By: Lepida Posted on: April 26, 2004
In trees and vales, on waves of foam
Countless creatures thrive and roam
In feather and fur, in claw and teeth
A wild spirit hides beneath
Be they gentle, be they fell
Of numerous beasts this book will tell…
The first creatures you will meet
Are those that wander on four feet
Among them wolves and fallow deer
Rabbits, lions you'll find here
They dwell in forest, plain and hill
On mammals now will rest my quill…
In the forest man calls Black
Lives a furry creature, hard to track
Fluffy is this animal's middle name
Scurrying down trees its favourite game
It has a duckbill, as I will tell
Jambaali likes the honey well…
Renown for his howl and mighty jaws,
A hunter with fierce teeth and claws
In a fur of shiny black, brown or grey
He roams the forest for his prey
Wolf, I call upon your spirit free
May you be a guide for me…
The creature of which I here tell
Is known to man but all too well
Running swiftly on slender feet
The stag and doe you'll surely meet
Mighty antlers, soft amber eyes
Prey on which the hunter spies…
In the fair groves of the Ithmia
One may encounter this enigma
With eyes of a bright azure hue
The tengu will look up to you
His wings, raven like and small
Carry his little body upon his call…
From cliff to cliff they often leap
I'm speaking of the bighorn sheep
Their horns grow larger with the year
Of heights and rocks they have no fear
On the look for moss and bits of grass
Through the Vashnars do they pass…
Wandering through the mountainside
Upon its arrival you'd want to hide
Cause black and white stripes often tell
That not everything is good and well
Innocent as the skunk may seem
Always look for a nearby stream…
Lithe and slender are his feet
Yet he hunts with dazzling speed
A golden coat with specks of black
This animal knows herd nor pack
You'll find it in grasses tall and high
Cheetah is the name it goes by…
In the desert sands so warm
The sun does many creatures harm
But jarbo jumps and leaps about
On his hind legs, strong and stout
He has a sandhued fur, golden and fair
His tail ends in a brush of hair…
Walking to and fro a city's street
A familiar scurrying at your feet
Flicking whiskers, a bald pink tail
Scruffy coat be it dark or pale
Rat, you're called our cities pest
But it's our dirt that forms your nest…
A hairball with a bandit's face
Found often near a watery place
He's said to carefully wash his food
Seems always in a cheerful mood
With a ringed tail and dextrous hands
So does the raccoon roam our lands…
Dangling upside down from tiny feet
With his little eyes and pointy teeth
Flapping on his leathery wings
No man can hear the notes he sings
You may wonder, what is that?
Well, very simple, tis the bat…
A nose that never seems to rest
His running often put to the test
In many hues they may appear
Speckled, white or brown like deer
Watchful ears through day and night
Alarmed Rabbit will run out of sight…
Smallest member of her family
She possesses no less agility
Stealthily she creeps around
Alerted by even the smallest sound
Many a wildcat spends her day
Spying on an unwary prey…
From the icy oceans of the North
A very peculiar beast comes forth
On his nose he bears a spiralled horn
A precious treasure that must be borne
And so it happens man won't let be,
Narwhal, king of the arctic sea…
Tis the biggest mammal on land
I'm speaking about the elephant
He's said to never forget what he sees
His big great head full of memories
Elephants live many, many a year
It only is the mouse they fear…
On the prairie dwells a beast
On which predators love to feast
But a buffalo is large and strong
His feet can carry him swift and long
Two horns on his head form his crown
His hide is shaggy, thick and brown…
A blow of his paw will knock you out
He towers over you, mighty and proud
In the dark woods some keep their lair,
Yet there's another kind of grizzly bear
A taller one that you may try to seak
On the snow covered mountain peak…
A grin is the last thing you perceive
When this animal takes it's leave
He's highly uncommon, yes even rare
Only found after climbing many a stair:
The one place a Cheshire Cat will sit
Is on the Great Erisian Pyramid…
The barren planes of snow and ice
Offer this creature the perfect disguise
He keeps his body close to the ground
Motionless hoping that he isn't found
Though His ears have tips of black
The snowshoe hare is hard to track…
He may not be known to bite or roar
Yet many a brave man fears the boar
Oinking happily he roams around
Looking for acorns in the ground
But be ye not fooled by this display
He has wicked tusks to his array…
Bushy tail, flash of red and white
So nimbly he escapes your sight
He dwells in crowns of emerald green
On the ground he's occasionally seen
Carefully burying the winter storage
Squirrel knows well how to forage…
Prowling far from highway and road
This cat is adorned with a mottled coat
Of the Jungle he's the uncrowned king
Tis of the mighty Jaguar I here sing
Bringing death, fulfilling jungle duty
In amber and gold and unseen beauty…
Prancing merrily on little hooves
Or galloping with elegant moves
Rearing proudly with an arrogant snort
Shaking its manes, then racing forth
Untamed, strange to saddle or yoke,
Wild ponies delight the Riodian folk…
Sly and guileful they are called
But that's hardly the animals fault
For mankind often dislikes, and not a bit
Creatures undaunting to show some wit
So unlike the cattle bellowing in its box
Is bright and smart the ginger fox…