The one who survived
I suddenly woke up to the sound of bleating and look around in an instant.
It was unbelievable!
I was surrounded by sheep.
Then I looked down at my woolly chest to realise I was a sheep too.
I looked up and I saw ... three angry vicious wolves stalking the herd in the lush bush, waiting for the right time to strike.
I tried to warn everyone but it was too late, I looked up in horror to realise the evil wolves were full sprinting at the pen. One after another they jumped over the large mountainous fence.
Chaos unleashed! Sheep were running everywhere in fear.
I watched as the wolves took all my friends away from me. I stood there in paralyzing fear only to realise I was the only animal in the pen left. I hurriedly rushed to the corner of the pen. Out of nowhere a wolf nibbled at my feet through the fence gap, I bleated in pain as I decided to rush to the center of the pen where I had a 360 degree view.
I was ready to battle the wolves.
I was ready with my remaining energy left only for my vision to slowly fade away from blood loss. Darkness, for what felt like hours.
I awoke with astonishment. I was all bandaged up and surrounded by grass and water.
The farmer had saved me.
I couldn't think of a way to show back my gratitude.
Chapter 2 Taken away
I wondered what would happen to the farm after the incident had occurred.
I waited for something to happen since I was tired and exhaustively bored of sitting in a tiny pen inside of a barn for a week.
Suddenly, I had heard a whisper on the other side of my wall, I simply assumed it was something in my head and carried on trying to sleep.
"Hey" said a whisper,
"Hey!" said the voice again.
"Are you a sheep? Because I have been told that sheep are lazy spoiled animals and that they get all the grass that they desire", said the voice.
What do you want from me, I replied.
"I'm a horse that means I'm superior to you weak fragile sheep. I'm quite sleepy but if you throw me some of your green lush fresh grass I might be able to break you out of here", said the horse.
I immediately put some grass in my mouth and launched it over the wall. "Thanks for the grass. If I get some sleep now I might just help you get out of here", said the horse.
But you didn't mention me having to wait! I said to the horse.
"Well, bad luck! Your gonna have to wait, you are already spoiled enough", he replied, and so I waited, waited and waited for the horse to finally finish his sleeping.
Eventually, he awoke and said "It's time to get you out of this nasty, nasty barn".
I jumped in joy.
The horse kicked and kicked for some few minutes until finally , SMASH!
He broke us free.
I started to run out of the barn and ram through the entrance but right as I was about to, ...
the farmer opened the door.
"What are you doing here young fellow? You meant to be in your own little pen. It's time we get you transported." said the farmer as he applied his leash to my neck and dragged me away from the farm.
Where are you taking me! What are you doing, STOP, that's my home, I said.
No matter what I said the farmer wouldn't seem to understand.
I looked back in tears to see my home being taken away from me.
Chapter 3 Transported (Sun 14 Mar 2021)
When the farmer was dragging me away he stuck a large needle with green fluid into me which made me extremely sleepy. I opened my eyes slowly and sluggishly, expecting to be on another farm since I could vividly remember the farmer mentioning getting me transported.
It was far worse.
There were remains of my animal friends everywhere around me, in freezers and hung up. I immediately knew what this was. It was the place that my friends have been telling me tales about, it was the place where no one returns from.
I was locked inside and helpless, I laid there shivering and in fear.
The door opened.
"Oh, there he is! The big fellow. He is quite an enormous size, he's a good one." a big man said to the other.
"Woah, I've never seen such a healthy clean sheep before!" replied his friend.
"You think we should keep him?"
Keep me? What were they gonna do with me? I thought.
"Nah, we would get in big trouble if we kept him."
The people went in and started to grab the meat from the freezer.
The door was left open and they were looking away! This was my only chance to make a run for it. And so I did.
I rushed out of the door at the fastest pace I have ever ran. BANG! I ran through tables and knocked down glasses. I went straight through the door like a bullet!
I ran the fastest sheep has ever ran before.
I ran past shops, through tables were people were eating and right through the middle of conversations, interrupting them.
I was far from the town at this point. The problem I was going to encounter was me getting lost. I had not a single millionth of a fraction of an idea of where I was even heading. I began to slow down and realise that I was far enough were I didn't need to run anymore.
I stopped and stood completely still like a statue made of stone.
I looked around for any sign that could lead me to my home.
There!
I had found it, a large wooden sign saying FARM and pointing directly at a large dark evil looking forest. It was completely dark inside those woods, you couldn't see a single thing in there. It was hidden and submerged under the leaves of the grey spine chilling pine trees above. Night was falling over the plains and the moon was casting a dark shadow across the land.
I wasn't prepared for what would come at night.
Chapter 4 The darkness of the woods (Sun 14 Mar 2021)
I continued for hours until I saw blue purplish light. As I approached closer, I could see that the light was being emitted by some type of mushroom. I went right up to it and felt the temperature. It was lukewarm and hypnotizing but right as I was about to try it I heard a gunshot.
It was overwhelmingly loud. I knew what a gunshot sounded like since I have seen the farmer protecting us before. The shot was deafening but as the ringing in my ears began to fade away I heard a whisper, this time I knew that whispers are never in your head and there is a helpful horse around.
"Quick! Follow me. Your friend horse is hiding in my cave. You have to follow me, these people want you as a trophy. This is no friendly farmer!" said a white snowy albino fox.
Horse! What's he doing here? I asked
"It doesn't matter! We need to go. The safest place right now is my cave!"
I followed him through many berry bushes and ferns. I followed him down underground into a tunnel that he closed off behind us and into his luminescent cave that was being lit up by the mushrooms I had encountered earlier.
We arrived to his living room where horse was waiting.
"Sheep, I have been looking for you. I followed you into the forest. There were these humans that were trying to sit on my back." said horse.
Me and horse were both happy to see each other again.
The fox started telling us a story how he got there, in the center of the dark forest and how he was forced by humans to live there.
"Well, my story is that I was born in a glass cage. The humans were excited by my uniqueness. They called me special because I was albino. I spent 7 years in that cage simply doing nothing, being all alone and with my thoughts. That's why I escaped and I live in this dangerous forest." explained the fox to us.
"Horse told me that sheep like you are lazy and spoiled animals, that would mean you probably are good for eat..., anyway what I was going to ask if you could maybe give me some mice to eat, hmm? Since I saved you from being spotted by the humans and eating a poisonous mushroom." asked the fox.
Sorry, I only eat grass. I replied to fox.
Horse, why would you tell him that I'm spoiled? I said.
"I thought it would make him know who you are better" horse answered.
That's nonsense. I replied.
Horse realised that I don't like being called spoiled so he apologized.
After some time, me and horse were started to wonder why fox had sharp teeth and ate mice, so we asked.
"Fox, why do you have sharp teeth? And why do you eat mice? There are skeletons everywhere here and it is quite strange!" we asked as we realised the situation.
"I eat mice because that's all humans ever gave me in that glass cage. It's more fun anyway since I get to annoy the wolves by stealing their food. I tried eating grass and it is the most disgusting food I ever tried, how do you eat it?" fox asked us back while moving strangely around us planning something in his mind.
"Me and horse could say the same about your meat. We still have to get back home so we ask if you could help us?". We smartly replied.
"Help us? I'm not sure. I know a few shortcuts to the farm since I have been there before to steal the chickens eggs many times but it could take too long and we would get attacked by wolves." fox had responded.
"A pack of wolves?" horse asked.
"Yes indeed. A swift vicious bloodthirsty pack of wolves with a raging stare powerful enough to send shivers down any animals spine. They would be faster than me and sheep, so we don't stand a chance." said fox.
"Wait!" replied horse, "since I can run extremely fast, you and sheep could go on my back just like humans do and I could carry you at three times the speed! We could get there in a span of days.
The wolves wouldn't be able to catch us.
With fox's knowledge and my speed we could get there safely.", argued horse.
"Yes that's true but what would I get from this? I would rather relax peacefully in my cave.", fox argued back.
We sat there feeling defeated until ...
"I know!" horse interrupted the silence, "You could get as many eggs as you dream of! I would help you destroy the door!" horse convinced fox.
"Fair enough! We have a deal but if you don't help me get more eggs I will eat you instead." Fox gave up.
The loud sounds of the guns the humans were using had drifted away and you could see, it was becoming day through a hole in fox's cave. We rested for a little longer, climbed outside and set off on a dangerous journey.
Chapter 5 A dangerous journey ()
As me and my friends were puzzlingly wondering on ground flouring with evil and shadow, our eardrums picked up infuriated howls being emitted from all ways, East, West and South. Loud booming blasts of gunpowder were being released from muskets all around us and fear was consuming us.
Me and fox rode, terrified on horses spine for what we had perceived as an eternity until one morning, as we were finishing our breakfast, something truly drendful would then occur ...
"Mmmm, I've only ventured to this part of the woods once before and I must say the rabbits here are delicious." stated fox.
BANG!
An ear-piercing rifle had been fired in our direction., and a bullet had grazed fox's head giving him a large haircut across the top of his skull.
"Run! Or they might hit us next time!" Yelled fox. We leaped on horses enormous back and began to gallop away.
"What on Earth just happened!" yelled one of the hunters.
"I think that ... a sheep .. and fox just rode ...
a horse?,
wait that doesn't sound right." replied the second hunter.
"I think we may have taken too much medication last night." spoke the first hunter who had fired his rifle at fox.
"Anyways, go, go, go! That fox's head is worth a fortune!" The hunters began to get on two quads and drive.
"Run, run faster horse! They are catching up!" I screamed.
Horse sprinted as fast as he physically could, but it just wasn't enough.
The hunters were right behind us and horse's back was begining to be less stable as seconds flew by until the tragedy of the morning occurred, fox fell off horse's back to the ground. We stopped and wanted to save fox, but it was too late.
"There he is, what an unlucky little fella" said the first hunter with a tremendously long smile across his face.
"We should take his head, it'll bring great honour to our families and make our wives proud. We can split it in half perhaps." hunter said.
Horse slowly dodged away, looking back in tears as fox was being put in a cage and locked up. Horse stayed quiet for a few days out of sadness as we continued this harsh quest into the direction of the farm.
As time went on, the howls of rage were growing louder. Horse and I were passing past dark berry bush, I saw something more within it.
I hopped off horse and began to see that something was angrily vibrating the bush.
"Stay here" I commanded horse.
As I slowly approached, CRUNCH!
A large twig was snapped and a black wolf with a crooked back and red scar across its face emerged from the bush and went in between horse and me.
We couldn't run, we were surrounded.
"Why do you step in my packs territory strangers? Do you wish to challenge me?" said the leader of all wolves of the forest.
"We don't cause any threat, we come in peace, we were just passing by." I told the wolf.
"Liar! The men sent you as bait, didn't they? If you assist my enemy you become my enemy!" Argued the wolf.
I began taking a few steps back.
"We're not lying, we are telling the truth! Our friend was taken by those men ..." as I took another step back, CRUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The ground below began to shake unstably and the soil underneath me collapsed, sending me flying into a large deep dark hole ...
As I was falling down with the dirt I could see horse and all the wolves observing above me in shock as I was slammed against the bottom by gravity. My left leg was in extreme pain and I could feel the fragments of bone shattering inside.
I was stuck and to my right I could see a greasy abandoned entrance to an old mineshaft, leading deeper into the Earth' crust.
Chapter 6 Mineshaft (Sat 17 Jul 2021)
My eyes sluggishly awoke as consciousness was being regained, I began to get up but I couldn't more, I was all alone, again just like how I lost my sheep friends back at the farm.
One leg after another I pushed past the obstacles of my left leg and rose up. I looked around the pit that surrounded me, searching for a way to climb out, there was none. The only place left was the early creepy mineshaft.
As I entered step after step the wood which was attached to the ceiling was unstable and shaky, rinse and ferns were growing on the walls and you could smell the old metallic rust aging the metal on the rails.
It was dark and hard to make out what anything was, but I kept on following the tracks with my night vision, hoping that there would be something at the end.
There were multiple turns and twists but I stuck to the main railway system, thinking that there would be another big exit. I was thirsty and needed food, there were insects everywhere, I could smell them all around me. I was getting dizzy, every once in a while I would fall onto one side. When I reached the end of the track I could feel a wall, it was a dead end!
I had done all of that walking for nothing!
"I see you must be last, well, well, lucky you. You just came across me!
All the other animals which got last didn't find me until it was too late." said the voice!
"Who is that? I can help you." I responded.
"Hmm, I'm bat. I could help you out here if you take me with you." said bat.
"Why? Why you cannot go alone? I don't understand" I said.
"I'm looking for a friend and you look nice to me. What would you say? Would you like to have a company?" Asked bat.
...
"Alright, let's have a friendship, we can always help each other in the future!" I replied.
The bat made loud sounds and tapped me to lead me to a hole in the ceiling which was leaking water! I drank as much as I could until I was no longer thirsty and I asked bat ...
"So, how do we escape from this horrid place?"
"Well, the main entrance collapsed which was the dead end that you found, but there is this one underwater tunnel that leads outside. I have never been able to get out there since I couldn't hold my breath for long enough. I know every air pocket in the tunnel since I used to live there until it was flooded.
If you could use every air pocket on the ceiling, I would be able to guide you out." Replied the bat.
As I followed bat through the tunnel he wouldn't stop talking, I almost went crazy from listening to him for 2 hours. I never met an animal which talked at such an extreme level. As he talked with the stories, I had realised that every time he helped someone he always expected something in return!
"Be careful, walk very slowly, this part of the mine is very unstable and you could collapse down into one of the elevators" bat had warned me.
"We are almost there ..." CRACK!
One of my legs had collapsed into the ground
"See, that's why this area is dangerous for large animals such as you." bat had explained to me.
As I was slowly limping behind bat with my broken leg, I could begin to hear the flow of water. This quest wasn't over, it was only just the beginning.
"Stop, we're here. If you take one more step you will be in water." conversed bat.
I placed my right leg forward and felt the refreshing touch of water.
"Do you remember where I told you all the air pockets were on the way, sheep?"
"Yes, I can vividly remember what you had told me", I answered.
"Alright sheep, get ready to take a deep breath .... in three, two, one ...!"
We both took the biggest breath we had ever taken and SPLASH!
Chapter 7 Freedom (Sun 18 Jul 2021)
My vision was blurry and the water was foggy like the mist. I swam with bat.
Tap, tap, tap, bat would keep on tapping me to remind me where the air pockets were. Took a long break and gasp of air in every pocket that I had reached.
"Alright sheep, just one more, this one is very far."
"Are you sure that we're almost there?" I asked
"Yes, but I will only lead you to the last one if you promise to find me a new home"
"I will, the air is running out ..." I answered.
SPLASH,
we went under water again. I was stuck between two rocks.
"Help!" I tried to scream, but nobody could hear me.
Tap, tap, tap, bat was beginning to tap quicker and quicker, my heart was racing like a formula and my lungs were burning like a barbecue, it was as if the whole inside of my body had been placed on hot burning blocks of coal and my lungs were getting tighter and tighter by the second! My mind was zooming out and my movements were getting slower and slower as bubbles flowed from my face like waterfalls. I kept on struggling, trying to get free, my leg was in a bent position and trying to get free myself was like attempting a five hundred thousand piece puzzle. I pushed and pushed and ...
CRACK!
A piece of rock had cracked and chipped off, I was free!
Bat continued to tap but his taps were slowing down as he was losing a huge quantity of his tiny amount of air. I began to follow bat and we both took the most colossal breath we had ever inhaled.
"This is the last air pocket. All we have to do is to swim out now, it's very far, and you should watch out as from now on there will be sharp lumps of rocks" Bat informed.
We took the last final breath we would ever take in that mine and ...
SPLASH!
It was almost over we swam as swiftly as we were able to.
The pain in my leg was unbearable as I pushed past all the obstacles and sharp rocks ahead.
Bat was tapping quicker than how fast a humming bird flaps its wings, reminding me that we are almost there.
SPLASH!
My head emerged from the water below.
"We did it bat, we did it! Thank you." I yelled.
"Don't get so excited just yet sheep because if you won't find me a new home I will find a way to send you back to those mines!
I never liked you in the first place.
I only wanted to use you to help me get out by letting me stick to your back and find me a new home!
I was too bored of sitting in that mine. I almost wanted to send you into the wrong tunnel." Bat has spoken honestly for the first time. How rude of him, I thought.
"I never did anything wrong to him, I was in his home without a way out and this is how he treats me as a guest?!" I said to myself.
At that moment I realised why the sheep back the farm had always said that fox and stranger animals are untrustworthy, at that moment I had understood that not everyone will always be nice to you or help you, and that sometimes others will simply plainly won't like you for no reason just because you're different.
I sluggishly swam to shore on my back and took a step on land finally! I could smell the lovely blossoming flowers of spring, the lake warm air temperature, I could hear the claiming sound of water smashing against rock above the mountain, at last I had found freedom!
Chapter 8 Bats Betrayal (Sat 4 Sep 2021)
I was injured, tired and had to keep moving towards the farm so, I couldn't help bat.
"Bat, I am very sorry but I won't be able to help you find a new home. I am very tired, just tired, I have to go to the farm but I'm sure that you will find a marvelous home up in a tree hollow or somewhere." I said in the nicest way I could.
"You traitor! You will pay for this!" Yelled bat at the peak of his voice.
"Please don't be upset bat" I told him.
"Hmm, ..." bat changed the voice, "It's okay, I actually know a few minute path from here to the farm."
Bat had completely changed his mood.
"Why was he suddenly trying to help me with a very quick path?" That was something I couldn't understand, something was fishy but I had decided to go with regardless, bearing in mind our friendship.
"Come on! Come on! It's just around the corner.
Come on, just behind this hill" Bat kept on cheerfully saying as he lured me into dried up river which was very steep drop.
I continued ignoring the abnormal behaviour of bat. Suddenly, we stopped and bat landed from his flight right on my head.
"Look at your left! It's a snake!" Bat screamed.
My head swiftly rotated as I looked over my left leg only to see an empty space. It was a distraction!
Distraction!
Bat elevated off of my head and covered my eyes with his wings as he started to push me around. I kept on spinning and trying to escape but I couldn't see ... I lifted my two legs ... there was nothing there. Bat uncovered my eyes and my legs were going down into the dry river, meters down.
I went tumbling down the steep ground.
Smash!
I hit my head on a rock, time was slowing down ...
My heart was racing
My mind was reminding me of the wolves, the hunters, the mines, all the other things that had happened.
As my vision blurred again I wanted to refuse but it was too late. I blacked out ...
...
...
I could hear the peaceful rustling of leaves, the wind blowing on bushes, I could smell the humid air.
I stood up in disbelief of what bat had done.
I was at the bottom of a river that use to be dry but was beginning to slowly fill up with water again to my right ...
There was an unclaimable steep hill and on the other side there was a wall of razor sharp thorny bushes. The ground was slippery from the thin layer of water below me.
Getting up was a struggle for me, I lay there for a moment and suddenly I saw something amazing ....
a sign.
A sign saying "freshly laid eggs!"
It was the same sign that was next to the farm. I had to be close, I thought.
Channeled all my remaining energy into lifting myself off of the ground.
I remember farmer say "All rivers are in some way connected to civilization."
So, I followed the river hoping that it would lead to my home.
I was taking a left turn down the river. I could see a bridge.
I knew that bridge, I had seen it in a picture on the farmers wall before. In the picture he was standing on it with a big stick holding a fish.
"Hello friend, are you lost?" Asked an animal behind me.
I turned around slowly and unlike the wolves two yellow eyes were staring at me.
"Wolf stay away!" I screamed as I started to run.
"I am no wolf little sheep." voice replied.
"Then what are you?" I questioned in confusion.
"I am hyena, but don't be frightened by how I look.
Don't be afraid of me.
I am friendly animal and I obviously don't eat meat.
I would never lie to you hee-hee-hee."
It giggled as its hideous face had been uncovered.
"Let me just get a little closer" it proceeded saying.
I knew something was wrong so, I wasn't going to be fooled this time.
I began sprinting down the river ...
... sliding on the slippery ground.
The hyena ran after me barely catching up.
Leaping from wall to wall almost managing to bite me.
"There, there it was!" I could see a path leading out that was climbable side.
I started speeding up, adrenaline was pumping, but I just wasn't fast enough as I was about to reach the path.
It was too late. The hyena had jumped 5 meters into the air like an acrobat, right over my woolly head.
"Wait, just let me have one bite, no more." Hyena said.
In that moment I had decided to do something I had never done before, attack back!
I had no option but to charge past the crazy hyena with my head, knocking it down to its feet.
"Sorry, I'm sure you will be fine!" I exclaimed as I went for the exit.
I was there.
I started climbing but as I was beginning to believe that I was safe on top of the hill, I saw a dark figure with long arms and short legs, staring down at me.
Chapter 9 ()
“RISE and RISE again until lambs become lions.” my son
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