The sun filtered down through the leaves...it was crisp and golden...fall was almost over yet it was still warm...the last touch of summer still hung in the air...the world was beautiful...

Leonardo packed moss and dried grass into the hollow of the dead tree...he didn't mind the little insects that shared his home ,spiders and centipedes couldn't hurt him,his scales were too thick...and the family of squirrels storing away seeds and acorns were welcome neighbors...earlier in the spring he had watched the female build a nest out of leaves,later ,when one of their offspring fell out of the tree,he cared for it until it could survive on its own...in the way of wild animals it had forgotten all about him,and climbed away to live with its mate in a different tree...

He found that he enjoyed this life ...it was gentle and slow...he felt happy ...the only thing darkening his existence were the dreams...

Sometimes they were faded and indistinct...other times they were more real than the forest around him...

He saw faces...flashes of color...Red,Orange,Purple and then brown...

Strong emotions assailed him when he saw these ...they flew past so quickly he hardly registered what they were...

Sometimes it was a dark place ...with evil, malicious creatures attacking him...he would struggle and fight...and then just before they overcame him he would see a bright light coming down towards him ...it was warm and comforting...it engulfed him completely ...and thats when he would wake up...

He longed for a night where he could sleep without dreaming...

He never felt like he got any rest...

Leo sat back and surveyed his handy work...it was dry and would feel comfortable tonight ...maybe he could actually sleep ...

Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed through his chest...for a moment it was hard to breath...but then it subsided,leaving a dull ache ...

Leonardo reached up to rub the place that had hurt ,but then realized it wouldn't do any good...he had a hard plastron...not skin or fur...

He frowned...that was the fourth time that had happened...and whenever he felt that pain,a great sadness came with it...a sadness that wasn't his own...but it wasn't foreign either...