The Voyage of the Caterpillar

Chapter 2: The Predator

The forest is an amazing place. Finally Crystal and I can escape from the hustle and bustle of the Thicket and fly somewhere new! Because I can't fly, I travel on Crystal's back the majority of the way.

"Well Fletcher, don't you just love the fresh air? The breeze? The sun? The leaves? I love being away from the Thicket!" The dragonfly exclaimed.

I nodded my head in agreement. "A caterpillar needs a break every now and then."

"Where should we head to?"

"How about.... Somewhere new? Somewhere we haven't been before?" I asked.

"That sounds perfect! Full speed ahead!" Crystal beat her transparent wings as hard as a dragonfly could and soon we were racing through the forest, flying over streams, darting between tree trunks, dancing with the whirling leaves, and floating on the late summer winds. It was perfect. We had no idea where we were flying to.

And then... There was a loud squak. A cry that could belong to only one thing- a predator. It had to be a bird, and a large one at that.

"Crystal!!!!" I yelled.

"I hear! I hear!" The dragonfly began to panic. "What do I do? What do I do now?!"

With a crash, a large bird came flying through trees. It had black feathers that were askew, pointing in all directions. It had a large beak that could easily tear a caterpillar or a dragonfly to shreds in a matter of seconds, and it had huge, beady eyes that looked menacing and hungry. It was an agile flyer and was able to keep up with Crystal with incredible ease.

"Fletcher! Fletcher! Help!!!!" Crystal was screaming and beating her wings as fast as she could.

"I'm just a caterpillar! I don't know what to do!!!" I yelled back to her.

The bird let out another terrible squak and darted after us. I felt like every single hair on my hairy caterpillar body was standing on end.

Crystal flew in between in trees in circles, cutting the turns extremely tight. She hoped she would be able to use her agility to outfly our pursuer, or at least be able to find a hiding spot before the predator caught up to us.

"There!" I pointed one of my legs at a tree. "We've been this way already! The Thicket must be that direction!"

"Aye aye, Fletcher!" Crystal turned tightly, almost throwing me off her back.

We flew as fast as we could. I turned around and saw the black menace of a bird was still hot on our trail.

"He's gaining on us!" I called. This was bad. Both of us could be eaten alive.

"The Thicket! The Thicket!" The dragonfly exclaimed.

Crystal was right! The tangle of a shrub that was our home was in view, but the bird was relentless.

"We're almost there!"

"I can't make it!" Crystal breathed. Her wings were growing tired.

"Come on, Crystal!" I encouraged, but I was nervous. The dragonfly was beginning to slow down.

"I can't make it! I told you!" Crystal reached up with one of her legs and grabbed one of mine.

"Crystal! What... What are you doing?!"

"Fletcher... Say that you will always remember our adventures!" If a dragonfly could cry, she probably would be doing so right now.

"But...."

"Just say it!"

"I promise I will never forget our adventures!"

"Say... Say that you will never forget me!"

"I'll never forget you, Crystal! Even if we always argued!"

"That's good enough!"

Behind us, the bird gave another loud shriek.

"G... Goodbye, Fletcher!" Crystal stammered. Suddenly, she pulled on my leg and flung me off her back. I was sent hurtling through the air, down, down, down....

"CRYSTAL!!!!!" I screamed.

Above, the dragonfly gave a final push of her wings, the bird swooped. There was a crunch, and a tiny fragment of a clear dragonfly wing slowly drifted down to the ground. Crystal was dead.