Beenie Breaks the Rules (Free Fantasy Short Story)
"So what's going to happen now?" Troy asked, his whiskers twitching.
"What's going to happen is we're going to get the younglings, and you and Ella are going to forage for food," Horace said.
"Why?" Troy asked.
"You know what happens when you hole up in a fort?" Horace asked.
"No."
"The enemy lays siege. We might not be able to get food for a while, so we need to collect as much as we can, while we can."
"Run out of food?" Troy said in horror.
At that moment, a group of rabbits rushed by to help with the wall-building.
"We're just in the way right now," Kara said, once the rabbits had gone by. "Ella will probably want to get started soon. Let's head back, all right?"
The two older squirrels herded Beenie and Troy out of the clearing, which was rapidly being closed in by rugged walls, and back down the path to the catacomb entrance.
"I don't like this place," Troy whimpered as they went inside. "It's dark, it's small, and it smells funny." His nose twitched.
"It's not that small," Beenie said. "And it doesn't smell funny."
"Yes it does," Troy argued. "It smells like dirt."
"You smell dirt all the time," Beenie pointed out. "How can it smell weird?"
Beenie saw Horace rolling his eyes and Kara hiding a smile. Troy didn't answer Beenie, but walked on in what she assumed was an offended silence.
When they arrived back at the room Beenie and Troy had slept in the night before, all the younglings were up, and Ella was yelling for them to all shut up because she had something for them to do. All the adults seemed to have disappeared.
"See you later," Kara said, smoothing the fur on Troy's head and waving at Beenie.
"You're leaving?" Troy said, his voice rising to a higher squeak than normal.
"We'll be back tonight," Kara said soothingly. "You have work to do, and so do we." After another goodbye, Kara and Horace both left.
"You two!" Ella barked. "Get over here." She sounded in a bad temper, so Beenie and Troy obeyed, joining the throng around the small white rabbit, who was twitching with irritation by this time.
"All right," Ella said "BE QUIET!"
The chatter stopped abruptly, and every eye turned toward Ella, who continued speaking as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"We have a job to do this morning," she said. "Each of you is going to be assigned a buddy, and you will stick together. Everyone understand?" there was a chorus that was, in general, what she was wanting to hear, so she went on. "Your job will be to find anything edible that you can bring back to the catacombs. You are to stay away from any place that's known to be gnome controlled, and be back by midday. Any questions?"
The silence was so profound that none of the younglings dared break it.
"All right, then. Let's go."
Ella led the way out of the room, and back toward the exit. At the mouth of the tunnel, there were two other rabbits, one white like Ella, and one gray, who were handing baskets to everyone as they stepped out.
"Choose your partner," Ella said.
There was a shuffle as everyone tried to find their friends, and a few arguments broke out. But the arguments were solve quickly when Ella hopped over. Beenie grabbed the tip of Troy's tail so they wouldn't be separated, and when Ella returned to the front, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't go too far!" Ella said. "And remember, back by midday."
She dismissed them with a wave of her paw, and they all trickled away, huddling close together and talking quietly.
Beenie and Troy walked off together, Beenie swinging her basket from one wrist. She looked over her shoulder to see if Ella was watching, and then darted behind a tree.
"Beenie," Troy protested. "What are you doing?"
"Come on!" Beenie said, waving him over. He checked for Ella, too, before joining her behind the tree.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I want to go back to the gnome's tree," she said.
"What?" Troy squawked. "Beenie, are you crazy?"
"No," she persisted stubbornly. "I want to make sure we actually broke that thing."
"But they'll be looking for us," Troy said. "And Ella told us to stay away."
"I want to see," Beenie said.
There was a moment of silence as Troy stared at her, whiskers and tail twitching in tandem. Beenie stared him down, waiting.
"Fine," he sighed. "I give up. Let's go."
"What's going to happen is we're going to get the younglings, and you and Ella are going to forage for food," Horace said.
"Why?" Troy asked.
"You know what happens when you hole up in a fort?" Horace asked.
"No."
"The enemy lays siege. We might not be able to get food for a while, so we need to collect as much as we can, while we can."
"Run out of food?" Troy said in horror.
At that moment, a group of rabbits rushed by to help with the wall-building.
"We're just in the way right now," Kara said, once the rabbits had gone by. "Ella will probably want to get started soon. Let's head back, all right?"
The two older squirrels herded Beenie and Troy out of the clearing, which was rapidly being closed in by rugged walls, and back down the path to the catacomb entrance.
"I don't like this place," Troy whimpered as they went inside. "It's dark, it's small, and it smells funny." His nose twitched.
"It's not that small," Beenie said. "And it doesn't smell funny."
"Yes it does," Troy argued. "It smells like dirt."
"You smell dirt all the time," Beenie pointed out. "How can it smell weird?"
Beenie saw Horace rolling his eyes and Kara hiding a smile. Troy didn't answer Beenie, but walked on in what she assumed was an offended silence.
When they arrived back at the room Beenie and Troy had slept in the night before, all the younglings were up, and Ella was yelling for them to all shut up because she had something for them to do. All the adults seemed to have disappeared.
"See you later," Kara said, smoothing the fur on Troy's head and waving at Beenie.
"You're leaving?" Troy said, his voice rising to a higher squeak than normal.
"We'll be back tonight," Kara said soothingly. "You have work to do, and so do we." After another goodbye, Kara and Horace both left.
"You two!" Ella barked. "Get over here." She sounded in a bad temper, so Beenie and Troy obeyed, joining the throng around the small white rabbit, who was twitching with irritation by this time.
"All right," Ella said "BE QUIET!"
The chatter stopped abruptly, and every eye turned toward Ella, who continued speaking as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"We have a job to do this morning," she said. "Each of you is going to be assigned a buddy, and you will stick together. Everyone understand?" there was a chorus that was, in general, what she was wanting to hear, so she went on. "Your job will be to find anything edible that you can bring back to the catacombs. You are to stay away from any place that's known to be gnome controlled, and be back by midday. Any questions?"
The silence was so profound that none of the younglings dared break it.
"All right, then. Let's go."
Ella led the way out of the room, and back toward the exit. At the mouth of the tunnel, there were two other rabbits, one white like Ella, and one gray, who were handing baskets to everyone as they stepped out.
"Choose your partner," Ella said.
There was a shuffle as everyone tried to find their friends, and a few arguments broke out. But the arguments were solve quickly when Ella hopped over. Beenie grabbed the tip of Troy's tail so they wouldn't be separated, and when Ella returned to the front, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't go too far!" Ella said. "And remember, back by midday."
She dismissed them with a wave of her paw, and they all trickled away, huddling close together and talking quietly.
Beenie and Troy walked off together, Beenie swinging her basket from one wrist. She looked over her shoulder to see if Ella was watching, and then darted behind a tree.
"Beenie," Troy protested. "What are you doing?"
"Come on!" Beenie said, waving him over. He checked for Ella, too, before joining her behind the tree.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I want to go back to the gnome's tree," she said.
"What?" Troy squawked. "Beenie, are you crazy?"
"No," she persisted stubbornly. "I want to make sure we actually broke that thing."
"But they'll be looking for us," Troy said. "And Ella told us to stay away."
"I want to see," Beenie said.
There was a moment of silence as Troy stared at her, whiskers and tail twitching in tandem. Beenie stared him down, waiting.
"Fine," he sighed. "I give up. Let's go."
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