Spotted Shadows


I watched my mother always, tall and slinking infront of me. Never did she make a sound, even when the flies were attatched to her. Mother was smooth and sly, a spotted creature that was well adapted to this life.
Well so am , I am her species. Her breed. Her type. I am a bit more clumsy than her, growling at the flies that crouded the humid air.
I heard a noise and flickerd my head, it was a crunch of a movment. I heard someone skid to a halt. I stared at the darkness of the rainforest to the far west, not looking where I was going and I crashed into the back of mother's leg. She hused he and curled her tail over my ears, how i loved her do that.
"Firefly" she whisperd to me, thats my name. Firefly. I really like it, my brothers name is Dusk.
"Yes mother" I replied, my leaf-green eyes looking into her own deep amber
"You must stay by me, and same for you Dusk" she coughed, I flicked my head to the cub who was playing at a plant. He did not like this one bit, that i had caught him playing. He called me childish for doing so, and when he padded upto us, head dropped, I let out a giggle. He hissed at me, and then rose his head high and stalked away. I smirked and followed to where mother was crouching, fear and disbelife crowding her eyes.
"Its gone" she whisperd, her mouth gaping "The forest has gone"
I faced the landscape infront of us, a plain of black and brown stumps. We had come through here as fluffy and boucning cubs, leaving the area we had been born. Now we were travvling back as almost young adults, ready to mate and then travell the same paths.
I was speechless. I knew we must cross this wide space, but then my thoughts clouded. Somthing was wrong. Somthing wasnt right..

Mother began to pad across the wide area, Dusk following many seconds later. My brain was shouting for me to move, to follow but my ears and nose said No. My paws refused, but itched to go. I growled to myself, come on come on! Mother was lenghts away now, and I knew until I moved she would go further and I would be abandoned. The air was silent, apart from the buzz of the very annoying flies in the humidity. I twitched my ears at the sound of a twig snapping, then I heard a click that my instincs knew- a gun's load.

Then, I got up and I raced into a thick bush, quivering with fright. Mother and brother should be safe now..
I thought I could never be more terrified. But I was truly wrong, as those gunshots whizzed through the air, and i heard a screech and a snarl. Two thumps, one after the other. All went deadly silent- even the flies seemed to stop.
I peered from the bush, wondering what animal had been shot. As soon as I looked I regretted that sight.

Mother and Dusk lay slumped. A tear whisked from my eye, blurring the sight of a man with a beard, who was followed by two others. They picked up the two, and then I saw only them walking away, and I knew I was alone.