Adriana Echeverria
October 11, 2010
The wind blew in and out from his chest in rapid successive breaths as his dark eyes peered from behind the tall grass. The setting sun shone in them yet the young queen playing before him was obliviously hunting the squirmy crickets that sang in elation in anticipation of the hours of darkness. The grasslands hid the brooding shadow from the kitten, who perused fervently after the restless insects. A harsh wind blew the kit´s head fur into her wide eyes yet her ears still caught the rustle behind her. She dismissed it immediately. It must´ve been the wind. Just then she saw a tiny flash of light in the distance in the shadow of the trees. Maybe it was a fairy luring her towards fantastical adventures. Jelly had repeatedly warned her of not wandering around that area at night. However, what´s an adventure without a dangerous forest to live it out? The kit ventured into the ominous forest, her imagination flying. She saw another flash, and without the slightest hesitation, she sprinted towards it. She stood where she had last seen it, perked up for any fluttering sound or sparkling sight. Yet what she heard she didn't expect. Light footsteps approached from behind her. She remained set, her blood throbbing with expectancy of her first great battle with the enemy. However, the lingering awareness that this was only her imagination made her consider her guess. Perhaps it was the fat rat that she sometimes saw and tried to catch. Yet again, it could be a pollicle, searching for some feeble prey. Whatever it was it had faded into silence and only the wind howled and the crickets chirped loudly at the darkening sky. The kitten´s attention turned again to the dazzling sparks shining around her. They had multiplied as the day grew dim, yet the kit blithely chased after them, springing from the ground as to catch them in her tiny paws. As she dashed towards a particularly brilliant blaze she plummeted towards the ground, a tree´s bulging roots taking fault for it. As she squatted there to recover her breath she became conscious that she could merely distinguish trees from shadows. The moonlight was halted by the grey rainclouds threatening to spill. She settled on the arid soil listening to the night sounds, expecting to hear some familiar sound to direct her safely to the Junkyard. Her keen eyes perceived a murky silhouette obscured by the shadows of the trees. She stared intently, still she could not find shape or sense in that strange contour. She saw it move closer and flinched back against the guilty tree. She heard her heart thumping as if it would jump through her chest and run away, still she was unable to move her feet, not even to stand. Her body trembled as she desperately grasped the rough tree bark, vainly searching support. She lost eye contact with the vague figure and fleetingly groped for the unseen menace. All her heroic hopes collapsed and she was left there as the cowardly lion, defeated by her fear. A gust of wind blew the kit´s head fur into her eyes again, a moment of complete blindness, and hastily, pulled it out. Shallow breaths heaved through her lungs, even though she felt like she was choking, because of which she could not utter a sound. There was silence as the tension increased and she prepared for the worst fate. She closed her eyes and covered them with her filthy paws, her legs still close to her body in an attempt to make herself as little a target as she could. Suddenly she felt a freezing weight on the side of her neck, as a chill ran all the way through her body. " Tag, you´re it!"