Hey there, and welcome back to Animal Farm: The Novelization. Since I've been working on this story a lot before the Fanfic was posted, I might update a few times a day. But in the later chapters, I might have to slow down.

I don't think I have much more to say at the start of this chapter. So...here's the newest chapter. Hope you like it.

Uploading Date: October 22, 2021

Enjoy!


Chapter 4: Animal Farm

The next morning, the animals woke up on the dawn of a new day...at dawn, as they usually did. They remembered all that they had done the night before, and a shiver of excitement ran down their spines and made their hearts leap. It was still hard to believe that the farm was theirs now.

Altogether, the animals met up and headed down the road to the fields. When they reached the fields, they stood upon a hill where they could get a great view of most of the farm. They could also see forests, meadows, and hills in the distance, only imagining what was out in the world beyond the farm.

"Yes, comrades. Look upon this farm," said Snowball, a smile on his snout. "Everything the light touches on this farm is ours now."

With joyful quacking and honking, the ducks and geese flew to the pond and jumped in, paddling and cooling themselves in the water. Two of the cows joined them, as well as some of the pigs, as these animals splashed in the shallows and even rolled in the mud. The rest galloped around, and they jumped to the air in great leaps of excitement. They rolled around in the cool morning dew, and they gobbled down mouthfuls of the sweet summer grass. Some of them even kicked up clods of earth and breathed in the wonderful earthy scent.

Benjamin watched them with what appeared to be a small smile, as well as observing the scenery. Sam sat beside him, enjoying the sights and the fresh country air. "Does the air feel fresher to you?" he asked the old donkey.

"A little," replied Benjamin as he took in a deep breath. "It does feel nice on the mane and in the lungs, I have to admit. But I have a feeling," he added with some sorrow. "I have a feeling that this may not last forever."

"How can you guess?" asked Sam, tearing his gaze away from the others frolicking around.

"Donkeys live a long time, Sam," was all Benjamin said before taking in the scenery. Sam had to be satisfied with that answer.

After the romping, the animals decided to tour the whole farm and examined everything with awe: the plowland, the hayfield, the orchard, the drinking pool, the spinney. They hadn't seen these things often before they threw Jones out, and now they couldn't believe that it all belonged to them now.

The animals were done with their great tour and started to head back to the farm buildings. The first one they stopped at was the farmhouse where the humans had lived in. While the farmhouse was theirs too, they were afraid to go inside and see what it was like from within. They were too afraid to even go near the door, as the house had been a source of their miserable past.

"Comrades, I know that you're nervous about going into the farmhouse," said Snowball. "But Jones and his men have no power here anymore. Jones will not smite any animal like an angry god for setting hoof or paw in his house. Instead, he will drink in shame at the Red Lion."

"That's true enough!" Moses the raven suddenly flew down and landed on the windowsill. "I saw Jones at the Red Lion. He's drinking his life away!"

"Snowball and Moses are right," barked Sam, who was still not used to the word "comrade". "The farmhouse is ours now, right? We can go in there whenever we want."

"That's true," said Clover, adding in her two cents. "It would only be right to check it out."

With a kick to the door from Boxer, the farmhouse was opened to the animals. One by one, they entered the house and looked around at everything that the humans had left behind.

Snowball stayed outside to speak with Napoleon. "Lead them through the house, see what you can find," he was telling the big black boar. "I have something important to do that I wish to show everyone. May I borrow Sam for this?"

Napoleon replied with only a grunt before following everyone else inside. Before he went to leave with Snowball, Sam decided to check up on Jessie.

"Will you and Bluebell be okay?" he asked her just before she set paw into the farmhouse.

"We'll be fine, Sam," said Jessie, smiling to reassure her friend. "We can stick to the lower level of the house. You're almost as bad as Pinscher when it comes to worrying."

Sam gave her a smile in return before noticing that Snowball was trotting away. He yelped a "See you later" to Jessie and darted away, while Jessie headed inside the farmhouse with the others.

Inside the farmhouse, the animals walked together in a group, daring not to touch anything. Most were afraid to speak above a whisper, gazing around at the luxury of their former masters. From mirrors to the Brussels carpet, they had afforded to buy plenty of things.

"Look at how the humans lived," Napoleon sneered in disgust. "They have steeped themselves in luxury while we animals lived in squalor. "

He was like that when they checked out the living room. As they looked over the furniture, Napoleon growled, "A horse-hair chair? They see fit for animals to die so that they can sit in comfort!"

And when they came to the bedroom with the feathery mattress and the pillows, Napoleon preached on, "And look at this bed, stuffed with feathers plucked from baby birds!"

He was just ranting on when he stumbled across something peculiar. There was a square that appeared to have little chickens inside. It would often jump to farm buildings and other animals.

"Squealer!" Napoleon called to his companion, and the Tamworth porker darted over. "What is that square thing?"

"Oh, that? It's a box," answered Squealer. "This is one of the boxes where humans watch humans. I think it's called a TV."

The two pigs watched as several sheep paused to stare at the glass screen, eyes briefly going blank. Napoleon nodded with a smirk and turned to Squealer, who smirked back. "Keeps them quiet," he remarked quietly. "This box could come in handy."

When they had reached the other animals, they had just entered where animals were butchered. The butchered bodies of animals hung in the air from hooks. A pig's fresh carcass was laid upon the table, and the bodies of chickens, ducks, geese and even rabbits hung in the air. All of the living animals were horrified and saddened at what they had just witnessed. Some of them were even animals that they knew: an old rooster who had lived a very long life, a lamb that Mollie had befriended, and a sow that Snowball and Napoleon knew when they were piglets.

"We must bury them all," murmured Boxer, breaking the silence.

"Indeed, we must," agreed Napoleon. Squealer bumped against him in fright, which made the bigger pig whirl around at him. "For heavens' sake, Squealer. They're dead animals! They can't jump at you."

So the fowl took down the bodies from the hooks, and the dogs dragged them outside. The rest of the animals would make sure that their butchered comrades were buried in the orchard with honor; it was even declared that all animals would be buried at the orchard when they died, alongside Old Major.

It was found that Mollie was not with the other animals; they hadn't seen her since they all went into the house together. A pig had led a party consisting of Boxer, Clover, and Jessie to find her. Soon, they found the white mare in the master bedroom, adorning a blue ribbon from Mrs. Jones's dressing table against her shoulder. She was standing in front of a mirror, admiring herself.

"Mollie!" the pig scolded, making Mollie jump and drop the ribbon. "Have you learned nothing from Old Major? You should know better than to decorate yourself with ribbons. They are a mark of slavery to humans."

Mollie dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how it looked on me, just for a moment."

Clover stepped forward and nudged Mollie with her nose. "Mollie, you must remember. You do not need ribbons. You don't need to look pretty for the humans anymore."

"But I like the ribbons," protested Mollie. "I'm sorry, but I've always liked looking pretty for humans."

"It's all right," said Boxer, nudging Mollie this time. "We must get back to the others."

"You are forgiven this time," said the pig with a sniff. "But next time, think before you put on those ribbons. If you do that again, I fear Comrades Snowball and Napoleon might not be as forgiving. We'll burn them once we're out of this farmhouse."

Jessie saw Mollie nodding, but she could tell that she did not agree with what Clover and the pig had said. She did feel like she had the right to wear her ribbons whenever she pleased. But helping these animals was more important, so Mollie would need to put her love of ribbons to the side for now.

Once the door was closed, Napoleon turned to the animals. "Comrades," he announced, "I propose that we keep the farmhouse. Not to enter it, but to be used as a museum. No animal should live in the farmhouse. All those in favor?"

Everyone agreed that the farmhouse should remain untouched. No animal was to even think of living in there.

As they were stepping away from the farmhouse, they noticed Sam darting down the path until he was before them. He was panting, but he had enough time to bark something.

"Everyone!" he barked. "Snowball wants to see you all. Follow me!"

They rushed behind Sam, while those who were to bury the butchered animals went to the orchard to bury them there. But no one noticed Napoleon giving them an ugly glare behind their backs.

They had left the farmyard and were trodding down the road when they noticed Snowball. He was standing on top of a ladder, finishing fiddling around with the sign. When he noticed them, he smiled and dropped a white brush he had in his trotter. "Come one, come all!" he called. "Come look at what I have made!"

The animals rushed over and looked up to where Snowball was looking. Above their heads, the words on the top bar of the gate - MANOR FARM - were painted out, replaced by two new words: ANIMAL FARM. There were but a few mistakes: the two biggest being that the L was backward, and the R was tilting to the side. Other than that, it was still neatly written, and the spelling was good.

"Take a look up there, comrades," said Snowball as he climbed down the ladder. "Come take a look and see our new life written up there."

"What does it say?" asked Clover, for she could not read.

"Does it say 'Ass Farm'?" added Boxer.

Snowball chuckled. "No, Boxer. It says 'Animal Farm,'" he explained with pride. "That will be its name from now on, as the farm now belongs to animals."

"Animal Farm," Sam repeated, wagging his tail a bit.

"Animal Farm," Jessie echoed, sharing a look with Sam.

"If you can write, then you must be able to read as well!" exclaimed Clover.

Snowball nodded. "Indeed. Ever since Old Major had delivered his speech, we pigs have taught ourselves to read and write in secret, for three months now. It's still new to us, but we're willing to try. We intend to teach you all how to read and write as well."

Suddenly, Jessie let out a half-yelp and half-bark as she doubled over. Immediately, Sam was at her side, licking her ears to comfort her.

"Jessie?" asked Boxer, concerned. "What's wrong? Are you dying?"

"No, I'm not dying," panted Jessie with a pained smile. "It's just...the puppies..."

"Puppies?" asked Boxer.

That was when Sam wagged his tail. How could he have forgotten all the times that he and his fellow dogs had hung out together? "Jessie's gone into labor," he announced. "She's having her puppies!"

"She's not the only one." Bluebell also looked like she was in pain. "I'm not that far behind her."

Boxer stamped his hoof in worry. "I had forgotten about that. What do we do?"

"We need to take them back to the barn so they can have their puppies," barked Sam.

"Steady now," said Snowball, who was trotting over. "Oh, this is good news! This will be the first generation born on Animal Farm." He cleared his throat and gave out the instructions: "Boxer and Clover, you can escort them to the barn where they will give birth in peace. Sam, you go with them and make the straw comfortable for them. Jessie and Bluebell, you are excused from today's meeting."

Boxer nodded and stood on one side of the two females, and Clover took the other side. Sam darted ahead, heading towards the barn to prepare for their whelping.

"Comrades," announced Snowball once the five animals were gone, "Old Major had bestowed wise and important words to us all before his death. Now we have made those words a reality. They will be known as the Seven Commandments of Animalism. They are written on the wall of the barn."

He led them back to the farm buildings and the barn as their destination. Once there, Snowball directed their attention to the barn wall, where the rules were painted with white paint. There were a few mistakes: "friend" was spelled f-r-e-i-n-d, one of the S's was painted backward, but other than that, it was painted well. Snowball gestured towards the barn wall again before reading over what he had painted.

"One: Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

"Two: Whatever goes upon four legs or has wings is a friend."

This immediately caused a ruckus among the fowl of the farm, who clucked with confusion and even annoyance. "We're walking on two legs," a rooster protested. "Does that make us enemies?"

"Of course not," Squealer piped up, and he sat up straight to wave his front legs like they were wings. "Wings count as legs!"

"Comrade Squealer is right," added Snowball. "Birds don't use hands, which humans use to make their mischief. Wings simply propel a bird through the sky or put on a short burst of speed. Therefore, wings should be considered as legs. That is why I said 'Whatever goes upon four legs or has wings is a friend'. Do you understand a bit more now, comrades?"

The birds still didn't get it all, but they seemed to understand. They agreed that yes, wings did indeed count as legs. Satisfied that they were getting it, Snowball continued explaining the rules.

"Three: No animal shall wear clothes.

"Four: No animal shall sleep in a bed.

"Five: No animal shall drink alcohol.

"Six: No animal shall kill any other animal.

"Seven: All animals are equal."

There came a round of applause from the animals, who were in full agreement with these laws. But it appeared that the only one who didn't seem to join in was Napoleon, though he seemed to be nodding quietly.

"Comrades, Old Major may be dead," Snowball continued. "But we must hold to the ways of Animalism in his honor. As long as we do so, he shall be with us in our hearts for always. Now, comrades, it's time to get to the hayfield for the harvest. We'll complete it much better and quicker than Jones and his men could ever do."

All of a sudden, the cows were letting out loud mooing. Every animal turned their attention to the three cows, who had looked quietly uncomfortable despite having won their newfound freedom.

"What's wrong, dears?" asked the only bull on the farm. "Are you hurt?"

"Our udders are aching," cried one of the cows, a brown female. "We need milking!"

"We haven't been milked in a while," added a black-and-white female.

Fortunately, the pigs had come to the rescue. Their trotters were useful for the task, and they wasted no time in bringing over the buckets. It did take them a few tries to learn to milk the cows, with some going "Whoops!" to "Good Lord!" But the cows were finally milked in only a few minutes, and buckets of creamy milk were brought forward.

"Ah...that hit the spot," sighed the brown cow in relief.

"That's a load off my udders," added a reddish-and-white cow.

The animals gathered around the milk buckets, staring at the milk with bright eyes. "What's going to happen to all that milk?" asked Mollie.

"Jones used to mix some of it into our mash sometimes," added one of the hens, eying it with interest.

Muriel the goat nodded. "Same here, back when I lived at Pinchfield. What will we do with it?"

"The milk will be attended to, comrades," Napoleon cried out, placing himself between the buckets and the animals. "You needn't worry about it. Right now, we need to focus on the harvest. Comrade Snowball will lead the way, and I'll follow in a few minutes. Now forward, comrades! The hay is waiting for us."

The animals knew that Napoleon was right. So they started to set off towards the hayfield and start their first-ever harvest with animals working the farm.

But nobody noticed Napoleon eying the milk with a gleam in his eyes. He trotted to the milk buckets and helped himself to one of them. Squealer tried to join his friend in slurping it down, only for Napoleon to give him a sharp grunt, so he had to make do with the other bucket. When they were finished, they had emptied the milk buckets as quickly as they had been filled.

"We're going to need the dogs' help with Snowball," he whispered to Squealer before they began to head to the hayfield. "What he proposes may pose a problem to us."

To be continued...