High in the tangled canopy where branches twist like winding paths, tension brews among the troop. The air is thick with unease, and every rustle seems louder than usual. Baby Alba clings close, her tiny fingers curled into soft fur, unaware that she is about to be caught in the middle of a storm she cannot understand. Her world should be warm and safe, yet today it trembles with confusion.
Toma watches from a nearby branch, eyes sharp and restless. She has been agitated for some time, her attention fixed on Anna and her newborn, Tobais. From Toma’s point of view, Anna’s strict handling of the fragile infant seems harsh, even dangerous. Tobais’ small squeaks of discomfort echo in her ears, stirring a surge of alarm that quickly turns into anger. In her mind, she is not interfering—she is rescuing.
Without warning, Toma leaps across the branches and snatches baby Alba, pulling her away from Anna’s side. The sudden movement startles the tiny infant, who lets out a thin cry of shock. Leaves scatter as the branch sways violently, and the troop freezes, watching the confrontation unfold. Anna spins around instantly, her eyes wide with disbelief and rising fury. To her, this is not a rescue—it is a theft.
A sharp chorus of warning calls fills the forest. Anna lunges forward, her posture tense and defensive, demanding her baby back. Toma clutches Alba protectively, baring her teeth in a fierce display. She believes she is shielding a helpless infant from harm, while Anna believes she is fighting off a threat to her child. Neither understands the other’s intention, and that misunderstanding fuels the conflict.
Poor Alba, trapped between them, trembles in fear. She doesn’t know why the arms holding her feel different, why the familiar scent of her mother has been replaced. Her soft whimpers blend with the rising tension as both adults refuse to back down. The branches creak under their shifting weight, and the troop watches anxiously, sensing how quickly fear can turn into chaos.
Moments like these reveal how fragile trust can be in the wild. What looks like cruelty to one may look like protection to another. Toma’s anger is born from concern, and Anna’s fury from love. Yet to a tiny baby like Alba, all that matters is the sudden loss of safety and the desperate wish to be held gently again.
