Looking across the pebble-strewn road at the grassy hillside, Reed saw the green blades swaying in the wind, beckoning him to come back and play. His sister Jade was waiting for him in the meadow, their forbidden summer playground.
Their mom had always warned them not to cross the lane into the field, but his sister Jade was never one to follow the rules. After he had noticed all the open space to run and play across the road, Reed had known she would go regardless. As her big brother, he had felt obligated to go as well. Mom will want me to be there to protect Jade and keep her from getting into trouble. She will totally understand why I broke her rule.
Taking a deep breath, Reed scurried across and dove into the cool green grass. Jade bounded to meet him with yellow and purple petals stuck on her dirt covered coat. She had been rolling around in the wildflowers again.
Laughing, she blew a piece of grass out of her mouth, “You should really try that.” Plucking a nearby daisy, Jade held it to her black-button nose, inhaling so hard, Reed was afraid the poor flower would disappear up her nostrils. “The flowers smell so pretty. I wish I could take them home and stuff my pillow.”
Reed let out an exasperated sigh, “Why must you always be so messy? You know I hate getting my fur grimy,” he haughtily remarked as he stroked his pristine coat. “You know you can enjoy the lovely smells without getting so dirty, right? If you merely strolled through the blossoms like I do, you would feel the petals softly brush against your coat and their lovely scent would stick to your hair.”
Jade rolled her beady marmot eyes before punching his arm, “Come on, live dangerously for once. Get dirty,” she taunted.
“Ow,” Reed wailed. “You’re gonna pay for that.”
“You’ll have to catch me first,” she hollered as she began scurrying away.
Grumbling, but also a little exhilarated, Reed took off after his little sis. Following her fluffy, bouncing tail through the meadow, he thought at one point he might catch her, but suddenly the tail disappeared. Stopping, he stood on his hind legs and peered over the grass, trying to see which direction she went. Jade was crouching low in wait and chose this opportunity to pounce, wrestling Reed to the ground. Entangled and tousling on the ground, they batted and nipped at each other playfully.
As they were rolling around the meadow, laughing and chirping, neither was paying attention or saw the slope. The ground suddenly tilted, the sky blurred, and the marmots found themselves spiraling through flowers, weeds, and wild grass down a hill. Reed instinctively tried to wrap his short pudgy arms around Jade to pull her close, and she dug her claws into his shoulders to hold on. Two thoughts spun in his head over–and over–and over, She has to be okay, followed closely by. I will never get my coat clean.
The bottom came up fast and hard. They landed with a thud, and Reed was flattened between solid packed dirt and Jade. His lungs had been squashed of air, and he felt like one–or two–or possibly all his ribs were broken. Groaning, he thumped Jade on the back, “Hey, you okay?” he mumbled in her ear.
Jade pushed herself up on her elbows and stared down at him with a crooked little grin, “I told you rolling in the dirt is fun. That was awesome. Can we go again?”
Grimacing, Reed rolled her off him, “Fun for you maybe. You weren’t pancaked between a marmot and a hard place.” Feeling himself start to reinflate, he began gently touching his tender torso to assess for damage. “You are definitely packing on the winter weight.”
She laughed, “I’m trying my best.” Standing up, she began brushing dust off her head, “Based on the softness of my landing, you’re doing a pretty good job yourself.”
Digging his buck teeth into his lip, he stiffly sat up, “The extra fluff must be the reason nothing seems to be broken, merely bruised. However, my fur will take months to recover.” Reed whined as he glanced at his coat.
Moseying back, Jade began picking grass and flowers off Reed’s back. “This should make up for the holes I poked in your shoulder on the way down,” she said nonchalantly.
Before Reed could reply, a ferocious roar broke into their playful banter and peaceful ambiance. The sound rattled his teeth and spiked his back hairs.
So faint Reed barely heard her, his sister whispered, “Um…what was that?”
Looking around the once quiet meadow, Reed saw a burly, black animal on the other side. He had never seen one, but it matched the description he had heard of a bear. Sniffing the air, the beast started ambling towards them. His blood began to grow cold when he recalled the horror stories he had heard about bears loving the taste of fresh marmot. When he saw the terrified look on Jade’s little round face, however, his only thought became, I have to get her out of here.
Reed stood, swallowed his fear, and locked eyes with Jade, “Stay calm. A bear is headed our way, and you need to get away from here. Run as fast as you can, back up the hill. and don’t stop until you get home. I’ll keep him occupied down here.”
Whimpering, she feebly nodded.
“Go. Run fast, be safe.” Parting ways with Reed’s words of encouragement still hanging in the air, he watched as she started running up the hill. Going in the opposite direction, he began chirping as he ran. Come on. You found my smell, now follow my sound.
Reed heard thundering stomps behind him, as the bear took his bait. His adrenaline started pumping, breathing new life into his sore body. Bolting deeper into the unfamiliar grasslands. he started crisscrossing the meadow. He was zigging underneath a small bush before zagging behind a clump of flowers. At first the big oaf was confused, but he soon caught on and tried to grab Reed in the middle. The little marmot, however, had already switched up his game.
Staying low to the ground to avoid detection, Reed was darting across the meadow as fast as his stubby paws would carry him. His pursuer had started moving faster, and his breathing had gotten heavier and louder as he drew closer. As the adrenaline started to wear off, Reed’s bruises and soreness from his fall started to wake up. Remembering the fear on Jade’s face, though, made him pull up every ounce of his energy and try to stall for more time. I know I can’t win, but I have to give her time to get across the road.
Looking for a place to hide, Reed spied a leafy bramble ahead. He lowered his head and charged full speed into the spikey, pokey bush. Crashing into the tightly bunched branches, he squeezed his black lips together to keep from trilling. He felt the knife-stabs and needle-jabs of the briars tear through his coat and into his tender flesh, transforming his body into a marmot pincushion. Nevertheless, he was okay dealing with the sharp thorns if it saved him from even sharper teeth.
Hot on his tail, the bear burst out of the grass and followed Reed’s scent straight to the bush. Sniffing the tree and growling, he started striking the front and sides with his paw. Seeing no movement or reaction, the irate bear straightened up to its full height and began smashing both front paws down on the top. As thorns started to push deeper into his skin, Reed pressed himself flatter against the ground. To stay silent through his pain and distress, he had to bite down on his paw. Pictures of his loved ones were rolling through his head. I have to stay strong. They need me, and I have too much to lose.
When the prickles pierced the pads of the bear’s sensitive paws, it started to raucously huff and bawl. While Reed held his breath, the aggravated animal circled the squashed bush again, looking for any way to break in. He tried a few more half-hearted blows‒which only kabobed his prey more‒gave a low, frustrated grunt, and merely lumbered away. Reed slowly exhaled. I guess such a small bite isn’t worth the hassle.
To be safe, Reed waited until the sun was setting to begin the delicate job of disentangling himself. He let out a scream as he painfully pulled out one thorny branch, then another. Through wet eyes, he looked down and saw the open wounds gathering along his torso. His back was on fire from the numerous, deeply dug-in briars. I will have to break off the branches and leave the barbs embedded. Jade can help me take them out later.
When Reed finished, he slowly crawled back to the burrow. Jade was waiting for him at the door, “Where have you been? I was about to go…er…send someone to look for you,” Jade cried. Taking a breath, she suddenly noticed wounds on his chest and the broken barbs sticking out of his fur, “What happened?”
“Thorny hideout,” Reed mumbled as he lowered himself gingerly to the floor. “I guess we know now why the meadow is off limits.”
“Do we, though? What made you decide that?” Jade mischievously quipped as she started to gently pull out the remaining thorns and dress his wounds.
Lifting his pale, wan face, Reed studied his sister. Yeah, she definitely needs me to keep her out of trouble. I would have missed this.
Author: Katie Yusuf
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