water around that area. Never thought she would be happy to smell that. Daybreak let out a small
purr. She only ate plants when she couldn’t find food in days, and the taste wasn’t pleasant at all.
The closer she got to water, the closer she got home. Daybreak remembered that she had smelt
this kind of freshness in the sandstorm. It was a very pale smell but Daybreak could remember it.
Daybreak ran non-stop until she ran into a herd of black tailed gazelle again. She licked her lips.
It was impossible for them to get away from her this time, she sneered.
Daybreak sneaked up on them and waited for the right moment. They were having their
meal, and the playful young ones that were chasing each other would be a perfect meal for her.
They were coming closer. Five hundred meters. Two hundred meters. One hundred meters. One
of the young gazelle in the group erected its ears and widened its eyes. It just noticed Daybreak.
It wanted to alarm the others, but it was too late for that young gazelle. Letting out a purr of
happiness, she dragged away the gazelle before the others decided to chase after her. She found a
bush and hid in it, enjoying her prey. Young gazelle meat was the best, it was very juicy and she
was no longer thirsty.
Afterwards, she gained ground and picked up a scent. It was that strange freshness of plants
again, but this time it was stronger. She mewed and jogged toward the scent. On her way she felt
the wind brushed through her fur.
She ignored the wind and proceeded. It was blowing stronger and stronger, sand was being
blown up. She looked around and finally recognized the wind. A sandstorm was coming again.
She growled, as if telling the sandstorm that it couldn’t hurt her again. She dashed with all the
might she had after eating the gazelle and a race against time began.
She ran into pile of sharp rocks and she leaped on them, trying to get away from the
sandstorm as soon as possible. Sandstorm was not an enemy or prey with flesh and bones; it
was only formed by a large pile of sand, yet it was very fatal, the only way she could think of
now was. She must leave this place at once before it was too late. Sharp rocks, sand, hills, more
rocks, sandy ground, more sand, hills built with sand… Each of those places she passed through
consumed her energy. Increasingly each time.
Daybreak knew she couldn’t take it anymore. If she ran any longer, she would die instantly.
Her heart beat would be way too fast for her in less than sixty seconds. She must stop. She let out
a massive growled. It was filled with hate and anger toward sandstorms. She slowed down and at a
point; she stopped walking and gave in. She closed her eyes, letting the storm take her away. She
thought she saw Afterglow again, who was purring softly at her.
What she didn’t know was that an illusion or something was actually happening, but it didn’t
matter now.
Daybreak didn’t know how much time had passed. Hours? Days? Even weeks? She couldn’t
tell. She wanted to get up, but it was quite hard. There was sand on top of her. She shook her body
with the strength that was left inside her after the sandstorm. Finally, her body peeped out from
under the pile of sand. It was a miracle that she was still alive. She was trembling. Trembling with
weakness and hunger. Her once pretty face disappeared. What was left was the shell of Daybreak
the snow leopard. She couldn’t recognize herself anymore.
After a day of travelling, her energy was all gone. She couldn’t open her eyes. She only knew
the moon would guide her. She stumbled over a boulder and she fell. Her face hit the ground and
water splashed. Water splashed? Her chin felt the coolness of water. She struggled to open her
eyes, and found a small puddle in front of her. She drank the water straightaway. It felt so good.
