Chapter Text
The shade of the trees above blanketed the world below. Only speckles of sunlight came through the canopy, illuminating the shrouded undergrowth with glory. The air was crisp and cool, small insects fluttering through the wind in abstract patterns. Grass moved in rhythmic patterns, the microscopic life within carrying on with their lives. In the distance, a distinct snap was heard. The origin for this sound had been a twig, discarded by its mother tree. The cause of this noise was a small creature with a hue of muted grey.
The creatures’ pupils expanded at the sound, attempting to take in as much light as possible to determine where the threat was. It then realised it had made that noise, looking somewhat sheepish at its hastiness. Although, it knew that it was the correct course of action; for if it had been a threat… it shook the thought from its head. It pressed onward into the underbrush, leaves scraping against its smooth skin.
As it pressed onwards to its goal, birds could be heard chirping in the distance. The sounds of distant waves echoed rhythmically throughout the forest as it got closer yet closer to where it wished to be. The underbrush soon begun to scatter, eventually making way for soft and sandy soil. The sound of waves finally reached their loudest point as the creature stepped onto the warm sand, the crisp air beginning to smell of salt.
The creature did not know why it had come here. Perhaps it was an instinctual response, a siren’s call to ‘come here, come here’. It looked upon the horizon and saw the vast, empty blue that was before it. It slowly felt itself fall into the sand, laying there. It felt warm and somehow cosy, like returning to a place that had once been lost. Arms reaching out to pull itself up failed to do so.
‘Was this why I came here?’, it thought. ‘To reach the finale of my song?’ It felt itself slowly slip into a slumber, content to do so. It nestled itself within the sand, burying itself somewhat. ‘I am happy to have reached it here.’ It thought, as it thought no more. To an unseen bystander, it saw the creature be enveloped within a cocoon. The cocoon waited there for what seemed like hours, but when the bystander was about to decide to venture off to further horizons; the cocoon begun to lessen.
Soon, all that was left of the creatures’ corpse was an egg. The egg was spotted, blanketed by the sand and ferns it laid under like one blanketing their child. The wind blew in a howl, perhaps, this was a new beginning? Did the soul of the creature before let off a grand bow, to head towards the place whence it came? Saying its final words to what would replace it?
Then, there was silence. And the world begun to sing once more.