DONAI

The Leopard

”What is this land?” It echo’d in my head as I took careful steps to navigate slowly through the bushes, my body weaving between each gap like a snake. My eyes studied the forest around me with caution, surely this place isn’t real? The trees, my very essence of security towered over me with hands reaching to the clouds, as if trying to tease me. Daring me ”Just try to climb this high, cat.”

What kind of world is this? Trees as tall as the clouds, water in every stream, the cold. It’s like I’ve been dropped off onto another world.

I hunkered down in the bushes, the red and yellow leaves matched my tawny spotted coat perfectly cloaking me from the unsuspecting eyes. All of me was nearly invisible but the strange bird which I’d caught earlier and now felt the need to hold gently in my mouth.
It was a blue pheasant, a bird which I’d never laid eyes on before, its brilliant blue/green feathers shimmered in the light and while I had gutted the thing and eaten away at the inside of the bird I felt no need to rip up such a beautiful hide decorate in such magnificent feathers.
Tenderly I caressed the carcass with my nose and adjusted my delicate hold on it in my teeth, my large, fat paws pushed and nudged at the carcass. The flashing of colors like fireworks in my eyes hypnotize me and keep my teeth from closing that extra inch onto the bird. I delighted in my friendly treatment to the bird’s carcass, after all I’ve never really had the means or desire to keep something… well…. In tact! In my home territory no animal carries around colors this beautiful!

I thought briefly of my home, of the struggle, and for a moment my thoughts flashed back to that massive paw coming down on my face ripping the flesh from my eye and sending tears of blood down my cheek. Stuck in thought I froze from my fondling of the pheasant carcass, my eyes fixed blankly ahead of me… Never again… I won’t see my home ever again… It will be ok though, I am proud that I am still alive and that air still fills my lungs, my heart still beats. Am I scared? Of course I am, but I keep myself free from the pull of remorse and despair.
Shaking the unwanted thoughts from my head I rolled over onto my back holding the bird carcass in my paws and kicked up with my feet the curl up and roll out of the bush and into the sea of sun kissed grass. I whispered to myself…
”Where am I?”