Echo's random short stories she makes up

[Echolight]

Blizzard

Snow pelted down on my shoulders. I shivered, my teeth chattering and my fingers almost blue. I trudged through the snow, my feet numb with cold. I could feel my life slipping away. Darkness grew closer and closer. I forced my eyes to stay open as I shakily put one foot in front of another.

Help.

Please.

Even though I had multiple layers of clothes, I felt chilled to the bone. My heart even felt like ice. I knew I wouldn't last long like this. The snow seemed to become harder and harder to plow through. It felt like trying to walk through concrete. I let out a gasp as I fell forward, collapsing on a soft pillow.

Pillow?

No.

More snow.

I pounded the snow in frustration. Tears tried to trickle down my cheeks, but they became frozen, small icicles stuck to my face. I let out a cry of despair. Horrible, terrible despair. It echoed through the midnight sky, flying over the endless snow covered ground. I finally gave up. Anything would be better than this, even death. I lay there awaiting my fate.

I thought of home, the brightly lit rooms, the wonderful aromas of food cooking in the oven, the joy of the people I love. How in the world did I get so lost?!

I squeezed my eyes shut, curling up in sadness. My breaths were uneven, and my body shook. I cried, fear and distress tearing at my soul. Suddenly, I stopped. I pushed myself up in a sitting position, staring around in the darkness intently. I think...I think I heard something. I whirled my head around, trying to hear anything through the terrible sounds of the blizzard.

There!

A high pitched sound echoed towards me. I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the swirling snow-flakes. Two bright, white eyes stared at me. I let out a gasp. Whatever that was, it wasn’t human. At first terror clenched my chest, and I lay down, frozen in fear. But I realized, whatever it was, might be able to lead me to somewhere good. It could also be just as lost as me. I was going to die anyway, so it was my only hope.

I forced myself to stand. I stumbled unsteadily towards it. It turned and fled in a bright white blur. I called out in despair. Trying to run after it, I fell again, and tumbled down a hill. I cried out in pain as jagged rocks cut and scraped my arms. As I slowed to a painful stop, my chest rose in hurtful gasps. Suddenly I felt warmth envelop my body. I turned, and saw the greatest, most magnificent scene I have ever beheld. Home.

 

[Echolight]

Rainy Days

Rain poured down, splashing off my soaked shirt. Completely drenched, my teeth chattered with cold. I glumly walked down the sidewalk, flinching as people gave me curious stares. Of course I had to go out the one day it rains.

How did I let myself get caught in this?!

I huffed, and kept moving. I sniffled a sneeze. Cold, wet, miserable. Terribly miserable. This had to be the day I had to go and visit my aunt.

I wonder, did she ask for me this day on purpose? She never really liked me, especially after the incident.

I couldn’t help myself, I chuckled. That old woman deserved it. Ever since I was adopted into the family, she lost her chance at inheriting the mansion I live in and the riches I have.

She’s been acting rudely to me ever since I got here.

I was just a seventeen year-old teenager. Nobody wanted me. Nobody cared. Until Mr. and Mrs. Fern showed up. They cared about me, no matter how old I was. I knew I finally belonged somewhere. Mrs. Fern’s sister, however, was not at all pleased. That was a year ago.

Why can’t she just leave me alone?

I let out an annoyed sigh, water droplets dripping off my wet hair and landing with a small splash on the ground. A sudden gasp erupted from my mouth as my feet slipped on the wet concrete. I flew backward, and as I tried vainly to steady myself with the few moments I had, I collided into something. A strong, but gentle hand grasped my arm, and pushed me upright. I turned to stare at a young man holding an umbrella. He looked at me with a concerned expression.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

I looked at him with a frustrated stare. “Do I look alright? I’m soaked!”

His eyes shone with worry. “Oh, I’m so sorry! would you like to have my umbrella?” he reached out with his umbrella, clearly wanting me to take it. I seized it, and exhaled with relief as the umbrella shielded me from the harsh, cold pour. Suddenly I looked at him. I stamped my foot angrily.

“What do you think you’re doing, handing me your umbrella like that! You’ll get all soaked!”

“But-“

“I’m already damp, you don’t need to get wet too, take it.” I handed his umbrella back and looked away, my eyes alight with anger. I stomped ahead.

What does he think he’s doing?! Why would he do that, and get all soaked himself, it doesn’t make any sense.

I let out a puff of annoyance as I realized he was next to me again. “What do you want now, huh?” I said, glaring at him. He looked at me kindly.

“I thought maybe we could share the umbrella together.” He beamed, “That way no one gets wet!”

I jumped back, my face turning a slight shade of pink. “Y-you want to-what?!”

His face still held that infuriating smile on his face. “Share the umbrella, of course! That way we’ll both be happy!”

He can’t really mean that…right?

“Listen!” I barked, “Just because you think sharing an umbrella will fix everything, it won’t! I’ll still be soaked, my aunt will still hate me, and I’ll still have a terrible past. It won’t fix anything!” my face glowered in anger.

“Just leave me alon-“

Suddenly dirty, mucky water splashed my back, and I stumbled forward with a yell of irritation. A car zoomed past. I was dripping wet. I looked at my clothes, now stained with mud and grease. My face contorted with fury.

“Great, just great.” I snapped. “This all for a trip to my silly aun-“ A hand thrust to my sleeve, and grasped it towards him. The young man pulled me under his umbrella, while hurriedly yanking off his coat.

“Here, put this on.”

“No way am I-“

He draped the coat over my shoulders, not taking heed to my protests. “And keep it on,” he ordered, showing a serious face for once. “You could catch a cold or worse in this weather. I’ll take you home.”

I shook with cold. “N-no, it’s fine! I’ll be okay, I have to go see my aunt-“

“That can wait, our first priority is getting you somewhere safe, and getting you some dry clothes.”

I looked up at him in surprise. He really does care about me…

“Where do you live?”

I turned back where I came. “Down there, follow the sidewalk a few paces, take a left, then walk onward a few miles, the mansion should be around there somewhere.”

His gaze light up in astonishment. “You live there? That great place?”

I tensed. Was he going to be one of those people who only cared about my riches?

His lit up gaze faded as soon as it had come. “That’s good, I know how to get there.”

I watched him in surprise. No one else had ever just shrugged my mansion off like that. This man…was different. His arm wrapped around my shoulder protectively as he strode down the sidewalk. I was relieved to not be in the pour anymore, and have a dry, warm coat on, but I hated to have to be treated like this.

I can take care of myself! I was fine…perfectly fine…

Doubt entered my mind as I realized how freezing I was, and how much I shook. As we passed a window, I saw my lips. They were purple with cold. Maybe, just maybe, I was is trouble until he came.

“I suppose I should thank you,” I said gruffly, staring at the ground as we walked.

“Don’t thank me yet, you’re not safe and dry.” He said gently, but I knew he was happy I thanked him. A warm feeling crept inside my heart, a feeling I had never felt before. Was this…love?

Bah! Of course not. This is a stranger that I had met less than ten minutes ago. And this isn’t some cheesy lovers film either.

I finally glanced up at him, and studied his face for the first time. His chocolate-brown hair had soft curls, and his calm ocean blue eyes looked straight ahead through his glasses. He had a kind and gentle face. I felt my cheeks growing hot so I looked away.

“Hey, you know, in thanks for helping me,” I began, “You could come over any time, you know, so we could get to know each other better, or something.” My face turned bright red as I realized how I sounded. “N-not like a date or anything!” I said hurriedly.

Drat! Why do I have to be so awkward all the time?!

He glanced at me. I nervously stared at him. He smiled. “Of course I will be friends with you!”

I sighed in relief. He knew what I meant. I suddenly felt a happiness I had never felt before. I knew things were going to get better from here on out, and, for once, I was thankful to my aunt. No more rainy days, just bright, sunny days ahead.

 

[Echolight]

Haha, been awhile, hasn't it? This is a short story I made up these past couple days, and I thought I'd share it! I didn't put a lot of effort into this story, which is why it's mostly dialogue with few descriptive paragraphs. I still hope you enjoy though!

Dawn

A wolf silently padded through the undergrowth, his paws crunching and crackling the dead leaves littering the ground. He flattened his ears and winced as his stomach rumbled. Hunger gnawed his insides. He weakly hobbled forward, but his steps grew uneven, and his head drooped with exhaustion.

Ever since he had been exiled from his pack, he had been lost and alone, poor and hungry, and with nowhere to go. His fur was matted and ragged, with stiff, dry mud sticking to it in clumps. Blood trickled down his muzzle from a deep scratch, a souvenir from an unlucky encounter with a grizzly. He whimpered, remembering its furious roars and growls as it charged towards him.

It was torture to hear the chirping and chattering of the birds overhead. They seemed to be mocking him, looking down on him from above in their luxurious nests and trees, safe from harm.

Suddenly he stumbled. His paws felt weak. Each paw step seemed to get heavier and heavier. Finally he could take no more. He whooshed forward with a pitiful yelp, and crashed onto the ground with a thud. He tried to cry out, but the only sound was a feeble gurgle. The world seemed to whiz around him, then flash dark.

*****

“What d'ya mean, ‘keep him’? It’s a stinkin’ wolf! It’ll devour us in one gulp, I’m telling you.”

“But he might be friendly?”

“Shut your mouth, rabbit. Don't you see it’s a predator? Predators are born evil.”

“But he looks so sad and starved, poor thing.”

“All the more reason to eat us, birdbrain!”

The wolf groaned, his ears twitching. His eyelids felt indescribably heavy, but he managed to slightly open them. Four prey creatures, a deer, a mouse, a hare, and a raccoon, stared down at the canine. The raccoon jumped back, her eyes wide with alarm.

“It’s awake!” she screeched. “It’s gonna kill us all!”

“Oh, be quiet, Ivy,” the deer stepped forward to stand beside the hare. “Meadow’s right. He’s wounded and starving. It would be rude to leave him here to die.”

The raccoon snorted disbelievingly and turned her back.

“You call that measly scratch on its muzzle a wound? Besides, it’s better for it to die than us. You’ll agree with that at least, won’t you, Grove?” she muttered, glancing at the deer.

The wolf felt a flash of irritation. He stared at Ivy, letting out a weak growl. “Can you stop calling me ‘it’? And I’m not going to eat you. I was banished from my pack for sympathizing with prey.”

The mouse, who was perched on the deer’s shoulder, let out a surprised squeak. “Y-you sympathize with u-us? You’re on our s-side?”

The wolf nodded. “I don’t think it’s right that predators kill other mammals to live. I was exiled because of that philosophy.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “As if. This monster’s a lying piece o’ scum,” she said, jerking her muzzled towards the wolf. “It’s obviously tryin’ to lower our guard so it can eat us up!”

Grove stamped his hooves, his nostrils flaring. “That’s enough, Ivy. We are animals of peace. We will shelter this poor creature until he is fit enough to travel. If you disagree, you may leave.”

As the wolf got shakily to his paws, Grove quickly trotted next to him so the wolf could lean on him as a support. Ivy shot Grove a glare, but reluctantly trailed after them, grumbling under her breath.

“S-so, what’s your name?” the tiny mouse peeped.

“Shadow.”

“Th-that’s a good name. My n-name’s Linden.”

“Nice name.” Shadow grunted.

The pair fell into silence.

Shadow appreciated the gentle rays of sunlight dappling the forest floor and warming his fur. He was surprised to feel the hare, Meadow, gently press against his legs. He glanced back at her, and she gave him a welcoming smile. He nodded.

I’m starting to feel glad I left my pack. Prey animals are way nicer.

The trickling of a stream nearby reminded him of how thirsty he was. He couldn’t help but dart forward towards the stream. He splashed his muzzle in the refreshing water and desperately gulped it up.

Grove chuckled as he came next to Shadow. “I see you’ve found our camp.”

“Huh?” Shadow murmured as he lifted his muzzle out of the water. His eyes widened as he gazed around him. A large oak tree sat next to the stream, and two nests covered with moss lay beside it, under its protective branches. Berries, fruits, and nuts of all sorts littered the ground.

“Got yourselves a big stock of food, huh,” Shadow breathed.

“You’ll be surprised by how much Grove eats.” Ivy said sarcastically, her eyes twinkling.

“Finally back to normal, Ivy?” Grove asked, glancing at the raccoon.

Ivy huffed.

Wait a second, something’s off…. Shadow thought as he looked at their camp.

Aha!

Shadow turned to Grove. “There’s four of you, so why are there only two nests?”

“Linden prefers to sleep in safety with me, and Ivy has her own nest in the tree. It’s hollow,” Grove explained.

“Oh.”

Meadow rushed forward as began to scrape leaves and moss together under the tree.

Ivy stared quizzically at her. “What’re you doing?”

“Making a nest for Shadow, of course!” she grunted, her mouth full of moss. She spat it out and carefully arranged it.

“Wow, thank you, uh, Meadow.” Shadow said.

“No problem.”

Ivy growled and turned away, her tail whooshing back and forth crossly. “I’m gonna go gather food.” she spat, stalking off.

Shadow’s hackles raised, and he let out a low rumbling.

I really don’t like that raccoon.

“Give her time,” Grove said, suddenly appearing by his side. “She’ll come around.”

I hope so.

“Anyway, go rest in the new nest Meadow has made for you. Feel free to eat as much food as you need, I’m sure you’re famished.”

The wolf gladly obeyed.

*****

Shadow had just finished his meal, when he spotted Ivy in the distance. He licked the last of the berry juice off of his face as she approached.

“Here.” she said curtly, plopping a dead fish on the ground.

“I thought I said I didn’t eat meat.” Shadow growled.

Is she trying to make me eat this fish so she can accuse me of killing?

“Are you stupid?” Ivy said incredulously. “I thought you were gonna be smarter than that.”

“What do you mean?” Shadow asked, confusion etched on his face.

Ivy sighed. “Even if you ate as many berries as you could, it wouldn’t be able to sustain you. You need meat to live. So this is the next best thing, unless you want to die o' malnourishment.”

“But I don’t want to eat meat.”

Ivy bristled. “Guess what, you're gonna have to!” she snarled. “So stop your yapping and eat!”

“...You’re right.” Shadow said humbly. “I’m sorry.” He closed his jaws around the piece of meat, and chomped down. He could smell the familiar tang of flesh as he ate.

“You promise it’ll just be fish, no mammals?” he asked between mouthfuls.

“Promise.”

“I guess that’s okay.” Shadow grunted.

“It better be, because I’ll make you eat if I have to.” Ivy said.

Shadow felt a sudden suspicion. “Why are you being nice to me all of the sudden? Well, ‘your’ kind of nice anyway.”

“Because I realized you weren’t lying. I suspected you in the first place because I thought you knew o' malnourishment. Guess most animals aren’t as smart as me.” She said, raising her head high.

“Oh, yeah?” Shadow said, laughing.

The pair fell into casual chatter as the sun set behind the trees.

*****

Darkness eventually enveloped the forest. As the five animals settled down for sleep, a peaceful feeling rose in Shadow’s chest.

I finally feel at home. I know this is the place where I belong.

His eyes fluttered shut as he lowered his head to lay on his paws.

Tomorrow I’ll help scavenge for berries and hunt for fish. I’ll protect everyone.

Excitement fizzed and bubbled inside him.

I can’t wait for dawn!

 

[Chevywolf30]

Thanks for the inspiration!