500/500
Jezebel |
tenlittlesoldierboys'
LadThe pair sit by the flickering fire, their dark coats brushed with red light. Next to them, Lord Selvin, their owner sleeps in his tent; the game that they caught is locked away in a blue cooler box. Jezebel closed her yellow eyes as she soaked in the warmth. After today's hunt, she is exhausted. Lad, however, attentively stares into the dark forest. She heard him tread away, four paws snapping brittle twigs and crunching dry leaves. He didn't stop. Jez jumps awake to see his stumped tail fading between the trees. She glanced to their camp then runs after him; blindly crashing into him and both fall over. Startled, Lad fights to get her off of him.
"It's me," she growled as she stood up.
"Oh come on," he murmured. The spotted viscling turned to make his way into the forest again. Jez came to his side and playfully nipped his flopped ears as he tried to push her away.
"You can't go in there," she whispered. Her chocolate tail curled around him, stopping him.
"Why not?" he said.
"Haven't you heard of the ghost?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Uh, n-" Lad replied, "ghosts aren't real."
"Duh," Jez giggled, "of course they are."
"Prove it," he said.
"It's a story for the fire," she starts to walk around him and flicks her tail. Follow.
Back at the camp, the two visclings added more wood to the fire.
"So?" Lad asked, his head up high.
"Well," Jez grinned, "years ago, there was once a wild viscet who was hunted for their pretty pelt."
He looked surprised and the chocolate viscet paused.
"People hunted viscets?" he asked slowly.
"Yep," she said. Lad didn't question where she heard this from; it couldn't be true. He shuffled closer to the fire, feeling his back turn cold.
"Anyway," she waved her paw, "it took forever to catch him but his spirit never settled so he haunts these forests, waiting to get back at hunters. The end."
Jezebel and Lad stared at each other in silence.
"That's it? That's not real, you," he said. Then stopped. Both of their flopped ears perked up at a rustling in the distance. They stepped towards each other. Held their breath. A deathly white face of a viscet peered out of the shadows, eyes glistening. The visclings screamed and scrambled to grab each other, then darted to hide behind their owner's tent.
Silence. Two heads peeked out into the woods. A falling leaf made them jump.
"Is it clear?" they said at the same time. They looked at each other and nervously tip-toed back to the fire, stopping to listen. Lad piled more wood into the flames, making sure the fire was bigger than it should be. The pair curled up, their heads looking out over the other's back. They jumped at any sound. Long into the night, Jez was the first to fall asleep and her restfulness brought comfort to Lad, with him soon closing his eyes.
