The Suburbs

Now, if we look in here, we can find a multitude of tools that would’ve been used by the humans daily. This first one, this curvèd metal upon a stick, must have been used for viewing oneself. The second, with its four prongs, was clearly used to untangle the fur upon one’s head. And this final one… is rather pointy… I may need some more time to ascertain its use.

– Excerpt from the ramblings of Professor Pancake, investigating a cutlery drawer

Dwarfed by the skyscrapers in the Centre, but more built-up than the dense Forest or sweeping Plains, the Suburbs form a middle ground between the wild and the remnants of civilisation. Tree-lined avenues are home to a range of climbing creatures, while the open field is popular with horses and hounds who love to run through the unkept grasses. Patches that the humans might have once designated for flowers have now become untamed and home to a variety of insects, while the streams and ponds provide space for the waterborne.

Due to its abundance of shelters, the Suburbs are a popular area for those looking for protection from the elements, and is bound to get even busier in the coming months as Winter approaches.

Building after near-identical building line the roads of the Suburbs, each with an overgrown garden at the front and an even wilder thicket at the back, and each a brilliant snapshot of history showing how humans lived. While on the outside they may all look the same, on the inside each home has its own collection of appliances and knick-knacks. All sorts of historians can be found here, trying to determine how the various machines and doo-dads would have fit into the humans’ daily lives and often arguing with one another about their findings.

Outside, stone roads shaded by trees connect the houses in a maze, full of dead-ends and junctions. In some areas, white dashes bisect these pathways, but in most places such lines have chipped away or faded, leaving only a faint outline showing they ever existed. Occasionally, one can find the rusted frame of one of the beasts from the Straits, but these seem few and far between. Above, squirrels can be seen rushing past sloths on the branches, and crows and magpies are oft heard bickering about who saw a particular shiny thing first.

Amidst the houses and roads that make up the majority of the Suburbs, the Park stands out like a sore thumb. Trees border a large field filled with tall grass. Perhaps once used by humans as an open space for games and relaxation, nowadays the area is most often used by dogs racing through the grass or mice and hamsters making their homes amidst the overgrowth. Snaking trails of cobblestones are now occupied by weeds that have pushed through the cracks in the rocky surface. During the Summer, many animals enjoy cooling off in the large pond (still small compared to the Great Lake to the North), but in Winter, the Park lies quiet, save for a determined few who bear the cold to continue their races in the field.

Near the edge of the Park lie two small areas theorised to have been used for human recreation, though their exact purposes are still unclear. The first is a fenced area filled with odd constructions made from rotting wood and rusting metal: small platforms hanging by chains from a metal frame; another frame with a set of horizontal bars connecting two wooden halves; two large poles connected by a wire with another platform dangling down near one of the wire’s ends. The second is an area of angular, artificial hills made from wood. Some of the hills are lined by metal poles and some become vertical before suddenly plateauing. There are many discussions (and many arguments) about these areas.

A quaint street, different to those surrounded by houses, seems to make up the heart of the Suburbs. The buildings here are attached in a long row and their exteriors are all different, with signs and paintwork in a rainbow of colours, while their interiors are just as varied. Some have tables, chairs, counters, and a range of marvellous technology, as well as many, many cups. Others are filled with shelves, covered in books (though time has not been kind to these – those that haven’t already been lost to damp and mould make for a tasty snack for the moths and lice). In another, the walls are lined with delightful devices, ticking dutifully as time passes on. But there are also many with their fronts boarded up, seemingly abandoned long before the humans left. A babbling stream flows gently down by the pavement on this street, a useful thoroughfare for fish looking to enter the City.

While once this street was a hubbub of activity, ideal for human hang-outs, it is now seen by many as just another, albeit interesting, part of the City.

Professor Pancake (he/him): An opossum historian researching human culture within the City. Much of his research is based in the Shelters, trying to attribute meaning and purpose to a variety of objects and knick-knacks. He often gives lectures about his findings to anyone happy to listen.

Maple (she/they): A dormouse intern of Professor Pancake. She scribes all his ramblings (which really just means she draws pictures of the utilities he assigns to the human knickknacks), but is quite sick of it.

Fraxinus the Swift (they/them): A cheetah who can often be found racing around the Park. It is said that no animal can run faster than them.

Dog (he/him): A hawk, and close friend of Fraxinus, with whom he has a friendly rivalry. One of the fastest fliers around, especially in the Suburbs.

Idris (any): “Psst, mate! Wanna buy a watch?” This ibis' stained feathers may once have resembled an off-white, but years of rummaging among the refuse of the Suburbs has caused the colour to begin approaching the same black as their curved beak. Not much is known about Idris, except that if you want something, Idris is selling it.