Scavengers

“It’s chilly.”

“What did you expect? It’s almost winter.” Coal and Flaxseed chuckled.

“You know what I mean Sunflower,” muttered Button. Sunflower stuck out his tongue at his nervous companion.

“Are you sure it’s the weather? Or are you scared?” Sunflower teased.

“Scared?! Me? Why would I be?” Button said fidgeting with her tail. Although her silver fur disguised the evidence of blush, her ears gave it away. The once pale pink ears bloomed into primroses.

“Everything will be fine Button,” reassured Flaxseed placing a pink paw on his friend’s shoulder. “It’ll be a quick scavenge, we’ll be back before they notice.” Button’s brow furrowed.

“Are you really doubting our star scavenger?” Sunflower poked.

“He hasn’t been promoted yet. You know it takes more than a few months of training to be a scavenger" “Yea... yea... but did you forget whose training him?!”

“Needle,” Coal chimed as he stopped to fix the wheel of his wooden cart.

“The Needle!” Sunflower exclaimed, as he scurried behind Button and jumped onto the cart.

“Hey!”

“The Needle who found us our new burrow! The Needle who during the great drought found us water! The Needle who found us the motherlode of seeds! Pumpkin seeds, apple seeds, Veggie seeds!”

“Sunflower…. stop moving the cart” Coal groaned. “And be careful I have my slingshot in there.”

“Even Sunflower seeds!”

“He is a great scavenger,” joined Flaxseed as he picks up the rambunctious rodent off the cart. “But he is a hardass. Now come on before it gets too dark.”

“The cart is fixed Flax.”

“Thanks Coal. Now come on…the Miller’s house is just over the hill.”

“Race you over the hill Flaxseed!” Sunflower hollered running on all fours. Flaxseed just shook his head and proceed to chase his friend.

“Sunflower! Flax! Be careful!!” Button shouted. “What are we going to do with those two?”

“Just carefully follow?” Coal replied. Button rubs her temples as she trudges forward.

This is what true freedom is thought Sunflower, his paws groping the uneven earth, kicking out the sediments from beneath his paws. Making sure his presence was tattooed into the earth’s surface. The tall grass, tickling his sides as his lungs kept drinking in the petrichloral perfume he longed for ever since the scavengers came home drenched in it several moons ago. His heart was pounding, nearing to the top of the hill when suddenly, a gleam caught his eyes. His gallop soon ambled as he faces the direction of the gleam.

“I win!” shouted Flaxseed, raising his paws above his head.

“Hey what’s that? Over there?” Sunflower asked pointing to the shine.

“That? Oh that’s the Miller’s farm house.”

“Have you explored it yet?”

“Not yet. Needle said I need a few more level II and III scavenging before tackling that farm house.”

“What? By that time, you’ll would be grey like Button and older than Mrs. Maple.”

“HEY!” squeaked Button, her ears becoming rose red. Coal shook his head patted her back.

“It won’t take that long, “reassured Flaxseed ruffling up Sunflower’s golden head. “I’m many moons away from being a professional like Needle. He said so himself. I’m not good enough yet. Now come on we got to go to the Miller’s house.”

Sunflower was stunned. Flaxseed? Not good enough as Needle? Impossible! Flaxseed is a star student and always has been. He deserved recognition to his name.

“Want to prove him wrong?”

Flaxseed’s ears perked up by Sunflower’s words. “What?”

“Want to prove Needle wrong?”

“Sunflower, the sky is almost dusking. We should head out to the Miller house before it gets dark.”

“We’ll be in and out in no time. A quick look around. Please Flax,” Sunflower begged clasping his paws together, his tail and ears synchronically drooping. Flaxseed looked at his puppy-eyed friend then at the cart.

“Flaxseed let’s just go to the Miller house,” implored Button. “Its bad enough we’re out here without clearance.”

“If there’s nothing we go straight home. Pleaaaase.” Sunflower dropped to his knees and held Flaxseed’s paw. Flaxseed dropped his shoulders and sighed.

“A quick glance that’s it.” Sunflower never jumped so high.

All four scurried to their detour. Flaxseed taking the lead, guiding his friends to the chipping red barn. It towered over them like an aging lethargic Titan, not giving a damn on who trespassed.

“Do you see any openings?” chirped Sunflower, his tail swinging.

“Behind this brick. Coal help me push this thing.”

“On it Flax.” Between both Coal and Flaxseed, the brick pushed through the naked ground to reveal a dark tunnel. Instinctively Flaxseed blocked Sunflower’s entrance with his tail.

“Button do you smell anything?” asked Flaxseed. Button approached the hole and began to sniff. Her tiny pink nose wiggling about.

“No peanut butter scent. That’s good. No cat furs. Nothing. it’s clear.” She concluded. Flaxseed nodded and slowly entered the hole.

***

Sunflower couldn’t believe his eyes. The inside of the chipping red barn, with rusty hinges and loose gnarly nails was a cornucopia. The two-level barn that held square bales and abandoned farm tools guarded what seems to be a maze of burlap sacks. Wheat, Rice, Barley, Corn, and Buckwheat were sloppily stapled on the sacks. All four comrades were in awe, knowing that this room would feed their colony for generations.

“If only we had the burrow closer,” whispered Coal, running his paw against the scratch texture of the sacks.

“Where should we begin?” asked Button, her eyes glued to the golden grains as her paws twitched with anticipation of holding them in her paws.

“Go crazy.”

One by one the mice scurried carrying arms full of grain to the cart. Each one made sure they had an even amount of grain for their families and a little extra they can sell to the neighbors. During carrying, collecting, consuming of the bounty, Sunflower climbed up to the barn rafters. He watched over his friends scurrying around the grain sacks, each one taking turns in carrying arms full of grain. We did it he thought. We’ll be heroes. And Flaxseed would be on Needles level! Proud of himself, Sunflower was about to enjoy a chomp of his corn kernel when he sniffed the air.

He froze. His fur stood on its end, as if electricity ran through his body. A musty pine odor emanated from his left, but he knew what it was. Musty pine, dried leaves and copper. Copper was never a good sign. Do not turn around do not turn around. Betraying himself Sunflower turned and saw what he feared. A nest.

Sunflower looked down at his friends and noticed they had stopped their assembly line, and just stared at him like petrified statues looking at an accursed sun. He couldn’t manage their expressions, but he knew. They all knew.

“Flax- “, Sunflower whispered fearfully. He looked at the burlaps and dropped his kernel. How could he not see it before? Draping itself across the burlap bounty was a behemoth shadow. It cocked its head to the left before switching to the right.

“Sunflower.” whispered Button. The shadow twitched itself up right again and extended its long wings. “JUMP!”

Without hesitation Sunflower jumped off the rafter, only to feel a stinging pain that sent his nerves screaming. “IT GOT MY TAIL IT GOT MY TAIL!” shrieked Sunflower. The barn owl flew around its territory; its beak clamped tightly on his long tail.

“Coal! Slingshot! Button try to blind it with that broken glass! Try to distract it!” commanded Flaxseed. Coal ran to the cart to get his slingshot, while Button dashed across the floor to retrieve her glass. Sunflower writhed in anguish. Not only was his tail growing numb, but his head was pounding. Its as if his heart was constricting his mind with his own blood. All he could see was Coal’s black body grabbing at the ground until a blinding ray of sunlight came from the right. “Aim higher! Higher Button!”

The owl began to jerk around in the air, avoiding Button’s light. Sunflower’s vision began to blur, he can only make out the beast’s white feathers on its chest and its speckled brown wings. Its wings beating faster as Coal’s attacks were beginning to hit. It sounded like raindrops hitting the roof of their burrow. His favorite sound.

“Flaxseed!”

Sunflower looked up. Above the white beast’s beady abysmal eyes, he saw the silhouette of a brown mouse jumping from the rafter. Immediately the barn owl lurched towards the ground, its erratic flapping ceased once it crashed onto the hay stained floor. Sunflower yelped in pain. He looked down and saw he was free only to realize half of it was still hanging in its beak. “My…my tail.”

“Sunflower get up!” cried Button. Sunflower turned and saw her peering around a barley bag, Coal restraining her. “It’s moving!” The barn owl twitched itself awake and stared at Sunflower. Its beady eyes digging into Sunflower’s flesh without any pain. It screeched to signal its attack only to be pulled back. “Flaxseed!”

“Get out!” Flaxseed shouted as he yanked the beast back. Flaxseed dug and dragged his claws on the beast’s back and managed some bites in between. The owl shrieked in agony, flapping its wings trying to shake the daring rodent off to no avail. “Get out now!”

“Flaxseed…” cried Sunflower stumbling onto his legs to help his friend; burgundy beads bleeding from his tail. “Im sor-“

Before Sunflower can utter another syllable, the owl smacked him with its left wing; sending him crashing against a beam. Sunflower gasped as the air escaped his lungs until finally his eyes closed.

“Get him out of here!” shouted Flaxseed.

“What about-“cried Button.

“GET OUT NOW”

***

Sunflower slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring at the disappearing golden sky.

“You’re awake,” whispered a voice. Sunflower looked up and saw Button smiling down at him, holding his head in her lap.

“Button? Where are we?”

“In the cart. We’re going home now,” she responded. Sunflower moved a bit and can feel the flatten bags of grain underneath him.” They’re not the best cushions, but they do the job.” Sunflower looked at her again. Even upside down, he noticed her eyes were sunken in and spotted a tear in her left ear.

“Coal?” he asked trying to sit up. But Button gently pushed him back down.

“I’m here buddy. I’m here,” Coal replied. His voice low almost a hush. “You gave us a scare buddy.”

“I’m sorry,” squeaked Sunflower. “I’m really sorry.”

“Thanks to you we have food now,” Button reassured. Sunflower tried to move again only to be stopped.

“You better stop moving or the cart’s wheel will fall off again,” said Coal turning his head to face him. He had pink scratch marks protruding on his face and a blade of grass tied around his left bicep.

“What happened to your face and …and your arm?” Sunflower asked.

“Don’t worry about me Sunflower just try to get some rest.”

“But…”

“Listen to Coal, Sunflower,” said Button. “We don’t want your tail to start bleeding again.”

“My tail?” asked Sunflower. He couldn’t see his tail. A blanket of badly woven grass blades laid on top of him. Even though there was warmth he could still feel the chilly air sneaking. “What happened?”

Neither Button or Coal responded.

“Its been a long day Sunflower. Please get some rest,” whispered Coal. Sunflower felt uneasy. Coal never liked to whisper. Sunflower looked around the cart.

“Wait…” he murmured. “Where’s Flaxseed?” Neither responded. Button petted Sunflower’s head like a mother to a sick child. “Coal?” Sunflower couldn’t see his face, only the back of Coal’s black body. He saw how his muscles tensed up as he pulled the cart. “Button?” Nothing. “Where is Flaxseed?”

The sun slowly descended pulling along with it the sky’s honey hues. As the honey hides beneath the horizon, icy indigo washed away any golden remains.

“Where is Flaxseed?”

Only the haunting screech of the barn owl pierced the silence.