Post by EmperorXernadon on Sept 23, 2014 19:00:34 GMT -5
A small and lowly mouse lived in a hole near a old tree stump, which sat on a hill that overlooked a peaceful meadow and a forest in the distance. The mouse had lived quietly for many years, but one day a shadow darkened the meadow.
The mouse scurried out of his hole. He looked up at the dark cloudy sky. As the mouse looked at the clouds, a fat raindrop fell on the mouse's nose.
"Oh!" The little mouse ran back into his cozy mouse hole. A fierce thunderclap echoed across the sky. More raindrops fell. Soon buckets of rain were pouring down. The mouse's hole became flooded. The poor little mouse splashed out of his soggy mouse hole and ran across the meadow. He leaped over puddles and slipped in mud. Then, a brilliant bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and split the old stump in two. The mouse stared at what was his home. A wisp of smoke rose from the stump. Then hailstones came falling down. One landed on the mouse's tail.
"YOW!" The mouse grabbed his throbbing tail and scurried across the meadow, towards the forest. He dodged falling hailstones. Finally the mouse reached the trees. He dug a small hole, nothing permanent, at the base of one of the tall trees. Thunder rumbled across the sky again. The mouse curled up in his hole and fell asleep.
The first rays of sunlight filtered through the treetops and landed in the mouse's nose. The mouse looked up and saw a squirrel staring down at him.
"What are you doing in our forest!" The angry squirrel yelled at the mouse. The mouse stood up on his hind legs.
"My home was destroyed in the big storm last night," the mouse said, gesturing towards the tree stump that sat upon the hill. The squirrel glared at the mouse some more.
"I don't care about that! This is the squirrels' forest! Field mice like you aren't welcome!" The mouse sadly walked away from the angry squirrel. He walked out into the meadow and back towards the stump.
The squirrel went to the squirrel leader, a strong, intimidating squirrel that lived in the giant oak in the center of the forest. The squirrel knelt before him.
"Sir, I have returned from border patrol," the squirrel said, "I found a field mouse and cast him out." The squirrel leader frowned.
"Mice are welcome in our kingdom! Why did you cast him out!" The squirrel leader shouted at the squirrel. The squirrel bowed frantically and ran out. The squirrel ran as fast as he could to the edge of the forest. He could see the stump. The squirrel ran towards the stump, unawares that a hawk was patrolling the sky.
The mouse saw the squirrel running towards him, and he saw the fearsome hawk. The mouse was gripped with panic. The squirrel was going to get killed! The mouse began scampering towards the squirrel. The hawk dove. The squirrel saw it and began to run faster. The mouse did the same. The hawk opened its talons. The mouse had to save the squirrel, even if he had thrown him out of the forest. The hawk had almost reached the squirrel. As it was about to strike, the mouse leaped into the air and grabbed the hawk's left leg. The surprised hawk missed the squirrel and flew back into the air, taking the mouse with it.
The mouse had never been so terrified in his life, not even during the big storm. The ground was getting smaller and smaller as the hawk rose higher and higher. The hawk dove again. The mouse tried desperately to hold onto the hawk's scaly leg. The hawk tucked in its talons to make itself faster. The ground grew nearer at an alarming rate. The mouse had this last chance to save the squirrel. He climbed the hawk's leg and onto its back. The mouse brushed aside some feathers and bit the hawk. The hawk stopped its descent abruptly and threw off the mouse. The mouse fell freely through the air towards the inviting earth, which was rigid and would break most, if not all, of his bones. Then suddenly, the squirrel appeared and caught the falling mouse. They both tumbled onto the dirt. The bewildered mouse looked up into the sky and beheld that the hawk had fled. The squirrel put a paw on the mouse's shoulder.
"You can live in the forest," he said. The mouse jumped for joy. He began running towards the forest, his new home, but then the mouse stopped.
"Aren't you coming?" The mouse asked. The squirrel smiled.
"Yes," he replied. The squirrel and the mouse then ran off towards the forest.
The mouse scurried out of his hole. He looked up at the dark cloudy sky. As the mouse looked at the clouds, a fat raindrop fell on the mouse's nose.
"Oh!" The little mouse ran back into his cozy mouse hole. A fierce thunderclap echoed across the sky. More raindrops fell. Soon buckets of rain were pouring down. The mouse's hole became flooded. The poor little mouse splashed out of his soggy mouse hole and ran across the meadow. He leaped over puddles and slipped in mud. Then, a brilliant bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and split the old stump in two. The mouse stared at what was his home. A wisp of smoke rose from the stump. Then hailstones came falling down. One landed on the mouse's tail.
"YOW!" The mouse grabbed his throbbing tail and scurried across the meadow, towards the forest. He dodged falling hailstones. Finally the mouse reached the trees. He dug a small hole, nothing permanent, at the base of one of the tall trees. Thunder rumbled across the sky again. The mouse curled up in his hole and fell asleep.
The first rays of sunlight filtered through the treetops and landed in the mouse's nose. The mouse looked up and saw a squirrel staring down at him.
"What are you doing in our forest!" The angry squirrel yelled at the mouse. The mouse stood up on his hind legs.
"My home was destroyed in the big storm last night," the mouse said, gesturing towards the tree stump that sat upon the hill. The squirrel glared at the mouse some more.
"I don't care about that! This is the squirrels' forest! Field mice like you aren't welcome!" The mouse sadly walked away from the angry squirrel. He walked out into the meadow and back towards the stump.
The squirrel went to the squirrel leader, a strong, intimidating squirrel that lived in the giant oak in the center of the forest. The squirrel knelt before him.
"Sir, I have returned from border patrol," the squirrel said, "I found a field mouse and cast him out." The squirrel leader frowned.
"Mice are welcome in our kingdom! Why did you cast him out!" The squirrel leader shouted at the squirrel. The squirrel bowed frantically and ran out. The squirrel ran as fast as he could to the edge of the forest. He could see the stump. The squirrel ran towards the stump, unawares that a hawk was patrolling the sky.
The mouse saw the squirrel running towards him, and he saw the fearsome hawk. The mouse was gripped with panic. The squirrel was going to get killed! The mouse began scampering towards the squirrel. The hawk dove. The squirrel saw it and began to run faster. The mouse did the same. The hawk opened its talons. The mouse had to save the squirrel, even if he had thrown him out of the forest. The hawk had almost reached the squirrel. As it was about to strike, the mouse leaped into the air and grabbed the hawk's left leg. The surprised hawk missed the squirrel and flew back into the air, taking the mouse with it.
The mouse had never been so terrified in his life, not even during the big storm. The ground was getting smaller and smaller as the hawk rose higher and higher. The hawk dove again. The mouse tried desperately to hold onto the hawk's scaly leg. The hawk tucked in its talons to make itself faster. The ground grew nearer at an alarming rate. The mouse had this last chance to save the squirrel. He climbed the hawk's leg and onto its back. The mouse brushed aside some feathers and bit the hawk. The hawk stopped its descent abruptly and threw off the mouse. The mouse fell freely through the air towards the inviting earth, which was rigid and would break most, if not all, of his bones. Then suddenly, the squirrel appeared and caught the falling mouse. They both tumbled onto the dirt. The bewildered mouse looked up into the sky and beheld that the hawk had fled. The squirrel put a paw on the mouse's shoulder.
"You can live in the forest," he said. The mouse jumped for joy. He began running towards the forest, his new home, but then the mouse stopped.
"Aren't you coming?" The mouse asked. The squirrel smiled.
"Yes," he replied. The squirrel and the mouse then ran off towards the forest.
