Strange Bedfellows or Why you Shouldn't Sleep in Trees...
Story by Inked_Fox_Productions on SoFurry
There is something to be said about partying too hard, as you might find yourself in an odd place, but wait till it happens in the forest...
Strange Bedfellows
Or
Why You Shouldn't Sleep in Trees…
A True Story - Based on the Life of Mister Sillers
This story happened long before it was in vogue to pave pathways across green spaces, back when people had to find their own way through the local forest. Natural deer runs made navigating the interior of the wood fairly easy and the main river made an excellent landmark. Things have changed a lot since then; the forest has been reshaped and domesticated, losing part of its natural charm.
Back when I was younger and the forest was far less civilized, my friends and I used to spend a lot of time in the bush. There were all sorts of activities to do for the woodsier of us, like hiking, fishing and exploring.
In the heart of the forest there was a man-made enclosure, crafted from living vines, which created a natural blind. The space was large enough for a decent fire pit and plenty of lawn chairs. When the forest was in full swing, you could walk right past the dome without ever seeing it. Basically it was our own secret base, hidden away from the rest of the world.
Later on when we got older, being out in the bush was all about relaxing and partying. I can remember plenty of awesome bush bashes, all of which ended with great memories!
After a particularly crazy get together, I decided that walking home wasn't in my best interests, so I did the only rational thing at the time… I climbed up a tree to sleep it off. The reason why I chose this particular tree was due to it having a natural cradle, not too far off the ground.
Just a side note, I'm one of those people that can sleep basically anywhere, so long as I can get comfortable. The groove in the tree was perfect and sleep quickly washed over me. Looking back on the occasion, I must have slept up there for a few hours.
Later during the evening, my stomach started to feel really warm. I mean, yes it was summer and I had been drinking, but this heat felt a little strange. The discomfort was enough to rouse me from my sleep. I slowly opened my eyes, carefully stretching, while trying vainly to shake off the grogginess from the booze. Looking out from my makeshift perch, I noticed the sun had almost dropped below the horizon, leaving the forest in the dim light of dusk. There's something beautiful about the woods just before it becomes dark.
After a few moments, I realized the warmth that had disturbed my slumber also had a fair bit of weight to it. Needless to say, I broke out into a cold sweat, considering I was sitting a good eight feet off the ground. I highly doubted that it was a stray cat or a family of cuddly squirrels…
Avoiding any unnecessary movement, I lowered my chin to my chest that's when I saw it; sitting on my stomach was a huge opossum! The damn thing had curled up in a ball and was snoring! If you have never encountered an opossum before, you're in for a treat. They look like a nightmare come to life… all teeth, claws and prehensile tail. Opossums have a white narrow wedge shaped head, squat little black legs that end in pink toes and a round bright pink nose. They also have small black Mickey Mouse ears and a short grey body that ends in a long, scaly looking tail. Let me put it this way, an opossum isn't going to win any beauty pageants. Especially not the personality component; they may have a shot at the talent portion though… So, finding one dreaming peacefully on my gut like a cat was quite the disturbing sight!
Don't get me wrong, they can be cute when they are little or with enough PR work, but in light of the current circumstances… Nope!
Moments later, either by chance or pure bad luck, the opossum woke up and that's when things went sideways… Basically, it went from an awkward coyote lay to a full on freak-out!
Within moments, we were a tangle of flaying limbs, bared teeth, screeching and cursing. Having lost my balance, we fell from the tree to the ground below. Luckily for the opossum, they escaped from the fall relatively unscathed; I couldn't quite say the same for myself... I felt the wind being knocked out of me, as I crashed against the soft earth below.
Temporarily stunned, I could only watch out of the corner of my eye, as the possum lumbered off of my prone body. Thankfully, the earlier aerial struggle seemed to have soured their interest in me and they waddled off into the underbrush.
I must have lain there for at least fifteen minutes before I could slowly and painfully pick myself up off the ground. The shadows had grown long during my brief respite, giving the once cheerful forest a malevolent tinge. Seeing as I had over stayed my welcome, all I could do at this point was make my way home and hope that my bed was empty…
Thanks for joining me as I relive some of the moments of my life; I hope you enjoyed it!
Mister Sillers