10-Minute Writing Prompt: Pets

Prompt: In ten minutes, write about the emotion of losing and/or regaining a lost pet.

My story:

My heart raced as panicked tears streaked down my face. I ran down the field screaming his name, “Chi-Chi! Chi-Chi!” My legs burned, but I could not keep up with the hawk as it soared over the trees ahead.

Twigs slapped my arms and legs as I rushed through the forest, hoping beyond hope that I would be able to rescue my chinchilla before it was too late. Lungs burning and throat raw, I kept screaming and running until I broke through the dense foliage and fell onto my hands and knees in a clearing.

I looked up to see a strange girl standing in the clearing, and to my utter shock, the hawk was perched on her arm. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were made of wild animal pelts.

On her other hand, Chi-Chi rested, breathing hard and eyes bugging out, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed. I jumped to my feet and sobbed, “Chi-Chi, I thought I’d never find you!”

The girl gawked at me for a second, then said in a hoarse whisper, “This is yours?”

I nodded hopefully, catching my breath at last. With a crooked grin, she held him out to me. I seized him as quickly and gently as I could, holding him close to my chest comfortingly.

The hawk on her arm squawked in disapproval, but she turned to him saying, “Tut, tut! You brought this on yourself, Damian. I told you no pets!”