Her cubs had grown older. She hardly saw their father anymore. Life had become quite lonely, as they all went to find their own lives. It was a bittersweet moment to realize her cubs no longer needed her. That she was no longer needed. Sighing, she glanced down at a pretty necklace. It was all she had of her mother’s, gifted to her from her father just as she set off on her own It was her most prized possession and she treasured it greatly. With the golden metal and the jewels set into it, it must have costed a fortune. Though, she wasn’t sure how exactly her mother and father came upon the piece of jewelry.

Sighing, she took the necklace off and laid down. She didn’t like to sleep in it, in case of strangulation. She needed a nap. Being lonely was exhausting.


Maji was out to prove himself. After recently becoming an adolescent, he was ready to show the world what he could do. Wandering a bit further from home than he was used to, he felt nerves creeping in. Maybe he should turn back. Maybe this was a bad idea. There could be someone bad out there, ready to eat him. Just when his nerves were about to give away, he spotted something. Someone. A… leopard? He squinted his eyes, trying to confirm. A female leopard. Leopardess, right? He pondered over the term while he examined the sleeping big cat, unsure but curious. And then he spotted it… a pretty necklace! Surely stealing from a big cat something that looked that valuable would give him some coolness points! Crouching down, he inched forward, heading towards the big cat.

When he got closer, he crouched to his belly, inching his way to her. Finally, his paw reached the necklace and, very slowly, he began to pull.


Munyu was awoken by something. Blinking her eyes tiredly, she looked around. At first, it didn’t register. There was a… canine. A wild dog? And in his mouth… that necklace looked familiar. Too familiar. Blinking, she stared for a moment more before it finally clicked. Munyu’s gasp was loud enough to throw her head back. ”Hey, that’s mine!” she snapped, jumping to her feet. Due to laying on her legs, however, she stumbled forward, unable to keep her balance. Her legs were asleep! Growling, she pushed to put her legs underneath her. She couldn’t let her necklace get away!


Maji let out a yelp. The leopardess woke up! Letting out a scream around the necklace that was in his mouth, he turned tail and began to run. Scampering across the ground, he looked back at the lady. It was due to this distraction that he hadn’t noticed the nearby stream. And so, he ran right into it. The stream must have been a river or something because the rapids were pulling him under and downstream. Letting out a yell for help, the necklace got loose and was washed away in the stream. He was going to drown! He was going to drown from doing something so stupid. Hysterically, he wondered if it would have been better to let the leopardess kill him.


Oh no, the idiot. Without a second thought, Munyu dived in after the young wild dog. He couldn’t be much older than a pup. He was someone’s child. And because of that, the leopardess couldn’t just let the wild dog die… despite his thievery. Fortunately, she was a strong swimmer. Her father had taught her how to swim and expected it of his children. Paddling towards the other, which wasn’t difficult due to the rapids, Munyu eventually caught up. ”Hold on,” she hollered over the roar of water before her mouth when around the wild dog’s smaller neck, gently but firmly grabbing on to the scruff. If the boy thought it hurt, it was the least he deserved. Slowly, she swam with the rapids but towards the edge, tugging the other along with her. And soon, she reached the shallow ends. Panting around the scruff in her mouth, she dragged him out of the water and onto the mossy surface. Her lungs burned and she was panting hard but, despite this, she glanced over at the young dog. He was still breathing. Good. ”Are you alright?” she asked around large gulps of air.


He thought he was going to drown. He thought that she was going to just leave him to die as punishment for taking her necklace. But instead, the leopardess had fished him out of the water and onto shore. He thought he was going to die.

He nodded slowly at her question and then, without warning, burst into tears. ”I-I-I thought I was going to die,” he sobbed, ears flat, tail tucked. ”M-miss, I let go of the n-n-necklace.” Oh, the shame and guilt he felt. She had saved his life and he had repaid her by losing her thing. He didn’t know how valuable it must be.


Munyu felt a pit form in her stomach. He had lost her necklace. He had lost her mother’s necklace. The world tipped and she swayed for a moment before shaking her head. ”It’s fine. I will find it,” Munyu murmured. I must find it.. ”Run along home and dry off. No need to get sick.” Munyu turned to begin observing the river but paused. ”Oh. And don’t steal again. You never know how valuable something is to the victim,” Munyu advised with a frown before moving along the river.


Maji watched the lady go, stunned. He was off the hook, just like that? He swallowed heavily. He should help find it. But… he needed to go see his parent’s first. ”I’ll be back to help look!” Maji promised before turning around and bounding back. He didn’t know how much help he may be, though. He wasn’t the best of swimmers. And when it came to rapids, he was as good as dead. But he needed to repay his debt somehow.