Context: Jack and Mary grew up outside of the cave, before the storm, before the Sorceress. Back then, rodent ineki were very small, and were often hunted by other, bigger animals. To keep safe and guarded, several of these rodents banded together and formed The Rodent Army, a unit of warrior rodents with the express goal of keeping each other safe.

Jack was born into this army, alongside his brothers and the rest of his family. Mary, however, was adopted when they came upon her one night, scared and lonely. Despite this act of kindness, Mary was not treated well within the army’s ranks. She was ostracized and picked on because she was a rabbit, which wasn’t a “real” rodent. The other rodents often called for her to be kicked out of the army, but Mary remained year after year. Slowly, Mary and Jack grew close,  and this closeness turned to love. Then, on one fateful night, Jack made the biggest decision of his life: to marry Mary, the love of his life.

The odds were stacked against him. He knew that by doing this, he and Mary would likely both be kicked out of the army, and forced to fend for themselves in the unkind wilderness. But Jack also knew that he and Mary were tough. They weren’t just fighters, they were survivors, and they would make it, somehow, together.

Imagine that the person you care about over all other people has memory issues. No, not dementia or Alzheimer’s, they’ve been brainwashed into forgetting almost all of their life. Imagine for a moment that they can form new memories and sometimes, if the circumstances are just right, they can remember their old life.

Now imagine that every time that person hears a certain phrase, they forget everything they’ve learned or remembered. Though the memories still exist in their minds, it’s almost impossible to access them.

Now imagine that you’re the person who just accidentally said their trigger phase.

They stiffen up in front of you, days, weeks, or even months of memories just…gone.

Imagine there’s another person in the picture now. This person knew your loved one before you knew them; grew up with them and was always there to protect them. Imagine for a moment that whenever your loved one sees this person, they get a headache because their brain is trying to protect them from remembering.

Now imagine that person is doing everything they can to trigger your loved one’s old memories. This person doesn’t understand how the cycle works, not yet. They don’t know about the pain felt every time your loved one tries to remember something.

Now imagine that you can’t deal with the constant cycle anymore.

You pack those few things you truly need and you leave.

Imagine that your loved one is now more alone than ever, because they’re so close to a part of their past but just out of touching range. They don’t remember you, not really, but they remember pieces of you, of what they’re missing without you there. They wake up screaming the name of a stranger; they long every day for a hand they don’t remember holding.

Now imagine that your loved one’s old friend is tired of this cycle. Imagine that they can do something impossible, but only once in their life. Imagine that they use this favor to save your loved one.

Now imagine that shit hits the fan.

They are taken away for good, never to see either of you again.

“We need to ground it.” Martin Hamilton growled.
“And how do you except us to do that?” one of his companions asked.
Hamilton hefted his hammer. “We take out it’s wings.”

      He stared up at the hawk circling above his company’s hiding place. What he wouldn’t give for a capybara right about now. His squad had been charged with escorting a shipment of grain back to the Rodent Army’s headquarters to be stored for winter. It was supposed to be a simple job.
      Then the Hawk had appeared, snatching up a lemming before they had time to react.
      Hamilton gripped the shaft of his weapon tighter as the image of his friend being crushed to death in the talons of the bird flashed before his eyes.

“How are we going to get close enough to do that?” someone asked.
“We’ll create a diversion,” Hamilton answered. “If someone can keep it busy, I should be able to smash it’s wing. Any volunteers?”
The others shuffled about nervously.
“I’ll go.”

      Hamilton looked over at the mouse who’d spoken up. She was one of the number who’d been guarding the grain they were sent to escort. Admittedly, he hadn’t given her much thought. She was quiet, rather stoic, and kept to herself.
      He looked her up and down. Hamilton wasn’t one to discriminate based on size, after all, as a dwarf hamster he was one of the smaller creatures in the army. But this mouse was tiny. He didn’t think she’d be able to provide much of a distraction, much less make it back alive. What they really needed was one of the larger rodents to go out… 

“I’m not sure y—” he began.
“I can handle it.” She glanced around at the others. “Besides, it’s not like we have a lot of options at the moment.”
“Fine,” he said flatly. “How do we find your family if you die?”
“I don’t have one,” she said simply, dashing out on all fours without another word.

        Hamilton let out a curse, and readied his hammer. He’d have to move quickly. They were only going to get one shot at this, or they’d both become lunch.
        The hawk dove. Hamilton waited to make sure it’s attention was fixed on the mouse who stood serenely in the middle of the clearing before breaking cover himself. The bird closed the distance quicker than he expected. I’m not going to make it in time, he thought bitterly.
      The talon snapped closed catching—nothing.
      Hamilton watched in surprise. The mouse had hopped up, grabbing onto the hawk’s leg before it could grab her. The bird seemed equally surprised as it flapped it’s wings in confusion, trying to shake the mouse off.
      Come on, land. He couldn’t get to it’s wing if it didn’t land.
      She was quick though, grabbing onto the belly feathers of the predator and scurrying up to it’s head. In one smooth motion, she drew her rapier and stabbed the hawk in one eye, then the other. The bird shrieked, shaking it’s head wildly. It succeeded in throwing the mouse off before landing, stumbling around blindly.
      Hamilton lunged forward, striking the wing of the bird. The others of his company had emerged now, and together they made quick work of the hawk. As soon as it was dead, Hamilton looked around for the mouse. If that fall hadn’t killed her he’d need to get her back for med—

He spotted her standing on two legs a bit away from the group, casually wiping the blood from her blade with a stalk of grass. “Are you alright?” he called, scurrying over to her.
She smirked. “I’m fine.”
“That was impressive,” he admitted. “But you shouldn’t be so reckless.”
She shrugged. “I take on hawks all the time in the scouts.”

      Hamilton stared at her, dumbfounded. The scouts was an elite group of rodents who were sent out to explore new areas for potential resources and threats. Often times all they found was the latter.

“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Astrid.” She sheathed her rapier. “We’d best get going, this grain isn’t going to move itself.”

Eve looked around the room. She was chained down in a stark white room. There was nothing to look at except for the chains keeping her in place. Every so often some men in weird suits came into the room and pressed a button that pulled her chains taut; essentially pinning her to the ground. As she laid like this, shackled to the ground, they examined her. Rewired her, checked her bolts and whatever else they needed to do. Every so often they would allow her to be untied, but very monitored. These were her training sessions. With every session she was evolving; becoming stronger, smarter, and unbeknownst to them, she was developing into her own person.

This room had been her entire life since creation. She wasn’t exactly sure who her creators were, or why. She did however, know that they were training her for something. For war? Destruction? Who knows. Deep down, Eve knew whatever they were planning wasn’t good. As she developed emotions, this gut feeling kept growing. She felt like the day was coming sooner, as they checked on her more often and made her training sessions more frequent, longer and harder.

As the gut feeling grew, so did her discontent. She so badly longed to leave this prison. However, this was all she knew. This was her birthplace; her home. Who knows what is outside of this place, and what if what was out there was no better than in here?

Finally, Eve’s discontent grew until she could ignore it no longer. It overcame her fear, and turned that fear into anger and desperation to leave. She started plotting. She knew she was now strong enough to overcome the men, so she had to wait until her next training session when she was let loose. She only hoped that she could find her way out, and that what was on the other side of this prison was better than what was inside.

Her next training session came, and Eve acted as she usually would. She let them check her over and didn’t flinch as they carelessly poked and prodded her. Perhaps it was Eve’s tolerance diminishing, but this time felt worse than last. This sparked an anger in her, which is exactly what she needed to get out. As they undid the shackles, she sprung to life. She flung into a fit of rage, knocking over everyone in the room and tossing their weapons aside. She glared at them, considering destroying them all. However, she knew there wasn’t time for that right now; she had to escape.

Glancing back at the men she was escaping, she realised she didn’t have much time as they all pressed emergency buttons. Alarms went off, and Eve could see doors slowly closing. She knew she had to act now. She picked up a weapon she had tossed aside; a neon ray gun. She then sped off, dodging people and knocking them over as she went. She ducked between doors, and shot off warning fires from her ray gun to get them to back off. She didn’t look as she shot, so she left a lot of chaos and destruction behind.

Finally, she found a door that was labelled “Exit”. She went inside, figuring this was her way out. Inside were spaceships. Thankfully they had programmed her to know how to fly these things, despite never having actually flown one herself. She jumped inside, and pressed some buttons after she strapped herself in. The aircraft rose, and sped off far, far away from her capturers. She looked around; there was nothing. She wasn’t sure what she would do from here on in, but there was one thing she did know. She wanted revenge.

Myth left the bridge of the ship and returned to her quarters. The absence of the captain and the shipwright provided a perfect opportunity for the plan to advance. A non-pirate crew flying the skull and crossbones was an insult to real pirates everywhere. Or so her real captain had told her. And as proper scum of the seas, they had every right to remove such an insult.

It was her captain’s idea to have her infiltrate the Archaic Destiny. She was the newest member of the crew and hadn’t yet gained the aura of a hardened criminal. So it would be simplicity in itself for a well-versed glaive fighter to join a crew hiring guards and report on its status every now and then. The pirates had grown impatient. A ship as advanced as this was something to behold and an even better something to be held. The pirates wanted that ship.

An opportunity as perfect as this didn’t come along every day. A perfectly relaxed crew. No captain to give orders. No shipwright to pull a new trick out of the ship to repel an attack or set something on fire. Myth had reached her quarters and retrieved a communication device from a hidden compartment. Not long after her report the pirates would come along and take this fanciful ship from them.

Myth smirked. They were going to learn what it was like to face some real pirates. She didn’t have to wait much. Soon a cannon ball struck the water near the ship, sending a pillar of water into the air and very clearly sending a message. Myth hadn’t known either of the crews for very long but there was no way that the merchants would stick around while besieged.

The pirate ship materialized near the Archaic Destiny; her captain having released the massively powerful magic that had kept her hidden from sight not to far away. Soon all activity was reduced to pure chaos as the games were abandoned and fights broke out. The merchant vessel was soon boarded.

Myth watched it all passively, waiting for the tide to turn and the pirates to drive away the cowards. Without Drum to lead them they would be helpless. But things didn’t seem to be going as planned. They were fighting back. And the ship was taking heavy damage. The fin dissolved under cannon fire.

“Not what you were expecting?” Myth started at the voice in her ear, flinching at the sudden presence of her captain. The drasilis was viewing the scene smugly. “I changed my mind about capturing this ship. I quite like the one I have, you see.”

Myth frowned, trying to keep her cool but her tails were lashing with her frustration. “If we capture this ship and run off her crew we’ll be better of than with that old rig.”

His expression turned icy, “That ‘old rig’ as you put it will be sailing long after all the gears on this thrice accursed monstrosity have turned to rust.” He nodded his head in a mocking bow. “And I’ll thank you not to tell me my business, rookie.”

Myth hesitated, trying to decide whether or not she should try to continue arguing with him. Her position was precarious; she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her, but she was armed and his magic was mostly for disappearing acts.

A sudden screech from the deck distracted her and she turned, watching as a fox ineki, a guard under her command, dropped to the deck bleeding severely from an injury to his leg. Myth stiffened. They weren’t supposed to fight! They were supposed to run! She realized too late that she should hide her reactions from her captain. The pirate wasn’t fond of compassion for one’s enemies and had killed several of his own crew for exhibiting that trait.

Myth saw him turn from the fight and regard her coldly. She could see the decision in his eyes before he even spoke the words that would seal her fate, “I was afraid this would happen. You’ve grown to care for them. Tch, such wasted potential.” He shook his head sadly and disappeared from sight. Myth tensed trying to predict where the blow would come from but it was in vain.

She was knocked from her perch and thrown into the midst of the fighting on the main deck, glaive cast away from her towards the edge of the ship. She darted through the throng, striking the pirates she came across and trying to help the merchants. She had been a fool for thinking that the pirates would keep their word. She needed to stop this.

She reached the side of the ship where the fin had been obliterated and taken a good chunk of the deck with it to the abyss. Drum was paddling in the water frantically looking about for something. Myth stopped in confusion. She thought for sure that Drum would be trying to get to the ship. The realization struck her. They were looking for someone, not something. Fell wasn’t on the surface.

From her viewpoint, Myth could see a straw hat drifting in the water in the opposite direction from where Drum was looking. They had been cast rather far from the ship during the attack and with neither of them fighting the waves, the currents had carried them away.

Myth rolled to the side on instinct, thanking her training that she grabbed her glaive with her tails as she went and deflected the second strike from her attacker. The sheer strength behind it sent her staggering dangerously close to the edge and she crouched, trying to keep a grip on the slippery and damaged deck.

They didn’t speak as they fought and the pirate showed no hesitation over harming someone with whom he had shared a meal. The fight seemed to last several minutes but only seconds had passed before Myth was able to toss him over her shoulder and into the waters below. She had acquired several new injuries in that scuffle, but disregarded them as she turned to look for Fell in the waters.

She could think of no other solution to get Drum back on track than to show them that their mate was safe aboard the Archaic Destiny. Though safe was a relative term at the moment. But Drum was the only one who would stand a chance against the enemy captain.

A strangled gasp behind her lead her to turn away from the search. Seeing that one of the non-combatants of the crew had been dragged into the fight and was pinned to the deck by a paw on his throat spurred Myth into action. She threw her glaive at the attacker and leaped into the fray, knocking the pirate away and sending him running to lick his wounds.

She pushed the merchant ineki to his feet and shouted over the noise, “Gather everyone who can’t fight in the bridge and barricade yourselves inside. The shipwright hasn’t shared all the weapons this thing has so maybe there’s something that can help us.” He hesitated, “Go now!” She lashed her tails at him as he bolted away, hopefully to follow her orders.

Myth turned to retrieve her weapon but saw that another guard had taken it up and was fighting his way toward some boxed in allies. Instead, she ran back to the side of the deck, looking for the drifting straw hat. Once spotted, she cast herself overboard, making herself as small as possible so as to better shoot through the water towards her friend. She was wrong. She never wanted to be a real pirate if this was what real pirates were like.

Garjansverd - Ah poor Bacardi! That’s a heck of a way to learn a hard lesson. 8( Even so, I’m glad she was able to pick up a new trade and find a more adventurous lifestyle… and some proper food and shelter!

[@FailSafe] - What a lovely fantasy piece! It held all the elements of a fairy tale, and I loved the magical charm. I’m pleased Mirror was successful in saving Nicco - what an adventure they’ve had!

thewordeater - Oh Felix. 8( This one broke my heart a little, and I was really concerned for a minute there this would be the /opposite/ of a survival story… but thank goodness! Great, emotional entry.

radio - Ahh it’s true love! It’s awesome to see the depths of Jack & Mary’s affection for each other. Though the worry is clear on their faces, their bond must be even stronger to survive only with the help of the other!

diaveborn - What an interesting take on this prompt! I love the overall vibe, it’s very calming and has the sort of stream of conscious I’d associate with meditation. Cool use of the stock images and ineki to create the cohesive piece here!

[@espurr] - Oh dear, this entry resonated with me. Anything to do with the loss of or murky memories has me all kinds of anxious. I can’t imagine being in the situation described, and sincerely hope that your characters can pull through somehow. 8(

Nouvella - Knights and dragons, my weaknesses!!! Kav’s running commentary had me laughing throughout their dangerous encounter, poor guy! Arius must have a lot of patience to put up with his and Noel’s well-meaning antics. Great cast of characters! :)

Cien - Man, Dreizehn is a fighter born. You wrote some super intense, gripping action scenes in this one Cien, and I really enjoyed reading! I’m really curious what’s in store for Dreizehn next - handler dead, war over, rage passed… what exists after survival from such things? Great read!

Schefflera - This was fantastic to read. I could feel the frustration, the creeping cold, and the panic when a friend is slightly too still. Signa sounds like a magnificent character and I would love to learn more about them. I hope you continue to produce material I can read through!!!

[@Witch Doctor] - Yes! I finished reading with a little cheer. Arc is learning some hard life lessons, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her courage and conviction shining back through at the end. It will be difficult, but she will carve a life for herself in the city!

Condor - Halcyon is such a badass! Outnumbered and still having a good time, how awesome! I hope that she managed to overcome the demons and ended up victorious. :D

Titan - I really enjoyed your description of Death. :) Also, what a cool way to integrate your characters into this — the little blorbs on each of them gave me just enough information to want to know more about them and their situations! It sounds like you’ve got an interesting bunch of characters in your lineup, haha.

Ersatz - Ooh, what an awesome piece of art! I really get a sense of the struggle that must have occurred between Mannyeon and the monster, and I’m glad that they came out victorious! I love the feel that the monochrome palette gives this piece.

Arintol - Reading your submission brought me right back to my Redwall days! It’s really cool to see the world from the point of view of creatures who are so small — I imagine their world is chock full of threats that we’ve never even considered as rather large creatures. Astrid and Hamilton are both awesome; I’m glad that they ended up together. :D

Knight - Oh, what a close call! I’m glad Karpat came out of that scrape alright! The golem was really cool, by the way — I really loved the little detail you put in about how the magic animating it worked. :D

Vely - Aww, poor Lyrryn, he looks so sad! I’m glad that he learned to survive; hopefully he grew to at least partially enjoy his time exploring? I really love his sad little face in your drawing of him, haha, he’s super cute!

Zukana - What an exciting battle! It was really great to see Myth’s thought process as she turned coat, and I’m super intrigued by her pirate captain! Invisibility magic is a super cool skill for a pirate to have (and super useful, too!). I hope she managed to save her friend, and I hope that the tide of battle turned in their favor!

Jordii - Ooh, Eve sounds like a really interesting character! I’m really excited to see how she gets her revenge — I hope that someday you’ll write that part of her story out, too! I’m also really interested to know more about her world in general. Why was she created? By whom? It sounds like you’ve got a great setting to work with! :D