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freeforestkids · 1 year

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Free Forest Kids Friday Saturday Update:

Whoop whoop. Hello again. I'd apologize for being unreliable, but it doesn't matter all that much when only three or so people view your posts. (I still love you guys, though. You're my blorbos. I promise. <3)

Because art seems to capture more attention, here's my kids (The OG Trio/Free Forests):

Crow

Fox

Star

Aaaaaaaand here's a snippet of a WIP chapter I've posted before, but I edited it and added much more. (Still contemplating if it'll end up being longer or not. Most of my chapters end up around 3K. This one is 2,295 atm.) And, no, I'm not reposting it because I haven't worked on anything else since disappearing. I've worked on a ton of shit since my hiatus. I simply still believe this scene best showcases my Main Trio's personalities and dynamics with each other. Also, I'm hoping to catch more eyes with it this time. Thank you in advance if you read my work. You mean the world to me. I mean it.

Look Up, But Be Mindful of What Lies Below (Sneak Peek)

Once the OG trio's initial "practice shift" at Corridor Oak's convenience store and gift shop was over, they found themselves seated around the table inside the cabin, enjoying supper, which might come as a surprise. Why? Well, the meal in question happened to be the first genuinely nutritious, "good tasting," non-leftover, stale, or bland snack rations meal they'd had in seventy-two hours. Thus, the kids silently acknowledged it as a victory between them. Albeit they'd cooked the chicken noodle soup over the fire pit in a pot that might not have been properly sterilized, meaning they had a slight chance of catching an illness, they couldn't ask for much better. Alright, scratch that. Technically, they could, considering they'd bought a couple of other food items besides the soup with the money received from Malcolm in return for "making his life easier," regardless of the fact they'd done minimal work so far. However, as they were heading back to their hideout, Fox advised each of them should save the remaining nutrition for tomorrow, or else they'd regret "consuming it all at once." Admittedly, this decision was the wisest, yet Crow rolled their eyes, dramatically sighing, and Star pouted in response anyway.

Crow and Fox had earned cash to obtain what typically scarcely counted as a meal before. How would they have lasted this far down the road if they hadn't? There was no need to point out it was an excellent accomplishment bearing in mind their previous circumstances either, but this case felt particularly... special. You see, their work in the past had always been something they had to brainstorm on their own, plus it required multiple workarounds to hide from eyes that could potentially jeopardize the freedom they'd fought so tenaciously to find, yet this? There was no grappling for this opportunity whatsoever. It was simply handed over to them, almost as if it were a reward after everything, everything they'd endured... Not only that, but it sprung up relatively recently after they'd achieved so much of what was deemed impossible, even by them. They met a friend who willingly assisted them on their arduous journey. They discovered the once-was old man's house was theirs for the taking. Elianna told them of some place called Corridor Oaks, giving them newfound hope for lingering under the radar. They pulled off their extremely risky ruse to catch a ride there, followed by uncovering another shelter for themselves, seemingly concealed from society—to an extent.

Astonishingly, the positives didn't end there for our little ragtag gang. Although they hadn't quite settled into Corridor Oaks yet—for example, a routine besides waking up, finding some way to entertain themselves throughout the day, eating, and sleeping were nonexistent. They still had no mirror, working clock, any form of soap, or most necessities people took for granted. Not to mention, they couldn't seem to memorize where the public bathrooms were—or entirely forgot the public restrooms were an option at times... Ahem. Despite all that, there was no doubt this place would feel familiar soon enough. Eventually, they'd have a general idea of what they'd be up to each day, possess most of the desired and essential items, memorize almost every route of the camp and the woodland around it, have their signature hang-out spots, and last but surely not least… one day, they'd cease referring to the cabin as "the cabin" and instead, home, because indeed, it was their home. After all, they'd been "playing House" there for a few days already, like family. Even if none of them had verbally acknowledged it, that's what the two of them, now three of them, were. A young, scrapped together, diverse, and perhaps a bit odd... family.

Life was looking up.

Star stuck a spoonful of broth, a piece of chicken, and a carrot into his mouth. Afterward, he glanced up at his friends and absentmindedly commented, "I still feel super weird about this 'real job' thing."

"We already said that like five times walking back here." Crow, sitting across from him and Fox, noted in reply.

Fox held her spoon mid-air on its course to her mouth as she spoke to Crow, "Yeah, but that's because it does feel very strange. I mean, none of us have ever had an actual job like this," She paused for a second to better clarify, "where we get paid, you know?"

"Whatta ya mean? Me n' you got paid for, like, training and taking care of the dogs back in Grimmer." Crow testified.

"That wasn't a real job, though." The girl began to clear up, "Those people didn't even pay us every time, and if they did, it was only like... five bucks. This is different, you know? I mean, I know we haven't done much so far, because we've only just started, but still, it feels so…" She delayed for a moment, squinting, before settling on the word. "grown-up."

Crow made a noise in disgust. "Eugh. Don't say that."

Fox, casual and unashamed, responded, "Well, it's true." She continued, "I mean, I babysat my little brother all the time before, and my mom started paying me for it once I turned thirteen, but I've been doing that since I was ten. Also, I never really had a choice... I guess we don't have a choice here either, because we need money for food and stuff, but we're doing it for ourselves now, you know? Like, no one is making us do it."

Crow pressed their lips together, acknowledging her point, and glimpsed at their half-full bowl of soup. "Hm. I guess you're right." They agreed, then scooped another spoonful into their mouth.

The eleven-year-old would have remained thoughtful about the proposition if Star hadn't captured their attention by optimistically chiming in, "Yeah! And it's kinda fun, right? 'Cause we got to organize those boxes of food n' stuff in the back for a while, then take some out into the actual shop and organize it on the shelves."

Crow rested their cheek against their closed hand. Their facial reaction was quite the apathetic one. "Somehow you made that sound even more boring than it was."

Star smiled at them, doubtful of their halfheartedness regarding it. "Whaaat? But I saw you smile a few times."

Crow briefly rolled their eyes. "Fine, maybe it was a little fun, but that's only because you were there."

The slight, content curve of Star's mouth morphed into a twinkling grin.

Once more, Crow rolled their eyes... but couldn't help the little smirk on their lips as they glanced back at their spoon.

Star shifted his focus to the girl sitting beside him. "What about you? Was learning the money stuff from Malcolm fun?"

Fox shrugged. "Kinda? It was hard to understand. I mean, I'm not horrible at math, but I couldn't break up cash as fast as Malcolm was doing it. He tried to teach me how, but I was like a snail compared to him. Thankfully he was patient. He said I'd get better at it over time. Still, I'm kind of nervous that whenever he thinks I'm ready to ring someone up by myself I'll screw up and panic about it in front of them, and he won't be around to help. Plus, if his cousin found out, he'd probably kick me out. That guy is intimidating."

Crow was wearing a slightly nervous, distrustful expression. "Yeah. I don't like 'em." Their eyes went elsewhere. Indifferently, they quietly admitted, "Malcolm's okay though."

Star regarded Crow. "I think so too." His eyes landed back on Fox. "But you shouldn't worry too much. It's just your first day. And he's right. If you keep practicing you'll get better at it." the boy encouraged her.

Fox granted him a look of gratitude. "Aw. Thanks, buddy."

Star, ever the charming, replied, "No problem. We're all gonna be great at this. I mean, we already did pretty good for our first day."

Crow dropped their metal spoon into their practically empty plastic bowl, causing a minor, dull clank sound, which wasn't startling in the least but caught Fox and Star's attention. "Okay, so I'm glad we're all good 'n stuff, but are we gonna talk about how dangerous this is?"

Star's face abruptly changed from curious to bewildered. "Whadda you mean?"

Crow summarized, "Well, I guess you and me are okay for now 'cause we're out of people's sight most the time, but if Fox is gonna be taking people's money, her face is like, right there for them to see, all the time." They held out their spoon in an "obvious" gesture, emphasizing with a severe countenance, "It's not safe. Someone could recognize her, even with the hair dye."

Fox pressed her lips together for a moment, not quite dismissive of the fact... but perhaps less concerned about it than she'd been in the past. "Trust me, I know what you mean, Crow… but lately, I've been thinking about what you said back in Grimmer, when we first got there. I mean… I don't want to sound rude, or... or depressing, but I don't think they're trying as hard to find us anymore. I mean, Star's parents and the police are definitely still trying to track him down. He hasn't been gone that long."

Strong apprehension washed over Monty June Bailey's face. Crow noticed it across the table but kept most of their attentiveness on Fox, who proceeded to elucidate, not skipping a beat, "But you and me have been missing for months…" Her brows subtly furrowed, and she looked away from Crow, but only for a split second. "and we all know how quickly the authorities give up on these things."

"Okay, sure, but that doesn't mean we should start acting like someone can't recognize one of us—or—any of us..." Crow's face softened, shaping into something else... as if they'd suddenly become aware of something unanticipated. Their tone softened. "Aren't you the one who's supposed to act responsible about all this?"

Fox calmly countered, "Well, aren't you the one who was so excited that we even managed to get here and do all this a few days ago?"

Crow opened their mouth a bit, then promptly shut it, exhaling from their nose and downcasting their sight. A couple seconds passed. They returned to her gaze. "We still gotta be careful."

Fox sighed. "Okay, you're right. We should still be careful, especially Star." she added, turning her head to him.

His nerves were visibly tenser than usual. "So what should we do if someone does? Uh, I me—mean, recognize one of us?"

"Well, if someone recognizes us at the store, we definitely can't work there anymore, which would suck, a lot, 'cause I have no idea how we'd get money for food and other things. Especially food." Fox answered.

"Yeah," Crow agreed. "We'd be fucked for sure—unless we started selling something to kids again." Suddenly, something glinted in their eyes, and a smile grew on their face. "Orrrr, we could train dogs again!"

Star immediately sat upright, eyes enlarged and pupils dilated. "What!? No!"

Crow blinked, the gears in their head shuffling until they clicked into place. "Oh yeah. I forgot." They sighed and glimpsed down, dispirited. "Could always look through the trash, I guess."

Fox laughed. "Yeah, totally."

Crow shrugged. "Hey, I'd do it."

Star made a grossed-out sound, "Ughff."

"Yeah, I know." Fox replied to the shortest of the triad. It was her turn to roll her eyes. "You're disgusting."

They smiled, oddly smug. "You are too. But y'know, now I'm thinking… Maybe we could do that."

"What? No way!" Star yelped. "I am not eating food from the trash."

"No, I meant, like, do that for work instead. Isn't there someone who does that for money?"

Fox cocked a brow. "You mean... garbagemen?"

"Yeah, that."

"Uh, yeah, but we're not old enough for that."

"We're not old enough to pick up trash?"

"No. We're not old enough to be on the truck. It's dangerous. My older brother did that job once. He quit because he and his coworker almost got into a car crash, and he broke his arm while carrying a treadmill... So."

Crow's countenance settled someplace between pensive recollection and embarrassment for their ignorance. "Hm." They croaked, "Yeeah. Bad idea."

Fox sighed. "We'll come up with something else in case this doesn't work." She stood up and grabbed her bowl and spoon inside, followed by Star and Crow's. As she picked up Crow's dish and spoon, she inquired, "Seriously, how do you eat so fast? You finished that in like four minutes."

Crow shrugged. "Eh, there's probably a weird reason for it, but I 'unno." They arose from their seat, causing their chair to scoot against the floor. Star did as well.

Fox peeked at the open window. "I guess we ate dinner kind of early… Do you guys got any ideas what we should do until we get tired?"

Crow held their arms, replying in a blase manner, "Not really."

"Maybeee... we could watch the sunset?" Star suggested, unconsciously tapping his fingers against his shoulder in a fidgety, semi-relaxed manner.

"We can't see it behind the trees, though." Fox said.

"Uhm... What about on the roof?" he bounced off.

Crow's brows lifted. "Oh, dude, good idea."

Fox seemed skeptical. "I'm pretty sure we still won't be able to see it behind the trees."

"I still wanna do it. We haven't been up there since our first day here." Crow reminded.

"Okay, but we're gonna get bitten by bugs."

As Crow and Star made their way towards the door, Crow fake-fretted in a low, shaky voice, "Oh nooooo. Scary, right, Star?"

"Yeah, almost as scary as dogs."

Crow barked a laugh.

Fox scoffed, barely piqued. "Just grab your sweatshirts."

#ffk friday updates #ffk writing #ffk art #ffk crow #ffk fox #ffk star #ffk malcolm #ffk drake #ffk elianna #free forest kids

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