The Murdered Sun
FIVE DAYS BEFORE NOVA ... The snow mouse entered the room, eyes red, cheeks matted ... and he slammed his paws down upon the nearest tabletop, prompting several sounds of surprise. Multiple glances. "Who ... who," he stammered, "did this?" He...
Tongue-Tied Lightning
... six years earlier ... "It's easy, Wilco." "I don't know ... " The flying squirrel hesitated. Looking out. And looking down. At the blinking pre-dusk of the town in the valley. It was getting to be, with the minutes, later in the...
Damage
... pound, POUND! Pound. POUND! "They're trying to get in!" Ezri squeaked, backing away from the lift-doors. Which were sealed, but ... " ... they're trying to pry them open!" The dull, metallic drumming was incessant. Almost as...
The Non-Insurgency
He scurried after her. "Do you always walk so fast?" "I am walking normally," was Arianna's level response, rounding a corner. In a corridor. "Well, uh ... okay," Ollie responded. Still following her. Eyes darting to her flicker-flicking...
Five Liters
"You are stalking my engineers." "Mm? What?" Wilco looked up. "No, I'm not." "You are," the male snow rabbit stated, making a bit of a face. He padded forward, tilting his head. "You have been in here for the past eight minutes." "I'm...
Vespers
"Hey," was the whisper. And a look up. And a returned, "Hey." With that slight, sweet smile. The one that dawned in his eyes ... when she entered a room. When she stirred his air. When she came near. They were both outside, currently. On the...
An Exponential Noon
"Fiber. The bare minimum you should be getting, daily: fourteen grams. Now, realistically, we all need about twenty-five ... okay?" Ross was in class. Nutrition for health (for rodents ... there was a health class for each major 'group' of furs;...
The Anchor Holds
He was in the attic, sifting through things. Almost obsessively. Almost compulsively. Things in boxes, mainly. Or in black, glossy trash bags. Mostly older things, but ... not all of them. Not everything was dust-covered, or had spider-webs on it. ...
Getting Ready for Church
Field stood in front of the mirror. Tilting his head slightly, and ... squinting a bit, and then taking a step back. His reflection did the same. He took a step forward, tilting his head the other way. And then tugging on his shirt. Plain,...
Trolley Hangover
Saturday night. And the trolley treacherously stalked. The new-wave guard trolley from Sheridan, Kentucky ... now slid down the cobbled streets of Sheridan, Indiana. The pavement. The occasional patch of brick. With a slight, slight click-clack of...
Fireworks in the Trees
Glory, it's a morning! (In the mesh-metal trap I set last night.) Eyes like orange sun-fire, and a heart of hope. Pulsing 'neath the acorns' oaks. I feed it with re-heated, leftover dreams, but it does not bless the taste. Only...
Not Self-Made
"It's the football team." "What about them?" Adelaide asked. She and Field on the blue-colored couch, and Ma in a recliner (though her posture was straight). The panther, both paws on her hot chocolate mug, stared at the carpet for a bit. The...