She stared through the brush waving her tail patiently for the right moment to strike. Her yellow eyes were pierced with rays of light making them glow like the moon. The young antelope was drinking from a shallow pool of murky water unaware of her silent stalker. Gazelle, the tiger, slowly crept forward with soft steps until a faint crackling in the dry grass came from behind her. The antelope immediately looked up and then turned and ran.
Gazelle then lay in the grass disappointed. Then her friend Marie pounced on her playfully.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I was about to have lunch.” Gazelle replied. They both got up and walked to the pool for a quick drink. Gazelle looked up for a breath and continued lapping up water while Marie searched around the area for near by antelope.
Gazelle looked up and then gasped at the rare sight of a gazelle (a real one) grazing through the brush quite closely.
“Marie, look.” She said nudging her shoulder.
“What?” she asked wondering why she was hit so hard. Gazelle leaned down ready for the long chase about to begin. She purred lightly and then said “lunch” in an impatient way before leaping over the pool.
“Wait! Gazelle, you’re never going to catch her!” she yelled as gazelle leaped through the brush. She thought to her self how to out smart her prey coming to the conclusion that she wouldn’t be able to. She has tried to chance with the same one ever since the first encounter. For two years she has attempted to catch her, and for two years her enemy has only gotten stronger and faster. It has turned into a game of cat and mouse. And regrettably, the “mouse” is winning.
“You’ll never catch me!” Tiger, the gazelle, yelled as they ran through the oncoming trees and brush.
In case you have been wondering this whole time why these animals have opposite names, it is quite simple really. Tiger the gazelle, though her real name is actually Sera, is the only gazelle in her family, or on the entire island for that matter, to ever have been chased by a tiger. As for Gazelle the tiger, she’s the only one stubborn enough to try and catch a Gazelle.
Gazelle slowed down, therefore ending the pointless run, and breathed heavily as Tiger jumped off through the trees. Marie had tagged along to catch her friend, and was also out of breath herself.
“I told you so…” she said jokingly

Tiger slowly walked out towards a fallen tree where her friends were waiting.
“Well look at that, your still alive.” Twain said.
“What’d you expect? Not like I would be dumb enough to get into an overbearing situation.” She replied.
“I told you she’d be fine Twain.” Marsha said.
“Yeah, well. I think she got lucky.” He said.
“Luck had nothing to do with it, it was all skill.” She said. “So who wants to go next?” Tiger said jokingly. They smirked at her and began their walk back to the watering hole.

Gazelle laid on her back and stretched her body out while yawning.
“I am so tired.” She said
“Yeah well you didn’t eat anything. Let’s go catch one of those juicy antelope grazing over there.” Marie gestured to them.
“I’m too tired to do anything right now.”
“Right.” she replied walking into the shade. Then they both leaped up at the sound of a loud bang.
“What was that?” Marie asked.
“How am I supposed to know?” Gazelle replied.
“We should probably leave.” Marie said.
“Yeah, let's go check it out.” Gazelle ran off in the direction the sound came from.
“Gazelle wait!” Marie followed. They snuck around through the brush to find where the sound was coming from. They slowly moved to keep from being detected by anyone. The air smelled like smoke and blood. They followed the smell and found a dead antelope being dragged by two strange creatures that stood on only two legs. They were carrying strange shiny tubes with a triangle shaped box at the end.
“Who are they?” Marie asked.
“What are they?” Gazelle asked in return. They watched the strange creatures put the dead animal into a large box with short stubby round legs. The creatures also got into the box and closed it. Then it started to move with a loud grumbling sound.
“What is that thing?” Gazelle asked?
“It’s the hunters!” Marie exclaimed, and then began running away franticly. They both followed the path they came from, immediately, and purposely, forgetting what they had seen.
When the sun had begun to set Marie and Gazelle went out to hunt for food for both of their families. They were silent since their encounter with the creatures, but now it was more focus than show of fear.
Gazelle had set her sights on a young antelope and his mother walking rather separated from the rest of the group. She waved her tail back and forth with those glowing yellow eyes and purred lightly. Then she heard foot steps from a distance and immediately turned her head. She saw the creatures walking around a tree. Then she got up and ran down the same path she took each night.
Marie was dragging her catch under a fallen tree when Gazelle found her. She told Marie that she saw the creatures again.
“They were carrying the same sticks with them, and heavy boxes.” She continued.
“What were they going to do you?” she asked worriedly.
“I don’t know. They just stared at me while walking by. I think they’re planning something.” she said.
“We’ll worry about it later. For now I’d rather just eat.” They both lay under the tree, but Gazelle only scanned the area constantly, while Marie tore the carcass up.
Late afternoon the next day Gazelle caught her self chasing the same infamous friend of hers along the path they always ended on.
“You’re never going to catch me!” Tiger said as they both paused.
“You can keep saying that, but who do you thinks gonna be laughing when I tear your stomach open?” Gazelle said out of breath. Then she quickly pounced when Tiger least expected, or at least she thought so. Tiger easily dodged and turned around to continue the chase.
They ran over and under trees and ponds. And when Gazelle least expected it, Tiger leaped forward as if for no apparent reason. Gazelle fell face first into a small puddle of brown water with both her hind legs and front left paw wrapped tightly in a thin wire. She looked up and watched Tiger run off without noticing anything at all.
Gazelle growled as she tried to pull herself loose, but the more she struggled the tighter it became and dug into her skin.
“Marie!” she yelled, hoping she could be heard. She continued to struggle biting and pulling at the wire. Then she heard foot steps coming from down the path. It was Marie.
“Marie, help!” she yelled.
“What happened?!” she asked running up to her.
“The hunters set a trap!” she exclaimed “you have to get me out of here before they come!” but just before Marie could do anything one of the hunters looked over the brush and stared at the two tigers. Marie, startled by his sudden appearance, jumped away afraid she would be captured too.
“Marie wait!” she yelled. The hunter then left and Gazelle struggled even more to get away just when the least expected person showed up.
“Well, well. Look who quit at the sight of a challenge.” Tiger mocked.
“You have to help me! Hunters set up this trap and now I’m stuck!” Gazelle cried.
“How do I know your not just trying to trick me?” she questioned.
“I swear! I’m not lying!” She explained. “One of the hunters just came by. He’s going to bring more of them!” she rolled over to expose the wire. Tiger hesitated before answering.
“Fine, I’ll help.” She leaned over to look closer. “But I swear, if you're lying, I will make it the most unpleasant experience of your life.” She leaned over and tugged at the wire with her tough horns until it snapped. Gazelle then leaped up and frantically jumped out of the path and into the brush where she and Tiger could hide. When the hunters arrived, they were confused to find the trap sprung.
Gazelle licked her wrists trying to relieve the pain. She paused and looked up at her new friend.
“Why did you come back?” She asked.
“I don’t know really. I guess out of curiosity.” She said scanning the ground. Gazelle smirked at her reply.
“Well you know what I think?” she asked jokingly. “I think you’ve got a soft spot.” Gazelle continued. They both laughed and walked off through the brush.
They were friends fore the longest time afterwards. Gazelle never saw her friend Marie again, but Tiger made up for the loss in all ways.
The hunters continued setting traps. But Gazelle and Tiger made their best efforts to keep anyone else from getting caught in them. The hunters eventually left the animals of this island in peace. Gazelle and Tiger always stuck together afterwards.
THE END