HOME | DD

Description

Warnings

Grief, loss of loved one, manipulation, helplessness

Vermin’s Perspective

The snow was falling thick and heavy as Fern stared out of her bedroom window... a crisp chill nipped violently at her nose as she breathed against the glass, vague puffs of steam obscuring her view of her destined fate and highlighting the many smudge marks left from when she cared enough to wipe it away. She felt sick to her stomach as she took one of her final looks at the inside of what was soon not to be her bedroom. The familiar walls, painted, repainted, marked and scuffed - each uneven patch a memory she could recite. The soft rug still cursed with sparkles from the glitter pot her father brought home exploding - like thousands of tiny stars dotted upon its dark surface. The tall bookshelf filled with treasured botanical knowledge that she knew was destined to be sold away... All aside from a single book that was too precious to be taken from her - its pages unpublished and unique, its author long gone, filled with sketches upon sketches of both flora and fauna and a personalised message in the back cover.

She’d cried today... cried far too much. The more she cried, the more the frigid air stung her nose, the more she just wanted to sleep. Pretend this was all just a bad dream. That it would all go away if she ignored it... but she knew that wasn’t true. Everything was sore and broken. She missed her mother... if she was still here this wouldn’t be happening. Father wouldn’t have stubbornly struggled to care for a child, a newly hatched baby and keep the house afloat all at once. There wouldn’t be vermin infesting the walls... or weird looks from neighbours as he insisted everything was fine and he didn’t need help. He wouldn’t come home tired... so tired that she had to step up and take charge. If she was still here it’d never have changed. If they hadn’t tried for a second child to ‘keep her company’ it’d all still be NORMAL!

Fern’s breathing was hard and heavy by the time she stopped herself. Her body quivering, yet there were no more tears left to cry. She... she couldn’t be angry about that anymore. She... she’d promised not to be angry anymore. It... it wasn’t Daffodil’s fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. She just... she just...

“FERN! DAFF!” She could hear her father calling her. Nine o’clock already, huh? Her last few moments in her bedroom. Last few moments to take in the sight, the feeling, even the smell of it. It’d come so fast... her stuff already packed safely away in her bag but... she wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready. It was as if even the cozy bedding she’d thrown over herself was begging her to stay as her limbs felt heavy under it, refusing to move. “Fern? We need to go, sweetheart. They’re expecting us there in half an hour and we can’t be late.” His voice was closer now, she knew he was standing in the doorway. Though she wasn’t expecting to hear a sudden rush of paw-steps shortly followed by her bed bouncing as something impacted it, nearly causing her face to ricochet into the window pane in front of her - Daffodil.
“Come on, come on! We need to go! Go! Fern, please. We can go meet lots of friends and have big, biiiiig sleepover at the big tree! We gotta go!” Fern sighed as her brother’s incessant movement caused her bed to jiggle and creak. Sleepover huh? So that was the lie he was using. They were being abandoned at an orphanage and THAT was the stupid thing he decided to tell his youngest?! Not even the common decency to tell the truth? Ugh! She couldn’t even bring herself to look back at him as her ears tuned back into what her brother was saying... or rather chanting in-between his little giggles. “Get your coat! Get a wiggle on. Get a wiggle on. Get a wiggle on. Get a-“
“I GET IT!” She snapped, her voice completely filling the room as she glared at the young brown kit beside her. He was stunned into silence near instantly, expression a mix of shock and fear, ears pinned back as he wasn’t expecting the sudden snap... Watching him flinch, guilt and regret immediately stabbed the mossy folk through the heart as she realised what she’d done. “D-Daff- I-I’m... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ It was so common for him to get stuck on phrases like that when he was excited, it was just part of who he was. Gods, she could feel the tears welling up again... the horrible shaking and shuddering from deep in her chest... this was awful... she was awful... everything was falling apart and-

Her feet felt nothing but air beneath them as she was lifted up carefully and held close to her father’s chest. “Sh-sh-shhh...” he gingerly hushed her, gently rocking the kit in his arms, “It’s ok... you’re going to be ok.” He was so warm... so soft and so warm... was this the last hug he’d ever give her? That she did not know. “Hey, my little Daffimin, why don’t you go get Fernie her coat and some boots, huh? She’s a little upset right now, we need to be extra gentle with her.” Fern watched as her brother quickly shook himself off and flashed them a big grin before nodding and running away to get the items requested with a skip in his step.

“Oh, my sweet baby... I know you don’t want to go.” He hummed the moment he knew his youngest was out of earshot, softly brushing his daughter’s cheek with his paw. His eyes filled with sadness and understanding as he looked down at her.
“Then why are you forcing me to?” She grumbled, staring him straight in the eye causing him to immediately glance toward the floor.
“I... don’t really have a choice there, sweetheart. None of us do. It’s for your own good, alright? The den mothers are really nice and you’ll be able to meet some kits your age instead of just sitting around here.” While he couldn’t see it, he could feel that her glare had hardened. “Listen, if not for yourself, just... let’s do this for Daffodil. He needs this right now, he needs you to be brave and strong for him. Please...”
“...fine.”

—

The next few hours went faster than she could have ever suspected. From their walk through the bitter cold, to the arrival at the giant tree, to the meeting and registering their names in the giant book, to finally being shown the living spaces and sleeping arrangements. There was just... so much. So much everything. All hitting her at once. The sounds, the sights, the smells. Kits running past. Water flowing freely. The space seemingly stretching for miles and miles just up and up and up. It was all just... so big! Too big... too big... Pull yourself together, Fern.

It wasn’t long before they were waving off the only other person in their lives. The sun slowly threatening to set upon the horizon, clearly visible just outside the biggest window the kit had ever seen. Fern felt sick... she felt numb... she... felt exhausted. She hated sleeping in hammocks... the constant movement in the night always made her nauseous. Yet, she didn’t even fight when placed into one with her brother and several strangers. She was just... so... so... tired. And before she knew it... she was swept up by sleep.

—

It was dark, she was floating... comfortable and weightless in the nothingness that ensnared her. Quiet only broken by her father’s voice ringing in her ears.

“My sweet baby girl, I have an important job for you. Take your brother, hold him close. Never let him go. He needs you, my sweet baby. He needs your love to grow. Please don’t cry, my darling... you can be brave, that I know. I’ll be back for you, I promise. Just remember Wigglewhisker as we travel through the snow.”

The whispering, the whispering, the whispering was endless as it echoed throughout the void. A different voice... twisted and unrecognisable. It reached out, palm outstretched, grabbed her and dragged her, dragged her down... down... down...

“You are nothing in the endless, power just out of reach. Just forget him, I can show you so much more. Forget him, forget him... he’ll just forget you. He’ll forget you... forget you... forget you know. I will never let you go. I will never let you go. Just breathe steady, soft and slow. Oh little one, little one, you know it is true. Shed your skin, unlock that power within. We can be strong, let me help, let me in. Together I can show, together we can grow. Grow. Grow, grow... together we shall grow.

“It’s so loud. It’s so quiet. Hold your breath. Hold your silence. It’s so quiet, it’s so loud. Let the quiet loud surround. Surround, surround, the quiet loud surrounds. Embrace, embrace, you in its embrace. Do not struggle, do not fight. Let the quiet take its hold. Its hold, hold, hold, let it hold you. Tight, close, safe within its grasp. Its grip and its grasp... are you up to that task?

“It’s so loud. It’s so quiet. It’s so loud. It’s so quiet. Do not be afraid of the whispers in the dark. The dark, the dark, the quiet loud in the dark. Listen only to it, in the dark.
Hold you, fold you, bending to its whim.
Close your eyes let it begin.
Hold, cold, the quiet loud surrounds you. Submit, don’t fight, it’s the only choice you have.

“Surrounds, surrounds, quiet loud surrounds.
Surrounds, surrounds, quiet loud surrounds.
In the quiet. In the loud. In the loud. In the quiet.
You cannot hope to hide.
Fate is sealed.
Strings are tied.
Hold your silence.
Oh little one.
Hold your breath.
Let’s have some fun.”

1674 Words
~~~~~~~~

One down... one remains.

Bongo and Duckweed belong to
Quill belongs to
Devin belongs to
Sable belongs to
Lovely belongs to

45/53 Acorns

Description

Warnings

Grief, loss of loved one, manipulation, helplessness

Vermin’s Perspective

The snow was falling thick and heavy as Fern stared out of her bedroom window... a crisp chill nipped violently at her nose as she breathed against the glass, vague puffs of steam obscuring her view of her destined fate and highlighting the many smudge marks left from when she cared enough to wipe it away. She felt sick to her stomach as she took one of her final looks at the inside of what was soon not to be her bedroom. The familiar walls, painted, repainted, marked and scuffed - each uneven patch a memory she could recite. The soft rug still cursed with sparkles from the glitter pot her father brought home exploding - like thousands of tiny stars dotted upon its dark surface. The tall bookshelf filled with treasured botanical knowledge that she knew was destined to be sold away... All aside from a single book that was too precious to be taken from her - its pages unpublished and unique, its author long gone, filled with sketches upon sketches of both flora and fauna and a personalised message in the back cover.

She’d cried today... cried far too much. The more she cried, the more the frigid air stung her nose, the more she just wanted to sleep. Pretend this was all just a bad dream. That it would all go away if she ignored it... but she knew that wasn’t true. Everything was sore and broken. She missed her mother... if she was still here this wouldn’t be happening. Father wouldn’t have stubbornly struggled to care for a child, a newly hatched baby and keep the house afloat all at once. There wouldn’t be vermin infesting the walls... or weird looks from neighbours as he insisted everything was fine and he didn’t need help. He wouldn’t come home tired... so tired that she had to step up and take charge. If she was still here it’d never have changed. If they hadn’t tried for a second child to ‘keep her company’ it’d all still be NORMAL!

Fern’s breathing was hard and heavy by the time she stopped herself. Her body quivering, yet there were no more tears left to cry. She... she couldn’t be angry about that anymore. She... she’d promised not to be angry anymore. It... it wasn’t Daffodil’s fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. She just... she just...

“FERN! DAFF!” She could hear her father calling her. Nine o’clock already, huh? Her last few moments in her bedroom. Last few moments to take in the sight, the feeling, even the smell of it. It’d come so fast... her stuff already packed safely away in her bag but... she wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready. It was as if even the cozy bedding she’d thrown over herself was begging her to stay as her limbs felt heavy under it, refusing to move. “Fern? We need to go, sweetheart. They’re expecting us there in half an hour and we can’t be late.” His voice was closer now, she knew he was standing in the doorway. Though she wasn’t expecting to hear a sudden rush of paw-steps shortly followed by her bed bouncing as something impacted it, nearly causing her face to ricochet into the window pane in front of her - Daffodil.
“Come on, come on! We need to go! Go! Fern, please. We can go meet lots of friends and have big, biiiiig sleepover at the big tree! We gotta go!” Fern sighed as her brother’s incessant movement caused her bed to jiggle and creak. Sleepover huh? So that was the lie he was using. They were being abandoned at an orphanage and THAT was the stupid thing he decided to tell his youngest?! Not even the common decency to tell the truth? Ugh! She couldn’t even bring herself to look back at him as her ears tuned back into what her brother was saying... or rather chanting in-between his little giggles. “Get your coat! Get a wiggle on. Get a wiggle on. Get a wiggle on. Get a-“
“I GET IT!” She snapped, her voice completely filling the room as she glared at the young brown kit beside her. He was stunned into silence near instantly, expression a mix of shock and fear, ears pinned back as he wasn’t expecting the sudden snap... Watching him flinch, guilt and regret immediately stabbed the mossy folk through the heart as she realised what she’d done. “D-Daff- I-I’m... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ It was so common for him to get stuck on phrases like that when he was excited, it was just part of who he was. Gods, she could feel the tears welling up again... the horrible shaking and shuddering from deep in her chest... this was awful... she was awful... everything was falling apart and-

Her feet felt nothing but air beneath them as she was lifted up carefully and held close to her father’s chest. “Sh-sh-shhh...” he gingerly hushed her, gently rocking the kit in his arms, “It’s ok... you’re going to be ok.” He was so warm... so soft and so warm... was this the last hug he’d ever give her? That she did not know. “Hey, my little Daffimin, why don’t you go get Fernie her coat and some boots, huh? She’s a little upset right now, we need to be extra gentle with her.” Fern watched as her brother quickly shook himself off and flashed them a big grin before nodding and running away to get the items requested with a skip in his step.

“Oh, my sweet baby... I know you don’t want to go.” He hummed the moment he knew his youngest was out of earshot, softly brushing his daughter’s cheek with his paw. His eyes filled with sadness and understanding as he looked down at her.
“Then why are you forcing me to?” She grumbled, staring him straight in the eye causing him to immediately glance toward the floor.
“I... don’t really have a choice there, sweetheart. None of us do. It’s for your own good, alright? The den mothers are really nice and you’ll be able to meet some kits your age instead of just sitting around here.” While he couldn’t see it, he could feel that her glare had hardened. “Listen, if not for yourself, just... let’s do this for Daffodil. He needs this right now, he needs you to be brave and strong for him. Please...”
“...fine.”

—

The next few hours went faster than she could have ever suspected. From their walk through the bitter cold, to the arrival at the giant tree, to the meeting and registering their names in the giant book, to finally being shown the living spaces and sleeping arrangements. There was just... so much. So much everything. All hitting her at once. The sounds, the sights, the smells. Kits running past. Water flowing freely. The space seemingly stretching for miles and miles just up and up and up. It was all just... so big! Too big... too big... Pull yourself together, Fern.

It wasn’t long before they were waving off the only other person in their lives. The sun slowly threatening to set upon the horizon, clearly visible just outside the biggest window the kit had ever seen. Fern felt sick... she felt numb... she... felt exhausted. She hated sleeping in hammocks... the constant movement in the night always made her nauseous. Yet, she didn’t even fight when placed into one with her brother and several strangers. She was just... so... so... tired. And before she knew it... she was swept up by sleep.

—

It was dark, she was floating... comfortable and weightless in the nothingness that ensnared her. Quiet only broken by her father’s voice ringing in her ears.

“My sweet baby girl, I have an important job for you. Take your brother, hold him close. Never let him go. He needs you, my sweet baby. He needs your love to grow. Please don’t cry, my darling... you can be brave, that I know. I’ll be back for you, I promise. Just remember Wigglewhisker as we travel through the snow.”

The whispering, the whispering, the whispering was endless as it echoed throughout the void. A different voice... twisted and unrecognisable. It reached out, palm outstretched, grabbed her and dragged her, dragged her down... down... down...

“You are nothing in the endless, power just out of reach. Just forget him, I can show you so much more. Forget him, forget him... he’ll just forget you. He’ll forget you... forget you... forget you know. I will never let you go. I will never let you go. Just breathe steady, soft and slow. Oh little one, little one, you know it is true. Shed your skin, unlock that power within. We can be strong, let me help, let me in. Together I can show, together we can grow. Grow. Grow, grow... together we shall grow.

“It’s so loud. It’s so quiet. Hold your breath. Hold your silence. It’s so quiet, it’s so loud. Let the quiet loud surround. Surround, surround, the quiet loud surrounds. Embrace, embrace, you in its embrace. Do not struggle, do not fight. Let the quiet take its hold. Its hold, hold, hold, let it hold you. Tight, close, safe within its grasp. Its grip and its grasp... are you up to that task?

“It’s so loud. It’s so quiet. It’s so loud. It’s so quiet. Do not be afraid of the whispers in the dark. The dark, the dark, the quiet loud in the dark. Listen only to it, in the dark.
Hold you, fold you, bending to its whim.
Close your eyes let it begin.
Hold, cold, the quiet loud surrounds you. Submit, don’t fight, it’s the only choice you have.

“Surrounds, surrounds, quiet loud surrounds.
Surrounds, surrounds, quiet loud surrounds.
In the quiet. In the loud. In the loud. In the quiet.
You cannot hope to hide.
Fate is sealed.
Strings are tied.
Hold your silence.
Oh little one.
Hold your breath.
Let’s have some fun.”

1674 Words
~~~~~~~~

One down... one remains.

Bongo and Duckweed belong to
Quill belongs to
Devin belongs to
Sable belongs to
Lovely belongs to

45/53 Acorns