I'm lost

"Whaaaaa" as I cry out.

My mother had been playing hide and seek with me but she never bothered to find me. I can't find her I think I am lost! I had been looking for a while now and it is getting dark. I haven't eaten since this morning and all I have is a white shirt and shorts...

I spent who knows how long spending time looking for my mother but she is nowhere to be found. I think I am never going to find her! *sniffle* "Whaaaaaa!"

"Mom where are you I want to back, please! I'm...I'm alone someone helps me!"

But no one comes to my aid. I am all alone now...I walk over to a tree crying with tears coming out of my face and ball up into a curled up position and cover my head.

*hours later*

*sniffle* "I want to go home...but I don't know where home is from here..I can see in the dark but I am too hungry to move and I am also tired from all my crying...I look up to the sky and see the stary night. Maybe...maybe I can try and look for her tomorrow...She must be looking for me she has to be! She...she wouldn't abandon me right? Yeah, she must be searching for me at the party since I am not with her."

Yeah it has to be! I wander around slowly getting chilly from the night cold. I am so cold...so alone...But I can do this. My mother will find me tomorrow I will go home and then be able to eat something!

I walk over to a tree and lean against it while shivering and remember that last thing me and my mother were doing before these events occurred.

*Flashback*

"Codaka! Breakfast!"

"Coming mother!" I say as I get my clothes on and run down the stairs carefully as not to trip. I am excited for when my tail grows larger like mommies!

I for a moment stop on the stairs and decide to risk it and jump off the stairs from halfway down. I land on my feet perfectly and run towards the kitchen with darting speed.

"Codaka...please don't run in the house..."

"S-sorry mother!"

*Sighs* "Just eat your food. I have something planned for the day for you," she says while turning around washing the dishes.

"Okay mom!"

She turns around and looks me in the eye and stares at me. I made a mistake again.

"Sorry mother....My bad..."

*Sighs* "Just eat"

"Yes mother I am sorry" *chews*

I continue eating my cereal sloppily because of my mouth shape and swallow the milk with it. Hard to a cereal but it tastes so good!

I look over to my mother who is just sitting at the table with her hands on a book reading. She has black scales like me but no red scales so she is fully ebony black. She has horns on the back of her head and minor horns curving upwards.

I got my feathers and red scales from my father. He had left us for another beast woman. She had been visiting a lot until mother found out about it and dad left us the next day. I miss him a bit...

But at least I am with mommy!

"Mother do you want some cereal with me?"

"No Codaka. Please just let me read in peace"

"Oh...uhm...okay sorry mother. I will just eat in the next room over..." I say picking up my bowl of cereal and walking sadly into the next room over by myself.

I sit alone in the living room and turn on the tv waiting for it to wake itself up and watch a bit of television before we leave. I watch a show called Happy tree friends which is a pretty brutal show showing off animated beastmen getting hurt a lot. I saw it when I was just a bit younger and mother didn't care what I watched so I just stuck with this inappropriate show. Still fun though.

As I sit there for a while I finished my breakfast and stay sitting smiling while watching animated animals beat themselves up hilariously. Why am I like this...

"Okay Codaka, I am ready to leave so get ready. Get your shoes on." she says while picking up her purse in a blouse shirt and jeans.

"Okay!"

I put on some small sneakers my size and run up to mother with my still trying to put my shoes on tying them up poorly. I trip onto my face clumsily and she just sighs in the disappointment of me. I get myself up and stand up straight and tall. Or as tall as a 5 year old can be.

"Let's go" she says

I follow her out of the house and she locks the door behind us and gets on one knees and touches my shoulder.

"We are going somewhere special okay? But it is a secret so I have to blind fold you"

"R-really! Where! Wait you said a secret? Aw man I am so excited! Maybe we are going to an amusement park?"

"Ssshhh, it is a secret like I said..."

"O-okay...I am ready!"

"Good"

She takes a bandana from out of nowhere and gently raps it around over my eyes and carries me in her arms over to the car it sounds like.

*click click*

The car gets unlocked and she opens the door for me and sets me in the seat. I blindly buckle myself up and be ready for the car to start moving and I feel a slight tug on my chest ensuring we are moving now.

I am tempted to remove my blindfold but I promised mother I wouldn't. But I want to know where we are going! No, no resist the urge Codaka...Resist the urge!

I tilt my head from side o side waiting for wherever we are going. I hope it is a gaming arcade. Or even better an amusement park! It would be so fun! We can go into one of those photo booths and take a family photo!

Oh my gosh I am so excited! I can't keep my feet still!

*an hour later*

It has been a while and my butt hurts a little from sitting still for so long...Are we there yet? I want to ask her so badly but that will likely anger mother...She has a habit of being angry with me when I ask to many questions...

The car takes a few turns and then stops. Are we here or did we stop at a traffic light? I am not sure...Suddenly the door opens and then closes. Is she getting out of the car now? I can't see so.

Suddenly startlingly, my door opens and a few words come out.

"You may step out of the car now."

I unbuckle my seatbelt eagerly and step outside of the car with my blindfold over my eyes still. Can I take it off now? Wouldn't hurt to ask one question now right?

"Are we...here now?" I ask sheepishly.

"Yes, take off your blindfold."

I take it off and my eyes adjust to the light of the environment. Around me are tall trees and bushes around me and behind me is a road. Not a busy one though. Maybe the outskirts of Arcadia itself maybe? Or maybe the city park.

No, not the city park, that wouldn't be that long. We must be on the outskirts of the main city itself likely. Got to be. But why out here? Are we going to have a picnic? She never packed anything though...

"Why are we here?" I ask

"We are going to play a little game Codaka. Hide and seek."

"Oh? But why out here?"

"Well naturally we caimans are naturally good climbers and fast traversers of jungle and forest environments. We are beastmen after all."

"I...I guess...But that doesn't make sense why we are out here mother."

"Well if we want to have a lot of fun, we should be more in our natural environment! Doesn't that sound fun?"

"I...I guess"

"Good! Now I am going to count to 100 and you run as far away as you can. Away from the road specifically. Then I will find you!"

"100? Doesn't that seem a bit long for a game of hide and seek?"

"Well, normally yes. But us Caimans are excellent trackers. So it would be child play if I could find you in 10 seconds."

"Okay...I will do the game mother!"

"Good. Now start running! 1...2...3...4.."

I should start running! I turn around and start running straight forward through the tree nearly tripping on occasion but continuing to run forward.

*few moments later*

*huff huff huff* I think I am far enough...*huff*

I look up and climb up a tree and begin reaching over to a branch and holding around it tightly. I guess caimans do have a naturally good climbing ability. Noted...

I wait there for a bit but she doesn't find me. I think I have the perfect hiding spot hehe hehe!

*30 minutes later*

I think I have to much of a good hiding spot...

I have been sitting in this tree for a while and mother hasn't found me yet. I think I should go back to her before she gets mad at me. We rarely ever played games but when we did it was...competitive I guess...