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The Legend of the Marble Cat Deep, deep in the rainforest, a very
long time ago, a jungle mother gave birth to six, perfect little kittens
and the Spirit of the Forest was pleased. Four of them looked just
like their mother, soft and gold and spotted all over, like tiny leopards,
a pattern designed by nature to hide them in the deep forest from
ancient and fearful enemies who liked kittens for lunch. The other
two, however, were different. They, too, had coats as soft as velvet,
but one of them was all gold, as bright as the sun and the other was
as white as the full moon! Mother named them Sunlight and
Moonbeam. She named her other kittens more traditional names,
names that had been passed from mother cat to daughter cat, on
and on, down through the generations: Panthera, Tiger Lily, Orchid
and Raven. Deep in the nest, hidden in the secret glen behind the
waterfall, in the thickest part of the rainforest where the trailing
orchids bloomed in a wild and colorful profusion, Mother cared for her
kittens and worried. She knew that her son Moonbeam and her
daughter Sunshine would soon be exposed to a very dangerous
world and with their beautiful, bright coats, they would stand out like
lights on the jungle floor, easy for enemies to see.
As the kittens grew and the day approached when they would be
venturing from the safety of the den, Mother began to council them in
the ways of concealment: To Sunshine and Moonbeam she said:
"Now, remember, until you are grown and can run very fast, you must
stay under leaves and vines so you will be hidden from above. Never
venture into the open jungle unless you can sit in a spot of bright sun
or a beam of the full moon, for that is what you look like. To her
spotted children she said: "You must also be cautious, but you may
use the pattern of the forest floor as your camouflage. When stalking
your prey, move only when they look away and when you freeze in
place, your spots will help you to disappear into the sun dappled
jungle. And so it was that the two kittens learned to hide their special
beauty, venturing out from beneath the leaves and vines only rarely,
while their spotted brothers and sisters came and went as they
pleased, carrying their concealment with them.
The Spirit of the Forest was pleased.
One bright, sunny day, Mother took her four tiny leopards on a
hunting lesson, warning Sunlight and Moonbeam to stay hidden until
they returned. "I don't want to stay here all day." complained
Sunshine, "Me either. I want to watch Mother." replied Moonbeam.
"Why don't we just creep from plant to plant and keep hidden. She
will never know we're there." suggested Sunshine. Off they went,
excited to be on an adventure, and, being the good kittens they were,
preceding cautiously as well, remembering all the lessons their
mother had taught them. They could smell the scent of their family
and followed it. They scampered on, always under the leaves of low
growing plants, while the sunlight painted beautiful, undulating
patterns of deep shade on their bright coats. Suddenly, the smell of
danger raised the hairs on their backs and they froze like statues
even before they saw the horrible sight. As their eyes adjusted to the
pure sunlight, the kittens saw they were at the edge of a brightly lit
clearing, filled with dry weeds and golden grasses.
Up against a rock wall were their brothers and sisters, cringing in the
presence of... Jackal!
A very large Jackal! He was in between Mother and her kittens.
Mother was crouched and snarling behind him. Everyone knew,
Jackals eat kittens! GLancing back and forth between the kittens
and their mother, Jackal sneered and boasted to her, "You know I'm
going to get at least one of them, maybe even two. Why, I'll be out of
here with my lunch before you can reach me. I just don't know which
one to take first. They are all so fat and yummy looking."
Under the cover of a leaf, Sunshine and Moonbeam looked at each
other and passed a single thought between them. "Mother's lessons!"
They silently circled the small clearing, keeping to the cover of the
forest. Now they were on opposite sides of Jackal and entered the dry
weeds. Softly. Quietly. Keeping as flat to the ground as the dry, dusty
rocks, they inched toward their ancient enemy, each moving only
when he turned his attention to gloat to Mother or frighten the kittens.
As they neared the Jackal, Mother's crouching posture changed just
slightly, subtlety. She knew they were there! She couldn't smell them
because they had wisely placed themselves down wind of the enemy,
but she could just barely see her bright and beautiful children in the
bright sunlight of the field! Intent on the kittens he had cornered,
Jackal was oblivious; he never knew what hit him. The Jackal took
half a step toward the frightened kittens frozen against the rock face
and Wham! The earth before him erupted in a squalling, screaming
fury of knives and teeth! Stunned and frightened, Jackal felt Mother's
teeth sink deeply into his rear haunches and her claws rack his sides.
Slashing, screaming demons were fastened to his head! Leaping
madly about the clearing and crashing into trees and rocks, Jackal
finally managed to dislodge his attackers and all he could see with
the eye that was still open, was the tail end of Mother, as she
disappeared into the jungle. Panthera, Tiger Lily, Orchid and Raven
had been stunned by the apparently sudden appearance of their
brother and sister, but wasted no time streaking past the besieged
Jackal, into the safety of the rainforest. They were followed shortly by
Sun, Moon and Mother. Together, they ran swiftly through the jungle,
to the safety of their hidden den, in the secret glen, behind the
waterfall, in the thickest part of the rainforest where the trailing
orchids bloomed. It had been a miracle. Nothing needed to be said.
Mother cleaned her kittens and purred them to sleep.
Sunlight and Moonbeam awoke at dusk, from a deep slumber of
complete exhaustion. They crept out of the den, called by a silent
summons. There! Under the big tree, or was it part of it? They
thought they could see the faint form of the Spirit of the Forest. They
knew it was she who had summoned them. Her voice was like the
whisper of the leaves or maybe the passing breeze, but the kittens
could hear her plainly in their heads. This was strange, indeed. Not in
the time of any ancestor they could remember, had anyone actually
seen the Spirit of the Forest, but, oddly, they were not frightened.
She spoke, "You are all my children and I love you. Even the Jackal
is one of my children, but it was not his destiny to eat kitten for lunch
today.
You have performed a selfless act of incredible bravery and shall be
rewarded. I give you something you have always wanted, the gift of
concealment."
To Moonbeam she said: "You will be a cat of the night: I bless you
with the misty shadows of the leaves and vines, falling across your
back by the light of the full moon. You will be able to pass by
unnoticed in the night jungle."
To Sunshine she said: "You are to be a cat of the day, wearing the
deep shadows of the leaves and twisting creepers across your body,
letting your glittering sunlit coat sparkle through in bits and swirls.
You will be impossible to see in the jungle on a sunny day."
" Step forward now." The kittens stepped out from under the leaves
they had instinctively stood under and were amazed to see that their
coats now had the patterns of the vines and leaves. As her image
and voice began to fade, The Spirit of the Forest said, "From now on,
your names will be Secret Sun and Hiding Moon. All of your
unspotted descendants will be blessed with these marking as well, to
conceal them safely in either sun or moonlight. I am pleased."
To this day, marbled kittens carry with them the patterns of the leaves
and vines of that long ago jungle, the reward of their ancestors'
uncommon courage: the shadows cast upon them through the trees,
by the sun and the moonlight.
long time ago, a jungle mother gave birth to six, perfect little kittens
and the Spirit of the Forest was pleased. Four of them looked just
like their mother, soft and gold and spotted all over, like tiny leopards,
a pattern designed by nature to hide them in the deep forest from
ancient and fearful enemies who liked kittens for lunch. The other
two, however, were different. They, too, had coats as soft as velvet,
but one of them was all gold, as bright as the sun and the other was
as white as the full moon! Mother named them Sunlight and
Moonbeam. She named her other kittens more traditional names,
names that had been passed from mother cat to daughter cat, on
and on, down through the generations: Panthera, Tiger Lily, Orchid
and Raven. Deep in the nest, hidden in the secret glen behind the
waterfall, in the thickest part of the rainforest where the trailing
orchids bloomed in a wild and colorful profusion, Mother cared for her
kittens and worried. She knew that her son Moonbeam and her
daughter Sunshine would soon be exposed to a very dangerous
world and with their beautiful, bright coats, they would stand out like
lights on the jungle floor, easy for enemies to see.
As the kittens grew and the day approached when they would be
venturing from the safety of the den, Mother began to council them in
the ways of concealment: To Sunshine and Moonbeam she said:
"Now, remember, until you are grown and can run very fast, you must
stay under leaves and vines so you will be hidden from above. Never
venture into the open jungle unless you can sit in a spot of bright sun
or a beam of the full moon, for that is what you look like. To her
spotted children she said: "You must also be cautious, but you may
use the pattern of the forest floor as your camouflage. When stalking
your prey, move only when they look away and when you freeze in
place, your spots will help you to disappear into the sun dappled
jungle. And so it was that the two kittens learned to hide their special
beauty, venturing out from beneath the leaves and vines only rarely,
while their spotted brothers and sisters came and went as they
pleased, carrying their concealment with them.
The Spirit of the Forest was pleased.
One bright, sunny day, Mother took her four tiny leopards on a
hunting lesson, warning Sunlight and Moonbeam to stay hidden until
they returned. "I don't want to stay here all day." complained
Sunshine, "Me either. I want to watch Mother." replied Moonbeam.
"Why don't we just creep from plant to plant and keep hidden. She
will never know we're there." suggested Sunshine. Off they went,
excited to be on an adventure, and, being the good kittens they were,
preceding cautiously as well, remembering all the lessons their
mother had taught them. They could smell the scent of their family
and followed it. They scampered on, always under the leaves of low
growing plants, while the sunlight painted beautiful, undulating
patterns of deep shade on their bright coats. Suddenly, the smell of
danger raised the hairs on their backs and they froze like statues
even before they saw the horrible sight. As their eyes adjusted to the
pure sunlight, the kittens saw they were at the edge of a brightly lit
clearing, filled with dry weeds and golden grasses.
Up against a rock wall were their brothers and sisters, cringing in the
presence of... Jackal!
A very large Jackal! He was in between Mother and her kittens.
Mother was crouched and snarling behind him. Everyone knew,
Jackals eat kittens! GLancing back and forth between the kittens
and their mother, Jackal sneered and boasted to her, "You know I'm
going to get at least one of them, maybe even two. Why, I'll be out of
here with my lunch before you can reach me. I just don't know which
one to take first. They are all so fat and yummy looking."
Under the cover of a leaf, Sunshine and Moonbeam looked at each
other and passed a single thought between them. "Mother's lessons!"
They silently circled the small clearing, keeping to the cover of the
forest. Now they were on opposite sides of Jackal and entered the dry
weeds. Softly. Quietly. Keeping as flat to the ground as the dry, dusty
rocks, they inched toward their ancient enemy, each moving only
when he turned his attention to gloat to Mother or frighten the kittens.
As they neared the Jackal, Mother's crouching posture changed just
slightly, subtlety. She knew they were there! She couldn't smell them
because they had wisely placed themselves down wind of the enemy,
but she could just barely see her bright and beautiful children in the
bright sunlight of the field! Intent on the kittens he had cornered,
Jackal was oblivious; he never knew what hit him. The Jackal took
half a step toward the frightened kittens frozen against the rock face
and Wham! The earth before him erupted in a squalling, screaming
fury of knives and teeth! Stunned and frightened, Jackal felt Mother's
teeth sink deeply into his rear haunches and her claws rack his sides.
Slashing, screaming demons were fastened to his head! Leaping
madly about the clearing and crashing into trees and rocks, Jackal
finally managed to dislodge his attackers and all he could see with
the eye that was still open, was the tail end of Mother, as she
disappeared into the jungle. Panthera, Tiger Lily, Orchid and Raven
had been stunned by the apparently sudden appearance of their
brother and sister, but wasted no time streaking past the besieged
Jackal, into the safety of the rainforest. They were followed shortly by
Sun, Moon and Mother. Together, they ran swiftly through the jungle,
to the safety of their hidden den, in the secret glen, behind the
waterfall, in the thickest part of the rainforest where the trailing
orchids bloomed. It had been a miracle. Nothing needed to be said.
Mother cleaned her kittens and purred them to sleep.
Sunlight and Moonbeam awoke at dusk, from a deep slumber of
complete exhaustion. They crept out of the den, called by a silent
summons. There! Under the big tree, or was it part of it? They
thought they could see the faint form of the Spirit of the Forest. They
knew it was she who had summoned them. Her voice was like the
whisper of the leaves or maybe the passing breeze, but the kittens
could hear her plainly in their heads. This was strange, indeed. Not in
the time of any ancestor they could remember, had anyone actually
seen the Spirit of the Forest, but, oddly, they were not frightened.
She spoke, "You are all my children and I love you. Even the Jackal
is one of my children, but it was not his destiny to eat kitten for lunch
today.
You have performed a selfless act of incredible bravery and shall be
rewarded. I give you something you have always wanted, the gift of
concealment."
To Moonbeam she said: "You will be a cat of the night: I bless you
with the misty shadows of the leaves and vines, falling across your
back by the light of the full moon. You will be able to pass by
unnoticed in the night jungle."
To Sunshine she said: "You are to be a cat of the day, wearing the
deep shadows of the leaves and twisting creepers across your body,
letting your glittering sunlit coat sparkle through in bits and swirls.
You will be impossible to see in the jungle on a sunny day."
" Step forward now." The kittens stepped out from under the leaves
they had instinctively stood under and were amazed to see that their
coats now had the patterns of the vines and leaves. As her image
and voice began to fade, The Spirit of the Forest said, "From now on,
your names will be Secret Sun and Hiding Moon. All of your
unspotted descendants will be blessed with these marking as well, to
conceal them safely in either sun or moonlight. I am pleased."
To this day, marbled kittens carry with them the patterns of the leaves
and vines of that long ago jungle, the reward of their ancestors'
uncommon courage: the shadows cast upon them through the trees,
by the sun and the moonlight.
| Legend Of The Marble Cat |
| Dreamer's Legacy 480-343-6965 Gilbert, AZ Bengals@DreamersLegacy.com |
| Discovered by: Susan Dunsworth after countless hours of research, pouring over ancient text and speaking with many cats copyright 2004 |
Dreamers Legacy Bengal Cats and kittens in Arizona home to ALC, Purebred, Hybrid Exotic cats called Foundation Bengals F1, F2, F3, F4, SBT, For Sale
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kittens for sale or adoption, partnered with and linked to BengalBreed.com, desertsmeow.com, sapphiresnowbengals.com, rainbowvalleybengals.com,
cactusrun.net, spothaven.com, sonoranbengals.com, Pedigrees for Bengals, Pictures of Bengal Cats, Exotic Cats, Retired Bengal Cats, Asian Leopard Cat,
information, Pictures of the Asian Leopard Cat and Bengals of all colors both Rosetted and Marbled
or Adoption, Retired Adults, Breed Information, Contracts, Stories, Health information, food, supplies, fuzzys, Our colors Ruffis Brown, Snow lynx, mink, sepia
point, Golden, Silver and smoke a small in home Bengal Cat Breeder, TICA Registered Cattery, Arizona, USA, National, International, Bengal cats and
kittens for sale or adoption, partnered with and linked to BengalBreed.com, desertsmeow.com, sapphiresnowbengals.com, rainbowvalleybengals.com,
cactusrun.net, spothaven.com, sonoranbengals.com, Pedigrees for Bengals, Pictures of Bengal Cats, Exotic Cats, Retired Bengal Cats, Asian Leopard Cat,
information, Pictures of the Asian Leopard Cat and Bengals of all colors both Rosetted and Marbled
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