Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Face of Fratricide #WEP #WEPFF

 #WEPFF FICTION, FICTION, FICTION

The Face of Fratricide

Word count: 514 mpa

Tagline: What did they expect with a name like King?


I was a quadruplet. Actually a quint, but one sibling didn't make it through the first day. And now I'm a twin, just my sister Charlotte and I remain. 


Our other sister and brother, Nina and Khan, were more popular. They got more milk. They got more attention from mom. Everyone liked them more. 


People were saying that in a year or two, I'd probably be traded or loaned out. They named me King, and then planned to send me off? Ohhhh no, not me, I'm not going anywhere. 


My favorite sister made friends with the girls next door. They paid attention to her. They had time. She figured maybe she would live with them one day. Or she might also be traded or loaned out. 


I watched as dad moved to his new home. He's too dangerous to be allowed near us, ever. He'll eventually try to get with the girls next door. In a year or two, I'll be interested in them. Dad and I would fight over them if we weren't kept apart. 


Khan and I would have fought over them one day. Now that he's gone, it won't be an issue.


"Go play on the log," I told him. No one else was around. It was so early. "It'll be so fun." 


The water under the log had frozen. Not thick enough to walk on, just enough to look pretty. Deceptive. And the dew on the log was just slick enough. 


My brother hadn't been sharpening his claws regularly. Too busy playing and being popular. I knew what would happen. 


Khan climbed onto the log. "I'm king of the enclosure!" 


No. 

I'm King. 

One little swipe of my paw, and the log rolled. Khan couldn't hold on. Didn't have the claws for it.


The frozen pond broke easily. Sure, he could swim. We can all swim. But ice isn't for swimming. 


"Whatcha doing?" I heard the question and a yawn from behind me. Nina. She must have noticed Khan wasn't asleep beside her. 


"Khan fell in!" 


Nina ran to the pond and jumped in after him. 


I guess Charlotte won't have to live with the girls next door. I called out that I'd go for help, then trotted back inside. 


Nice and warm in here. Much more spacious, too.


"Where did you last see your brother?" Mom asked as I went for some milk. 


"Playing on a log." I'm not totally lying. 


"It's too cold out. And he hasn't had breakfast. Nina did, but Khan didn't. Haven't I always said breakfast first then play? That way we can be out of the sleeping area when they come to clean." Mom and her milk leave. 


That'll be the last time I'm not favored. 


Charlotte nipped my tail. "Why is everyone up so early?" 


I heard mom roar in the distance. 


"You and I are taken care of, that's all you need to know. Your King promised everything will be okay, and now it will be." 


Do I have the face of a killer? We all do, normally. That's survival.





If you haven't been following these cubs, then this is
THE FIRST TIME EVER (I/ you) SAW (YOUR/ his) FACE. πŸ˜‰


#WEP DECEMBER 2022 CHALLENGE #THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW...Post Dec 1st - 15 the
WEP Dec 2022


🐯 Note: There's no evidence that King had anything to do with Khan and Nina dying. No actual fratricide. The video above was posted with his sweet face, and my dark and twisted mind thought to make a horror story for the prompt. 
The little baby tigers are actually very sweet and lovable. There was talk that King might be loaned to other proper tiger sanctuaries one day for "stud services." But none are actually being shipped off forever. There's plenty of room. I was just going for a good story
And while tigers in the wild do kill to survive, these tigers get food deliveries. A lot of it comes from donations. There doesn't seem to be any actual killing at the sanctuary. 
Sugar and Spice are the tiger girls next door, a year older than the cubs. 

There is a memorial for Khan and Nina. The offending pond has since been blocked off. The odds that they would have died like that were infinitely minuscule, but it happened. No one is at fault. Nature has a cruel streak. 

https://youtu.be/K8FuJ3qckmY  (NOT an endorsement of Fox News. They just happened to cover it.)


23 comments:

  1. Jamie, it took me awhile to realize these were dogs of some kind, so kudos for that, but it was intriguing to think animals had such jealous feelings that could lead to fratricide. You achieved your aim of telling a good story.

    And thank you for joining WEP challenges in the past and present. I hope you will post again in 2023. We're working on some great challenges.

    Happy holidays!

    Denise

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  2. Well done - great couple of twists! The tiger cubs are such cuties. I wish the others had survived.

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    1. It was painfully sad. And then watching the others moron. Ugh, my heart πŸ’”.
      But, you know, turn the pain into writing, right?

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  3. I enjoyed this. It developed so well. Like Denise took me some time.to figure out you were talking about tigers. Nonetheless perfect plan, and yes the open ending worked well for me. Evidence or no evidence I'd like to believe jealousy played a dirty game.

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    1. Yeah, I thought it'd be fun to not let the audience in on the real characters. Then use that at the end to tie to the prompt. I know it's not a winning thing. I'm in it for holiday fun.

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  4. Unique, I loved your story! Especially as it's based on the real tigers. So cute, but, yes, hard to think killer. And yet, it's nature. Well done!

    Happy Holidays!

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  5. The tiger cub looks so cute! Though at first I thought they were puppies.

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  6. Hi,
    I sat here reading and wondering. Is she talking about lions, tigers, or people. I finally decided on lions when you mentioned paws. A very engaging take on the prompt and I enjoyed it. Shalom aleichem

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    1. 🀣 And you were so close! 🐯 Glad the paw clued you in.

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  7. Hi Jamie - I too wondered, then got drawn in to the reality of the story ... sad, but as you say nature - and I'm sure animals do have an understanding and feelings - cheers Hilary

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    1. Yes, it was clear they mourned for days after the death in reality.
      But this story is just a fiction version.

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  8. This is a unique take on the prompt! Nature can be cruel indeed. Tiger cubs look adorable, but they sure do have a killer instinct.

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  9. Caught on pretty early that they were cats, just didn't realise they were big cats not little kittens. :) Interesting take on the prompt, like the way your imagination works.
    Thank you for posting for this challenge and for your support of the WEP. Happy holidays!

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    1. But they are little bitty baby tigers 😍 who are OMG so cute. They still do the little hop thing when they run. And pounce each other. And omg they're so cute it's ridiculous. But yeah, they're about 70 lbs each now, so that's a bit heavy for a cat. But normal for a cute baby tiger. ❤

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  10. Yeah, the animal kingdom. It is all about the survival of the fittest.

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    1. In this case, only certain fish would win. Frozen ponds are dangerous.

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  11. I once had two pet mice. It never occurred to me that they might fight to the death. I thought they were just scrapping. I felt bad that I didn't separate them. I learned the hard way that male mice can't be kept together.

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    1. I had guppies. Apparently they eat their young. How does a species survive like that? Only the ones who master hiding from the second they're born, I guess.

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  12. It's so sad when animals or people fall into icy water.
    Nancy

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    Replies
    1. Yup. Ice rinks are definitely safer. How thick ice is on a lake or pond takes a real expertise to determine.

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