Into The Woods

~*Prologue~*
She had given up.

Her last breath was spent with the little mammal crawling around her stomach. The bunny started up at her mother. The tears were forming in her shiny eyes.

Her grandfather lifted her off her mother's stomach as they waved one final time.

And then she took a deep breath and never took another in again.

Chapter One: Grave News
Isn't it funny how you can have so many questions but no answers?

That was exactly how Lily felt.

Constantly asking questions nobody could answer. It was horrible.

She grew up on a nice farm in North Carolina. She loved the beautiful horses and stroking through their manes that fell to their torsos. She loved hugging them and feeling the warmth against herself. She loved the chickens, rapidly clucking at her. And she also admired her Grandfather.

Grandfather had raised her. He always said her mother would be back someday, that Lily would see her again, that she wasn't gone but merely on a trip that would last another few years.

Somehow, Lily suspected Grandfather was lying.

Lily was friends with everyone in the village. Animals greeted her as she walked into the square, holding flat coins she wished to trade with the marketers. However, she never sold anything. She wasn't old enough.

One day, Grandfather had come back with a surprise for Lily. There was a small black dog in his hands. She cuddled with him every single day.

The dog grew and grew and so did Lily, until the dog was full-grown.

The dog's name was Lola. Lily thought it was similar to her's, and she'd always wished for a sister and the name seemed feminine to her. Every day after a long, tiring day at Animal School, she came home to see Lola bounding up to her in delight.

One day, however, Grandfather got dangerously sick.

Or so it seemed. Grandfather didn't move at all, just nodded and shook his head. He laid in bed the whole time, but he didn't refuse or struggle food or water, so Lily took care of him.

One day, his eyes were closed completely. He didn't accept anything Lily gave him- or even opened an eye or twitched. His head was still. So was the rest of his body.

Worried, Lily ran to the town's doctor. The doctor pulled Lily into another room.

"This is grown-up information," Doc warned Lily, "But here goes. Your Grandfather doesn't- doesn't feel like living anymore."

This struck Lily like lightning. "No!" She cried, loud enough for Lola to hear and bound into the room to protect Lily from possible danger, but not high enough for Grandfather to hear, especially in his condition.

The next morning, there was a disturbing knock at the door. A dark shaped character emerged from the wide door and stepped into the welcoming house.

He was smoking a cigar, and Lily didn't want the smoke to infuse her lungs, or Grandfather's. So she pulled him to the farthest place possible from Grandfather.

Lola perched herself at Lily's defense against the wall, ready to bite the new threat. At first she didn't bark, so she got rewarded with a treat.

Lily put a hand on Lola's head and listened to the strange man. "What do you need from this old farm?"

"I'm afraid it's been done."

"What's been done?"

"It's off the market. Somebody has made an offer."

"What?" Lily was surprised. What did that mean?

"Your supervisor would know. May I speak to him?" He started to get up, but Lola blocked his path by squeezing herself in between the kitchen doorway and Grandfather's bedroom, about 15 steps away only.

"No!" Lily quickly said, pushing him back down on the couch. "Tell me. I can handle it."

What she couldn't handle was the news that came out of the strange man's mouth:

"Your Grandfather is going to sell the farm."

Chapter Two: The Entry
Astonished, Lily nodded as if she knew that. But her eyes were wide in fear. He was going to sell it?

"But, first he must complete the Tax Form. It's about $100."

"One hundred dollars?" Lily gasped. She knew it in her heart, an overwhelming pain. They didn't have that kind of money. She gripped Lola even harder until she squirmed out of Lily's grasp, jumped on her lap,and laid down.

Lily stopped holding on. The man towered over her, having risen from the couch.

"It needs to be paid by Saturday, 3:30... SHARP."

Lily nodded fearfully, watching as the man exited the room and went through the door. Lola pushed it closed with her snout and looked up at Lily.

"Good girl, Lola!" Lily crowed, then her expression turned serious again. She marched to Grandfather's room and fed him some medicine.

Grandfather's head tilted slightly, the first movement he'd made all day, since breakfast. Lily fixed her face and looked up and Grandfather.

"Nothing to worry about," She assured Grandfather. "Just the same read-aloud. I've been stressing over it for a long time."

Lily launched into a lengthier story. She added as many happy things as possible.

Grandfather nodded his head. His shoulders released the tension and relaxed a bit more.

The next day, as Lily walked into town, a small talon tapped her shoulder. She turned around. "Damon?" She asked. Damon was a small toucan in her class. He waved.

"Wanna enter? I'm gonna!" He said, pointing at the poster in his claws.

Annual Dog Race!

''Enter your dog for a chance to win $150! All entries are totally free! All you must acquire is a dog and a flat board or something the dog can pull you on! The fastest racer wins!''

2:30 to 3:00!

There was more information on the bottom, about phone numbers and such. Lily snatched it out of Damon's hand, read it three times, and then took it with her.

"Hey, where are you going with my poster?" He called after her.

"I'm gonna win!" Lily called back, sprinting away.

Chapter 3: The Shortcut (Short)
She trained for weeks in a row. Soon, Lola knew the course by heart. They were entered and ready for the race when it arrived on Saturday.

Lily was so excited she almost forgot about her promise to the smoker that stopped by the farm. She needed to win the money or she'd lose the farm! How could she make it in 30 minutes? She didn't know, but nothing was stopping her.

Until Katie White entered the race.

Katie White was known across the continent. She had never lost a race in her entire life. All bets were placed on Katie White.

Why she'd come all the way to Charlotte, nobody knew. They just knew she was going to win and that was final. It was impossible to not.

Except Lily.

Lily was walking home a different, easier route she'd learned the day before when she saw a shack placed, disguised and hidden, in the trees.

Curious, she stepped forward to investigate. She couldn't do much without looking inside, so that was exactly what she did.

She eventually started to cry. She said her worries alone, by herself... or so she thought.

She poured her heart out. Talking about if she lost Grandfather, the farm... and even Lola. She was getting old and would die soon, maybe in the next few years or so.

She left the shack, but she could've sworn she saw the figure of Katie White emerging from the shadows after she'd left.

She shook off the thought and continued the adventure through the forest. She reached the farm and went inside. Grandfather looked worried.

"Sorry I was home late, Grandfather. We had a lot of work to do," Lily said as she set down her backpack. She washed her hands, made dinner, fed Grandfather, and got ready for bed.

"Goodnight," Lily whispered to Grandfather, kissing him on the forehead. He closed his eyes and Lily got to sleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

Chapter 4: The Race
Lily stood on the starting and finish line, Lola hooked to the sled. The pistol fired and Lily screamed,

"GO LOLA! GO GIRL!"

Lola pushed off with all her might. Katie White was going calmly and slowly, ending up in last place. Lily didn't look back, however, and kept ordering Lola on.

They passed all the racers until they were in the lead. Since Lily was such a short, small bunny, the sled fit through sharp corners, pushing them ahead. The team was just reaching the part they'd have to swerve around to head on their way back when Katie made her move.

She passed all the racers quickly. However, she was still out of view when Lola and Lily reached the farm.

And oh, what a surprise! Grandfather was standing at the window, cheering them on. Lily started to slow down, but Grandfather urged them on. His lips were moving! And his hands! Lily felt like jumping, but she stayed focused.

Lola turned on her wheels and sped through the rest of the corners. They were halfway through the route on their way back when Katie White came into view.

"GO GIRL!" Lily shouted fiercely. She didn't have to ask twice. Lola put on her burners again and they sped away.

They were winning against Katie! She was still behind them, but she was gaining. And fast. Frantically, Lola must've sensed what was going on, because she went quicker. Katie was approaching...

Almost immediately, it happened. They couldn't have been 5 feet away from the finish line when Lola's heart burst. There was no suffering. She ran out of breath and Lily's sled tumbled over, knocking Lola into Lily's arms.

Lily began to cry.

The watching people were shocked. Katie reached the end, her face stone and expressionless. When she saw Lily, she stopped.

She stopped her sled.

And she walked Lily, still carrying Lola in his arms, the last few steps to the Finish Line.