Unable to see what it is she froze. But not out of fear it was more like she was preparing to fight her fist up feet apart.
Their was a low growl as a large black panther crawled out from the bush. Their eyes met and for a moment it was as if something clicked in Flame's mind a kind of recognition between them after a moment she heard a voice in her head 'help me ... my cubs... danger.' with that the panther fell over.
Startled she fell back "was that you?" she looked at the panther wide eyes then she noticed the blood in the panthers side.
'Yes hunters... guns... need to feed my cubs.'
"Ok... What do you need me to do?" Flame was weirded out but at the same time she was calm a sense of familiarity or dey-ja-vu like she has done this before but she couldn't remember
'i can't live for... much longer... my cubs will... need a mother... to raise them' the panther growled each breath getting harder to breathe then the last.
"But i don't know how to raise a Panther." she thought for awhile as the panther mother watched her from fading eyes that were slowly glazing over finally she made up her mind.
"Tell me where the cubs are and ill bring them home with me where i will try my best to raise them." the panther looked relieved.
"go south deeper into the... trees till you find... the one that has fallen... crawl beneath it... you will find a cave... hollwed out from the great rock... cave once belonged to a great Queen... who disappeared long ago... teach my cubs to guard the cave... as i have done... till the return of the great mother..." and with that the panther breathed her last breath.
following the panthers words she found the tree it was huge and obviously old moss covered its bark as nature grew around the tree it was as if instead of a tree the grass like moss formed into its own archway with vines covering the gap that led to the cave if one did not know what they were looking for they would easily miss it. So Flame got down on her hands and knees and crawled beneath the old tree parting the vines to get through then turning around in that small space and closing them 'dont want anything else finding its way in' she thought turning back towards the cave she noticed a tunnel that led deeper in and voices she wondered if it was the cubs she crawled deeper into the cave till it opened up into a massive cave.
Stalagmites were everywhere you could here the melodious tune they made with every drop crystals and jems stuck out from the rocks beautifully in shades of emerald greens, and red, pinks, blues, their were even diamonds they shone like stars in a night sky even though there was no light shinning on them.
She noticed some of the rocks looked like stairs leading up and down the cave into smaller alcoves. She noticed paw marks on all of them except for one curious she started making her way towards the stairs
"what do you think your doing?" a little voice growled in her head.
She turned around and their stood three young Black Panther cubs.
"that cave is off limits." growled the second.
"Stupid human is so dead when mother gets home" it sounded as if he was laughing with an amused look on his face.
"Oh im sorry i was just curious and didn't know it was off limits and it was your mother who sent me" Flame smiled at the cubs trying to make herself friendly rather then an intruder.
the cubs looked shocked. the second cub stepped foward it was a female cub. with pitch black fur and big brown eyes.
" you can understand us?"
"Yes i can" she responed.
"well if mother sent you then i guess your ok" responded the third cub he was a boy his fur almost as dark as his sister except for a bit of grey patches around his face and his eyes were two colors the left eye was brown and the right eye was blue. he was obviously protective of his siblings.
"mmm i guess" the first cub seemed to shrug she was lighter in color compared to her siblings you could still see her spots "but i got a question if your not like us how can you see in the dark like us?"
"Oh I've always been able to see in the dark just fine ever since i could remember." which was true doctors could never figure out why their were times she could see perfectly and times where it was like she couldnt see at all.
feeling a bit stuffy from the warm air in the cave she stood up and pulled a black hair tie out from her pocket and pulled her hair up into a bun.
She heard a gasp from one of the cubs and turned back around.
"What!?"