CHAPTER II

Hope was painted on my face.

"Haaaww~" I yawned along with a stretch of my limbs. I woke up in the place where the cricket and I met. I watch the sun rose from the east as I face it with a fleeting smile. Finally, I stood up and searched the site. Where are the glowing lights last night? It was until I concluded those things only shows up at night. "I shall see it tonight then," I muttered to myself.

I went deeper to the swallowing woods. I continued my own journey. As the cricket says, I must know–find–myself. One day if we meet again, I'll ask him what is 'friend' that he continuously states. The word is very new to me; in fact, I only heard it from him. Perhaps he is deluding me, but he was a really nice person. Now I am downright confused.

The time came when I got hungry. I used to not know what to eat back then, but when this cow from a farm kindly gave me some of his green herbal foods, I learned that my diet is consuming grasses, pastures, and sometimes those four petal leaf. It was an easy thing for me since the whole world is almost filled with that, and I am obviously glad for it. Maybe, I'm not that completely bad at all, I think; however, today is comparatively scarce. I am really thirsty for water.

As I moved on to look for a swamp or a river, or a lake, I heard a hissing sound that appears to be coming for me; suddenly, for an unbeknownst reason, I feel unbelievably terrified. "Ssss~ hello, little lamb." Its voice is unwelcoming as if it's coming from the deepest parts of earth. It spoke slowly, making me shiver along with its frigid tone. Its presence accommodates the unpleasant dark atmosphere of the sudden silent forest: The tweeting birds and the croaking toads are gone. If there were toads, I must be close to a pond then.

The long slender creature slowly wraps itself over my feet. Half of its body is still on the rather dying dirt. What a long and helpless one. Having no hands or limbs to support him, it only uses its body alone. "W-What are you?" Unlike any normal conversation with the caterpillars, the bees, and sometimes the frogs, this weird living thing makes me very uncomfortable… and still thirsty. My mind can't stop fantasizing about a crystal liquid passing through my dry throat.

Hisses, the long scaly creature: "I am a snake!" It tightens its grip on my limb, making me fall to the ground. I cringed in pain, loud enough to make my throat drier. "But perhaps…" The slender reptile loosen its hold and took time to examine my pitiful distress. "… You must be thirsty, dearie." What an understanding snake! Oh yes!

With my dry throat, I courageously approached the frightening creature: "Yes! I am, wise snake. Do you know a nearby stream?" Before the snake spoke, it showed me its thin rattling tongue along with its cursed hissing.

"Come," All it said; in spite of that, I hesitate not. For sure, a mere forest creature would help me for a bit. We walked a few steps towards a clearing and finally a river that shines and shimmer along the sunny rays clearly resides on it. "Hope you have a nice drinking, ssss~" Hisses the snake and quickly leaves the place with a hint of suspicion. Well, he showed me a river and then…

I didn't even get to thank the hospitality the snake showed to me. I wonder if this is a fresh water. "Lalala Lala~ Lalala Lala~" I happily sung melodic notes while trudging closer to the river. Briefly, I stopped moving after seeing a triangular shaped mouth in front of me; other than that, it was a big, big mouth with thorny teeth. What? Is this perhaps his territory? I know then that I should ask for permission to drink a few of his water but it fears me that I am stunned that I could not speak.

What terrifying reptile! I gradually coughed to get it attention, "Ahem! E-Excuse me, mister. Can I ask for permission to drink a few of your fresh water?" The nervousness surrounds my tiny body as the creature closes its lips before it could speak. My eyes, which was looking everywhere but the swamp animal, halted its movement to see the landlord's ones. What an eerie aura.

"You made a fool of yourself!" Shouted the angry creature at my bewilderedness. "However… Before this crocodile could make his mistake, please do so, little Lamb." A crocodile. A beautiful name he has. Maybe, he's not really bad at all. I should thank him then.

"I'm glad, mister crocodile. I thought you were about to do something heinous like the snake I met recently. Thank you!" I, once again, resume to happily sing melodic notes 'till I reach the edge of the river. "Mmm Mmmm Mm~ Mmm Mmmm Mm~"

Drips, it drips, it drips, the fresh liquid through my throat. As I turn around to say: "Thank you, mister cro-" It drips, the blood of another living. Round as an ostrich's egg my eyes were. "M-Mister?" He didn't bother to acknowledge my attention, so I just let it be. "You must have had a nice meal-" Huh? The crocodile is… crying. What a peculiar one!

As a fellow individual, I cut the line between us and went towards him. Calm as I speak – "Are you okay, mister crocodile?" Unknown to me, my arms reached to him as if to embrace him: Acceptance is it? "No one shouldn't cry on their meal, sir." Those tears, I wiped them of the reptile's eyes. It does not suit such beast.

"L-Lamb?" It pronounces my name: It calls me.

"Yes?"

"What kindness you show for someone who desires to consume you." Said the dry and scaly animal with an odd mixture of fondness and regret. He wanted to make me his lunch?

I flashed a bright smile and cheerful eyes. "If you were to eat my tiny figure, mister…" I paused for a moment of excitement, "… Please don't lament over it."

In the end, the crocodile never ate me; instead, it looked at his right with repentance and hurriedly went back underwater – to his home. And before I could skip ahead to continue my journey, I left a word to the crocodile who didn't seem to enjoy its meal: "I don't know why you cry. But if it makes you do when you eat, please stop doing so. Living things aren't born to just cry and live, it will never let you move on over a mistake, mister."

And Lamb continues her journey to finding herself; but she asks herself for a while during a nice stroll with the glowing lights, with the fireflies:

What was I saying earlier to the mister? Well… Nevermind.