The sun tried to peak through rolling clouds as Talbot crouched in the tall grasses over a small gazelle. It was easier for him to carry prey the long distance to his den, back to his mate, after he had already taken his share.
He lifted his head and blinked as a cold raindrop fell on his nose. He'd have to hurry if he wanted to get back before any bad storms. Animali would be worried.



A frown decorated the white cheeton's lips as he crouched low on the ground and made his way through the thick grasses. His stomach rumbled at him begging, no demanding, that he go out and fetch something to eat. It was a bothersome chore and he was positive it was not one he was fond of. Heaving a sigh he kept low watching, waiting for some small game to pass by him.

Instead he came across a creature hovering over another creature. Food. His mind instantly registered and he licked his lips at the thought. With out another thought he sprang up and moved closer at a quick pace before ducking again letting out a low growl hoping to scare the other off.



The wild dog licked the blood from his lips, satisfied that he'd taken enough weight off the prey that he could carry it back to the den. It would still be a little heavy, but he didn't think it smart to waste any more time. Besides, he hadn't hunted nearly as far away as he usually did.
His large ears swivled around as the growl traveled to him and he lifted his head to look around. It hadn't sounded like more than one being, and he couldn't see anyone, but he knew that his ears and eyes could often betray him. He turned his back to his kill to make sure no one sneaking up on him, his head cocked in confusion. Where was the growl coming from?


Haribika grinned devilishly to himself as he slunk through the grasses, moving to a different spot before growling again. Then he moved again and growled at a higher pitch trying to make it sound like the other was surrounded. It was certaintly a good plan, of course he wasn't sure how effective it would be on anything but prey.

He inched forward aiming to strike the fallen prey as soon as the wild dog moved from it.


Talbot's head spun around and his mind reeled. There were more than he had originally thought. taking a few steps forward, away from the prey, he lowered his head and growled, unsure of where to aim his hostility. Why would they be bothering him over such a small piece of prey?
He began to circle the area his prey laid in, swinging his head in every possible direction. He didn't want to have to hunt again, it would take too much time!


It was working! The young male couldn't have been more proud of himself than in that moment. He was outsmarting someone who was older, who had more experience than he did. What a self-esteem boost! Not that he needed it, he was full of himself as is.

He backed up when he saw the male make a circle around the prey before letting out a long deep growl quickly moving, inconspicuously, away from the space he had been in case the other had decided to attack. With that he inched forward.


Talbot was unsure of what to do. He didn't have much experience with groups of animals gaining up on him, as he'd always kept himself isolated from most. He used to only have to hunt for himself, so his prey had been small. Now that he was hunting for two many things seemed to have changed.
"G-go away!" He stuttered, backing away from the growl. "This is my kill!" But with every word his voice became more and more unsure.


Haribika had to fight off the urge to laugh. He was winning! It was endlessly amusing how weakly this male was trying to fight and non-exhistant attacker off. He growled again louder this time as he moved closer. Just a little longer and he would be gone. Then the kill would be all his.


With a sigh Talbot gave up, he took several step back and lowered himself to his belly, his tail between his legs. He'd go find a hare or bird for Animali. There was just know way he could find out what kind of enemy he was up against. "Go ahead, take it," He called as the rain began to pick up and splattered over his face.


Success! He chanted in his mind however it quickly drained away when he saw that the other wasn't leaving. This would be a problem. How was he supposed to drag the prey without letting the other see him, or know that there was only one.

Inhaling deeply he spoke, trying to sound as adult-like as he could. "Leave."


Flicking an ear, the wild dog furrowed his brows. That voice didn't seem very threatening. It didn't seem like much of a threat at all, infact, "You sound like nothing more that a cub." He growled, standing back up. That might have been a bad idea, for perhaps this was a very large hyena or something of the sort, but he couldn't even see his attacker. That just smelled fishy to him once he heard the voice. "Show yourself."


Mentally the juve cursed at himself. He knew it wasn't going to work. Why did he even bother to try? Growling low was one thing, speaking like an adult was another. What was he going to do? It he was caught he could be killed or worse scolded! He couldn't have that.

"Leave." He repeated his voice just a tad bit deeper than before. If he couldn't think of something quick he was going to have to bolt!


Talbot shook his head, a growl rumbling from low in his throat, besting what the cub had done. "Show yourself, or I'll come find you." He took a few steps towards the prey and pulled it under his body. He'd been a fool to think a group of animals would be after such a small piece of prey!


He shook his head, belly against the ground as debated his plan of attack. He could attack the male, it wouldn't be hard. Maybe it would convince the other that he was in fact a threat but at the same time he knew he wouldn't be able to stand a chance if the other fought back.

Then again he was still really, really hungry. It couldn't hurt to get closer, especially if he came up from behind. Deciding that would be his plan of attack he let out a ring of laughter before darting to a different spot. A game of cat and mouse. All he wanted was at least one little bite.


Talbot spun with the laughter, his head held low and his teeth bared. The rain was soaking his pelt and making him seem smaller than he was. He was sure the kill wouldn't taste as good now, but anything would get soaked on his way back now so it didn't matter much. "Why can't you just find your own prey?" His voice made it clear how desparate he was for this charade to end, and he was honestly getting sick of being unable to see whoever was trying to fool him.


Haribika slithered closer keeping as low as possible. Soon he was only a few feet away. He couldn't have been more thankful for the tall grasses as well as the darkened sky and rain. If it weren't for them he surely would have been found by now. He was so happy not to have been.

Just a little more, a little more... He thought to himself as he inched forward creeping ever so closer to his goal. Once in touching range he reached a paw out claws extended


Out of the corner of his eye Talbot saw the flash of the paw and snarled, snapping his jaws just a hear's width away from it. The only they that kept him from sinking his teeth into the flesh of this trickster was the size of it's paws. With his brows furrowed his ripped the grasses to the side to see the small cheeton crouched on the ground. "You're nothing more than a cub!"


"s**t!" The cub cursed when the teeth nearly came clamping down upon his paw. He pulled it back intstantly before looking up at the Wild Dog. A oh-s**t-I-just-got-caught look in his eyes as he scrambled backwards.


Talbot followed him keeping very little space between them. A cub! A cub had almost bested him! How could that have happened? His mind raced with so many questions and it took him a moment to finally choke out a growled, "Why would you try to steal someone's kill?!"


"Why do work others could do for you?" Haribika shot back instantly as he continued to moved backward trying to put as much distance between them as possible. He just had to get caught. Damn. His mind was a flurry of thoughts as he tried to figure out a way to get away from this unshaven. He would best this male he would! "Leave." He stated trying to regain what little composure he had. He wasn't about to explain to the other that he didn't know how to hunt, nor was he ready to explain anything else about himself.


"Leave?!" The wild dog howled the world angrily. "You want me to leave?! I was hunting here first, before you, some brat of a cub, tried to steal my mate's meal away!" His brows furrowed. "I'm not leaving, and you're not getting that kill. If I had done something like that at your age, I would have...." He trailed off. He had been about to say 'I would have been beaten so hard my jaw would be hanging loose and my tail would be twisted', but it was honestly just as hard to think the words as it was to say them.


"I was here first! These are the lands that -I've- been living in since I could remember!" He growled suddenly on his feet, eyes narrowed in a glare. No stupid adult was going to tell him what to do. He didn't need anyone to give him advice or say what would have happened if they were his age. It was a pack of lies. Everything adults said were a pack of lies. "Who cares! I'm not you am I? Tell your sob story to someone who gives a rat's a**." He hissed moving forward, ears flattened against his skull in anger.

"No one's going to tell me what to do."


"You didn't kill it! I wasted my energy on that kill, just so you could take up my time and make it so I couldn't get a decent meal to Ami! Now it's soggy and I'm standing here in the pouring rain arguing with a stupid cub!" He turned angrily, grasping the leg of the gazelle between his teeth, with a snarl and a rough pull he ripped the leg free of the body and tossed it in the direction of the cub. Hopefully it would hit him in the face. "There! Have your soggy meal, be a pathetic excuse for a predator and survive off of another family's meal!" He growled. "Honestly, why can't you just ask your parents to hunt for you?"


"That's the point!" He growled shaking his head. Obviously the other simply just didn't understand the concept. What an idiot. "Stupid? If I'm so stupid then why did you fall for it in the first place? If I recall correctly you had given up not to long ago!" He shot back loving the fact it was something he could rub into a grown-up's face. When the leg came flying toward him he hit the ground. "I don't need pity!" He shouted a scowl upon his features. Then he brought up his parents. "Because I don't have any!" He yelled before quickly shutting his mouth and back up. He hadn't meant to let that slip. Damn.



Talbot paused as he was ripping through the battered hide of the gazelle. He was just going to finish as much of it off as possible before heading back to the den. He wouldn't bring Aminali a muddy, soggy meal. He'd catch her a fresh meal near the den. But the cub's words caught him off gaurd, he didn't have parents. That was odd. "No parents?" He turned around to watch the cub, his features softening. He could remember what it was like to have no parents, but at least he'd had a nanny,even if she and the rest of the pack HAD beaten him. "You have no one? No old siblings, a traveling companion...?" His ears fell back against his skull. That was sad.



"No, none." Haribika replied bitterly with a harsh shake of his head. He was going to have some old man's pity and he didn't want it. Not one bit of it. "I have two brothers but a load of good they are." He stated looking disgusted by the thought of his brothers. "They're no good lying, cheating, dirty..." He trailed off resisting the urge to continue onward, with a load of curses no doubt. "They can't fend for themselves, even less than I can. At least -I- can hunt." He chuckled rather proud that he had that over his brothers. Sure he couldn't hunt anything more than small game but at least he could hunt. His brothers were nothing more than scavengers.

Looking the older male in the eye he snorted. "Don't give me any of the 'if you can hunt then why steal' crap I know is coming. I already told you. Why do what others can do for you?"


"Sounds like the raven calling the jaguar black." He shrugged. Hadn't he just lied and cheated to get a meal? Seemed pretty dirty to Talbot. He continued to rip strips from the gazelle as the rain pitter pattered on and around them. "Well, don't just stand there. you worked hard to steal a meal, you've ruined it, so come have some. I'm sure not bringing a soggy meal back to Aminali. I'd never hear the end of it." He wasn't sure why he was being nice to the cub. It was kind of just in his nature.


"I know I'm not much better than my siblings but at least I don't use force." Most of the time. He left out. His memory flash back to the first time he had successfully caught something. The first thing his brother did was attack him for his meal. He didn't resort to violence unless he was absolutely sure he would win. He was a calculator, a schemer. When he was given instructions he shook his head. "Keep your lousy kill. You're practically handing it over to me. I don't want your charity." He stated turning away. He'd come back later if he decided he was really hungry. Until then he'd find someone else to taunt and take from.

"I'm not some charity case."


Talbot rolled his eyes. "Would you just come eat? I can't eat it and my mate won't eat it." He'd finished ripping the meat from the carcas and was laying next to pile of meat, mud staining his white coat brown. "I would take it for myself if it wasn't ruined, trust me. My mate comes before all else. But if you don't take it I'm burrying it or throwing it in the river to keep larger predators away."


"Just leave it," he replied with a shrug. He wasn't going to give into what someone wanted him to do. He was hungry, yes, but he wasn't going to give in and eat something that had practically been given to him. Now if it was left or if he the wild dog would just leave then maybe, just maybe he would take it. But he wouldn't otherwise. "Gareentee if I don't come back for it one of my brothers will eat it so leave it." He told the other shaking his head and begining to walk away. "Sorry if it's against your morals." He didn't really care but he felt as though he might as well say something. "Why would it mater if larger predators got it?"


"I won't leave it. Something may get to it before your brothers do." He picked up a chunk of meat and carried it towards a nearby stream, dropping it into the water with a soft splash. "I'm not attracting hyena's close to my den. I'd like to sleep with the peace of knowing I'm almost absolutely safe. I've... been hurt to many times to allow it to happen again."



"Whatever." He replied obviously not caring what happened. "If that's how you feel why don't you drag it away from your den?" Flicking his tail as he glanced back, wrinkling his nose in the process. "In any case. I. Don't. Care." He stated simply. "I can always find something else." A true statement, even if it took him a while to do it. He'd find his own meal that he would get on his terms not someone elses


Talbot continued to take the chunks to the water until there were just three chunks left. "I'll leave that. If you ever get off your little ego high, I have plenty of room in my den for you and your brother to stay on a stormy night, and I have no problem hunting extra, so long as you're willing to accept it instead of steal it." He turned to the cub and lowered his head. "I grew up without parents too. I know it's hard. But, I'm not going to force you into care, because I honestly can't care for growing cubs. That, and you don't seem very happy about being around others." He shrugged. "You're probably not listening. So, yeah. I'm sure you could follow a scent well enough to find me if you so wished. See you around kid."


"I don't need help." He mumbled somewhat disgusted by the offer but a part of him was thankful. He wouldn't accept it but the thought that someone, even a stranger, seemed to give a damn whether he could fend for himself was reassuring. To him it meant that someday someone would give a damn about whether or not he lived or died. "Thanks." He uttered loud enough for the other to hear.


"No problem, kid." and with that he turned, his paws making sticky prints in the muddy grass. He wasn't going to put a lot of effort into leaving a good trail, he didn't find it likely that the cub would look for him, but his offer would always stand.
In any case, he was off to catch a small hare that would still be warm with life when he got it to Aminali. So long as there weren't any more Cheetons to block his way.