A/N: My first Fanfic! Whoo hoo! :D Hope you enjoy it! Friendly criticism is always welcome along with friendly reviews!
A Sly friend
Chapter 1: The beginnings
Snow twirled around the frozen tundra, bitter cold bit the fur of two creatures that plowed through the snow rather quickly.. The smaller fossa, the female, held a small bundle of fur in her gentle jaws. The male bounded out ahead of her, trying to scout out a safe place to stop.
The male fossa reached the top of a semi-steep snow drift. Right in front of him was a slightly steep snow slope that cut off from the drift. So, he stopped atop the slope and peered out through the storm, trying to locate a safe place to the best of his ability. Just down the slope lay a small clearing near a tree line, and in front of the tree line lay a couple of large snow covered bushes.
He flicked his thick tail impatiently waiting for his mate without moving his gaze from the bushes. Hurry, hurry, hurry, there coming!
A moment later the female fossa came trudging up the drift. She came to a stopnext to her mate and expectedly raised her eye brow's.
The male nodded and pointed out with a single claw at the snow covered bushes. He then continued with "Echo, over there under the bushes. Go." He said hurriedly.
Panting heavily, Echo replied through a mouthful of cub fur. "Garber, I'm scared…"
Garber let out a sigh of sorrow as he leaned into his mate, pressing his muzzle gently and, at most, reassuringly. "I know your scared, but its for the best for little Sly." He pulled away to smile at the little cub held in Echo's jaws. "Go to the bushes, and I'll stay here and keep watch. If they come, I'll let you know." He finished and pulled away to look into her blue eyes.
Echo let out a whimper and nodded, then reluctantly trudged forward and slipped down the slope and trotted quickly over to the bushes where she slipped under them and disappeared.
Garber watched his beloved mate disappear through the thick snow covered bushes. He sighed and turned around, watching where they had come from. He pricked his rounded ears and listened. He could hear faint yelling and barking.
There not going to stop. He thought sadly, this is the best way…
Echo had already slipped into the middle of the bushes and was already settling down. The ground underneath the bushes had no snow whatsoever, and was a lot warmer. Echo sat down next to the base of the bush and let the cub down gently. The cub looked frightened, and gave a little squeak asking. "Mommy, what' going on?"
Echo cringed just a little, but not enough for the cub to notice. How could she go along with her and her mates plan? It was terrible, but as he said, it was for the best. For a moment, she thought about what to tell her cub, Sly.
Shifting her position so she could curl her weasel like body around her cub, she began. "Sly, you listen here and you listen good." She said her voice surprisingly calm and gentle, but every word was a struggle.
Sly perked her ears and looked up into her mothers eyes, her own bright orange gaze showing confusion. "O-okay."
"Okay," Echo continued "Now, when me and your father leave, I need you to be very quiet and still. My child, do you understand?" She asked, her voice becoming more stern.
Sly looked utterly confused and she blinked. "Leave?" She squeaked "Aren't you going to stay with me?" She pleaded.
Echo, now becoming very emotional spoke again. "My dear Sly, we will always be with you, even if you can't see us." She said, a lone tear cascading down her furry cheek. She wrapped her whole body around her cub and pressed her muzzle into her fur lovingly, sharing the last moments.
Confused and scared, she aloud her mothers warm embrace and replied by pressing her whole face into her mothers warm fur.
Tears now flowing freely down her cheeks, Echo could now hear the sounds of the humans getting closer with their deadly dogs and spears. She pulled her daughter closer and whispered. "I love you,"
Garber narrowed his gaze against the snowy blizzard, and soon enough, he could see the humans bursting from the tree line from where the fossa family came from. He gasped, turned around swiftly and bounded down the snowy slope towards the bushes.
Garber then proceeded to slipped underneath the bushes and regroup with his mate and cub. The sight of them was so heartwarming, he was now going against his own plan, but it was for the best. They wouldn't leave.
He slunk over towards his mate and whispered ever so quietly into her ear. "There coming, we don't have much time."
Echo shot up and turned to face her mate, her eyes stained with tears. "Why?" was all she could say.
Garber shook his head, almost on the verge of tears. He leaned in close to Sly and nuzzled her until he had her attention.
"Sly, do you remember what your mother had said?" He asked gently
She nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks as well.
"Okay then, now a lessen from your pa," He said. He was always the jokester. "Okay, when you hear all the fussing and screaming go down and you know they've gone, go far away from here and find shelter, find a safe zone. You hear?"
Sly nodded once again, sniffling. Why?
Garber nodded approvingly, but the approaching threat was way to close for their likening, and getting even closer. Echo and Garber both leaned in and nuzzled their only child and said at the same time. "We love you, little one." And with that, Garber slipped out from the bush and waited patiently for Echo.
Echo sniffled and managed to put on a smile before she pushed herself off the ground and slipping out into the open. Her long tail caressing her daughters cheek before it to disappeared through the bushes.
Sly, now alone and frightened, whimpered pitifully. She could hear the humans and their blood thirsty dogs getting closer and closer. She crept forward and peered out from under the bush, watching.
She could see them approaching! Their deadly spears held high in the air, the dogs barking furiously along with that, the humans voices yelling and shouting commands.
The humans where now standing in the clearing, so close that she could make out every bit of them. Their leathery moccasins, and other leathery brown clothing.
Sly gasped as one of their dogs scuttled up to the bush she was in! It started sniffing around, then growled. The humans followed the dog and began to walk towards the bush as well…
Then a loud rustling noise sounded and Garber and Echo burst through the some other nearby bushes and sprinted as fast as possible through the snow, trudging a long deep trail through it. The humans quickly caught sight of them both trudging up the mountain slope towards the tree lines.
"Track them quickly!" One of them yelled, and the dogs where after them in a split second. The humans following quickly, their deadly spears held up in the air once again and chanting.
Sly whimpered again and slid back further into the bush, coming to an end at the base of it. She know knew what her parents where doing! They where leading the beasts away from her! She also knew where they were going. There was a big rock wall where they were running, there was no way out.
She closed her eyes and stuffed her face into her paws and waited for what was going to surely happen. Ears now perked, she could hear the far off chanting and barking of the dogs, and worst of all, her fathers roaring and snarling. The last thing she could hear was her mothers terrified yowls, then it became quiet.
She sniffled and gasped "No…." She shook her head and lifted her face up "No, no, no, no, no, no!" She wailed aloud, then buried her face in her paws once more. She slowly cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, sun filtered through the bush leaves and gently rested on her eyes. Sly blinked them open tiredly and looked around. She hoped that it was all a dream, that nothing ever happened. Not feeling the presence of her parents, she knew it wasn't a dream.
Go far away from here, find a safe zone…. Her fathers voice rung in her head as she slipped clumsily out from under the bush.
The storm blew over, and died by now. It was nice and warm, the sun shone brightly. Sly sighed, all her tears were cried out. She looked around absentmindedly, her eyes resting on a very tall, rocky peak up the mountain. She could just make out the pine tree's and a few scattered rocks here and there.
Well, that peak looks safe… She thought , her gaze hooked on the dangerous looking rocks, great place for a young fossa!
With a sigh, she began to slowly pace herself towards the peak, disappearing through the thick tree line. She could feel the presence of her parents on each side of her, guiding her all the way.
A/N: Goodness! Long chapter ;3 Well I just wanted to get the beginning out of the way, that's why its so long. ^^' A non OC will probably show up in the next chapter, it depends though. Anyway, hope you liked it!