Attempt at Courage
Jude didn't know what a chicken was. They'd been called it a lot though, so they liked to think it was a kind of mouse or maybe a cool bug. Today, being "chicken" meant scurrying back into their yard when they heard a cat yowl echoing deep in the forest.
"You're such a chicken, Jude!" a voice called with a snicker as the little brown cat emerged from the gap under the fence, hackles raised and eyes wide.
"I don't know what that is but am not!" Jude called back, sitting on their haunches and trying to calm their racing heart. That just made the laughing grow louder, though. A large black tom with white paws and funny folded ears emerged from the shade of Jude's house. He looked more of a dog than a cat, really, with his long fur and huge form despite being so young. It was Bundy, a close friend of Jude's who lived just nextdoor. He was a good friend-- a great one! But sometimes being a good friend meant being an absolute cricket butt.
"You so are," Bundy argued back, taking a seat by his friend. "You never want to do anything fun. You always turn tail and run like a kit at anything relatively scary!"
Did 'chicken' mean 'cowardly' then? Jude could see why Bundy would call them that, but... well, yeah. He was totally spot on. Jude quickly turned their head away from him to groom themself, feeling slightly embarrassed. They knew all the other cats in the PeoplePlace were out exploring the neighborhood and growing more curious of the surrounding territory. "It's not my fault the forest is so scary."
"No, but it is your fault your fear keeps you from exploring." There was a long pause before the young tom perked up and leapt to his paws again. "Prove it!"
Jude stopped grooming, looking at him with wide eyes. They knew that tone in their friend's voice, and it never led to anything good. "Prove what?"
"Prove you're not a chicken! Let's go explore the forest later. AFTER dark."
If it were possible, Jude's eyes grew even wider and their fur puffed up like their human's hair in warm weather. "Oh Bundy, I can't possibly--"
"Great! So I'll see you tonight then!"
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http://between-the-trees.boards.net/thread/116/inktober-writing
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Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 License.
- Dog bark by By Ronfont - www.freesound.org +)
- Ominous Owls by George Vlad of Alchemy Audio Design +)
- the nightingale song by inchadney from http://freesound.org edited +)
- Owl Hoot by Inchadney of the Freesound Project +)
- Fox Screaming by michieldb from http://freesound.org +)
- Squeak by Motion_S +)
- Wind through the trees by Sara Oglesbee +)
- Crickets ambience by www.soundsnap.com *)
*) Soundsnap.com license