Tell Her Tail

by Matthais Unidostres

Chapter 1

Seven days or one week, a chilling test,
For Allura and Twitch, sorely distressed.
Lost at sea, no land in sight,
Just cold and dark, a dreadful plight

The ice beneath them, thin and frail,
A fragile raft, before the gale.
With every wave, a chilling fear,
That doom would soon be drawing near

No food to eat, their strength did wane,
As hope dwindled, like falling rain.
The ocean's vastness, cold and deep,
A silent tomb, where souls would sleep

---

The days had dragged by, one after the other, on that tiny, drifting ice floe. For a week now, Allura and Twitch had been stranded on this little chunk of ice (which was now covered in finished tic-tac-toe games, most of them ties), floating aimlessly over the vast, unforgiving sea. They’d been surviving, if you could call it that, by licking the ice, scraping it with their tongues to collect what little water they could from the frozen surface. They couldn't drink the salty sea water obviously, so they had no choice.

At the moment, Allura lay sprawled out across the ice, her body splayed like a tired starfish, her usually fierce eyes dulled by exhaustion. Her tail flicked lazily, and her left hind leg dangled off the edge of the floe, occasionally giving a feeble paddle in the water. She winced with every slap of the ocean against her fur, muttering to herself in frustration. “Ugh, my paw’s all wet… and gross… I hate this…”

Her stomach gave a low, rumbling growl that seemed to echo across the open sea. She groaned, rolling over onto her back and pressing a paw to her belly. “Ohhh, I’m starving… So, so hungry…” Her voice came out in a whimper, her sharp teeth clenching against the hunger gnawing at her insides. She turned her head, her gaze falling on Twitch, who sat nearby, his fur disheveled, his whiskers drooping with fatigue.

But as she looked at him, her gaze slowly shifted from pitiful to predatory. Her mouth watered involuntarily. Her eyes widened, and she licked her lips, a drop of drool trickling down her chin.

Twitch looked up and caught her stare. His ears stood up straight, and he gulped nervously. He squeaked out in fear, taking a small step back. He could see her eyes glazing over, her pupils dilating like a cat ready to pounce.

Allura loomed over him, towering like a shadow of hunger and desperation. Her tail flicked back and forth, her claws flexing against the ice. She leaned closer, licking her teeth, the hunger almost visibly radiating off her. Twitch's whiskers trembled as he stared at her sharp, glistening fangs.

He shut his eyes tightly and cringed, bracing himself for the worst.

But then, in an instant, Allura blinked, shaking her head violently. She snarled at herself, disgust curling her lips back over her teeth. “What are you thinking, Allura?!” she hissed under her breath. “Get a grip!” Her expression softened, and she gently patted Twitch on the head, her paw resting on his tiny, shaking frame. "Look, Twitch," she said, her voice low but fierce with resolve, "I'd rather starve to death than eat you. Got it?"

There was no doubt in her voice—only a stubborn, ironclad determination. She might be a villain, but she wasn’t a monster. Not to Twitch, at least.

Twitch slowly opened his eyes, his fear melting into something else. His heart warmed, touched by her words. But then, he looked at her tired, emaciated face, her hollow cheeks and sunken eyes, and he felt a stab of guilt. She was clearly suffering. Swallowing hard, his tiny eyes flitted across the ocean—endless blue with no food in sight.

Making a silent decision, he leaped up without warning and dove straight into her mouth.

Allura's eyes widened in shock as Twitch's fuzzy body landed on her tongue. Her gag reflex kicked in immediately, and she spat him out with a disgusted splutter. “Pffft! Twitch, what the—?!”

He landed with a wet plop back on the ice, shaking himself off like a wet dog. But he was determined. Without missing a beat, he hopped right back onto her face, grabbing at her lips with his little paws, trying to pry her jaws open.

Allura growled, thrashing her head to shake him off. “Quit it! I'm not going to eat you, you selfless idiot!” she snarled, trying to dislodge him, but he clung on like a limpet, his little feet pressing against her nose.

"Twitch! Stop it!" Allura snarled, swiping at him with a broad paw, but Twitch nimbly ducked beneath her swing, his little body a blur of determination. He couldn’t speak, but the frantic twitch of his whiskers and the desperate gleam in his eyes were clear enough: he was trying to do something, and he wasn’t about to give up.

“Are you seriously trying to get in my mouth?” Allura snapped, her tone both incredulous and exasperated as Twitch scrambled upward, his tiny paws pressing into her fur, digging for a grip.

Allura tossed her head, trying to shake him off. “Get off!” she growled, her voice thick with irritation, but Twitch clung tighter, his claws pricking her sensitive skin. His whiskers twitched furiously, his eyes narrowing with a look that practically screamed, "Let me do this!"

“Oh, for the love of—!” Allura snorted, trying to twist her head and catch him at a better angle, but Twitch held on. He braced himself, reaching up with his tiny paws to grab at the edge of her mouth, prying at her lips with frantic energy.

Allura felt his paw slip into the corner of her mouth, and with a frustrated grunt, she snapped her jaws shut—not enough to hurt him, just enough to catch his paw. "I said I'm not going to eat you!" she growled, her words muffled.

Twitch didn’t back down. His tiny paw wiggled against her lips as he leaned further in, one paw clinging to her nose while the other grabbed hold of her upper lip, trying to pull it up. His whiskers twitched furiously, and he puffed out his cheeks in silent insistence, his expression almost daring her to try and stop him.

Allura’s patience frayed to its breaking point. She shook her head violently, but Twitch clung on like a burr, his little feet slipping over her nose as he struggled to keep his grip. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned down, wedging his tiny fingers between her teeth, prying as hard as he could.

“Get off my face!” Allura shouted, her voice muffled as she tried to dislodge him. Twitch merely hunched his shoulders, scrunching his nose, and then, with a burst of determination, grabbed her ear by her earring and gave it a hard yank.

Allura’s eyes widened as pain shot through her ear. “Ouch! Not the ear!” she cried, shaking her head harder. Twitch dangled for a moment, like a strange, twitchy extention to her earring, before scrabbling up to her forehead and grabbing her mane for leverage.

“Seriously, Twitch?” Allura grumbled, crossing her eyes to keep track of him as he clambered around her face. He reached out with his little paws, gripping her nose, and pulled with all his might. Allura let out a sharp yelp, feeling the tug all the way to her skull.

With a growl of frustration, she swiped at him again, but Twitch ducked behind her ear, using it like a tiny shield. Allura tried to swat at him with her paw, but he darted around to the other side, grabbing her mane and yanking with all his strength.

Allura's nose wrinkled, her patience wearing thinner by the second. "Quit tugging on me!" she snapped, twisting her head around, but Twitch was too quick. He scrambled back onto her nose, this time reaching right into both of her nostrils and pulling them wide like he was trying to open a door.

“Ugh!” Allura complained, her voice tinged with disgust. She could feel his little paws pushing against her lips, trying to wedge them open again. "What is your deal?!"

Twitch, sensing an opening, flipped off of her head and hung from her nose. He wedged his back legs against her lower lip, stretching his tiny body up to press his head against her upper jaw, straining with all his might. His face scrunched up with effort, his eyes squeezed shut in concentration.

That was it. Allura had had enough. With a growl that resonated through the ice floe, she reared up on her hind legs. “Alright, you asked for it!” she bellowed.

Twitch’s eyes shot open wide, realizing too late what she was about to do. Allura flung herself backward with all her might, flipping over once before crashing down onto the ice floe with a tremendous THUD, the impact sending cracks shooting across the ice and Twitch tumbling upward a few feet into the air.

He landed in a heap on her belly, dazed and dizzy, little stars spinning around his head after spinning up and over in midair. For a moment, he lay there, stunned, while Allura panted, her chest heaving from the effort. She huffed, staring down at the little rabbit splayed across her fur.

But then, just as she was about to grumble another reprimand, she froze, her eyes catching something in the distance. Just over the horizon; a small, dark shape rising from the ocean, solid and promising.

Allura’s mouth fell open, and her eyes went wide. “Is that…?” she whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

Allura’s mouth fell open in disbelief, and Twitch’s ears perked up. He followed her gaze, and his eyes went wide with sudden realization. He leapt to his feet, bouncing on her belly with excitement, pointing with both paws toward the distant shape.

“An island!” Allura breathed, eyes locked on the promising sight.

Twitch nodded vigorously, his whole body vibrating with joy. Allura, forgetting all about their absurd fight, rolled over onto her belly, her paws trembling with renewed energy. Allura scrambled to her paws and rushed to the edge of the ice floe. She plunged her forepaws into the freezing water, paddling with frantic determination. The floe began to move, gliding faster and faster toward their salvation.

Twitch hopped in glee, his little feet drumming against the ice, his face lit up with hope. Together, they pushed onward, the island growing larger and clearer with every desperate stroke of Allura’s powerful paws, their spirits soaring as they raced toward a new chance at life.

Comments

[DeadWheat]

Like the expectation subversion in this chapter: It does seem pretty in character for Allura to not want to eat Twitch, she DID protect him in "The Blockywockys".