Msafiri approached the watering hole and cautiously lowered his head to drink. He was thirsty, and weary, but he was on edge and unable to relax. Wary of unseen dangers, the leopard listened closely to the sounds of the night around him, ears twitching back and forth as they responded to different sounds. A cricket singing in the grasses, the call of a wildebeest calf in the distance, and – there! Close, quiet pawsteps behind him, their owner likely as cautious as he was. But in an attempt to avoid an ambush, or to cause one? He didn’t know, and caution kept him tense as the other creature drew ever-closer to the watering hole.
Anatumaini was lonely. This isn’t to say that such was an uncommon state of being; in fact loneliness was familiar to the quiet leopardess, and she had grown almost comfortable with it after such a long time of having it as her only companion. However, she did still relish those times when she would run into another living being, and – just for a time – be free of the weight of her solitude. Finding company was not the only thing on her mind this night. In fact, it was rather low on her list of priorities. She was much more concerned with finding some water to slake her thirst, and it was with this intent that she drew close to a watering hole that she knew was in the area. Almost running into the multicolored tail of a strange leopard, however, was not something she either expected or hoped for in the least.
Msafiri growled quietly, and then whirled into an attack posture when he felt something brush against his tail. This other creature was terrible at ambushes, but was skilled at making him anxious. He was ready to fight, should he need be, but he wasn’t prepared for his would-be ambusher to back away, a shocked and almost sad expression in her bright blue eyes.
“Who are you?!? What do you want?” He barked, unwilling to drop his caution in the face of a sad-eyed female. He’s learned enough while wandering on his own to know that even the most pitiable of females was capable of being a dangerous opponent under the right circumstances. “What is your purpose here?!?”
Anatumaini was rather taken aback. Rarely had she been greeted so abruptly and even harshly, and far from cowing her, the brusque treatment offended her pride enough that she drew herself up, stiffening her posture and staring down her nose at the young male, doing her best to make him feel like a cub that has been acting up.
“This is a watering hole, you know – what purpose could I possibly have in coming here when I’m thirsty? Surely not to drink!” She huffed and rolled her shoulders, taking a seat and making unflinching eye contact with the male. “As to my name, it is Anatumaini, and yours surely must be Rude. I want to get a drink, but you seem to be in the way at the moment.”
Really, the nerve of some leopards!
Well, this certainly wasn’t the kind of response he’d been expecting. It was clear she was attempting to make him feel chastised for daring to react to her presence in the way that he ha, but Msafiri felt completely justified in his harsh greeting. Although it did appear that she was no kind of threat, so he relaxed a bit and sat down, watching her without concern.
“Caution is worth any kind of rudeness, you know,” he said simply, tossing his head a little and rolling his shoulders to show how little he was concerned with her disapproval. The striped leopard was unimpressed with the – what was it, a nanny’s chastisement routine? – and it showed in his voice. “It’s a large watering hole; I’m hardly so big as to block off the entirety of it from you if you are as thirsty as you claim.”
He had her there... more or less. Anatumaini grumbled under her breath, unsure of why this leopard was infuriating her so, and rolled her eyes at him.
“You know quite well that I was not being literal in the least, oh impolite one. I was simply defending myself from your accusations.” She huffed and rose to her paws again, scowling at the impertinent young male.
“Caution is important in these lands, but it does not promote rude behavior as much as you seem to think it does. Your manner could just as easily turn a non-threat into an enemy as to frighten away weaker creatures,” she said, doing her very best to impress upon him that she would not accept more of his nonsense, no matter how justified he believed it was. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to get a drink. With any luck, we shall not run into one another again.”
A leopardess with pride, who knew? Msafiri found himself smiling at her defiance even as she turned her back and began to walk away. She was a rather pretty leopardess, despite all of the arguments she tossed at him, and that coat of hers must surely come in handy when hunting, unlike his own bright pelt.
“Wait just a moment,” he said, and trotted after her as she circled the watering hole. “Perhaps I was a little… overzealous. My name is Msafiri, and it’s a pleasure to meet one as wise and beautiful as yourself, Anatumaini.”
Anatumaini regarded the male with a flat expression, displeased. How dare he continue to follow her when she wanted nothing more than to get away from him?!?
“Yes, well, Msafiri, I have my thirst to quench and you are wasting my time. So kindly leave me alone to drink in peace.” Hopefully he would have just enough politeness (hah!) in him to leave now as she had asked. She rather disliked the idea of spending more time around this male than was absolutely necessary.
“As you wish.” Sensing that now was likely not the best time for flirting, Msafiri decided to grant her what she asked for and backed away, turning and leaving the leopardess alone at the watering hole. He wasn’t going to go far, however. No, instead he was going to stay in this area for a little while. Perhaps he could even meet Anatumaini again, under more pleasant circumstances the next time. He found that he rather liked that idea. Yes, he definitely wanted to see her again. And while she seemed to dislike him, Msafiri was confident he could get past that hurdle in the future. After all, a bad first impression was difficult to overcome, not impossible!
As for Anatumaini, she simply wished to avoid running into such a rude leopard ever again. She would rather live her life alone and lonely than to be forced to deal with such rudeness on a day-to-day basis. The leopardess huffed to herself as she finally quenched her thirst, and sent a mild prayer to whatever god may hear her that this 'Msafiri' would never find reason to bother her ever again.
Word Count: 1187
