On The Run

Chapter 2: Chickenwoods

Astheir rabaroos cook over the fire, Alice looks to Twikaleni who stillslumbers in the grass. It's late in the afternoon, but with thegathering clouds, it feels much later.

"Thinkshe's ok? Magic wears her out I know, but she's been sleepin' fora long time now."

"She'sfine. Just went a little overboard today is all," Danahlia says,reaching back to pet the little mouse's head gingerly.

"Hasshe ever collapsed like that before?" Alice asks, unable to shakethe worry in her gut for their youngest companion.

"OnceI've seen. This was way back before we met. Me and Twinkie werehikin' through a pretty dense bit of woods when we start hearin'these sounds comin' from the trees, like darkly chitterin' squirrels.We're ignorin' it for the most part, figurin' it's just someferals, but every little while, it comes back, and louder."

"Whatwas it?" Alice asks, turning her rabaroo over the fire.

"Twinkiecalled 'em chechies when we spotted one. Small, nasty, hairy thingsthat hid around trees and bushes, so we couldn't see 'em clearly.Thing is, every time we heard 'em chitterin' in that dark way oftheirs, their numbers grew. More and more gathered just on the edgeo' sight, stayin' hidden, but we knew they were there. See, themore that gathered, the more shapes we'd see dartin' betweentrees, the more twigs we'd hear snapping under their hairy littlefeet, and the louder they'd chitter."

"Whathappened?" Alice wonders, now thoroughly enthralled by the tale.

Danahliasmirks toward the little mage, "Twinkie said these chechies wereknown to be cowardly, so they were gatherin' up their numbers toattack. She seemed pretty sure we'd be safe if we made it outtatheir territory so we picked up the pace, takin' it to a jog, andthen a full run. But those nasty little things kept right on with us,musterin' their strength the whole way. The chitterin' got so loudat one point I could swear there had to be a hundred of 'em outtrackin' us."

Danahliagrins, seeing Alice's pointed fox ears angled toward her withundivided interest, and continues, "Runnin' for our lives now, anarmy of these chechi critters chasin' after us, the chitterin'suddenly stops. Nothin' moves, no twigs break, no leaves rustle, nonothin'. The silence is so strange and heavy that we stop too,wonderin' what was goin' on. Then out of a bush leaps thebiggest, ugliest, and hairiest of the bunch, charging in andscreamin' some kinda battle cry. All the others join in too, righton his heels, all screamin' at the tops of their lungs."

Alice'seyes widen and Danahlia goes on.

"Justas the leader's nearly on us, Twinkie throws up a hand and hits himwith a ball of fire so hot it turns him to ash mid leap, straightdusts 'im right there," she says, her fingers making a burstingmotion, "As a few charred bones clatter to the ground, the otherhundred or so panic and run off into the trees."

"Wow,"Alice exclaims, looking back to her roasting dinner.

"Shepassed out after that, only other time. But she woke up a littleafter, hungry as I've ever seen her. Said it had to do with someguy's fat or somethin'."