Kuta was bored. But this jungle was pretty. The jungle was full of life as the morning sun filtered slowly through the leaves, Kuta padding through the mixture of dark and light i search of a prey animal. He wasn't particularly hungry - but the boredom called for him to do something, and catching himself some food to eat seemed like an excellent way to pass the time.

He caught sight of movement, tensing, but alas there was nothing. He could smell other creatures - big cats of some description. But he paid no heed to them, instead concentrating on a scent he'd just picked up. An antelope, perhaps? Soon to be a dead antelope, with any luck...


Carnadhiel's head was low as she stalked through the jungle, white eyes constantly moving, never stopping, as she patrolled the borders of the Antianeira. The lioness had felt something off...Something out of place that afternoon. She was searching for whatever that something was, quite vigorously. Her nose took scents in, and out, and in, never stopping. Her tongue touched her nose every now and then to help her collect scents.

And then she smelled it.

A leopard.

Face tensing momentarily before slipping back into emotionless-ness, the lioness shifted her direction and raced towards the scent. She was close. She could hear rustling...And then she broke through a line of trees and came face-to-face with the leopard.


Kuta had just found it. A small hare, grazing on some berries nearby. Sinking down into the vegetation, his brown coat helping to camouflage him, he began to stalk the hare, slowly creeping closer and closer. It didn't know he was coming, simply continuing blissfully. He was just about to jump when...a lionness appeared. A rather large, scary-looking lionness.

Kutakia smiled sweetly, in an attempt to seem friendly. She didn't look angry...but then again, she didn't really look anything. He rightened himself, though, continuing to smile warmly as he introduced himself, "Hello there - I'm Kutakia."


Carnadhiel narrowed her eyes; only in the slightest, but it was just noticeable.

Males were not tolerated near the Antianeira.

This male had to be removed.

"You are not welcome here, leopard." the lioness said coldly, ignoring his introduction. "These are the Antianeira pride lands."

He seemed a docile male, not like the ones she had known in her lifetime. All the males she knew were strong and brave. And on the other side of the story, cruel and heartless monsters. To see a male of this type was different for her, but he was a male nonetheless, and thus was bad.


Was she narrowing his eyes? He narrowed his own in a squint, not sure whether he was imagining it or not, but her suddenly cold tone of voice made him frown. A little rude, even if they were a pride, but he refrained fro saying so incase he offended the lionness. He didn't want to do that, now did he?

"I'm sorry, m'lady," he apologized sincerely, bowing his head a little in shame before looking up to her once again, "I did not know I had strayed onto pridelands. May I ask why I'm not welcome?" ...Hey, he was curious.


His voice was a calm and truly apologetic one, which Carnadhiel had not expected. She had expected him to be angry at her words and become agitated, and perhaps attack her. In some way, she had wanted him to attack her. It had been quite a while since she had had a good fight. Not that that male could've given her a good fight...He was small for a leopard, sort of how she was small for a lioness.

Carnadhiel shook that thought away, not liking that she had something in common with a male. Though her unsavory experiences occurred with male lions specifically, all males brought a darkness to the lioness. But with or without those personal feelings, males were not allowed near the pride. Period.

"Firstly, you are male." Carnadhiel explained, her tone cold. "Secondly, you are a leopard. Had you been a female, you might have been able to stay near the border, but not allowed in. But as you are male, and a leopard, you must leave at once."


Kuta watched Carnadhiel carefully, awaiting her answer. His eyes were cautious, and feet barely touched the ground, the leopard ready to run should she choose to attack him. She didn't seem particularly hostile - perhaps to have calmed down a little, now seeing that he was no threat. Kutakia nodded as she replied - he'd heard of a pride of female lionness'. He understood it too, in a way. Not all males were quite as docile as he was.

"I understand - sorry for trespassing, it was a mistake on my part," he apologized again, still humble. He smiled at her, trying to diffuse the seriousness of the situation a little - he didn't like seriousness. He turned to begin leaving, before pausing, quickly turning his head back again to glance at Carnadhiel. "What did you say the pride was called again? Just for future reference, so I know to avoid you."


Carnadhiel's lips curled--not in a sneer, but to show the leopard her teeth as a warning. She hid them behind her lips again, and lowered her head, white eyes seeming to stare straight through the male.

Asking too many questions was not good. The pride was a secretive one; a reclusive one. It was not to be discussed openly, and information about it was not to be shared. This male was stepping dangerously, walking--no, dancing on thin ice.

"If you wish to avoid this pride, always remember my scent." Carnadhiel said, her tone very quiet and not at all lacking threat. "If you remember my scent, and happen to smell me again," Her eyes flickered over the male's face. "run in the opposite direction."


Kuta frowned, but nodded to Carnadhiel. There was no need for such a tone - he'd only wanted to know the name. However they got new members, he didn't know - they weren't particularly friendly. "...Oh. Okay then. Farewell."

He nodded to her once more, pausing as if he was about to say something, before deciding against it and padding off into the jungle again, away from Carnadhiel. He wouldn't be coming there again in a hurry.


The sight of the leopard walking off far away from the border was satisfying to Carnadhiel. She huffed softly, not taking her eyes off of him until he had all but disappeared.

Then the black lioness turned away, not looking back. She had fulfilled her duties as a guard of the Antianeira, and was once again reassured of how important her job was, and how much she liked to be of use to her pride.

But something about that male Carnadhiel couldn't shake. He had been different; a new kind of personality and demeanor. What did that mean?

Carnadhiel pointed her ears forward to listen, opened her eyes wide to scan the area, and continued on her guard duties, putting her encounter with the male leopard in the back of her mind.