The sun had just peaked over the mountain tops. His violet eyes opened to the light. It was time for him to start. He got up and stretched. It was always a good idea to stretch before he trained. Kyros-Laertes spent every morning doing the same thing. He would all morning from his home on the mountain side to the watering hole ways away. From his mountain he could hardly see it.
Since he was a small cub Kyros had a need to run and it often got him in trouble. Memories of his past often haunted him. He shrugged them off this morning. There were other things he needed to worry about like getting stronger. It was an obsession of his. When he became an adolescent he decided he needed to leave home, leaving his little brother with his parents. He knew this wasn’t the most responsible thing to do, but he had no other choice. His family was holding him back from his potential.
Top speed he dashed past trees, rocks and other creatures. Most of these things were blurs to him. Some of the friendly creatures would greet him, but he didn’t have time to respond back. The creatures he met here were kind to him and helped him when ever he over excreted himself, which was often. Most of them thought he was silly, training so hard, but they didn’t understand. This was his destiny.
He looked over at the sun. It didn’t move very far. He smiled to himself. It would seem that he was getting faster. Next time he saw his brother there was no way he could out run him.
Kyros slowed down as approached the watering hole. There were other creatures getting a drink. He bent his head down and took a sip of water. The cool water tickled down his throat.
“Please leave me alone.”
He looked up and saw a little leopardess that was cleaning herself. Beside her sat two adult cheetahs, one orange the other blue. From the looks of it they seemed to be harassing her. He had seen the twin cheetahs around the area recently, but he assumed that by now they would leave.
“Come on girl; just show us around the area. We promise to be gentleman like.” The orange cheetah said, leaning toward the leopardess. “Take a walk on the wild side.
What these strangers did was none of his business, Kyros told himself. Even though he thought this he couldn’t help but slowly lose his temper. They shouldn’t be picking on a helpless girl. He took one more sip before heading over to them. Most eyes were on the two strangers, but some started to notice Kyros.
“Excuse me but I couldn’t help but over hear your conversation.” He said to the two cheetahs. They looked at him, both of them looked annoyed. “Why don’t I show you around? It seems like the young leopardess is busy right now and I have some free time.”
The blue cheetah looked at him cockily. “Are you serious? Why would I want to follow you around all day when I could follow this pretty lady around? My brother and I prefer the company of a pretty lady over that of a brute anyways.”
“Well can I request that you find a different girl to show you around? I think it is clear that this one is not interested.” He continued, nodding his head at the leopardess. He was hoping that this won’t cause an incident because he rather not have to find a new place to stay.
“Why don’t you stay out of it.” The orange cheetah growled baring his teeth at Kyros. “We are doing this for our boss.”
Kyros turned to the leopardess. “Would you like me to take care of these cheetahs for you?” She nodded her head. Now he wouldn’t feel too bad once he taught them a lesson. “I suggest you leave now.”
“Can you count? There are two of us and one of you. I suggest you leave now.”
He warned them. At least he had a chance to train a little more. His claw struck the blue cheetah across the face, leaving four bloody scratches. The blue cheetah was staring at him, bewildered. The orange cheetah went to hit him but before he could Kyros jumped up and tackled him. They rolled around, trying to get the advantage. Finally Kyros pinned him to the ground and struck him across the face.
“Brother! He messed my face up!” The blue cheetah said, staring at himself in the lake. “We got to get out of here and tell the boss! He will deal with this guy!”
“Sorry sir! I’m sorry we bugged you! Please don’t hurt me.” The orange cheetah begged. Kyros got off him. “We’ll leave now. We are so sorry.”
The two cheetahs darted away. Kyros watched them until they were out of sight. He was some what surprised when they left without putting up much of a fight. The facet that they were going to tell their boss about them made him feel a little weary though. It would probably safest if he left tonight. He didn’t want others to get hurt because of them.
“Thank you for helping me.”
Kyros looked at the leopard. He had almost forgotten she was there. “Your welcome. You should keep yourself safer, perhaps come here with a friend next time.”
“Well if you are here there is nothing for me to fear.” She said batting her eyes at him. He looked at her and knew what was happening. This was one of the reasons he hated being the hero. For some reason the girls always seemed to like him.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I think it is time for me to move on. You see I am looking for a certain cheetah and I cannot rest until I find him. I think I might have over stayed my welcome here.” He said hoping to let the girl down.
“But what if those guys come back with their boss? I don’t think I can defend myself against them. Please won’t you stay and defend them?” She begged.
“If they do come tell them that I went west. That should try to go after me instead of attacking anyone here.” He walked away from her. There was nothing here for him. It wouldn’t be hard for him to leave.
“Sir, you’re going north. West is that way.” She pointed with her paw. He stopped and looked. He couldn’t believe that he still had problems with directions. “Good luck finding that cheetah.”
Kyros nodded and headed west. He started to run as fast as he could, leaving his temporary home in peace.
WC 1,148
