Coby

I am Coby and I am in love with the forest. The dense verdant canopy which forms a sky underneath the sky, the splashing and cascading river with pellucid water which forms a life underneath life are so fascinating. The fragrance of the wild flowers, the droning of bumblebees and the twittering of birds, soar my spirits. I have not been in this world for too long, but since the time I could rise on my feet, I have been galloping around all over the forest with Lily, while Mother gathers food for us. I know every nook and corner of the forest like the back of my hand. Lily is younger and dreamy. Mother has apprised me every now and then to defend her from all the imperceptible threats that lay in our way. How I love the adventures in the forest. Every new day I learn something new, a new mystery unfolds before me.

But I am aware that I am born into difficult times, a time of crisis. The enemy are out there to get us, all of us. Mother has designated them with the epithet of ‘The Destroyers’. They have wrecked many forests and slain many of us. Every night before going to bed, Mother recites to us the tales of courage and valor of our forefathers. But both of us know that the best story was that of Father, of how his bravura succumbed to the prevarication of the cunning and formidable enemy. He had renounced his life to keep us secure. How I covet to step into Father’s shoes and take care of Lily and Mother. Everyday I scrutinized my reflection in the river, but I look nothing like Father. I still look like yesterday, short and callow.

One misty and gray afternoon, I was roused from my catnap by a boisterous bang somewhere close by. I heard queer voices but I had no idea what all this was about. Mother had cautioned me of such recondite circumstances. I looked to my side, Lily was still fast asleep. The clandestine clairvoyance in me took over. Carrying Lily gently, I moved to the arcane site by the prodigious ‘Peepal tree’ we had discovered few days ago. We sheltered there until evening, waiting for Mother to return. Dusk turned into night, but there was no sign of Mother. The enemy was everywhere. I had never seen them before. They appeared bizarre and eerie. My anxiety escalated and we were growing restless. I could not fathom what they may hanker from us. Why they were bent on obliterating each one of us.

As these thoughts fleeted across my mind, I caught a glimpse of Mother. Her majestic and beautiful embodiment, now lifeless, was being carried away by the biped and ‘more civilized’ enemy. The sun rays reflected from her golden pelage. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I had to be persistent and tenacious. I had to fend Lily. Lily let out a dismayed moan. The moan set the enemy on our trail. I knew the enemy was stronger, faster and smarter, so we had only one choice, the choice of ensconcing ourselves. Since then we have been migrating from one covert site to another, leading our nomadic lives in fear of the two-legged enemy. Sometimes we go for days without food and sometimes we spend chilly nights on callous rocks. Scared… Lost… Lonely… Is that the life for us? I hope I can fend Lily until she turns into a graceful and magnificent ‘tigress’, just like Mother. The impetus for such barbaric acts by our more civilized and ‘humane’ peers still evades me. But I survived, at least this time I did.

PS: Coby survived this time, may be not next time. There were so many others who didn’t survive. There are so many others who won’t survive. There are just 1411 left. It is time to take action and raise our voices for preserving our national animal.

Scared.. Lost.. Lonely.. It is not the life for our tigers. Learn more and join the roar here.

We were not blessed with higher functioning brains so that we can threaten the existence of every other thing created by God.  We were empowered with exceptional cognitive and intellectual skills to protect and preserve the flora and fauna complementing our existence. By our selfish and ignorant actions we are not just mutilating other living beings and our mother earth, but we have damned ourselves to the perils of nature. And there will come a day when mankind will cease to thwart nature’s wrath.

Image Courtesy: Deviant Art