Little Lizard

As Briar crouched lower to bring herself level with Clove, she looked up at her mother to meet her gaze. Clove’s eyes were filled with child-like wonder, excitement, and determination She wanted to capture this lizard, to satiate her curiosity and make her mother proud. So when Briar peeked into the bushes, Clove followed in suit, pushing her head past the initial layer of leaves so she could see into the labyrinth of branches within.

Mama said lizards and other reptiles were hard to smell, and the girl released a soft huff. Now she felt silly having tried to sniff it out! But at least she knew that for next time. Instead of using her smell, she was instructed to use her sense of hearing and vision. “Okay Mama.” She replied softly, trying to keep her voice down so as to not spook any lizards that could be hiding out. She fell silent then, her body becoming still aside from the slow wag of her tail.

Peering into the bushes, Clove tried to listen for any rustling of the leaves. Her eyes darted from left to right, even up and down, as she examined the twisted branches that made up the interior of the bushes. But after what felt like forever to the girl, she figured it was time to check another bush. She went to pull her head out, but suddenly, she heard the rustling she had been waiting for, as a flash of grey rushed out of the bush and into the clearing behind them. “I think that’s it!” She practically squealed, twisting around frantically to look at the lizard. It was a tiny creature, scaly just like her mother described, and fast. It was running towards another bush nearby, and Clove ran after it, hoping Briar would follow.

"Clove Carpathius"