Sabek was proud of his kill.

A young okapi, from the depths of the jungle, lay flayed in his tree-nest. Free, away, protected. The young leopard had seen the large land dwelling creatures of the forest--the lions, voracious, hungry, and always looking for overt violence tended to be a thing he avoided. So far, it's been a success.

Reclining with a yawn, he finds the strums of the vines upon the tree comforting. It's why he chose this very structure. Up here, amid the heights of Aniadar, music existed. A rhythm heard and seen only by him. The lions were oblivious, or maybe they just didn't care about the beauty. A claw plucks against a tightly coiled vine; it thrums it, vibrates, and makes a sound. It brought a smile to his darkened features, humming along to a tune in his head.

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PYRRHA TOLLAIRE

At first she thinks the noise bird song. It's subtle enough and drifts down to her from overhead. For the young lion who's life has been spent on the shores there is not much over her crown except for birds. Loud, squawking, birds. But the jungle was a different animal entirely. There were paths overhead she could not comprehend or reach if she even realized they existed. A world she was not privy to and unwelcome in. The only thing she noticed that was a little odd was this humming that seemed too deep to be from the small birds she'd seen in the trees so far. Maybe some big winged beast lay ahead?

Paws cracking twigs and crushing leaves below her the strawberry lioness approached the ground below and eventually the canopy of the tree @Sabek was resting in. She looked around but did not seem to immediately notice the smaller cat up overhead.

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Once his itch was satisfied, the young creature found he couldn't help but sigh as he reclined. Through his canopy, silver peered off into the oncoming darkened sky. Little pinpricks of light began to show through, and he is once more reminded that he is alone.

The floods were so ruthless in the spring, and that snow?

He wondered what his mother would say. Or his brother. Probably would've kicked him to the curb sooner, if he had to guess. She had been loving, sure, but it waned as it always did the older his kind got. They weren't like lions. They were destined for solitary life.

And man, did it suck.

His soft humming grew quieter, more personal. Allowing for the natural cacophony of sound to begin to swallow it. That's when the young leopard hears it--the sound of foliage, of paws upon the jungle floor. Curiously, and hesitantly, he moves to peer out from his nesting tree. Sure enough, there was the large, hulking form of a lion.

Shit.

In his reaction to pull back away from the edge, Sabek felt the corpse of his dinner begin to slip. His paws lurch out to grab it with no luck, and he watches in horror as the whole thing buckles under gravity, and plummets down to the floor of his home....right in the path of the last creature he wanted to tango with.

Sabek crouches against the limb, hoping maybe his simple stillness would be enough to deter them from seeing him. .


@Pyrrha ♔

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PYRRHA TOLLAIRE

The melody seems to fade and for a moment all the Caladan royal can hear is a crack of a twig in the far distance, some monkey scattering leaves as it fled, and the thudding of her own heart in her ears. Time seems to stand still, crawling to a halt as the world becomes eeriely quiet but the thunder of her heart grew louder. And just as the hair along the back of her speckled neck began to stand up right...

CRASH

@Sabek's meal falls clear down before her followed by a wave of flittering leaves that had been caught up in the decent. It makes her nearly jump up out of her skin a foot backwards. Her teeth are bared and a warning hiss sounds from her lips. But it becomes evident quite quickly that not only did this thing mean her no harm but that it couldn't harm her if it wanted to... And more curiously this was no creature that often inhabited the tree canopy. Pyrrha wasn't from the jungle but it didn't take an expert to figure that much out.

She looks up where the meal fell down from and feels the light of sky peaking through the canopy brush her face. With the beams of light and shadows crossing every which way she is hard pressed to find the very still, well hidden, leopard. "You uh... drop this?" She says, possibly to no one at all for all she knew.

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A racing heart nearly culls his ability to hear the faint words of the other. "you uh....drop this?" rang in the silence that followed the crashing of his meal. Hair on the back of his neck stood on end, panic rising in the cage of his ribs. Mother always said to avoid these kinds, lions would sooner eat you alive than reason with you.

Sabek looked down again, swallowing the lump forming in his throat. Already this one seemed so...big. And they couldn't have been more than his age right? It seemed young...ish?

But would he dare to break his silence and stealth? Should he attempt to communicate with it? Maybe, if he said they could take the carcass....

He cleared his throat, and tried to sound tough: "Y-Y-You can have it" his voice cracked miserably. Dammit Sabek! Way to go and sound like a mewling one month cub. Totally uncool. He cleared his throat again "You can have it, I'm done with it." A lie, he'd have to hunt again tomorrow. But it was worth it if he didn't have to fight over it with a bigger cat.

@Pyrrha ♔

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PYRRHA TOLLAIRE

Oh .. oh. He makes himself somewhat known. She wasn't able to get full view of @Sabek but from what she can tell he is a small thing. Cute in his face and nearly melting into the backdrop of shadow and gold. Pyrrha smiles as she gazes up into the branches chasing the voice that has offered her a meal. Her pupils widen excitedly and she inhales a breath that comes out quick as a warm laugh. He's adorable. She isn't too familiar with leopards and so there is a whole entire novelty to him that draws in Pyrrha like a moth to flame. "You've barely eaten any." She says. He's little but not that little.

"Come, eat more. Drag it back up in the tree if you feel better about it. I'll take the pelt at the end " It's gorgeous despite the signs of hunt left on it. Rich earthy red, bold stripes. Okapi were rare outside the jungle and Pyrrha would happily add this pelt to her collection at home.

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Was this a trap?

Leopards are usually more crafty than lions, as he remembered being told. They had to be to survive in a world dominated by brute strength. Naturally, Sabek was cautious. But he was in his home, his element. Far above the ground where things like lions couldn't reach him.

But...

He sighed, if Mother had been around still she'd beat him senseless. Cautiously he moves, still slunk against the tree--like shadow, his form almost seems to be lucid. Sabek expertly pulls himself halfway down the trunk, far enough and stable enough to get a better look at her. Silver pierce behind the dark pelt of his coat, curiously, timidly.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" he asks, giving a quick glance at the other trees and the distance between them. He could make it, he thinks, if things were to go south. "Your kind wouldn't fancy spots like mine instead?" yeah, wouldn't that be grand? His pelt mounted on some cave wall. He shuddered at the thought.


@Pyrrha ♔

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PYRRHA TOLLAIRE

He moves closer and Pyrrha can hardly stop herself from leaning forward just a bit, as if even so much as an inch more was going to get her a better view of this creature. She looks in admiration at his small form, how easily he moves through the trees and how at home he seems. Entirely unlike any cat she's seen before. This close and for this long at least. The gradient of his pelt becomes clearer, it's crisp and stunning both a painted night sky and golden sun rise over the sea. And his eyes, she stares a bit long at them in admiration of how much they pop out from his dark features. "You don't I suppose. Not for sure anyways." Pyrrha that isn't at all creepy...

"I can only speak for myself, I do love your pelt but you are more interesting in it than as something to hang on my wall and enjoy." She reaches out with a paw and gives the carcass a small push forwards. The motion is followed by a step backwards to build a bit more space between herself and his lost meal. "I'm Pyrrha."

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He couldn't help the squint of his pale eyes at her words. Sabek was hungry, that okapi was a weeks worth of food or more. Did he want to risk it, just so he didn't have to go out again?

Apparently he did.

It did help, that she was very willing to give him space. Cautiously once more, the young leopard descends his tree until his feet touch the forest floor.

'I'm Pyrrha'

Quick as a viper, Sabek has grabbed his food and dragged it back towards the trunk of his tree. Yet, something stops him from scrambling back up it immediately. Sabek lowers his prey, cautious eye upon @Pyrrha ♔. Maybe...maybe talking wouldn't be so bad? Teeth dig into the okapi carcass, ripping a few tasty chunks from it's inside.

Oh yeah, he should probably say his name.

"Uh, I'm Sabek"

She was an odd color for a lion, that's for sure. Mother had always made it seem like they were bland in color, all earthy toned. Not Pyrrha though, she was pink of all things. Not that he was complaining, it was a rather nice shade. And her ears? How curious, he hadn't seen one with curled down ears before.

His gaze fell to his dinner, then glanced back up at his company. "Are...you hungry? Do you want some?" for some reason, he felt awkward eating alone.

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PYRRHA TOLLAIRE

He touches down upon the earth and then Pyrrha can truly appreciate how small he is. No wonder his kind stick to the trees, they're built well for it and they're probably one of the bigger things in the canopy. As opposed to the ground where even young Pyrrha feels large compared to him. She smiles deeper as she watches, there's admiration in her eyes like a child who has spotted a perfectly shaped leaf or shell. Then her body tightened as he quickly snaps up the meal back in his jaws and begins to head back for the trunk of the tree. Oh and he's quick!

She'd not have minded if he had decided to completely scale the tree. She was interested in seeing how he climbed in fact. But he stops there, she's confused. What's he doing? And then he speaks, a name. "Nice to meet you." Her flopped over ears perk up and her face scrunches up with a big grin.

"If you're sure, I'd love to share." She's not particularly hungry but a meal was a meal. And to share one was to build bonds, to build trust. Those were more of value to her than the food itself. She steps in closer to the food and where he's dragged it but waits for him to take the first bite. When she sits she sits tall, her posture comfortable and confident. "I live in the Cove on the sea, I don't think I've tried anything like this before."

@Sabek

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