Over the river and through the woods to the necromancer's house we go

Lucky, what an apt and ironic name all things considered, because Lucky was, in many ways, both very lucky and unlucky. Being a chipmunk wasn't exactly easy.

Each day was a set of new challenges whether it was trying to find food or clean water, running from predators, or competing with other chipmunks who would steal her food stashes if they could find them.

She'd survived her first winter, but she was starting to feel sluggish. Something was wrong, but she didn't know what. Who could she even ask for help?

Her whole life all she'd managed to do was escape to survive starting from very early when she was just an adolescent and attacked by a hawk. That incident alone cost her half her luscious tail and put a distinct notch in her ear. How could she make a friend?

Chipmunks often listen to the chatter of birds. Birds can warn them of approaching predators, inform them of replete food sources and places to find water.

The birds had been gossiping lately about some chicks that had been rescued by a human who lived on the other side of the river way out in the sticks. Lucky was unfamiliar with the area, but decided to go anyway because she really didn't have any other options.

The river's current wasn't very strong relatively speaking. It was more of a gentle stream by human standards, but to a chipmunk it still had significant force. Feeling already lethargic it was hard enough to move without water pushing against her, but she was determined. She waded through, clinging to rocks along the way until she made it across.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert Frost once wrote: "The woods were lovely, dark and deep..."

She had no real idea where this human lived, but she knew what human structures looked like. They were, after all, the largest structures anywhere. Sometimes they were made from wood, sometimes metal and sometimes stone, but no matter the material they were always very large. Humans themselves are very large. Any human structure would stand out among any other kind so she hoped she'd simply find it this way. But approaching the woods from the river she soon realized she would not be able to cover enough ground.

Humans usually made large paths of concrete or gravel leading to their structures so Lucky decided to try to find one of these right away, which was easy enough since they always made lots of noise. However, roads were always long and she was tired. She knew the humans usually were inside noisy machines on the roads and that those machines traveled fast. If she could get one to stop and hop inside perhaps it could take her to the helpful human's house.

Still dripping wet from the river she shook herself off and tried to think of a way to get to a road and get a car to stop. As her luck would have it, she encountered a moose.

The moose wasn't keen on humans and would head butt them every time he saw one, but he already felt humans traveled too fast on the road so he was motivated to find a way to get them to stop. He knew that when something obstructed the road humans would either hit it or stop and he liked both of these outcomes so he pushed over a tree that had been hit by lightning in a storm a few weeks ago and had already started to rot. Pushing the large trunk into the road he told Lucky he would wait with her. This wasn't out of any real concern for her, he just wanted to see a human wreck their car on that tree.

A little time passed, but eventually a car drove up, stopped, the door opened and someone came out of the vehicle and attempted to move the tree trunk which proved to be too heavy. The moose was slightly disappointed that there was no accident, but encouraged Lucky. "Now's your chance, hop in while they aren't looking."

Lucky took a running jump and launched herself into the car. It was nice and cool. She hid in the back when the person got in. As the car moved, she hopped up on the arm rest and watched out the driver's side window of the back seat. All of this was a long shot, but what did she have at this point other than her own luck?

The road twisted on further into the hills where the trees were less dense around pastel colored rocky formations. Pines were replaced by maple and lilac.

Maple and lilac were in the birds' stories. She had to get the car to stop. She chirped loudly then launched herself into the back of the head of the driver then jumped back into the seat. The driver slammed on the brakes and Lucky fell to the floor. The driver got out and opened the door to the back seat trying to find what had just attacked. Lucky seized this moment and jumped out scampering off into the woods.

She followed the lilac and maple until they got more sparse and she saw a large human structure. Eagerly she hopped on the porch and chirped so hard it shook through her whole body. "Chirp chirp chirp chirp.." She didn't stop for hours, she just chirped back and forth up and down the threshold of the porch.

The house's occupant woke up to the ruckus and went to check the egress windows thinking another baby bird might have gotten stuck. Upon seeing the window wells were empty from the basement, the human came upstairs and noticed the tiny chipmunk. Opening the door and crouching down the human extended a hand to Lucky their eyes glowing from behind their hood. "C'mere, it's ok."

Lucky, seeing a hand coming towards her, panicked and jumped behind a rock with a loud chirp and then a hiss. The human found this too adorable and started laughing. "It's ok, I won't hurt you."

Lucky cautiously approached as the wind started to pick up wildly. She jumped up on the rock desperately clinging to it as the wind tore small branches off the trees and whipped them at her. The hand the human was extending looked like some sort of mechanical glove. She jumped into it and the human brought her inside. "You're awfully brave." The human said. "But it looks like you're awfully sick too. I'm guessing the birds must be talking about my unintentional charity. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not a veterinarian."

Lucky's heart sunk. She chirped out her frustration.

"The way I helped those birds isn't a way I can help you just yet. I'm a necromancer. I raise the dead."

Lucky chirped frantically. She didn't want to die.

"Well you wouldn't be dead, you'd be undead, sort of like me." The necromancer tried to be encouraging.

Lucky didn't want any of that. Her chirping was indignant.

"Hahaha no I'm not a vampire, I'm a lich. I keep my soul outside my body and inhabit another body until it rots. But now that I think of it there might be another option for you. This is it though, are you willing to take it. After this everything you know will change." The Lich's glowing eyes looked sincere.

Lucky confirmed with a chirp.

"Well then, I think it's time you met Cerberus." A wolf approached swiftly and silently from another room behind Lucky. Before she could move, the wolf had already bitten her.