The Snow Leopard
HKMA David Li Kwok Po College, Neha Rana, Fiction: Group 3
W
hen I was born, I was the most diminutive of the cubs, as Mother can attest. I wasn’t
as robust as my other two siblings or as slightly. I was minute with distinctive
sizeable ears and shrouded with silky white fur. But what made me unique were my
enormous stormy grey eyes seeming as if they contained the entire cosmos in them.
Mother felt she was staring deep into the void of emotions when regarding them, charged with
innocence and curiosity and much more elements that she couldn’t decipher. Therefore, she named
me Mystère, meaning mystery, a wonder of life. She knew life in the Gobi Desert for a weakling was
unfeasible so she was fiercely protective of me and kept me under her wing.
Gobi Desert was a manifestation of an arduous life to me. It was unfathomable and the
territory we lived in was mountainous. Our den was located somewhere amid the mountains. It
was a desolate area with scant sustenance, so we devoured whatever meat we could find. Mother
was a vigorous and august hunter. She could stalk down anything we could ingest and in times
of hardship, we consumed vegetation. Although life was constantly testing us, for 3 months, I
lived contentedly with my siblings and my mother. But it only took one night to rip apart my
untroubled family.
That inauspicious night, my siblings and I were waiting for our mother to arrive with our next
meal, hopefully an adult yak. Because of the humans misappropriating our prey, we had scarcely
any food and we couldn’t depend on vegetation any longer. We were all famished but couldn’t
partake in hunting with Mother as we were feeble from lack of nutrients. Finally, by scrutinizing
the rugged horizon, we saw Mother hauling a pubescent yak with her. We were so exhilarated and
were approaching her when we heard a thunderous bang. We all squealed in surprise and wheeled
around to search for the source of the noise. Then we saw something that would change our lives
forever. Humans.
They were so many of them. They each had weapons like forks, torches and guns and were
gradually nearing us. Panicked, we raced to Mother, who had a way to escape tricky situations.
She always did. But this time, as I discovered, she didn’t. She was sprawled on the ground with
blood flowing out from her left side. She was alive but barely breathing. “Mother!” we howled
rowdily as we reached her trembling form. We huddled around her as tears rolled down our
muzzles. “Run! Evacuate before they can catch you. My time has come but you still have your
whole lives! Leave!” Mother hollered exasperatedly and wincing slightly, she stood up and ran as
swiftly as she could, averting our gazes. Dazed, I followed.
We could hear shouts and loud bangs behind us. Then I heard the howls of my siblings. They
had lingered behind to drag the meat with them although I repeatedly instructed them not to. To
my horror, I saw them captured by the men, encircled by weapons. They were imploring me for
assistance. I endeavored to aid them but Mother tackled me down before I could. “No! If you go,
you’ll also be trapped. I’m already drawing my last breath, my children are in danger and I can’t
even help. I can’t lose you too,” she whimpered. I tore my pained gaze away from my siblings.
Then we ran again, ignoring the desperate cries from my siblings. My heart felt so heavy and
tears were streaming down my cheeks like a waterfall. I felt myself slowly crumbling away as
guilt and terror stabbed me with all their might. I had always been a strong and undefeatable
