Not So Leopard Dreams
I went to bed, exhaustion sneaking up on me like a snake in the grass. As my body made contact with my bed, and my head hit the pillow, I suddenly found my muscles relaxing. The fan was blowing on my face allowing the sweat to diminish slowly after a long day out in the forest. I felt my eyelids become heavy and let myself drift off into a dreamful sleep.
My eyes opened gently to the sound of rustling limbs and leaves. I looked out into the area of the sound and found I was no longer in my room. No bed. No pillows and no annoying blue light on my computer. Only the sight of leaves around me , the dirty cave like walls and dirt beneath my paw. Wait? Paw? I jumped up quickly as I looked around. Was I imaging this? I was in a dark and damp cave. A musty odor filled my nose and a shook my head at the smell. I began to walk toward the end of the caves’ opening and noticed I was shorter than I had been. The paws where my hands used be were huge. What had I become? What animal was this?
Upon reaching the end of the cave, I could tell that it was in the middle of the night. The moon held high above my head and stars were visible in the clear sky.
“WHERE AM I?” I yelled into the sky, but only the sound of a growl came to my ears. I cowered in fear, expecting a huge animal to pounce on me at any minute. Turning around and around, I found nothing and the leaves and bushes were silent. I still waited and nothing happened. The danger had passed I thought. I looked down again at the paws, examining them closer. Spots covered my limbs and a few stripes ran down my back and to my tail. ‘oh dear… what on earth has become of me?’
I moved outside the cave and was amazed at how having four limbs to carry you could be so easy. I never faltered in my step. With in a few feet, I reached a puddle that was still. Not a ripple came upon the liquid surface as I approached it. The light from the moon gave me all I needed to see this creature. My reflection started with my ears, dark and circled with a few spots. With a white background to all this, my eyes came with an almond appeal and a stunning gaze. Whiskers, too? I finally realized at that moment, I was a leopard. What a handsome cat I become, but it had to be a dream. That was the only explanation. Sharp teeth were protruding from where normal teeth were suppose to. I ran my tongue over my mouth and it lapped over my nose. I stood there staring at my reflection in disbelief. I was not suppose to be a leopard. I was a human being.
As I contemplated this idea, I heard rustling from behind me and I lowered my body quickly and whimpered just slightly. I kept my head low to the ground listening. Whatever it was that was out there was probably not very friendly. This time I was scared of the animal in the dark - that wasn’t me.
“Shanall, it’s time to go home, my baby.” I heard the voice call out very calmly yet motherly. “we must hurry. Darkness is upon us here and we better not be out of our cave this late. Now, back into the cave with you my cub!”
I lowered my head in defeat as I started back to the cave where I first woke up. Passing my mother leopard, she licked the nape of my neck and nudged me forward. “It’s time for you to sleep young one. You are but still a cub. Tomorrow, you will be allowed to go out again.”
I growled out to the mother leopard shaking my head. “I want to go out now. I need to get back.”
“In the morning, my young Shanall, you shall play, but now you must listen to me” and she picked me up by the nape of my neck with her mouth, and carried me back inside the cave. I dangled helplessly in her grasp. Inside the cave, she placed me on the nest of various leaves and stuff gathered around the forest for a comfy bed. Again, sleep was calling to me and I yawned, laying my head down and taking in the warmth of my nest. My mother wrapped her body around mine, protecting me from everything else outside the cave. My eye’s closed.
Just as quickly as my eyes had closed, my alarm clock started to ring and I found myself stretching to release the tensions in my muscles. “It was just a dream” I told myself with a sigh and opened my eyes to reveal the same room I had slept in and everything was the way it had been. The annoying sound of the bells finally had it with me and I reached over to disarm the unusual loudness, only a spotted paw had knocked it off. I never changed back.
My eyes opened gently to the sound of rustling limbs and leaves. I looked out into the area of the sound and found I was no longer in my room. No bed. No pillows and no annoying blue light on my computer. Only the sight of leaves around me , the dirty cave like walls and dirt beneath my paw. Wait? Paw? I jumped up quickly as I looked around. Was I imaging this? I was in a dark and damp cave. A musty odor filled my nose and a shook my head at the smell. I began to walk toward the end of the caves’ opening and noticed I was shorter than I had been. The paws where my hands used be were huge. What had I become? What animal was this?
Upon reaching the end of the cave, I could tell that it was in the middle of the night. The moon held high above my head and stars were visible in the clear sky.
“WHERE AM I?” I yelled into the sky, but only the sound of a growl came to my ears. I cowered in fear, expecting a huge animal to pounce on me at any minute. Turning around and around, I found nothing and the leaves and bushes were silent. I still waited and nothing happened. The danger had passed I thought. I looked down again at the paws, examining them closer. Spots covered my limbs and a few stripes ran down my back and to my tail. ‘oh dear… what on earth has become of me?’
I moved outside the cave and was amazed at how having four limbs to carry you could be so easy. I never faltered in my step. With in a few feet, I reached a puddle that was still. Not a ripple came upon the liquid surface as I approached it. The light from the moon gave me all I needed to see this creature. My reflection started with my ears, dark and circled with a few spots. With a white background to all this, my eyes came with an almond appeal and a stunning gaze. Whiskers, too? I finally realized at that moment, I was a leopard. What a handsome cat I become, but it had to be a dream. That was the only explanation. Sharp teeth were protruding from where normal teeth were suppose to. I ran my tongue over my mouth and it lapped over my nose. I stood there staring at my reflection in disbelief. I was not suppose to be a leopard. I was a human being.
As I contemplated this idea, I heard rustling from behind me and I lowered my body quickly and whimpered just slightly. I kept my head low to the ground listening. Whatever it was that was out there was probably not very friendly. This time I was scared of the animal in the dark - that wasn’t me.
“Shanall, it’s time to go home, my baby.” I heard the voice call out very calmly yet motherly. “we must hurry. Darkness is upon us here and we better not be out of our cave this late. Now, back into the cave with you my cub!”
I lowered my head in defeat as I started back to the cave where I first woke up. Passing my mother leopard, she licked the nape of my neck and nudged me forward. “It’s time for you to sleep young one. You are but still a cub. Tomorrow, you will be allowed to go out again.”
I growled out to the mother leopard shaking my head. “I want to go out now. I need to get back.”
“In the morning, my young Shanall, you shall play, but now you must listen to me” and she picked me up by the nape of my neck with her mouth, and carried me back inside the cave. I dangled helplessly in her grasp. Inside the cave, she placed me on the nest of various leaves and stuff gathered around the forest for a comfy bed. Again, sleep was calling to me and I yawned, laying my head down and taking in the warmth of my nest. My mother wrapped her body around mine, protecting me from everything else outside the cave. My eye’s closed.
Just as quickly as my eyes had closed, my alarm clock started to ring and I found myself stretching to release the tensions in my muscles. “It was just a dream” I told myself with a sigh and opened my eyes to reveal the same room I had slept in and everything was the way it had been. The annoying sound of the bells finally had it with me and I reached over to disarm the unusual loudness, only a spotted paw had knocked it off. I never changed back.