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Anaconda |
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Anaconda |
Anaconda slithered through the shallow tributary, noting her fellow snakes on the banks and in the trees nearby. She felt the coolness of the water brush against her scales as she effortlessly floated into a small lagoon. The gentle roaring of a beautiful, cascading waterfall filled her ears as she listened to the calming sounds of the day.
Life had been perfect for nearly three years. Anaconda hardly missed being in the Woodland Park Zoo; being petted daily by a bunch of elementary school children and having her picture taken by their parents. Anaconda didn't mind the treatment at the time. Her trainers had always been nice to her and had given her lots of love, attention, time to herself, and all the food she could eat! Life had been good back then, Anaconda knew. But as she gazed about her secluded tributary in the Amazon river, life couldn't have been any better than this!
From the shallow end of the pool, Anaconda heard her mate, Mooreataka, or better known as Moorea, calling, "Anaconda! Anaconda my precioussss! Where canssst thou beeth?"
Anaconda smiled to herself. Truly, life was at an ultimate high with her mate, Moorea. The gallant anaconda, growing to a maximum length of forty-seven feet, was the king of the tributary. No other snake dared to challenge Moorea's authority. No other snake really cared much about taking over Moorea's position of guarding the tributary. The other anacondas and snakes alike preferred the lazy days of basking in the sun, going for a brief hunt, and then relaxing in the lagoon underneath the waterfalls. This is why Anaconda was able to quickly fit in with this clan of snakes. Also, Moorea had found Anaconda extremely attractive and her massive size stunning.
"I am right here Moorea," Anaconda smiled, slithering onto the rock beside him.
Moorea gazed at Anaconda and spoke cheerfully, "The day is most chipper and I'm quite pleased to say that hunting has been rather good these past few days."
"That'ssss very comforting," Anaconda smiled. She asked, "How are the Shiroshamiessss doing today?"
"Ah, they be as chipper as the morning dew on the trees in the morning," Moorea replied. "I might'n be right in saying that they take a rather fancy to you though."
"Me?" Anaconda inquired, surprised. "What would they be fancying me for"
"Well, thou hast the only knowledge of human civilization from out of these here parts and they are rather curious about the outside world in which thou didst come from."
Anaconda laughed, "Yessss but you know, I'd rather die than to go back to living in the human world again. I'm too much in love with the world in which we live in now."
"Oh, fear not my precioussss," Moorea assured her, nuzzling her head with his snout, "Thou hast me to look after you. Fear not for those days will never come again."
"Ah yessss," Anaconda sighed, closing her eyes. "My trainerssss promissssed that I would never be recaptured again because, as they ssssaid, I was an endangered species and not to be harmed at all."
"That's right and I'm sure those ol' chaps will keep to their bargain. And if they don't, I'll eat them!"
Anaconda laughed gently. She loved Moorea's sense of humor. He could always be so witty yet assuring at times. That was the reason she fell in love with him. Moorea was a tough, brave, strong anaconda. The tributary's pride.
Just then, two juvenile anacondas splashed into the water, sending a wave at Anaconda. The wave hit Anaconda from the side and startled her momentarily, enough to send her falling into the water.
Moorea peered into the water and saw his mate come to the surface, gasping for air. He looked over at the two juvies and questioned, "Ratorak! Manoaf! I say, what are you chaps doing?'
Ratorak spoke up, "It wossssn't me Moorea! It was Manoaf! He'ssss the one who pushed me into the river! Honestly!"
Manoaf protested, "Wossss not! It wossss you Ratorak who pushed me into the river first! Not me!"
"Wossss not!"
"Wossss too!"
"Wossss not!"
"Wossss too!"
"All right juvies!" Moorea exclaimed, raising his voice louder than Ratorak and Manoaf. "It doesn't matter who hast pushed the other into the river. The fact of the matter is that thou hast startled my precioussss and your queen into the river. I suggest that thou apologizes to her right now."
Ratorak spoke up first, "Golly milady, I'm ssssorry! I didn't mean for Manoaf to push me into the river and get you all bloody wet."
Manoaf glared at Ratorak and apologized, "But he'ssss not as ssssorry as I am for pushing him into the water! Will you pleasssse forgive us?"
Anaconda winked at Moorea and replied doubtfully, "Well, I don't know…"
"Pleasssse," Ratorak begged.
"Ah well, the way I see it, no harm done sssso of coursssse you are forgiven!"
"Ah gee! You're the greatesssst!" both snakes replied before vanishing out of the water and into the shrubbery near-by.
"Blimey!" Moorea exclaimed, "I've been out in the bloody sun for hours! I'm peeling like a snake here!"
Anaconda laughed, "Moorea, love, you are a snake!"
Moorea gave a soft chuckle and splashed into the water. He told her, "Well, seems like the sun hath set behind the trees and now must I to the warriors and make sure that we are safe for the night 'til morrow."
Anaconda nodded and watched her mate slink out of the water and into the trees. Anaconda then traveled to the opposite side of the river, traveling by land towards the anaconda nesting and sleeping grounds.
When Anaconda arrived, she noted her beloved friend, Naneeri sitting on the edge of the rotting dock, looking anxiously down the river. Anaconda approached her and asked, "Still waiting for Oshiynn to return Naneeri?"
Naneeri nodded and turned a joyful smile to Anaconda. Her smile was a bright and keen one. Out of all the anacondas in the tributary clan, Naneeri had the most captivating and bright smiles the snakes had ever seen. She was older than Ratorak and Manoaf, but way younger than Moorea. Still, everyone loved her and relied on her never-failing joy and courtesy to blot out the rainy days.
"I'll get to see him tonight," Naneeri beamed. "Limina told me so."
"Well, if Limina told you sssso then I'm sure it's true," Anaconda encouraged. She gazed up at the once cloudless sky and noticed a that patches of heavy clouds were now skittering across the sky. Anaconda remarked, "Lookssss like it's going to be a rough night tonight."
Naneeri nodded. She said, "Yeah, I was hoping it wasn't going to rain today but from the looks of it, we're going to get more than just rain." She noted the approaching thunderhead and added, "More like, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning."
"Yeah, that lookssss like what it's going to do," Anaconda agreed. She began slithering past Naneeri and towards the shelter of the abandoned fuel station. She then hesitated and turned back to Naneeri and asked, "Are you going to sssstay out here waiting for them?"
"Yeah, probably," Naneeri smiled back. "I don't wanna miss a single minute with Oshiynn!"
Anaconda chuckled and continued to slink into the quiet shelter as rain droplets began to fall on the rotting planks of wood.
Darkness fell quickly with the approaching storm. Moorea peered into the quiet Amazon river tributary and carefully watched for any signs of a threat. Even though that they were the largest and fiercest creatures in the Amazon, they still were a prey to jaguars, caimans, piranhas, and other anacondas. That is why Moorea had commissioned a group of warrior anacondas to routinely patrol the Amazon tributary. Now he was waiting for them to return.
Moorea heard a rustling and immediately recognized Oshiynn's heat signature. Moorea questioned, "Oshiynn, that beeth thou?"
"Sir, yes Sir," Oshiynn replied, coming out of the bushes. He was followed by two other anaconda males.
"Status report, and be advised," Moorea warned, closely eyeing the two other anacondas, Boore, and Rans. "No brevity in thy report. Hear me now, I mean it."
Boore and Rans both nodded. Oshiynn stated, "Sir, Seems as if the Monk-ire clan has moved further on down the river to avoid the annual flooding. The Shiroshami are doing most excellent and we have spotted some humans on a boat coming this way, Sir."
"Humans beings?" Moorea questioned, surprised.
"Sir, yes Sir," Oshiynn replied. "Sir, I wouldn't have been afraid of them, if I hadn't seen them capture and kill Jeoffra, Sir."
Moorea was stunned. He inquired, "Thou art sure it was the humans who killed Jeoffra and not piranhas or a jaguar?"
"Sir, clear as crystal t'was the humans who got Jeoffra, Sir!" Oshiynn exclaimed. He came forward slightly, saying, "Sir, I believe he is what some humans refer to as a snake hunter. Sir, they're also coming this way."
"What'll we do?" Boore and Rans curiously inquired, trying to hide their own fear.
Moorea gazed into the water and saw that the rain had increased to a steady pour. He glanced back at his three warriors and said, "What dost thou thinkst we do Boore and Rans?" He studied their blank faces and continued, "Fly back to the fuel stop and warn everyone about the bloody humans!
"If we all hide and take shelter, those bloody humans will never know that we are here and hence they will leave thinking that they were only able to catch just one giant anaconda. They will never know we were and are here."
Anaconda watched the rain began to fall in sheets upon the Amazon rainforest. The rain bothered her none as she waited patiently for Moorea to return with the warriors. A small rumble echoed in Anaconda's stomach, breaking the calm of the rain. She had been feeling hungry all day and now her hunger was unbearable.
Knowing that Moorea would shortly return and that the news of the tributary would be the same as always, Anaconda slipped into the water and began swimming past the abandoned fuel station and out towards the lagoon. She was unaware of the danger lurking there.
"Oshiynn!" Naneeri exclaimed joyfully, quickly slithering to her mate. She nuzzled him affectionately and said, "I'm glad you're back! I've missed you!"
"Ah, Naneeri my ssweet," Oshiynn smiled, nuzzling her back.
Moorea smiled gently at the two young snakes and continued onward. He met Limina half way to the shelter of the fuel station. He asked, "Where be'st my Anaconda?"
Limina replied with a smile, "Sssshe'ssss out hunting Mooreataka. Where'ssss elsssse did you expect her to be?"
"Fie on't!" Moorea exclaimed. The snakes all looked at him with sudden curiosity. Moorea explained, "The jungle hath evil. Humans be on the river of whom snare and capture our kind! Already Jeoffra they have claimed for their purse!"
The snakes gasped with surprise. Moorea continued, "To my love shall I fly and for all thou must promise me that thou shalt not leave these walls until the woods come from Dunsinane!"
Oshiynn spoke up, "Sir, I will watch over them until you return Sir."
Moorea nodded and slinked away into the jungle. The storm began to rage over the tributary, adding to the growing nervousness in the jungle.
Anaconda slid gracefully along in the smooth water of the tributary. Already she had snagged several tasty fish and a couple of unsuspecting birds, but her hunger wasn't satisfied. She felt the turbulence of the rain pelting the surface of the river above her but ignored it, knowing that a rain storm was as common as the Amazon jungle becoming hot and humid mid-day.
Just then Anaconda caught sight of a monkey floating on the surface of the river. Without question, Anaconda swam eagerly for the monkey, hoping for a quick gulp. When she reached the monkey, Anaconda opened her mouth and quickly swallowed her prey whole.
Then she tried to swallow but found that she couldn't! A hook had lodged itself in her upper jaw and was tugging her upwards. Anaconda felt the pain of the hook tearing her upper-jaw upwards and fought against it, relying on her massive strength to pull her free.
Instead, she was pulled out of the water and into the rage of the storm. She fought wildly against her captive hold, realizing that a strong cord was attached to the hook. Anaconda then felt a sharp pain in the side of her head and she immediately began fading into a white darkness.
Everything seemed sur-real as she was hauled onto a wood-covered river boat. Anaconda gazed groggily at the beings that surround her. Humans; humanssss beingssss. Anaconda tried to move but felt no strength in her muscles. Her will began fading.
Just then she heard a sound of hope. The sound of Moorea screaming angrily at the humans as he lashed out at them. Anaconda watched as Moorea slithered onto the boat and begin attacking the humans. But as she watched, she became horrified when the humans began shooting Moorea with tranquilizers.
But then, one of the humans, pointed a shotgun at Moorea's head and fired simultaneous rounds at Moorea. The rounds struck Moorea in the head, splitting Moorea's head open. Bits of flesh and gray matters of the brain splattered against the floor, some striking Anaconda.
Anaconda screamed in agony as the humans pushed Moorea's body into the river. She felt an unmatched amount of hatred towards the humans who had captured her. Again she tried to move but as the same before, her strength was gone. The tranquilizers kept her from moving, and eventually put her to sleep.
One Week Later:
"How unfortunate," Anaconda silently thought as she stared at the crowd of children gazing in amazement at her behind a thick plastic window. She noted sadly the newspaper clipping she had managed to swipe from her new trainer that morning. Her trainer from when she was little (and who had discovered Anaconda's recapture) had passed away the night before.
Anaconda sighed dejectedly. Her hopes for being released back into the wild were now but all destroyed. Her trainer was going to see to it that Anaconda was immediately released back into the wild a couple days ago but now, all hopes were lost.
Anaconda remembered the article and sadly thought, "It's sssso tragic that thesssse humanssss race one another with their gassss machines and in their amussssement or hatred, they kill an innocent bysssstander."
She flicked her tongue boredly at the school children and then turned back to her staring into the vacancy of the walls.
Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Wa (USA)