Nightengale

Princess Kokila was frustrated. Her father, King Abhijat, said that if she could not find a husband by the next full moon she would have to marry Prince Sirrikahn from the neibouring tribe. The princess shivered at the thought. There wasn't anything wrong with Sirrikahn, she told herself, he was tall, strong, and handsome. Not to mention wealthy, but something about him repeled her. Kokila was getting worried, there was only one week left till full moon, and she still had not been able to find a suitable husband. Is it so wrong to want love? She thought, as she went for a walk entering the twilight jungle.

The princess was very beautiful. Her hair was long, black, and wavy. She was not very tall, but she wasn't short either. She wore, like all the women of the tribe, a halter-top that was peacock blue and wrap around skirt that was midnight blue. Her eyes were a lovely dark brown, so dark that they were almost black. They showed great kindness and joy. But the thing Kokila was most proud of was her singing voice. Everyone said Kokila had the most beautiful singing voice in the tribe, and that was saying something.

The low sun slipped trough the branches of the trees, the humid air of the jungle looked like a pink and orange haze. Kokila loved the jungle, and enjoyed walking there, but as always she stayed alert for tigers. Sundown was their favorite time to hunt. She carried an eight-inch hunting knife and blow darts like all the women of the tribe, but she would perfer to avoid using them. The princess was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't realize how late it was getting or how far from the village she had traveled. Kokila had been walking for several hours, the three-quarter moon was now high in the sky. She decided to rest before she headed back to the village. As she rested she admired her jungle. That was how she thought of it, though it more rightly belonged to the tiger or the bear or panther. As she admired the untouched beauty of the jungle, Kokila wsa unaware that she too was being watched.