F.L.O.C #100

[werepickle]

It was a warm spring morning. The leaves dewy with morning mist, the soft warms rays of the sun shining through the thick canopy of jungle trees. The cacophony of sounds as natures awakes ready for a new day. On this particular day something changed. A litter of fox cubs newly born, lay in a dark and musky hole awaiting the return of their mother for feeding. Among these cubs was one that was different to the rest. Its fur resembled that of nature as if Pan the Greek god had blessed her himself. Her mother soon named her Abilene and embraced her unique coat. Abilene ran around and played with her other siblings trying to ignore all the eyes that stared at her and her unique coat. Upon coming of age and ready to venture the world, Abilene nuzzled her mum goodbye and with twinkle in her eye and eagerness running through her veins she set off. Abilene faced many dangers exploring the lush and thick forests around. Exhausted and tired after running from a brute wolf, she eventually resided in old ruins. Trying to sleep, Abilene started to look at the pictures that lined the decrepit pillars. Her ears pricked up at an odd picture. ‘Wait is that me’ she thought questionably. The image old and covered in moss, bared a unique image. The image was of a fox with fur that resembled nature. The fox was perched upon a cliff edge and seemed to be talking to the gods. ‘Is this my fate’ Abilene thought puzzled. Deciding to come to a conclusion in the morning, she nestled down atop a pile of wet but soft moss. The sounds of birds chirping and soft rustling awoke Abelini. She stood and stretched and shook herself ready for today’s task. She was going to find the mysterious location on the pillar and maybe discover her true purpose. What felt like years was in facts weeks as Abelini exhausted, tired, cold and hungry after crossing the perilous jungle finally came to rest near a clump of tall, foreboding trees. Too exhausted to do anything else, she slipped inside a small hollowed tree trunk happy to settle down and sleep. The morning came quicker than Abelini had hoped, but nonetheless she stood and stretched and exited the tree trunk. She heard a small grumbling sound and soon realized it was her stomach. Foraging around she soon gathered a variety of nuts and berries. After having eaten her fill, Abelini took in her surroundings. She was in a small dark forest with fallen trees to dotted the floor. The trees tall and foreboding created an impenetrably canopy as their leaves all clumped together. The wasn’t much wildlife except for the bugs and bats the dwelled in the caves. ‘Great I’m lost’ she huffed. Suddenly a small lone ray of sun burst through the thick canopy. Following the lone ray, Abelini realized it shone on a small cave entrance otherwise hidden to the eye. ‘I don’t have anything else to go on’ she thought to herself. So, she entered the small entrance completely blinded by the dark. Unsure of where to go, she followed her instincts and kept travelling forward. ‘Is the ever going to end’ Abelini thought scared that she will be forever lost in the foreboding cave. After what felt like eons, she stumbled out into an opening. Adjusting to the sudden brightness Abelini stared in awe. The cave was huge. There were flowering bushes, lush grass and trees that flourished inside the cave. ‘Welcome to the Hidden Gardens’ a mysterious voice greeted. Abelini whirled around and noticed a small ferret, balancing on a tree branch. What was interesting was the ferret’s coat. The coat resembled a thick birch forest with trees clearly distinguishably. ‘My name Daru’ exclaimed the ferret. ‘What is this place’ questioned Abelini. ‘All in due time’ Daru replied. Daru than gestured Abelini to follow her. She followed the small ferret as it hopped to and from the branches of the trees. They soon arrived at small clearing which was surrounded by a clear river. Idling around the small clearing Abelini saw a small handful of animals talking amongst themselves. She instantly recognized that each animal had pattern that resembled nature whether they had thick groves of trees or clear rivers. An old yet humble bear slowly padded towards Abelini and she noticed his fur resembled a small tranquil waterfall and she smiled. ‘You must be confused’ he said in a low gravelly voice. ‘We few animals who have been blessed with Pan’s touch have all joined together and live together in this cave’ he explained. ‘We all have a special task and that is to watch over nature’ he expressed. Abelini puzzled but curious listened intently to what the old creature was explaining. ‘We make sure that everything is balanced and that things don’t get out of hand. We always help guide souls of the lost to the light.’ the old bear explained as best as he could. Daru pipped in ‘We few animals are immortal though, so we never may die and watch over nature forever.’



After discovering her true purpose Abelini watched as nature takes her course. She has witnessed many tragic horrors, wonderful births and sad passing's. She had helped nature in many ways from forming new forests to creating new rivers. Abelini soon also discovered she had been blessed with a gift. She was able to bring plants back to life with a touch of her snout. Many say these animals are legends, a common myth but sometimes one may look into the forest and see a fox with a magical pelt before it darts into the unknown forests.