Beyond the Mountainside

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[bg=080b00][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true] Regular text, My voice, My thoughts, Others A long pink tongue slid from the jaws of a restless snow leopard as it slowly dipped into chilled water pool that lay below him. Silent rings rippled appart from the meeting of the tongue at the surface, as it faded away to still water. The snow leopard was now quenched and hobbled his way over to the entrence of his den, that had been glazed overnight with a thin sheet of snow. This was natural of course, since his den location was hidden beneath boulders, fallen logs, and large masses of snow. Over time, he had gathered several methods for this one particular complication, and it never failed. At least to the most of his concerns. Strong teeth grasped a single twig that lay near the entrence of the cave. He called this his 'Icebreaker' because, well it made sense to him. His personal tool to break the layer of snow or ice that draped across the cave opening. So yes, his 'Icebreaker'. The male paced to and fro, pondering on what part of the sheet of snow should be poked first. Leaning closer to the sheet, he began to admire the colors that were illuminated by the morning sun. There were streaks of pale sapphire and natural patterns of golden-grey that reflected into the questioning eyes of the snow leopard. Refocussing on his problem, his gazed travled down to the center of the snow sheet an noticed that it was the thinnest layer of all. He turned his spotted head at a 90 degree angle so he could ever so slightly poke the sheet of snow. As predicted, the barrier cam tumbling down to a large mound. A grunt of success erupted in the back of his throat as he placed Icebreaker back on the stone floor before going out to greet the morning sun. The rays melted the snow residue that was left clinging to the leopard's fur as the soft breeze caressed his fur. He sighed softly and raised his broad muzzle to the painted blue sky. A day like this was rare in the tundra, and he planned to enjoy it while it lasted. Most of the days were filled with spiraling blizzards, or unwanted hailstorms that sent the various animals running for cover. His lungs expanded as he inhaled the fresh scent of evergreens and ferns that dotted the landscape. If he focused far enough, he could see the slightest animal prancing in the snow without a single care as to what might be their next predator. A hefty chuckle emerged from his tight black lips as he made his way carefully down the piles of freshly fallen snow. In this location, it was never a bad idea to be extra cautious. He had seen and heard many accidents of animals falling and getting trapped to death in the piles. Shaking the thought away he hopped from rock, to bolder, to frozen snow mount until he was near a small stream that trickled slightly down a half frozen stream. The bubbling sounds lulled him to a slight rest as he laid on his side, his chest gently rising and falling. His torn ears stayed alert for the slightest sound of movement. He was not one to bother other animals, but one this particular morning he was feeling the need to chat with another animal of the tundra.