Alright so this story is full of different pairings and none are yet decided. Please enjoy and review. Warning song used for chapter may be found offensive by some viewers. This chapter also includes my theory of the Tree friends' regeneration.
CHASING MY TAIL
BY THE YOUNG AND FREE DRAGON
Der Wahnsinn
ist nur eine schmale Brücke
die Ufer sind Vernunft und Trieb
ich steig dir nach
(Insanity
is only a narrow bridge
the banks are reason and desire
I'm after you)
-Du Riechst So Gut by Rammstein
PROLOGUE: LONG FORM
Entre tus piernas voy a llorar
Feliz y triste voy a estar
Feliz y triste voy a estar
(Between your legs I'm going to cry
I'm going to be happy and sad
I'm going to be happy and sad)
-To Quiero Puta! by Rammstein
Flaky awoke slowly, her head feeling warm. A lot of times she got this feeling when she was regenerating. Waking up right during the last stretch of regeneration was often disturbing. She could do almost anything. She could chop off any part of her body, fatal or not, and it would grow back. It was strange, and some of the other tree friends used it to their stupid advantage. This was how the gang had come back to life on Halloween. Somehow, they had managed to wake up during regeneration, not just the last bit, but the entire thing. Their wounds had stayed, but they were alive, and basically couldn't be killed.
She was in her bed thankfully. Waking up during regeneration, had she been buried would have been terrifying. Regeneration began with the rapid decomposing of the body, and half way through, a new body began to form. The new body often formed in the owner's house, in random places. This fact had never been explained. Sniffles had managed to figure out the other parts, but that still confused him.
Flaky sat up and drew her legs over the side of the bed. They were shaky, and the warmth in her head gave her the impression she might pass out. But she got out of bed anyway, stumbling into the living room and sitting down on the couch. Now came the part she hated. The memories. They would always return last, and she could remember her last seconds of life. But her mind was blank. Only the warmth in her head answered her thoughts. But one memory did return. The realization. The realization of her diverse love. She cringed as she sat on the couch, and felt tears of fear stinging her eyes. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Happy Tree Town had everything decided. Giggles and Cuddles, Flippy and Flaky, Petunia and Toothy. But the fact of the matter was that it was not decided. Flaky found herself in love with more than just Flippy. Cuddles, maybe Toothy, and worst of all, Petunia.
She shuddered, lying down on her side. The fact of her town's strict rules against such things scared her more than anything. Well of course the town was alright with any kind of pairing, perhaps even homosexual, but that was not the problem. It was that everyone expected her to be with Flippy. If anything, she wanted the right to decide to choose Flippy or Cuddles. Of course, she wasn't sure if Cuddles was as high up as Flippy, but he had begun to score points over the past year or so. And Petunia had been nice to Flaky ever since she had arrived, which had slowly built a temple to her. But of course, she couldn't just come out and say that she might be bisexual.
For one thing, she'd be frightened of what everyone would think, and for another, everyone thought she was straight. If anything, they would expect you to come out and say it when you arrived. But, she hoped she was not bisexual. It was just a small feeling in her gut right? Something that would disappear over time.
And other issues arose as well. If she decided she was in love with Cuddles, that would be a problem. Giggles was a very good friend, but Flaky suspected that she would turn into a pink bitch, if the prospect of losing Cuddles was revealed. And of course, Flaky didn't want to take Cuddles away… but then again she doubted she could. She was always down on her looks, and that's all anyone cared about anymore… mostly anyway. Cuddles and Flippy both seemed to like her for her personality, but she didn't see how either could bare to be with her, if they had to look at her body everyday…
But Flippy had been basically paired with her. Whatever mistake, it was his fault. But that never felt right. She sighed and pulled a blanket over her body, even though she was not cold. She was actually very hot, but she liked blankets. When dealing with anxiety as strong as she had it, blankets were a source of comfort. They covered you in warmth, and didn't go away. They had no mind so they would not walk away simply because of your looks. They would not leave you alone.
To Flaky, everything was alive, because she didn't want to be alone. This fear spawned an imagination so great that she knew it was silly, but couldn't help it. And so, she liked to think that her posters could hear her as she sang to herself. She was all alone and this was the only way she could feel any sort of embrace. But it was never enough.
There was a knock at her door. She jumped, but quickly regained her breath. She was used to this kind of a scare. She stood up slowly and went over to the door. She kept a knife on the drawer next to the door just in case… She opened it and looked out.
"Hello?" She called.
It was a cold, foggy morning. Nothing could be seen past her mailbox, and no person was in sight. Something caught her eye, and she looked down to see a package there on the doorstep. She picked it up and closed the door.
"Lumpy must've been in a hurry." She murmured to herself.
She suddenly wondered why the puppy that lived around her house had not gotten after Lumpy. The small brown dog of some unknown species (to her) usually chased anyone who came near the house. It loved Flaky though, and seemed rather fond of Cuddles. It was afraid of Flippy (she could understand that). She sat the box down on the table and used one of her longer quills to slice the tape that held the tabs closed. This was difficult to do, but it was faster than anything else. She opened the box slowly.
Seeing one of her own quills detached was not a horrifying sight. It happened often. But she screamed when she looked inside. Her question had been answered. Inside the box was the small pup, horribly mangled. Its eyes were gone, leaving empty sockets staring up at her. Its claws had been torn out and stuck into its back in a pattern around one of her quills, which was stabbed into the pup's flesh and was sticking out of its chest. The body looked dry of blood. She continued screaming, knocking it off the table. The box collapsed, covering the dog, but a small scrap of paper escaped and floated down in front of her. She huddled against the couch, covering everything but her eyes with the blanket. She stared in fear at the box for several long minutes before slowly inching toward the paper.
She snatched it up and retreated quickly back to the couch, as though the dog might come back to life and attack. But it did no such thing. She kept her eyes on the box for a few more minutes before retreating into her bedroom, locking the door, and cuddling into the bed with her stuffed bear. She then looked at the note.
Porcupine,
Look at my artwork and tell me what you see. Speak aloud, for I am everywhere and can hear you, even your hard panting breaths. I can feel your sweat running down your body, and I can touch your quills as they rise up in fear.
She shuddered and snuggled deeper into the covers.
This little token I have sent you is a reminder. Look at this in memory of me, and in memory of what you are. An ugly, filthy creature. Would anyone love this creature? Would anyone feel anything more for this pathetic thing besides pity? Remember that not even its own species would touch it in life, and think of what they see now.
She crumpled the letter and threw it in the trash. She quickly yanked the phone from the bedside table into the nest of covers she had made, and shakily tapped out Cuddles' number.
Anyway, leave a review for my inner Nutty, and let me know what you think.
