This is where I'll be posting my story for Parapup #197, so as to save space on the thread. Please do not post here.
---
Thresh broke into a trot, paranoia creeping like a weed, coiling around his legs and reaching for his throat. He glanced behind himself, his lantern casting light that was far too faint. His glance was met with darkness, pressing around him, suffocating and choking the breath from his chest. He whipped his head back around, determined to keep his eyes on the path.
“H-hush little baby...” he murmured under his breath.
Every night, when the human's big ole train would come careening through the town, shaking the ground and bleating like a sick animal, Thresh would be jolted from his sleep, crying out. And every night, Mama would trot to him, eyes heavy with sleep and limbs like lead. She would coil around him, her tail wrapping around the both of them. She'd nestle her beak against his neck and softly sing.
“...Don't say a word...”
A rough rustling in the tree canopy above pulled Thresh from his memory, warm nostalgia being replaced by the bitter cold of the forest's bite. He broke into a run, galloping, his heavy tail weighing him down and catching the stinging wind. He closed his eyes against the wind, gasping for air, limbs clumsy and numb.
The sun shined warmly on his back as he galloped down the familiar walkway, overgrown with weeds. His eyes were closed, stinging with tears. His tail repeatedly smacked the ground with its weight, mud stuck throughout it.
“Mama!” He wailed, before jumping and clambering up their tree. He finally opened his eyes, tears soaking his fur. His mother galloped to where he stood.
“Oh Thresh. What happened to your beautiful tail?”
“T-they made f-f-f-un of me, Mama,” Thresh stuttered, half from tears. “I'm never g-g-going back-ck, n-n-n-nev-nev-”
“Shh, little darling.” She pressed her face to his, gently caressing him. “What ever did they make fun of you for? You're perfect.”
“Th-they made fun of my st-st-stutter,” Thresh muttered, tears beginning to dry. “And my t-tail. They s-said it's too long and that I-I'm a f-f-freak.”
“They're all jealous,” His mother cooed, tail snuggling around him. She softly sang to him. “...Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird...”
Thresh cracked his eyes open, slowing his sprint to a trot. His breath was labored, chest tight and ribs stinging. A freezing rain sprinkled, threatening a downpour. His tail was soaked with mud and rain, and dragged behind him. His mane fell in his eyes, freezing and soaked. He pressed onward.
He galloped home, eyes free of tears for the first time in months. Instead, they were wide, brimming with joy and happiness.
“Mama!” He cried as he climbed their tree. “Are you th-there, Mama?”
He burst through the large leafy palms that hid the entrance to their small tree-home. He trotted forward, and called out once again.
“Mama?”
Thresh kept his head low, eyes on the illuminated path below his feet. He could've sworn he'd walked this same path a hundred times. Every part was familiar, from the looped root on his left to the weeds sprouting down the path. He sighed, frustrated at his sudden poor sense of direction, though it had been fantastic all his life.
Thresh searched their tiny home three times over before accepting that his mother wasn't home. It was rare that she wasn't home in the evenings, but he figured she was simply out gathering foods for dinner. He settled into a small cluster of leaves before closing his eyes, singing to himself.
“And if that mockingbird won't sing...”
The sky seemed to open all at once, the sprinkling of rain turning into unending icy sheets of water, pouring onto him in a nonstop torrent. The lantern never flickered, and somehow kept it's flame. Thresh continued up the path, memories tugging at his mind, but refusing to reveal itself.
Thresh awoke, cold and alone. He almost called for his Mama, but the night's memories rushed back at him. He leaped up, sun streaming through the leaves above him. After a search through their home, he lept from the branches, eyes wide and fearful. He ran up the hard-packed path, past the looped treeroot that used to trip him, and was quickly met with a crowd of Paras he recognized from the small town they lived in.
“H-hey, have a-any of you seen my Mama around?” Thresh panted, eyes darting from Para to Para. They looked to one another, faces long and grim.
“Thresh,” an elder Para began, stepping forward.
“...Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.”
The ghostly voice circled through the trees, weaving in and out. Thresh stopped dead in his tracks, ears pricked forward. Everything came to him at once, and he realized he knew where he was. Hot tears filled his eyes, soaking into his fur and mixing in the rain.
“Mama?”
“We found her this morning, Thrush. I'm so sorry.”
Thresh was deaf to the world, and wouldn't correct the elder even if he'd heard. His ears rang, drowning out any other sound. His mother was before him. They didn't even move her body. They didn't even move her body.
“...And if that diamond ring turns brass...”
Tears streaked down his face, and he called out again.
“Mama? Mama, a-are you th-there?”
The song had drifted down from the treetops above. He scanned them, continuing the path to his old home.
“We assume she fell in, and got knocked out from the impact..” The elder went on, but Thresh went on ignoring him.
Her body was lodged in the rocks of the river, the current making her fur wave and rustle around. Her eyes were closed.
“Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass...”
Thresh arrived at their home. He ran to the base of the tree, looking upwards. He began to climb.
“Mama?”
Thresh's legs shook, and collapsed under him. When his gaze broke from her body, his trance broke at the same time. He curled on the ground, eyes shut tightly, ears pressed against his skull.
“And if that looking glass gets broke...”
Thresh broke through the leafy palms. His home was soaked and dark. Branches broke and grew through the packed floor of mud and leaves they'd made together.
“M-” Thresh began, when he spotted it.
“So what do we do with him?” They whispered to each other, ignoring Thresh curled on the ground ten feet away.
“I ain't got any room for a pup...”
“Me either!”
“Maybe he'll do fine on his own...”
Thresh's eyes remained dry. His skull pounded.
A bird perched on his old bed, leaves brown and drenched in rain. It was small, scarcely bigger than a sparrow. It was silvery brown. Thresh recognized it as a mockingbird. It looked at him, cocked it's head, and sang.
“...Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat...” It chirped, fluttering it's wings, shaking raindrops from its feathers. “And if that b-”
“Sh-sh-shut u-up!” Thresh lunged at the bird, tears streaming down his face. The bird squawked at him, taking flight and flying higher into the tree.
All at once, Thresh was on his feet and running. The others had scarcely realized before he was long gone. The wind stung his eyes as he ran, and tears soaked into his fur.
Alone, Thresh stumbled through their home, tears blurring his vision. He ended up at her bed, a small nest of evergreen needles. He nestled into the bed, and noticed something shining among the needles.
Thresh ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. The sun taunted him, shining brightly as if all was well in the world. He slowed to a walk, refusing to stop and rest. He didn't care where he went, so long as it was far from them.
Thresh lifted the shining thing, and realized it was a locket. His mother's locket, the one he'd found and given to her on a birthday that seemed lifetimes away. Inside, engraved into the metal read, “I love you always.” Paws shaking, he lifted it over his head and slid it down around his neck. Nestling down into the needles, he sang to himself.
“Hush little baby, don't say a word...”
---
Thresh broke into a trot, paranoia creeping like a weed, coiling around his legs and reaching for his throat. He glanced behind himself, his lantern casting light that was far too faint. His glance was met with darkness, pressing around him, suffocating and choking the breath from his chest. He whipped his head back around, determined to keep his eyes on the path.
“H-hush little baby...” he murmured under his breath.
Every night, when the human's big ole train would come careening through the town, shaking the ground and bleating like a sick animal, Thresh would be jolted from his sleep, crying out. And every night, Mama would trot to him, eyes heavy with sleep and limbs like lead. She would coil around him, her tail wrapping around the both of them. She'd nestle her beak against his neck and softly sing.
“...Don't say a word...”
A rough rustling in the tree canopy above pulled Thresh from his memory, warm nostalgia being replaced by the bitter cold of the forest's bite. He broke into a run, galloping, his heavy tail weighing him down and catching the stinging wind. He closed his eyes against the wind, gasping for air, limbs clumsy and numb.
The sun shined warmly on his back as he galloped down the familiar walkway, overgrown with weeds. His eyes were closed, stinging with tears. His tail repeatedly smacked the ground with its weight, mud stuck throughout it.
“Mama!” He wailed, before jumping and clambering up their tree. He finally opened his eyes, tears soaking his fur. His mother galloped to where he stood.
“Oh Thresh. What happened to your beautiful tail?”
“T-they made f-f-f-un of me, Mama,” Thresh stuttered, half from tears. “I'm never g-g-going back-ck, n-n-n-nev-nev-”
“Shh, little darling.” She pressed her face to his, gently caressing him. “What ever did they make fun of you for? You're perfect.”
“Th-they made fun of my st-st-stutter,” Thresh muttered, tears beginning to dry. “And my t-tail. They s-said it's too long and that I-I'm a f-f-freak.”
“They're all jealous,” His mother cooed, tail snuggling around him. She softly sang to him. “...Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird...”
Thresh cracked his eyes open, slowing his sprint to a trot. His breath was labored, chest tight and ribs stinging. A freezing rain sprinkled, threatening a downpour. His tail was soaked with mud and rain, and dragged behind him. His mane fell in his eyes, freezing and soaked. He pressed onward.
He galloped home, eyes free of tears for the first time in months. Instead, they were wide, brimming with joy and happiness.
“Mama!” He cried as he climbed their tree. “Are you th-there, Mama?”
He burst through the large leafy palms that hid the entrance to their small tree-home. He trotted forward, and called out once again.
“Mama?”
Thresh kept his head low, eyes on the illuminated path below his feet. He could've sworn he'd walked this same path a hundred times. Every part was familiar, from the looped root on his left to the weeds sprouting down the path. He sighed, frustrated at his sudden poor sense of direction, though it had been fantastic all his life.
Thresh searched their tiny home three times over before accepting that his mother wasn't home. It was rare that she wasn't home in the evenings, but he figured she was simply out gathering foods for dinner. He settled into a small cluster of leaves before closing his eyes, singing to himself.
“And if that mockingbird won't sing...”
The sky seemed to open all at once, the sprinkling of rain turning into unending icy sheets of water, pouring onto him in a nonstop torrent. The lantern never flickered, and somehow kept it's flame. Thresh continued up the path, memories tugging at his mind, but refusing to reveal itself.
Thresh awoke, cold and alone. He almost called for his Mama, but the night's memories rushed back at him. He leaped up, sun streaming through the leaves above him. After a search through their home, he lept from the branches, eyes wide and fearful. He ran up the hard-packed path, past the looped treeroot that used to trip him, and was quickly met with a crowd of Paras he recognized from the small town they lived in.
“H-hey, have a-any of you seen my Mama around?” Thresh panted, eyes darting from Para to Para. They looked to one another, faces long and grim.
“Thresh,” an elder Para began, stepping forward.
“...Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.”
The ghostly voice circled through the trees, weaving in and out. Thresh stopped dead in his tracks, ears pricked forward. Everything came to him at once, and he realized he knew where he was. Hot tears filled his eyes, soaking into his fur and mixing in the rain.
“Mama?”
“We found her this morning, Thrush. I'm so sorry.”
Thresh was deaf to the world, and wouldn't correct the elder even if he'd heard. His ears rang, drowning out any other sound. His mother was before him. They didn't even move her body. They didn't even move her body.
“...And if that diamond ring turns brass...”
Tears streaked down his face, and he called out again.
“Mama? Mama, a-are you th-there?”
The song had drifted down from the treetops above. He scanned them, continuing the path to his old home.
“We assume she fell in, and got knocked out from the impact..” The elder went on, but Thresh went on ignoring him.
Her body was lodged in the rocks of the river, the current making her fur wave and rustle around. Her eyes were closed.
“Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass...”
Thresh arrived at their home. He ran to the base of the tree, looking upwards. He began to climb.
“Mama?”
Thresh's legs shook, and collapsed under him. When his gaze broke from her body, his trance broke at the same time. He curled on the ground, eyes shut tightly, ears pressed against his skull.
“And if that looking glass gets broke...”
Thresh broke through the leafy palms. His home was soaked and dark. Branches broke and grew through the packed floor of mud and leaves they'd made together.
“M-” Thresh began, when he spotted it.
“So what do we do with him?” They whispered to each other, ignoring Thresh curled on the ground ten feet away.
“I ain't got any room for a pup...”
“Me either!”
“Maybe he'll do fine on his own...”
Thresh's eyes remained dry. His skull pounded.
A bird perched on his old bed, leaves brown and drenched in rain. It was small, scarcely bigger than a sparrow. It was silvery brown. Thresh recognized it as a mockingbird. It looked at him, cocked it's head, and sang.
“...Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat...” It chirped, fluttering it's wings, shaking raindrops from its feathers. “And if that b-”
“Sh-sh-shut u-up!” Thresh lunged at the bird, tears streaming down his face. The bird squawked at him, taking flight and flying higher into the tree.
All at once, Thresh was on his feet and running. The others had scarcely realized before he was long gone. The wind stung his eyes as he ran, and tears soaked into his fur.
Alone, Thresh stumbled through their home, tears blurring his vision. He ended up at her bed, a small nest of evergreen needles. He nestled into the bed, and noticed something shining among the needles.
Thresh ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. The sun taunted him, shining brightly as if all was well in the world. He slowed to a walk, refusing to stop and rest. He didn't care where he went, so long as it was far from them.
Thresh lifted the shining thing, and realized it was a locket. His mother's locket, the one he'd found and given to her on a birthday that seemed lifetimes away. Inside, engraved into the metal read, “I love you always.” Paws shaking, he lifted it over his head and slid it down around his neck. Nestling down into the needles, he sang to himself.
“Hush little baby, don't say a word...”
