[SRP] Softening Heart

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Maleficar was a happy leopardess right now. Her leopon cubs were all grown up, and it was time to start thinking about leopard cubs with her mate. She had never really thought about having a mate when she was a cub. Her mother had stressed how one did not need others around to take care of them. One should always be strong on his or her own because others always leave in the end. The dark leopardess remembered how light colors were weakness, how not fighting was a sign of lack of ability, and those that did not enjoy the struggle for life should not live.

Maleficar had always thanked her mother for the upbringing she had gotten, but now she questioned it. Yes, she had given the same upbringing to her own leopon cubs, but what had they really gained from it? Would they have been better off with Dysi's way of thinking? The light leopard that she was now calling her mate certainly did not fit any of the things that her mother taught her. not one of them. He was the day to Maleficar's night. They were true opposites and the attraction was very strong between them.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Maleficar hoped that the cubs she would have with Dysi one of these days would have a more balanced upbringing than their half-siblings had. Unfortunately the only way to see was for them to be born and for the leopardess and her mate to try their best. The two would not know until their future cubs were grown whether or not the pair had done well as parents. It was a hard thing to realize how many doubts the dark leopardess had about her own abilities for the future.

Maleficar had no such doubts about the light furred male that was her partner in this planned litter. It was a new experience for her to have such confidence in someone else and a rare occasion that she doubted herself even a little bit. The last time she could remember being anywhere close to like this was as a cub. Her mother had told her to quit being prey or she would be left behind to the mercy of the other predators.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Maleficar became more sure the more she thought on the subject that the best way to raise cubs had to be between what she had done with the first litter and what Dysi did with his daughters. Dysi's daughters did not strike the leopardess as knowing the first thing about defending themselves, and that was a bad thing in her opinion. At the same time, her first litter of children were likely to be as cruel and mean to all they came across as the dark leopardess used to be. She had Dysi to temper her mean streak and make her think of being nice or at least not going out of her way to be cruel. Her cubs were all grown and without someone to do that for them.

Maleficar was certain at least one of her cubs would not come across someone like Dysi, and so be that way the rest of their lives. At least that cub would be one her mother would have been proud to call her grandcub. Mal was no longer what her mother would have been proud to call a daughter, that was clear enough. The fact did not bother the leopardess anymore, though. So what if she was with a weak colored leopard who was just as weak as his coloring showed? She did not care because he was HER pansy. All that mattered was that he was her mate and liked having her around.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Maleficar stretched and started walking again, trying to clear her head with the motion. She had come out here to hunt, not to think, originally, but had gotten sidetracked with her thoughts of cubs and the idea of how happy that would make her mate. She had spent a lot of time sitting there thinking already, though, and she really should get back to moving and tracking prey. Another thing that would make her mate happy was a good meal, so there was a lot of incentive to have a good hunt. Of course, if she wanted to have a litter of cubs, she had to stay well nourished as well.

Maleficar crouched low and slinked along, looking for something to hunt. She had found plenty of tiny things like birds and rabbits, but she needed something big enough for two. Those kinds of things got very antsy when they saw a predator and normally were the types of prey that could outrun a leopard flat out. If she could get the jump on something, that would be the advantage she needed. Stalking things was fun too, so this was an enjoyable exercise as she went forward. Who knew if she would actually find anything, though.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Maleficar had yet to find any sign of something that she could hunt that would be worthwhile, but it was getting late in the day. She had to turn around and head back to the den she and Dysi had used the night before and hope she saw something along the way. She was a more than a little disappointed with herself over the day's events. The leopardess had spent too much time thinking and not enough time hunting. However, the day was not a total loss for the wasted time. She had thought through some very important things.

Maleficar would hope for a bit of luck on her way home and if nothing else, she might have to take some small critters home to her mate so they had something to eat. Something small was better than nothing at all, and the leopardess would do what she had to in order to provide for herself and her mate. She was finally accepting what she and her pansy had come to share, and she was sure he was proud of that. The male certainly could not complain about her trying to do all the hunting for him and letting him cat around with any female he wished. If he did she might leave him, though, so he probably would not have complained anyway.