Once upon a time, there was a black panther.
The beast was 150 pounds of pure muscle. It stalked the forests of Watanabi hunting prey, relishing life at the top of the proverbial food chain. He spent most of his time in the Suba, the northernmost point of the eastern Watanabi forest.
Creatures of the forest went out of their way to avoid traveling through the Suba.
The panther ruled with fear for centuries. Then one day while the beast was drinking water from a river near his resting place he laid eyes on a plant he’d never seen before. The sun shined through the trees just right, hitting the four pinkish petals of what the panther believed to be a flower.
The sun’s beam made it seem as if this mysterious flower was emitting a yellowish glow.
The beast felt as if he were in a trance. The rest of the world fell away as he stalked toward this beautiful sight. The flower called to him, begging to be seen. The panther complied, not daring to take his eyes off the thing.
Then, all of a sudden, this overwhelming urge to devour surged through him. Devour is exactly what he did. Within an instant, the flower was erased from the world. As the flower slowly slid down his digestive tract the feeling of pure dread cascaded over the panther’s body and mind.
Once the flower hit the lining of his stomach it all came to an end. His body seized. Paralyzed, all that the beast could do was stare into the infinite blue sky above.
The creatures of the forest never found out exactly what happened to their king.
Theories blossomed in his absence. Many believed he still inhabited the Suba. Waiting for a time of chaos so that he could conquer the forests once again.
Others thought he left the forests in search of other territories to inject fear into. Neither theory was ever proved.
P.S. This was really fun to write. I hope that you enjoy it!
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