A Day in the Life of a Madrigal

by Achitka

I've found myself writing a lot of Encanto ficlets of late - so guess I'll plunk them in here. Random ficlets will be showing up all month. There's a Tumblr event going on #Encantober - tomorrow's prompt is strength. Since I tend to write this stuff too close to bed time - there are likely to be grammar issues. Cannot be helped.

10. The Legend of the Valley

Day 10 prompt of Encantober was Animals

The Legend of the Valley

Parce watched the bedraggle line of humans as they made their way toward the little town where he once lived. These humans reminded him of a story his mother once told him. It was a story that she had been told by her mother and by her mother before that. Because he was the only cub from his litter to survive, she passed it to him.

Long ago, there were humans who came to their valley before it was a valley. They were frightened and fleeing from other humans who were trying to harm them. This was nothing new, humans often killed one another but, on this occasion, there was one human who while protecting her three cubs, threw back the pursuers and used her magic to create the valley where they now lived.

Parce did not believe the story when he first heard it, but his mother insisted he learn it word for word. Because, she told him he had a destiny of sorts to fulfill and that is why she named him as she did. She told him she had seen the elegida and the coming of that one meant the valley would be broken and more humans would come, but before that one would be born that would understand the animals of the valley. That one Parce would protect and keep from harm.

Parce remembered the day he'd heard the voice that called him by name and brought him into the world of humans. Human cubs took much longer to mature than jaguar cubs, so when Parce met this one, he found he had a gentle heart and the ability to speak with all the animals, not just him. They were only together a short time before the valley split, but Parce waited amongst the trees, keeping watch over the cub, because the voice of the elegida said it must be so.

Time passes for a jaguar differently than humans for while he waited, he'd had cubs of his own outside of the valley. When he heard the call again, he did not hesitate and found his human cub waiting for him near its den. The cub was a little larger, but he realized so was he. Flipping the cub up onto his back he entered the den and joined the other humans that dwelt within, they did not run away as most of their kind would. The elegida was there amongst them, and was joyous at his return.