I clung to the cold iron bars and watched the white rain fall from the sky. It always came this time of year, like an old friend coming to greet us, never failing to arrive. The humans called it something else,
something like Snau. Personally, I think white rain suits it better. But alas, the humans call it what they want, never stop to listen to animals, too caught up in their own world. The older humans consider white rain to be annoying, but the cubs run and play
and they build with it. I sigh, remembering when I was able to do the same thing. Where I was raised, we never had white rain. But it was always warm and sunny and the river nearby was always brimming with warm water. It was paradise. But then the drought came. We all went further out of the forest, closer to where the humans lived. Too close.
I was sleeping soundly on my soft bed made up of the giant leaves that drooped from the towering trees. I suddenly felt a nudge on my shoulder. When I looked up, my mother was standing in the opening of the cave that the roots had made, her wide frame filling the entrance. I slipped through one of the gaps between the roots. My mother cried out in pain and collapsed. I gave out a soft cry, so soft that only she could hear me. The long glance she gave me through her weary eyes said one thing:Run. Climbing up the nearest tree, I saw a man with a menacing object in his hand, pointed towards my brother, Miguel. I had to get to him before he got my brother too. After all he was the only family I had left. I raced across the high branches. Without another thought, I leaped down from the branch towards the man, giving out my mightiest roar. I landed on his face and held on tight. He clawed frantically at his face, but I refused to let go. I was so focused on not letting go that I didn't notice when he pulled out the strange object he had been pointing at Miguel. When he pulled the trigger, I realized that it was a gun, the horrible weapon that Mama had told us about. I didn't have much time to think about it, though, because that was when the world went black.
