The sky was a bright azure, white wisps of cloud drifting across the expanse. The forest underneath was alive with sounds and creatures and chirping, the wide canopy shielding them all from human sight. Among the greenery a leopard roamed.
She sprang from branch from branch, her legs never entangled with the thickening foliage. And so she continued, branch from branch, looking for the food she needed. The sunlight struck her light brown fur, teasing, bringing her on as she looked for her catch, occasionally sniffing the woodland air. But here, she would find one that would kill her instead of one she'd kill.
"Mama, mama!" her children would say, when the mother got back to the safety of her dwelling. In her mind there was not a doubt that they would be safe and sound, dozing and play fighting with each other, batting their small ocher paws.
Within the dark green leaves a loud, shrill bark could be heard, and the mother's heart stopped. She bounded forward, quicker and quicker, desperately searching for the creature that'd sounded the alarm. Close from her, she could see something on a branch a few jumps away. Upon closer inspection, dread curled its dark tendrils around her body. There, lying upon a ruffled nest of green leaves, were her children with wide, dead, glassy eyes, rolled back into their tiny skulls.
A scream tore from the mother's throat as she trembled on where she stood.
As she felt their fur grow cold underneath her gentle touch, she grew numb with pain. Grey clouds scattered above her, masking the sun with smoke. The floodgates of heaven broke apart, and the raindrops fell onto the ground in a sick, metronome rhythm. Just like her heart.
xx
i wrote this way back in may, but i decided to post it after i edited this a few days ago.(: i hope you liked it despite how short this is!
- lynn x
