Detention (Otherwise Untitled)

Story by Moriar on SoFurry

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#73 of Short Stories

A phoenix finds herself in a cell with a bored jackalope who avails himself of illusions to pass the time.


~ The phoenix could see two things in her cell that were quite out of the ordinary. Remaining persistently in her line of view was the duct tape haphazardly around her beak, sealing it shut. The other matter was also heard, as the naked wolf sat a few feet away on the same bench she was chained to. He waved an arm freely into the otherwise empty room, "Peanut butter doesn't spoil! It just becomes butterier!", his rambling exaltation continued. The phoenix sighed, looking away to regard the numbers printed on her orange jumpsuit for another reading.

~ Part of the way through his enumeration of the seven ingredients to look for in a peanut butter being purchased as a retirement vehicle, the guard beleagueredly returned to the cell. He commented with a tone of flat annoyance, "To hell with this. I'm tired of this game, you don't stop." The elderly wolf was suddenly a rabbit, when he realized that the muzzle of a rifle was pressed against the orange fabric over his chest. He looked up at the guard, though still blindfolded. The phoenix continued to examine her own jump suit, not wishing to draw any of the guard's ire.

~ The rabbit's grunt of confusion, muffled by the gag and muzzle, was cut sharply short by the gunshot from the rifle. The phoenix couldn't help but glance for a moment in shock, seeing the jackalope's antlers slam back into visiblity while the half dozen wall clocks that had floated in the air where he'd thought the walls were slipped from sight. In the next moment of self control smothering her panic, she tucked her beak down tightly against her own chest and stared intently into her lap. The phoenix dedicated every bit of willpower she had on hand to maintain the illusion that she needed to be able to open her beak to utter flames, and firmly pressed her hope towards seeing a judge before the guards got wise.