Nul backpedalled rapidly, breathing heavy, panicked. He didn't mean to! He didn't mean to! He was bleeding softly from numerous scratches, and a ragged tuft of fur was missing from his mane - his big paws gave him an advantage on moving over the sand because it spread his weight, but here, in the rocky outcroppings of the pride's borders, it did nothing but hinder him from escaping the enraged leopard. The leopard had been injured, unconscious - Nul, being Nul, had applied some chewed herbs and then carefully tied a large, flexible leaf around it to make it stay. If he'd have left, it probably would have been fine - but he hadn't, because he wanted to check the leopard was alright. Only when the leopard awoke, he was more than alright - he was viciously healthy.
Nul whimpered low in his throat as the Leopard penned him into the rocks. He couldn't go into the pride, he wouldn't - what if he got other pride members. He'd survived attacks before. He'd spent a whole childhood surviving. He'd just do it again.
