Circumspice Literary

She was surrounded by her sisters and cousins and aunt forming a wall of protection around her.  To the unaware there would seem to be nothing out of the ordinary in this gathering, but such was the crucial element.  Whether by intent or instinct honed over millennia, even they needed this camouflage for survival.  To that end, the women of this group were adept at hiding their vigilance.  They knew if they were to make any outward display of concern a predator would be alerted to an opportunity.

            If they were to be betrayed, it would be by their silence.  At this moment, the symphony of the insects dominated the sonic landscape which was, indeed, certainly out of the norm.  Ordinarily the rumor of their movement alone was enough to draw attention from everyone in proximity to them, much less when their mighty voices filled the air calling to one another.  But now all forward progress ceased.  The women of the group milled about pretending as if their attention was focused elsewhere, but in truth every one of them centered her energy and love on their sheltered sister. 

            She bore this burden for nearly two years.  In that time, she nurtured this precious new being through hundreds of miles as they followed the rapidly expanding then dwindling supplies of food and water needed for their survival.  She also learned from her elders.  When she became aware that she was pregnant she paid special attention to the other women in her large family who had already born their babies over whom she was a fierce protector.  Countless times she bore her massive weight down on anyone foolish enough to try to assail one of their little ones.  Indeed, she was very practiced in the recent months as her baby was the last to be born that season and she was very late.