Written by Nyxy Maskalina Raccoon with a bit of inspiration from my favourite songs, movies and the internet.
I do not own anything in this story except my OCs and the basic plot line. Everything else belongs to DreamWorks. I do not. I am not that awesome. Not even close.
Story Info: Brand New Eyes takes place about four or five weeks after the movie, in early summer. Humans have returned to develop the remaining forest, forcing the animals to abandon it and find a new location. According to an old map, there's a campground on the other side of the city. With few better options, they set out in search of it. Soon they discover the city, as well as a few of its less well-kept secrets. Between humans, feral dogs and highways it seems someone might die... For real. Rated T for violence and dark themes, though I think younger people can read it with no problems.
Author's Note: After almost five months, I've decided to rewrite the majority of this fanfic. It's not up to my perfectionist standards (and probably never will be), but I've improved a lot since NaNoWriMo and figured, hey, why not? The storyline is the same, just written a bit differently. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed and supported this thing! Y'all rock, and I'm proud to call many of you my friends! Here's the first rewritten chapter, enjoy!
Fun Fact: This fanfiction originated as a bedtime story I told the three little girls I was babysitting. I only wrote it down so they could read it whenever they wanted. Boy has it grown!
This message means there's still a lot of work to be done, so bear with me, haha. Feel free to read it now, but you'll also wanna check out the improved chapters once they're up. ~Nyxy M. Raccoon~
Let Go. (Chapter 1)
Heather
Roaring echoed in my ears, and I wasn't sure if it came from the machinery or my pounding heart. I dodged falling branches, leaves scattering everywhere as they hit the ground and broke apart. A chainsaw ripped through the log, and you might as well have stuck it in my heart as it destroyed our family home.
Sawdust was spraying everywhere and I closed my eyes to avoid getting blinded by it. Panic filled my chest as I ran with my hand clutched over my face, desperately hoping to catch sight of something familiar. Anything.
An engine rumbled behind me, gasoline fumes and smoke filling the air. I coughed a little and bumped into a construction boot-clad foot. Jumping back, my surprise was mirrored by the human's shocked expression. I darted away as fast as I could, the hedge blurring in and out of focus as I scrambled desperately for cover.
I never reached it. A tree fell across my path, birds taking off in all directions. I could have climbed it of course, but at that moment I was too panicked to think straight. Turning around, I spotted an acorn lying in the long grass. Probably one of Hammy's. Thinking quickly, I grabbed it along with a few pieces of grass that fell out of my hand as I dashed to safety.
I finally escaped to the familiar wall of green, ducking inside and bending over as I tried to catch my breath. Light filtered through the leaves above, the stillness almost mesmerizing. Snapping out of my daze, I peeked beyond the safety of the branches, watching as men in orange vests ripped apart the only place I ever remembered calling home. Call me sentimental, but it hurt. Like, a lot.
I felt tears stinging at my eyes, but defiantly I blinked them away and focused on the scene ahead. The pond had been filled with piles of and dirt, uprooted plants thrown everywhere. Two rusted yellow machines crept through the mess, ripping up the bright green ground and replacing it with muddy trails.
Amidst the chaos I caught sight of an enraged skunk being held back by a chubby cat. There was no mistaking who they were. Stella was yelling out insults faster than the machine could cut trees and I applauded her. Tiger tried to get her to leave, but I could tell he was enjoying it almost as much as she was. I was about to join her and scream a few of my own, but regretfully I never got the chance.
In the middle of the digging zone was my dad, frozen stiff and wearing that all-too-familiar blank, slightly shocked expression. Great.
"Don't!" I yelled, but my voice was lost amongst the rumbling and shouting.
I hoped that he'd heard me, but it sure didn't seem that way. His expressionless eyes were wide open as he leaned backwards. I would have facepalmed had it not been so dangerous out there. Instinct took over as I raced towards him, nearly being trampled twice in the process. I kept shouting at him as I got closer, but he didn't notice.
For a second I thought he was ignoring me, but then I looked up. About ten feet behind him was a huge, rumbling machine, smoke pouring from dented tubes in its roof. There was no way the human driving it was gonna stop that thing.
For a moment I wondered why this was happening, but the answer was obvious. Enough is never enough. I guess I should've known.
Taking a deep breath, I jumped in front of the rusted machine, feeling the soft spray of dirt it kicked up as everything blurred into slow motion. I grabbed my dad's hand, pulling him away from the metal monster that was no more than a few feet away. The ground seemed to shake as I dragged him behind a freshly-cut tree stump.
"Watch out for the rats!" A human bellowed, pointing to where we'd been just seconds ago. My breath caught in my throat as the machine tore through all of it, leaving a deep gash in the earth. That had been beyond a close call.
On the bright side, my dad seemed to have snapped out of the half-fossilized state he'd been in earlier.
"Oh Heather, I'm sorry. It was all so fast, that metallic behemoth destroying everything in its path... I couldn't help but freeze."
I smiled, a tiny bit sarcastic.
"Yeah, okay Dad. Let's just get out of here."
He nodded and we snuck through the scattered debris to the hedge, this time avoiding the condescending stares and comments. I still had the acorn in my hand, which made climbing a little hard, but whatever. It wasn't exactly difficult in the first place. That was one advantage of being a possum!
It didn't take us too long to find the others in various states of panic. Standing on the too-green grass of the suburbs, I took it all in. The glare of the sun on the pure black pavement, perfectly arranged tropical flowers and two kids splashing in a tiny plastic pool. A warm breeze blew through my fur as butterflies floated past effortlessly. It was definitely summer now. Too bad we couldn't enjoy it.
"Where were you? We looked everywhere... I thought you were dead."
I whirled around, coming face to face with Verne. He looked relieved, and I could understand that. We'd lost enough today.
"I'm alive, not sure about Dad though," I said jokingly.
"We got caught in all the stuff going on back there and it, like, took us a while to get out. We're fine, trust me. Everyone else here?"
He looked around quickly, counting up the rest of the family. I couldn't see everyone, but I guessed they were okay since no one looked completely devastated.
"I think so, but we can't be too safe."
The turtle wandered away, mumbling the names of the animals he could see. Penny and Lou were busy comforting their kids, who had been pretty freaked out by the whole thing. They had called the rusty machines ultra-cool, though. I rolled my eyes, remembering how they insisted someone took a picture of the bigger one.
Stella had threatened to "stink 'em 'til the sun don't shine", but luckily Verne had convinced her that that probably wasn't the best idea. The last thing we needed was a repeat of the human drama. Instead she was with a very puffed up and moody Tiger, who had apparently fallen in the pond while running away. It's really true, cats absolutely hate water.
I was about to ask someone what exactly we were doing gathered in the middle of someone's lawn when I was nearly knocked over by a very enthusiastic Hammy. He hugged me so tight I thought my eyes might pop out, but it made me happy anyway.
"Hey, I missed you too. I brought this for you," I said, tapping on the acorn and trying to breathe properly.
He pulled away just as fast, studying what I had in my hand. I smiled brightly as his eyes widened at the sight of the beloved nut.
"Oh! Thank you!" He chirped before speeding off again, grass blowing behind him. A few minutes later I saw him burying the thing. Well, that had been a bit of a waste. I shrugged. Whatever.
I was getting bored standing around, the sound of cicadas mixing with cars and construction equipment. Looking around the wide-open lawn, I spotted Stella, Tiger and Penny discussing something. Figuring one of them might know what was going on, I hurried along the hedge line towards them.
"So, anyone know what's gonna happen?" I asked, noticing the others looked just as confused as me.
Penny shook her head, looking to Stella for an answer.
"Not a clue. Maybe ask Verne," she said, returning her attention to Tiger. That was so not helpful.
Kicking a pebble across the asphalt, I realized the roads were all blocked off by orange and white fences. Probably something to do with the construction. At least it kept most of the humans away.
From what I could see, it wasn't even noon yet. Bored, I sat down on the curb and watched the fat white clouds get bigger and fluffier by the minute. Occasionally one would cover the sun, casting shadows across shiny cars and empty backyards. They changed shape and broke apart, joining up with others and drifting away. Eventually they vanished behind the suburban skyline of matching houses and trees, leaving only faint wisps until new ones appeared to take their places. Things sure changed fast.
I heard a car door slam and turned my head to see what was going on. It seemed to have come from one of the worker's oversized white trucks, but thankfully there wasn't a human in sight. The only one near the truck was Verne, and unless he'd thrown a rock at it or something, it couldn't have been him. Remembering what Stella had said, I trudged over, more than a little confused.
"Stella told me to ask you what's going on. Are we gonna do something, or..." I trailed off, not really sure what to say next.
"Yeah, I'm working on it. We're just waiting on him." He gestured, somewhat annoyed, in the direction of the truck. Inside the tinted window, I could just make out a ringed tail and the occasional random object being thrown around.
After another minute or so, the door popped open again. RJ climbed out, dropping what looked like a month's supply of food in the new, slightly smaller wagon. From the looks of it, we wouldn't have to worry about going hungry for a while.
"Was that really necessary?" Verne asked, looking at the heap of brightly-colored boxes and packages piled well above the top of the metal walls. It looked like it would be nearly impossible to budge, let alone drag for hours at a time.
"Can't go on a mission without supplies," he said, "and besides, I found this." Reaching in his bag, he pulled out a thin piece of paper printed with lines and tiny words. It flapped gently in the breeze, revealing a few large splotches of red and green.
Verne looked skeptical. "And what exactly is that?"
"Our ticket to a new home. Check it out!"
Carefully unfolding the delicate material, he spread it across the grass, revealing a web of intertwining lines and strange names. I stepped closer, trying to figure out what we were supposed to do with it. I was sure I'd seen then before, but I couldn't remember where.
"It's a map of the area. We're right around here," he pointed to the edge of the largest color patch, "gimme a second and I'll figure out our options."
It took longer than a second, but at last he grinned and held up the paper.
"Got it!"
By now the rest of the family had gathered around, most of them peering curiously at the map. Spike reached up to touch it, but Penny pulled him back.
"Got what?" Lou asked, confused.
"The perfect destination for us! This little beauty right here is a campground. Not only is it the safest place imaginable, the humans are pretty much encouraged to feed us! They can't cut it down, either. What more could you ask for?"
I had to admit, it did sound pretty promising. Our campground appeared to be a small green blob an inch away from the massive 'Westfield City' which it was connected to by a thick red line.
"And where exactly is this campground?" Verne asked, frowning as he stared at the somewhat faded paper.
RJ smiled awkwardly. "On the other side of the city-"
The turtle's eyes widened, his expression reminding me of an internet meme.
"What?"
"The other side of the city. It's not as bad as it sounds, I swear. We'll make it to the outskirts by evening if we leave now."
Verne stared critically at the raccoon. "And after we get there?"
"It'll take us about five days to reach. I've been there before. Not the campground, but the city. A few areas are really worn out, but trust me, it's not as bad as it looks. Some parts are even fun."
Verne sighed in frustration. "If this is the city you're talking about, it's more than five days away." He tapped on the pale red patch labeled Westfield, the map crinkling slightly.
RJ looked a bit surprised, but didn't falter.
"Ok, maybe a week at the most. I promise, that's the longest it'll take."
I nodded in agreement, as did everyone else. The whole thing was crazy, but it sure beat staying here and watching our home get ripped apart and made into another housing development.
Verne studied the map again as though he was hoping for some sort of secret answer. "I don't think it's the best idea, but what choice do we have? Get your stuff, I want to be at the city's edge by sunset."
Since I had nothing that wasn't already in the wagon, I watched kids fighting over a plastic dinosaur in an inflatable pool while I waited. They splashed water everywhere, half-draining it every time one pushed the other out. It was hot for this early and I wished our pond wasn't gone so I could go for a swim myself. I could hear a lawn mower in the distance, the smell of fresh-cut grass mixing with chlorine and sunscreen. Spring was over already.
I laughed as one of the kids flung the dino behind their shed, the other jumping out with a loud splash and nearly tipping the entire pool. In the driveway someone had written 'LOL' on a dusty minivan window, and a slightly faded gnome stood watch over the dried-out garden. In a weird way, I'd miss this place.
The remaining belongings were shoved into the already overfull wagon, and a few final pictures were taken with the cell phone and camera. In what felt like no time at all, we started off on our long journey. The kids ran ahead with Hammy, while Tiger fell behind and complained about how hot the sidewalk was on his delicate paws.
My dad was his usual dramatic self, and we talked about all sorts of different things, from my first words to playing possum. Despite the fact we'd just lost our home, laugher could be heard from all around and no one shed another tear. We were all being brave, a family doing our best to enjoy the first real summer day of the year together.
Behind us RJ was pulling the wagon, which was only fair considering he was the reason it weighed a ton in the first place.
"Wonder what happened to her" he said to no one in particular, "bet she hasn't changed a bit."
He smiled almost wistfully as he said it, and I couldn't help but wonder who he was talking about. Maybe she could help. Knowing a local had to be a good thing, right?
In no time at all we reached a busier area, talking in hushed voices as we hugged walls and snuck through gardens. Most of the suburbs seemed identical, but after a while I started to notice the differences. Bubbling fountains filled with icy water, porch swings that creaked in the wind, a house covered in cat climbers. We had to practically drag Tiger away from that one.
Occasionally I felt a little sad, but I didn't focus on it. The sun crept lower as we continued following our path, cicadas turning to crickets and airplane trails streaking the sky. Both of us were on adventures, going places we'd never seen before. In a way, it was almost exciting. There's a part in everyone's life where you just have to let go.
Author's Note: Updated to say that Chapter Two has been cleaned up. Check that chapter for info on more rewriting stuff. Thanks for reading, I love y'all! Remember to fave, follow and review if you enjoy! :) Nyxy