//-------------------------------------------------------// Tears Of Black -by Golden Fang Ryutora- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Tears Of Black //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Inspired by the Travel Butlers Story, When the Cheetah Cried. Follow the journey of a mother cheetah as she searches for her lost young cub in the Zebrican plans...and how she and her species gained their Tears of Black:pinkiesad2: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/pinkiesad2.png. Tears Of Black There once was a Cheetah on the Zebrican plains Prowling through an area where no animal remains Her eyes spoke with an unbearable urge One that she was very determined to purge But she was not doing this deed alone Beside her was a feline that could have been her clone A clone that came in the form of her son One that could’ve been no bigger than a bun It bounced and leapt all around its mother Using her long slender legs as cover Its eyes were full of innocence and mirth The look that he always had since his birth His mother watched with him with a look that was fond One that was as deep and meaningful as their bond With her heart beating with indescribable love A type that was as bright as the wings of a dove They trudged through the pains of the Zebrican savanna The strands as yellow as a luscious banana Walking past animals big and small Even ones that were as short as they were tall For what seemed like hours they searched the land Which looked to be even dryer than sand Trying desperately to find a meal One that would help satisfy them a great deal At least they finally stumbled upon their quarry grazing under a sky that was every bit as starry It was a herd of graceful antelope Off at a distance requiring a telescope The mother cheetah then felt her hunger spike One that rolled faster than the tires of a bike The feline inside of her demanded to pounce Before the antelope even had a chance to even bounce To sink her fangs deep into their flesh Before the ground before them made them into a mesh The mother cheetah eventually managed to calm down And slowly began to hunch her body down Creeping ever so closer to her prey Relishing for their incoming dismay Her cub silently stayed where he stood Knowing if he wanted to eat, he had to be good And not interrupt his mother on her quest Least he turned it into an unnecessary fest And spoil the hunt they knew would be her best The mother continued to creep closer still Thankful that she was not hunting on a hill Until she was within range to attack Positive that her prey would not fight back She then let herself explode into motion Hardly giving the antelope a single notion They immediately flew as one Joining in the race that was soon to be won By the very cat that making it done Shining as bright as the light of the sun That chase was over before it began With the cheetah on her prey with the strength of a man The antelope struggled and kicked in vain Grasping on for the life it would no longer obtain But the cheetah silenced it with a bite to the neck With the equivalent of a pirate crew stomping on a deck The cub watched from afar as she took the animals life Ending its time of fear and strife Watching as it struggles began to weaken Until it finally lost its hope-filled beacon The mother and cub then began to feast Letting the meat satisfy the inner beast They then settled down for their nighttime rest With the mother unaware of her incoming test From not to far away stood a zebra stallion His large frame looking him like a part of a battalion He had seen the hunt watching from afar In awe at how the cheetah ran like a shooting star He eyed the club sleeping next to her, looking like a little stinger A sinister idea beginning to linger He slowly began to creep through the night Make absolute sure he was out of sight Not wanting to wake the mother Least she spilled the life blood of another Quicker than wind, he took the mother’s son Thus, committing a deed that could not be undone He then swiftly vanished back into the dark Into the village that was larger than a park When the morning came, the mother cheetah upset Panicked in a way one can only bet She realized immediately her cub was missing The very same cub she thought she was kissing She shot up to her feet and began to look around For the cub she was sure she’d immediately found The mother searched high far and wide In trees, under burrows, and rocks that would divide Crossing through territories of other enemy cats Cats that could strike her down with the force of baseball bats Alas, there was still no sight of her baby Her hopes of finding him dwindling like the navy As she continued to search, she soon began to weep Her sobs wracking hard and coming up deep Her cries echoed through the Zebrican wild The heart-wrenching sounds anything but mild They came out wild, loud and hard Coming out sharp enough to slice up a card Those that could hear it felt their hearts break Hearing the pain that they wished they could take The pain that would tear into any stony soul And leaving them weak and hopeless as a foal For many days and nights, she continued to cry Her hope and strength slowly flying by Leaving her a writhing furry grieving mess One that wished to be relieved of her stress As she cried uncontrollably, she was unaware Far across the plains and trees that were bare Her desperate wish was about to come true With a type of help coming she never expected to Deep within his village, the zebra held his prize One that he knew would grow in size And soon obey his every command And make every villager follow his every demand Fortunately, this hope would not come to be For sitting not too far, relaxing in the tree Was the zebra’s old, wise and kind leader Watching him from afar at the distance of a meter He saw the innocent cub he had in his hold His ears picking up each word the zebra told Of the sinister plans he had for the poor animal Ones that were just as bad as a cannibal With a stomp in his step, he approached the thief Outraged that he went against the tribe’s belief The belief of respecting all the wildlife And keep them all safe and free from strife Without hesitation the tribe leader exiled him from the village Leaving the savanna plains for him to pillage Before taking the cub and setting out on a quest One that he knew would surely be for the best He trudged through the plains and leapt through the trees Going through the area with the vigilance of bees All while the cub was nestled close to his vest Soothed by the heart beating gently within his chest They soon found the mother alone and cold Looking like a torn and ruined piled of mold Then the tribe leader made a move many would way was bold One that proved his heart to be one of gold When the mother saw him, she immediately began to hiss But then her sure of anger soon turned to bliss When her eyes laid upon the cub she thought was gone Forever buried in the golden plains she walked on With a spring in her step she ran towards the two Filled with a relief the tribe leader surely knew He watched as the mother and cub embraced Returning their love in a way that was graced The tribe leader watched on filled with pride His heart leaping and bounding in length and in stride With his job done, he turned to walk away But a meow from behind him told him to stay He then turned to look back at the elder carnivore And she looked up to look eyes of the lone herbivore Allowing him to see a sight that shocked him to the core For on the mother cheetah’s gleaming orange eyes Running down her face like the incoming tides As dark and shadowy as the interior of a shack Was the cheetah’s very first tears of black