Silent Spirit, Roam Free
By: Scratch

Once, in a distant place, a great forest existed. There were acres and
acres of trees- oak, maple, pine, cedar, cherry, and fir, to name just a
few, filled the land. Though some of these species of trees are boreal
and others are deciduous, that fact had no effect on the way they lived and
prospered together. The trees had lush, full canopies of foliage
and they all seemed to stay green forever- never withering, losing leaves, or
dying, not even through the fall and winter. The great forest was also
constantly sprouting limitless kinds of flowers, plants, fruits, and grasses
that grew, bloomed, and flourished throughout all the seasons. Violets,
dandelions, crocuses, daisies, and many more plants poked their colorful,
radiant heads out from the tops of the high, golden-green grasses that rippled
like water in the breeze. There were grassy meadows, craggy rocks, secret caves
and cover, and beauteous trees as far as the eye could see. In fact, no one
ever saw the end of the forever-green trees and blooming meadows. They were
infinite, no one could dispute that. So this magnificent forest was called the
Endless Woods. It never began and it never ended.
It was a perfect environment, of course. But definitely not for
humans. It was far, far away from civilization, and any person would get lost
in the endless trees. However, it was a terrific place for animals. Animals of
all species lived in this forest. There was enough food and space for all of
them. Their lives couldn't be better, especially since humans never visited
the woods. The animals finally found a place where they could live in peace.
Humans had boasted and said they could make it through. They claimed
that they could find the end of the Endless Woods. Despite their confident
attitudes, any that had ever tried never came back. The only thing that ever
ended in the Endless Woods was human life. Even when the animals died, their
happiness lived on eternally, and added to the well-being of the forest. It was
truly a magical place.
Most people wondered why the forest was as amazing as it was, being
a haven of wilderness for animals and impenetrable and perilous to humans.
Why were its plants and trees everlasting? Why were the animals always content
there? Why was it endless? What made it so diverse and special? No one knows
how the forest got there, perhaps it just grew. However, there was someone who
governed it. Someone who took care of the forest's inhabitants. Her name was
Eternity. She was the goddess of the forest. She was its caretaker and
protector. The forest and animals thrived under her control. Eternity was a
colossal dragon of immeasurable dimensions, a powerful and beautiful symbol of
life and happiness. She had millions of shiny, smooth scales covering her whole
body from head to toe, colored in glimmering dark hues of the rainbow. If one
chanced to glimpse her, they would be entranced with the ruby reds, shimmering
golds, dazzling jades, and deep sapphire blues of her scales. She had a long,
powerful tail, muscular just like the rest of her body. She had deathly sharp
claws on each foot and hand. Her face was majestic, exquisite, long,
reptilian, and wise. When she opened her gigantic mouth you could see the
thousands of long, sharp, white teeth that lined it. In the middle was a long
pink tongue, forked like a snake's. Her large nostrils could produce hot flames
if she wished them to. On each side of her head two spiral horns grew. But one
of the most alluring things about her was her wings. They were covered in
resplendent silver scales that glinted in the sun as she flew gracefully
through the air. Although her physique was breathtaking enough, the attribute
that gave her character was her eyes. They were infinite, glittering pools of
reptilian purple. Legend has it that you could see the answers to all
your problems in her eyes. Other stories say they can hypnotize you. No one
really knows, but many rumors have been told. That is Eternity, ruler and
protector of the forest.
There were many special and beautiful animals that dwelled in the
Endless Woods. However, there was one who stood out from the others. Her name
was Spirit. She was the animal that symbolized the true meaning of majesty,
power, and independence: the cougar. She was very large for an adult female
and well-muscled. Spirit had long legs that allowed her to run extremely fast,
and a long tail, too, for balance. Her coat was short and rough, like most
cougar's coats. It was a light rich brown that fit her well. She had the most
gorgeous eyes, perhaps even more brilliant than Eternity's. They were luminous
green emeralds, so green, like all the foliage that surrounded her. They
glittered and gleamed when she looked at you, and seemed to be forever
watching. She was the only cougar that lived in the Endless Woods, because
cougars were extremely rare in those parts. Something else that made Spirit
stand out was that she was Eternity's "daughter." Not her true daughter,
although she was considered to be, for she was the only majestic cougar that
had ever blessed Eternity's forest. It was another reason why Spirit was so
rare and unique in almost every way.
So all the animals, including Spirit and the goddess Eternity, lived
a happy and peaceful life in the Endless Woods. However, on one particular
day, Eternity sensed an ominous foreboding. She didn't know what it was, but
it was there, and she decided to keep alert and be wary.

* * * * * *

Spirit was racing as fast as she could through the trees and grass.
She could run faster than any of the other animals in the forest. She wasn't
ordinary. There was something special about her. Though nobody mentioned it,
it was definitely noticed.
She wasn't running away from a predator, or even after prey. She was
running for the sheer joy of it. She could feel the power flowing through her
muscles as her hindquarters propelled her body forward, light as a feather,
fast as the wind. Her body stretched; her legs moved in a graceful, circular,
galloping motion. She felt tireless, like she could run on eternally. She cried
out to the whole forest as loud as she could, "RRRRRRAAAAAARRR! HA! I am
tireless! I am fearless! I can run forever and no one can catch me! I am
infinite! RRRRRAAARR!"
The animals looked up quickly as they heard her joyful snarls and
saw her whiz past them. They smiled. Spirit was always lively, and often got
caught up in her favorite activity, running.
Spirit raced across the meadow until she saw the edge of the cliff.
She stopped running and dug her claws into the soft earth. She slid and
reached a standstill just at the edge of the chasm. She looked down to see
dry, desolate land and rocks falling to the bottom of the treeless gorge. It
seemed as if it was a ragged rip in the center of the bountiful forest, like
a tear in fabric.
"Hmmm... well, I've never seen this place before. Ha! Looks like
I've found the end of the Endless Woods," Spirit said. Then she heard a faint
noise.
"Spirit!" she could hear Eternity cry. She listened again for
Eternity's soft, deep call. She heard it once more, so she powered up her
hindquarters and shot down the hill through the grass to see what Eternity
wanted.
Spirit ran back through the forest to a dark, overgrown part of
the woods that most of the other animals didn't go to. She braved her way
through the enormous trees that would swallow you if they so pleased. She
passed the towering timbers without a thought to their menacing countenances
and reached Eternity.
"Yes, what is it, Eternity?" Spirit asked.
"I just wanted to tell you to watch yourself. Sooner or later you're
going to run straight off the cliff," Eternity said.
"No, I won't!" the stubborn Spirit said defensively. "I'm fine doing
things the way I always do." And she started to strut off in a sassy, cat-like
way.
"Heh heh," Eternity's deep voice boomed. "I know you'll always do
only what you choose. But..." Her voice lowered. "Just keep your eyes open. I
sense something coming, something dark, or... evil... whatever it
is, it can't be good. So be very careful..."

* * * * * *

The next morning, Spirit awoke to the ominous rumbling of thunder
in the distance. It was extremely dark out, suggesting that a severe storm was
approaching. She felt strange, as if she was being watched. A cold, dreadful
anxiety settled in the pit of Spirit's stomach. She decided to go to Eternity
about it. After all, hadn't Eternity said she felt an evil presence? Maybe they
were sensing the same thing. Spirit started to run to the great goddess's
territory.
"Eternity!" Spirit called. "Eternity, are you there? Hey! Where are
you?" Spirit was very agitated. Where could the dragon be?
All of a sudden, Spirit saw a great head rise from the tree
canopies. Eternity curved her long, scaly neck towards Spirit. "What is it, my
child?"
"Oh, Eternity, I'm glad you're here. I woke up today, and I had this
feeling-"
"I knew you would. Today is... well, you might say your day of
reckoning," the goddess's voice rumbled.
Spirit's expression became quizzical, as much as a cougar's face could
look that way. "What do you mean, Forest Guardian?"
"Today is the day that I have been sensing was near. It is the
evil that I knew was inevitable. It is the day that the hunter who stalks your
soul will come," Eternity said, sounding sad, angry, and frightened all at
once. "His hatred and greed beckon him, and tell him first to see that the
wonder of this forest has been... destroyed. Then he will take pleasure and
pride in knowing that he was able to kill the miracle of these Endless Woods.
He is the one who hunts your soul, and the earth around us can feel it,"
Eternity said, gesturing towards the darkened sky.
"What?! This hatred, this man... this human... stalks my soul?"
Spirit said fearfully, a tremor in her voice.
"Yes. The humans believe that if they can conquer your soul... your
spirit, Spirit... that they will be able to overthrow the dangerous wild that
is not the place for them, the magic and power they have wanted to possess
and control, yet have never been able to. It is you they are after, and you
must recognize that," Eternity said sadly, but matter-of-factly as well.
"S-s-so... what are you asking me to do?" Spirit asked worriedly.
"Your fate... is your decision. I'm not telling you to do anything.
However... you have an unrealized power within you. You, not I, are the true
protector of this forest, and you must follow through with your destiny. So
it is up to you... you must choose your path."
Spirit's emerald eyes lost their cattish playfulness, and became the
serious eyes of one with a mission. Fate had decided. It was all up to Spirit
now.