Mchezaji smiled at the glorious sun that streached out above him. It was beautiful, to say the least. Somewhere underneath this sun was a lovely lady meant just for him and someday soon he was going to find her. He just knew it.
With a bounce, the limber leopard padded down the slope towards the watering hole. It wasn't very crowded, which was odd for this time of day, but he wasn't about to complain. His soft eyes gazed out of the water with warmth. Today was such a beautiful, beautiful day!
Mingmei felt differently. She scrubbed her face furiously in the water to rid herself of the bags underneath her eyes. It wasn't easy being alone after so long with her babies at her side. Recently she'd met up with another male hare and had hoped for more, but no luck. Matehood was out of the question; she just wanted babies to cuddle and love.
Today was a dark, dark day and somewhere out there loneliness waited for her. She sighed and looked up, barely noticing the fluid way that the male leopard moved. He reminded her of a dancer, and for some reason that annoyed her. "If your going to cause trouble, outsider, you can just leave now."
The leopard blinked and looked down, pleasantly surprised to see the little female hare. With a sunny smile, he bent down to her level. "Outsider? Come now, I'm not that bad, am I? We've barely met." Mchezaji licked his lips and walked over to the water for his drink. Each lap was another bit of health restored, and another ray of sunshine for his heart.
When he was finished, the young leopard licked his lips with a sigh, coiled his tail around the air and spun around on the hare. "My name's Mchezaji, and I'd be honored if you would tell me your name, Miss...?"
"Mingmei. My name's Mingmei." She smoothed down the fur on her thighs before hopping up onto a hollowed log to get a better look at him. He was young, that she could tell, and he had alot of light in his eyes. It was enlightening, and saddening at the same time. Still, it made her more sympathetic towards him. "Sorry. My manners aren't what they used to be. I tell my kits to behave themselves, but look at me?" She laughed.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, stranger? I have to tell you, there isn't much in the way of cats around here. There was a lioness a while ago, but she left decades ago."
Lilac eyes turned to look out over the plentiful grasslands as the wind whipped his mane around his eyes. For a moment, he looked peaceful, but that quickly vanished with the breeze. Mchezaji was always searching for something, whether it be a new dance or a new adventure. Such was the life of a rogue.
"I'm sure their angels, to have a mother like you." He smiled, angling his body so he could lay down in the cool grass. "Honestly, I'm not looking for a mate. Or even another cat. I'm just...visiting. Really, I'm kind of bored." He pouted childishly.
She couldn't help it; Mingmei laughed. "Look at you! I swear, you act more like a cub than an adult." The hare brought her paw up to her face to cover her reddening cheeks and block out the laughter. She couldn't believe such a male! Thank the Gods above her kits hadn't grown up with a father like this.
"If your so bored, why don't you do something about it. Find something worthwhile and pursue it with all you've got. Make a quest out of it or something."
That had his attention. Mchezaji's eyes sparkled as he whipped his head up. "Yes...yes! Thats exactly what I should do. A quest from the depths of my heart; for a mate. Somewhere underneath that sun, Mingmei, is my lady and she's pining for me as much as I for her."
He sighed dramatically and placed his head on his paw. "Of course, there's probably alot of females pining over me, but I can only pick one. What a world."
Mingmei placed her hands on her hips, her ears flipped back on her head. What had started out as admiration for his foolish love sick venture turned into aggrivation. He was just as bad as every male she'd ever seen! "Now listen here," she admonished. "You can't just fall in love with every female you say and expect her to love you in return, just like that. That isn't realistic in the least!"
She put a paw on her face and dragged it down. "What am I going to do with you? You probably couldn't spot a trickster if they were glowing red."
"Then why don't you come with me. What have you got to lose?" He didn't know about her family, past, or even a brief personality, but if she was so adament that he was going to screw up, he just had to prove her wrong.
The agile leopard slipped gracefully up onto his paws and flicked his tail around towards her in an invitation. "You look like you need an adventure."
Mingmei pondered the proposition. What if her kits came back to look for her and she wasn't around? ...Then again, when was the last time she'd seen any of them? Did they still love her? It hurt her to say it, but no, they probably didn't.
Hesitantly, she reached out to touch his tail. With one look back at her clover patch and the den she'd called home for so long, Mingmei hopped onto his back, ready for a new adventure.
“Now that’s the spirit!” Mchezaji laughed with triumph, pausing to pose with his head angled for just the right effect. He really was much too overly dramatic than what any grown male should have been, but honestly, why not be if you could pull it off?
“And now, we’re off!”
(Word count: 1,005)
