Hey everyone! Guess what? After 3 hours of contemplating and typing, I finally finished my story! The plot is similar to the plot of the original story that I created in 7th grade with a few minor adjustments. I also added two new characters, specifically Robin and Lilac, to the story to make it more detailed. Here it is (Please don't post negative comments; I spent a lot of time on this)!!!
Dangers in the Wilderness
By: Abigail
Sophie licked her fur peacefully as she basked in a slim beam of sunlight that managed to enter the dense forest Sophie called home. Sophie, a five-year-old calico cat, escaped to the freedom this forest provided when her owner whipped her repeatedly for actions Sophie did not perform. When Sophie, originally named Paige, scrambled away from her cruel owner four years before, she immediately ripped off her ruby collar, abandoned it, and changed her name to Sophie to symbolize her leaving the supervision of her owner for eternity. Sophie had emerald eyes that beamed brilliantly when the sun's rays reflected off of them at just the right angle. Just a second before Sophie slipped into a relaxing slumber, a gorgeous harmony flooded the wilderness as Robin swooped down and landed gracefully at Sophie's side. Despite her name, Robin caressed the gentle winds strolling above the massive trees as a majestic blue jay. Robin's wisdom had guided the animals she bonded with during the eight years in which she lived, and Sophie did not serve as an exception. "Good morning, Robin," Sophie yawned as Robin approached her. "Good morning, Sophie," Robin replied with a sigh, "I grow older with each day that passes, and I am afraid that I will cease to exist before long." As much as Sophie hated to admit it, she knew Robin was right; blue jays only lived half as long as cats lived, and Robin already started to show signs that she was nearing the end of her life. Despite this, Sophie jumped with horror as Robin stated this fact. "Don't say such things! Come enjoy this soothing beam of sunlight with me; it might help you relieve your stress," Sophie reassured Robin. In response, Robin cuddled in Sophie's neatly groomed fur.
CLINK! CLINK! CLINK! The sounds of an obnoxious collar gradually approached the two animals during their period of rest, and Sophie's fur prickled with fear. Robin held one of her sky blue wings next to her head as she tried to anticipate where the annoying sound originated from. Suddenly, Robin's beady black eyes widened with horror as she recognized the sound that rang through the woods. Simultaneously, Sophie realized that the sound could only come from one source and raced through the forest like a fierce bolt of lightning. Robin flew just above the frantic Sophie as a ginormous black labrador retriever gathered speed behind them. Although this creature expressed a playful look on his face, this did not fool Sophie and Robin; both of these animals had experienced dogs toppling them over and sinking their teeth into their skin in the past, and quite a few of these household pets had the same expression. After Sophie bolted through the woods for what seemed like several years, she finally outran the beast that tormented her. She panted for a few seconds before she realized that Robin had disappeared. Her eyes roamed the woods with panic before she spotted the elderly bird perched on a branch above her. Robin straightened her bent wing and gave a look of disgust at a spot behind Sophie. Sophie turned around to discover the dominant dog walking calmly towards them. Every instinct told Sophie to start running again, but her paws, now four globs of jello, glued her to the grass beneath her. Sophie focused on the dog's royal blue collar and learned that his owner had named him Charlie. "I do not want to hurt you; I just wanted to find someone to play with for a bit," the dog smiled. Charlie's crystal eyes sparkled joyfully at Sophie, and Sophie knew immediately that the dog did not serve as a threat. Suddenly, the tall animal began to sniff the ground frantically. "Are you looking for something?" Sophie questioned Charlie. "I would not trust him if I were you," Robin warned with a cold tone from the branch on which she perched. Charlie ignored this warning and whimpered, "I am searching for my owner. My owner took me on a tour of the local park, and my curiosity as to what adventures waited within these trees took over. I rushed into this forest to find you and that blue jay in that single beam of sunlight. Now I cannot find my owner anywhere!" "I am afraid I do not know where your owner could have gone. He could have gone elsewhere for all I know," Sophie admitted with sorrow, "Welcome to life in the forest." Sophie added with a smile.
Within the course of a week, Sophie and Charlie established an unbreakable bond. Shortly after Sophie welcomed Charlie to the forest, she showed him how to hunt for his own food. After just a few days of knowing each other, Sophie and Charlie agreed that they would sacrifice their own lives for each other if a situation called for it. Unlike Robin, young Charlie did not have much experience when he arrived in the woods, for he had only lived 3 years before entering wilderness life. Charlie's playful personality brought joy to Sophie, and they would often chase each other through the woods. Even though Robin did not trust Charlie at first, and she did not enjoy the fact that Charlie's restlessness often caused him to squish her tail and wings, she stuck with Sophie and Charlie because she wanted to ensure Sophie's safety and make sure that Charlie did not think of the bond Sophie and Charlie shared as part of a devious plan. She also tried to hide her hostility toward Charlie from Sophie as much as possible, but Charlie could easily see that Robin did not exactly call him her friend.
One day, the trio of animals woke up to face a day of carefree pleasure as usual. Sophie talked to Robin with a gentle tone while Charlie pounced on a squirrel nearby. Suddenly, a shadow concealed Sophie and Robin and Charlie stared up above them with horror. The trio also heard the unpleasant roar of a chainsaw in the otherwise peaceful forest. "RUN!!!!!" Charlie howled at Sophie and Robin. Of course, Sophie naturally bolted past Charlie, and Robin soared through the air as a massive tree collided with the ground. The fall of this tree revealed three construction workers who desired ending the lives of innocent trees. One of these humans held the chainsaw the animals despised. Unfortunately for the animals, a colony of wasps constructed a nest in the tree, and these aggressive insects immediately zoomed after Sophie, Charlie, and Robin. Sophie had already climbed the nearest tree by this time, but Charlie continued to accelerate restlessly away from the wasps. Robin flew up to join Sophie in the tree she climbed, but her age gnawed at her as her flight slowed and she breathed heavily. "Robin? You do not look so well..." Sophie panicked. "Do not worry about me, Sophie. My elderly... signs... just... SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!!!" Robin panted before falling to the ground. THUMP! Charlie turned around just in time to see the group of wasps race towards Robin's body, which lay still on the ground just beneath the tree on which Sophie clung. Immediately Charlie hoisted Robin onto his back and turned around and ran into the distance. Had Charlie come a second later, Robin would have suffered a severe wasp attack that she probably would not have survived. Sophie had to jump rapidly onto different tree branches in order to catch up with Charlie and Robin. "Oh, thank you so much Charlie!!! That must have required quite a bit of bravery!!!" Robin cheered once she woke up. When Robin realized Charlie sacrificed possibly suffering from several wasp stings to save her, Robin knew he could trust the restless yet loyal dog, and her genuine smile was a mile wide.
After Felicity, a tabby cat whose fur resembled a sunset, whose eyes shined in exactly the same way that Sophie's eyes shined, and who specialized in treating injuries, fixed Robin's broken wing, Robin possessed a much more optimistic personality. Over the next few days, Robin gave Sophie and Charlie a variety of tips and several pieces of advice that she believed would benefit Sophie and Charlie in the future. In fact, Robin's personality during this brief period of time gained so much cheer that she often flew joyfully with the passing breeze, tweeting various harmonies and occasionally screaming "WHEEEEEEEE!!!" as loudly as a thousand trumpets playing a single note together. As quickly as they left, the trio of construction workers returned to the forest to demolish more trees so they could continue to construct more house for the growing neighborhood surrounding the forest. Despite the fact that a colony of wasps almost murdered Robin the last time the construction workers arrived, she cared the least about their return to send more trees falling in defeat. "Robin... I think you should fly away from this area..." Sophie trembled. "Robin, that tree looks like it wants to crush you in a few seconds..." Charlie added. "WHEEEEEEE!!!! Oh, people and animals should EMBRACE life rather than go around worrying about the worst things that could happen! I had to learn that the hard way! We will cruise these woods joyfully for eternity, no matter what others may say! WHEEEEE!!!!" Robin exclaimed. "Robin, you do not understand... the construction workers sent that tree toppling in your direction!" Sophie and Charlie yelled simultaneously. "Oh, you do not underst- SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Robin believed Sophie and Charlie just a few seconds too late; the monstrous tree crushed Robin without a single hesitation. Sophie and Charlie stared at Robin's defeated sky blue wing sticking out from underneath the dominant plant with disbelief as the construction workers lifted the tree without stopping to examine the creature that suffered because of their actions. Charlie gasped with horror as he recognized the owner he searched for among these men in hard hats. Before Charlie could lunge himself at his owner, however, Robin feebly opened her beady eyes. "Uuuuuuuugh..." Robin groaned. Sophie and Charlie ran to her with joy and shock before they realized that Robin's life would conclude shortly. "Sophie... Charlie... I am so sorry I did not believe you. This terrible mistake cost me my life. -coughs terribly- I do not enjoy seeing you cry... Before I go, I have one last piece of advice to share... Whenever a problem erupts, a solution always hides itself deep within that problem. In order to find this solution, you must look inside... -cough- yourselves. This advice should help you encounter problems in the future. Good bye, and... -wheeze-... good luck," Robin trembled feebly before death consumed her.
Right when Sophie and Charlie started mourning for Robin, a mob of towering trees decided that losing Robin did not present Sophie and Charlie with enough torture. Because of this, one tree after another attempted to crush Sophie and Charlie as they bolted to the camp they established when they first met frantically. One of the trees managed to land on Sophie's hind legs, and struggling to free herself did not help Sophie. Fortunately, Charlie's strength allowed him to pull Sophie out from underneath the tree before another tree shook the earth, and Sophie could still race through the woods as quickly as a cheetah in a hurry. Right after Sophie arrived at the safety of the spacious sapphire tent that served as Sophie's and Charlie's camp, two trees crashed down upon the unfortunate Charlie as he approached the tent. "CHARLIE!!!!" Sophie cried out in agony. After the inconsiderate construction workers performed their normal routine of lifting the fallen trees, Sophie realized with horror that the forest Sophie embraced for four years transformed into a barren desert with tree stumps scattered throughout. Sophie sobbed terribly as she stared at Charlie's crippled body and tried to formulate a plan as to how to save the dog she knew for just two weeks but shared such a close bond with. "Oh Charlie, if only I knew how to save you!!! I should have let you go into the tent first; I could have dodged those trees!!! You may have already died for all I know!!!" Sophie wailed. Immediately after these words escaped her mouth, Sophie remembered Robin's last words.
"Whenever a problem erupts, a solution always hides itself deep within that problem. In order to find this solution, you must look inside yourselves."
"What kind of solution would this problem present? After all, not even the most skilled medicine cat could bring back the dead!" Sophie thought frantically, "Wait a minute... Charlie might not have died yet, and Felicity healed Robin when she broke her wing." Sophie recalled.
"FELICITY!!!!" Sophie screamed triumphantly.
Sophie grabbed Charlie with her mouth and attempted to pick him up, but carrying an animal twice her own weight proved impossible. Sophie almost gave up on saving Charlie completely when a frail voice trembled nearby. "Can I h-h-help y-you?" The voice meowed. The owner of the voice revealed herself as a petite, snowy persian cat whose amber eyes spelled pure fear. This innocent cat did not look like she had lived for more than two years before she met the distressed Sophie. "Y-Y-You seemed very brave during the massacre that took place outside this tent; I-I heard a-at least th-three dozen animals died during the tragic de-deforestation, and I-I wanted to help save one of the a-animals that wo-would have otherwise di-died," the innocent cat continued. Sophie let the young cat assist her in carrying Charlie to Felicity in order to possibly save Charlie's life. Despite the cat's small size, she possessed quite a bit of strength, and together, Sophie and the unknown cat lifted Charlie and zoomed through the woods with ease. "I-I-I go by Lilac," the young cat added as they hurried to their destination.
This race through the woods did not resemble the carefree races Sophie and Charlie challenged each other to during the two weeks in which they knew each other even slightly. Not only did the construction workers defeat Robin, who Sophie escaped to the woods with all those years ago and had shared an extremely close relationship with for as long as she could remember, and force Charlie to struggle between life and death, but the forest disappeared with Robin and all the other animals who did not survive the unfortunate clearing of lush trees. Sophie's heart throb continued to quicken as Sophie's fear increased that Charlie had truly disappeared for eternity. If she wanted to mourn for Robin and Charlie, this served as the best time for her to do so, but the wind slapping her face prevented tears from emerging from her distressed eyes. "How long would it take for this forest to recover? Would we even live to see the forest we once knew again? Did Charlie even survive when the forest disappeared?" Sophie questioned.
Several decades had seemed to pass when Sophie and Lilac finally arrived at Felicity's demolished den. "A-A-Are you sure th-this is the r-right den...?" Lilac quivered. "We arrived at the right den," Sophie reassured Lilac, "FELICITY!!!" Sophie called with concern. "Hello," a stern voice replied. Sophie rapidly turned her head to discover Felicity strolling towards Sophie and Lilac with a depressed glare in her downcast eyes. "I spent my entire life living in what used to exist as a truly luscious forest, and a problem never erupted regarding trees falling to the ground because of one neighborhood. Now the brilliant forest no longer exists, and it took several of its inhabitants with it.What did those greedy humans want to begin with? A WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING REVOLVES AROUND THEM AND NO OTHER CREATURES EXIST?!" Felicity raised her voice with fury. "Felicity, Charlie might end up becoming one of the animals that disappears with the forest if he has not disappeared already," Sophie replied with tears flooding her eyes, "The forest already took poor Robin, and nobody can save her now. Please tell me you can save Charlie! PLEASE!!!"
A few days passed after Felicity gave Charlie a variety of herbs in hopes of healing him, and Charlie continued to remain unconscious. Sophie started to lose any hope she had of Charlie surviving, and she wailed louder than she ever wailed before for both Robin and Charlie. Lilac wailed with her, for several of her friends died as well, and pressed her fur against Sophie's in hopes of cheering her up. Just a few minutes after the two cats started mourning for those who died, a familiar voice entered Sophie's ears. "Oh please, Sophie... it breaks my heart to see you cry..." the voice whimpered. Sophie looked up over Lilac's snowy shoulder with joy to see that Charlie had recovered from his deadly injuries. "CHARLIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sophie screamed with excitement as she collided into Charlie and embraced him tighter than she had ever embraced him before. Lilac smiled happily at this reunion, and fear erased itself from her eyes. Seeing the young cat as happy as her face revealed reminded Sophie of when Robin's optimistic spirit returned to her. Sophie could not thank Lilac and Felicity enough for saving Charlie as Charlie hoisted himself to a standing position.
After Charlie regained conciousness, Sophie, Lilac, Felicity, and Charlie agreed to go on an adventure to search for a lush forest that would suit their needs in the same way that the forest they used to love satisfied their needs. Before they set off on this journey, Charlie ripped off his royal blue collar in a similar fashion to how Sophie ripped off her fiery collar four years before to rebel against the owner that betrayed him. However, unlike Sophie, Charlie did not change his name because his original name defined his identity when he met his new friends and when he and his friends suffered from the loss of Robin and the vast forest they loved. Six months of walking, hunting, drinking, and resting passed before the three cats and dog gasped at a forest with leaves that reflected the sun's rays just as brilliantly as Sophie's and Felicity's eyes reflected them. Sophie, Lilac, Felicity, and Charlie spent the rest of their lives bonding with each other and protecting each other whenever a dangerous situation took place. These brave animals bonded with several new friends in their new home as well, but they never forgot the soothing advice Robin gave them about the dangers of the wilderness.
PHEW!!! That was a lot of typing... :P
Well, that's all for now, and have a superb Sunday everyone! :D
P.S: This is my 80th post!!! Yay!!! :D
