Form Story (shortened version, 402 words not including the bullets + italics)
A couple things you need to know:
- JBDs are hunted like game in this small town
- These two have no father (he’s been killed by hunter’s already)
- It’s fall
- They are in a hollow tree right now.
The two eggs hatched into chaos. It was the night, cold, dark, and still. A tiny white bean clambered from one egg, while a small black bean tumbled from the other. They snuggled against their mother, basking in her warmth. But the short time they had had with her was already coming to an end. A loud roaring noise came from outside, awaking their mother. “Not now!” her voice was sharp with fear. She grabbed her beans and ran, leaping from the tree in a burst of fur. Moments later, the mighty oak tumbled to the ground. A human had cut it down for lumber. “Where are we going?” whispered the white bean, shivering against the cold. “To safety my darling, to safety” her mother whispered back, not pausing for a moment. The man would most likely follow her. Any JBD was fair game. Sure enough, the mother picked up on the sound of boots crashing through the woods moments later. She ran into a deep bramble thicket, the thorns tugging at her fur. “Stay here. If I don’t come back, just look out for each other. Forever.” With that, she was gone, noisily crashing through the woods to lead the man away. “But Mom, where are you going?” The black bean cried. “Mom!”. The two beans fell silent as the sound of a gunshot cracked through the forest. Then another. Tears streamed silently down the two beans faces. “She’s alright, right? She’ll be okay, right? Right?” the white bean said frantically. “She’s gone. She’ll never come back. I guess she’s with Dad now.” Said the black bean, his voice hard, quavering ever so slightly. “With dad….” The white bean murmured… “I guess she’s happy then.. What now?” “I suppose we need names.” Said the black bean harshly. “What should they be?” “How about Four and Evern? To honor Mom..” The white beans voice quavered, and she leapt forwards into her brother. “Sounds good Evern..” he whispered softly, wrapping himself around her and closing his eyes. A wolf howled it’s lowly cry to the moon. It was the only sound in the night.
Years later (Evern was captured by a human and kept as a pet. Four became a legend, impossible to kill but dangerous. He got caught in a snare, Evern somehow knew and ran to his aid. Four tried to kill the hunter, who was father to Evern’s girl.)
“Anything for you sis. Anything.” “Then lets’ leave” whispered Evern. “Lets go somewhere better, somewhere where JBDs aren’t prey.” “But Evern..” Four whispered. “There isn’t a place like that.” “There has to be Four. Let’s just try to find it, ok?” “Anything for you Evern.” Four whispered softly. “Anything.”
Full Story:
-This is the story of two Jellybean Dragons. Both vastly different, and yet the same. Their tale begins like this..-
A single snowflake fell through the almost-bare branches of the tall autumn maples. The ground was carpeted with soggy leaves in all the hues of fire. It was cold, and the female JBD’s breath made little white clouds in front of her muzzle as she padded silently across the ground. Her dark brownish fur blended seamlessly into the mud and leaves around her. She was constantly alert, and for good reason. Here, in a remote city, far away from civilization, things were different. Unlike most people, the citizens here thought of JBDs as pests. The JBDs lived in the wild, scavenging what they could to survive. As if this wasn’t bad enough, JBDs were hunted for their lush, colorful pelts. The mud-brown female JBD slipped through an open patch of ground, quick and silent. She was searching for food not only for herself, but for her young. She was a new mother. But this was no real joy to her. She would raise her young alone. It had been four months since her mate had been shot. The JBD glided gracefully across the crystalline river, her feet flowing as smoothly as the water from stone to stone. She approached a massive oak tree, lichen draping from its elderly branches and moss covering its rotting bark. Home. The brown JBD pulled away a cloak of lichen and stepped into the tree, which had a hollow about the size of two cows within it. Amongst feathers, fur, and leaves, lay two small jellybean-shaped eggs. Her two beans. She curled her tail around the two eggs and went to sleep. “Rest well.” She murmured softly. They would be hatching soon.
The two eggs hatched into chaos. It was the night, cold, dark, and still. A tiny white bean clambered from one egg, while a small black bean tumbled from the other. They snuggled against their mother, basking in her warmth. But the short time they had had with her was already coming to an end. A loud roaring noise came from outside, awaking their mother. “Not now!” her voice was sharp with fear. She grabbed her beans and ran, leaping from the tree in a burst of fur. Moments later, the mighty oak tumbled to the ground. A human had cut it down for lumber. “Where are we going?” whispered the white bean, shivering against the cold. “To safety my darling, to safety” her mother whispered back, not pausing for a moment. The man would most likely follow her. Any JBD was fair game. Sure enough, the mother picked up on the sound of boots crashing through the woods moments later. She ran into a deep bramble thicket, the thorns tugging at her fur. “Stay here. If I don’t come back, just look out for each other. Forever.” With that, she was gone, noisily crashing through the woods to lead the man away. “But Mom, where are you going?” The black bean cried. “Mom!”. The two beans fell silent as the sound of a gunshot cracked through the forest. Then another. Tears streamed silently down the two beans faces. “She’s alright, right? She’ll be okay, right? Right?” the white bean said frantically. “She’s gone. She’ll never come back. I guess she’s with Dad now.” Said the black bean, his voice hard, quavering ever so slightly. “With dad….” The white bean murmured… “I guess she’s happy then.. What now?” “I suppose we need names.” Said the black bean harshly. “What should they be?” “How about Four and Evern? To honor Mom..” The white beans voice quavered, and she leapt forwards into her brother. “Sounds good Evern..” he whispered softly, wrapping himself around her and closing his eyes. A wolf howled it’s lowly cry to the moon. It was the only sound in the night.
-Nothing really eventful happened to the two beans for a few months. It was then that things began to go downhill once again.-
The two beans were playing together in the woods. A thin blanket of snow covered the ground, and winter was just beginning to settle in. “Can’t catch me!” Evern squealed, her paws sending snow flying in clouds. “Watch me!” said Four, scrabbling gleefully after his sister. Mixed amongst the birdsong and joyful JBD cries was the sound of humanity. Not cars or bikes, but human joy. A girl and her father were tobogganing on a nearby hill. “Can we go over there?” The girl said to her father, pointing to a clearing deep in the woods. “You can’t toboggan in there sweetie, you might hit a tree” he said kindly. “But how about we go make a snowman?”. “Oh boy, a snowman!” The little girl giggled and ran excitedly towards the hill. Moment later, her cries reached Four’s ears. “Evern, hide.” He growled. “Hide!” Evern blinked, confused, and ran up the slope. A snowdrift across the way looked like a good hiding spot. Evern stopped at the top of the hill and glanced back. “No peaking Four!” “This isn’t hide and seek! Evern, you have to hide!” His voice was hard and panicked. The girl continued on her merry way up the hill, not noticing the two young JBDs ahead of her. “Evern!” Four screamed, his eyes wide with panic. Evern was frozen. The young human was coming closer and closer, each blind step bringing her closer. Four watched in horror as the human arrived, noticed Evern, scooped her up, and disappeared down the hill. Four was frozen. That moment was horrible. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. His mind was still, colder than the snow.
Evern struggled wildly in the girl’s grip, which was surprisingly strong for a girl so young. “Four! Four!” She screamed wildly to her brother, but he only stared blankly back at her. “Four!” Ahead of her was a man, and the girl was taking her right towards him. “Four!” Evern screamed, kicking wildly. She tried to bite the girl, but she couldn’t penetrate the thick protective clothes the girl was wearing. The girl walked right up to the man and said “Daddy, look what I found! Can I keep it? Can I? Pleaaase?” “Honey, we don’t even know what it is. You aren’t old enough to take care of a pet yet.” Her father said with a slight firmness that urged the girl to agree. “Dad, she’s an orphan! All alone out there with no one to protect her. Please? I’ll take the best care of her, promise!” The girl pleaded. Her father sighed. “Fine. But if you don’t take good enough care of her, she’s going back out into the woods.” “Yay!” The girl squealed, squeezing Evern tightly to her chest. “I’ll name her Crystal!” But my name is Evern… Evern whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. She was once again separated from her family.
By the time Four snapped out of his daze, Evern was gone. The tiny JBD wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t run in to town, that was a death sentence. But he couldn’t just abandon his sister. “Just look out for eachother. Forever.[i]” Four began to cry as his mother’s last words ran through his mind. “I’m sorry mother!” He yelled to the sky. “I’m sorry…” He fell into the snow and lay there, not wanting to move. Why would he? There was no point anyways. Snow slowly began to fall from above, blanketing the black JBD and hiding him from sight.
Evern was still in her captor’s arms as the two humans approached the town. It was ugly, old, and cold. The snow was brown like mud, the buildings grey. The people were sad and old, faces sagging with emotionless boredom. Only the girl seemed to have any emotions. She was still bouncing about happily, rambling about the things she and Evern would enjoy together. “…then we’ll have a tea party! You’d look so cute in a…”. Evern sighed. She would escape one day. But at least she would be unharmed for the most part. Or so it seemed at least. The man had opened the door to an ugly grey building, this one with a garden of dead plants (including the evergreen bushes) in front of it. “What an ugly den” Evern thought as she was carried inside. The inside of the den was just as bleak as the outside, with dull grey walls and hard, cold tiled floors. Then Evern went cold. There was a JBD pelt on the ground, being used as a rug. She squirmed and kicked, trying to escape the horror in front of her. “Oh Crystal, don’t look at that!” The girl said, covering Evern’s eyes with her gloved hand. “We’ll go to my room now, it’s much nicer.” Evern still struggled against the girl, but not as much. “Here we are Crystal!” The girl said gleefully, uncovering Evern’s eyes. Evern gazed at the room around her. It was horrible. Bright pink walls, fake toy animals everywhere. “What type of creature would want to [i]live[i] here?” Evern murmured to herself. “Time for tea Crystal!” The girl said, placing Evern on a small pink stool and putting a little silver tiara on her head. The girl began to talk about kingdoms and princesses while pouring water from a fancy cup. “What it this all about” Evern muttered coldly, bored and annoyed. “I wonder if Four is okay…” she said letting her mind wander. She thought of all the things that could happen to him… and tears ran down her face once again. “Don’t cry Crystal!” The girl said worriedly. “We can play something else! I know, how about dress-up?” the girl scooped Evern up and carried her over to a small box. “My clothes are too big for you, but some of my doll clothes might fit!” she said excitedly, placing Evern on the ground. Evern rolled her eyes and sighed, but allowed the girl to dress her up. She didn’t want to end up as a rug.
Four awoke under a blanket of snow. The young black JBD shook the snow off of his fur and yawned. “Evern? Time to get up! Evern…?” Four called nervously. Then the events of yesterday hit him. He prayed it was just a dream. “Evern? Evern?!” He called, spinning in circles, surveying the area around him for his sister. “Evern…” a tear slid down his cheek and froze just before falling off. He wiped it away with his tail and sighed. “I hope she’s ok..” he whispered to the ground. Four padded through the deep snow. He knew he should get something to eat. It wasn’t long before Four came upon a soft green bush full of frozen red berries. He sniffed them; they smelled safe enough. Four crunched on a couple of the berries, which were sweet and juicy. Four spent about an hour eating the hard frozen berries. Soon, he was full. Four slipped into the hollow of a tree and curled up to sleep. Rest would be important if he were to find Evern. Just before he fell asleep, something odd happened. He saw Evern. It wasn’t a dream. It was almost like he was there with her, seeing what she saw. He was in a bright and ugly room, walls painted pink. Eerie eyes stared at him from the toy animals within it. The room was mostly in shadow, illuminated by a dim light. Then he saw Evern. “Evern!” He screamed, running towards his sleeping sister and trying to hug her. His paws went right through her. Then he was back in the hollow tree, curled up against the cold. “Evern..” he whispered mournfully. The wind whispered outside as Four cried himself to sleep.
Evern knew this wasn’t real. She knew it couldn’t be. But she let herself believe it was anyways. Evern was standing in the snow, back in the woods. “Four?” She called out, hoping that maybe she could find her brother. No answer. She sighed. “Of course..” But then, a small wave of black caught her eye. “Four?” Evern called out, trotting towards the tree where she had seen the movement. “Four? Are you there?” She called nervously. Evern pulled herself up into the tree and saw Four sleeping in front of her. “Four!” She cried, leaping on top of her brother. But her paws went right through him. She was left standing in him, but only for a second. She was awake moments later, back in the ugly and sickly hot room. “Why do I have to be here” she grumbled angrily. Evern sighed, and curled up on the ground once more. Her sleep was undisturbed by dreams.
[i]-The odd connection between Four and Evern was come to be known as “sight or sightings”. The two spent the next six years of their lives growing older in the same places they had always lived in. Evern lost quite a lot of her spirit to the dry home she now lived in, since the girl spent most of her time at school now. Four became cold and dangerous, severely wounding many men who attempted to capture and kill him. He never killed any of them though.-
Four woke up in his den, a small rock cave. His sightings with Evern were growing few. He still pined desperately for his sister’s company, but felt like he could do nothing. Sure, he could take down one man, but many? He’d be a rug in seconds. It was fall once more, and the cold breeze was setting Four’s senses on fire. He was at his best during the fall, always sensing hunters while they were still miles away. He had grown into a sleek JBD, with black and red fur that shone like glass. His eyes were blue, but not the soft kind. They were more like shards of broken glass or the hottest part of a fire. His claws were long and sharp. He was a legend in the town, a JBD everyone wanted to catch. This made things harder for him. But Four managed fine. Some nights he would cry about Evern. Others he would scream to the heavens with rage, begging to know what he had done wrong. Mostly, he was confused. Four’s nose twitched. “Do I smell another stupid hunter?” Four said coldly, descending swiftly from his tree. “Let’s see how stupid this one is” he growled to himself. Sometimes he grew tired of the old game. His paws carried him towards the hunter, swift and silent. But then something he hadn’t intended happened: his foot slipped into a snare. It snapped closed around his paw, digging in hard. His cry split the forest, sending a flock of birds towards the sky. “Oh no. No no no… no..” Four whispered in terror. He was trapped, and his own scream would lead the hunter right to him. First Four pulled at the snare. Nothing. Then he tried to break it. Nope. Four gave up hope. He sat down, ready to try to fight for his life when the hunter arrived.
Evern snapped awake. She was a smallish JBD, dirty white with pale blue markings. Or maybe that was just the dull light in the old house. “What was that?” Evern whispered to herself. She had heard a scream. But not just any scream. “Four.” She said. Although she hadn’t seen him for six years, she still missed him. And that had been his scream. “I’m coming Four!” Evern screamed, dashing through the house and out the door. It was dangerous running though the city alone. The only reason she hadn’t been killed yet was because the girl and her father kept watch over her. But it was worth her life to save Four. “Forever.” She whispered to herself.. her mother’s last words. Meanwhile, inside the house, the girl’s father readied his rifle. “That JBD is going to see someone. That someone should be on my floor.” The man stepped out the door and chased after the JBD, managing to keep out of her line of sight.
Four saw the shape of a man on the horizon, his gun hanging at his side. He lifted his head to the sky. “I’m sorry mother. Sorry that I couldn’t protect Evern. I’m sorry..”. Tears streamed silently down his face as he prepared for his fate. As soon as the hunter saw Four, he ran towards him. He knew this was the JBD of legend, and was ready for it to be on his wall. He cocked his gun. Four lowered his head and closed his eyes. There was a bang. But no impact. Four looked up to see a white and blue JBD clawing wildly at the man, here teeth holding firmly to his wool sweater. The JBD jumped down and hissed at the man, who sprinted away at full speed. “E-evern? Is that really you?” Four’s voice quavered weakly as joy filled him. “Yes.” Evern said, a huge grin crossing her muzzle. She ran and tackled Four, hugging him in the tightest embrace. Both began to cry tears of pure joy. “I thought I’d never see you again!” Four cried out. “I never thought I’d see you again!” Evern called back, joy making it hard for her to speak. Then a gunshot. The two JBDs leapt apart, frozen. “Thanks for the lead.” The man said, nodding to Evern. “Oh no.” Evern said in a shocked whisper. “He.. he followed me. Run Four! Run!” “I can’t! My foot is stuck!” Four screamed, pulling desperately at the snare. “Stuck, are we?” The man chuckled coldly as he approached the trapped JBD. But the snare had a longer chain than he had thought. Four leapt forwards and viciously attacked the man, claws gouging deep into his skin. Four bit hard into his arm, preparing for the kill. This man would be his first. “Stop!” Cried Evern. “What?” Four said, shocked. “He’s the father of my human. She needs him.” Evern whispered. “Let him go Four.” Four jumped off of the man, who gave a confused look to Evern before staggering away. “Thank you Four.” She said, licking him on the nose. “Anything for you sis. Anything.” “Then lets’ leave” whispered Evern. “Lets go somewhere better, somewhere where JBDs aren’t prey.” “But Evern..” Four whispered. “There isn’t a place like that.” “There has to be Four. Let’s just try to find it, ok?” “Anything for you Evern.” Four whispered softly. “Anything.”
Story © me (flyteck)
A couple things you need to know:
- JBDs are hunted like game in this small town
- These two have no father (he’s been killed by hunter’s already)
- It’s fall
- They are in a hollow tree right now.
The two eggs hatched into chaos. It was the night, cold, dark, and still. A tiny white bean clambered from one egg, while a small black bean tumbled from the other. They snuggled against their mother, basking in her warmth. But the short time they had had with her was already coming to an end. A loud roaring noise came from outside, awaking their mother. “Not now!” her voice was sharp with fear. She grabbed her beans and ran, leaping from the tree in a burst of fur. Moments later, the mighty oak tumbled to the ground. A human had cut it down for lumber. “Where are we going?” whispered the white bean, shivering against the cold. “To safety my darling, to safety” her mother whispered back, not pausing for a moment. The man would most likely follow her. Any JBD was fair game. Sure enough, the mother picked up on the sound of boots crashing through the woods moments later. She ran into a deep bramble thicket, the thorns tugging at her fur. “Stay here. If I don’t come back, just look out for each other. Forever.” With that, she was gone, noisily crashing through the woods to lead the man away. “But Mom, where are you going?” The black bean cried. “Mom!”. The two beans fell silent as the sound of a gunshot cracked through the forest. Then another. Tears streamed silently down the two beans faces. “She’s alright, right? She’ll be okay, right? Right?” the white bean said frantically. “She’s gone. She’ll never come back. I guess she’s with Dad now.” Said the black bean, his voice hard, quavering ever so slightly. “With dad….” The white bean murmured… “I guess she’s happy then.. What now?” “I suppose we need names.” Said the black bean harshly. “What should they be?” “How about Four and Evern? To honor Mom..” The white beans voice quavered, and she leapt forwards into her brother. “Sounds good Evern..” he whispered softly, wrapping himself around her and closing his eyes. A wolf howled it’s lowly cry to the moon. It was the only sound in the night.
Years later (Evern was captured by a human and kept as a pet. Four became a legend, impossible to kill but dangerous. He got caught in a snare, Evern somehow knew and ran to his aid. Four tried to kill the hunter, who was father to Evern’s girl.)
“Anything for you sis. Anything.” “Then lets’ leave” whispered Evern. “Lets go somewhere better, somewhere where JBDs aren’t prey.” “But Evern..” Four whispered. “There isn’t a place like that.” “There has to be Four. Let’s just try to find it, ok?” “Anything for you Evern.” Four whispered softly. “Anything.”
Full Story:
-This is the story of two Jellybean Dragons. Both vastly different, and yet the same. Their tale begins like this..-
A single snowflake fell through the almost-bare branches of the tall autumn maples. The ground was carpeted with soggy leaves in all the hues of fire. It was cold, and the female JBD’s breath made little white clouds in front of her muzzle as she padded silently across the ground. Her dark brownish fur blended seamlessly into the mud and leaves around her. She was constantly alert, and for good reason. Here, in a remote city, far away from civilization, things were different. Unlike most people, the citizens here thought of JBDs as pests. The JBDs lived in the wild, scavenging what they could to survive. As if this wasn’t bad enough, JBDs were hunted for their lush, colorful pelts. The mud-brown female JBD slipped through an open patch of ground, quick and silent. She was searching for food not only for herself, but for her young. She was a new mother. But this was no real joy to her. She would raise her young alone. It had been four months since her mate had been shot. The JBD glided gracefully across the crystalline river, her feet flowing as smoothly as the water from stone to stone. She approached a massive oak tree, lichen draping from its elderly branches and moss covering its rotting bark. Home. The brown JBD pulled away a cloak of lichen and stepped into the tree, which had a hollow about the size of two cows within it. Amongst feathers, fur, and leaves, lay two small jellybean-shaped eggs. Her two beans. She curled her tail around the two eggs and went to sleep. “Rest well.” She murmured softly. They would be hatching soon.
The two eggs hatched into chaos. It was the night, cold, dark, and still. A tiny white bean clambered from one egg, while a small black bean tumbled from the other. They snuggled against their mother, basking in her warmth. But the short time they had had with her was already coming to an end. A loud roaring noise came from outside, awaking their mother. “Not now!” her voice was sharp with fear. She grabbed her beans and ran, leaping from the tree in a burst of fur. Moments later, the mighty oak tumbled to the ground. A human had cut it down for lumber. “Where are we going?” whispered the white bean, shivering against the cold. “To safety my darling, to safety” her mother whispered back, not pausing for a moment. The man would most likely follow her. Any JBD was fair game. Sure enough, the mother picked up on the sound of boots crashing through the woods moments later. She ran into a deep bramble thicket, the thorns tugging at her fur. “Stay here. If I don’t come back, just look out for each other. Forever.” With that, she was gone, noisily crashing through the woods to lead the man away. “But Mom, where are you going?” The black bean cried. “Mom!”. The two beans fell silent as the sound of a gunshot cracked through the forest. Then another. Tears streamed silently down the two beans faces. “She’s alright, right? She’ll be okay, right? Right?” the white bean said frantically. “She’s gone. She’ll never come back. I guess she’s with Dad now.” Said the black bean, his voice hard, quavering ever so slightly. “With dad….” The white bean murmured… “I guess she’s happy then.. What now?” “I suppose we need names.” Said the black bean harshly. “What should they be?” “How about Four and Evern? To honor Mom..” The white beans voice quavered, and she leapt forwards into her brother. “Sounds good Evern..” he whispered softly, wrapping himself around her and closing his eyes. A wolf howled it’s lowly cry to the moon. It was the only sound in the night.
-Nothing really eventful happened to the two beans for a few months. It was then that things began to go downhill once again.-
The two beans were playing together in the woods. A thin blanket of snow covered the ground, and winter was just beginning to settle in. “Can’t catch me!” Evern squealed, her paws sending snow flying in clouds. “Watch me!” said Four, scrabbling gleefully after his sister. Mixed amongst the birdsong and joyful JBD cries was the sound of humanity. Not cars or bikes, but human joy. A girl and her father were tobogganing on a nearby hill. “Can we go over there?” The girl said to her father, pointing to a clearing deep in the woods. “You can’t toboggan in there sweetie, you might hit a tree” he said kindly. “But how about we go make a snowman?”. “Oh boy, a snowman!” The little girl giggled and ran excitedly towards the hill. Moment later, her cries reached Four’s ears. “Evern, hide.” He growled. “Hide!” Evern blinked, confused, and ran up the slope. A snowdrift across the way looked like a good hiding spot. Evern stopped at the top of the hill and glanced back. “No peaking Four!” “This isn’t hide and seek! Evern, you have to hide!” His voice was hard and panicked. The girl continued on her merry way up the hill, not noticing the two young JBDs ahead of her. “Evern!” Four screamed, his eyes wide with panic. Evern was frozen. The young human was coming closer and closer, each blind step bringing her closer. Four watched in horror as the human arrived, noticed Evern, scooped her up, and disappeared down the hill. Four was frozen. That moment was horrible. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. His mind was still, colder than the snow.
Evern struggled wildly in the girl’s grip, which was surprisingly strong for a girl so young. “Four! Four!” She screamed wildly to her brother, but he only stared blankly back at her. “Four!” Ahead of her was a man, and the girl was taking her right towards him. “Four!” Evern screamed, kicking wildly. She tried to bite the girl, but she couldn’t penetrate the thick protective clothes the girl was wearing. The girl walked right up to the man and said “Daddy, look what I found! Can I keep it? Can I? Pleaaase?” “Honey, we don’t even know what it is. You aren’t old enough to take care of a pet yet.” Her father said with a slight firmness that urged the girl to agree. “Dad, she’s an orphan! All alone out there with no one to protect her. Please? I’ll take the best care of her, promise!” The girl pleaded. Her father sighed. “Fine. But if you don’t take good enough care of her, she’s going back out into the woods.” “Yay!” The girl squealed, squeezing Evern tightly to her chest. “I’ll name her Crystal!” But my name is Evern… Evern whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. She was once again separated from her family.
By the time Four snapped out of his daze, Evern was gone. The tiny JBD wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t run in to town, that was a death sentence. But he couldn’t just abandon his sister. “Just look out for eachother. Forever.[i]” Four began to cry as his mother’s last words ran through his mind. “I’m sorry mother!” He yelled to the sky. “I’m sorry…” He fell into the snow and lay there, not wanting to move. Why would he? There was no point anyways. Snow slowly began to fall from above, blanketing the black JBD and hiding him from sight.
Evern was still in her captor’s arms as the two humans approached the town. It was ugly, old, and cold. The snow was brown like mud, the buildings grey. The people were sad and old, faces sagging with emotionless boredom. Only the girl seemed to have any emotions. She was still bouncing about happily, rambling about the things she and Evern would enjoy together. “…then we’ll have a tea party! You’d look so cute in a…”. Evern sighed. She would escape one day. But at least she would be unharmed for the most part. Or so it seemed at least. The man had opened the door to an ugly grey building, this one with a garden of dead plants (including the evergreen bushes) in front of it. “What an ugly den” Evern thought as she was carried inside. The inside of the den was just as bleak as the outside, with dull grey walls and hard, cold tiled floors. Then Evern went cold. There was a JBD pelt on the ground, being used as a rug. She squirmed and kicked, trying to escape the horror in front of her. “Oh Crystal, don’t look at that!” The girl said, covering Evern’s eyes with her gloved hand. “We’ll go to my room now, it’s much nicer.” Evern still struggled against the girl, but not as much. “Here we are Crystal!” The girl said gleefully, uncovering Evern’s eyes. Evern gazed at the room around her. It was horrible. Bright pink walls, fake toy animals everywhere. “What type of creature would want to [i]live[i] here?” Evern murmured to herself. “Time for tea Crystal!” The girl said, placing Evern on a small pink stool and putting a little silver tiara on her head. The girl began to talk about kingdoms and princesses while pouring water from a fancy cup. “What it this all about” Evern muttered coldly, bored and annoyed. “I wonder if Four is okay…” she said letting her mind wander. She thought of all the things that could happen to him… and tears ran down her face once again. “Don’t cry Crystal!” The girl said worriedly. “We can play something else! I know, how about dress-up?” the girl scooped Evern up and carried her over to a small box. “My clothes are too big for you, but some of my doll clothes might fit!” she said excitedly, placing Evern on the ground. Evern rolled her eyes and sighed, but allowed the girl to dress her up. She didn’t want to end up as a rug.
Four awoke under a blanket of snow. The young black JBD shook the snow off of his fur and yawned. “Evern? Time to get up! Evern…?” Four called nervously. Then the events of yesterday hit him. He prayed it was just a dream. “Evern? Evern?!” He called, spinning in circles, surveying the area around him for his sister. “Evern…” a tear slid down his cheek and froze just before falling off. He wiped it away with his tail and sighed. “I hope she’s ok..” he whispered to the ground. Four padded through the deep snow. He knew he should get something to eat. It wasn’t long before Four came upon a soft green bush full of frozen red berries. He sniffed them; they smelled safe enough. Four crunched on a couple of the berries, which were sweet and juicy. Four spent about an hour eating the hard frozen berries. Soon, he was full. Four slipped into the hollow of a tree and curled up to sleep. Rest would be important if he were to find Evern. Just before he fell asleep, something odd happened. He saw Evern. It wasn’t a dream. It was almost like he was there with her, seeing what she saw. He was in a bright and ugly room, walls painted pink. Eerie eyes stared at him from the toy animals within it. The room was mostly in shadow, illuminated by a dim light. Then he saw Evern. “Evern!” He screamed, running towards his sleeping sister and trying to hug her. His paws went right through her. Then he was back in the hollow tree, curled up against the cold. “Evern..” he whispered mournfully. The wind whispered outside as Four cried himself to sleep.
Evern knew this wasn’t real. She knew it couldn’t be. But she let herself believe it was anyways. Evern was standing in the snow, back in the woods. “Four?” She called out, hoping that maybe she could find her brother. No answer. She sighed. “Of course..” But then, a small wave of black caught her eye. “Four?” Evern called out, trotting towards the tree where she had seen the movement. “Four? Are you there?” She called nervously. Evern pulled herself up into the tree and saw Four sleeping in front of her. “Four!” She cried, leaping on top of her brother. But her paws went right through him. She was left standing in him, but only for a second. She was awake moments later, back in the ugly and sickly hot room. “Why do I have to be here” she grumbled angrily. Evern sighed, and curled up on the ground once more. Her sleep was undisturbed by dreams.
[i]-The odd connection between Four and Evern was come to be known as “sight or sightings”. The two spent the next six years of their lives growing older in the same places they had always lived in. Evern lost quite a lot of her spirit to the dry home she now lived in, since the girl spent most of her time at school now. Four became cold and dangerous, severely wounding many men who attempted to capture and kill him. He never killed any of them though.-
Four woke up in his den, a small rock cave. His sightings with Evern were growing few. He still pined desperately for his sister’s company, but felt like he could do nothing. Sure, he could take down one man, but many? He’d be a rug in seconds. It was fall once more, and the cold breeze was setting Four’s senses on fire. He was at his best during the fall, always sensing hunters while they were still miles away. He had grown into a sleek JBD, with black and red fur that shone like glass. His eyes were blue, but not the soft kind. They were more like shards of broken glass or the hottest part of a fire. His claws were long and sharp. He was a legend in the town, a JBD everyone wanted to catch. This made things harder for him. But Four managed fine. Some nights he would cry about Evern. Others he would scream to the heavens with rage, begging to know what he had done wrong. Mostly, he was confused. Four’s nose twitched. “Do I smell another stupid hunter?” Four said coldly, descending swiftly from his tree. “Let’s see how stupid this one is” he growled to himself. Sometimes he grew tired of the old game. His paws carried him towards the hunter, swift and silent. But then something he hadn’t intended happened: his foot slipped into a snare. It snapped closed around his paw, digging in hard. His cry split the forest, sending a flock of birds towards the sky. “Oh no. No no no… no..” Four whispered in terror. He was trapped, and his own scream would lead the hunter right to him. First Four pulled at the snare. Nothing. Then he tried to break it. Nope. Four gave up hope. He sat down, ready to try to fight for his life when the hunter arrived.
Evern snapped awake. She was a smallish JBD, dirty white with pale blue markings. Or maybe that was just the dull light in the old house. “What was that?” Evern whispered to herself. She had heard a scream. But not just any scream. “Four.” She said. Although she hadn’t seen him for six years, she still missed him. And that had been his scream. “I’m coming Four!” Evern screamed, dashing through the house and out the door. It was dangerous running though the city alone. The only reason she hadn’t been killed yet was because the girl and her father kept watch over her. But it was worth her life to save Four. “Forever.” She whispered to herself.. her mother’s last words. Meanwhile, inside the house, the girl’s father readied his rifle. “That JBD is going to see someone. That someone should be on my floor.” The man stepped out the door and chased after the JBD, managing to keep out of her line of sight.
Four saw the shape of a man on the horizon, his gun hanging at his side. He lifted his head to the sky. “I’m sorry mother. Sorry that I couldn’t protect Evern. I’m sorry..”. Tears streamed silently down his face as he prepared for his fate. As soon as the hunter saw Four, he ran towards him. He knew this was the JBD of legend, and was ready for it to be on his wall. He cocked his gun. Four lowered his head and closed his eyes. There was a bang. But no impact. Four looked up to see a white and blue JBD clawing wildly at the man, here teeth holding firmly to his wool sweater. The JBD jumped down and hissed at the man, who sprinted away at full speed. “E-evern? Is that really you?” Four’s voice quavered weakly as joy filled him. “Yes.” Evern said, a huge grin crossing her muzzle. She ran and tackled Four, hugging him in the tightest embrace. Both began to cry tears of pure joy. “I thought I’d never see you again!” Four cried out. “I never thought I’d see you again!” Evern called back, joy making it hard for her to speak. Then a gunshot. The two JBDs leapt apart, frozen. “Thanks for the lead.” The man said, nodding to Evern. “Oh no.” Evern said in a shocked whisper. “He.. he followed me. Run Four! Run!” “I can’t! My foot is stuck!” Four screamed, pulling desperately at the snare. “Stuck, are we?” The man chuckled coldly as he approached the trapped JBD. But the snare had a longer chain than he had thought. Four leapt forwards and viciously attacked the man, claws gouging deep into his skin. Four bit hard into his arm, preparing for the kill. This man would be his first. “Stop!” Cried Evern. “What?” Four said, shocked. “He’s the father of my human. She needs him.” Evern whispered. “Let him go Four.” Four jumped off of the man, who gave a confused look to Evern before staggering away. “Thank you Four.” She said, licking him on the nose. “Anything for you sis. Anything.” “Then lets’ leave” whispered Evern. “Lets go somewhere better, somewhere where JBDs aren’t prey.” “But Evern..” Four whispered. “There isn’t a place like that.” “There has to be Four. Let’s just try to find it, ok?” “Anything for you Evern.” Four whispered softly. “Anything.”
Story © me (flyteck)
