Tasha

Five

Squatting carelessly, Tasha extended her left leg out of the window, onto her kitchen roof which had unevenly supported slates. The flesh exposed from Tasha's ripped jeans were being painfully nipped by the harsh breeze as Tasha zipped up her leather jacket to escape the uncomforting temperature. She turned around and wrapped her arms around Smudge's fluffy body and lifted him off the ground, supporting him on her shoulder as his tail wagged frantically like a dog's, shipping her in the face. Squirming uncontrollably, Smudge leaped off of Tasha's shoulder and onto the drain pipe. Independent was his middle name (as well as foolish and stubborn).

Tasha crouched down upon the roof, her hand gripping onto the window ledge as she eyed the foresty distance before her. Releasing her grip, she crawled down the slates of the roof which were terrifyingly unsteady, however Tasha couldn't care less. Wandering along the surface of the kitchen roof she placed her left foot upon the wooden fencing, waiting patiently for Smudge to guide her across. He strutted across the narrow fencing with confidence and ease as Tasha followed, cautiously stepping one foot in front of the other like a circus tight rope act. Left, right, left, right. Soon gaining balance, Tasha caught up with Smudge and trotted carelessly upon the fencing toward the mystic darkness of the forest. 

A long extended branch weaved its way around the end of the fence, its finger nails intertwining with Smudge's paws as he lept onto the thickness of the wood. The damp smell of the wooded area soothed her senses as Tasha crawled upon the branch until she reached the tree, hugging it tightly. Smudge was already out of sight at this point as he was always eager to speed ahead, regardless of his guardian's safety. Tasha, too, was regardless of her safety anyway. The whistling sound of the birds surrounded Tasha's head - Smudge would be going ballistic by this sound. Rotating around the tree, still hugging it tightly, Tasha grabbed the nearby grubby sinister rope that dangled deadly from the branch above and hung from it, curling her legs tightly in to her chest. Then, extending her left leg behind her, she kicked her foot against the back of the tree and there she whooshed ahead, swinging with freedom and pride as these small 5 seconds felt like a lifetime - the wind rushing into her face, causing multiple strands of Tasha's hair to dance frantically in multiple directions as her cheeks grew numb and ice cold from grinning. Tasha lept off of the rope and onto a large sturdy branch which Tasha was able to balance on. She peered below her to see that she was feet above the ground, large boulders were now small dots and there was also an even smaller dot which was moving with a fast momentum. Smudge. 

'Hah, I beat you, you little beast' Tasha hissed quietly to herself at Smudge who was running below her. Balancing among the branch, she hugged another tree and slid down it, her jacket making a screeching sound as she hopped from one branch to another, sliding down another tree, repetitively until she finally returned back to earth. On the ground. 

She met Smudge who plodded along, with a stern look on his face knowing that Tasha arrived there first - before him. They looked at each other for several minutes, Tasha's one eyebrow raised in unsatisfaction. Losing his focus, Smudge sped away from Tasha as she quickly grabbed him, lifting him off the ground, holding him upon her shoulder.

'You're not going anywhere, Mister' Tasha chanted as Smudge meawed stroppily, digging his claws into her back. This was the favourite part of Tasha's day - walking through the woods. Her escape from reality. The forest was practically her second home as she spent most of her life in the outdoors. All she needed in her life was the woods, Smudge and her sketch book. 

After meandering through the tall trees and crunchy leaves, Tasha and Smudge arrived to their usual spot which they spent the whole at. It was the most open space there was in the woods - less trees however a stunning view of the forest on the other side of the stream. That is what Tasha loved to sketch. She crouched down, the rips in her jeans widening as though they were going to tare apart. Smudge lept out of her hands and plodded his feet upon the scrunchy leaves, creating a crispy sound to occur repetitively. Tasha walked toward the damp log that sat there in the spotlight of the sun as she sat down on the rough material. Whipping out the small sketchpad from her pocket, she crossed her right leg over her left and began to drift off from earth. By sketching. 

Snap! Smudge and Tasha's head twitched up, her emerald eyes widened as Smudge's pupils decreasing in size. Tasha sat up from the log, placing her masterpiece on the floor as Smudge stayed laying on the floor, bundled like a ball of fluff, however still twitching his head around in different directions to identify the sound. Tasha knew what the sound was and she knew where it came from. Stumbling through the old twigs and grass, Tasha came toward two twinned trees, boldly next to each other. In between there lay something. Something sorrowful. Something unpleasant. A dead rabbit.