Already the light of the rising
sun  released the vanishing
dream of snow to a puddle at
his feet. With his last strength,
the lion tugged the small child
into the dying shadows. The
lion dipped his paw into the
water at his feet and imagined
the salty tang of the boy's
tears, watching the rise & fall
of his breathing.
"How can I prove my innocence
to the world?" the lion
whispered to the sleeping boy.