Bruno Madrigal wasn't used to being Outside - every time he thought of it, he capitalised the word to signify its significance -- he'd been living in the deep recesses of his home, hidden away so long that he'd forgotten many things.
So he went for long walks through the village and to the outskirts, often wandering alone with his thoughts as he had grown accustomed to.
<i>The smell of the beautiful plants and flowers.</i> He jumped back from a gorgeous orchid he held, dropping it quickly as a bee flew out. The bug buzzed merrily at him and flew away, possibly to sting Agustín, as most seemed to do without rhyme or reason.
<i>The majestic wildlife.</i>
A donkey galloped across his path and he jerked back to avoid a collision, skipping to the side of the road as out of the bushes exploded a large-framed woman shaking her fist in the air.
"Hello, Luisa!"
"Uncle," she called out by way of greeting. Then she sped off after the braying ass with a few choice words for the beast floating back in the breeze after their passing.
Bruno sighed.
"Not the majesty I was hoping for, ay? If I could spot a bright toucan or some pretty hummingbirds, that might be ..." He trailed off slowly, his eyes widening. Farther off, far back in the darker recess of the jungle, he saw two eyes shining at him. "Oh my god," he whispered.
It was a puma, the queen of the jungle. Bruno could scarcely believe his eyes, however, because she was not only sleek and lithe and dangerous looking as she landed directly in front of him in a single, smooth leap...
...she was <i>purple</i>. Her fur was a rich, royal color and her markings slightly darker. Her tail was long and proud and oddly split at the tip with white frosted marks.
They stared at each other, big cat and human, locked in place for several minutes. Bruno's heart pounded in a mix of terror and awe, and he frantically wracked his brain for an idea to escape safely.
"Uncle Bruno!"
Her head snapped up, breaking the spell they were both under, and she darted back into the safety of the dark canopy.
Bruno let out a huge sigh of relief. "Camilo, sh - err, thank goodness. You scared a puma off."
"A puma?! Wow! I should go get Antonio."
"Well... it looked like a puma, but it was <i>purple</i>." He paused, rubbing at the back of his neck and peering jerkily into the dense green of the deeper jungle. "I swear I really saw it -"
"A <i>purple</i> puma?" Camilo laughed and morphed into a similar shape, baring his fangs at him and growling playfully.
"No," Bruno muttered. "No, it had a strange tail - the tip was split, and white on both ends."
The puma turned back into the sprightly young boy, who pursed his lips at the man, giving him a look that was all too familiar.
<i>Crazy Bruno</i>.
Old habits died hard, and he'd only been welcomed back recently. He shook off the negative feelings and tried to make light of his discovery. "Ahhhh, it could've been a trick of the light. Maybe it was dyed!"
"Yeah. Sure. C'mon, it's time for dinner!" He sprinted off, waving. "Race you!" He turned into a cheetah - a purple one to tease him, of course -- and rounded the bend before Bruno could begin to move.
"'Maybe it was dyed.' what a great save, idiot." He shook his head in disgust at himself. The word "dinner", however, had its usual effect on him and he turned to follow the youngster up the road to his home.
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