Cut the String

Floodlights washed over the clearing. The gray cutouts of the grass and trees were painted with a yellow tint. The bearers of these lanterns moved silently together in the twilight. Five silhouettes against their light of hope.

At the forefront, a Wolf, leading her pack on. Loyal to her friends.

Slightly behind the Wolf and to the right, a Lioness, the passionate rebel. The fire to fuel her friends.

To the left of the Wolf, a Raven, standing tall against her adversaries. Her call to Odin a call of victory.

At the back, a Buck, antlers brandished with courage. Fighting his fear against the enemy with the support of the herd.

And accompanying the Buck, a Panda, the mother bear protecting her new family. Destroying all notion of being prey.

They stopped together and waited. The agonizing silence drew on. Their lights grew dim.

Then out from the forest came the first. A sinister grin painted across his mask. A cackle echoed. The Rat.

Near him came the second. A lanky, awkward moving individual. Cowardly and stupid. A half mask partially covered his crooked grin. The Crow.

And last, the third. A tricky, but nervous fellow. He had been brave enough to reveal some of his face before, but kept it covered this night. The Fox.

The three approached the five. The lights barely shown.

The Buck shuddered. The air was cold.

The Panda drew closer to the Buck.

The Fox neared the Wolf and drew a cane. The Wolf drew hers, a new walking stick brandished with a silver bulb. She had not intended to fight. She and her pack had other plans.

The Lioness tilted her head and nodded for the Raven to look.

Thick black cords crossed the clearing from the forest where the three had exited.

"You are puppets," the Wolf calmly asserted. The Fox shook his head, still prepared to fight. The aura around him was tinged with fear.

The Crow kawed ten times.

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The Rat moved quickly, dodging between the Wolf and the Lioness to get to the Panda.

But the Buck met him first, antlers tangling in the string of the Rat's mask.

The Panda pinned the Rat from the back.

"You fear you've all lost your way," the Rat hissed.

"I only fear the unknown," the Buck answered, untangling his mask from the Rat's.

"And you fear they will die," The Rat whipped his head around to meet the Panda, who only answered with, "I only fear I love too much," before brandishing a pocket knife.

The Crow taunted the Raven from afar.

"Y(X)U FEAR Y(X)U ARE N(X)T G(X)(X)D EN(X)UGH," the Crow shouted, his voice scratchy.

The Raven ran to him, kicked his legs out from under him, and pulled out a pair of scissors. "I only fear what I've been told."

The Fox had begun a fight with the Wolf. The cracking sound of the canes meeting echoed throughout the clearing. Suddenly, the Fox brought his weapon down on the Wolf. She collapsed to the ground. The light wavered.

"You fear failure," he said.

The Wolf chuckled and pushed herself into a sitting position, a smile blazing behind her mask. "I only fear not realizing my dreams."

The Lioness came from behind the Fox, wrapping her arms around him and pinning his arms to his sides.

"Anything else?" she asked, holding onto him as he struggled.

"You fear your nature," he coughed.

"I only fear that I don't care enough," she answered, squeezing tighter.

The Wolf rose, removing the silver ball from her walking stick and revealing a sharp tool.

"You are puppets," she asserted again.

"We fear our strings," the Fox replied, his head hanging low.

"Then cut them," said the Wolf, bringing her knife to the dark cords tied around the Fox's neck, hands, and feet.

The sounds of snapping string replaced the echoes of kaws and cackling laughter and cracking weapons.

The light grew brighter, almost blinding. Color returned to the grass and the trees. The three stood in awe at the center of the brightness. The five encircled them.

"For the moment you are free,"

"Help as you please,"

"Keep your mind in mind,"

"Sanction may you find,"

"And remember - good luck and good times."