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“Escape from Ackerley” a collaborative story
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Thank you! I’m gonna try to post more regularly on here 😉
Silent started to pick Akaya up and strained to rise higher, but it seemed to be to much, she set the wolf back down and hovered a moment. “It’s okay, Silent,” Akaya said, “I’ll be fine. Take Farley and Ferguson, and go.”
Silent turned and flew away with Ferguson and Farley riding on her back. Farley turned and watched Akaya grow more distant. For some reason Farley had the feeling that this would be goodbye, but she shook it of quickly. They would see each other as soon as Silent went to fetch her.
A few minutes later Silent neared a grassy island well above the flood. Farley could see Ash in the center, looking as if he wished to be somewhere else. Farley prepared to land and set her paws on Silent’s back.
I AM afraid. I'm glad that I am. That tells me I need to be brave. ~W.M.
Ash paced the hill nervously as Silent flew off, glad that it – or she, he guessed – hadn’t tried to eat him. Yet. Oh boy.
It didn’t take long for Silent to reappear, carrying the fox, mink, and… yes, Faith. Both the she-fox (Farley? Was that her name?) and the he-mink (Ash didn’t know his name) were on her back, while she cradled Faith in her front paw, the uninjured one.
As they came in for a landing, Ash forced himself to appear less hostile/terrified. Silent landed as far away from him as possible, and the gentleness with which she handled the smaller animals almost convinced Ash that she really didn’t mean to eat him. Almost.
As soon as he had worked up the courage to stride forward a few steps, Ash asked, “Where is the she-wolf?”
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@rebekah12 @crazywriter @birds-rock @jasmineMaking something beautiful in a broken world can be harrowing work. And it can’t be done alone.
~API looked up at the sound of Ash’s voice. I was glad to note that he seemed to be trying to work up the courage to come closer, and took it as a sign that perhaps he wasn’t too far off now to trusting me.
“Where is the she-wolf?” he asked, eyeing me a tad nervously.
As soon as I had set Faith down and Farley and Ferguson had jumped from my back to the ground, I signaled him an answer. “I wasn’t strong enough to carry all of them, and she told me to take the others and come back for her.”
I didn’t wait to see if he’d understood; Farley could translate for him if he didn’t.
Instead, I took to the air again, and flew back to the trees as fast as I could.
The water was rising, and while I reminded myself repeatedly of Akaya’s superior swimming abilities, I could feel the worry bubbling up inside of me.
The sooner I got back there and picked her up, the better.
But when I at last reached the pine, I was not prepared for what I saw.
It had already been leaning dangerously, and now the water had risen enough to give even the strong, healthy trees a difficult time keeping their position.
The pine’s trunk, with several of its branches having broken off, was floating upon the water, more than half submerged.
There was no sign of Akaya.
I hovered there for a moment, my mind reeling.
Then I came to my senses, and dove down to a height that would have made me nervous otherwise, for my aerial maneuverability was greatly diminished when I was among trees, and this time was little different.
Never in my life had I longed for the ability to make a sound as much as I did then.
There was nothing I could do but hover above the surging rapids, signaling frantically even though I knew that it wouldn’t do any good.
The only sound I could make was to repeatedly slap the water’s surface with my tail, and though some part of my mind knew that even if Akaya heard it, wherever she was, she had no way of knowing that it was me, I kept at it.
I was desperate, and there was nothing that I could do that would help the situation.
Never before had I truly hated my silence; sure, it had gotten in the way at times, and sometimes I had felt slowed-down by it, but there had always been a workaround, and I’d figured out how to go on living a fairly normal life — at least, something as close to one as could be expected in my case.
But this wasn’t one of those times.
Now, there was no workaround. If I could speak, if I could cry out, then maybe Akaya would hear me, and give me some sign as to where she was — a howl, a bark, something.
But I couldn’t make a sound.
And there wasn’t a single thing that I could do about it.
I’m not sure how long I hovered there, panicking, trying everything I could think of, and all the while knowing that none of it would work. Eventually, I grudgingly admitted defeat, and with a heavy heart, flew back to the others on the hill, which was fast becoming its own little island.
When I landed, I wasn’t sure what to signal to them. All of them stared at me, waiting for some explanation as to why I had returned without Akaya.
The sadness felt like it was going to crush me as I mustered the emotional energy to signal two short words: “She’s gone.”
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*raises eyebrows at Denali, wherever she is*
@joelle-stone @crazywriter @birds-rock @jasmineSo. . . where’s this going now? Have we thought ahead of this point any? Or do we just “wing it” and see where stuff goes?
“Where my brothers fall, there I will be. Where my sisters stumble, there you will find me.” - Rupert
Ooh, I didn’t even think about Silent’s… silence. Ouch!
And I have no clue. XD Maybe they should go look for Cedar and Ivy, or any other family members anyone else has…
I loved your last post. Poor Silent!
Making something beautiful in a broken world can be harrowing work. And it can’t be done alone.
~APNo kidding! When I was writing it I actually forgot for a second that Silent couldn’t speak, then remembered just in the nick of time, lol.
“Where my brothers fall, there I will be. Where my sisters stumble, there you will find me.” - Rupert
So. . . where’s this going now? Have we thought ahead of this point any? Or do we just “wing it” and see where stuff goes?
Well, If my memory is correct, the plan was for the flood to go down, the humans start cutting down the remaining trees and using the fallen ones to build a dam against another potential flood, therefore leaving the creatures without shelter. So our group goes and tries to find a new home.
*shrugs* that’s how I remember it anyway.
Silent hovered over the ground and Ferguson and Farley jumped off.
“where is the she-wolf?” Asked Ash.
Silent’s paws danced in front of her in a sentence and then she flew off.
“She said, ” Farley translated, “that she wasn’t strong enough to carry all of us and Akaya said to come back after she dropped us off.” She trotted of to a corner of the island and started putting her fur in place. Silent would be back soon, and now that they where out of immediate danger, she felt she should be at least presentable. Faith’s quills, she noticed, where no longer lodged in her side. They must have come out in the water.
She finished cleaning herself and sat upright, listening for Silent’s return. But instead she heard a faint splashing sound, somehow different from the rest. She waited. And waited. And waited. This was taking much longer than the flight had. Finally, Farley heard the faint sound of wingbeats, growing stronger by the second. But something was wrong. They sounded quicker than when Silent had carried, Ash, Ferguson, and herself. She knew it before she could see it. Silent was flying alone.
Farley’s heart dropped. Silent hadn’t been strong enough to carry Akaya. But she found out it was worse than that. Silent glided up to the Island and hesitated before signing, “She’s gone.”
Farley curled up in a tight ball and squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she could. Akaya was gone.
I AM afraid. I'm glad that I am. That tells me I need to be brave. ~W.M.
@jasmine @joelle-stone @rebekah12 ,
I’m Back! Sorry it took me so long! I have had some family stuff come up that had to be dealt with. Here is my post:
Faith was picked up and carried to an island. Ash was already there. He looked scared. Silent put Faith down along with Farley and Ferguson. Faith watched as Silent left to go pick up Akaya from that savoir of a pine tree. She walked over to Ash and said, “ You ok? You look scared. Do you need someone to talk to?” Ash didn’t have time to answer the questions before Silent returned without Akaya. Silent signaled something that Farley understood and Farley wrapped herself into a ball. Faith could guess what that meant. Akaya was gone.
I’m Back! Sorry it took me so long! I have had some family stuff come up that had to be dealt with. Here is my post:
Your totally fine, I think everyone’s been a bit busy. I’m so happy to have you back!
I AM afraid. I'm glad that I am. That tells me I need to be brave. ~W.M.
Welcome back @birds-rock!! Totally understandable (life has been slamming me lately too, so I get it).
Making something beautiful in a broken world can be harrowing work. And it can’t be done alone.
~AP
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