H
Heffy
Guest
Original poster
Mia yelped in pain as she slammed into the earth below, tumbling through the dust and weeds. Coughing, she struggled to lift her upper body, with grunts and heavy breaths. She could only watch on as the steam train plowed on ahead, the cars barreling past one by one. Her ticket to the next town, a box car still half open, gradually vanished into the distance - as did the burly worker that was this close to getting her tossed into a cell the next town over. She caught his face in that split second. His stare was frustrated, yet almost astonished by Mia's desperation to escape.
Mia could only imagine how he might've looked at her had she given in to turning.
The huffing and puffing, the rhythmic churning and clanking; both had already left the air. Now there was only silence. Mia's breaths eased up, as did her tensed form. One relieved, yet crestfallen, sigh escaped her as she just sat there, staring at nothing.
... Suddenly, however, she gasped sharply. In a panic, she lifted her cap up to pat her head. "Cadet??" She touched and tugged every inch of her dusty sweater. "Cadet!!"
Finally, he emerged. The snowy white squirrel scampered out from her collar onto her shoulder, greeting her with a chirrup. She immediately swept him into her hands and held him close to her face and neck, eyes shut. The rodent had no objections to this.
"Thank God... Thought I left ya in there, or squished ya, or... somethin'." Another weary sigh deflated out of her, as she gently stroked his diminutive head with a single finger. She placed Cadet down upon one of her legs - but he was quick to scurry back up onto her shoulder, his tiny claws clinging tightly to the wool of her jumper.
A tiny smile grew as she cast him a fond look. "Li'l nutter." Her attention then drifted to their surroundings, finally.
It was... a whole lot of nothing. Grass, weeds, dirt. A few bushes and shrubs, maybe. Not a person or building or anything in sight. The cold autumn wind and a few crows were all she could hear. The sun was just beginning to descend into the horizon. Dusk was on its way.
Mia tightly gripped a strap of her knapsack, her brows knotting together. She'd passed through the country a couple times before, while hopping between villages and hamlets... but there was always a human presence there. A sense of familiarity, and safety. This was just... nowhere.
Slowly, she lifted herself up onto her two legs to get a better look around, adjusting her cap. Cadet was already deeply invested in sniffing the air. It was certainly his first time out in nature, and he seemed to appreciate the fresh air. The air was indeed fresh, a welcome if jarring shift from the constant tinge of carbon in the cities. Yet... Mia couldn't relax too much. She had to get to town, some way or another. She hadn't a map on her, nor even a clue of just where this city was. Any city, for that matter. Her only guide was the railroad tracks. Mia stared long and hard at them, with a hint of reluctance, and sighed inwardly.
"Welp... guess we go on foot from 'ere... I do, anyway. Lucky bloke."
She gave her little friend a wry grin. Tugging her backpack's straps forward with a light bounce, she carried on, preparing herself for a whole lot of walking... until her eyes began to wander. Something astonishing was finally noticed off on the left side of the tracks.
A forest. A huge forest. Ancient-looking trees as tall as skyscrapers. A sea of red and yellow tinged with green pine. Looming trunks and twisting branches. A gateway into dense darkness.
Mia just gaped out into it, entranced and stunned. This was the first forest she'd ever even laid eyes on, before. Seeing so many absolutely immense trees clustered together was almost a shock to the heart. Her hair stood on end in awe and fear. But it triggered another, stranger feeling in her. Her chest begin to feel light, and airy.
She felt drawn to the forest. Almost against her will, her legs slowly carried her towards it. A chorus of birds and insects gradually weaved its way into her ears... which slowly grew out, large and pointed. Her vision began to sharpen, as the vivid colors started to fade to gray. Her nose became overwhelmed with a swarm of new, stimulating scents. She felt her tailbone extend and push against the tiny, near-invisible slit in the rear of her overalls.
Suddenly, Mia stopped herself. The fur and whiskers began to retreat back into her skin. She simply stood there, startled and confused. Her head throbbed a little.
Slowly, she stared back over at the railroad. Then towards the horizon. The sky was already darkening, if subtly.
Mia's gaze returned to the forest. There was a long, hesitant silence... until, her eyes closed. In a gradual rush of sensory stimulation, she allowed herself to turn. Soon, bright yellow eyes lifted open, as the darkness of the woods becoming brighter and clearer. A striped tail had fully emerged behind her, softly swaying.
She took a breath, which entered via a visible cloud of air in the growing chill. With some hesitancy, she began to stride towards the forest. If her feline side was going to continue to be triggered by all of... this... then she might as well enter it fully, at least to stay out of sight. She could stick to the edge to keep an eye on the tracks.
... Just for a little while. Then, she told herself, it was back to following the train tracks.
Cadet climbed up atop Mia's cap, nose wriggling and tail twitching as the two of them entered the darkness.
Mia could only imagine how he might've looked at her had she given in to turning.
The huffing and puffing, the rhythmic churning and clanking; both had already left the air. Now there was only silence. Mia's breaths eased up, as did her tensed form. One relieved, yet crestfallen, sigh escaped her as she just sat there, staring at nothing.
... Suddenly, however, she gasped sharply. In a panic, she lifted her cap up to pat her head. "Cadet??" She touched and tugged every inch of her dusty sweater. "Cadet!!"
Finally, he emerged. The snowy white squirrel scampered out from her collar onto her shoulder, greeting her with a chirrup. She immediately swept him into her hands and held him close to her face and neck, eyes shut. The rodent had no objections to this.
"Thank God... Thought I left ya in there, or squished ya, or... somethin'." Another weary sigh deflated out of her, as she gently stroked his diminutive head with a single finger. She placed Cadet down upon one of her legs - but he was quick to scurry back up onto her shoulder, his tiny claws clinging tightly to the wool of her jumper.
A tiny smile grew as she cast him a fond look. "Li'l nutter." Her attention then drifted to their surroundings, finally.
It was... a whole lot of nothing. Grass, weeds, dirt. A few bushes and shrubs, maybe. Not a person or building or anything in sight. The cold autumn wind and a few crows were all she could hear. The sun was just beginning to descend into the horizon. Dusk was on its way.
Mia tightly gripped a strap of her knapsack, her brows knotting together. She'd passed through the country a couple times before, while hopping between villages and hamlets... but there was always a human presence there. A sense of familiarity, and safety. This was just... nowhere.
Slowly, she lifted herself up onto her two legs to get a better look around, adjusting her cap. Cadet was already deeply invested in sniffing the air. It was certainly his first time out in nature, and he seemed to appreciate the fresh air. The air was indeed fresh, a welcome if jarring shift from the constant tinge of carbon in the cities. Yet... Mia couldn't relax too much. She had to get to town, some way or another. She hadn't a map on her, nor even a clue of just where this city was. Any city, for that matter. Her only guide was the railroad tracks. Mia stared long and hard at them, with a hint of reluctance, and sighed inwardly.
"Welp... guess we go on foot from 'ere... I do, anyway. Lucky bloke."
She gave her little friend a wry grin. Tugging her backpack's straps forward with a light bounce, she carried on, preparing herself for a whole lot of walking... until her eyes began to wander. Something astonishing was finally noticed off on the left side of the tracks.
A forest. A huge forest. Ancient-looking trees as tall as skyscrapers. A sea of red and yellow tinged with green pine. Looming trunks and twisting branches. A gateway into dense darkness.
Mia just gaped out into it, entranced and stunned. This was the first forest she'd ever even laid eyes on, before. Seeing so many absolutely immense trees clustered together was almost a shock to the heart. Her hair stood on end in awe and fear. But it triggered another, stranger feeling in her. Her chest begin to feel light, and airy.
She felt drawn to the forest. Almost against her will, her legs slowly carried her towards it. A chorus of birds and insects gradually weaved its way into her ears... which slowly grew out, large and pointed. Her vision began to sharpen, as the vivid colors started to fade to gray. Her nose became overwhelmed with a swarm of new, stimulating scents. She felt her tailbone extend and push against the tiny, near-invisible slit in the rear of her overalls.
Suddenly, Mia stopped herself. The fur and whiskers began to retreat back into her skin. She simply stood there, startled and confused. Her head throbbed a little.
Slowly, she stared back over at the railroad. Then towards the horizon. The sky was already darkening, if subtly.
Mia's gaze returned to the forest. There was a long, hesitant silence... until, her eyes closed. In a gradual rush of sensory stimulation, she allowed herself to turn. Soon, bright yellow eyes lifted open, as the darkness of the woods becoming brighter and clearer. A striped tail had fully emerged behind her, softly swaying.
She took a breath, which entered via a visible cloud of air in the growing chill. With some hesitancy, she began to stride towards the forest. If her feline side was going to continue to be triggered by all of... this... then she might as well enter it fully, at least to stay out of sight. She could stick to the edge to keep an eye on the tracks.
... Just for a little while. Then, she told herself, it was back to following the train tracks.
Cadet climbed up atop Mia's cap, nose wriggling and tail twitching as the two of them entered the darkness.
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