Duck Lake Manifest Destiny

The sun shone through spotty clouds that afternoon, but even so, the grey puffs of vapor could not detain the star’s radiance. Like blades of light it struck through to the warm summer day to Teekon below. Little did the wilds know a new player had entered the game of Life of Teekon. She came from the east. She came with a serene grace of a burning fire. And so unto, the Speaker of the Dead had arrived.

The wind blew from the west, towards the way she had come. The Great Rockies were far behind her, but a small string of mountains rose in front of the pond she had come to rest at. She did not know this strange place. The Rockies had been tiring, traversing through thickly forested valleys or bitter snowy caps. It was through pure survival instinct she had managed to pull through it. She wondered if they would be a formidable shield against Lothario, if he ever kept true to his promise. Well, even if the Rockies were defeatable by him, he’d have to pass through that long, everlasting stretch of tall grass first. She would not see him for a while, if she ever did again.

She hid in the overgrowth, watching the ducks roost, targeting a rather plump fellow that had so unfortunately decided to dose at the edges of the group. It would be an easy kill without the hassle of chasing through flapping feathers for a good meal. She situated herself into a leaping position.

In another’s peripheral vision, one would have thought they saw a fireball lash out from the undergrowth. With awe-inspiring speed, Speaker had caught her target within a couple of seconds. The kill-wound was merciful, painless, and quick. However the red wolf’s presence had caused a stir as the rest of the flock had taken flight in rambunctious noise. Saraphine’s jaws dripped with blood as she began to salivate, but she held back the urge to bite down. She set down her prey, and uttered a prayer, her elegant voice spreading through the air like a comforting hearth, “I thank you, Brother. Your life has sustained me. May your spirit go in peace, and your body stay behind to become part of the wolves.”

Speaker took her meal to the edge of the water and ate peacefully. She looked down at her recently reapplied paints. After crossing the Rockies, finding wild berries to make the violet hues had been plentiful for her. The new paints made her sigh in a bittersweet sort of way. Her journey had lessened the grief, but she still felt that grey emptiness in her heart. She returned her gaze the the lake, wondering what this human-less place could do for her as a new home…

((Oops, long post is long.))