Outwardly, this dense copse of gnarled twisting trees and mossy knolls had seemed ideal hunting ground for the smaller, tastier sort of prey. Leila was an opportunist, and having followed the path of a hare into the shelter of these trees was too focused on the scent to realise how close the trees were getting.

That was until a branch brushed over her shoulders and the tiger became suddenly aware of how close everything was. With flattened ears she turned, backing up and out of the nook. Much to her dismay it didn't help; everything here was very cramped and even worse, prickly. She snarls as a thorny briar snags her paw, cutting the dark pad. Fear was rising in her belly, pushing heart into her throat and Leila flattens her ears, trying to keep it together.

Where was the way out? There had been so many twisting turns and now she doesn't quite recall.

— for Alexander @Brii

Alexander had, unfortunately, come to know this land quite well. A few times now had he become stuck here and forced to find his way out, one time being left tangled in the thicket like a mere rabbit stuck in a trap. It had been demeaning and this certainly wasn't his favorite place - especially given his size.

So why was he here again? The primate that braided his hair needed another 'comb' or whatever that was and apparently this type of shrubbery was just right for this. In order to continue having his mane braided and out of his hair, he had come searching for the perfect tool.

That was, until he saw a tigress coming right toward him within the thicket - seemingly lost. He's unable to stop her as she bumps directly into his chest. Stepping back, he tilts those blue eyes down, "Are you all right?" He rumbles quietly, a stark contrast to that son of his she'd already met, Dragos.

@Leila

It felt like the branches were closing in on her like the claws and blackened fangs of a great beast. Leila's breath is quick, staggered, and her steps race with her heart as she winds aimlessly past what seemed like an endless maze of weathered tree trunks and brambles. She fixes her gaze to her paws - just keep putting them one before the other, don't look. It'll make it worse.

Suddenly, her muzzle collides with something pale and soft and Leila stifles a cry of fright, leaping away from what- no, who, she realised, she had stumbled into.

For a heartbeat she thinks he is the muddy lion she had met in the swamp - he had the height, the same pale mane... but no. Blinking, Leila realises his voice was different, as were his markings. "I-" she murmurs, and then finds her words "I'm lost. Do you know th-the way out?" she is shaken and it shows, though the tiger fights to cull the tremor in her voice.

@Alexander ♔

The Savante peers down at the tigress with pale blue eyes, studying her features and the differences between it and his own kind. There weren't many, but he could tell right off that she wasn't a lioness. What he could see, however, was the fear causing her voice to waver just a bit. Enough for him to notice.

Shifting back a bit, so as to not overwhelm her or invade her space too heavily, he glances around a bit before looking back down to the small feline. "I do, yes. This place can be a bit daunting at first, I apologize for startling you." Using a paw, claws extending out, Alexander pushes back and cuts through some of the thickets looming a bit close to give them both some breathing room.

@Leila

Leila was grateful for the space he gives her - it is the one thing she couldn't get enough of right then and she felt impossibly out of breath - like her lungs were too small and there not enough air in the world to cleanse her of the feeling.

"Can you show me? Or to a clearing?" she half-pleaded, trying to focus on the piebald lion lest the waves of terror drown her. She watched as he cut the brambles with dextrous skill, making the tendrils feel a lot less fearsome as they fell harmlessly to the dirt below. "That helps." Leila murmured. Why did her own voice sound so distant? "Who are you...?" Perhaps if she just kept talking she could calm down.

@Alexander ♔

There was a real fear in her eyes as the small feline looked up at him, the question filling the air one he would easily comply with. "Of course. There is a clearing not too far back from where I came." He assured quietly, his voice warm - attempting to do his best to seem as unimposing as possible. Having someone who was already afraid become more so did not bode well for productivity.

Carefully he would step aside, pressing his massive form into the thick brambles and causing them to bend beneath his weight. This would clear the way for the tigress to step past him. "It is a straight shot, I am right behind you. I have already cleared a path." Once more Alexander offers his reassurance, wanting to help the feline get to a comfortable position before panic took over.

Perhaps she had an aversion to small spaces? The Savante had heard of it before. "I am Alexander, you are?" He questions warmly, wanting to keep her talking - and distracted.

@Leila

The tunnel she felt like the world was turning into was shortening as she inhaled, every breath longer and less pressured. Leila still felt like her peripheral vision wasn't working, but perhaps that was for the best - she focused on @Alexander ♔'s voice, finding it low and calming. Leila unsnagged her claws from the moss and grass below their paws and let the red-pelted lion lead her onwards. The way he could pass the briars unhindered was impressive, in the least. Leila felt she'd surely be thorned to shreds if she even tried.

She stepped past him as he allowed, seeing the glimmer of sunlight - the clearing he had mentioned. The light filled her with certainty and Leila's ears lifted once more, rising from being flattened against her striped crown. I'm Leila. she told him, introductions were definitely an even better distraction. Thank you, Alexander. I- The forest- she wanted to explain herself, the steadiness now returning to her and making Leila feel sheepish. It's scary. she admitted, far less elegantly than she would've liked. You must think I'm silly.

art © wilthking