One-Shots of My O.C.'s Lives

Warmer Than Summer

Summer yelped and ducked under tree roots just in time for the outreached talons behind her to contact bark instead of skin, hearing the hawk shriek as she kept running.

She cried out when the talons clutched her, and for a moment she was suspended before she managed to squirm out of the cold grip, falling awkwardly on her leg but she kept going. She had been out scavenging for food when this stupid bird of prey swooped in, and seeing that she was half-starved, freezing cold, weak, and terrified, she was vulnerable.

She spotted a human house in the distance, and her hopes lifted a little as she kept running. If she could just make it-

But before Summer could go any farther over to the giant dwelling that was only a few normal-sized meters away, the hawk let out an ear-piercing shriek and dove, landing on her with a flurry of wings and pinning her as she screamed.

"HELP!!!" She yelled out desperately, writhing as the talons scratched her. "HELP, PLEASE!!!!! SOMEONE-- ANYONE!!!!" She started growing tired, and was about to give up when she heard something large approach, a distorted shout, and the bird suddenly abandoned its quarry and flew off with a hiss of irritation. She gasped in relief, falling limp on the ground and closing her eyes, her chest rising and falling with weak gaspy breaths.

Then she flinched sharply when she felt something warm and soft curl around and under her, and she was slowly lifted up into the air. She let out a weak sputtering cough, tilting her head from side to side before weakly opening her eyes, her vision blurry from the scuffle.

"Hnng..." She moaned softly, closing her eyes again and letting her head rest back, taking deep breaths to remain calm. She didn't know what was going on as she gradually slipped into unconsciousness, but Summer could've sworn she was feeling footsteps...

***************

Summer flinched awake with a shudder, blinking rapidly as her memory came flooding back to her. The hawk, the flight, the fight, th-the...

She slowly sat up, cringing at how sore she felt as she rubbed her eyes, yawning quietly. Then she lightly scratched the top of her head as she fully opened her eyes to look around, only to do a double take as her heart skipped a beat.

She was in a house. A human's house. Her breathing quickened as she glanced around, struggling to remain calm. Then she started in surprise when she heard footsteps approaching, and thought, 'Screw calm!' before jumping off of the furniture she had been resting on--a desk-- and scuttling under a bed. She huddled as far back as possible as she spotted the human's shoes through the small space between the bed and the floor, and she held her hand over her mouth, as if breathing would reveal her hiding place.

"Uh... He-hello?" She cringed at the husky voice, starting to shake a little. "Eh, l-little girl? Or uh... Borrower?" Her eyes widened in terror as the human wandered around the room, looking for her. He wasn't a human, he knew what she was for sure; he was a predator.

She turned away to look for a possible escape route, and her hopes melted in dismay when she realized she had trapped herself, and Summer mentally facepalmed at her stupidity. 'D*amn it, I have the worst luck...' She turned back around to see if the predator had gone, only to yelp when she realized that he had laid down on the floor to peer under the bed, and he was gazing calmly at her.

She pressed herself against the wall, shaking as she stared into the maroon eyes.

"... It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you." She stifled a gasp at the predator's soothing words, but they didn't persuade her, only making her feel like her heart was in her throat as she let a small whimper escape her. "I uh....... Are you ok?" Summer scoffed at the question, and her sharp tongue answered before she could stop herself.