Toward Home

K.T.

Serena looked up at the bright, full moon casting its glow on a patch of grass. She sighed. Her cage seemed smaller than ever today. The iron bars looming over her, laughing at her, taunting her, closing in on her. She glanced at her best friend Spots, a leopard in the next pen. His sleeping form rose and fell, emitting a soft symphony of purrs. 

Serena hissed restlessly. Her eyes fell on a scintillating silver lock on the pen door. The lock swayed in the light breeze. She slithered to the lock, grass rustling in her wake, and picked at it with her tail. Clunk! The lock fell, and Serena slid out the door. She glided into the dark night, the lock gleaming in the moonlight behind her. 

Spots woke with a start. Something was wrong. He glanced at Serena’s sleeping spot. There was only a soft imprint of a snake's curled up body. He lept up, frantically searching for an escape route. He soon found what he wanted. The feeder had not closed his door properly and it now hung ajar in the moonlight. Spots crept out of the door and into the large world.

Leaves guided by a breeze spiraled down onto Sir Feather’s still body. He twitched in his sleep. The air was peaceful and silent. Then… Clang! An ear-splitting noise propelled Sir Feather up in a flurry of feathers. He glared around, but his anger turned to fear when he saw a pair of glowing eyes boring into him. Spots. The leopard. Is this it? Sir Feather thought. Has Spots finally decided to eat me? 

“Sir Feather! I really don’t want to ask favors from peacocks but you’re my only hope,” Spots cried in a rush. “Serena the snake, my best friend, escaped. You’ve got to help me!” 

Sir Feather sniffed. “How do I know that the moment I step out of this pen, I won’t be killed? I don’t want to be eaten and I certainly don’t want to get my feathers rumpled and wrinkled.” 

“Don’t you get it?” Spots growled. “Serena’s my best friend. I would refuse a thousand peacocks to get her back.” 

“Oh alright. I’ll help you,” Sir Feather grumbled. “But only because the berries they serve here are absolutely revolting.” Spots picked skillfully at the lock with his sharp claw, and with a creak, the door swung open. Sir Feather stared at the open door. Freedom at last.

“How are we going to find this snake?” Sir Feather grimaced as they passed the elephant cage. “That smell alone might wrinkle my beautiful feathers.”

“You mean Serena? Well, I just know we’ll find her. Serena and I have that friendship bond,” Spots bragged. “I have a feeling we’ll find her at the entrance.”

“How are you so sure?”

“I told you, friendship bond… or something.”

Sir Feather snorted, “More like or something.” They walked the last stretch in silence. Finally, they reached the menacing iron entrance gate and approached it cautiously. Sir Feather prodded the gate with one foot and it screeched open. As they crept along the dirt path, Sir Feather suddenly dove behind Spots. “Snake!” he screamed. Spots looked down at the small rattlesnake hissing up at him. 

“Serena! There you are!” Spots cried.

“How did you find her?” Sir Feather gasped for air.

“I told you,” Spots said smugly, “friendship bond.” 

Sir Feather sniffed and proceeded to dig at the dirt with his shiny talons

“Serena, what are you doing out here?” Spots asked in a fatherly tone. 

“I want to escape this smelly zoo and look for a better life in the wild,” Serena said. 

“Well, if you’re going, then I’m going too.” Spots said, “Sir Feather?”

Sir Feather yawned. “I have nothing better to do.” 

“Then we shall embark on an arduous journey to find freedom!” Serena held her head high. But after seeing the dubious expressions on Spots and Sir Feather’s faces, she blushed. “Maybe a little too much flowery language?”

As the three walked along the path leading to the parking lot, Spots suddenly stopped. 

“What now?” Sir Feather asked, annoyance laced in his tone. 

“Do you know where we’re going?” Spots asked. 

Serena looked surprised. “The Great Forest, of course!”

“And how… well, how do you get there?”

“Pssh, every animal knows how to get to the Great Forest,” Sir Feather scoffed. “You follow the North Star! Obviously.”

“Not every animal knows, Sir Feather,” Serena her eyes subtly shifting to Spots

“Yeah, not every animal knows, Sir Feather.” Spots echoed, glowering. “You know, if it weren’t for the fact that more animals work for our journey, I would eat you right here, right now.” 

“Oh yes… I am so scared to be killed by an animal who doesn’t even know how to get to the Great Forest.” Sir Feather retorted, his voice coming out in sharp squawks. In one fluid motion Sir Feather’s beautiful feathers rippled outward in a kaleidoscope of colors. Serena and Spots jumped back in alarm, their wide eyes fixed on the fan of feathers, swaying hypnotically in the light breeze.

“Let’s just stop bickering,” Serena said, stuttered. “We have to get as far away from the zoo as possible and arguing isn’t helping.” Spots shot one last bewildered look at Sir Feather, then trotted off to follow Serena.

“Idiot,” Sir Feather muttered. He unceremoniously shook his long plume back into place and hurried to catch up to his companions. 

The three different animals became closer after weeks of travel, laughing, talking, and sharing stories. As the days wore on with nothing but a scanty food supply and each other’s company, they realized how hard it was to live in the wild. But the animals persevered for a future of running through forests, free from metal bars. 

One day, while walking toward a small gathering of trees, Serena spotted a dark stain on the looming mountain.

“Guys look.” Serena jabbed her tail forward. 

Sir Feather gasped dramatically, “Could it be?” 

“I think we are close,” Serena whispered.

“Close to what? A forest?” Spots asked.

“Not just any forest, the Great Forest.” Sir Feather said, jumping with joy.

“Yes, yes, yes! We’re almost there!” Serena slithered in delighted circles. 

“We mustn't get our hopes up. There are still dangers to come,” Spots whispered.

“Oh, look at you, ruining our happy moment,” Sir Feather grumbled.

“But Spots is right. We shouldn’t celebrate yet.” Serena said as she began scrutinizing the small forest they had stumbled upon. The long shadows of the trees felt looming in the late afternoon. Spots and Sir Feather began squabbling behind her. 

“Spots please fetch us some food while Sir Feather and I guard” Serena demanded, her eyes flitting from tree to tree. 

“Yes, Your Highness,” Spots said, miffed at her bossy tone. 

As Spots stalked off, Serena and Sir Feather stood guard. Serena’s eyes were bright and alert. She scanned the shadowy forest, looking for signs of danger. Sir Feather, on the other hand, was polishing the dangerously sharp spurs on the underside of his feet. 

After a few moments, Serena spoke up, “I have an unsettling feeling. Do you feel it, Sir Feather?”

Sir Feather looked up from his polishing, “The only ‘feelings’ I have right now are tiredness and bore—AHHH!” Sir Feather screamed. He saw, in the shadow of the trees, two glinting red eyes. The eyes of a raccoon. Its teeth were bared, its legs bent, ready to spring. Then it leaped into the air, straight toward Sir Feather.

The raccoon soared, its razor-sharp claws outstretched. Sir Feather lifted his foot, trembling, to expose his gleaming spurs, a polished silver. He struck the raccoon. It fell to the ground, snarling, a deep, red gash in its arm, and its fur matted with blood. Serena frantically shook her rattle, trying to scare the raccoon away, but it was intent on catching its prey, Sir Feather. She shot toward the raccoon like a bullet and sank her long, venomous fangs into its leg. The raccoon howled but kept its focus on Sir Feather. Sir Feather slashed this way and that, but the raccoon was smart and avoided the dangerous spurs. Then, it took a well-aimed swipe at Sir Feather and he yelped. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth. 

“Do something,” Sir Feather cried.

“I can’t,” Serena wailed. “The poison takes hours to kill.” Serena bit the raccoon again but it didn’t seem to notice. Suddenly, Spots barreled out of the trees. With one swift bite of Spots’ jaws of death on the raccoon’s neck, it fell and lay limp on the ground.

Sir Feather stared at the raccoon’s dead body, his beak open wide and his heart beating fast. His eyes flicked from the raccoon to Spots, then back to the raccoon. Serena flopped onto the ground, exhausted. “That was horrible,” she said, trembling. Sir Feather nodded weakly and glanced at the wound on his shoulder. 

“If it cheers anyone up, I caught a goose and some nice berries,” Spots said apprehensively. 

Serena and Sir Feather gratefully accepted the food. The three ate in silence, terrified of their first near-death experience. Sir Feather was especially shaken. Spots tossed the raccoon into a muddy puddle and they settled down to sleep. However, Serena found that she could not sleep. After staring at the starry night sky with only her troubling thoughts, Serena slithered away to brood. Images of the fight flashed through Serena’s mind. She coiled and uncoiled restlessly. Their chances of getting to the Great Forest with everyone alive seemed bleak. It’s just another daydream. Not reality. Serena thought miserably. For the umpteenth time, Serena wished she had a comforting home to go to. A haven where someone would curl around her and say: “It’s going to be okay.” A mother and father to love, praise, and comfort her. With the only worries being whether or not she could catch a rabbit as fast as her mother did. But that’s why we’re going to the Great Forest, to look for a better life. Serena reassured herself. And with that thought, she drifted off to sleep.

After more days of endless walking, Sir Feather became terribly exhausted. His feet were sore and his mind was foggy. He hadn’t had a good meal in days. One hot afternoon, as the trio trudged through grass plains, Sir Feather flopped down, too tired to move. 

“Sir Feather! What’s wrong?!” Serena cried.

“I can’t walk one more step,” Sir Feather groaned. 

“Spots! Take him to a river, quick!” Serena ordered, worry etched in her big golden eyes. Spots carried Sir Feather to the bank of a stream. Sir Feather drank slowly.

“Sir Feather! Why did you flop down like that?! Are you hurt? Are you hungry? You almost worried me to death!” Serena cried when Sir Feather finished drinking.

“I’m just really tired. Serena, I know you’d love to go to the Great Forest, but I don’t think we’re gonna make it.” Sir Feather sighed. Serena gulped. Those were her thoughts when she had lain awake a few nights prior. 

“Sir Feather…” Serena began, “I know it’s kind of hopeless right now, but I know we’ll get there. Don’t lose hope now that we’re so close.” Sir Feather just sighed again and lay down to take a nap.

“So… shall I get the food?” Spots shifted from one foot to another. 

“I guess,” Serena said, her head limp and her eyes dull.

Serena flopped down, watching Spot’s loping form receding into the forest, worry clouding her mind. 

The next morning, the trio woke to find the day sunny. But, despite the warm and positive weather, the three trudged in silence toward the looming mountain. As they trooped down a lush hill, Spots stopped. Sir Feather and Serena ran right into him, letting out surprised squeaks. All three of them tumbled down in a cloud of dust. They shakily stood, dazed from the fall, and dumbfounded by the sight before them.

“Humans,” Spots croaked. In front of them was a vast highway, full of stampeding metal containers. 

Serena stared awestruck at the rush of flashing metal. “I’ve never seen so many humans in one place! And what are those metal things that they’re riding in?”

“Those are called cars,” Sir Feather explained.

“Never mind what they’re called,” Spots said, his eyes darting from one gleaming car to another. “We must find a way to get across.”

“Spots, you’re overreacting,” Serena said, grinning. “All we have to do is slither—I mean walk—across. It’s simple.”

“It’s not that simple, Serena,” Spots said, watching the cars. “I heard from some lions that these so-called ‘cars’ can kill any animal in one blow.”

Serena gulped and paced back and forth.

“There has to be a way to get across. There has to,” she muttered. Meanwhile, Sir Feather preened his feathers, and Spots sat down on his haunches to lick his fur.

“I think I’ve got it!” Serena cried. Then her face fell. “No,” she said, resuming her pacing. After a few minutes Serena perked up again.

“What if,” Serena started excitedly, “no,” she sighed and fell back into her thoughts. Sir Feather snorted in amusement. Serena instantly fired up.

“You think it’s funny? Why don’t you come here and do all the thinking and I will sit there cleaning myself and whining about food!” Serena shouted. “I’m so sick and tired of—” But what Serena was sick and tired of, was never heard. Serena felt two rough hands drag her away, away from her friends, away from freedom, and throw her into a small, dark cage. The last thing she saw before the doors slammed shut was the malevolent glint of two blue eyes. 

Serena lay in her small cage, stricken with fear. All hopes and dreams of living a wonderful life in the Great Forest were gone. I’m probably gonna be sent back to the zoo.  Serena thought miserably. 

The doors were flung wide open once more and Serena saw two dark shapes thrust into the prison and locked in small cages like hers. The doors slammed shut once more leaving the three in darkness. One of the creatures let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

“Spots? Sir Feather?” Serena called out.

“Hello, Serena.” Spots’ voice floated from her right.

“You didn’t escape?”

“I couldn’t leave you,” Spots replied. “Although the little piece of trash named Sir Feather tried to.”

“Hey!” Sir Feather shouted from Serena’s left. “None of us would have been able to escape if we’re all stuck here.”

Serena sighed. “Guys, arguing won’t help.”

Suddenly, their prison moved.

“Well, Serena is my friend,” Spots retorted, completely ignoring Serena, “And—”

“Quiet,” Serena whispered. “I hear talking.”

“At least this time those wretched construction workers were right about escaped animals. Remember last time?” a gruff male voice issued from the front of the moving prison. 

“Don’t remind me,” a high-pitched female voice groaned. “I shudder to think about what these animals could have done if they weren’t found. Two of them are highly dangerous.”

“We need to get them back to the zoo as fast as possible,” the man said.

“Of course,” the woman replied. “ We should switch to another lane, the zoo is the opposite direction.” 

The man grunted.

“We need to escape!” Spots clawed furiously at the lock on his cage. When a sharp claw caught in the lock, he twisted his paw. The lock hit the ground with a dull thud. The door flew open, and Spots was free. He looked at Serena and Sir Feather with new hope and unlocked their cages. 

Once Serena and Sir Feather were free, the three friends rammed the door with all their might. Serena’s tail curled around a crowbar and slammed it into the stubborn door. Sir Feather and Spots stopped their ramming and helped Serena hold the crowbar. Little by little, dents formed on the door. 

Suddenly, the female voice rang out, “Do you hear something?” The three animals halted.

“Nah,” the man replied. “Must be wind.”

“I’m checking anyway,” came the woman’s cross voice. “Stop the truck.” The prison lurched to a stop and Serena, Sir Feather, and Spots flew backward. The door suddenly burst open, blinding the animals. After blinking away the brightness, they leaped out of the truck, and up the hill. They turned back just in time to see the red-haired woman scream. 

Serena, Sir Feather, and Spots ran until they reached the bank of a clear river. They flopped down, exhausted. 

“I can’t believe we made it out alive,” Serena murmured.

“Nor do I,” Sir Feather panted. He propped himself up and preened his tousled feathers. 

Serena tilted her head and saw a great mountain towering over her. On that, a big, lush forest.

“We made it!” Serena cried. Spots and Sir Feather jumped and began whooping. Their exhaustion forgotten, the three comrades pranced and danced toward home.