Fill: Challenge 47 Original
May. 1st, 2022 01:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lantairvlea posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tenminutesadayThe metallic snap of the trap springing shut caused the fox to jump and try to spin in the small space, the food at the end forgotten. It frantically scrambled from one end of the wire cage to the other. It was a good half hour before it settled and rediscovered the hunk of meat that had caused it to investigate the trap to begin with. A cautious sniff around the morsel's edges and the fox deemed it edible and gulped it down greedily.
It was hours before the two-legged creature showed up. The fox had seen them before, but always at a distance. They had odd smells, something like a large preditor, but also a strange mix of things it couldn't name. Sharp scents that burned and others that were compounded and powerful like a skunk's ovewhelming spray, but didn't smell like any natural thing in the forest.
The fox pushed itself into the furthest corner of the cage. The creature approached, making low murmurs as it came. The movements were slow, but not stalking, amost cautious. What did such a beast have to fear from a fox?
The fox curled it's lips and rumbled a threat. Maybe a little indimidation would cause the two-legged creature to go away. The beast kept up its low rumbling tones and reached down and lifted the cage, fox and all, straight up into the air. The fox scrambled and the creature grasped the cae with both forelimbs to steady it, keeping its constant stream of sound going with little variation.
The fox braced itself in the corner as the creature walked, swaying the cage in a steady rhythm. The creature stopped at a strane object that smelled sharp and strong. Its cage was slid onto a platform next to other cages, some empty, some occupied. The creature pushed up part of the platform and it slammed into place with a vibrating, mechanic clunk. There was another thunk and a something roared to lifeand the sharp burnin smell became stronger. The platform rumbled with vibrations and started to move.
I might just get caught up again.
It was hours before the two-legged creature showed up. The fox had seen them before, but always at a distance. They had odd smells, something like a large preditor, but also a strange mix of things it couldn't name. Sharp scents that burned and others that were compounded and powerful like a skunk's ovewhelming spray, but didn't smell like any natural thing in the forest.
The fox pushed itself into the furthest corner of the cage. The creature approached, making low murmurs as it came. The movements were slow, but not stalking, amost cautious. What did such a beast have to fear from a fox?
The fox curled it's lips and rumbled a threat. Maybe a little indimidation would cause the two-legged creature to go away. The beast kept up its low rumbling tones and reached down and lifted the cage, fox and all, straight up into the air. The fox scrambled and the creature grasped the cae with both forelimbs to steady it, keeping its constant stream of sound going with little variation.
The fox braced itself in the corner as the creature walked, swaying the cage in a steady rhythm. The creature stopped at a strane object that smelled sharp and strong. Its cage was slid onto a platform next to other cages, some empty, some occupied. The creature pushed up part of the platform and it slammed into place with a vibrating, mechanic clunk. There was another thunk and a something roared to lifeand the sharp burnin smell became stronger. The platform rumbled with vibrations and started to move.
I might just get caught up again.
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Date: 2022-05-03 04:34 am (UTC)"Gray Wolf" by Rutherford G. Montgomery was a favorite as a kid, told from the point of view of one of the last wolves living in the west when the erradication order was under effect for them. Perhaps drawing a bit from that!
Thinking of it, I should look into some of his other novels. It might be worth a revisit!