The day was quiet. Most days were, for Nishant. It had been his way of life since he was a small cub - and honestly, it made life easier. Especially since he was usually by himself. Well, up until he took refuge here, with these cheetahs. It had been a bit rough upon joining them, but he understood why. To them, he was a threatening leopard, one who could overpower some of them or take their resources. Traditionally, he was a threat. And that’s mostly how they worked - on traditional ideas. He was thankful they weren’t quite as traditional as they once were - he had heard stories of how they simple killed other species on sight if they didn’t run. And honestly, his life was pretty nice here. Most members were more progressive, and they treated him pretty much equally. Of course, he still had to perform the most mundane of tasks if they requested, but it wasn’t a bad trade - labor and loyalty for safety and resources. For someone who had been on his own for this long, it really was a nice deal. Nishant was tired of having to find a new place to live every so often, and having to always watch his back.
Blinking a few times, Nishant let out a huff of air, flopping over onto his side. It was such a nice day, and he didn’t have any duties for the day, so napping sounded pretty nice. His blinks slowed, and he hoped he would be able to drift off to sleep.
--
Sitting straight up, Isibhamu’s eyes were narrow. He’d been watching his favorite leopard (well, the only leopard, really) for some time now. He was a fascinating creature, and Isibhamu had played with him since he was a small cub. He never said much - in fact, Isibhamu could only think of one time he ever heard words come from his mouth. It was when Isibhamu had wandered a little too far from the group, and a hyena thought it could take advantage of the situation. Thinking about it, he puffed his chest out slightly, knowing that he was probably one of the only creatures that had ever heard the leopard speak - and it was his name to boot! It was a memory he’d hold onto forever.
Seeing the dark figure suddenly flop over, the young male’s ears perked. Time for some stalking practice!
--
His breathing was slow, and Nishant enjoyed every scent and soft sound as he tried to drift off. His tail curled lightly at the end, and he wondered if he might dream about something pleasant today. He stretched his forelegs out, trying to relax his muscles even more.
--
Pulling his body close to the ground, Isibhamu’s eyes darted back and forth, trying to ensure that he wouldn’t make any additional sound to alert Nishant. It was a skill he’d been working quite hard on, and he thought he’d made quite a bit of improvement. He paused every once in awhile, to make sure he wasn’t noticed. Slowly, he closed in.
--
After laying there for a few minutes, Nishant’s ears began to twitch slightly. He’d caught some sound that alerted him, but it wasn’t an urgent sound, like growling or running towards him. He wondered if perhaps it was something like a squirrel or a mouse - no, it was too heavy a sound to be something so small. His eyes blinked open slowly, but he saw nothing impending in the direction he was looking. His instincts told him to check it out, just to be safe. Exhaling, he slowly rose back up, tired eyes squinting as they looked around. Ah. It didn’t take but a moment for him to notice the parted grass, and then just another to see the green fur. Isibhamu. A small smile came to his face; he was quite fond of the boy, and his siblings, to be honest. He must be trying to sneak up on him. Too bad for him. Glancing around, he saw a small rock close by - he picked it up with his mouth, putting it on top of his paw and flinging it at the young male.
--
Isibhamu was perfectly still. He had heard Nishant move, but he dare not look up to see, lest be seen himself. There was no way he’d know he was there, right? It was then that he felt the small pang of a rock hitting his head. Oh. He’d been seen. A broad and toothy grin appeared on his face, and he sheepishly pulled his head out from the grass.
“Heeey Nishant!” He quickly took a few steps closer, coming to sit right in front of the leopard.
--
Nishant smiled; he was improving, but he still had a ways to go. He was making good strides, and Nishant was proud that he’d been putting this much effort into it. Looking at him, he raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was doing over here. Perhaps he had only come to stalk him.
--
“Yeah yeah, I know, I still need to practice.” Isibhamu shrugged, his head drooping a bit. He could tell what the leopard was thinking by his expression; it was a skill most members that knew him had come to be well-versed in. “I just saw you and thought you’d make the perfect target.” His grin returned, a youthful and bright expression. “Buuuut, a nap sounds pretty good too, now that I’m here.” He scooted innocently closer to the leopard, rubbing his head on his side before flopping down to the ground. Nishant had always been quite the comfort to him and his siblings, and he didn’t want that to change, even if he was older.
--
Letting out an audible sigh, Nishant smiled and rolled his eyes, succumbing to the young male’s whims. He was like a nephew that Nishant never got to have, and he didn’t mind looking out for the youngsters. Slowly, he, too, returned to his sleeping position, not sour for the company.
(( wc: 1009 ))