TO PORCELAIN, TO IVORY, TO STEEL
His life had been short, boring, completely sheltered from the world until this moment. His mother would stalk towards him, her predatory movements something he was more than accustomed to. His silver eyes tipped up towards her porcelain face, watching her with eager anticipation. Her glacial look did not disarm him as it would many, he had grown up around this woman, she was his mother, she would not harm him. Not yet at least. She would circle him, as his neck would strain to follow her movements, his tail thumping against the ground. He would remain silent until she spoke, when a grin would stretch his ebony lips. Without a second thought, he was on his feet, legs stretching clumsily as he scrambled from the den and into the world.
The sun was bright, overwhelmingly so. His eyes would squint. Several things shocked him as once. The bright sun on his face. The chilly substance that his paws sank into. He would jump, hopping around uselessly in an attempt to avoid the frigid ground. His senses were overwhelmed as foreign smells filled his nostrils and noises assaulted his ears. There was so much! And he was to experience it alone. The memory was vague, but he knew he had a brother. He had not been alone when his eyes had opened to reveal the blurry world. But now his brother was gone. He remembered cries, and a strange smell that made his tummy hurt, and then it was quiet, his mother and brother gone, leaving him entirely alone. Mama! Where is my brother? His words were not yet fully formed, sounding sweetly incoherent like any child. |