The darkness felt oppressive, almost as if she was trying to see through thick, viscous swampwater. The thin glimmer of a crescent moon cast deep shadows that seemed to have a life of their own as they danced across the mire, to a tune that was, at first inaudible. She looked on, detached and uncomprehending.
But...there. A single chirp broke the pregnant silence, the haunting yet cheerful sound cutting through the quiet like a knife, that single note opening the floodgates.
It was almost like seeing in color for the very first time--as if the washed out, greyish-brown filter had been pulled away, allowing her to see the deep greens of the swamp-grasses, glistening wetly. She suddenly burst into motion, her hoofbeats strangely muted, taking a back seat to the sporadic bursts of sound that seemed to summon forth something from deep inside her.
She slipped, knees sinking deep into the quagmire of muck and grime, although she hardly seemed to notice, intent upon one small, seemingly insignificant insect. As if aware of her attention, it lifted one of its forewings, rubbing it sharply against the other in a series of sharp, but surprisingly lyrical chirps. It was painful, the strident sounds weaving themselves into her very essence, heart-stoppingly poignant.
She forgot to breathe, ears jerking forward of their own accord, every fiber of her being absorbed in catching one more jarring note. She was no longer kimeti--she could feel the rough rub of wings against one another, the only intent to angle them just right, to make the noise resonate more sharply...
And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the song was cut short. A sticky pink tongue, followed swiftly by a large, cavernous mouth, enveloped the unfortunate insect's body easily. crunching down sharply, the carapace gave way, no match for the frog's powerful jaws.
Near-forgotten, her body fell slowly to the side, gaze never leaving the scene that had unfolded so abruptly. Her eyes glazed over, and the mud slowly, painstakingly sucked her under, stillness reigning in the swamp, silent once more.
