A Good Morning Routine

Mostly sheltered from the last of the rains Velvette could barely be seen in the branches of her chosen tree. The massive living structure wasn’t as big as some of the other trees but the leopard spotted girl knew its spirit was strong. She felt a connection to the old banyan tree and that was a good enough reason for her to claim it. She wouldn’t have dreamed of taking a den, she didn’t often set foot upon the ground. Mostly because the ground was usually water, and though she certainly loved a good swim she didn’t appreciate being wet while she meditated. The sun has started showing its first few rays almost an hour ago. Velvette had uncurled from her deep sleep, having been nestled in the root covered canopy. Normally she preferred to be active at night, but the morning was for personal training. She greeted the dawn, meditating for one hour of the sun before grooming herself and making a meal of the multitude of spider crabs that lived on her trees.

After filling herself Velvette used the thick branches to stretch her lithe body. Practicing the same poses most every day to keep herself limber and flexible. Finishing with a upward facing dog as the sun streaked down on her through the gaps in the low hanging branches. She took another deep breath in and pulled herself to all fours and shook out her short coat. The weather was hot, but she couldn’t let the heat distract her.

Quick paws carried her small form over the well worn branches to a place she dubbed her ‘workplace.’ She attempted to use easily accessible items into projectiles. So far flinging rocks with her mouth seemed most effective. Or she could at least make the rock skip gracefully over the bay. Rocks were a little harder to find, sand was more commonly found here.

She decided to grab some small spark sticks instead. Taking them gently into her mouth she sprinted away again, quickly navigating the different tree’s canopies with grace and purpose. She sought a place where a thick branch grew mostly straight out from the trunk. Velvette had used berries to mark the exposed tree flesh with a target. She would spend her time here, practicing her aim with the crudely made projectile until all of them fell from the roots and into the water with the manatees below.