Ch. 5 - A Broken Memory

It has been two full years since I met the Hopps family. Intact, whole, and happy, that is, things were very bleak in the future. It wasn't even the Destroyed City, or the fires and dying animals that worried me.

It was the Sun Flares. That's how that whole disaster started, over the course of six years, we had survived. Until Judy jumped out of a building, trying to escape one of the many thousands of crazed animals. It wasn't even going savage the traditional way, it was more like... a zombie, from Resident Animal. Other animal groups called them Cranks, three years in, in that disaster. And I don't think there's a way to stop that from coming again, just a way to prepare.

I've... had a lot of nightmares about it, for the last year and a half as it all came back to me. Judy and I had barely managed to escape the Sun's rays, which melted anyone, and anything staying under it for too long. Too long, being two minutes, but by the first minute, flesh would've already begun melting, the blood vessels popping. I watched Emmet Otterton die that way, he couldn't make it. Neither did Olivia's kids... and speaking of her, she was devastated. We had barely managed to keep her from just suiciding. I guess that's why I wanted to be closer to her now, as Judy and I bonded with her more than we did any other animal. Clawhouser a close second, but...

I can still see the left side of his face, which was in fact melted enough to see the bone, and the eye was just dead, with part of his brain visible, but not damaged, thankfully. I'm not even sure how he lived from that, though. That's what caused him to get a lot more fit, he didn't want to risk dying again.

On the coast, there was something even worse going on. We were thankfully far enough away, it didn't affect us majorly but it sure did increase the water levels by three feet. The problem was, the water was literally boiling like lava, and millions of animals perished. I don't even want to continue with the earthquakes, tornado's, and volcanoes that activated at the exact same time.

The earthquake's, and the Sun Flare's are what caused Judy's family to perish, aside from one single other member of her family, just basically opening up their home, and bam. I really don't want that to happen again. The one to survive was Cotton Hopps, and she was so broken, we could barely get her to utter a single sentence. Yeah, I definitely don't want that to happen again.

My mind suddenly wandered back to the moment we actually got a decent night's rest, for a solid week. It was approximately two weeks before I died with Judy, and I smiled despite all the heartbreak, and the horribleness of it all. I had begun writing a song for Judy, Olivia, Cotton, Clawhouser, and Mom, from what I remembered of her. She was one of the only happy memories I had of my childhood.

I'm a little sour I didn't get to get very far with it though. I got four sentences, before I became stumped. I guess I can share what I have so far though. It's also a bit upsetting I didn't come up with a name for it either.

I leaned down and picked up my guitar, wooden in make, with no special cords attached, and just started to strum a little happy, but also somber tune.

{Under the Willow, Over the river bend

We'll find eachother

When this bloodshed ends

We'll love one another, live the life we tried to fend...}

I was about to stop, when some words came to my mind, and I continued, closing my eyes as I kept strumming, singing slowly to get it all out.

{I sing this song for you

Caring about the crew

Bunny Cop...

Otter Mother...

Cheetah Cop...

Bunny Sister...

I sing this song for you, my friends,

We journeyed to the end,

Hand in hand, and fin in fin,

But now that we're back

All I can think about is,

Can we go back to the beginning...}

I slowed, huffing as I didn't breath during that, getting more intense in my singing. But then, I became lost on how to continue. I wanted to send a final farewell to the older Olivia and Cotton, the ones who are here now don't remember anything, and it just hurts me internally at all the time I realized were wasted, by coming back. I missed them, despite the horror of the future, Cotton was one of my best friends back then, alongside Judy.

I dropped my guitar, and held my face in my hands, letting the tears flow. I can't even be sure Clawhouser remembers, so that's three of my potentially lost future friend's, and I couldn't bear it. I won't leave my room for a few days, I don't want anyone seeing me like this...

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Unknown to Nick, Judy was in the same situation. She likes to seem tough on the outside, and she definitely doesn't mind Flirting with Nick, with her Sisters and friends, but underneath that exterior, she's still a kitten right now, and all that trauma has caused her to cry every night.

Okay, so, that's the end of this chapter, but as you can tell, I'm sort of having a little trouble describing the things that happened.

Aside from that though, that song that was in there? That's actually something I'm trying to write, I've never ever written music before, but just trying is super difficult. Who knows, maybe I'll actually manage to finish the song, and I dunno, maybe publish it? Or maybe it should just be my song that I can use in my story here? Hmm...

Hope you all enjoyed what I could write out, see ya next time. peace!