The morning sun filtered through the trees as Venza knelt by the riverbank, gathering scattered bits of trash that had washed ashore. Bolo, her loyal dog, sniffed at a tangle of fishing nets, whining softly. The village had always been clean, but lately, more and more debris had been drifting down the river—plastic bottles, torn cloth, and even broken crates.
A rustling in the bushes made Venza freeze. Bolo’s ears perked up, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. Then, from the shadows, a sleek black panther emerged—Luna.
Venza’s breath caught in her throat, but she didn’t run. Luna’s golden eyes were curious, not threatening. The panther tilted her head, watching as Venza carefully picked up a piece of plastic.
“You’re not here to hurt us, are you?” Venza whispered.
Luna flicked her tail, then padded forward—not toward Venza, but toward a pile of discarded rope tangled in the reeds. With surprising gentleness, Luna gripped the rope in her teeth and pulled, freeing it from the mud.
Venza blinked in surprise. “You… you’re helping?”
Luna dropped the rope at Venza’s feet, then sat back, as if waiting.
A slow smile spread across Venza’s face. “Alright then. Let’s clean this place up—together.”
With Bolo fetching smaller items, Luna dragging away larger debris, and Venza collecting everything into a sack, the three of them worked side by side. At one point, the stray cats from the village even joined, batting at loose bits of paper and twine as if it were a game.
By midday, the riverbank was clean again. Venza wiped her brow and grinned at Luna. “We make a pretty good team.”
Luna let out a soft chuff, almost like a panther’s laugh, before vanishing back into the jungle—but not before casting one last glance at Venza, as if to say, “Call me if you need me again.”
And from that day on, whenever the river brought trash to the shore, Venza knew she wasn’t alone in keeping the jungle clean.
The End… for now. 🌿🐾
