The Withering Rose by Shawn Troutman (free books to read TXT) 📕

Cole and Patch crept out from behind a large tree. Their eyes were focused on an acorn, beside thick, shadowy brush, just a few hops away. Patch pushed through the snow-covered ground ahead of Cole. He stopped, his eyes darting back and forth nervously. He motioned for Cole to move forward. His companion hopped cautiously to his side and they both waited, ever wary of what could be in the brush.

“Almost there,” Patch whispered as he crept closer to the acorn. He stretched out a gray, furry arm, reaching for the nut.

Behind Patch, Cole stood on hind legs, scanning the brush. His gaze drifted from the bushes to the leafless tree branches above. There, he spotted his friend Russ waving his arms frantically.

“Patch, we need to go back,” Cole warned. He was ignored.

Patch wrapped his fingers around the top of the acorn. As his hand made contact with the nut, the brush shifted. A fox burst out from the thorny branches, charging toward Patch and Cole. The sight of the fox’s bleached fangs bit down on Patch’s morale. His heart pounded with the rhythm of the beast’s paws crunching through the snow. His body went stiff, his pupils dilated with fear. He was too frightened to move.

“Split!” Cole screamed. The sound of Cole’s voice melted the fear that froze Patch’s muscles. What it left behind was a puddle of adrenaline. Patch scurried to life, running with the acorn firmly in hand. He ran the opposite direction of Cole.

The sound of Cole’s shout diverted the fox’s attention. The predator slowed for a moment to decide which squirrel would be the easiest catch. A squirrel carrying an acorn would be a much easier kill than one who had already gained a head start.  The fox raced after Patch, kicking up clouds of snow as it charged after its prey.

Patch leapt and scampered his way through the dense snowfall. He was desperately trying to outrun the fox, heading toward a tree not far away. The fox was faster and closing the distance to its next meal.

“Drop the acorn, Patch,” Russ cried from the tree branches above.

Patch would not let go. The squirrel lodged the nut onto his teeth. If he let go of the acorn now, he would starve to death later, he reasoned. He’d rather be torn apart by the fox than endure that fate. 

The fox was nearing her prey. Excited to fill her stomach she snapped at the squirrel's long gray tail. Her saliva coated fangs clamped down on her victim. Patch's heart sank. He desperately leapt to the tree, just out of reach. A piece of his tail tore out from the vise of the fox's teeth. The fox soared into the air with her jaws open to swallow the squirrel.

Patch grabbed hold of the bark and scampered up the tree. The fox, just missing Patch, slammed headfirst into the trunk. She whimpered as her body thumped into the snow.

Patch climbed to the safety of the tree branches. His friends, Cole and Russ, were already scurrying to meet with him.

"Almost died, and still managed to pick up dinner? Patch, you’ve got to learn when to give up," Russ teased. “It's been tough this year, but I don't want to lose anyone.”

The winter had been harsh in the woodlands that year. The summer months were mild and the spring before it had frozen over, leaving little time for the birth of new acorns and seeds for the squirrels to eat. Some squirrel families had gathered plenty of food for the coming winter. There were those however, who underwent hardships that prevented them from being able to store food like the wealthier squirrels.

“Aren‘t foxes supposed to be sly?” Russ mocked the fox below who was just now pushing herself to her paws. “Real crafty. You know, slamming your face into a tree,” he taunted. Russ looked much like the fox that he teased. His fur was a rust colored red, similar to the rest of his family. Russ’s clan had gathered plenty food for the winter. Though they were wealthy in provisions, they could not spare any for others. His clan feared that, should they share in their harvest, they would not have enough food to last through the coming months. Russ, feeling for the hardship of his friends, decided to help Cole and Patch gather food for the winter.

“Look!” Russ pointed at the snarling fox. She was futily leaping at the trunk. “She’s actually trying to climb up here!" Russ fell to his side with laughter. 

Patch was not amused. He was staring longingly at the acorn he had just acquired. Patch came from a family of gray squirrels with small white patches of fur on their chests. In previous Autumn seasons, Patch’s father had normally gathered food for his family. Last Autumn, his father had carelessly made a leap from one branch to another in a tree too far away, and fell on a rock below. He broke most of the bones in his body, and could no longer gather food for his family.

Patch took on the responsibility of feeding his clan. He had five younger siblings, an old mother, and a broken father to feed. When the winter came, the food his family had gathered did not last, and soon they were starving. Patch had the first meal his family would have in days. He struggled not to devour the entire acorn himself.

“We should go,” Cole decided. “Wouldn’t want our luck to run out." He directed his thorny statement with emphasis toward Patch. 

“Luck had nothing to do with it,” Patch returned.

“The fox hesitated when we split apart,” Cole explained. “Like I guessed it would. That clearly wasn't enough time for you. Or maybe you just weren’t fast enough.” Cole smirked. "A little less lucky, and you'd be missing more than just a bit of fur from your tail."

Patch rolled his eyes. He grabbed Russ, who was still shouting to the fox, by the fur on the back of his neck and dragged him through the snowy branches. The three friends headed back to their home, The Pine.

***

It was believed among squirrels of all colors, that the largest of all the trees in The Woodlands was The Pine. Named after its species, this massive tree housed the largest and most diverse community of squirrels. Each branch of The Pine led to a different squirrel’s home. Numerous families had carved holes into the tree for their clans to live in. At the center of the trunk, a long thick branch was set aside as a social area called The Central Branch. Cole, Russ, and Patch stood on The Central Branch with their treasured acorn in hand.

“No, no you should have seen it from my point of view. I saw the whole thing. Her face hit that trunk full speed. I don't know how her neck is still working.” Russ recanted joyfully.

“Wasn’t much to cherish from down there,” Patch replied, as usual, not amused by Russ.

“Yeah, I saw you come close to getting your tail bitten off. You just need to pick up the pace.” Russ taunted, patting Patch on his back.

“Right. Well, I’ve got a family to feed.” Patch lifted the acorn. “You guys just keep doing what you do.” The white-patched squirrel began to stroll away.

“Hey wait, what about the split?” Cole asked.

“What split?” Patch turned.

“Did you think you were just going to take the whole thing?”

“Are you joking? You want to split this? Cole, my family hasn’t eaten in days,” Patch explained.

“And my sister is sick. I can barely forage for the two of us,” Cole returned.

“I have 7 other stomachs to fill Cole. Seven!” Patch glared down at his smaller friend.

“Are you asking me to prioritize your family above my sister?”

The two squirrels stood face to face on their hind legs, their chests puffed out.

Russ stepped between them. “You split the food,” he said. There was a moment of silent tension between the friends. Cole and Patch lingered in place, ready to fight one another for the meal.

“Split the food guys,” Russ repeated.

Patch, eyes glaring at Cole, slammed the acorn against the Central Branch. The acorn shattered before the friends. Fragments of the shell rained down to the snowy ground below. The nut concealed within, broke in two pieces. Patch snatched the piece closest to him. “There, it’s split,” he said, turning his back. Without another word, the gray squirrel left to feed his starving family.

Cole remained on the Central Branch with Russ. “I should probably go too,” Cole said. "My sister needs food."

“You weren’t wrong,” Russ said sympathetically.

“I don’t really care if I was.” Cole grabbed his half of the nut and made his way to his home.

***

Cole’s hollow was carved into the lower trunk of The Pine. His family had lived in the same hollow for generations. The squirrel den was left to him and his sister after the death of their parents. In recent weeks Cole had forfeited the upkeep of the hollow in search of food for his sister. Their home had become dark, damp, and cold without Cole's attention. Russ followed Cole to the hollow.

Acorn shells and clumps of fur were scattered across the floor. He panicked for a moment, fearing something had happened to his sister, Emma. The squirrel scanned the small hollow and found her sleeping safely in the back. Cole took another look at the mess and realized there was a message written with the shells: MISS YOU COLE.

Cole smiled. It was the first time he had smiled since his sister had become sick months ago, and he was starved for happiness. He carefully stepped across the floor, being sure not to disturb the message his little sister had written for him.

In the back of the hollow, Emma was curled on a nest of twigs and dead fur. Emma and Cole were a rare breed of black squirrels, not commonly found in The Woodlands. They were the only dark colored squirrels that lived in The Pine. Emma's rare coat was withering away because of her sickness. Clumps of fur fell from her body. Emma had made the best of it. She lacked the strength to move from her spot, so she made a nest from her withering fur and broken twigs.

"Hey Em." Cole sat next to her nest with Russ. "I brought some food. Are you hungry?"

Emma opened her weary eyes. "Starved," she said. Her eye color was deteriorating from coal black to a light gray. Cole had a hard time meeting her gaze. She eagerly stretched out a hand for the food. Emma broke the nut into two pieces. She kept one half close to her, and offered the other half of it to Cole. "Share?" she asked.

"We ate the first half before I got here," Cole lied.

Emma hesitated for a moment to make sure Cole would not change his mind about sharing the food. Satisfied that he was not hungry, Emma began to devour her meal.

"Thanks for the message Em," Cole said.

"I miss you." Emma had already finished her half of the nut. "I missed you too Russ. Why don't you ever come to see me?"

Russ laughed nervously. "You know I would have, but I've been busy protecting Cole from foxes," he winked.

"Russ has been helping me gather the food," Cole explained. "Nourishment is scarce this year."

"I'd rather just have you here."

"You know I can't. I need to keep you healthy. That's what's most important." Cole stood up. "We need to go Em. I have to find as much as possible before there's nothing left."

Emma grabbed Cole by the hand. She squeezed tightly, looked up at him with her gray eyes. "Just stay for a little bit," she coughed.

Cole pried his hand out from hers. "Emma, I need to go. I'm sorry."

"Alright, " Emma sighed. "Tell Patch I said 'Hi'." She curled up in the dark