Among the pines and white waters of the great Northwest reside creatures of ages past. Thousands of years have come and gone since man has been privy to the existence of these elusive mammals. There was a time when the forests were ripe with fruit and meat, and both species able to live in harmony; then man harvested too much, hunted too hard. Man became confused, seeing itself as above the rest, as having dominion over all of the creatures of the land.
Conflict did arise between two apex predators, struggle did ensue, and only one species of ape did persist – the hairless ones. In the winter following their defeat, the creatures’ antlers fell as usual, but the following year did not bring its usual bountiful harvest, and so the few creatures that lived remained antlerless. A reminder of their inevitable demise in the shadow of man.
Humans would go on to write stories of how evil were the other creatures, of their terror and malice, and of how mans’ victory over them was the will of god. In time the stories would fade, man would forget the creatures with whom they once coexisted; their lust for power, however, would thrive. Reigning supreme over the land homo sapiens continued on their path of destruction, growing comfortable and weak in the process.
As winters grew colder, summers grew hotter and the few that remained of the defeated apes grew harder.
Now, deep in the wilderness, a blackbird and rabbit witness the birth of a creature all believed would be the last of its kind. A creature whose skull bears an unusual shape, not unlike that of its ancient ancestors.
Though these animals harbor no hatred nor ill-will towards the hairless apes that rule the land, times are hard and resources scarce; and a mother must feed her young.
This is the tragic tale of how the last creature became an orphaned,