They saw the flames creep towards them from a distance and knew that it was the end. The other signs - the heat, the smell of fire, the voices of escapes, agony and pain, the cries of loss - all of them followed as the animals made their way out of the jungle. And all those signs, only that could have slowed them down. Birds flying towards the fire to save their nest, protect their eggs, arboreals scaling greater heights with a futile hope that the fire won't reach them and some reptiles taking shelter in the homes - they say that animals have instincts that can help them out of anything, but nobody knew the danger that lay ahead because the foe that threatened them was the deadliest of all.
And how was the new home? Beautiful? Wonderful? Or was it the hell on earth? I am not going to be judgemental, I am not going to pass a verdict. My job has been restricted to that of a journalist - a reporter who simply captures his sights and reproduces it for the viewers. And this is what I saw at the foot of the hill that they had made their new home.
Some of the nocturnals claimed to have seen humans lurking in the night. And this observation spread through the forest like with exaggerated exclamations. Sceptics however ignored this fact stating that Humans only hunt by the day. However, this observation (true or untrue), split the forest right down the middle into two. Those who began packing right away and were ready to run for their lives, and the other half that cherished their newly found home. The runners accused them of being complacent and the slackers accused the others of being over-reactive.
Levels of preparation varied from species to species. There were those who barely slept or ate, with the toes on the ready and ready to fire. There were those who wanted to get ready, but the luxury that came with their new habitat had the effect of accelerated gravity on them. The flowing river and lush forest pulled them in, put them to sleep, fed them and made them fat. The fanatics and the lazy butts. The lazy butts blurred the line between runners and slackers.
The fanatics who although were united in their opinion about the impending danger, had very little to cheer about and even their unity in opinion couldn't bring togetherness as they vehemently practiced solitude and cared for nothing more - redefining the idea of a dog-eat-dog world. The slackers took up the other extreme by sucking in every last drop of the fruits of nature, as if there were no tomorrow. The sorrow of loss still pained them and the hearts refused to even imagine a recurrence of the tragedy. "No! Nothing bad can happen anymore", their cups could not be emptied. "And if we are attacked tomorrow, we will handle it then. I seriously cannot go on a fast just to get ready to run. Such a beautiful home is hard to find, and we already think of running? Bloody Blundaleomite!"
No judgement is being passed. No assessment is being made. Just stating the facts, that's all. You know very well what are the odds of humans cutting down a forest along which a river flows. And you also know how beautiful a forest at the foot of a hill could be. Nothing more being said
Love
Chaos and madness multiplied as humans attacked from all directions. The animals raced across the forest in diametrically opposite directions, madness chasing them away, fearing gripping their lungs, glazing in their eyes. They ran, flew, climbed - desperate and helpless. The greenery which they knew down to the last leaf - every creeper that twined itself on the tree bark, every root that popped itself from the ground, the flowers that killed and the caves that hid monsters - each cell inside them knew these 'deadly green secrets', but what they faced now was worse that all of that put together. And ironically, the 'deadly green secrets' teamed up with them at the crucial hour, caves opened up, roots bowed down and creepers popped out of nowhere to stop the humans. They all turned nocturnal that night. They had to... for survival.
Many died. Many were killed. A lot was destroyed, for reasons that were nothing less that devilish. But all that could be done was to say prayers of gratitude for the new life they had been gifted. For the new home.
And how was the new home? Beautiful? Wonderful? Or was it the hell on earth? I am not going to be judgemental, I am not going to pass a verdict. My job has been restricted to that of a journalist - a reporter who simply captures his sights and reproduces it for the viewers. And this is what I saw at the foot of the hill that they had made their new home.
Some of the nocturnals claimed to have seen humans lurking in the night. And this observation spread through the forest like with exaggerated exclamations. Sceptics however ignored this fact stating that Humans only hunt by the day. However, this observation (true or untrue), split the forest right down the middle into two. Those who began packing right away and were ready to run for their lives, and the other half that cherished their newly found home. The runners accused them of being complacent and the slackers accused the others of being over-reactive.
Levels of preparation varied from species to species. There were those who barely slept or ate, with the toes on the ready and ready to fire. There were those who wanted to get ready, but the luxury that came with their new habitat had the effect of accelerated gravity on them. The flowing river and lush forest pulled them in, put them to sleep, fed them and made them fat. The fanatics and the lazy butts. The lazy butts blurred the line between runners and slackers.
The fanatics who although were united in their opinion about the impending danger, had very little to cheer about and even their unity in opinion couldn't bring togetherness as they vehemently practiced solitude and cared for nothing more - redefining the idea of a dog-eat-dog world. The slackers took up the other extreme by sucking in every last drop of the fruits of nature, as if there were no tomorrow. The sorrow of loss still pained them and the hearts refused to even imagine a recurrence of the tragedy. "No! Nothing bad can happen anymore", their cups could not be emptied. "And if we are attacked tomorrow, we will handle it then. I seriously cannot go on a fast just to get ready to run. Such a beautiful home is hard to find, and we already think of running? Bloody Blundaleomite!"
No judgement is being passed. No assessment is being made. Just stating the facts, that's all. You know very well what are the odds of humans cutting down a forest along which a river flows. And you also know how beautiful a forest at the foot of a hill could be. Nothing more being said
Love
