Tales from Gryphon Beach: Para-Chan and the Butterfly

Or, How A Panther & A Butterfly Became Friends

Once upon a time there was a lovely black panther. She was the prettiest and cleverest panther there had ever been.

She was also a very curious panther, and sometimes, just like would happen to her smaller cousins, the housecats, curiousity would get the best of her. It wouldn't ever kill her, though, because she was the cleverest panther.

One day she was prowling along a lovely beach, one with gryphons carved into the cliffs, and she was being very very careful to not get wet, because panthers, you know, don't care to get wet.

Along she prowled, delicate and curious, and then, of all things, she saw a butterfly! The butterfly sat in the sun, perfectly content, waving her stained glass wings and making pretty lights.

Para-chan, the panther, stopped very suddenly, and looked at the lovely lights, and at the butterfly whose wings wibbled so nicely.

She crouched all down, and studied the lights and the butterfly, with big panther eyes. So intent was she, that the very tip of her tail twitched, twitch! twitch! as a cat's will when it is very interested in something.

The butterfly, whose name was Flitterbee, didn't notice Para-chan yet -- after all, panthers are very sneaky, and Para-chan was the cleverest panther ever. Para-chan decided that the butterfly might make a splendid thing to pounce upon, and veeeeeeerrrry slowly, she put one paw forward.

Just like she'd noticed, Flitterbee the Butterfly fluttered into the air!

Para-chan sat up, looking offended, as cats will, but almost immediately, Flitterbee fluttered right back down onto another stone, and cast her lights onto another part of the beach.

This caused Para-chan to go very still again, for the butterfly in her wanderings might have noticed the panther! But as she sat, it became clear Flitterbee had not seen her, no doubt because she was the cleverest panther.

So Para-chan crept forward, veeeeeeerrrrrry slowly again. One paw. Two paw. Tail went twitch! twitch! Hindquarters went wiggle wiggle wiggle! and then Para-chan leapt and pounced forward and the lovely butterfly and the brightly colored lights!"

But butterflies, you know, are very sensitive to the wind, and just before Para-chan pounced the butterfly into stained-glass bits, Flitterbee danced up into the sky, and Para-chan tumbled through the sand, very startled that the butterfly had been clever enough to dodge!

Para-chan sat on the beach, fliffing herself up to get sand out of her sleek black fur, and looked up at the butterfly. The butterfly looked down at Para-chan.

Para-chan sniffed, as cats will, and ignored the butterfly. Para-chan hadn't really wanted to play, you know. Especially if she was going to lose, which wasn't at all the way of the cleverest panther.

Flitterbee beat her wings, with yellow and green lights, and they scattered sparkles all over Para-chan's fine black fur, and then, with a bright wiggle of her antennae --

-- Flitterbee pounced back!

Para-chan had never met a pouncing butterfly before, and tumbled over backwards, all startled and big eyes and hisses, as a cat who has something unexpected happen to it will. Flitterbee landed smack on Para-chan's chest, and wibbled happily, and waved her antennae, and made golden colors across the prettiest panther's fur.

Para-chan lay there on her back, quite startled, and looked at the Dread Pouncing Butterfly, and, in great confusion, batted at Flitterbee with a big soft paw. Not to hurt, you understand, but like a cat who has found an uncertain new toy might do.

Flitterbee wibbled right along with the draft, tumbling happily in the wind, and Para-chan righted herself, watching the butterfly ramble down the beach on the breeze the prettiest and cleverest panther had made. She thought very hard, watching the butterfly, and then Para-chan pounced down the beach again, to chase Flitterbee!

It wasn't a chase like a hunt, though. It was a chase of fun, and for the rest of the night, Flitterbee the Dread Pouncing Butterfly and Para-chan the Prettiest Panther chased each other up and down the beach, wibbling and giggling and making fast friends.

Finally, the moon came up, and the butterfly and panther were very very tired, and Para-chan curled up in a big black warm ball of fur, and Flitterbee landed right between her ears, and they both went to sleep, with the moonlight making gentle rainbows of color all over them.