Escapade

Once upon a time, there was a raccoon named Dross. He was unlike other animals, he could speak! Dross thought it was a fascinating ability that he used to his advantage. he would trick humans to lure them away from things he wanted to steal. The other animals found this disturbing and so Dross was normally alone. This was fine to him, he was a solitary being after all.

One day while Dross was wandering the deep woods looking for a safe place to sleep he heard a peculiar noise. He could swear it was crying, which was completely out of place here. His curiosity had gotten him into all kinds of troubles and mishaps in the past. Not that he learned from these mind you.

Approaching the sounds of distress Dross started to feel some anxiety, he had no way of knowing what might happen. But his curiosity got the better of him once again.

As Dross got closer to the source of the crying, he saw a small human child, no more than seven years old, sitting alone in the woods. The child looked frightened and lost, and tears were streaming down his face. Dross knew that humans were dangerous, but he couldn't ignore the child's distress. He cautiously approached the child and said, "Are you okay, human?"

The child looked up and was startled by his voice and shocked to see a talking raccoon. But he was too upset to be wary of the strange phenomenon, and just stared at the raccoon. Dross realized that the child was lost and afraid, so he tried to comfort him by distracting him. "You come here often? You know it's getting late so you should probably head back to town." Dross said casually while pointing towards town to indicate the direction. Hoping the boy would find his way home and Dross could carry on.

After a few moments, the child's tears began to subside, and he looked up at Dross with big, wet eyes. Dross knew the boy couldn't find his way on his own alone in the woods. Dross sighed because once again curiosity landed him in a precarious decision. It was a risky choice to help a human and reveal he could speak, but he knew it was the right thing to do.

"Well come along then boy it's a long walk." Dross said casually setting off towards the nearest town. The boy jumped up with a smile and wiped away his tears. It was a long and treacherous walk, especially in the rapidly darkening woods. The boy still didn't speak, but rather just stared at Dross.

Dross started to wonder if the boy couldn't speak or if fear muted him. Dross moved through the forest carefully, avoiding all the dangers that the woodland posed. At some point Dross could no longer handle the silence. "Any chance I could go through your food cupboard when we arrive?" Dross asked jokingly. " Sure!" The boy responded causing Dross to trip over a branch in surprise. So he does speak? Dross thought to himself.

When they arrived after several hours, Dross looked at the boy who didn't seem to recognize his surroundings still. Dross went up to one of the houses and knocked. The humans were alarmed to see a talking raccoon with a small child. Dross explained the boy got lost, all the family were gathered around wide eyed.

After some discussion the youngest girl jumped up and said. " I know him! There were missing posters down by the school." The family found the posters and contacted the boys parents.

When his parents arrived it was a tear-jerking experience, but Dross was starting to feel uncomfortable and was desiring the familiar feeling of his forest. So he began to inch towards the front door, but the boy noticed and grabbed him in a hug. If I had feelings this might make me cry. Dross thought.

The humans were grateful to Dross for bringing the child to safety, and they began to see him in a new light. They realized that he was more than just a thief and that he had a kind heart. From that day forward, Dross was no longer a solitary being. He had made new friends and he was respected by all. Dross learned that sometimes doing the right thing could lead to unexpected rewards, and he was grateful for the experience. Even if he would never admit it, he would say it was for the food.