Hey everyone! Without further ado, and much overdue, here's the first chapter of the WildWorld saga phase 2 commissioned by Siegmar! If you haven't already I strongly suggest you read the first series which you can find here https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery.....dWorld-Stories


In this chapter Flash holds vital information to stopping those who turned him into a cheetah, but struggles to recall his former life. Ash and the others do their best to help, but with time working against them will their efforts be in vain?

5506 words

WILDWORLD ENDGAME CHAP 1:


WildWorld Season finale “It’s about to get Hairy”


The sun’s dappled rays poked and prodded their way through the tangled treeline and down onto the soft dirt below,softly illuminating the curious ring of creatures gathered about the dusty clearing. A woman dressed in a khaki safari vest sat on a bumpy log, scribbling furiously into a notepad. She was surrounded by several large cats of all sorts, sprawled about around the edges of the clearing where the shade offered some relief from the scalding Texas sun. All their attention was focused on the cheetah in the middle, who was currently licking the back of his forepaw.

“Come on, get on with it!” A voice meowled out from the shadows, although the cheetah couldn’t tell who in particular said it. He was still learning the names and scents of everyone here and sometimes it was hard to keep track. He grumbled under his breath something about impatient idiots.

“Yeah yeah, just let me think.” He growled in the general direction of wherever the voice came from, before going back to licking his paw. He was trying to think, dang it! But his paw was also dirty, and he felt uncomfortable if it wasn’t cleaned properly.

“Flash, it would help us immensely if you could… concentrate a bit more. We are short on time.” He recognized this particular voice as belonging to the human, the woman with the notepad. She sounded concerned yet reassuring in a way that reminded him of his own mother, the notion sending foggy half-constructed memories nipping at the fringes of his subconscious. With a low growl he tilted his head downwards, glancing at the sheets of paper attached to numerous clipboards in front of him. On the slips of paper were a series of splotches and lines that he vaguely recalled from his past life. The name Morse Code had sprung up as if from nowhere, from the darkest parts of his memory. It had proven to be a viable way of communicating with the humans, albeit one with a difficult learning curve. He scanned the pages, eyeing the letters and their respective combinations of dots and dashes before tapping his paw on the ground, his claws making audible clicking noises against the clipboard if he did it hard enough.

S-H-U-T U-P I-M T-H-I-N-K-I-N-G he clacked out upon the hard soil. The woman quickly scribbled in her notebook and frowned.

“You don’t have to be so rude about it.” she sighed, wiping a layer of sweat off her forehead before pressing a button several times on a remote situated next to her. Suddenly there was a mechanical grunt as an artificial breeze began sweeping through the enclosure. The big cats around Flash all chuffed in relief as the wind rolled through their fur, offering reprieve from the scorching sun. Even Flash found a light purr escaping his chest.

“That’s much better,” the woman sighed, looking much relieved.” “Maybe it’s best if we take a short break? Let’s all grab some shade and I’ll have Jerry swing by with some chow for y’all. A snack should perk you all up.”

Flash smiled, as much as a cheetah could anyways. He’d been trying to recollect his past life as a human for a week now, and as of late it’d been a long, slow process. His memory was like melted ice cream, a creamy gloppy soup from which it was difficult to distinguish anything for certain. Even more recent events gurgled and melted into the soup. Anything he could pull out was in shapeless chunks, and seemed largely random. Sometimes he could make out memories from his human childhood in vivid detail, other times he struggled to recall what he had eaten that morning. It was frustrating as hell, especially with his own instincts acting as a constant distraction. Like right now he craved nothing more than to flop onto his back and take a long catnap in the sun. And his paw still felt dirty. It was a nagging feeling in his brain that he struggled to overcome, even while deciding whether these feelings were natural or not.

The other cats who lived in Big Cat Mountain were a big help in this regard, helping to differentiate his conscious thoughts from bestial whims and urges foreign to human nature. His fellows were former humans as well, who had found themselves here under a variety of strange and unique circumstances. The snow leopards, Josh and Abigail, and the leopards, Danielle and Brock, were all former high school students who’d found their way here through separate means. The Tiger pair, Chance and Nikki, were brought here from a lab in Wyoming. Melinda the lioness had been sold out by her wealthy husband in a twisted “divorce”. There were others as well but Flash had yet to meet them. Surprisingly they seemed pretty complacent in their situation, despite retaining far more of their memories than Flash did. But despite their help, he was finding it difficult to adjust. He turned and saw a group of them walking up towards him.

“Everything all right?” It was Abigail who had spoken, padding up right beside him. He could see Josh and Nikki hanging back cautiously behind her. Flash exhaled slowly, propping himself up onto all four paws. He had grown to hate the feeling of the soft pads pressing into the dirt, each step a stark reminder of his miserable state.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m just stressed, ya know?” He turned his head towards the chain-link door, wondering when Jerry would arrive with lunch. The elderly caretaker was always punctual with food, but cheetahs weren’t born with an innate sense of time. He wasn’t sure if 5 minutes had passed or thirty. He growled in frustration before Abigail’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Remember we’re all here for you.”

“Wh-no! I wasn’t growling at you!” Flash stammered, head snapping back towards the snow leopard. He wasn’t quite sure how he could tell, but she had a sympathetic expression etched into her muzzle. The way he could understand her, from the various degrees of her scent to the way her tail flicked almost imperceptibly to the right flustered him for some reason. “I-I’m just hungry that’s all. When does Jerry get here?”

Abigail gave him a I-don’t-quite-believe-you look but turned towards the door as well, tail flicking about impatiently.

“I’m hungry too.” she murred; this was followed by a chorus of agreement from the other cats. Fortunately they didn’t have to wait long before they heard the familiar sounds of the meat cart approaching, ears twisting in unison towards the noises echoing from outside the exhibit.

“Here it comes!” Abigail purred enthusiastically.

“Ah, the highlight of my day,” Josh mewled, padding over to the large feeding trough set up along one of the enclosure walls. “Can’t believe the humans still haven’t oiled the wheels on that thing yet. How do they stand the noise?” Flash couldn’t tell if Josh was being sarcastic or not. He tilted his head curiously as he followed the snow leopard, Abigail and Nikki trailing behind. As the tantalizing smell of the approaching fresh meat washed over his muzzle, Flash shuddered as he realized how ravenous the scent made him. Every fiber of his being seemed to tense up in anticipation of sustenance, acting on biological drives that Flash had no control over.

He reached the feeding trough just as the door burst open and a cart filled to the brim with juicy mouthwatering steaks creaked its way into the enclosure. Jerry was always singing some jovial melody when he made his rounds, and today was no different. Flash smiled, despite being well over 70 the man had the voice of a lion (Melinda agreed). The cart slowly hemmed and hawed its way through the door inch by inch until the last corner passed through the gate, revealing the man himself.

Jerry was well beyond his years but once you looked past the wrinkles on his face you saw eyes that burned with the passion of a much younger man. The others enjoyed having him around, and had raved about him after Flash’s arrived. He would often sit with them during the long lazy afternoons after bringing them lunch and tell them long winding stories about whatever topic struck him at the moment. Unlike the other caretakers Jerry didn’t treat them like animals but as if they were old friends reminiscing about the good old days. And they always paid attention. He strolled over to the cart and lifted a giant slab of meat, muscles straining from the exertion. Despite limbs resembling twigs he always found the strength to haul food into dishes. Despite his stomach grumbling in protest Flash forced himself to be patient. He could suppress his instincts for now.

“Here comes lunch my pretty kitties!” Jerry sang as he dragged a slab of red meat to the trough, placing it in front of Danielle’s spot. Flash drooled in envy as he watched her begin to savagely tear into the food with bestial intensity. Chivalry could only last so long, but for Flash it would have to wait. With dismay he noticed he was last in line. His tail twitched in anticipation of his meal; and before long it was finally his turn. With a cherry smile the old man dragged a large slab of steak before the cheetah, who was barely holding back his instincts by this stage. He opened his mouth but right as he was about to dig his ears flicked towards the gate as he heard Ash step back in the enclosure. She was accompanied by another woman, sharply dressed in a silver blazer and dark sunglasses matching short sleek hair. Her stride was poised and professional but the steps slightly off kilter as high heels fought against the dusty terrain. She was carrying a stainless steel laptop straight out of a science fiction movie. They both walked up behind the feasting animals, Ash’s eyes meeting Flash’s.

“Oh, don’t let me disturb your lunch.” Ash chuckled, putting her hands up defensively. Flash’s stomach growled impatiently as he chuffed in relief, before joining the others in their ravenous feast. His ears remained perked and alert, however, providing constant surveillance of the strange woman Ash had brought with her. He was always wary of new intruders, but this woman just gave off bad vibes. But it was of little concern when there was food laid out in front of him.

Flash finished devouring his meal later than the rest of them, and padded over to find them all gathered around Ash and the other woman, listening attentively to something Ash ws saying. They parted as Flash made his way to the front of the circle, Ash smiling as she welcomed his arrival.

“Flash, this is Ms. Appleby, Mr. Gould’s personal secretary. He sent her here to dictate anything we say so he is made aware of our situation.” The woman gave a sharp nod to confirm this, expression unwavering. Flash’s fur bristled as she mentioned the name, it sounded familiar but he wasn’t quite sure why. Nevertheless it made him feel uncomfortable. He tapped out a message on the ground, glancing at the other woman the whole time.

“ H-o-w l-o-n-g w--i-l-l s-h-e b-e h-e-r-e?”

“As long as it takes.” Ash responded, lounging out beside the rocks. “We really need to know who it was that went after you. Who knows what other dastardly stunts they could be up to while we’re just sitting here loafing around?” Flash glanced around him, taking in all the expectant faces glaring back at him. Butterflies filled his stomach as his heart began to pound in his chest. He felt like he was a prisoner being interrogated by the CIA, the gaze of countless eyes trying to burn out information he didn’t know he had. Ugh. It made him uneasy. When he was uneasy, he found that he tended to be a nail biter. He’d already been caught nibbling on his claws several times throughout the day and gotten yelled at, which just made him more uneasy. And as the day dragged on fruitlessly, he’d be caught many times more. It wasn’t long before the sun was starting to set and the only thing he’d remembered was that he’d liked to eat at a place called “Chipotle”.

“I-M S-O-R-R-Y E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E” Flash grimaced, he found himself typing this message out increasingly more often, much to his dismay. He loosely felt Ash gently rubbing his shoulder, fingers pulling through his soft fur. Her touch was light, but it felt like an eighteen-wheeler was driving across his back. As he slowly trudged back towards the claustrophobic chain link tunnel that led back to his enclosure, he lifted his head to see the other cats plodding towards him.

“You all right, Flash?” Abigail murred, padding up beside him. She appeared concerned, and Flash couldn’t blame her.

“What do you think?” he growled, ears flat against his skull as he turned towards the gate. “I’m fricken’ useless to everybody and some people may die because of it. Of course I’m perfectly fine.” The last part drooled with sarcasm but Abigail didn’t seem to pick it up.

“Well there’s always tomorrow… maybe a good nap would help. Or some meditation. Can cheetahs do yoga?” Flash agreed on the nap part, not so much on the rest. He ignored the rest of the words as they trailed off into an incoherent murmur.

“Maybe we could play a game or something? Whenever I’m sad it helps to get the ol’ fur flying for a bit.”

“Shut up, Josh.” Abigail snapped at the other snow leopard, who’d just popped up beside them both like a coiled slinky. His tail was already flicking in anticipation, but stopped suddenly at Abigail’s retort. He slunk backwards but Flash stopped him.

“No no, maybe he’s right. Maybe I just need to unwind for a bit.” Abigail sighed as Josh suddenly perked up with a feline grin. “You down for Capture the rat?”

While having never played, the others had explained the rules of Capture the Rat to Flash earlier, and he was excited to be joining in for the first time. Capture the rat was played similar to the human game capture the flag, but with some minor adjustments. With the completion of the overhead tunnels that spanned the park (a delight for both guest and feline) it was possible for one to traverse between each of the exhibits in big cat mountain on four paws, thus allowing a naturally large playing field even within the confines of the zoo.

The rules were as follows: There were 2 teams, each with a base on one side of the mountain. The exhibits on one side were the first team’s territory, and the exhibits on the other side belonged to the other team. Members of each team would have to sneak over to the opposing side’s territory and catch a rat (there were many lived in the dark and damp service tunnels that would occasionally venture out into the exhibits to search for food). Once caught, the rat would have to be successfully brought back to the first team’s home base without being caught by the other team. If caught, the other team could steal the rat for themselves (usually after a lighthearted play-fight). The team with the most rats at the end of a certain time period would win.

After a couple of intense, high-octane games Flash indeed felt better, and would even admit he was having fun for the first time since he got here. The cat living in his mind could finally come out to play, and he found himself to be a rather respectable rat catcher. It wasn’t long before he was splayed out amongst the other cats in a twisted, jubilant pile resting off the fruits of their labors, a fat juicy mouse clamped in between his jaws. His muscles felt like a dying fire, his energy spent but feeling more alive than he could ever remember. His barreled chest heaved in and out as he inhaled through his nose, wide nostrils allowing for extra oxygen intake.

“Man, I’m beat.” Josh writhed from underneath the cheetah, splaying out his paws and causing the cheetah to tumble off to the side with a yowl. This, of course, made him drop the rat from his jaws as he rebounded up angrily.

“Hey!” he cried out but apart from brief glances the others ignored him, too exhausted to care. Leopard lay on top of tiger and vice versa, and snow leopards were sprinkled out and about the whole mess. It was as if someone had taken every flavor of ice cream and mashed them all together in a single cone. He huffed and hopped back onto the pile, preparing to flop back down.

“Oof, ow! Your claws!” Abigail hissed, swinging her paw somewhere in Flash’s direction, which he easily avoided. The other cats began to grumble and growl as the whole pile began to shift and contort underneath the cheetah’s paws.
“Hey! I’m trying to nap here!”

“Stop! Ow! No kicking!”

“Get your butt out of my face, Danielle!... Or Brock, someone with spots!

The whole pile suddenly fell apart as the blob exploded into a sea of squirming legs and flailing paws, of which Flash found himself right in its midst. He poked his head up to see Ash standing a few feet away, chuckling quietly to herself.

“What’s so funny?” he tapped out, a wave of embarrassment washing over his face. He hoped she couldn’t see it through his fur, but his body language was more than enough to betray his emotions.

“Why you are, silly.” she giggled, something she didn’t do often. “I’m so glad to see you’re adjusting well!” Flash huffed, glancing around at the convulsing bodies around him.

“I wouldn’t call it adjusting”, his ears drooped as he felt the negative emotions wash over him again. His heart began to fill with molten metal that seemed impossible to lift.“ This body feels so different, yet I feel it’s all I ever knew. I’m not quite sure what it is I’m ‘adjusting’ to.” Ash cocked her head slightly, a sympathetic smile on her face.

“Well, I’m glad to see you’re making friends. That’s an improvement, right?”

“I guess…” Flash wasn’t sure about his answer, everything just felt off about it. But he didn’t feel like debating it at the moment. Ash, luckily, seemed to take the hint. She let out a heavy sigh, before turning to leave. Before walking out though, she paused briefly as if she’d just remembered something important.

“Don’t worry you’ll get there, you’re tougher than you think. Just handle it day by day, and don’t forget to smile!”

Smile.

Flash’s world suddenly caved in around him as everything went dark.

Suddenly Flash found himself stuck in a dark windowless room with fractured walls and proportions that didn’t quite obey the laws of physics. The furniture seemed to consist of mostly indistinguishable shapes that rippled and warped as they swam about the fringes of his consciousness. He was hot as hell, and could feel the sweat pouring down his skin. Human skin. Something felt off, but he couldn’t focus as he was distracted by an image flashing on the sole source of trickling, dancing light in the room. He made his way towards it, not quite in control of his limbs as if he were floating around in outer space. As he drew closer the darkness seemed to reassemble itself into more distinct shapes, revealing itself to be the shimmering glow of a laptop placed on a highly disorganized desk littered with clutter.

Flash ventured ever closer, and as he approached the object his heart froze over as he recognized the image on the screen. It hit him like a freight train, rocking him to his very core. It was a case file, no doubt from his human career as a reporter. How he knew this he had no idea. But this computer was his, and he had been here before,not as a cat but as a human. Staring back at him were the cold dark eyes of a man he’d feared and forgotten. No doubt this was the man at the zoo responsible for his fate. It had to be, that maniacal smile tore through his mind like paper, ripping apart whatever barriers his twisted methods had implanted inside him.

Dr. Edward Smiles. One of the lead scientists at Bluestar Labs who at the time was under suspicion for unethical scientific experiments on both animals and humans, experiments Flash could now personally verify. He was reported to have disappeared after a fiasco in Kuwait where he was caught involved in human trafficking rings, likely looking for subjects for his “projects”. Flash had been tracking him down, but apparently Smiles was tracking him this whole time. And he was alive.

Flash pressed a button on the computer and suddenly the image cut out to a whole list of names and faces, his mind overloaded with information as it leapt out of the device. Data points whizzed by his face, blending into an indistinguishable mess of colors and words as Fash tried desperately to slow it down. He could only make out some of the figures as the room began to spin, the rest sinking back into the black waves of his subconscious. He let out a garbled cry as he himself began to be pulled back, the walls and floor of the room leaping up around him. He found himself helpless as the emptiness swallowed him back up, up, up, until he found himself drowning in the swirling black soup that encased him like quicksand.

Then suddenly, just as quickly as it had happened, Flash found himself sucked back to reality, shakily standing back on all four paws. He could feel the wind once again softly teasing his fur, and the foreboding sense that he was being watched overtook him. Still a bit dazed, he glanced up to find several pairs of eyes burning holes into his soul.

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Ash’s concerned voice broke the silence, clearing away the mental fog once and for all. As his vision swam away, the memories began to break up until only a name was left, a face etched into the very walls of his mind. His chest heaved outwards as he gasped for breath. Shakily his paw tapped out on the ground.

“Smiles. … That’s the man you’re looking for. ”

While Ash jotted down his words the other cats simply looked confused, glancing around at one another in bewilderment. Flash suddenly felt incredibly silly, wondering if he was making any sense at all. The vision had been so vivid, but it could’ve just easily been a figment of his imagination. But as he glanced up to see Ash’s face go stark white and eyes bulge out of her skull, he realized maybe he hadn’t been so silly after all.

“A - are you sure? Are you certain it was him?” Ash’s voice had a tone to it that Flash had never heard before, as if all the air had been suddenly been sucked out from her windpipe. Flash nodded solemnly, concern rising in his chest. Ash hesitated for a moment, before stoically throwing down her notepad and whipping up a satellite phone she’d carried in her vest. Her mannerisms carried a weight of urgency as she barked into the metal device.

“Get me Ms. Appleby, stat. I need Warren now!”

Warren had more or less the same reaction Ash did, although he hid it much better. His face was plastered on the strange laptop the woman held earlier, and it didn’t look very happy. Behind him was a venetian palace straight out of a renaissance painting, tiled marble floors and stucco facades overlooking a majestic terrace lined with olive trees and naked cherubs poised atop gushing fountains. After throwing a fit about interrupting his vacation he fell deathly silent upon hearing the news.
“ You’re kidding me. Smiles is still out there?” the man snorted in disbelief. “I thought he jumped off a bridge after I pulled his funding. Man couldn’t handle himself after Kuwait, had gone completely off the rails. You’re saying he’s still around?” Ash sighed, nodding. She pointed towards Flash, sitting on his haunches beside her, head tilted in curiosity.

“Flash just told me that, yes. I think Smiles was the man who went after him, or at least authorized it. I’m not sure who he’s working for though.” She paused for a brief moment before continuing, a slightly accusatory look on her face.

“Could he have been working for Bluestar?” Warren appeared visibly upset by the question, raising his hands defensively.

“Look, you know Smiles and I ended our partnership years ago. If you think I did this…”

“You took two kids and handed them right over to Bluestar. Now someone investigating them winds up a cheetah, with his memories completely erased. You were throwing wads of money at those crooked creeps to fund their illicit activities, and this happens. Either you know what’s up, or you’re absolutely clueless! Which one is it, Warren?” Ash’s voice rose as she grew more heated, causing all the cats except for Flash to draw back in surprise, the cheetah frozen in place like an ice sculpture. Warren himself looked like a tea kettle about to lose its top.

“I wasn’t responsible for the cheetah!” Warren exclaimed, exasperated. “Naive passionate types like you simply don’t know how business works. Bluestar services many clients with various interests, they keep operations a secret for even their top investors. Dr. Smiles, if he is indeed alive, could just as easily be employed by one of their clients. I have no connection with him!”
“And yet you ordered SOMEONE to take care of Flash after he was threatening to expose you.” Ash retaliated, yelling at the screen. Flash noticed Ms. Appleby had been lurking nearby as if trying to overhear the conversation but slunk out of the way as Ash’s outburst grew more heated. “You’re not telling me something Warren, and you can rest assured I’m going to bloody hell find out what that is!” Warren sighed, wringing his forehead with his stubby fingers.

“Look, I happen to be friends with your cheetah man’s boss, and I simply asked him to remove, uhh..” he paused for a moment as he tried to recall Flash’s name, but the effort was short lived. “well, whatever his name was from the case. Rest assured I gave no inclination that he was to be changed in any way. You know I don’t do that stuff any more.” Ash shot him a look of tense disbelief.

“ Yeah, sure. I’ve known you for years now, Warren, and I know that’s the exact sort of horse crap you like to pull.” She inhaled sharply before breathing out slowly, hands clenching in and out of fists as she tried to quell the bristling anger within her. There were more important things to do than play the blame game all day.

“Look, that’s not important right now.” She felt that she was trying to persuade herself as much as Warren right now as she attempted to calm herself down. “But if Flash’s memories hold true, and Dr. Smiles is still around, then you must be aware of the grave threat he poses to all of us.” Warren’s eyes shifted downwards, then after a brief moment of hesitation he nodded.

“It’s certainly worth pursuing, no doubt he is involved in matters that serve against our mutual interests. I’ll schedule a meeting to discuss the matter with relevant parties. I will handle this matter myself.” Ash crossed her arms like a toddler who’d just been refused a toy.

“No.” Immediately the man’s face shot up on the screen, eyebrow cocked in amused disbelief.
“No? Did I hear that correctly?” His stare burned into Flash’s mind, eyes resembling those of a viper about to strike. Warren gave off an aura of danger, which made Flash instinctually tremble in place despite not being physically present. It felt like if he opened his mouth a savage, feral creature would burst out and rip him to shreds. Ash, however, remained defiant.

“I said no, Warren! I’m tired of your BS corporate talk and numerous flat excuses! Your pretentious promises of progress while your only true concern is the next exotic hole to stick your head into!” She was full on yelling at him now, unleashing a verbal assault on the computer. “I’m not having any more of this, Warren! Do you not understand the trouble we’re in if Smiles is loose? He’s the only other one who knows how to create the serum, and judging by Flash here he’s figured out how to make it affect the mind as well. Which means he’s conducting active and independent research against our own efforts, and must be stopped at all costs. What part of that do you not understand?”

“Like I said, I’ll talk to the relevant parties and-” Warren began, a bit more agitated, but he was cut short by Ash.

“That’s not enough. If he’s collaborating with Bluestar we need people looking into them NOW to find out what they’re up to before they bury everything. We need someone in Indonesia, and we need to do it now!” Warren nodded begrudgingly.

“Of course. I’ll contact-”

“I’ll go.” The words burst through the air like a loud clap of thunder, silencing everyone present. The cats, who had been both nervously and eagerly listening in from afar suddenly turned to one another in bewilderment. Could she be serious? Yet there was a glint of determination burned into her eyes that left no doubt. A wave of confusion washed over the felines as they struggled to process what they’d heard. Warren apparently felt the same way.

“What?!” He exclaimed, his plaster-like face melting into an expression of surprise. Ash simply nodded.

“I don’t trust anyone else. I want to go around there and take a look myself. And find Brittney and Cecil while I’m at it.” Brock and Danielle’s hearts fluttered when she mentioned their former friends. Could they still be alive?

“You know there’s no one better for the job,” Ash continued. “And you’re not gonna stop me. So you might as well assign me to the case. I’ve got as much invested in this as you.”

“What could she mean by that?” Flash thought to himself. He found everything rather confusing as his memories were still muddled. He managed to slowly pad away from the bickering humans and crawl back towards the others who had erupted into a chorus of confusion. Their yowls and growls faded along with the human noises into the background, a simple buzzing in his ears that was no longer distinguishable. Turning away, he focused on the sights and sounds bubbling up from the natural terrain, the chirps of crickets and rustling of palm leaves drowning out all other noises allowing him to feel more at ease. Turning his head upwards, his gaze fell on the streaks of red and orange slowly overtaking the blue as the sun lazily dipped below the tree line. He wondered how many creatures stared at that same sky, the universal signal that the Earth had survived another day.
It also signaled bedtime, as Flash felt worn out from all the day’s events and unlike his neighbors cheetahs were not nocturnal creatures. Exhaustion creeped into every step, threatening to halt his movements right then and there. He turned around to plod back to his own enclosure, but saw Ash waving him over instead. Ignoring the complaints of his tired muscles he plodded over to find the others in a buzz of excitement. He made his way to Ash, tilting his head and mewing softly. Ash smiled, seemingly in a much better mood as if someone had flipped a switch.

“There you are, Flash! Are you all tuckered out?” Flash nodded slowly, confused. Did she call him over just to berate him?

“Oh I could tell, silly. You’re wobbling about like a drunken goose. Don’t worry, this’ll be quick. So I was talking with Warren and-”

“You’re going away?” Flash had difficulty maintaining his composure but managed to tap out his message. He remembered what he’d heard earlier and a wave of unease began bubbling up inside. Strangely enough he didn’t want her to go. He hoped in vain that his body wouldn’t betray his emotions. But much to his surprise she simply chuckled, ruffling the fur on his head. But what she said next hit him like a freight train.

“ You’re so adorable, Flash. But you don’t have to worry, I’m not the only one going. You’re all coming with me!”