Snowdrop
Legacy Name: Snowdrop

My leg hurt more today than it did yesterday. It made finding food difficult as running was not an option. The wound came from a close encounter with a fox, and although I escaped, things would not be easy for a while. I decided to hide out in the forest, where the trees gave me shelter. When it was safe, and quiet, I could venture down to the lake, my favourite place to be. From there I could observe the nature around me - and particularly the birds. They are amazing creatures. I could spend hours just watching them.

A few days later, I crept down to the lake again and was hugely disappointed to see I would not be alone. There was a human there, sitting on the grass. I froze, she froze too. Neither of us knowing what to do. She smiled at me, and for the first time ever, I didn't feel afraid. I was curious, but not afraid. She outstretched her hand to me and I slowly crept up to it. She had some berries in her hand - I assumed they were meant for me, so I quickly snatched them and sat there chewing on them. She seemed delighted by that, and offered me some more. After a while, she got up and just left. I admit I felt rather sad to see her go - but to my happiness, she was there again the next day. We continued this odd relationship for many days, her offering me berries, and sometimes fruits...and me gladly taking them and sitting near her.





Finally things took a turn. She stood up one day, but didn't leave. She kept looking at me, and I remember feeling very unsure what she wanted. Then she bent down, and scooped me up in her arms. I was terrified, and struggled. But her voice was so soothing, so gentle, that I quickly overcame my fear and began to relax. I had never trusted another living soul the way I trusted her. Before I knew it, she was carrying me away, away from my home, from everything I knew.

I was scared but excited at the same time! Not at all sure where we were going, but somehow I just knew it would be alright. We stopped at a little house, actually not that far from the lake and the forest where I had been living. 'You need a name, little one. You can't live here with me without a name - from now on, you will be called Snowdrop!' She took me inside, and I was promptly bowled over by what I later found out were some of her other pets! Paralyzed with fear, I let them sniff me, prod me, poke me and generally do everything I hated. She then scooped me up in her arms again, and gently washed my wound, and put a bandage on it. She made me swallow a horrible tasting medicine, although I did get a handful of berries to have straight after.