In the Silence of the Forest

I am looking at the water as it ripples through the brook. Whispers of rustling leaves, little four-legged creatures scurrying on the ground, while birds sing songs in the tree tops above me. The sound was deafening as it echoed loudly through the dense trees. I stood for a moment to gaze at which way the brook was moving over the shiny stones underneath. The water moved to my left, which meant I needed to follow it to my right. I couldn’t remember which way I was told to go to find the source. Thoughts were barely coming out as I trusted the only thing I could, my instincts. They were telling me to go against the stream if I had any hope of leading me to deeper waters.

It was moments like this that I tried to remember my grandfather’s words of wisdom of finding others when you’re lost. He usually had been the one to help me keep moving forward after my mother had died. Find the source and follow it down till you find the lives built around it.

The further I got through the woods, the closer my tears came to my eyes. The burning threatened to blind my vision as my breath became labored. The small brook was becoming a steady stream; the sound of rushing water shot through my heart with a sense of warmth.

I could hear it!

The sound of my future getting closer was my means of escape from the predicament I was in. I tried to move faster as I felt the rush under me of the sounds of the river getting closer and closer.

Emerging from the forest, I almost let out a yell as I skidded to the water's edge. The only thought that rang through me was that I did it. Finally, venturing down to the flatbed, I collapsed next to the water. The mist of the stream hit my nose as a soft breeze blew over the back of my neck. A memory of my mother grooming my hair came to mind as images of my life came to the forefront. Ones I thought I had lost long ago and ones I wish I didn’t remember.

Pain from the memories began to seep into my muscles as I realized the pain wasn’t just metaphorical. My hip began to twitch as I felt the searing agony of the ripped flesh I had been running on take over. I suddenly was very tired, so very tired. My grandfather had warned me about this as well.

First, the pain, then the tiredness, don’t go to sleep. Sleep led to my parents. I remember asking why I wouldn’t want to go to my parents, but he would always say, just not your time yet. With that, I tried to force my eyes to stay open, trying to pull myself closer to the water to drink some. I was very thirsty from the journey. If I focused on that, then I could fight off the sleepiness that threatened to take me.

Suddenly, there was a snap of a twig and a rustling of leaves behind me while the birds chirped loudly in a warning. I paused in my movements, knowing whatever I needed to do was too late. Laying my head down, I realized I was too weak to move anymore. The pain was too great.

“I found it!” A loud booming voice sent a chill through my spine, disturbing what peace there had been by the riverside. Even the birds seemed to be scared as they took off through the trees, flying past my vision to the other side of the river to safety. “Damn it.” I heard it mutter as the two-legged beast came into my view. He laid his hand on my neck, petting my fur-ever softly, gently for a creature such as him. “He needs to learn to be a better shot.” I looked up at what grandfather called man, seeing blue like the sky staring back at me. He wasn’t the first man I had encountered, nor the biggest. It never ceased to amaze me the difference in such simple creatures.

I wish the blue in his eyes were like the night sky rather than the bright blue of a clear day. It reminded me of the grass fields I used to frolic in with my kin.

I tried to kick my back legs, but nothing happened or moved. The muscles were gone. I knew this was it. No more running, no further place to find, no more rivers to drink from, no more grandfather. I let out a loud, angry moan as I decided to stare back up at the monster. Pleading with my eyes, shouting at him in an unintelligible groan.

You will remember me.

“I’m sorry, old girl.” He muttered again. “The pain will be over soon.” The language of man is one made of complexities, yet they never could master our language of the forest.

“I did it dad!” A young voice came up behind me. “Dad?” His excitement had seemingly disappeared when a smaller monster came into my view.

This fawn of a monster is what did this to me. His eyes were brown as they stared back at me. Other than the flush pink of his cheeks, the young monster looked scared like the rabbit after you chased it from your cave.

“This is why you need to be perfect son.” The larger monster pointed towards the wound on my back leg. “She suffered enough. These creatures are the reason we get to make it through the winter. We don’t want them to suffer anymore than what we can.”

“I understand, father.”

“I made the shot; you have to put her out of her misery.” He pushed the small, two-legged creature forward. I watched as he raised a shiny object that bounced the bright light off of it, glimmering in the peaceful day.

For a moment, it was just the two of us. By the river, with the forest loud in our ears until he squeezed his eyes, watching as the water fell from them before all that remained was…

… silence.