Run, Forest... Oh Shit! RUN!

Fern is out wandering among the runestones, the sun shining brightly from its perch high in the sky. It has been such a nice day and the gray girl had decided to go exploring and had dragged Puff along for an adventure. The stoat sits between her shoulder blades, peering out at the strange, rune inscribed stones. Her small voice pipes up, “This place is creepy.” A small chuckle is released as the gray wolf says, “I thought it was cool. Who knows how long they have been here? Who built them? They are mysterious and old.” Puff’s small brows furrow as she looks over a fallen pillar, saying, “Yeah well, ‘mysterious and old’ to you are ‘creepy and unnatural’ to me. Can be please move on?” Fern rolls her eyes but moves to leave the strange rocks behind, saying, “Alright Puff, we’ll go. Just don’t expect…”

She cuts her sentence off as the wind suddenly shifts, bring to her nostrils the scent of a feline. Spinning around quickly, Fern sees the lithe figure of a cheetah racing straight at her. Shit! Where had it come from? Releasing a panicked howl for help, the gray wolf dodges behind a rock as her stoat grips the fur at the shoulders to keep from falling off. Light paws race through the stone yard as she yells, “Hold on Puff!” The stoat grimly follows the order, turning to look at the cat that is giving chase, shouting, “It is getting closer!” Just as Puff shouts about the approaching cheetah, another feline bursts from the tall grass straight ahead of the pair. Shit! How many are there?

Fern changes course, working to put the stones between her and the cheetahs. Shit, shit, shit! They are so fast! With two hot on her tail, a third one appears on her right and the gray girl alters course again. Not good! Not! Good! As she runs loops and zig-zags, Fern hopes that help will arrive soon and curses the fact that she had left her sword back at the castle.


WC: 344

"Fern Lark" | "Puff"