A History Of Us

Mark shivered as a breeze ran over him. He was sprawled out on his stomach in some short grass. His bare body was covered in mud and a trail of it followed from the river’s edge. His neck twisted up as he crawled his way to a sun beaten boulder. Mark grunted as he flipped onto his back and pulled himself against the stone’s warm surface.

His eyelids fluttered unevenly as he looked around. Trees ran along both sides of the water way. The canopy filtering out most of the light. His muddy legs were tickled by the thin blades of grass beneath him. Trying to wiggle his toes, Mark noted a lack of movement as the nubs twitched. A quiet sigh came from his lips as his head drooped down.

He had passed out for nearly an hour before coming to with his eyes snapping up to the world around him. His pupils contracted quickly as Mark finally took note of the color scheme around him. The bright, saturated colors left his mouth gaping. A small noise drew his attention down to his... no longer mud covered legs. A small bunny was spitting water onto Mark’s limbs and rubbing the earth off the surface.

Mark’s shaky vision zeroed in on the hare that had somehow managed a focused grimace. It glanced up at the man’s open eyes, and the tiny figure slowed to a stop. Mark wasn’t sure what to make of the little beast that now had a sad frown on its face. The white creature hopped onto the human’s chest and scampered up to Mark’s face. A tiny tear fell from the bunny as it lightly kissed the man on the cheek. It quickly jumped down a few feet away and held up both paws. The motion of ‘stay’ was repeated in a few variations before the rabbit ran off into the woods.

Mark went to raise an arm and stop the bunny from leaving, but the limb did little more than flop. He was left staring off into the brush where the rabbit had exited. His heart beat softly as blackness overtook him again.

A snort pulled Mark from his sleep. His head connected sharply with the boulder against his back. After emitting a tiny cry, his eyes opened to nothing but black and white.

The zebra’s maw was nearly flush with Mark’s nose. The world around him blurred as he stared into yet another creature’s eyes. A bit off balance, he leaned forward and flung an arm around the zebra; his face burying itself into the creature’s neck. A hand ran through the animal’s coat and Mark’s fingers made circles in the fur as they drifted across the zebra’s side. The beast’s gentle breathing blew hot air into Mark’s ear and he could feel its chest expand and contract. His hand had made its way down the length of the creature, prompting him to cup its haunches in a palm. The zebra promptly went stiff in his arms as Mark proceeded to rub the creature’s rear. In a soft voice he gargled gibberish whilst his fingers squeezed the supple fur of the beast’s patootie. As he blacked out overtop the zebra, Mark began to subconsciously nibble on its neck.

The zebra stood rigid with the man’s weight bearing down. The striped beast stared straight ahead with a bright pink hue in its cheeks. Blinking a few times, it slid the large, gnawing ape off its back to collect some twigs and vines.