Hey again, this isn’t really a story but more of a fable, or a short telling if you like. I cannot remember if it came to me in a dream or if I thought of it as soon as I woke up, but I just felt compelled to write this whist I remembered it.

“Mum…slow down, why are we running from thunder” a tiger cub panted as they ran through a forest.
He was one of four in a litter his mother had four months ago and they had been startled that day their mother dragged them from their den and urged them to run.

“That is no sound of thunder my cub, that is the sound of humans and their decay they have brought onto our land” the tigress said, fighting the urge to run faster from the threat she knew was behind them.

“What is human, are they dangerous?” the only female cub shouted as they ran “are they dangerous?” she said, her voice taking on a mewling quality from the fear scent her mother was giving off as they ran.

They had to get out of here and towards the mountains, but she had to let them rest for a while so they stopped where the trees were thickest and would offer the most cover for them

“Mother, I thought tigers were not afraid of anything, so why are we running?” one cub said as they rested up for a brief moment.

“Yeah, are they really that strong?” another said as he came wondering up to her with a brief trace of that fear scent around his young form.

The mother took some time before answering her cub’s questions, her ears constantly swivelling for tell-tale foot falls and her tail swishing in agitation.
She finally decided that they was safe for now so could pare a moment to tell them what she had been told by her mother.
“Yes and no cubs, they are very weak and vulnerable compared to us, neither as fast as a Cheetah, nor as strong as a tiger, neither do they have anything protecting their flesh other than some strange material they wear over their hairless forms.
But what they lack for in protection, teeth and claws they make up for in something not present in any other animal, they can create and evolve”.

She took another breath to let her cubs soak in what she was saying before continuing her story. “A long time ago we were many, and were also greatly feared by humans.
Our strength went uncontested and was even likened to as gods by some cultures, they were in awe of our beauty and strength as well as our mysterious ability to vanish and hunt so silently.
But a hundred years ago, it all started to change. Humanity started developing at an ever increasing rate, they started to spread further, develop items capable of levelling and entire forest within months and building their lifeless, cold hard dwellings so the forest could not reclaim what was rightfully hers.
They started killing us all off not one by one, but in sweeps, scores of us a day were killed by their most feared of weapons, the human gun, a weapon capable of firing a lump out that can kill in an instant, and so they used these vile weapons to kill everything off that wasn’t human, believing they had right to and their numbers spread like wildfire”.

The cubs were silent, the female trembling at what kind of monsters were after them before asking in a mewling voice “but-but they have a weakness don’t they? The weapons, they do don’t they mummy?” she said, pressing herself right up to her mother’s side.

“They do, the weapons they have to be fired in a straight line and on sight, but they learn quick and work in groups, they use various means to disguise themselves such as mud and strange markings that make them blend better than even our kind can into the forest. Though in the mountains we will be safer, it is one of few places humans seem to find difficult to traverse so it should shield us” she finished before she froze.

Her ears swivelled and heard the dull click of a gun been loaded and primed as she roared for them to run, to race towards the mountain as a gun suddenly fired off, just missing the mother by a hair.

They could hear the humans breathing heavily, trying to keep up with the tigers as the other shoved and bullied her cubs into running flat out, lest they be all shot as the trees thinned out.

Running all flat out towards the mountain, they had left themselves exposed to the human’s guns, they fired a shot at the adult, the female roaring out in pain as it tore into her side but she kept up the pace, pushing her cubs who reeked with fear towards the mountains slopes where they would be safe.

*********

An hour later they were up in the mountains, the mother tending to the open wound in her flank as she washed it, her cubs joining in with not wanting to lose their mother.
“You are going to be okay, right mummy?” one cub mewled as they all pressed they bodies to her, wanting to stop her bleeding and trembling from what had just happened to them all.

She laid her head down, her eyes closing slowly, her head heavy; she had lost too much blood with the running stimulating the flow.
She could only think sadly to herself as she drifted off, the mewls of her cubs becoming fainter “Humans…will be the only ones left in the end, and will be the ruin of us all”

Now before anyone says anything, I know it doesn't do for the view of humans as a whole, but the sad truth is that it does in general as it is still going on today.
Some like myself try to help, want to help what is precious and will be gone one day for good if it is not acted upon. The sad thing is though, most don't care enough and I felt compelled to write this whilst it was fresh in  my head to try and raise awareness.