Trudgers that fed on ore deposits. All strange, wondrous, and dangerous creatures that catch your mind's eye with each new one told. For her part, Mom didn't seem to mind Honey talking now, seemingly content with the kinds of creatures Honey spoke of.
"-nd after they grab their prey on the shores, the Ash Catcher drags them into the depths of their bubbling acid lakes to drown before feeding upon 'em." Honey finished speaking of another wild creature.
"Wow." Your eyes are wide as you try to imagine such a thing.
"Yup." Honey agreed. "I remember me first time killin' an Ash Catcher with me brothers. Snagged the creep 'afore we dragged it out unto the shore and tore it open. Good eaten, that." Honey said with a sigh.
"You almost sound like you miss stuff like that." You note.
"Aye, lil' one." Honey nodded. "It's a hard, horrible life outside these walls....but sometimes, just sometimes, I remember somethin' that almost made it seem worth it to be out there again in the danger." The woman said with a pleasant smile. Almost as quickly, though, the smile twisted into a frown. "A'course, I usually remember a bloody good reason why I never wanna go back to tha' not long after." She shook her head, her face bearing a look of disgust.
"Like wha'?" You ask innocently, your head cocking to the side.
"Thas' personal business, I'm afraid lil' one." Honey said with another shake of her head.
"But-" You begin, only to be cut off by your mother.
"Now Tabby, Honey doesn't want to talk about the bad stuff." Mom stated gently yet firmly. "None of us do, infact." You tilt your head at that but decide not to ask any further on the subject matter.
"T-Tabby, come on!" Rhody called out from the yard. "We're about ta' play another game!" You don't waste any time to head on over to play with your friends again, leaving the adults to sigh.
"We'll have to start tellin' 'em about the bad stuff eventually." Tulia murmured, the larger woman's ears low as she spoke.
"Yes, but not now." Aila stated. "They're not ready."
"I don't need to tell Rhody anythin'." Honey whispered as she leaned over the table. "She doesn't talk about it, but me an' da' are sure she remembers the outside before he brought her here. Poor dear probably still remember's losin' 'er folks." Another wave of sighs came from the adults as the children played in the backyard, not a care in the world.
-----------------
Some more time passes, and you eventually find yourself:
[]In 'School', learning new and interesting things!
[]In 'School', meeting new and interesting people!
[]Write in.
(Sorry for the delay and lack of many options available right now, but I'd like for us to keep going forward with this whole thing.)
"What sort of nasty critters?" You ask. You've heard of a few things before, but mostly from the telly and only in passing. Your parents never seem to want to get into depth in regards to the topic of the things that live on the outside with you, for some reason. In fact, Mom seems to be looking at Honey with pleading eyes for her not to start talking.
"Well, around my childhood home, we had lots of beasts that loved to live in lava." Honey stated. "See, we lived way out to the southwest, where the biggest volcanoes around these parts are. Lots of lava, lots of critters that lived in 'em."
You listen as Honey regales you with descriptions of some of the beasts she used to live near: Magma Sharks that swam through the rivers of molten rock, fire breathing Blast Backs that could cloud the sky with smoke from the flames of their erupting backs, packs of Burn Hounds that prowled for easy prey, slow, plodding Lava Trudgers that fed on ore deposits. All strange, wondrous, and dangerous creatures that catch your mind's eye with each new one told. For her part, Mom didn't seem to mind Honey talking now, seemingly content with the kinds of creatures Honey spoke of.
"-nd after they grab their prey on the shores, the Ash Catcher drags them into the depths of their bubbling acid lakes to drown before feeding upon 'em." Honey finished speaking of another wild creature.
"Wow." Your eyes are wide as you try to imagine such a thing.
"Yup." Honey agreed. "I remember me first time killin' an Ash Catcher with me brothers. Snagged the creep 'afore we dragged it out unto the shore and tore it open. Good eaten, that." Honey said with a sigh.
"You almost sound like you miss stuff like that." You note.
"Aye, lil' one." Honey nodded. "It's a hard, horrible life outside these walls....but sometimes, just sometimes, I remember somethin' that almost made it seem worth it to be out there again in the danger." The woman said with a pleasant smile. Almost as quickly, though, the smile twisted into a frown. "A'course, I usually remember a bloody good reason why I never wanna go back to tha' not long after." She shook her head, her face bearing a look of disgust.
"Like wha'?" You ask innocently, your head cocking to the side.
"Thas' personal business, I'm afraid lil' one." Honey said with another shake of her head.
"But-" You begin, only to be cut off by your mother.
"Now Tabby, Honey doesn't want to talk about the bad stuff." Mom stated gently yet firmly. "None of us do, infact." You tilt your head at that but decide not to ask any further on the subject matter.
"T-Tabby, come on!" Rhody called out from the yard. "We're about ta' play another game!" You don't waste any time to head on over to play with your friends again, leaving the adults to sigh.
"We'll have to start tellin' 'em about the bad stuff eventually." Tulia murmured, the larger woman's ears low as she spoke.
"Yes, but not now." Aila stated. "They're not ready."
"I don't need to tell Rhody anythin'." Honey whispered as she leaned over the table. "She doesn't talk about it, but me an' da' are sure she remembers the outside before he brought her here. Poor dear probably still remember's losin' 'er folks." Another wave of sighs came from the adults as the children played in the backyard, not a care in the world.
-----------------
Some more time passes, and you eventually find yourself:
[]In 'School', learning new and interesting things!
[]In 'School', meeting new and interesting people!
[]Write in.
(Sorry for the delay and lack of many options available right now, but I'd like for us to keep going forward with this whole thing.)
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- Location
- Midway
[X]In 'School', learning new and interesting things!
Starting your Edumacations.
- Location
- Tampa, FL.
Learning!
You had recently started going to this thing called 'school'. It's a place for kids like you to go and learn things, apparently. Mom said it would be the perfect opportunity for you to meet and make new friends, though aside from Rhody and Flint, you don't really find yourself getting to know many of your classmates. Not that you didn't like them at all or anything, but you just found yourself more engrossed with learning all you could. Mom's lessons always interested you, so even though you're sad you'll be away from your family for a few hours every day, the promise of new knowledge intrigues you too much to get really upset.
The first and most stand out thing was the teacher, Miss Holentha. She was a person, but she was unlike any person you knew of in your neighbodhood. She was a spirit whose family line got kicked out of the spirit realm and unto the mortal realm, at least that's what she said. You're not fully sure what that means, but you'd like to find out.
She stood tall, with a long neck, narrow snout and tall, thin ears reaching upwards. You got the impression that they weren't as good at hearing sounds as your kinds' own ears were. The fur of her exposed neck, short tail and hands was as short and fine as an Oros', though they were colored like a tortoiseshell Cheshire's, a bunch of different colors all mixed together. Her three fingers stood out from the normal five of the Oros as they carefully moved a pointer rod as she went about with a mathematics lesson. When you first saw her, you thought she was standing on her toes, though as it turns out her kind have paws instead of normal feet and her legs were 'digitigrade' instead of normal ones.
All in all, Miss Holentha was an odd sight for you, given all the people you've met before are all Oros. You know of the Cerberi and Chimera that live in their own little district on the other side of the city, mostly because of your family talking amongst themselves, though you've yet to see what they look like.
"-nd so, who can tell me what 5x5 is?" Miss Holentha inquired. The first couple of days had been getting used to the new environment of the class room, getting acquainted with each other and the teacher, and all round just getting used to being away from ones family for the first time in every student's life. After all that had finished, Miss Holentha had begun teaching the class their first true lessons, simple stuff that built off of what everyone was taught at home.
At her question, almost everyone raised their hands, just like they had been taught to when asked a question by the teacher. There were a handful that didn't, the shy ones like Rhody who wished not to get too much attention directed towards themselves.
"Yes, Tabitha." Miss Holentha said, selecting you out of everyone else. Being chosen filled your hearts with small amounts of pride, though you quickly pushed the feeling down in favor of replying.
"25." You say without hesitation.
"Very good." Miss Holentha nodded in approval. "Now then, what are the sorts of things you can imagine that comes in bunches of 25?" She pressed on.
"Squirrels!" You declare cheerfully. This causes murmurs of agreement from the rest of the class. Squirrel did come in large bunches, yes.
"Excellent example." Miss Holentha uttered as she clapped her hands together in approval.
-----------------
The school day was coming to a wind down. Over the course of 7 hours, you had gone over a number of things you already knew: mostly basic mathematics and societal norms such as the dos and do-nots of playing on the playground. You already knew not to body slam other kids into the equipment, but you did learn that the cost for replacing a damaged jungle gym's section that a kid gets their head slammed into. Apparently, each foot costs only 5 and a half dollups, due to the cheapness of manufacturing in this day and age, though that was still money that added up very, very quickly if the kids weren't careful and under a watchful eye.
The school day was almost over, meaning that your class, Class 14, got to spend its final 20 minutes out playing in the playground. Normally, you'd be eagerly playing with Flint and Rhody, but you've decided to take a moment to really appreciate everything: The playground itself was spacious, enough for three classes of 20 kids to play at their leisure with space to spare.
A great multi-layered fence stood tall around the edges not taken up by the equally tall and durable school walls. The Fence curved over the playground and connected to the rest of the school, forming a sort of quarter dome to keep things from coming in. Mom said that it was mostly thanks to particularly worried parents wanting to keep the same standards as schools outside of the city's walls, though they settled for lack of automated turrets and only a quarter of the armed and armored security guards patrolling the outside. Whatever that meant. Grown up talk is so weird sometimes, full of weird terms like 'automated turret' and 'biometric smart mines'.
It made you wonder what sorts of critters lived in the outside to warrant such defenses, as despite your months of life, you've heard frustratingly little about such things. Sure, you know of common stuff, like dogs and Cheshires and things you'd see in the zoo like the speedy Flicker-Tongues or gentle Apos, but you never got any straight answers regarding some of the really nasty stuff that you've caught glimpses of in the news. Only 'don't worry about it' and 'nothing you need to know about yet.'
You finish looking over the defenses meant to keep kids safe while they played outside and instead focused on the equipment available. A lot of it was similar to the stuff you played on in the neighborhood play park, from jungle gyms to complex, slide equipped play houses, to the humble see-saw. All the equipment, while still perfectly usable and safe, showed signs of being put through the ringer as your Granddad would say. Clearly, some kids from earlier in the day hadn't listened to the 'don't roughhouse on the playground equipment' rule that was set up during day one. You're pretty sure you saw at least one dented area where a kid had been thrown into by another.
Your eyes finally settle on Miss Holentha. The spirit woman was seated on a bench, reading a book as her ears remained focused on the sounds of the playing children. A pair of modern, mechanical Golems patrolled the outer edges of the playground, dutifully watching out for any play fights that looked to be getting out of hand.
You decide to:
[]Go play.
-With your friends.
-With some of the other kids.
[]Go over and talk to Miss Holentha.
-About herself.
-About the outside world.
-Write in.
[]Go inspect the Golems.
[]Write in.
(Sorry for the long delay, folks. Hopefully the longer than usual length and lore here will be enough of an apology.)
You had recently started going to this thing called 'school'. It's a place for kids like you to go and learn things, apparently. Mom said it would be the perfect opportunity for you to meet and make new friends, though aside from Rhody and Flint, you don't really find yourself getting to know many of your classmates. Not that you didn't like them at all or anything, but you just found yourself more engrossed with learning all you could. Mom's lessons always interested you, so even though you're sad you'll be away from your family for a few hours every day, the promise of new knowledge intrigues you too much to get really upset.
The first and most stand out thing was the teacher, Miss Holentha. She was a person, but she was unlike any person you knew of in your neighbodhood. She was a spirit whose family line got kicked out of the spirit realm and unto the mortal realm, at least that's what she said. You're not fully sure what that means, but you'd like to find out.
She stood tall, with a long neck, narrow snout and tall, thin ears reaching upwards. You got the impression that they weren't as good at hearing sounds as your kinds' own ears were. The fur of her exposed neck, short tail and hands was as short and fine as an Oros', though they were colored like a tortoiseshell Cheshire's, a bunch of different colors all mixed together. Her three fingers stood out from the normal five of the Oros as they carefully moved a pointer rod as she went about with a mathematics lesson. When you first saw her, you thought she was standing on her toes, though as it turns out her kind have paws instead of normal feet and her legs were 'digitigrade' instead of normal ones.
All in all, Miss Holentha was an odd sight for you, given all the people you've met before are all Oros. You know of the Cerberi and Chimera that live in their own little district on the other side of the city, mostly because of your family talking amongst themselves, though you've yet to see what they look like.
"-nd so, who can tell me what 5x5 is?" Miss Holentha inquired. The first couple of days had been getting used to the new environment of the class room, getting acquainted with each other and the teacher, and all round just getting used to being away from ones family for the first time in every student's life. After all that had finished, Miss Holentha had begun teaching the class their first true lessons, simple stuff that built off of what everyone was taught at home.
At her question, almost everyone raised their hands, just like they had been taught to when asked a question by the teacher. There were a handful that didn't, the shy ones like Rhody who wished not to get too much attention directed towards themselves.
"Yes, Tabitha." Miss Holentha said, selecting you out of everyone else. Being chosen filled your hearts with small amounts of pride, though you quickly pushed the feeling down in favor of replying.
"25." You say without hesitation.
"Very good." Miss Holentha nodded in approval. "Now then, what are the sorts of things you can imagine that comes in bunches of 25?" She pressed on.
"Squirrels!" You declare cheerfully. This causes murmurs of agreement from the rest of the class. Squirrel did come in large bunches, yes.
"Excellent example." Miss Holentha uttered as she clapped her hands together in approval.
-----------------
The school day was coming to a wind down. Over the course of 7 hours, you had gone over a number of things you already knew: mostly basic mathematics and societal norms such as the dos and do-nots of playing on the playground. You already knew not to body slam other kids into the equipment, but you did learn that the cost for replacing a damaged jungle gym's section that a kid gets their head slammed into. Apparently, each foot costs only 5 and a half dollups, due to the cheapness of manufacturing in this day and age, though that was still money that added up very, very quickly if the kids weren't careful and under a watchful eye.
The school day was almost over, meaning that your class, Class 14, got to spend its final 20 minutes out playing in the playground. Normally, you'd be eagerly playing with Flint and Rhody, but you've decided to take a moment to really appreciate everything: The playground itself was spacious, enough for three classes of 20 kids to play at their leisure with space to spare.
A great multi-layered fence stood tall around the edges not taken up by the equally tall and durable school walls. The Fence curved over the playground and connected to the rest of the school, forming a sort of quarter dome to keep things from coming in. Mom said that it was mostly thanks to particularly worried parents wanting to keep the same standards as schools outside of the city's walls, though they settled for lack of automated turrets and only a quarter of the armed and armored security guards patrolling the outside. Whatever that meant. Grown up talk is so weird sometimes, full of weird terms like 'automated turret' and 'biometric smart mines'.
It made you wonder what sorts of critters lived in the outside to warrant such defenses, as despite your months of life, you've heard frustratingly little about such things. Sure, you know of common stuff, like dogs and Cheshires and things you'd see in the zoo like the speedy Flicker-Tongues or gentle Apos, but you never got any straight answers regarding some of the really nasty stuff that you've caught glimpses of in the news. Only 'don't worry about it' and 'nothing you need to know about yet.'
You finish looking over the defenses meant to keep kids safe while they played outside and instead focused on the equipment available. A lot of it was similar to the stuff you played on in the neighborhood play park, from jungle gyms to complex, slide equipped play houses, to the humble see-saw. All the equipment, while still perfectly usable and safe, showed signs of being put through the ringer as your Granddad would say. Clearly, some kids from earlier in the day hadn't listened to the 'don't roughhouse on the playground equipment' rule that was set up during day one. You're pretty sure you saw at least one dented area where a kid had been thrown into by another.
Your eyes finally settle on Miss Holentha. The spirit woman was seated on a bench, reading a book as her ears remained focused on the sounds of the playing children. A pair of modern, mechanical Golems patrolled the outer edges of the playground, dutifully watching out for any play fights that looked to be getting out of hand.
You decide to:
[]Go play.
-With your friends.
-With some of the other kids.
[]Go over and talk to Miss Holentha.
-About herself.
-About the outside world.
-Write in.
[]Go inspect the Golems.
[]Write in.
(Sorry for the long delay, folks. Hopefully the longer than usual length and lore here will be enough of an apology.)
Last edited:
