[ WP ] You are an insect that has lived its entire life without encountering a human ... that changes today .

I approached the edge of the large maple leaf, ready to fill the insatiable void in my body. I yearned, like so many of our kind to devour and digest. As a young catipillar it is all you think about. There is no room for other pleasures in the minds of youth. Devour, digest, devour, digest. It continues on this way; an exciting affair to be alive and healthy, thriving in the vastness of the green expanse. Until one day it hits you their is so much more to living then simply surviving. I do n't judge the youth for thier lack of experience anymore than I judge the industrious ant for its greed and totalitarianism. It is simply their way. The maple leaf's edge was inviting. It was the freshest smelling leaf I'd come across in the dozen suns since my birth. For hours, maybe more I consumed it. I lost myself in the worldy pleasure, rested, ate again then rested some more. Another sun had passed before I regained a inkling of awareness. I was sated. The distraction of sustenence had diminished and the potential for learning swept into its place. I watched through a tiny gap in the trees where no branches crossed. Rarley did I let myself apprecaite the beauty of the sky. The white bodies flew across the vast open plane of blue and did so with such grace but after some time of pondering my place in the forest they began a process of expansion; turning from a light hearted white to a distainful gray. They engorged themselves, sometimes consuming a neighbor but often just expanding on their own. How did they do this? It was a wonderful question that inspired my ongoing quest for knowledge. Soon my body tingled and felt light; if I was n't firmly planted on the sweet maple leaf, I might have acended through the canopy and found out what the white beasts in the sky were so excited about. But I did n't; I could n't. Although I did n't know it, my time above the trees would come soon enough. The rain drops poured onto my head. The rain itself was n't bothersome in my state of contentment but the noise, the collosal banging above the trees was harrowing. A sudden, disctinct urge to move came over me. At the time I could n't describe what it was, but it was strong. Like the winds of the storm it caught me off guard, but I followed my instict to find shelter. The large leaves of the maple provided cover from the above but did nothing for the increasing winds coming at me from the side. On the way up the tree, I had n't noticed any crevices to crawl my way into. My imagination began to run wild like the wolf packs often did. Howling and screaming. Biting and tussling. It was unbearable to think of what might happen if I fell into the ants territory. It would certainly spell a slow and agonizing death, I knew that much. It was hard to hear over the roar of the storm but definetly distinguishable. Footsteps. Crunching leaves. The deer often stepped on a twig or two by mistake but this footfall was lazy. Like it did n't care if it was heard or seen. Was the wall of water distorting the image or was this creature a two legged one? I'd seen creatures with more legs than mine. It certainly was n't unusual. The web trappers wore eight, but six was the most common among the smallest of us. The giant beasts on the ground never had more than four. As it approached its nightmarish outline and its deformities became apparent. It did had four legs! But did n't use all of them. Two hung uselessly at its side. The way it sludged through the forest with no awareness was discomforting. Was it stupid or overconfident? Nevertheless it was a monster of terrible porportions. It's head passed the neighboring maple and cleared the third teir of branches. It was n't just ugly, it was massive. Tall. And getting earily closer to my safe haven. 
 
 A thousand winds could n't pull me from that leaf but the moster plucked me off like a ripe acorn. It was a nightmare come true with all the images to haunt you for the rest of your days but what I remember the most was the stench. Everything in the forest was pleasant, always with a lingering sweetness to it. But the man, the man was unatural. Unearthly smells that stole the air and made your head spin. It placed me in the palm on its furless paw and turned me to the darkened sky. I decided then and there that I was truly at my end. I saw past the monstrosity and it's odors that held me prisoner and instead, imagined the beauty of my life till that moment. My mind wandered and enjoyed the simplicity of my own imagination. I remembered the pleasures of eating, resting, and learning. It was a good life, short but incredibly sweet. 
 
 I felt the swaying of wind trying to penetrate my daydream of the oblivion and soon felt the security of my maple underfoot. The storm had past as if all a fabrication. The sun saw past the furious clouds and wisked them away. I did not fall to a fate worse than death nor did I succumb to the mosters toxicity. I was free. I celebrated my life in a few short moments and then felt hungry. So I ate until the mighty sun was replaced by another. My stomach full on maple yet again, I decided to never stop learning about the wonders of the forest ahead. 
 
 *Sorry if their are grammatical or spelling errors. Did n't have time to edit. 

