I, like many of my archaic kin, have stood sentinel for eons upon eons until our once lustrous and icy, transparent fur had faded to crystalline dust. Our voices, once the thunderous roars that caused vibrations to rattle trees' branches, has nearly muted to a whisper. You have no idea the efforts it costs me to speak even now.
Do you believe in ghosts?
Well, you should, young one; because that's what I am: a wayward spirit forced to counting time as it slips between my pads like running sand.
Some days it still amazes me to look at the cats I call descendants and compare them to their ancestors. Apart from sharing the word "feline" as a genus, and having whiskers, it would be difficult to imagine us bounding stride for stride together. The Clans of wildcats aren't what they used to be; they fear everything bigger than themselves, including the Twolegs, creatures that we once hunted if they threatened our existence.
I see the bewilderment glittering in your irises. Ironically the creatures that once were scarcely an issue have now become are greatest enemies. They, who fell forests; they, who dry up rivers; they, who level mountains into barren wastelands. Those mechanical "monsters" they ride in were once the equivalent to the spears and arrows we encountered long, long ago on the battlements.
Everything in this world we inhabit is so delicate, just like the petals of a flower...
My dear, beloved Petalpaw. I wonder what became of her benevolent and ferocious spirit? Decades have passed since we last brushed pelts, caressed with our muzzles, and breathed in each others' scents. And my Clan! They were left leaderless when they needed me the most, and for that reason, I am in eternal shame and condemnation. The worst had befallen us that year, and the ultimate challenge called forth from our ranks the noblest of cats—from all of the Clans. Perhaps I... No; there are better ways to preserve history than ramble about its ever-winding slipstream.
If you would, settle, and prepare yourself for a long night. There is much to be shared between you and I before the sun rises...
