A Mother's Love

The young mother scurries down the sidewalk. She is filled with anxiety for the safety of her young, and she moves quickly as the twilight gives way to night.

Her world is a huge, frightening place filled with perils in every stride. She travels with silent agility towards the goal of keeping her family safe. Large brown eyes survey her environment intently; every foreign sound and smell poses a threat to the lives of her and her newly born offspring. Her heart races as she narrowly escapes the giant wheels of a speeding bicyclist.

Although one threat has past, dangers lurk all around her and the baby she carries with the utmost care. She veers toward the security of an enormous field; the scent of home is drawing near. Lush green blades of grass tower over her, concealing her and her precious cargo.

Despite the array of foliage shielding her, the menacing hoot of an owl paralyzes her with fear. The feathered monster flies overhead in just a few seconds, but to the tiny mother the threat lasted an eternity. Frozen in her tracks, too terrified to move, she waits.

Darkness envelops her and the baby as relative safety returns. The night doesn’t unnerve the tiny mother. Her large, black pupils make use of the scant light; satellite ears and an acute sense of smell tell her what her eyes cannot. With her senses alert, she continues on her journey.

The youngster she bears carefully in her mouth sleeps soundly, oblivious to the perils they face. She scrambles stealthily over rocks and twigs making her way towards her burrow. Her body is telling her it’s time to feed her family. She is reminded of the rest of her offspring waiting at their destination unprotected. This knowledge increases her desperation and she picks up speed, running agilely towards home.

Her quickened pace doesn’t dull her senses however, and she dodges beneath a fallen log just in time to avert the razor sharp talons of the owl. She huddles, trembling in her refuge. The baby she carries becomes aware of his hunger pangs and squirms in her mouth. Aware of his hunger, the young mother timidly pokes her little brown head out from their hiding place. She perks up her ears and scans the moonlit sky. The ruffle of feathers has gone and the sky is clear of danger for the moment.

She crawls out from beneath the log and stands perfectly still in the open night air. Again she surveys the environment to be sure the threat has passed. The pink hairless infant squirms more urgently and squeaks out his discomfort. The babies’ need for nourishment sets the mother in motion once more.

Swiftly, she runs through the tall grass. The cover of the foliage of the field offers some security; but her stalker can swift movement through the dense forest of grass as she runs. Each stride she takes, takes her and her infant inches closer to their home and the rest of her hungry brood. Fear mingled with hope and love are the driving forces all around her.

The site of her new nest comes into view. The nearness gives her renewed energy and a new burst of speed. The cry of the owl sounds again as a winged silhouette passes over the full, smiling face of the moon. The owl, one of the many embodiments of death, approaches swift as lightening. The tiny brown mother feels her heart ready to burst as she is pushed to her limits.

She presses on despite the quickly approaching demon. She doesn’t want to stop and hide, not this close to home. The last few feet of her desperate trek are the longest, yet she covers the ground quickly. Moving like the wind, she draws closer to home. The owl is closing in, she’s terrified, but her drive does not waiver. Razor sharp talons graze her, just as she decks into her nest.

Relief melts over her as the predator lets out a frustrated cry. She tenderly places the baby with his ravenous siblings. Exhausted from the traumatic ordeal, she collapses next to her young. She gives them full access to her full teats and nestles in close to them.

As her heart rate slows, and her hungry youngster begin suckling eagerly for life giving milk, all the tension in her body ebbs away. The comfort of six mouths on her teats makes her drowsy. She drifts into a deep slumber. She has kept her family alive one more day, and that’s all the matters.

~The End~