A Quiet Scurry

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In the violence of the world sits a field full of wheat. In the sharpness of the wheat sits a small woven ball. In the curves of the small woven ball sits a tiny little mouse. In the growing dark of dusk, the tiny heartbeat within the ball beats. It beats as fast as the hoverfly’s wingbeat. A small stretch, a large yawn. Tiny black eyes blink open as the UK’s smallest mouse wakes for the night. [[Continue->New Moon]]

As your eyes blink open the familiar sight of the woven nest ball fills your vision. The carefully constructed bent grasses and wheat stalks are your safety, your protection. The rough stalks contrast with the sharp grasses, woven into your delicate home. The smallest of stretches, a tiny yawn. Paws the size of sesame seeds comb through your soft fur as you furiously start to clean yourself. Another stretch and that basic animal need of food hits you. Slowly, nervously, your nose pokes out of the small nest entrance to sniff the early night air. A sliver of moonlight shines down and catches in the black of your eyes. Sniffing with every delicate step you make, you emerge into the darkening hedgerow that protects you. As nimble as a dancer, you descend easily through twigs and leaves. Pausing a couple of inches from the damp ground. The scent thins, breaks apart. Ahead lies the vast, flat emptiness; its grey, hard surface cold and dry beneath your paws. No moisture clings here. Your nose searches again, finds nothing. You turn back to satiate your growing hunger. <<link "You lower your nose to the ground around you, searching.">> <<goto "food searching ground">> <</link>> <<link "You raise your nose into the air and follow the scents to the field.">> <<goto "food searching field">> <</link>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-darkness','0.82')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-overlay','0.57')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-colour','#d6d6d6')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-shadow','rgba(0,0,0,0.25)')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-colour','#7fa6d6')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-underline','rgba(127,166,214,0.45)')>>

The trunks of the hawthorn hedgerow stand around you thick and tall like Redwoods to a human. You dart between them sniffing and searching, your stomach grumbles as you search. Alas, your search leaves your stomach empty still, your head turning naturally to the wheat field beside you. [[Continue->field search]]

You feel the cool damp earth beneath your paws as you scurry quickly. The looming stalks of the wheat grass cast a familiar darkness around you. [[Continue->field search]]

As you scurry your way through the tall stems of the wheat grass, light drops of drizzle fall around you. The soft rain falling through the night sky like dust on a gentle wind. As you wind your way through the field, the smell of the wheat oats grows stronger. A tantalising smell you eagerly follow. <<link "You look around and start to pick up the fallen oats around you. Holding the grains in your tiny paws you chew fast, ears constantly flicking around.">> <<goto "field ground">> <</link>> <<link "You look up and start the laborious climbing up the wheat stalk, your almost weightless body barely causing a tremor. You sit atop the grass, the cold breeze of the night swirling around you as you eat the grains direct from the source.">> <<goto "field grass">> <</link>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-darkness','0.86')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-overlay','0.62')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-colour','#e0e0e0')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-shadow','rgba(0,0,0,0.50)')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-colour','#7a9cc4')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-underline','rgba(122,156,196,0.50)')>>

You pause, sniffing the air once again. Your furred tail twitches slightly when you catch a smell that causes dread to surge through you. Fox. Your eyes dart about swiftly. You catch the movement of an orange and white tail slinking through the grasses. Ahead, you see the harsh, angular face peer down the furrow. <<link "You freeze, hoping the smell of the rain and wheat will be enough to mask your scent, forcing the fox to move on.">> <<goto "fox death">> <</link>> <<link "You turn tail and run. Maybe you can make it to that hedgerow before the fox can get to you, its longer limbs and stronger power catch up to you quickly. Too quickly.">> <<set _roll = random(1, 100)>> <<if _roll <= 50>> <<goto "fox maybe death">> <<else>> <<goto "fox maybe survive">> <</if>> <</link>> <<link "You dart through the grasses beside you, winding your way around the stalks trying to get back to hedgerow before the danger catches up to you.">> <<goto "fox survive">> <</link>>

A sudden flap of silent wings on the air rushes above you, the only warning of the danger plummeting down to you from the night sky. Your eyes look up, reflecting the silent barn owl, claws outstretched towards you. <<link "You freeze, you’ve survived owls before by not moving.">> <<goto "owl death">> <</link>> <<link "You leap grass top to grass top, hoping your movements are enough to evade the incoming claws as they get nearer and nearer.">> <<set _roll = random(1, 100)>> <<if _roll <= 50>> <<goto "owl maybe death">> <<else>> <<goto "owl maybe survive">> <</if>> <</link>> <<link "With an imperceptible squeak you let yourself fall, catching the grass stem as you go lower and lower.">> <<goto "owl survive">> <</link>>

The world is a cruel place for such a small mammal. You lived your life, and now it has come to an end. <span class="restart-wrap"> <<link "Restart">> <<run Engine.restart()>> <</link>> </span>

The smell of the damp earth around wafts in now still air of the fox aftermath. The oats you were eating now scattered, your small furred tail sticking out the fox’s mouth as it trots away successfully. [[Continue->death]]

With little more than a hair’s breadth you fling yourself deep into the tangled roots of the messy hedgerow. Behind you the shadow of the fox slinks back into the darkness of night, looking for its next prey. [[Continue->in hedgerow]]

Around and over you run, sometimes up a stalk other times weaving around and around. As the hedgerow looms in front of you, you streak your way into the mess of roots, finding safety from the gnashing maw behind you. [[Continue->in hedgerow]]

Now safe within the roots of the hedgerow your thirst tugs at your mouth, the dryness of the oats worsening the need. You follow the smell of the freshly fallen rain, which leads you to the great rough expanse. Dark grey and a source of great danger from the humans that use it. Lights flash, travelling faster than you can ever imagine. Hunched on the side you sniff it out, the tiny pool on the coarse expanse. <<link "You cautiously hop your way over to the small pool, lapping with a desperate need.">> <<goto "road death">> <</link>> <<link "You know the expanse can be dangerous, you dart across as quickly as you can. Speed is what you need to get past the danger, not vigilance to see anything coming, you hope.">> <<set _roll = random(1, 100)>> <<if _roll <= 50>> <<goto "road maybe death">> <<else>> <<goto "road maybe survive">> <</if>> <</link>> <<link "You edge forward into the expanse carefully, peering about you constantly, every sense straining.">> <<goto "road survive">> <</link>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-darkness','0.90')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-overlay','0.68')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-colour','#eeeeee')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-shadow','rgba(0,0,0,0.75)')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-colour','#b6cce6')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-underline','rgba(182,204,230,0.65)')>>

Tonight the owl strikes true, with a silent flap of its wings it soars to a nearby barn, you’re firmly clamped between its claws. Your lifeless eyes still reflect the moonlight. [[Continue->death]]

You leap one after the other, darting swiftly as your furred tail balances you safely. The rush of wind overhead causes you to look up as the owl soars past, its claws grasp onto the grass tip you just leapt from. You scurry down the stalks and into the safety underneath. [[Continue->in hedgerow]]

With an imperceptible squeak you let yourself fall, catching the grass stem as you go lower and lower. The owl, unable to follow you down, soars off in search of another victim. [[Continue->in hedgerow]]

One, two, three. You leap from stalk to stalk, your footing sure and true. The owl’s aim adjusting to the movement. Its claws pierce into you as you leap to the fourth stalk. [[Continue->death]]

The longer limbs of the predator now trot away back into the field, your valiant escape ended before you could reach the hedgerow with your furred tail now sticking out the fox’s mouth. [[Continue->death]]

Your thirst satiated you look up in time to see the approaching lights, faster and faster they loom, there’s nowhere to go. [[Continue->death]]

You dart out, pausing to sniff and listen. You scramble across the gritty expanse, pausing on the slick white strip in the middle when you hear the growling lights pass in front of you. You dart onwards, reaching the dew covered grass safely. [[Continue->other side]]

You don’t look, you dash. You feel the rumble in the ground just in time pausing to look and the lights hurtle over you. You scamper to finish your journey and get to safety. Around you the tall grasses rustle and settle, hiding you once again. [[Continue->other side]]

Dash quickly and sure-footed. You’ve crossed the expanse before, why would tonight be any different? But it is, you feel a rumble in the ground and look up in time to see spinning black hurtling towards you. [[Continue->death]]

You climb your way through the green blades, the moon shimmering in the dew clinging to them, ahead grows the tangled mess of brambles and nettles. The trunks of the oaks and sycamores vanish into the dark shadows of the canopy above. Further you travel in, finding a large pool among the fallen leaves, you start to drink your fill, finally. A gentle shuffling beside you hits your ears, you freeze and sniff the air. Sensing no danger you turn to find the wiry snout of a hedgehog sniffing at the water. The moon rays shimmer in the subtle movements of the water. <<link "You back away from the hedgehog and move deeper into the woodland.">> <<goto "skirt">> <</link>> <<link "You turn back to the water and finish drinking your fill.">> <<goto "keep drinking">> <</link>> <<link "You turn yourself fully towards the hedgehog, sniffing the larger creature.">> <<goto "sniff">> <</link>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-darkness','0.86')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-overlay','0.62')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-colour','#e0e0e0')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-shadow','rgba(0,0,0,0.65)')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-colour','#a5bfdc')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-underline','rgba(165,191,220,0.60)')>>

You skirt away, skittish and quick. Perhaps it posed no danger but tonight is not the night to risk it. You travel deeper and deeper in the woodland, over and under fallen leaves alike. Traversing a log and scampering into the night. [[Continue->new sleep]]

The hedgehog turns to you in reply, sniffing at you. Its breath, stronger and more forceful than yours, causes you to let out a small squeak in surprise. The hedgehog lets out a final huff towards you before turning away in search of slugs. You skirt away, ready to survive the rest of the night. [[Continue->new sleep]]

As you finishing drinking the hedgehog beside you also finishes drinking. It scratches its underside with its hind leg then trundles away, you both continue your survival of the night. [[Continue->new sleep]]

Sensing the night is coming to an end, you need to find somewhere to sleep. The safety of your nest now too far away to make it back in time you start to search for temporary sanctuary. <<link "You clamber over and around the twisting roots, finding a tiny hollow you can scramble under.">> <<goto "roots">> <</link>> <<link "You scurry under dense stalks of some ground ivy, finding a dried and curled leaf from the oak above.">> <<goto "leaf">> <</link>> <<link "You scramble your way back to the road verge, pushing you into the dry base of a False Brome grass clump.">> <<goto "grass">> <</link>> <<link "You crawl your way carefully through the nearby brambles, the thorns providing protection but little comfort.">> <<goto "brambles">> <</link>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-darkness','0.86')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-overlay','0.60')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-colour','#d0d0d0')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-shadow','rgba(0,0,0,0.50)')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-colour','#6f8fb6')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-underline','rgba(111,143,182,0.45)')>>

The grass blades cover you as you twist around into a small ball. You curl up, your furred tail covering your nose and you let your eyes closer. [[Continue->end]]

You fit snugly into the curled leaf, it feels dry and warm. You curl up, your furred tail covering your nose and you let your eyes closer. [[Continue->end]]

Under the solid wood of the roots you feel safe and secure. You curl up, your furred tail covering your nose and you let your eyes closer. [[Continue->end]]

Once through the sharp brambles you feel safer pressed against the stalk. You curl up, your furred tail covering your nose and you let your eyes close. [[Continue->end]]

A restful sleep comes to you, rejuvenating you for another night of survival. <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-darkness','0.82')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--bg-overlay','0.57')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-colour','#cfcfcf')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--text-shadow','rgba(0,0,0,0.22)')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-colour','#2f4b73')>> <<run document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--link-underline','rgba(47,75,115,0.30)')>> <span class="restart-wrap"> <<link "Restart">> <<run Engine.restart()>> <</link>> </span>