In the beginning, every living being was given a duty to uphold in the great circle of life. With each creature and plant playing a role: the ferocious predator to the cowardly prey, all of it is done in order to provide balance from within the forest.
That was the pinnacle of the forest’s time, many eons ago.
I could still remember the light brush that would go past the many plants, each unique and bizarre that stood out amongst each other. The trees would reach the skies and cover over this small paradise we had once called home. The plants would always bear fruit of great quality that nutrifies many of the animals in the forest. The many critters and beasts fulfilled their roles and many of their kind still populated the forest. There were creatures big and tall that took refuge within the small clearings sprinkled throughout the forest. Flocks of birds would build their nests atop the highest peaks of the trees above the sky and the schools of fish that made the clear waters shimmer in a multitude of colours.
Life in the Forest was paradise whence time strolled before mankind’s appearance in the world.
Till this very day, mankind has been the most interesting creature that I had come to observe as they the unique semblance of having sentience and free will unlike the other inhabitants that acted based upon pure instinct. At the time, mankind’s populace still had the wonders and curiosities that had brought forth memories of my own upbringing once upon a time. They would look upon the wilderness as an opportunity to learn, to explore freely to satiate their own brimming ego.
Though as complex as they may be, they still held the primal instincts that allowed for them to survive in this forest, the drive to protect their own kind much like a pack of wolves. Blessed with wisdom, they strive to be a part of this forest’s chain, aiming to be the top predators.
It was an atrocity that hadn’t crossed my mind.
Their numbers would slowly multiply as the day’s cycle passes, the first of mankind would then pass on their wisdom and knowledge to their next generation forward, and so on and so forth. As many more of their kind spring forth, some would choose to travel past the forest’s borders, a place out of my jurisdiction. Their ever-expanding tome of knowledge was a spectacle to observe, creating markings unto the stone walls upon their cave dwellings to making stationaries out of sticks and reeds. Not only is their speech starting to sound like blubber, but the things that surround mankind begin to look more bizarre.
Their places of shelter were made out of weird blocks of stone, smooth to the touch, with all sorts of trinkets that surround their homes. They’ve also learned to cultivate their own plants and to raise animals they call their own, which they used to supply themselves for both food and more material. They have also crafted tools utilized to achieve actions that their bare-naked selves were deemed unable to do, from taking down the ferocious predators that lurked the forest to taking on Mother Nature’s force without much of a single scratch. In only a few millennia did human become the king of the forest forged on by their own machinations. To attain such level of advancement unto the path of survival was something that I myself wanted to make better understanding of, but alas, this goes well beyond my own capabilities, as I am only allowed to watch from a distance.
Mankind would only continue to develop further, their endless curiosity and desire to better themselves.
Generation after generation there would be multiple discoveries and inventions that they continue to achieve. The fear for mankind’s machinations proved to be true and has begun to show signs of destruction to the forest. There have already been a multitude of clearings caused by the iron hands of mankind and a decrease in many of the species that inhabit this land. The cycle has been quite imbalanced from the lack of animals that had since then moved on from the forest due to their wariness and fear of mankind’s contraptions.
Though, what could I do against those who were impenetrable against the forces of nature? I could only watch in writhing fear as time passed.
Things have only steeped low as time continues to pass. A forest that was once great and massive has now been reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory. The trees were withered and barren, with only a handful of them from the great age still barring their roots and holding on for dear life. The once clean waters, where one could clearly see what laid beneath has become murky and dark in colour, with all manner of life was nowhere to be seen. Many of the land has been destroyed and used by mankind to use for their own structures and housing, every single one secreting a black smog overtop its roofs that now paint the sky with gray clouds.
The land has gotten quite barren, with little to no life to be on sight. The harsh wind only shows a fraction of resentment that I bear to these mindless creatures who had continued to pervert the forest for their whims. The forest that had once took them in and provided for their survival, only to be taken advantage of. Sadly, my time draws near as many of my kin have begun to bite the dust, I’ve recorded my experiences in the hopes that someday someone can one day take my plights and wishes.
I hope for the day that someone could take revenge for the forest’s demise.
Author Notes: My first time writing something like this, or posting writing at all. Any sort of criticism highly appreciated. Thanks for reading!
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Canada • 19 years old