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She couldn’t sleep.

Lakshmi lay on the ground, tail curled close to her as her eyes and body gave occasional twitches as if something poked and prodded at her in her ‘sleep’. Pink eyes shone through a thin crack in the lids as she looked out into the bleak darkness of the metal den that was her home. She gave a tired sigh, dust flying as she blew warm air from her nostrils into the stale air. This wasn’t always her home, she knew that much but she hardly remembered how her old home had been for except that it had been very green and open.

The female prairie moved to rest the side of her head against the stone ground, rubbing at an itch along her cheek before moving her head so her chin was against the ground again. And as her eyelids started to droop once more to cover the sliver of pink, she thought one thought to herself, over and over until it would soon fade away like all the others did.

One day she would be free, truly free so she wouldn’t have to keep fighting.

One day.

O n e d a y....

“Pita!” An amber pup cried out, shrilling as she sprinted towards the large amber rook that was her father.

Maor turned his head to see his little pup running towards him, her hands outstretched and her haunches readying to leap. With a low chuckle, the rook lowered himself as the pup leaped up and landed on him.

“Little Lakshmi, how are you?” He crooned out as the dove giggled, climbing higher onto her father’s back.

“Maan says we can stay until sundown!” Lakshmi crowed out, finally moving to sit down on Maor’s shoulders.

Maor began to move his body, bucking gently as if he were trying to remove Lakshmi from his back. The pup’s growing laughter that bursted out told him it was the right action.

“Did she now?” He repeated as Lakshmi nodded.

“Mhm!”

“Then that’s good. Be sure to tell your Maan thank you when you can. Ok?”

“Mhm!”

The raven rook and his daughter then went on deeper into the secluded prairie where the wild kukuri roamed free. Yellowing grass and the lack of animals made it clear for anyone that things were starting to grow more worse in their homeland. Even Maor’s ribs were faintly hinted at now, not that Lakshmi noticed...yet.

Towards the river that ran through the territory they went, Maor giving chase after his daughter as the pup ran off, giggling and screaming in delight. When Lakshmi tripped and fell, rolling against the ground, she quickly got up, grinning goofily at the rook. Shaking herself out, she looked up at him as the rook’s face was frozen, staring off into the distance. Lakshmi began to grow worried, her gaze and head turning to follow her father’s before she felt something poke her.

Whipping her head, she saw Maor run off, shouting ‘You’re it!’ all the while. Lakshmi let out an indignant cry.

“That’s not fair! I fell, pita!” Lakshmi whined out, her feathers fanning up.

The rook was a great distance away from his pup when a loud shrill cry rang out.

“SHE!” They shrilled out as Lakshmi turned her head to see a prairie pointing to the sky.

A great shadow soon covered the prairies’ fading elysium as they all looked up to see green fur and feathers overhead, an ethereal glow to them. Death. And with Death, they all could soon hear the chorus of noises and voices not too far away. Soon the rocky wall that separate them from the outside world was promptly broken down. Both Lakshmi and Maor along with the other prairies stared like deer in the headlights as foreign beings walked into their homeland.

A shot rang out.

They ran.

A stampede was formed as the prairies began to run away from the invaders with some choosing to fight. Lakshmi soon only saw a sea of bodies as her eyes darted around looking for her father.

“Pita!” She cried out as she moved trying to avoid bodies running past her.

“PITA!”

—-

Maor’s blood ran cold the moment he had seen the invaders. As one of the leading rooks in one of the biggest loafs there, he knew that these invaders were trouble the moment he had seen Death fly over them.

He wanted to run, wanted to find his daughter before he knew everyone would start to stampede and then he would never find his daughter in time. The rook let out a cry.

“LAKSHMI!” He bellowed out just as the gunshot rang out.

If his blood was already cold, then it was starting to freeze as his faint image of the amber pup was soon buried under a sea of pelts. Too many voices, too many scents. He couldn’t see Lakshmi anywhere.

He had to find her.

—-
The amber prairie pup avoided the deadly feet that threatened to trample her.

“PITA!! MAAN!” She continued to shrill, over and over, voice full of fear.

Lakshmi began to hurry towards the river where she and her father had been at only a few moments ago. Hopefully he would find her. Take her away from all of this and deliver her to her mother. This wasn’t fun anymore.

The river that ran through the territory worked as a border between the outside part and the inner part that housed the nesting and sleeping grounds. But now it kept her as a cage that was both her savior and enemy.

Her head bobbed as she looked for her father, the crowd of invaders growing closer and closer. Before she could react, she felt something slam into her, forcing her down to the ground. Lakshmi let out distressed cries as she found herself ensnared in a weighted net as its user walked up slowly to her.

A dark being, she couldn’t make out any features. She felt her snare tighten as she squirmed within it, screeching for her father.

Familiar shrieks rang out that grabbed Maor’s attention as his head whipped around to see his daughter being lifted and carried away by one of the invaders. The rook let out a bellow, a roar as he sprinted after his daughter. Scrambling over others fleeing, the more he passed the more his daughter grew further and further. He fumbled over a stray tail, crashing to the ground as he could hear the faint distant cries of

“PITA!”

Maor let out a heartbroken wail that was the last word Lakshmi ever heard and it was her name.

“LAKSHMI!”
The prairie jolted awake hearing the rattling of metal against her holdings. Her head pressed against something wet and rubbing a hand down her face, she realized she had been crying.

A nightmare. It had just been a nightmare. All her life, all she had ever known was this. She didn’t have a father, a mother and yet she wept. Her head jerked, trying to shake off the memory that plagued her before succumbing to it.

“Pita…” She whispered, voice cracking as she looked up and swore she could almost make out them out.

“Please...please deliver me home Pita.”

WORD COUNT: 1,201

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

She couldn’t sleep.

Lakshmi lay on the ground, tail curled close to her as her eyes and body gave occasional twitches as if something poked and prodded at her in her ‘sleep’. Pink eyes shone through a thin crack in the lids as she looked out into the bleak darkness of the metal den that was her home. She gave a tired sigh, dust flying as she blew warm air from her nostrils into the stale air. This wasn’t always her home, she knew that much but she hardly remembered how her old home had been for except that it had been very green and open.

The female prairie moved to rest the side of her head against the stone ground, rubbing at an itch along her cheek before moving her head so her chin was against the ground again. And as her eyelids started to droop once more to cover the sliver of pink, she thought one thought to herself, over and over until it would soon fade away like all the others did.

One day she would be free, truly free so she wouldn’t have to keep fighting.

One day.

O n e d a y....

“Pita!” An amber pup cried out, shrilling as she sprinted towards the large amber rook that was her father.

Maor turned his head to see his little pup running towards him, her hands outstretched and her haunches readying to leap. With a low chuckle, the rook lowered himself as the pup leaped up and landed on him.

“Little Lakshmi, how are you?” He crooned out as the dove giggled, climbing higher onto her father’s back.

“Maan says we can stay until sundown!” Lakshmi crowed out, finally moving to sit down on Maor’s shoulders.

Maor began to move his body, bucking gently as if he were trying to remove Lakshmi from his back. The pup’s growing laughter that bursted out told him it was the right action.

“Did she now?” He repeated as Lakshmi nodded.

“Mhm!”

“Then that’s good. Be sure to tell your Maan thank you when you can. Ok?”

“Mhm!”

The raven rook and his daughter then went on deeper into the secluded prairie where the wild kukuri roamed free. Yellowing grass and the lack of animals made it clear for anyone that things were starting to grow more worse in their homeland. Even Maor’s ribs were faintly hinted at now, not that Lakshmi noticed...yet.

Towards the river that ran through the territory they went, Maor giving chase after his daughter as the pup ran off, giggling and screaming in delight. When Lakshmi tripped and fell, rolling against the ground, she quickly got up, grinning goofily at the rook. Shaking herself out, she looked up at him as the rook’s face was frozen, staring off into the distance. Lakshmi began to grow worried, her gaze and head turning to follow her father’s before she felt something poke her.

Whipping her head, she saw Maor run off, shouting ‘You’re it!’ all the while. Lakshmi let out an indignant cry.

“That’s not fair! I fell, pita!” Lakshmi whined out, her feathers fanning up.

The rook was a great distance away from his pup when a loud shrill cry rang out.

“SHE!” They shrilled out as Lakshmi turned her head to see a prairie pointing to the sky.

A great shadow soon covered the prairies’ fading elysium as they all looked up to see green fur and feathers overhead, an ethereal glow to them. Death. And with Death, they all could soon hear the chorus of noises and voices not too far away. Soon the rocky wall that separate them from the outside world was promptly broken down. Both Lakshmi and Maor along with the other prairies stared like deer in the headlights as foreign beings walked into their homeland.

A shot rang out.

They ran.

A stampede was formed as the prairies began to run away from the invaders with some choosing to fight. Lakshmi soon only saw a sea of bodies as her eyes darted around looking for her father.

“Pita!” She cried out as she moved trying to avoid bodies running past her.

“PITA!”

—-

Maor’s blood ran cold the moment he had seen the invaders. As one of the leading rooks in one of the biggest loafs there, he knew that these invaders were trouble the moment he had seen Death fly over them.

He wanted to run, wanted to find his daughter before he knew everyone would start to stampede and then he would never find his daughter in time. The rook let out a cry.

“LAKSHMI!” He bellowed out just as the gunshot rang out.

If his blood was already cold, then it was starting to freeze as his faint image of the amber pup was soon buried under a sea of pelts. Too many voices, too many scents. He couldn’t see Lakshmi anywhere.

He had to find her.

—-
The amber prairie pup avoided the deadly feet that threatened to trample her.

“PITA!! MAAN!” She continued to shrill, over and over, voice full of fear.

Lakshmi began to hurry towards the river where she and her father had been at only a few moments ago. Hopefully he would find her. Take her away from all of this and deliver her to her mother. This wasn’t fun anymore.

The river that ran through the territory worked as a border between the outside part and the inner part that housed the nesting and sleeping grounds. But now it kept her as a cage that was both her savior and enemy.

Her head bobbed as she looked for her father, the crowd of invaders growing closer and closer. Before she could react, she felt something slam into her, forcing her down to the ground. Lakshmi let out distressed cries as she found herself ensnared in a weighted net as its user walked up slowly to her.

A dark being, she couldn’t make out any features. She felt her snare tighten as she squirmed within it, screeching for her father.

Familiar shrieks rang out that grabbed Maor’s attention as his head whipped around to see his daughter being lifted and carried away by one of the invaders. The rook let out a bellow, a roar as he sprinted after his daughter. Scrambling over others fleeing, the more he passed the more his daughter grew further and further. He fumbled over a stray tail, crashing to the ground as he could hear the faint distant cries of

“PITA!”

Maor let out a heartbroken wail that was the last word Lakshmi ever heard and it was her name.

“LAKSHMI!”
The prairie jolted awake hearing the rattling of metal against her holdings. Her head pressed against something wet and rubbing a hand down her face, she realized she had been crying.

A nightmare. It had just been a nightmare. All her life, all she had ever known was this. She didn’t have a father, a mother and yet she wept. Her head jerked, trying to shake off the memory that plagued her before succumbing to it.

“Pita…” She whispered, voice cracking as she looked up and swore she could almost make out them out.

“Please...please deliver me home Pita.”

WORD COUNT: 1,201