Blogs
ENDANGERED FATE
He crouched low in the flourishing foliage, his sharp eyes set on the deer grazing a short distance away. Out of the corner he saw another one of his own, the glorious orange and black striped coat peeking out of leaves. He was surprised at the sight and for a moment, his attention was diverted. The ears on his head perked up, however, when he heard the deer move. This was it; the first proper meal he had found in days. And he was going to get it.
Preys had become increasingly rare today and his family, too. Just yesterday he had watched with frightened eyes as his previous home was torn down by men wielding axes and chainsaws. They held papers in their hand and seemed to have ideas to build something there. It definitely wasn't the first time it had happened. Lately, his brothers and sisters were disappearing along with their territories and it was terrifying him. He was afraid that he would also be lying dead with blood pouring out of a hole in his body, the way he had seen another tiger a few weeks before.
The deer moved again, lifting its head and scanning its surroundings. It made contact with his eyes for mere seconds before it took sprinting off. He growled low and then with a fierce jump, pounced after it. Moments later, the other tiger sprung out- only to fall down with a dull thud and a roar of pain. The sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the now silent forest. There it was again, the very thing he was afraid of. He took off running after that, not waiting to be hunted down too. As he flew past trees and cleared out spaces and trek paths, he stepped on numerous plastic bottles, cans and trash, coming to a grinding halt when a sudden sharp pain shot through on of his hind legs. A moan of pain escaped him as he saw a splintered piece of can embedded into its soft paws, no doubt left behind by the ones who had had the bonfire he had spied on a few days ago.
Limping, he kept on moving, occasionally letting out whimpers of helplessness. After some time, he heard faraway noises. He stumbled through the dense undergrowth to an area filled with a bustling crowd and shiny machines that glided forward on the asphalt road. On the opposite side, he saw a creature that almost seemed like himself. He turned his head to the side and was startled by the same creature standing beside him. He cautiously nudged it with his uninjured paw and pushed it again when it gave no reaction. Curious, it stepped forward to circle around it when a loud scream pierced the air.
The last thing he saw before something pierced his side was the shocked, scared and awestruck expressions of the people who had gathered around to see him. Warm liquid trickled down his abdomen and he blinked lethargically, not being able to do anything as his world turned black.
