Painted with snow, the mountains look down at the wind snapped foothills and see the lioness walking across them, her cub following close behind. The pelt on her nape scrunches like velvet as her shoulders rotate with each step. Her pink tongue snaps in and out as she takes a moment to stop and sniff the air. She blinks. She turns and looks back at her cub, who runs up at bites softly at her face.
Ignoring his playfulness, she looks down into the valley below. A singular silver orb hovers a few feet from the ground, perfectly motionless. It emits a low hum that can be felt in the padded soles of her feet. She blinks once at the orb, then turns away and leads her cub down the other side of the hill.
On the orb, the silver reflection of the lioness and her cub lingers long after they are gone from sight.
Paddy Dobson
28th May 2021