Chapter 4:
I woke up the next morning? Having never seen day or night, I was told by mom that this was morning. I heard strange noises, and had strange smells coming to my nose, which was twitching furiously. We walked most of the first day, through the forest. Occasionally I would grab some greenery and try to eat it, but mom stopped me most of the time. By late afternoon I was tired of walking. Mom carried me most of the day, but made me walk, in the afternoon." Build up some stamina she said." I was about to fall down and sleep where I stood, but mom found us a long-abandoned shack for the night. She dug bugs out of the wood, ugh horrible sound when she crunched them. And I ate some mushrooms she found by the cabin. When the sun went down, the light disappeared, but I found I could see just as well in the dark, albeit there was no color it was just black and white. Mom went into a c shape putting me in the middle, and then wrapping her soft and fluffy tail around the front. I felt warm for the first time all day. I talked to my sibling just before I nodded off, told them about my day, and they told be about how angry the institute was at mom for leaving with me. Susan missed me as well as I missed her. There was now a guard in the room with them at a times, it made them all nervous. They wished me well on this new adventure, and would be following me as best they could. I fell asleep with their well wishes in my head.
We woke on the second day, ate some more, and moved on into the forest. I told mom what my siblings said, she laughed at what I said, but when I didn't change what I said she began to believe me. Susan asked if they could tell DeDe what was happening, I said sure as we all trusted DeDe. Today was also a repeat of yesterday, mom carried me most of the morning, but I still had to walk in the afternoon. She found me some late berries, and other greens to eat. Mom found some bugs under a log. Later when we stopped, I was so sore and tired, I was ready to fall over. Mom found a little pond fed by an underground stream. Let me tell you I don't like cold water washes. I was shivering and shaking so bad my teeth were clacking together. But mom wrapped me up again. When I was warm again, I talked to my siblings. DeDe had told them they were looking for us down the highways, and to stay off them. I told them to tell DeDe we were traveling through a forest. When I told mom, she barked a laugh and said good on them. Let them chase their own tails. I told Susan I missed her, she told me that she missed me. I could feel the love? through our connection. The snorts of derision from every one else just made me laugh. I then drifted off to sleep.
This went on for about a week, and I learned not to fear the forest. It was kind of peaceful in a way. I ate all kinds of greenery, some I liked some I didn't. I was getting stronger too, I now walked most of the day along side mom. We didn't appear to be in a hurry to get any where, we just moved at my pace. Finally, the forest came to an end, and we looked out on rolling hills and grasses.
It's called a meadow, mom said. Mom got very nervous at this point, saying we could be seen. Were we hiding? I asked. Yes, she told me we were hiding from the institute, she warned me to do everything she said without fail. If she told me to be quiet, I was to be quiet. If she told me to run, I was to run and not look back. If she told me to hide, I was to hide, and not come out until it was safe to do so. I agreed to do this, as I felt safe with her. And following theses rules made me feel safe. The meadow was like a smorgasbord to me. Different flowers and grass to eat, and I tried them all. Most of the day as we walked, I was stuffing myself with new and different flowers and plants. Mom just smiled at me and let me eat. Mom found a little hollow by a stream for us to sleep in for the night. I felt full, and was ready for sleep. But I talked to my siblings, it was a little harder to do so. They passed on all the information they were taught, and I passed on what my day was like. Some felt envious at what I was doing, but no one wanted to trade places with me. They then told me the institute had deduced that we had gone in to the forest, and were beating the forest trying to find our hide out. I told mom this, and she got worried, not good was all she said. Pictures may have been harder, but emotions were just as strong. We said our nightly goodbye and we wished each other well. Just before I fell asleep.
Next day as we topped a hill, I could see strange buildings? In the distance. Mom said yes, they were buildings, and that was where we were headed. We walked most of the day, and the building grew larger as we got closer. She said we should be in them tomorrow. All this time in the meadow mom had nothing to eat, as there were few bugs around for her. I felt a little guilty eating my fill, but she said it was ok, she would get a good meal when we got to the city. She found another hollow for us to sleep in for the night. The communications tonight was a little harder than yesterday but not much. They told me that they were still looking in the forest for us, but were beginning to believe we were not there. All mom said when I told her was, damn, Not good. First time I heard her swear. Our nightly well wishes done, I was feeling a little lonely, when I felt an emotional hug from Susan. This was new and different, and I returned it as best I could. As I fell asleep, I wondered what the new day would bring.
We entered the city late in the afternoon, it was so strange and scary for me, new sounds and smell. Mom tried to get me to stop twitching my nose as foxes couldn't do this. Mom found an ATM? Put a plastic card in, and received some paper, out of it. She told me, this paper was money, and with money she could get us some food. We went to a fast food place, Bugga-burger it was called, sill didn't want to eat bugs. She laughed when I told her, and was told that they had vegetarian dishes as well. I had leafy greens with a ranch style dressing, and mom had (what else) a Bugga-burger and fries. I tried one of her fries, and wanted the whole box. She laughed, got up and got me an order of my own. I ate my fill, and found myself nodding off at the table. She then found a cheap hotel where we would spend the night.
Sir, we have them. She used her bank card about an hour go, West side of Zootopia.
Right, I want a recovery team there in the hour. Do we take her out? No, just bring the hybrid back, Stan. Are you sure? FOR THE LAST TIME, NO KILLING. Just get the dam hybrid, and bring him back, let her go. (from files found at the institute.)
Something woke me up in the middle of the night. I shook mom awake, and told her I had a bad felling. She grabbed me and the doll, and we went out the window and down the fire escape. When she hit the ground, she started to run. I could hear paw falls behind us, when mom looked behind, there were two mammals chasing us. She ran down the alley and across the street to the other alley. The mammals behind us were faster. As we got to a dark spot mom told me to hide, as she threw me under a dumpster. She got another 20 feet when they caught her. As they tackled her to the ground, her head came down on a corner of another dumpster, not seeing the fact she had hit her head, they started shouting at her, asking where I was. At this point red and blue lights came into the alley. The mammals saw the lights and started to run down the alley. When they were gone, I could feel that the coast was clear. Using the dumpsters as cover, I made my way to mom. Mom was goanna leave me; I could feel this. I crawled into her lap, and begged her not to go, but I saw the life force slowly ebbing out of her body. When she was gone, I Screamed my hurt and pain to the world, over and over again.