At least patrols were safer than spars.

He found himself patrolling his borders more and more often. He'd be doing the same even if he didn't have a band. He didn't know how to take care of tiny cubs, they were only a week or so old! But he knew how to keep his family safe. Wandering off to the pit constantly wouldn't do that. But covering his tracks, exercising, and patrolling the perimeter? That would.

At least, he hoped.

So he trotted along his borders, taking care to ensure that they were strong. He didn't rule the jungle, he'd only marked out a section for himself and his family. He had no qualms with the idea of others living in the jungle- he welcomed it! He just did not want anyone in his base, or anyone causing trouble in the jungle .

+10- Practice Speed (1/2)
+10- Patrol a Border (1/2)

CODE BY LARS & ART BY MOG

Landon Darkstone

The jungle had proven quite safe, in the little time that Landon had called it home. But even then, he wasn’t apart of the band. He was Gawain’s freind perhaps? But for the most part he came and went as he pleases. He never wandered far. The shore was the only other place he’d been. And even then, he always can back before the night fell. Always. After all, what if phantom had worried about him? He couldn’t have that.

“Hey! @Gawain !” He called out, having seen the giant of a lion while put on another one of his adventures. He ran over, it seemed like Gawain was patrolling? Maybe? He better ask!

“what are you doing?”

coded by flea

Trotting along the border was becoming a familiar path. He tried to vary his steps to ensure that he didn't dig a rut into the jungle floor in his journey- though maybe having a visible border would be kinda cool.

"Hey Kiddo! I'm just patrolling, making sure our scent marker is still strong and secure." The greeting was becoming a familiar one- @Landon wasn't his child, like Naz was, but he was his kiddo. He would look after him and protect him, but he wasn't going to try to parent him.

"Do you know how to climb trees?"

He'd recently discovered that it was an important skill in life, between evading would-be combatants to getting a better view.

CODE BY LARS & ART BY MOG

Landon Darkstone

“huh, neat. That way no bad guys will come and get us.” Landon said with an approving nod. He trotted up to Gawain, rubbing his head against the man’s legs. In the little time he’d known Gawain, he’d become very fond of him. Perhaps it was the fact that Gawain was the first male role model who didn’t yell or hurt him. He didn’t just leave either. That was Landons job- to come and go.

“What? As on how up in them?” He asked, quite puzzled. “I ain’t ever done anything like that.” He said, with a wriggle of his nose.

coded by flea

"Exactly, that way no bad guys come get us." The cub's primary motivation seemed to be for safety, so he had no problem with attempting to allay his fears. More important, though, was that he trach the cub ways to keep himself safe when he wasn't around.

@Landon's open show of affection surprised him, but he certainly didn't pull away. "Yeah, how to climb up in them. There's a leopard, Seven, who hangs around sometimes, she's better at it than I am. But I can certainly show you the basics, if you want to learn!" His tail flicked in excitement at the prospect. "The smaller you are, the easier to climb. So it's a great way for you to get away from someone quickly."

CODE BY LARS & ART BY MOG

Landon Darkstone

“I met a leopard after I left home.” His nose scrunched up. His brows furrowed. “It didn’t go well, he tried to eat me. Some random lioness stopped him- she said he was crazier than her to go after a little cub like me. She said I didn’t have any meat worth eating. I think she was joking though...” He got distracted easily by the prospect of being able to climb up the trees, it intrigued him.

“I’m small!” He grinned. And I want to learn!” He said eagerly. Landon was always eager to learn, anything new- he loved even something as simple as a new word.

coded by flea

It surprised him a little that a leopard would go after a cub @Landon's size. Perhaps the feline had had bad run ins with other lions. "Was that here, or out in the wilderness?" He knew two leopards here, and if the male had gone after Landon, he was going to have to have a serious talk with him. Or, quite possible, ban him from the jungle. Hurting cubs would not be tolerated.

"Most leopards aren't like that. Seven is really nice."

With that out of the way, "First things first is finding the right tree. You want to be able to comfortably wrap your arms part of the way around it. Too small or too large, and it becomes much more difficult to climb." He found a nice wide tree for himself, near a smaller tree that look like it would work for Landon. "Here, see if this one is a good fit." He stretched up against the tree on his back legs and wrapped around it with his arms, for once stretched up to his full height.

+10 Practice Strength (1/2)

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Landon Darkstone

“N-ope! It was before here. Nothing to worry about.” He said contently. He listened carefully to what Gawain said and with a nod he pranced up to the tree that was smaller. His helt was tilted at and angle as he wondered how to see if it was a good fit, but when he caught sight of Gawain, he just copied what he saw. With a kick of his front paws he stood up against the tree, his arms clinging tightly onto it. He stretched as tall as he could, feeling the pull in his muscles. But he wasn’t quite as tall as Gawain. He doubted he ever would be.

coded by flea

He watched as the cub copied his movements. "Okay, the next part is a little tricky. So I'll explain, then show you, then watch you try, okay?" He waited until they were in agreement before continuing.

"So, you have to jump with your back legs and sort of let go with your front legs, then catch yourself before you fall any. It takes practice, so don't be discouraged if you don't get it right the first time." He'd struggled a bit with it at first, after all.

He then carefully demonstrated how to go about kicking off and catching oneself. "Think you got it?"

CODE BY LARS & ART BY MOG

Landon Darkstone

Whatever that was that Gawain managed to do, it looked complicated. Still, he wouldn’t be disheartened. “I can try!” He promised, as if it was a task he wasn’t allowed to fail at. He tried to copy, his back legs kicking up but his front ones not following. Thud! He fell to the ground. A scowl encased his face but he tried again. The second time he did better, the only thing that went out of place was his back left leg, it caused his to begin slipping. He glared down at the scared paw pad as if it personally was at fault.

By the seventh or eighth time he did better, working hard and performing all the correct movements. “Look!” He whispered softly, as if talking too loud would cause him to fall again.

coded by flea