Of Chirps and Squeaks (Forum Contest Entry!)
Jan 31, 2017 6:55:16 GMT 10
Ruby GladeWish and G̶0ͮͩͦ̑D̶L̶e̶ᎦᎦ like this
Post by KiriMina on Jan 31, 2017 6:55:16 GMT 10
Okay let me start by saying this. SIX LEMMINGS IS NOT A MIGRATION. That questline is adorable but it drives me insane, that single little part of it! When lemmings migrate, it's often large chunks of a given region's population, from a few hundred to a few thousand. Also...How to keep such spazzy little creatures on the path you want, without them running amok...Yeah. 'v' Following them on horseback wouldn't actually do anything but spook them. Anyway...I thought this would be a cute way to continue from that quest, and I hope you all enjoy it!
**Note - This is my contest entry for the 2000 Star Coins, but even if I don't win, I hope you guys read, like, and enjoy!**
**Note - This is my contest entry for the 2000 Star Coins, but even if I don't win, I hope you guys read, like, and enjoy!**
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It had started out like any other morning at the Valedale Stables. The sun was just beginning to shine through the trees while birds began to sing, Cows and horses were being brushed and fed by the stable hands, and the last remnants of winter snow were melting away. Though spring had finally come, some residents of Valedale were still feeling the effects of winter, one such person still laying asleep in her bed at an inn next to the stables. Normally this person, a young girl of about sixteen years of age, would have already been up and helping at the stables, however she had spent the previous day riding across the country side and escorting a small group of six lost lemmings up the mountain trail to the north of town, and had been thoroughly exhausted trying to keep the little creatures on the right path.
This girl probably would have simply continued to sleep for the next few hours, wrapped up under several large blankets, had it not been for a small cellphone sitting on a night stand next to her bed. A small light on it began blinking rapidly, then seconds later the phone erupted with the blaring sound of the chosen ringtone. *'Spear of Justice' begins playing!* The sudden loud noise startled the girl awake, and in her panic she tumbled onto the floor, still tangled in the majority of her blankets. *Spear of Justice intensifies!*
"Oh come on! Sophie, you said I could sleep in today!" The girl groaned as she disentangled herself from her blankets, quickly grabbing the phone and answering it. Just as she thought, it was one of the local girls, Sophie, calling her. "Mmph...Morning Sophie."
"Ashley! I'm so sorry, did I wake you up?" Sophie questioned, having just remembered the agreement she and Ashley had made lastnight. "I totally forgot, you had such a bad night coming back down the mountain with all that rain and the snow melt...How are you feeling?"
"I was feeling great, until my face got introduced to the floor." Ashley chuckled, finding it hard to be grumpy or annoyed with the caring girl on the phone. "So, any reason you're calling me this early?"
"Well uh...You see, I got a call from Mario earlier, he was sneezing up a storm. Turns out there are some more lost lemmings around the observatory, and I was wondering if you'd help me with them..." Sophie paused, chuckling nervously. "I mean, I'd go and help you this time, I know you're probably still exhausted. I uh...I'm actually at the Observatory now, and I would handle them myself, but..."
"It's fine, I'm feeling a lot better than I was lastnight, just..." Ashley sighed, rubbing her eyes a little. "...Let me get dressed and get Phantom saddled up, I'll be there as soon as possible."
"I swear, Ash, you're a lifesaver!" Sophie cheered on the other end, giving her usual cheerful goodbye before hanging up. Knowing Ashley would be there soon, she let out a sigh of relief, looking around at the group of lemmings she had managed to round up. "...Maybe I should have told her to bring Claire with her, too..."
After she had gotten dressed, Ashley made her way out to the stables, quickly gathering up her gear and saddling her horse, Phantom. The dark grey Friesian Sport Horse had been her closest companion since she arrived on Jorvik a few months ago, and she was always happy to see him in the morning. He seemed to be just as happy to see her, often throwing his head over her shoulder and pulling her against his neck when she would try to walk past his stall. Once Phantom was saddled, the pair started off down the long road to the Observatory.
When Ashley arrived at the observatory, she was greeted by a sight that left her screaming internally. She had expected to see maybe four or five more lemmings, but much to her dismay and horror, there were at least ten large tubs filled with chirping, squeaking lemmings. Sophie rested off to the side of the tubs under a tree, the girl chuckling nervously and waving at Ashley as she drew near. "Eheh...I think the ones you helped yesterday were just the first ones to make it here...I tried to count, but they all kept squirming and running around, I lost track at around two hundred..."
"...Please tell me I'm not the only one you called." Ashley whimpered, looking at all the tubs filled with confused squeaking rodents. "Can we just...Put them on a truck and send them-"
"A truck could never get them up to the valley, the road is too narrow and they would be so confused, they might just turn around and come back here!" Sophie exclaimed, whining a little herself. "Don't worry...I said I'd help this time, so you take the lead and I'll steer any wanderers back onto the path. Rather than taking them down the road, we can cut through the mountains back to town, then up the valley path from there..."
"Sophie, this is going to take us all day, isn't it?" Ashley deadpanned, looking over at her friend. "..You owe me some icecream when we're done."
Guiding the lemmings down the mountain path to Valedale hadn't been too difficult, the narrow path was lined by great walls of stone on either side. When they had reached a part where the path curved back and forth down the mountainside, Ashley had thought of dragging some carrots along the ground behind her, the lemmings eagerly following them in hopes of getting a bite to eat. The few that had tried to stray from the path were quickly scooped up my Sophie, who was walking along behind the little rodents just as she said, though she was likely regretting not bringing a horse with her.
"Hey, do you want to stop by the stables and get a horse? It'll be a bit easier on your body than walking the entire time..." Ashley looked back at the other girl as they reached Valedale, seeing Sophie shake her head as she kept a few lemmings from running off. "..You sure? I mean, it's gonna be pretty muddy on the trail up, too.."
"I'll be fine, really." Sophie sighed, forcing a bit of a smile. Truthfully, her back was already starting to ache, but she figured it would be easier to keep the lemmings under control if she didn't have to continuously dismount a horse to catch them. "A little mud won't bother me...Oh, but I do want to go visit Elizabeth really quick, she said she'd pack a lunch for us to share once we get up to the valley."
"Sounds good, I'll keep an eye on the squeaky toys then." Ashley chuckled and smiled, looking down at the ground as the lemmings darted all around, most trying to get a bite from the carrots she had ben dragging behind her. "..Good thing I've got more of those with me, we're probably gonna need them." Hearing Phantom snort, she laughed a bit and turned back around to pet his mane. "Oh don't worry, I'll make sure there's enough left for you to snack on."
"Okay, got our lunch!" Sophie shouted as she hurried back, being careful not to step on any of the little chirping rodents. Once she had handed Ashley her lunch, the two began leading the lemmings through Valedale and up the long trail to the valley.
Just as Ashley had predicted, the trail was slick with mud. Phantom was able to keep his footing just fine, but the lemmings were having a bit of trouble trying to meander through the muddy terrain. As small as they were, they were easily covered in the thick substance, many of them stopping in their tracks to groom themselves as soon as they reached drier patches of ground. Some were even becoming stuck in the mud, but thankfully Sophie was quick to free them and place them back on the path.
Sophie was having a hard time with the mud as well, having slipped and fallen in it several times before they even reached the halfway point. What normally would have taken two hours had taken the group almost three hours. They had started up the trail at around ten thirty, and it was already close to two thirty when they stopped. "Ugh...This is horrible." Sophie sighed, trying to find a dry pace to sit that the lemmings hadn't already claimed. Some of the critters were still running around, but as of yet they hadn't lost any on the way up the trail.
"You alright over there?" Ashley asked, watching as Sophie finally found a place to sit and eat her lunch. "You're covered in mud...Aren't you cold?" She asked, checking her backpack for a moment to see if she had any extra clothes or a blanket packed. "Nnn...I don't think these would be any help, you'd just be even colder.."
"I'm fine, don't worry." Sophie chuckled quietly, doing her best to ignore the cold. "I've been stuck out in the snow before, it was way colder than this."
"Heh...Hey, can you imagine some of the Bobcats trying to do this? Like Loretta?" Ashley inquired, grinning a bit as Sophie snickered. "Yeah, didn't think so...I can just hear her now. 'No way, and get mud or lemming droppings on my new Jollister Boots?'...It'd be worth watching her reaction, but we'd still be out here doing the job for her."
"I never could understand why those girls act like that...Tan is nice, but most of the others...I think they just act like that to stay on Loretta's good side." Sophie smiled, shaking her head a bit. "..So...Do you think the rest of the trail is this bad?"
"This was just from the rain...Further up we've got to deal with the aftermath of both the rain and the snowmelt..." Ashley paused, putting the rest of her lunch away and stroking Phantom's mane. "...The trail is more narrow, and there are more drop offs...We should be fine, we just need to go slow and be careful. Don't go too close to the edge of the path, alright Sophie?"
"Yeah, I'll be careful." Sophie nodded, finishing her lunch and stretching as she stood up. "Ready to start back up?"
"Whenever you are." Ashley replied, Phantom letting out a small whinney as she tugged lightly on the reins. "Back to work, let's go boy."
As they continued up the path towards the valley, the lemmings seemed to become excited. Some would dart further up the path, while others ran in circles or towards the ledges that lined one side of the trail. Sophie had her hands full trying to keep up with the lemmings, slipping and sliding around as she tried to grab a few strays.
Before long, the lemmings all began running ahead of Ashley and Phantom, seeming to collectively know where they were by now. While this was a relief to the girls, they decided to continue following the little creatures up to the valley pass, just to make sure they made it. Watching the last few lemmings waddle into the valley, the girls let out a sigh of relief. "Hopefully they don't get lost again next year..." Ashley muttered, rubbing her eyes a little as Phantom turned to start back down the trail. "Still walking, or do you want a ride?"
"Oh, I can walk a bit longer...The trip back to Valedale shouldn't..." Sophie paused, a small yet frantic chirping sound catching her attention. "That's from the trail..." She said, moving as quickly through the mud as she could to try to find the source of the chirping. "Over there!"
"Sophie, be careful!" Ashley shouted, urging Phantom to follow after the girl as she watched her kneel down and peer over the edge of the trail.
"There's a lemming on a ledge about three feet down from us, it looks like it fell and injured itself!" Sophie exclaimed, an odd look on her face as she looked back at Ashley. "We...We have to do something. We were responsible for all of them, all the others made it.."
"Calm down, if we try to climb down and that ledge gives way..."Ashley sighed, shaking her head a bit. "...I guess we can't just leave it there, though.."
Several hours later, as afternoon turned to evening, Elizabeth sat outside of her home. She kept a watchful eye on the entrance to the mountain trail, letting out a sigh as time passed. "They should have been back by now...I hope nothing happened." She said to herself, blinking as she hear a familiar sound. "..Another lemming?" For a moment, she swore she heard a voice as well, her suspicions being confirmed as a muddy grey horse came around the bend with two mud covered girls on his back. "Oh heavens!"
"Elizabeth, call the vet!" Sophie shouted, holding a tiny chirping lemming that she had wrapped up in a scarf. "Please, he's hurt bad...a-And Ashley is-"
"Hey, hey, no. I'm fine, I already told you." Ashley sighed, carefully shifting in her saddle and placing her left hand over her right wrist. "I just took a fall and landed on a rock, it's no big deal."
"But you-"
"Sophie, calm down and take the little one inside, I'll fetch the vet." Elizabeth sighed, waiting for the teary-eyed girl to go inside. Once Sophie was in the house, she turned her attention to Ashley. "Well, how bad is it?" She inquired, becoming slightly annoyed and gently grabbing the girl's wrist when she tried to dodge the question. This caused Ashley to wince a bit, though from what Elizabeth could feel, her injuries weren't all that bad. "Mmm...Well, it's not broken, but you should still get it checked out. Let me go get the vet, then you can tell me what happened."
"...Yes Ma'am." Ashley frowned, rubbing her wrist a little. "I'll go get Phantom taken care of, then I'll come right back over."
Once the vet arrived things finally began to calm down. Sophie told the vet how they had found the injured lemming, and how she had become impatient about saving it. "..I was going to just climb down, but Ashley stopped me. When she was climbing down from Phantom's back, she slipped in the mud and fell onto some rocks that had been covered up by the mud..."
"I'm fine, stop looking so guilty." Ashley chuckled, rubbing her wrist a bit once more. "Anyway...I grabbed my little saddlebag and my fishing rod. We managed to find a long branch to help coax the lemming into the bag after I lowered it down, then we just reeled him up when he was in."
"That was a very practical thing to do, I'm proud of you for thinking of such a thing." Elizabeth smiled, glancing over to the vet as she examined the now sedated lemming. "How is our little friend doing?"
"Well...I don't think this one will be able to join the migration again, looks like he's lost the use of his back legs." The vet said, crossing her arms. "It's a shame, he's a real cute little one too..."
"Hey, they're like hamsters, right? Why not have someone take care of it, if it isn't able to go back into the wild?" Ashley suggested, earning some odd looks from those at the table. "...I mean, hey...They have wheelchairs for dogs, cats, rabbits...I'm sure we could rig up a lemming sized one. If it's not in pain, why not keep him happy and let the tourists see him? They don't get to see the lemmings until the migration, right?"
"I-...I'll take care of him!" Sophie announced, her face flushing a little as the others smiled at her. "i-I can gate off a corner of my room for him, and I can ask Conraad if he'd be able to help with making a chair for him.."
"Well, that settles it." The vet nodded, picking the little lemming up and placing him in Sophie's hands. "I think the chirping was more out of fear than anything, if he starts acting like a normal lemming once the sedative wears off, you should be fine as far as keeping him."
"I'll see about getting you some fresh vegetables for the little guy tomorrow, for now I think it's best for you two to head on back to your rooms, maybe take a nice hot bath to wash off the mud, then get a good nights sleep." Elizabeth smiled, the girls both nodding and standing up, moving to the front door soon after the vet left. "You two did a very good job, you deserve some rest."
"Hey...Thanks, for everything today." Sophie said once she and Ashley were near their rooms. "I don't think I could have handled any of this alone...I really owe you."
"...Eh...Just take care of that little squeaker, and we'll call it even." Ashley shrugged and smiled, watching as Sophie nodded and headed to her room. Just before she reached the door, Ashley spoke up again. "Oh...Also, tomorrow...I am sleeping in, consider it a trade off instead of you buying me icecream."
"Alright!" Sophie giggled, shaking her head a little and heading into her room,looking at the sleeping lemming in one of her arms as she closed the door. "...Squeaker...That's a cute name. Thanks, Ashley."
It had started out like any other morning at the Valedale Stables. The sun was just beginning to shine through the trees while birds began to sing, Cows and horses were being brushed and fed by the stable hands, and the last remnants of winter snow were melting away. Though spring had finally come, some residents of Valedale were still feeling the effects of winter, one such person still laying asleep in her bed at an inn next to the stables. Normally this person, a young girl of about sixteen years of age, would have already been up and helping at the stables, however she had spent the previous day riding across the country side and escorting a small group of six lost lemmings up the mountain trail to the north of town, and had been thoroughly exhausted trying to keep the little creatures on the right path.
This girl probably would have simply continued to sleep for the next few hours, wrapped up under several large blankets, had it not been for a small cellphone sitting on a night stand next to her bed. A small light on it began blinking rapidly, then seconds later the phone erupted with the blaring sound of the chosen ringtone. *'Spear of Justice' begins playing!* The sudden loud noise startled the girl awake, and in her panic she tumbled onto the floor, still tangled in the majority of her blankets. *Spear of Justice intensifies!*
"Oh come on! Sophie, you said I could sleep in today!" The girl groaned as she disentangled herself from her blankets, quickly grabbing the phone and answering it. Just as she thought, it was one of the local girls, Sophie, calling her. "Mmph...Morning Sophie."
"Ashley! I'm so sorry, did I wake you up?" Sophie questioned, having just remembered the agreement she and Ashley had made lastnight. "I totally forgot, you had such a bad night coming back down the mountain with all that rain and the snow melt...How are you feeling?"
"I was feeling great, until my face got introduced to the floor." Ashley chuckled, finding it hard to be grumpy or annoyed with the caring girl on the phone. "So, any reason you're calling me this early?"
"Well uh...You see, I got a call from Mario earlier, he was sneezing up a storm. Turns out there are some more lost lemmings around the observatory, and I was wondering if you'd help me with them..." Sophie paused, chuckling nervously. "I mean, I'd go and help you this time, I know you're probably still exhausted. I uh...I'm actually at the Observatory now, and I would handle them myself, but..."
"It's fine, I'm feeling a lot better than I was lastnight, just..." Ashley sighed, rubbing her eyes a little. "...Let me get dressed and get Phantom saddled up, I'll be there as soon as possible."
"I swear, Ash, you're a lifesaver!" Sophie cheered on the other end, giving her usual cheerful goodbye before hanging up. Knowing Ashley would be there soon, she let out a sigh of relief, looking around at the group of lemmings she had managed to round up. "...Maybe I should have told her to bring Claire with her, too..."
After she had gotten dressed, Ashley made her way out to the stables, quickly gathering up her gear and saddling her horse, Phantom. The dark grey Friesian Sport Horse had been her closest companion since she arrived on Jorvik a few months ago, and she was always happy to see him in the morning. He seemed to be just as happy to see her, often throwing his head over her shoulder and pulling her against his neck when she would try to walk past his stall. Once Phantom was saddled, the pair started off down the long road to the Observatory.
When Ashley arrived at the observatory, she was greeted by a sight that left her screaming internally. She had expected to see maybe four or five more lemmings, but much to her dismay and horror, there were at least ten large tubs filled with chirping, squeaking lemmings. Sophie rested off to the side of the tubs under a tree, the girl chuckling nervously and waving at Ashley as she drew near. "Eheh...I think the ones you helped yesterday were just the first ones to make it here...I tried to count, but they all kept squirming and running around, I lost track at around two hundred..."
"...Please tell me I'm not the only one you called." Ashley whimpered, looking at all the tubs filled with confused squeaking rodents. "Can we just...Put them on a truck and send them-"
"A truck could never get them up to the valley, the road is too narrow and they would be so confused, they might just turn around and come back here!" Sophie exclaimed, whining a little herself. "Don't worry...I said I'd help this time, so you take the lead and I'll steer any wanderers back onto the path. Rather than taking them down the road, we can cut through the mountains back to town, then up the valley path from there..."
"Sophie, this is going to take us all day, isn't it?" Ashley deadpanned, looking over at her friend. "..You owe me some icecream when we're done."
~~~
Guiding the lemmings down the mountain path to Valedale hadn't been too difficult, the narrow path was lined by great walls of stone on either side. When they had reached a part where the path curved back and forth down the mountainside, Ashley had thought of dragging some carrots along the ground behind her, the lemmings eagerly following them in hopes of getting a bite to eat. The few that had tried to stray from the path were quickly scooped up my Sophie, who was walking along behind the little rodents just as she said, though she was likely regretting not bringing a horse with her.
"Hey, do you want to stop by the stables and get a horse? It'll be a bit easier on your body than walking the entire time..." Ashley looked back at the other girl as they reached Valedale, seeing Sophie shake her head as she kept a few lemmings from running off. "..You sure? I mean, it's gonna be pretty muddy on the trail up, too.."
"I'll be fine, really." Sophie sighed, forcing a bit of a smile. Truthfully, her back was already starting to ache, but she figured it would be easier to keep the lemmings under control if she didn't have to continuously dismount a horse to catch them. "A little mud won't bother me...Oh, but I do want to go visit Elizabeth really quick, she said she'd pack a lunch for us to share once we get up to the valley."
"Sounds good, I'll keep an eye on the squeaky toys then." Ashley chuckled and smiled, looking down at the ground as the lemmings darted all around, most trying to get a bite from the carrots she had ben dragging behind her. "..Good thing I've got more of those with me, we're probably gonna need them." Hearing Phantom snort, she laughed a bit and turned back around to pet his mane. "Oh don't worry, I'll make sure there's enough left for you to snack on."
"Okay, got our lunch!" Sophie shouted as she hurried back, being careful not to step on any of the little chirping rodents. Once she had handed Ashley her lunch, the two began leading the lemmings through Valedale and up the long trail to the valley.
~~~
Just as Ashley had predicted, the trail was slick with mud. Phantom was able to keep his footing just fine, but the lemmings were having a bit of trouble trying to meander through the muddy terrain. As small as they were, they were easily covered in the thick substance, many of them stopping in their tracks to groom themselves as soon as they reached drier patches of ground. Some were even becoming stuck in the mud, but thankfully Sophie was quick to free them and place them back on the path.
Sophie was having a hard time with the mud as well, having slipped and fallen in it several times before they even reached the halfway point. What normally would have taken two hours had taken the group almost three hours. They had started up the trail at around ten thirty, and it was already close to two thirty when they stopped. "Ugh...This is horrible." Sophie sighed, trying to find a dry pace to sit that the lemmings hadn't already claimed. Some of the critters were still running around, but as of yet they hadn't lost any on the way up the trail.
"You alright over there?" Ashley asked, watching as Sophie finally found a place to sit and eat her lunch. "You're covered in mud...Aren't you cold?" She asked, checking her backpack for a moment to see if she had any extra clothes or a blanket packed. "Nnn...I don't think these would be any help, you'd just be even colder.."
"I'm fine, don't worry." Sophie chuckled quietly, doing her best to ignore the cold. "I've been stuck out in the snow before, it was way colder than this."
"Heh...Hey, can you imagine some of the Bobcats trying to do this? Like Loretta?" Ashley inquired, grinning a bit as Sophie snickered. "Yeah, didn't think so...I can just hear her now. 'No way, and get mud or lemming droppings on my new Jollister Boots?'...It'd be worth watching her reaction, but we'd still be out here doing the job for her."
"I never could understand why those girls act like that...Tan is nice, but most of the others...I think they just act like that to stay on Loretta's good side." Sophie smiled, shaking her head a bit. "..So...Do you think the rest of the trail is this bad?"
"This was just from the rain...Further up we've got to deal with the aftermath of both the rain and the snowmelt..." Ashley paused, putting the rest of her lunch away and stroking Phantom's mane. "...The trail is more narrow, and there are more drop offs...We should be fine, we just need to go slow and be careful. Don't go too close to the edge of the path, alright Sophie?"
"Yeah, I'll be careful." Sophie nodded, finishing her lunch and stretching as she stood up. "Ready to start back up?"
"Whenever you are." Ashley replied, Phantom letting out a small whinney as she tugged lightly on the reins. "Back to work, let's go boy."
~~~
As they continued up the path towards the valley, the lemmings seemed to become excited. Some would dart further up the path, while others ran in circles or towards the ledges that lined one side of the trail. Sophie had her hands full trying to keep up with the lemmings, slipping and sliding around as she tried to grab a few strays.
Before long, the lemmings all began running ahead of Ashley and Phantom, seeming to collectively know where they were by now. While this was a relief to the girls, they decided to continue following the little creatures up to the valley pass, just to make sure they made it. Watching the last few lemmings waddle into the valley, the girls let out a sigh of relief. "Hopefully they don't get lost again next year..." Ashley muttered, rubbing her eyes a little as Phantom turned to start back down the trail. "Still walking, or do you want a ride?"
"Oh, I can walk a bit longer...The trip back to Valedale shouldn't..." Sophie paused, a small yet frantic chirping sound catching her attention. "That's from the trail..." She said, moving as quickly through the mud as she could to try to find the source of the chirping. "Over there!"
"Sophie, be careful!" Ashley shouted, urging Phantom to follow after the girl as she watched her kneel down and peer over the edge of the trail.
"There's a lemming on a ledge about three feet down from us, it looks like it fell and injured itself!" Sophie exclaimed, an odd look on her face as she looked back at Ashley. "We...We have to do something. We were responsible for all of them, all the others made it.."
"Calm down, if we try to climb down and that ledge gives way..."Ashley sighed, shaking her head a bit. "...I guess we can't just leave it there, though.."
~~~
Several hours later, as afternoon turned to evening, Elizabeth sat outside of her home. She kept a watchful eye on the entrance to the mountain trail, letting out a sigh as time passed. "They should have been back by now...I hope nothing happened." She said to herself, blinking as she hear a familiar sound. "..Another lemming?" For a moment, she swore she heard a voice as well, her suspicions being confirmed as a muddy grey horse came around the bend with two mud covered girls on his back. "Oh heavens!"
"Elizabeth, call the vet!" Sophie shouted, holding a tiny chirping lemming that she had wrapped up in a scarf. "Please, he's hurt bad...a-And Ashley is-"
"Hey, hey, no. I'm fine, I already told you." Ashley sighed, carefully shifting in her saddle and placing her left hand over her right wrist. "I just took a fall and landed on a rock, it's no big deal."
"But you-"
"Sophie, calm down and take the little one inside, I'll fetch the vet." Elizabeth sighed, waiting for the teary-eyed girl to go inside. Once Sophie was in the house, she turned her attention to Ashley. "Well, how bad is it?" She inquired, becoming slightly annoyed and gently grabbing the girl's wrist when she tried to dodge the question. This caused Ashley to wince a bit, though from what Elizabeth could feel, her injuries weren't all that bad. "Mmm...Well, it's not broken, but you should still get it checked out. Let me go get the vet, then you can tell me what happened."
"...Yes Ma'am." Ashley frowned, rubbing her wrist a little. "I'll go get Phantom taken care of, then I'll come right back over."
~~~
Once the vet arrived things finally began to calm down. Sophie told the vet how they had found the injured lemming, and how she had become impatient about saving it. "..I was going to just climb down, but Ashley stopped me. When she was climbing down from Phantom's back, she slipped in the mud and fell onto some rocks that had been covered up by the mud..."
"I'm fine, stop looking so guilty." Ashley chuckled, rubbing her wrist a bit once more. "Anyway...I grabbed my little saddlebag and my fishing rod. We managed to find a long branch to help coax the lemming into the bag after I lowered it down, then we just reeled him up when he was in."
"That was a very practical thing to do, I'm proud of you for thinking of such a thing." Elizabeth smiled, glancing over to the vet as she examined the now sedated lemming. "How is our little friend doing?"
"Well...I don't think this one will be able to join the migration again, looks like he's lost the use of his back legs." The vet said, crossing her arms. "It's a shame, he's a real cute little one too..."
"Hey, they're like hamsters, right? Why not have someone take care of it, if it isn't able to go back into the wild?" Ashley suggested, earning some odd looks from those at the table. "...I mean, hey...They have wheelchairs for dogs, cats, rabbits...I'm sure we could rig up a lemming sized one. If it's not in pain, why not keep him happy and let the tourists see him? They don't get to see the lemmings until the migration, right?"
"I-...I'll take care of him!" Sophie announced, her face flushing a little as the others smiled at her. "i-I can gate off a corner of my room for him, and I can ask Conraad if he'd be able to help with making a chair for him.."
"Well, that settles it." The vet nodded, picking the little lemming up and placing him in Sophie's hands. "I think the chirping was more out of fear than anything, if he starts acting like a normal lemming once the sedative wears off, you should be fine as far as keeping him."
"I'll see about getting you some fresh vegetables for the little guy tomorrow, for now I think it's best for you two to head on back to your rooms, maybe take a nice hot bath to wash off the mud, then get a good nights sleep." Elizabeth smiled, the girls both nodding and standing up, moving to the front door soon after the vet left. "You two did a very good job, you deserve some rest."
"Hey...Thanks, for everything today." Sophie said once she and Ashley were near their rooms. "I don't think I could have handled any of this alone...I really owe you."
"...Eh...Just take care of that little squeaker, and we'll call it even." Ashley shrugged and smiled, watching as Sophie nodded and headed to her room. Just before she reached the door, Ashley spoke up again. "Oh...Also, tomorrow...I am sleeping in, consider it a trade off instead of you buying me icecream."
"Alright!" Sophie giggled, shaking her head a little and heading into her room,looking at the sleeping lemming in one of her arms as she closed the door. "...Squeaker...That's a cute name. Thanks, Ashley."
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**I may one day do more SSO stories, and they may very well have a little lemming in a wheelchair in them!**
Hope you enjoyed the story! d(^▼^)z
**I may one day do more SSO stories, and they may very well have a little lemming in a wheelchair in them!**
Hope you enjoyed the story! d(^▼^)z