Well, That's Death!

Flatned

Once, there was a hedgehog who tried to cross a road.

This hedgehog was different to most. It was alive. It lived in a cosy burrow in a field boardering a bunch of stone hills (a place, it was told by it's lone gone mother, where the two legs lived). But one day, when it went to one of  these hills where there was always meat sitting out in a bowl, it came back to find it's home being destroyed by a creature with no legs but four massive feet, as it moved over the field flattening the earth into a smooth wet mass.

The hedgehog felt very confused and depressed, so it went to talk with a sparrow it had befriended at the place where there was always meat sitting out in a bowl.

"Hello there's still food in that bowl lovely day isn't it are you okay what's wrong can I help!"

The sparrow spoke extremely quickly and without any difference in thier pase or pich, as all bird's did, making thier words sound like nonsense to all other animal's.

It didn't help that sparrow was perched on a thin tree branch 6ft a above where hedgehog stood.

Regardless, hedgehog made the effort to keep up because they knew sparrow was good of heart.

"Hello friend... There is something I need help with. My home is gone now-

"Oh no oh no!" The sparrow flew down next to the hedgehog, it's head perpetually twitching and twisting as if it wanted to break free from it's own body.

"Yes... Do you know anywhere I could find a new home, away from the two legs."

"But the two legs are animals that leave out food out for us why want to get away from them why why why?"

"I... My mother told me that her mother told her that once long ago there weren't any four feet's."

"Don't like the four feet's don't speak don't talk not animal not animal!"

Exactly. She said that they are, somehow, the children of the two legs."

"Ahh understand understand yes yes yes! Seen good place."

And with that, the sparrow flew back to it's perch, it's little body buzzing with excitement.

The hedgehog was delighted. It would have given the sparrow a hug, but it couldn't, so it didn't.

Once the hedgehog ate from the bowl and the sparrow from a hallow tube crammed full with seeds, the two ventured forth.

It was a journey filled with tedium.

The hedgehog could only move so much, thanks to having a body that was always being weighed down with useless prickles, and the sparrow moved too much, thanks to being a sparrow.

The poor hedgehog stumbled and fumbled and tumbled it's way forward, having to stop over and over to catch it's breath. The sparrow was  never too far away from the hedgehog, but the hedgehog still, ashamedly, worried that they fall behind and the sparrow wouldn't even notice. So it crawled with all of its might.

Eventually, the sparrow flew down next to it's friend. It no longer buzzed with excitement.

"Why have we stopped?" Wheezed the hedgehog as came to a halt.

"Thought we wouldn't need to pass here need to pass here no where else to go don't want to pass here don't don't!"

"Why?"

"Four legs die die die! Here here here! Four feet's everywhere everywhere!"

It could see a clearing in the bushes ahead, but nothing else.

"W-Whats here?" Stammered the small hedgehog

"All body all body!

Fear began to sizzle and boil in the hedgehog's stomach.

The all body was the name used by every animal to describe a road, for it had no feet, no mouth, no eyes, no claws and no legs.

It wasn't considered as an animal.  Rather, it was known for being where almost all of the four feet's congregated.

Some animals thought that the four feet's fed off of the all body, others thought the all body was the mother of all four feet's. But most knew it was simply the hunting ground of the four feet's.

The hedgehog saw its mother, father and first two siblings die while crawling over it.

The mother, father and first sibling where flatned by a one four foot at the same time. The second sibling survived and started screeching for it's life. It died before it could do anything else.

Our hedgehog survived because it stayed behind to catch it's breath.

"Could turn back! Live but find no home," exclaimed the sparrow, relief lighting up in its eyes.

"And then die latter! Yes great-" 

The hedgehog stopped itself from saying anymore. Little tears began to oozze out of it's eyes.

The sparrow had never seen it's friend like this, so it didn't know how to talk to this hedgehog.

The hedgehog cried and cried until it could cry no more, for it knew it had to crawl over the all body.

Then, it thought about being flatned and then about starving... And then it knew what to do.

"Okay okay... Okay?" Questioned the sparrow, it's voice weak with hesitation.

"Yes... Okay... Any wisdom my friend?"

"Run run run! Run when four feet's are gone I will tell you when."

"Thank you." Said the hedgehog, looking over to thier friend and giving them a small but genuine smile before crawling out of the bushes and onto the all body.

Then, when sparrow called out, the hedgehog rushed forward and forward and forward and forward and-

Well, You know what happens next.

The End

Special shout-out to fellow author readerindasoul
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