Story I wrote for english class :3
13 years, 8 months & 17 days ago
13th Mar 2011 19:19 The animals finally emerged from their enclosures, the atmosphere eerie and full of fear. The poison had finally disappeared from the air, although that really didn???t matter all that much. For the animals were immune to its potent effects, it seemed. The humans had not been quite as lucky as the animals. While the animals were not affected at all by the poison, the effects of it on the human body were incredible. First came the sick feeling, then the shortness of breath. Then came the paleness, and vomiting. Just a day or so after the poison entered the body, the person would stop breathing, and die. Their bodies lay everywhere, in enclosures, on the sidewalk, in the gift shop, in the restaurants??? Outside of the zoo, they were less in one area, but they were still everywhere. Later, the animals would discover that they were completely alone, in a world without humans.
They all gathered. The birds flew in nervously, the elephants came along with the antelopes and zebras, the leopards, lions, and tigers came together. The reptiles came from the reptile house, and the monkeys came too. Everyone was there. After the shock left them, commotion broke out.
???Where are the zookeepers? The guests???? a tiny leopard cub asked. When the lion cub next to him touched him with his tail and flicked his ears towards one of the dead humans, the leopard cub cried out and hid behind his mother, who glared at the lion cub.
???How will we survive without anyone to feed us???? a flamingo asked.
???Yes, we don???t have any idea how to hunt and gather for ourselves!??? one of the monkeys complained.
???I can???t feed my cub without food!??? the polar bear fretted, her paw placed in front of her cub protectively. At this, several of the animals with young ones began to call out in anxiety.
???All of your questions will be answered,??? a young chimp named Bo called. The animals turned to look at him, where he was perched on top of one of the trees used for decorating the zoo. ???Birds! I want one of you to go and search for any human survivors.??? The birds spoke to each other for a few moments before sending someone, a Bald Eagle named Liberty. She left to search, and after an hour or so, had returned. She reported that there were no humans to be seen. They were alone.
Commotion broke out again, and many of the same questions as before came up. Bo???s mate, Clara, silenced them, and Bo began to speak again. ???Then we will have to survive on our own,??? he decided. ???First, we must find enough food to sustain every animal.??? He gestured towards the birds again, and several of them set off to search for food.
By the time they found food, it was late in the day. Near the center of the zoo there was a large shed that was used to store food to feed to the animals. Everything from grain to meat to fruits was there, and the animals dug in, half starved after going so long without food. By the time they were finished, almost all of it was gone. But for now, no one said anything about that, because there were other matters to attend to first.
???We need a new name for our zoo!??? Bo said as the animals all gathered beneath him. ???Does anybody have any ideas????
???Zebra Zoo!??? A young zebra neighed, prancing back and forth in an attempt to persuade them. ???It???s perfect!???
???But we???re not all zebras,??? an antelope said, brushing against the young colt gently. ???How about Animal Zoo????
???I like it,??? Bo said, hushing a couple of animals who were arguing about names. ???We will be called Animal Zoo. Long live Animal Zoo, long live freedom!??? The animals joined his call, letting out roars, whinnies, squawks, and any other sort of call that they could make.
Two years later, however, Animal Zoo was a completely different place than it had been in the beginning. Bo had emerged to become a brutal leader, along with all of the chimps as his partners. The tigers, lions, and leopards had become his bodyguards, and any form of rebellion was quickly quenched with their snarls and hisses of rage. The rest of the animals were quite unhappy, with almost no food and constant work to do. Since the first day of them surviving on their own, Bo had come up with more and more ideas about how they could make life better. Their current project was to create a satellite so that the monkeys could watch television, but there was always something. First it was a car so that they could get food, then it was creating a water purifying system so that they could drink clean water???
Then there was the issue of the birds. Bo had found that they were quite annoying, and really not very helpful. Recently, he had announced that any bird was considered an enemy to any other animal, and that they are never allowed any more food than they were given. Several of the animals tried to help them, since their portions were only a pathetic mouthful of grain, but the big cats made sure that none of these attempts were successful. And when an attempt was made, Bo always found out. Horrible things happened to those who tried to help.
After yet another bird died, a small young thrush named Twitter was getting more and more anxious about the deaths. ???We have to do something!??? he fretted to his sister, Lea. ???Flutter and Floe died today, Micah the day before??? And everyone knows that Bo???s new plan is to make a gate to keep us in!???
???But what could we do???? Lea wondered. ???We???re birds, it???s not like we???re the strongest animals out there. And Bo would skin us alive!???
???But we have to do something Lea!??? Twitter squawked, his wings flapping up and down anxiously. ???And besides, we have speed! None of them can out fly us??????
???But who would help us? I can???t imagine that many animals would want to try and take down an elephant??????
???But the forest animals!??? Twitter exclaimed. ???We have a common enemy, everyone knows they hate him for taking up their food sources??? They don???t even have much food anymore because of all of it that Bo takes to keep us fed!???
???Do you really think they would help us???? Lea chirped quietly, her blue eyes bright with barely contained excitement. ???Could we really get out of this????
???I think so,??? Twitter replied. He hid behind a large boulder for a moment when one of the leopards prowled past, and waited for the leopard, named Kala, to pass. Once she was gone he turned to his sister again. ???We will act tonight. We go together, we have to succeed! For us, for the zoo, for everyone!??? Lea nodded, her eyes full of determination, and they went back to work. But neither of them were focused, thoughts focused on the rebellion that was about to take place rather than helping with Bo???s selfish plans.
That night, under the cover of darkness, the two birds prepared to leave. Both of them were determined to succeed, but could not help but be a bit nervous. Their breathing was rapid, and they constantly were looking over their shoulders as if one of the chimps, or a big cat, was always watching them. But once the moon rose in the sky, they took flight, quickly escaping over the fence and into the surrounding forest.
But then something unexpected happened, one of the guards saw them! Sirens went off, and both birds frantically flapped their wings, trying to get out of the zoo as quickly as possible. Twitter was just a wing???s length in front of Lea when the shot went off. He glanced over his shoulder, and gasped as he saw his sister falling??? ???NO!??? he squawked, and immediately rushed to her side on the ground, not thinking about the danger he was putting himself in. If the chimps and cats came, both of them would be sentenced to death. But love for his sister took hold of him, and he could not just leave her there.
???Go!??? she cried. ???Get out of here, you have to get help! There???s no time!??? And there wasn???t. They could hear the thud of pawsteps rushing towards them???
???But I can???t leave you!??? Twitter replied, taking a leaf from next to him and covering her with it. ???I can fix this, just hold on??????
???Twitter, there isn???t time!??? she objected, bringing her good wing over to push him away. ???Go! It???s too late for me, but not for you! You can do this, I believe in you.??? She looked into his eyes for a moment, knowing that it would be the last time, before pushing him away again. ???Get out of here!???
Twitter hesitated for a moment, but then took flight, speeding through the forest faster than ever. He now knew they had guns, and if they had shot his sister, he may end up being killed as well. But he still hated leaving his sister there, and when he heard a squawk and then silence, knew that she had been killed. Grief threatened to take over him, but he pushed himself forwards, not willing to give up. Because if he didn???t get help, who would? Once that gate was up they would all be trapped, and some had already had their wings clipped???
Once he got there, Twitter explained everything to the forest animals. They were appalled at what he told them, about the threatening cats prowling, the chimps getting everything they wanted, the birds dying by the day. Their leader, Leif, agreed that he would come, with all of the animals he could get to come. It was amazing how many animals lived in the forest. There were bears, mountain lions, birds of all types, squirrels, mice, and even some domestic animals like housecats and dogs lived there. He said that they would all come, except for a few of the she-animals who would be staying to watch over their young. Twitter was invited to stay the night and accepted, knowing that he would die as soon as he returned home. He slept in a small nest that some birds living there had kindly let him stay in for the night. However, sleep did not come to him easily. His thoughts were racing, and he could not get his sister???s face out of his head, knowing that the squawk he had heard earlier had been the only indication he had gotten of her death.
The next morning, they set out to attack Animal Zoo. The forest animals all gathered in a large group, with the birds all gathered around Twitter and all of the other animals gathered around Leif, their leader. Leif raised his tail, as a gesture that it was time for them to leave. Twitter led the way in, at the front of the group. He would die to free the animals, he had made a promise to his sister and was not about to break it.
Once they reached the zoo, the birds began by scooping up rocks and pebbles in their beaks and talons and throwing them at the animals below. The land animals separated into two groups, one to attack the chimps and one to attack all animals that protested. While they did their jobs, Twitter went over to the area where the birds worked, with three birds around him that were serving as bodyguards, in case any of the birds somehow managed to try and hurt him in some way.
Once they reached the enclosure, the birds came to meet them, most of them curious, but some of them looking very hostile. Others looked like they didn???t even care, their eyes betraying their apathy for life in general.
???Why are you doing this, Twitter? We???re your friends!??? a small dove complained.
???You betrayed us all,??? a large raven croaked coldly, his small eyes penetrating into Twitter???s feathers.
???I had to!??? Twitter exclaimed, backing away from the raven. ???Do you not understand? What the chimps have done is wrong! All animals should be treated equal; the chimps are not the only ones here who should reap the benefits!??? He hopped to and fro, desperately trying to persuade them. ???When was the last time you saw a chimp work? We are the ones doing all of the work around here! And what do we get for it? Nothing! Just a beak full of grain a day, and long days of work!???
???But that???s the way it???s always been,??? a tiny owl chick chirped, her head tilted to the side in confusion. ???Hasn???t it????
???Oh, no,??? Twitter said, his eyes warm. ???Don???t any of you older birds remember how things were back when the humans were here? The days of doing as you pleased, with plenty of food????
???And have them staring at you all day,??? the raven grumbled.
???And besides, the humans are gone now,??? an eagle sighed, regret in her tone. ???They will never be back; they were all killed by the poison so long ago.???
???Ah, but we don???t need humans to be happy!??? Twitter chirped. ???All you need is a new leader.???
???Like you???? the owl chick guessed, her eyes betraying her excitement. She liked Twitter and his uplifting speeches.
???Not necessarily,??? Twitter replied. ???It does not have to be me, I???m not even sure if I want to be leader. But anyone who cares about us all would be an improvement.??? The birds nodded in agreement. ???Are you with me???? he asked, jumping up suddenly. Most of the birds chirped their agreement, so he let out a battle cry. ???Then we fight! For us, for freedom, for Animal Zoo!??? The birds joined in his call, and those that could fly took to the sky, to help the birds in their attack.
Bo paced back and forth in his den, tail swishing side to side in anxiety. He knew he was losing, he could hear the death cries of so many chimps outside, along with quite a few of his cats, and other animals. He sighed, eyes narrowed. What was he going to do? This was not a battle he could win, he realized with horror. After so much hard work (Well, not that hard, he supposed) he was just going to fail. He could not take it, guilt ate at his insides. He had destroyed the zoo, killed so many birds, and now his leadership was in danger. He sighed. There was only one thing to do. ???Clara!??? he called.
His mate entered, her eyes betraying her panic as his did. He walked over to where he had a bottle of wine and two glasses and poured two cups. But then he put something else in, something that he had hidden, in case he ever needed it. He poured the clear liquid into the glasses, making sure that Clara had no idea what he was doing, and then handed her a glass, as well as taking one for himself. ???Cheers,??? he said.
Clara stared at him for a moment before drinking her glass, happy for the quick relief that the alcohol would give her. But what she did not expect was for something else to be there. Suddenly, she felt very sick, and lay down on the ground of the cave, beside Bo. ???What did you do to it???? she asked him, her expression very, very scared.
???Poison, my dear,??? he said. ???It is the end of the zoo as we made it, and now we must end our lives too.??? Clara gasped, and tried to scream, but no sound came from her lips. Instead they both began to pant for breath before dying, side by side in the cave. For Bo could not stand to give any other animal the satisfaction of killing him other than himself.
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