The bear shrugged through the emaciated brush feeling mightily long hearted, for no particular reason. He huffed and swayed, huffed and swayed his way over the thin covering of leaves on his forest floor. He sloughed his old body down behind the first lodge built on this, once sacred, ground. He sat, quietly watching the man child and his young mate caper amongst the golden pattern cast by the sun as it shone through the dark silhouette of the leaves. The children danced across the carpet of wild flowers unaware of their silent watcher. The old bear laughed silently as Ra himself seemed to. The sun god sent his followers to cavort amongst these simple beings, bringing a small amount of beauty to his world. The bear looked longingly at these innocents. Trying, to no avail, to remember a younger time. When the forest flourished, a time when his children, his children of the forest, walked unafraid, a time before this plague called man.
They sat quivering in their place, the whole cell seemed to shake with revulsion over the grizzly sacrifice they had been made to witness. One of their own lay mangled a grotesque heap on the floor, she had been the first "healing" offering. Her all knowing blood sits in a filthy and contaminated glass. Her nourishing blood, spilled in an unnecessary sacrifice. The men laughed their triumphant laugh "We have found it, she is cursed by the sun. She has felt Allah's hand across her face."
The father of the young boy steps forcefully from the small wooden structure that is his summer home. With him he carries the very thing which aids in his struggle against the natural world. He yells out to the children and slowly raises his .308 to eye level.
The deadly object beacons to the bougois. Its silver tentacles reach up and towards him. The slender arms of light gently stroke his massive, red velvet, flank. The bougois, caught in its seductive gaze moves eagerly forward. He dives, burning in anticipation. Lustfully he opens his draw-bridge mouth to receive the sacrificial lamb. The lethal piece of metal severs flesh, blood and bits of bougois pulp are released into the ocean. The dying animal writhes in pain as he watches his life flow back to where it began. His now limp body falls to the floor, as does the intriguing, and deadly, piece of tin.
The bear slowly rises to meet the challenge issued by the boys father. He patiently raises his threatening voice to awaken the mans awareness to the power he is about to encounter. The birds in the forest echo his shout, along with the squirrel, the rabbit, and the deer. The fox momentarily ends his pursuit. All is still. The children of the wood merely wait. The forest echoes with deafening silence. The young girl weeps, unheard. Alongside the forest the wolf cries in agreement. The battle has arrived. this is the battle in which all will be decided, the final battle.
They tear open her sensitive eyes with a metal fist. They pump in the brick red liquid with a heart of stone. She screams with her mute voice, unheard. Her small body flails against her iron restraints in a last and final attempt to save herself. Slowly and painfully the light fades from her once beautiful brown eyes forever. She lies still, crying alone and uncomforted.
The bear takes a steady step towards the nameless man, in him the great bear sees all that is terribly wrong with this once perfect world. The bear looks sadly upon the mans son and his young mate, knowing all to well the pain this day will cause them. But even the sight of the small boy cannot dissuade him from what he knows must take place. Man has abused, ravished and raped all things good and natural for far too long. The animals of his kingdom have been much too quiet, it's time for them to again have a voice. The man steps firmly in front of his son, as if to protect. He carefully takes aim on the bear. He knows what he must do to protect his family. He smiles inside knowing what a fine trophy this animals head will make. The bear lunges forward and a shot rings out.
Somewhere in a back alley, in a trash bin, a seven-month-old aborted baby dies... ...from the cold.