2 comments

Fantasy Fiction Adventure

SpaceHuman's Note: "I'm just going to start this off by letting out a deep breath. YAY MY STORIES FINALLY MADE IT TO THE DIRECTORY. I is happy. Also shanks a lot for 20 followers, it means a lot. This story is basically someone's will if you are ever confused. Well idk if it's a will, but it's the note the person writes that is to be read when they are dead. Heh I can rhyme. Now, on with thy story :)"

The only sound to be heard at the moment is the calling of the birds, or the splashes of the playing alligator that isn't too far from where we are. We creep almost silently through ferns, looking for today's innocent animal. The attire we wear is the usual camouflage uniform. I, unlike the others, wear a cap to stop the scorching sun from distracting me.

Directly behind me, there is one of my partners chewing his mint gum, rather loudly I might add. Without turning around I slap his sunburnt cheek and he spits the gum out onto the wet mud. His face seems to be annoyed, but I couldn't care less.

My other partners crawl, afraid to be seen by any animal. I assume they hope to catch a prey by surprise, but you would have to be stealthier than them to achieve that. Without trying to show cockyness in my though, I will tell you now that I am easily the best hunter among this group. I am the most focused, and I care greatly about what I come out here to do.

I hear a faint rustling far up ahead. My face lights up and I get low. My partners see my movement and quickly copy, although they are already crawling. Their faces barely touching the thin blades of grass. I hear my partner preparing his rifle to shoot, but the animal hears him, and the sounds of the animal quickly departing from where it currently sits, is heard.

I turn around with a stern look. He already knows his mistake, but I must show him how sorry he can be. His eyes widen and I can tell all his respect belongs to me. I glance over the others with a cold look, reminding them who the best hunter is. They show me they understand by slowly nodding their heads, as I continue to chew on my toothpick.

It suddenly gets stuck between my squashed teeth, and I feel the wood cracking. Then my partner looks up. I try asking him what he has heard but his face only gets happier. I have learned on this day that when my partner(s) hear something that my ears fail to hear they get excited. They have beaten the leader. But I would like to quickly remind them how many times I have heard something that they can't, because they don't look for the movements in nature. I of course, have all the skills of a hunter, and I discover more tactics every day. They don't care about making lots of money from fur coats.

In the meantime I am asking over and over again what they could possibly be hearing. All they respond with is surprised glances, and how it's getting louder. At one point they almost have their lanky fingers over their ears. I, hear nothing. Maybe I just don't hallucinate. I look over to my partners, hands now well over their ears, as if they are trying to block out the sound of a lion roaring in their ear.

Suddenly, the true explanation washes over me. I wonder how I could have not known they were trying to prank me before. Maybe because their acting skills were almost as good as mine. But now I am angry. I could have caught my game by now and we would be trudging through the mud back home. Their pranks are immature. I kick one of them and tell him this, but he promises me this is no prank. The others are concerned I could potentially go deaf if I keep my ears out in the refreshing air for any longer.

I scowl at them hard, but they don't see. Suddenly they relax and they remove their hands from their ears. The amount of red remaining on their skin is abnormal. But why should I care about their health when they don't even care about a deer that could be inching towards us any second? All of their hands shake as they try to point at what is behind me.

I gasp. Loud enough for my partners to gasp in fear of my gasp. At the moment I am in disbelief. A Urbym is standing in front of me. My partners are puzzled as to what this strange creature they have never seen is doing standing nose to nose with me.

To quickly explain what we are all seeing: A dark grey hairy creature with light brown eyes. It is in the shape of something like a sphere, with three dull legs that sprout from it's stomach. Saliva drips from it's wide mouth, and it's slanted eyes tell me it's a male.

Before you figure out what you want to be when you grow up, there is something you go through in your youth that makes you sure what you must do. A Urbym happens to have started my journey on hunting. I had been on a small quest to bring home some food when a grey blob jumped out of the bushes. It left me with no food or water, and barely alive. My parents only cared the fact no food was on the table that night. Some time later, in the morning I found them gone, and a note from them that said try surviving on your own. I swore I would kill every one of these. And I did. I guess until now. My story sounds over dramatic, but my job must be complete. I take out my pocket knife, ready to draw some blood from him, but one of my disruptive partners jumps up and seizes my shoulders. I try to shake him off, but they others come as well.

I am suddenly a mess of curses and sweat. I loudly explain to them my life's legacy. They are destroying it. This is the last Urbym left, and killing it would be such...a pleasure.

As they all struggle to hold me back, one of them asks why they hear the Urbym screaming while I can't. The truth is, only people who have pleasure in the deep nature tunes hear it's song, although I wouldn't call it that. But, telling them I don't love nature could make me look like an idiot, so I lie. I tell them hunter masters can't because they have overcome the fear of sound. My gullible partners agree, and as they are distracted, I lunge forward at the Urbym, not looking away from the spot I aim to hit. He too lunges, but instead away. But I am not safe, as he almost silently leaps into the air and onto my already weak body. I can't move. Everything aches. I want to kill him. I need to. Instead my partners go up to him, stroking his fluffy fur, and he plops down, purring.

Many years later, the whole species has come back to existence and they thrive in the animal sanctuary.

I have lost the Urbym battle. And along with it, the war.

So I will be turning over my hunting rifle to the sanctuary, to remind you all my reign is over. I have no other assets.

April 19, 2021 01:48

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

2 comments

Cassandra Levone
11:45 May 04, 2021

Wow- I was not expecting the path this story took!!! Great work!!!

Reply

SpaceHuman 🌌
13:20 May 06, 2021

thx :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. 100% free.