If there was one thing Hila loved more than women, it was women in distress. He could be their knight in shining armor and maybe work a few sly suggestions in as he saved them. More often than not he was repaid with a simple 'thank you', but some times he got lucky and spent the evening with his damsel in distress. Today seemed to be one of his lucky days, because his shredded ears had just picked up a rather pitiful noise. Ho ho, he thought to himself as he grinned and started to trot over to the sound. The voice was young, and he wondered if he'd be dealing with a youth rather than an adult. But, as the lioness came into view, he gave a little chuckle. Ah...just barely a child, not quite an adult. The easiest to flirt with, impress, and convince to a bit of fun.

Adaala whimpered softly as she tugged at her paw which had gotten stuck in the root of a tree. She had heard some baby birds chirping from a low branch and, in desperation, had tried to reach them. She was starving, thirsty, and couldn't see. It was a horrible time for her and she was, more than anything, scared that she would die this way. She continued to tug at her paw, but no matter what she did it seemed to just get more and more stuck.

"Fret not, my dear lady!" Hila called out happily as he moved a bit quicker. "I'm coming to help you!"

Adaala froze as she heard a voice. Male, certainly, but much higher than any voice she had heard before. There was much that she hadn't seen in the world, and right now she knew she'd never see the owner of the voice. As scared as she was, she was also very thankful that she wasn't alone and that the male sounded friendly. "T-thank you," she stammered weakly, whimpering as her paw ached. She tugged again just a bit to try to wriggle free, but it was no use. She needed eyes that could see and another pair of paws to help her out. Thankfully, both were coming her way.

Hila trotted over to the tree, a sly smile on his face. "My poor dear, you look to be rather stuck," he said, tilting his head just a bit, wincing as he saw her paw. It was twisted at a very painful angle and, if the way her claws were stuck in the root had anything to say, it was indeed not a pleasant situation to be in. He tisked softly and moved forward to let her lean against his side. "This way, my dear. Lean against me and take some weight off that paw."

Adaala flinched as the male got close to her. He didn't smell like a lion...perhaps he was a cheetah or a leopard? He was certainly feline, that much she could tell, and when she did lean against him she guessed him to be the former. He was smaller than she and very slim, but right now she didn't care if a rabbit was going to help her. She struggled just a bit to shift her weight to her front paws, leaning her backside against the cheetah's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry, sir...I can't be of much help," she said weakly, her voice wavering. "I'm blind and I can't...I can't really tell where I am or what I'm stuck in."

That surprised the cheetah and he glanced back at the lioness with a little frown. Blind? Ah...well, a new challenge, then. He'd have to seduce her with his words. "Not to worry, my darling," he purred softly. "I'll help you out of here in a jiffy. Just relax and trust me. My name is Hila, by the way," he said with a charming tone to his voice. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl and promised himself he'd show her a wonderful time tonight after catching her some food and leading her to the water. She was skinny, painfully so, and her voice sounded dry. That would certainly get him in her good book.

"Adaala," she said weakly as she tried to relax. The cheetah seemed very nice, at least, and she let out a slow breath as she relaxed her foot. She drew her claws back in and grimaced as the tree root bit into her ankle just a bit more. "Ah! It hurts," she whimpered, resisting the urge to jerk away.

"Hush," Hila soothed gently as he reached down with his much smaller paws and began to push at the roots. "My dear, you've got to relax," he encouraged again. "Once I say pull, lift your foot and you will be free. But you need to give me just a few moments..." He began to claw and chew at the roots to break the smaller ones, giving her more room to move. It took a few tries, but finally he wedged his paws between the pieces of wood and pushed as hard as he could. "Now!"

Adaala felt the pressure on her ankle lessen as Hila chewed at the roots, and finally he gave her the go-ahead. She pulled her foot gingerly but quickly from the trap, stumbling and tripping over another root in front of her. She landed heavily but was unhurt, her ankle the only part of her that was throbbing. "Oh...thank you," she said, her voice sincere as she got to her feet. She tested her weight on her ankle but hissed: it was going to need some rest and relaxation.

Hila moved back to Adaala's side, pressing against her once more in a comforting but sensual way. "Don't worry, my child," he purred softly. "I'll take care of you tonight. Let's go find a nice shady place for you to rest, and I'll go find something for us to eat. Mm?"

Adaala nodded just a bit. What else could she do? She leaned against the cheetah as they made their way to a safer tree, and she was left alone as he went out to hunt. She turned to lick her injured foot, whimpering softly to herself with every stroke of her tongue.

(1047 words)