I am mouse

I am mouse. Fur, tail, and teeth ever gnawing. Family packed so tight into our small rodent hole. I am mouse. To feel the way I do is unique. Do others feel, and do they have these thoughts? I look to my brother to the right, and ponder these questions. No way to communicate. No way to strengthen the bond. We are family, yes. But is he as smart as I? Is he as clever? Is he like me? I am mouse. I am. I exist. I know this for sure. But am I alone. In this dark hole. So like me. So like my soul. Surrounded by loved ones, and my mind so surrounded by my loving thoughts.

I am mouse. I am more then mouse. I deserve a name. But how to choose? How to craft something that would label my soul. A matter for another time. Tonight I must feed. We are running low on supplies, and night has finally fallen. It is time to gather. Time to risk my life once again for sustenance. To feed my growling belly. To ease the pain in these ever growing teeth.

The hole is dark and long, as I make my way out. Into the long grass, and past the pine tree. This place once so bountiful has become barren for the likes of me. The only food is I to feed a hungry bird or snake. I rush into the dark night. Nibbling here and there on grasses. Seeking something more. Seeking something better. More delicious, and more gratifying.

WHO! WHO! WHO!

My ears perk to that oh so dangerous sound. The question I ask myself, and yet the answer I know that is waiting. The owl seeks me. Hiding under a small outcrop of rocks I cower in the majesty of this wood's most powerful animal. The owl asks a powerful question indeed in its call for hunger. Who? Who shall die tonight. Who shall feed me. Who shall become bones littered on the forest floor. Who? Indeed, who. I am mouse. Yet more, as I feel a shiver run down my spine. I am more then mouse. I think, and I feel. I reason, and I question my existence and the existence of my brethren. For we are all just creatures living in the now. Creatures of this forest. Creatures under the gaze of the owl.

I dart from the small rock hiding place, and run into the unprotected forest floor. Pine seeds litter the area, as I devour them one after another. Slowly I being to store them in my cheeks. Slowly I fill my grumbling belly.

WHO! WHO! WHO!

The owl, and his belly is still famished. I am mouse. I cannot die here. I need to become more. I am more then I am. I am more then mouse. Wings fly downward. Air brushes over my fur. Talon which feel like steel grasp me. Squeezing and squeezing. I am mouse. One final statement one last statement before being consumed. Absorbed. The soul changes form. I am owl.