"Nature...What an ugly word. Symbolic of everything beautiful, pristine, and peaceful? Inconceivable! A disgusting word, nature. Have you ever been to the savanna, Mr. Hawthorne? It's quite monstrous..." The elegant dinner party continued on in its magnificence, isolated in richness and revelry. The guests chuckled softly here and there, clinking glasses with sparkling wine in them. The ladies were dressed in splendor, heavy yet dainty jewels hanging from their necks. Gentlemen whirled about, gallant and chivalrous, careful not to insult. The palace lived and glowed, glowering over the planet.

Outside, however, offered a deeper perspective. The parched grass limped up towards the sun, animals simply crawling to water holes. There was none of the original glory so happily held in the past. Instead, a wretched world sprang into being, ignored by the humans. The oceans drained and flooded, melting ice caps and over-evaporation. The mountains were devoid of snow all year, and held only the barest, hardiest amount of life. The plains grew like the deserts, sweltering in winter. It was a repression.

The only livable places left in the world were the forests. Those stoic trees refused to bow down to the lack of water, and provided shade and food for those eager enough to look for it. The humans occupied all the forests, leaving the animals the dilapidated territories. The world was a graveyard; only the forests sustained life.

Back in the palace, the people danced to the sound of sweet harps and delicate violins. It had been years, decades since they conquered the forest and everything in it. Their guard was down. There was no downfall but the lack of attention; why should they, when they had been the kings and queens for a century?

The animals crept ever closer to the ivory skyscraper, wary, yet aggressive. They had all come: lions, moths, elephants, horses, hares, foxes, eagles, every creature in the animal kingdom that could access land. Closer and closer they came, inching to their revenge. The people danced; oh, how they danced! They danced the dance of the dead, the last dance. Faster and faster, their feet pounded on the marble floor. And the animals pounced on their former supremacy, nevermore the imperial crowns...