Crackling erupted in a shallow patch of disturbed earth located in a small forest clearing. Suddenly tiny newborn tortoises began wriggling their way out of broken shells just below the surface of the dirt.
Among these babies was one who would be indistinguishable if not for being just the slightest bit more yellow hued compared to the other pale baby tortoises. This baby looked at its surroundings and was immediately hit by blinding light as it fully emerged from the cracked egg and dirt. It simply stumbled forth worming its way across the ground propelled by its clumsy short legs.
The ground was hot, and there were black marks circling the ground from overhead. These were shadows of birds. The clutch of dozens of eggs that had just hatched or were in the process of hatching was immediately set upon by a flock of scavenging birds.
Cries rang out among the clumsy newly hatched tortoises, as one after another was picked and plucked upward by a group of birds swooping down upon them. These instinctive cries of fear, pain, and danger immediately motivated the hatchlings to start crawling away. The little yellow baby immediately began its journey to get as far away as possible from the nesting site.
Luckily the yellow hatchling almost immediately reached a small hollow log surrounded by moss and brush. The interior of the log was cool and moist, a good relief from the scorching hot ground that was at the nesting site. Feeling tired and content, with the cries of danger and pain further away and decreasing, the baby fell asleep underneath the log.
Several hours pasted by from the morning to the afternoon, and the yellow hued baby finally woke up. A gnawing feeling of hunger washed over it and it began moving out of the log. Making its way to a large bush a few feet away, it instinctively tried devouring any plant material that smelled like food to it.
After eating its fill, the yellow hatchling made its way back to the cool interior of the hollow log and rested again. Time flowed like water and soon days passed by with the hatchling repeating this same simple cycle. Wake up to eat nearby plants, wander around a bit or occasionally drink dew and groundwater, then return to the hollow log to sleep.
Soon several weeks had passed and the mushy newborn shell and skin had solidified and changed color. What was previously a pale white with yellow hue shell had turned into a light greenish yellow colored shell with light grey skin. This new appearance and hardened shell gave the newborn a dangerous new found sense of confidence as it began to wander further and further from the hollow log to explore after eating.
One day while wandering several dozen feet from the burrow the young tortoise encountered a strange sight. A mound of white stick like objects covered in what seemed like a coat of multicolored leaves was resting at the bottom of the tree. This mound of white "sticks" was emanating on odd aura of white particles. Animals and plant life in the surrounding area seemed to be attracted to this aura, and plant roots had grown across the ground to reach towards this aura. What was even stranger however were the animals.
Rabbits, a young deer, and numerous species of birds were circling the perimeter of the white mound of "sticks", none daring to approach any further. Upon further inspection the young tortoise discovered why. Close to the white mound of "sticks" were corpses of various animals giving a stench of death. Strangely enough it seemed like none of the corpses were intact, rather it looked like they exploded from the inside out spraying their guts and fur every which direction.
Of course the young tortoise had no further knowledge or analysis of these things, rather it could sense the atmosphere and body language of nearby animals that this place was dangerous. Yet curiously enough, the tortoise also felt an odd attraction to the place, like it was drawn to the white aura surrounding the mound of white "sticks" covered in colored "leaves."
Perhaps in an odd sense of bravado and naivety that could only be attributed to young children, the young yellow hued tortoise decided to approach the mound.
As it approached the atmosphere and feeling changed. The airflow seemed to be nonexistent, and the atmosphere seemed energized. The young tortoise felt like every pore of its body was overflowing with energy, like how it felt after a great meal, only a hundred times better. Feeling good, it continued basking in this aura as it slowly approached the white mound of "sticks" itself.
Reaching the base of this mysterious "mound" the tortoise discovered it was mostly hollow. The odd multi colored "leaf like" blanket covering the white sticks had created a massive hollow cavity about as large as the small log it used to live in. However the young tortoise was frightened at what it saw next.
A massive bird whose beak could fit the tortoise several times over swooped downward at it while giving a cry of victory at its next meal. Perhaps emboldened by seeing the tortoise approach the mound and attractive aura, it decided to approach as well. Yet mid flight as it reached the edge of the mysterious white aura the bird suddenly exploded!
Blood and feathers rained down on the landscape adding yet another animal corpse to the perimeter of the aura given off by the mound.
Seeing this sight the young tortoise decided it found a new safer home. Time ceased for nothing and the days continued to fly by. The young tortoise continued its daily routine but now it also basked in the energy given off by this aura as it went about its daily business and even as it slept in the hollow cavity beneath the blanket of multicolored "leaves.
Unbeknownst to the tortoise at the time, this would be the event to forever change its life.