Tree-top shadow [open]

[tyra]

The young leopardess moved through the trees in agile manner. Before she'd often followed her mother through the complex brach pathways of their home territory but she couldn't do that anymore- her mother was dead and she was lost and alone. To begin with she'd found her loneliness hard to accept but now she had grown used to it and only wished she had someone, anyone. After all, the jungle was a big and scary place for a lone leopard cub.
She leapt into the next tree, searching for a nice sunny spot in which to lie, knowing that she was getting higher and higher. If she fell from this height she'd probably bruise, or sprain something. If she got much higher that bruise or sprain would become a break and she'd be dead. But she really did need to find a new sunspot in which to rest.
Her pruple eyes gleamed brightly as she flicked her tassel happily. Finding two close together branches she stood with her back legs on one branch and front legs on the next, unaware that she was casting a shadow to the floor and giving her position away to any potential dangers such as large male leopards who would likely kill her if they didn't recognise her.
"Mom, I miss you..." She whispered to the leaves for shebelieved her mother's spirit still walked the branch pathways of their home and that the leaves would carry her message. She had to have some hope, right? Otherwise she'd have given up by now.

[cael]

☼ Kali ☼

As she slipped into the cool cover of the jungle's foliage, Kali felt exceedingly lucky to have escaped the nasty fate of traveling through the desert at midday. She'd been wandering in that sandy wasteland for what felt like weeks, but had in all honesty been only about four days. The young lioness had purposefully kept away from the Pridelands, skirting around the edges of the territory so as not to call any attention to herself. She was weak with thirst and hunger; the last thing she needed was to cross paths with a defensive warrior. Kali assumed that at some point she would have to make her way into the Pridelands and beg for the King's permission to join his pride -- she sniffed disdainfully at the thought of humiliating herself to such a degree -- but for now she had the feel of damp earth beneath her paws and the smell of growing green things all around her.

Kali strolled deeper into the jungle, letting her guard down bit by bit as she became more relaxed in such comfortably familiar surroundings. There had been a great deal of jungle near where she had grown up, and though the memories of her homeland were not something she wished to dwell on, the feel of this place was enough to make her just the teensiest bit homesick. After a while she stumbled across a stream and crouched to lap greedily at the cool water. She sighed happily and smiled to herself, licking away the stubborn droplets that clung to her whiskers. The water tasted so clean and fresh she could hardly believe she had gone so long without it. The red-gold lioness straightened and started forward to continue her stroll beneath the leafy canopy but something made her freeze in place.

The shadow of some feline creature had been cast upon the jungle floor, illuminated by a circle of light that broke through the treetops above. Kali narrowed her blue eyes, squinting critically at the shadow's shape. It seemed large, much larger than her, but that was no real indicator of how big this creature actually was. From this distance, she couldn't even tell if it was a lion or something else that was lounging in wait overhead. She mentally ran through her options and decided a retreat was best; she could find somewhere else to lounge and wait out the hottest part of the day. Kali stepped her left hind paw back slowly, intending to back away from the shadow's trees, but the foliage rustled loudly from her movement. Mentally cursing her bad luck, Kali flattened her belly to the cool earth. She stared up at the treetops with wide blue eyes and a racing heart, hoping that with any luck the other feline wouldn't see her. Though with a pelt like hers, brighter than the setting sun, the chances of that were slim to none...

[tyra]

The rustle of leaves made the cub's ears twitch and she inhaled the scent. It was unfamiliar, certainly not leopard, but surely it was someone she could talk to, right? Perhaps they could show her the way back to her home territory, then she could find her grandmother and everything would be ok. Together, they would find her mum and they could be happy again. She flicked her tassel and made her way down the trees, slipping near the bottom and landing with a slight thump. She frowned, shaking her head. So much for that graceful leopard approach she had been planning. Oh well, she was sure it didn't matter anyway, and if whoever this was seemed hostile she could always run away. It had never failed her before.

The cub moved toward where the sound had come from and tilted her head when she saw a fully grown lioness crouched to the floor. Surely she wasn't scared of her, right? The quiet youngster moved toward the female, sitting a little distance away, licking herself clean as she watched the other with purple eyes. No need to scare the other more by sneaking up on her, right? Give her time, she'd calm down, and then they could talk. She'd learnt alot from watching her mother those months they were together and this was just one of those things.

Still, this lion was odd. Whenever she'd seen lions before they'd been hostile, even tried to kill. Why would she choose to be scared of a cub? Cubs weren't scary. If a leopard cub didn't escape a hostile lion by running they rarely stood a chance. After a few minutes Dumia moved closer, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Hello?" she asked in a quiet but sweet voice.

[cael]

☼ Kali ☼

Kali watched as the feline that cast such an ominous shadow slipped down from the trees. A leopard cub came into view and the lioness slowly stood, slightly embarrassed by her own overcautious instincts. What she had assumed to be a fully-grown feline was in fact just a child. The leopard cub drew closer to her and began to groom herself, trying her best to give off an air of nonchalance though Kali could see the intensity of the curiosity in her eyes. Kali's lips twitched into a faint smile. How could it be that this little leopard cub could remind her so much of herself?

"Hello, yourself," the lioness softly called back. Her voice was bright, full of laughter and relief. "I saw your shadow and assumed you were a much bigger leopard, little one. You gave me quite the scare." Kali allowed herself to smile a little wider. If this young leopard was like most cubs she had known, she would take full advantage of Kali's mistake to tease her for her foolishness. This time around, Kali supposed, she deserved it. But something was still not right here... The lioness's tail twitched as a thought occurred to her, making her a little more uneasy. Kali swiveled her ears and inhaled the scents around her, trying to determine if there was another leopard lurking somewhere just out of sight. She sensed nothing. But even that was not a comfort. With as malnourished and exhausted as she was, Kali doubted her ability to tell noon from night. She would just have to grit her teeth and hope for the best. "Where is your mother, little one?" Kali asked the cub gently, knowing that there were few possiblities for answers. A cub alone usually meant death, abandonment, or the worst yet...

Ambush for whatever kind soul stopped to offer help.

[tyra]

The cub watched the lioness with care, not the loudest of cubs. She wasn't exactly what you'd call normal, anyway. Her grandmother was of high ranking in the leopard council and her mother also held a place within their ranks. She'd been brought up around the responsibilities of the council and so was rather mature. She wasn't one to chastise another, nor for the boisterous play she found most cubs enjoyed. Rather, she preffered to relax and learn.

"I am sorry if I scared you ma'am. Believe me when I say it was not intended." The cub again moved a little closer to the creature, the first feline she had seen since she'd gotten lost. It was a comfort, really. At least it was someone to talk to, right? Someone normal, unlike Timon and Pumbaa who, though they'd been nice enough to take her in, weren't quite what she would call normal.

"The whereabouts of my mother is indeed a good question. We were seperated when we were attacked. I have yet to find her and am afraid I am rather lost. Before, I had never visited this area of the jungle." she told the lioness, her voice cheerful though sorrow still clouded her eyes. She might have been good at letting it appear things were better than they were but, in this, she could not.

"What's your name?" she asked. "I'm Dumia."

[cael]

☼ Kali ☼

"Well aren't you sweet?" Kali chuckled in surprise at the cub's politeness. This whole scenario felt so odd to her; she'd known a few leopards in the past whom had shared the jungle with Kali's birth pride, but none of them had been quite like this cub here. Strange as it all was, it was refreshing. Kali had been without company for so long that getting to speak with this cub was as pleasant as that first gulp of water she'd taken from the jungle stream.

Kali's ears drooped back as the cub continued speaking. She could empathize very strongly with the loss of family, and knew how hard it must be on the cub even if she would not admit to it. The lioness was again reminded of herself listening to that cheerful voice trying to hide the pain in the cub's expression. "It's nice to meet you, Dumia. I'm Jua Kali," she replied, "But you can just call me Kali." The red-gold lioness smiled in what she hoped was a warm, encouraging way.

"Well," she drawled after a moment, "I'm new to this jungle myself...but I suppose getting lost with someone isn't nearly as bad as getting lost alone, hm?" Kali winked a blue eye playfully, hoping to cheer Dumia up. "Why don't I help you look for your mother?" Kali knew that even if Dumia took her offer, the promise of finding the cub's mother would most likely go unfulfilled. If what the cub said was true and they had been attacked, then there was a high probability that Dumia's mother was wounded or worse. But at the very least, the cub wouldn't be wandering around out here on her own and Kali's conscience would let her rest. "What do you say?"

[tyra]

Dumia knew exactly what had happened to her mother. After the male had disappeared she had returned to the spot she'd ran from and sat near her mother's carcass for days. When her mother began to smell like a rotting carcass she had given up, accepting what had happened, and left. That was when she'd really got lost but this female didn't need to know that, right? What she had before her was a cub fed on grubs and bugs who was healthy and as happy as a cub with no parents could be. But still, she often found herself feeling a little lonely. Timon and Pumbaa just couldn't fill the place of a cat, no matter how hard they tried.

"I would not say sweet as much as well versed in mannors. My mother was always very fussy about mannors." she told the lioness, flicking her tassel happily, eyes shining brightly. "But I do suppose it is a matter of opinion Ma'am." the young leopard playfully tapped a rock between her paws and then her full attention returned to her new lioness companion.

"Kali... That's sure a nice name." she stated, returning the lionesses warm smile and moving over, rubbing against the lioness in a friendly way. "I'd like that, miss, if you wouldn't mind that is."

[deathy]

<sub>"Leave me alooone!"

The scream echoed throughout the area as a small figure raced along the jungle floor. Small, white paws thumped against the ground as the feline fled for her life. A snicker sounded behind her as two larger felines gave chase.
While this may look puzzling to most, this was nearly how the cub lived her daily life. Always fearing for her life and running from those who wish harm to her. You see, while this older cub may be spotted like a leopard, she is only half so. Her father was a very large lion, thus making her a hybrid cat.
Caedi struggled for breath as she gasped for air. The two adolescent leopards were closing in and had been chasing her for a good three minutes now. Pushing the child to her limits. Lunging over a fallen tree trunk, she yowled for any kind of help to her situation.
Though, more often then not, no help would come to her. Her right ear was already stained with her own blood, and she knew that if she tripped, it was all over. She just wished she had stuck close to her mother so she could save her.

"Somebody! Anybody! Help!"

Tears sprang from the corner of her eyes as she felt herself slowing down, too tired to keep at her speed. Her heart hammered within her chest and it felt like everything stopped still for a few seconds, before her paw caught an exposed root and the cub tumbled to the ground, not far off from a lioness and a leopard cub.</sub>

[tyra]

The cub was waiting for an answer from the lioness when she heard screams through the trees. In all honesty, she believed it was just some fools playing games and she ignored it, looking to the lionessquestioningly, tassel wrapped tight around her but then, just as she was about to sigh in disappointment at the lionesses silence she heard a thump and, looking around, saw another cub. Her purple eyes lit up first with excitement and then confusion as she saw the adolescents. She moved quickly putting herself between the new cub, who was desperately out of breath, and the older leopards. Of course, it was probably a dangerous thing to do but she was used to being recognised by other leopards. She had always been close to the council, after all.

She was sure they were not going to stop, looked back at the lioness and growled quietly to herself. Usually coy, it seemed she'd have to take drastic action. "STOP!" she shouted, scowling, throwing her head back as she glared at the advancing mass. "I demand an explanation for your actions. Leopards do not attack other leopards, it is against council law." she said, sure that they would have to stop then.