1

His parents were gone, so he climbed the stairs to their bedroom and slowly opened the door with his nose. He wasn’t supposed to be in here when they were gone and if they knew he was, they would put him in his kennel for a time out. Zero climbed onto their bed and sat down. He loved the way their sheets smelled, and he loved the way they felt on his fur. He rolled on his back and started rubbing himself all over their sheets. He used his back paws to push himself further up the bed so he could rub all over their pillows. He loved doing this, but his parents did not approve because he made their sheets too hairy. He opened his mouth to make a dog sort of smile, and stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth.

“They’ll never know.” he laughed to himself. He continued to roll around on the sheets, then he kicked as hard as he could with his back legs, unraveling the newly made up bed until the sheets were on the floor.          

“What are you doing? You know they don’t like it when you roll around on their bed, they’re going to be so mad when they get home,” said Jack, his brother. Though they were from the same litter, they were complete opposites. Jack always followed the rules, and Zero did whatever he wanted.

“Come on, lighten up! They’ll never know.” Zero was still rolling around on the bed, kicking off the pillows now with his back feet.

 “You don’t think they’ll see all the covers and pillows on the floor? You might think you’re smart, but you can’t make that bed back up, and when they get home, you’re going to be in big trouble.” Jack stood at the bedroom door while he said this. He knew better then to go in there.  If his brother wanted to break the rules, that was one thing, but he wouldn’t.

            Zero leaped off the bed, grabbed a pillow and ran out of the room dragging it behind him.

 “You’re so uptight! They love me, and they can’t get mad at my beautiful face. You on the other hand, I’m pretty sure they could get rid of and not care, because they have me!” Jack knew his parents loved him, but he also knew his coat was not as beautiful as his brothers. If anything he was the good one and no matter how much prettier his brother was if anyone was to go it would definitely not be Jack.     

Zero was standing at the top of the stairs. He carefully positioned the pillow to rock back and forth at the top. He backed away from the pillow making sure it stayed in the same spot. He cowered down, slowly making his way down the hall, putting himself in position.  He steadied himself, making sure he lined his body up just right, wriggled his tail a little, and cowered down even lower.

 “1…….2…….” his eyes were dead set on the staircase. He was focused.

 “3!” he took off running making sure to firmly plant his paws on the hard wood floor so he wouldn’t slip. He had done this several times and it would only cause him to lose balance and go slamming into the wall at the end of the hall. At the precise moment he jumped into the air, landing on top of the pillow, and let the pillow take him to the bottom of the stairs. He had seen kids on TV go sledding in the winter time, but where he lived there was no snow. Living in the plains, there weren’t any hills either, so he figured out how to go sledding using the stairs, and a pillow by accident when he was playing with his brother that had ended up with them tumbling down the stairs and into the front door but it had been worth it. This was the funniest thing in the world to him.  He felt the wind rush against his fur, and his heart beat just a little faster. This was exhilarating.

Once he got to the bottom of the stairs, he picked up his pillow and started to drag it back up the stairs for another run. Just then he his parent’s car pull up into the driveway, and shut

I planted my hands firmly and propelled my feet over the back of the couch. I was on the hunt, not of deer or rabbit, or some other kind of animal, but of a brother wielding a fully loaded semi-automatic nerf gun. Our parents were not home so the war was on.

I snuck behind my dad’s over sized lazy boy, wedging myself in the corner where I hoped to not be seen. I checked my weapon making sure that it was loaded; I couldn’t risk an attack without ammo. I pressed my body against the back of my dad’s chair and took a deep breath. No matter how daring this was going to be I had to check my surrounding’s. Slowly I inched my face around the edge of the chair checking the opening to my left side. All I saw was the couch I had so gracefully launched myself over. Now, to check the other side, I would have to make this move just as slow and calculating. I could feel my heart start pounding faster and faster as I inched closer to the edge of the chair. I couldn’t do it! I needed a minute, so I pressed my back against the chair again. I needed to think about this very carefully.

Finally I worked up the courage and slowly peered around the other edge of the chair, Nothing. I was clear; my brother was nowhere to be found. I let out a deep sigh of relief, now to figure out my next move. I tried to think of the closest areas of the house that would protect me, but also give me a good view of my surroundings. I clutched my gun close to me and tried to breath, I knew I had to move soon or else my brother would find me.

I felt the front of the chair move. “Oh no!” I thought he was right above me, so I looked up.

My brother’s face appeared from the top of the chair. I was doomed, I had nowhere to go. I could not run I was trapped behind this chair. All I could do was scream and close my eyes. I felt my body being riddled with his bullets. I could feel the sting as each one hit my body. I was a goner at this point; trapped because I had been to slow to move. I couldn’t think fast enough to pull my gun up and shoot him as well. I just sat there like a deer in the headlights.

All I could hear was my brother laughing; it infuriated me. not only was he above me unloading all his ammo into the small area I was hiding in, but he had also been so kind to make sure that every dart had been fully doused in his own saliva.

I was instantly enraged, I lunged at my brother, Darts still sticking to my body. I climbed from the back of my dad’s chair, clawing my way to my brother. I could not get to him fast enough. He back away from the chair not completely afraid, because he was older than I and bigger.

Once out of my death corner I ran to him and jumped in my brother’s direction. He stepped to the side and put his hand out, pushing my body away from him, clearly dodging my efforts to attack. When he pushed me away I fell to the ground and rolled slamming into the table sitting next to the couch, holding my great grandmother’s vase full of flowers.

“Mom’s vase!” He yelled, covering his mouth with his hand.

Not letting the fall faze me I went after my brother again, until I heard the CRASH behind me. Instantly I stopped and slowly turned around on the balls of my heels. I was too scared to look, my brother’s words finally hitting me. I knew what I was about to see would lead to me being in big trouble. I would be grounded forever and my mother would be heartbroken. I could not bare to see what I was about to see, so I closed my eyes.

Once I finally opened my eyes, there it was my mother’s favorite vase shattered on the floor. The flowers that it had contained were now lying on the floor, lying in a puddle of water and broken glass. Instantly my eyes filled with tears. What had I done?

“Mom’s going to kill me!” I shrieked.

“What do I do?” I pleaded with my brother, who still stood there with a look of total fear on his face. He knew I was dead meat too.

“Let’s cle

I crotched down behind the tall pine tree and tried to steady my breathing. I had lost my enemy  in the woods and needed to gather my bearings. I looked all around me, but saw nothing but tree’s that reached to the heavens. They surrounded me and for the time being gave me shelter.

“Where could he of gone” I thought to myself.

I was patient and listened carefully for any kind of movement on the Vass amount of woods.  Suddenly I heard something, what sounded like a twig break, but where did it come from? I pressed my back firmly against the tree trying to make myself become a part of it. If he found me before I saw him, I would surely be dead. I looked harder this time trying to see as far as I could beyond the trees.

SNAP! There it was again, but I still could not tell which direction it had come from, but I knew it had gotten closer.

I slowly peered around the tree I was so badly trying to become a part of, but I saw nothing.

“I hear you moving, but I can’t see you. Where are you?” I thought.

I weighed my options at this point. “Should I stay where I am and maybe risk getting caught? Or should I move and again risk getting caught.”  Unfortunately these seemed to be the only options I had.  I needed to move I need to do something. If I stayed where I was surely I would be found.  Then I saw it, an area of rocks that I could hide inside and maybe get a better view of where I was. I had to move but I had to do it slowly and without detection.

I peered around the pine tree again first to the left and made sure I was clear, nothing; then to the right, nothing. I listened just to make sure I was not missing anything before I moved. There was another tall tree about five feet away from me. I would need to move swiftly and remain undetected.  I stood up and steadied myself to make a dash for the next tree.

I ran for it trying to look around and make sure I was hidden well enough. Once I reached the next tree I again tried to become one with the bark.

“HAHA you think you’re sly enough to hide from me!”

OH NO it was my brother, I had made the last move thinking I was well hidden but he must have seen me. I had to think fast. I started breathing faster. I was defiantly panicking at this point. If only I could make it to the rocks, but could I do it without him seeing me again?  He was close I knew he was close.

“I know you’re out here Mary, don’t think you can hide from me! I’m older than you are, and I’m much smarter too!” Yelled my brother

“What maybe he had not seen me after all” I had thought to myself. He is just trying to scare me, trying to get me to come out from hiding. I needed to think and fast before he did find me. The rocks were still a short distance away, but I needed them for cover.

I noticed some bushes just a few feet in front of me that would lead me straight to the rocks where I could hide; I planned my next move precisely. I would crawl on the ground through the leaves and brush until I reached the bushes. Then I could crouch down behind those bushes and dash to the rocks where I could safely hide from my brother. I took a deep breath, and began to move. I got on my hands and knees and quickly crawled to the bushes trying to make sure I didn’t make noise. Once I reached the bushes safely I got on my feet as fast as I could and made sure I kept my back down so that they would cover me and ran to the rocks.

SNAP! I had broken a twig underneath my feet while running so I knew I couldn’t risk stopping, surely he had heard it as well. I just kept moving as fast as I could. I was wishing the rocks were so much closer. Once I finally reached the outside of the rocks I threw myself at them quickly taking cover inside. I lay down out of view from the outside too scared to look out, too scared to see if he had seen anything. I needed time to catch my breath, I was gasping for air at this point. I did not have asthma, but I could have really used an inhaler.  I tried to s