Hmm. Kutakia was feeling in a somewhat strange mood today. He'd been thrilled this morning to bring down a large wildebeest by himself, granting him a lovely full belly, but had then become frustrated at a sudden downpour which had left his fur dripping, even now as he walked through the jungle. Wet, cold fur and a happy, warm belly didn't mix too well, and was a strange feeling, leading to his strange mood. Happy + Sad = What?

The leopard placed one foot in front of the other, picking his way carefully through the vegetation. He'd learnt to tred carefully after pricking his paw on some thorns the other day, which meant his pawpad was still sore - he couldn't climb trees very well at the moment, and it stung if he happened to get it wet. Yet another reason the sudden downpour had irritated him. With a half happy, half sad sigh, the leopard paused, tail flicking from side to side behind him. All this thought, and he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. Now, where was that watering hole again...?



After what felt like hours of wandering aimlessly through the jungle, Durion just wanted to leave. The mist was clinging to his fur uncomfortably; the humidity sticking to his nose and throat. His tail lashed behind him as he stalked through the jungle, head low and claws stretching with each step.
Being bored certainly didn't help his dour mood. The only creature he had seen so far had been a crazy leopardess quite some time ago, far back in an entirely different section of the jungle.

WHEN DID THIS JUNGLE END?!

No, he couldn't get caught up in his irritation. He had to shrug off his boredom. If only there were some nice females around...But no, there weren't. He couldn't see, smell or hear anything.

But wait...

The smell of leopard...?

Oh, GODS. That crazy leopardess had followed him?!

...No, it was a male. Durion narrowed his eyes and raised his head, alert. A rustle of leaves to his right caught his attention and he whipped his head to face the noise. His eyes were met with the sight of a brown leopard male, walking through the jungle in a rather miserable way. Durion yawned loudly and stared.



Kutakia's ears were pricked as he gazed to the left, trying desperately to remember where the watering hole was. His senses seemed to tell him that it wasn't in that direction, though, so he turned his head the other way...and came face to face with a huge freakin lion.

Now, he didn't really know what to do. Most of the lions he'd met had been quite friendly, but he'd heard that they could be quite mean to those not of their species. Amber eyes attempted to stare him down, but Kuta couldn't help the sloppy grin that crossed his face in the amusement of the moment. He was staring down a lion. Why not just give up now?

He did, blinking as he cocked his head, now watching instead of staring. After a few more moments of uncomfortable awkward-ness he shifted his position, causing a twig to snap. Right, time to actually say something. "Uhm...Hi?"

Hi seemed like a relatively...safe thing to say. It didn't seem offensive, anyway.



Durion's expression went from uncaring to cool. He smiled half-way and turned to face the leopard. For just a few moments, he sized the leopard up.

Small, timid, obviously intimidated by lions.

Well, Durion didn't feel like being cruel. He was too fed up for that. But he was definitely bored. Maybe that leopard would prove useful? Maybe he could direct Durion to the nearest exit? Or just make a good conversation for a while?

"Hey," Durion greeted back casually. "Goin' for a walk?" he asked.

Okay, so he couldn't think of much to talk about. He had just had a bad experience with a leopard. He didn't want to revisit that memory. But hell, what could he do about it?



The lion was...looking at him. And making him feel really uncormfortable. Kuta shuffled about a little, looking down to his paws for a moment, taking great interest in the injured paw-pad. The pricked areas were red and a little swelled, but they seemed to be healing rather well. Hopefully he'd be able to climb a tree again in the next few days.

The lion - who was an odd colour, blue and black with...wing markings on his back? - spoke, causing Kutakia to look up again, the smile returning slowly. A walk? Well, was he walking? He was more like...pacing through the jungle. No, stop! Kuta shook his head, trying to stop himself from being so silly. Just...answer the question. "Uhm, yeah. Looking for the watering hole."

He paused for the few moments, smile growing wider, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."



Durion raised an eyebrow, trying to look cool. On the inside, he was raging with disappointment and frustration.

So this leopard had no idea where he was even going? Well, he did seem to know that there was a watering hole somewhere nearby, but other than that...It sounded like he had just been wandering wherever. He hadn't even been paying attention to where he was going.

Great...

Well, no use crying over spilled milk. He'd just have to find his way out of the jungle on his own. Or maybe the leopard did know a way out, but just didn't seem like it? Durion would have to talk to him a bit more...

"Hah, me too." Durion sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "That's how I ended up in this jungle..."



Kutakia picked his way forwards through the jungle to get closer to the lion, so he could hear him better. The lion seemed rather friendly, and unlikely to attack him, so he didn't see any harm in it. He stopped when he was a reasonable distance away - not too far, but not too close. He didn't want to scare the lion, or make him feel uncomfortable...even though the lion had done that to him...

"Oh, you're lost?" Kuta asked, looking genuinely concerned. He didn't like people to be lost. He dind't know exactly where he was, but if he re-tracted his footsteps he'd soon reach a part of the jungle he recognised, and from there he'd be fine. "I can help you find the way out, if you like - I just need to re-trace my footsteps, and find a more recogniseable part of the jungle."

Helping someone in need - this would certainly cheer his strange day up!



Pfffft. That was easy.

...Maybe TOO easy...?

The leopard was smiling, innocence and joy for helping someone shining in his eyes.

...Nah...

Durion grinned coolly and took a few steps forward, trying to remember what his main prerogative was, and keeping in mind that this male WAS a leopard. Though Durion didn't discriminate between races, his recent encounter had caused him to look at them in just a slightly different way due to the memory they brought up.

"You'd help me out?" Durion asked. He sighed loudly with relief. "You're a good guy, kid. I'll pay you back one day. What's your name?"



Kid? Well...he supposed he was a kid, really. A big kid! Kutakia's smile had faltered for a moment before rearing back stronger than ever, the leopard's tail almost...wagging in excitement and happiness. His amber eyes sparkled as he watched Durion, beginning to feel a slight idolisation for the lion rising in him. He was just so...cool!

"Sure!" Kuta exclaimed, almost surprised to hear how surprised the lion was, "No need to pay me back - I'm happy to help! And I'm Kutakia. Kuta for short, though. What's your name?"

He turned, beginning to slowly backtrack, hoping Durion would take the hint and follow him.



Durion certainly did take the hint. Always smart and quick on the uptake, he began to follow Kuta immediately.

"Kutakia, eh? Has a nice ring to it." the lion said, peering around the trees as he walked. He was still on the look-out for anything suspicious, whether it be from this leopard (however innocent he seemed), or that leopardess back in the jungle...It had him slightly paranoid. But he tried not to let it show.

"Durion's my name." he said, picking up his pace, as he had fallen behind a bit during his examination of the jungle. "And I'll pay you back one day, kid. Just keep that in mind." he said, smirking. Eh, but enough about that...He really didn't have plans to pay that guy back. "So you're just backtracking, huh?" he asked, trying to start a new topic.

He was tired of wandering around the jungle, but there was nothing he could do about it. He'd just have to wander in it a bit more...He was almost out. He could feel it.



Kuta smiled, nodding at the compliment to his name. "Thanks. I think it means 'Wish' - or at least, that's what a cheetah I met told me."

He couldn't remember his mother, or any of the his family. If he could, he was sure he'd know more about himself, and his name. Was he given the name because he'd been a wish come true for his mother, or because she wished he'd disappear? Well, he couldn't remember her, so maybe it was the latter. Not to dwell on that now, though...

"Durion?" he spoke, repeating the name to make sure he'd heard it right. It was a good name - a strong, reliable name. Or at least, it sounded like one. Hell, what did he know about names!? Daydreaming had left him a little behind in his pace, but it seemed Durion had also been daydreaming, or surveying the jungle, so the two were still even as they walked, Kuta looking around him and slowly beginning to see familiar trees. That bush there looked quite familiar indeed...

"Yeah. The jungle's huge, but I live in a certain spot, and from that spot I can find my way to places, like the way out and stuff."

He turned left at a bush he recognized. They'd be there soon.



"Hn, interesting." Durion murmured attentively, still glancing around every now and again at the trees if her heard a crunch or a rustle. "Seems like a cool place to live." he lied smoothly.

He would HATE...to live in the jungle. Funny thing was, he used to like it.

Now that was just sad...

If one thing was sure, it was that he would never go back to the jungle again. Ever. For any reason. And if he ever found himself in the jungle again, he--Well, nevermind about that. He would just never go into a jungle again.

A glimmer of light shone in the corner of Durion's eyes and he turned his head straight to look. Was it...sunlight? Durion squinted. He could see gaps in the trees and vines. He could see...He could see a field of open grass.

THE END OF THE JUNGLE!

Forgetting about his cool composure, Durion leapt ahead of Kuta like a cub. He jumped through the last line of trees and landed on the warm grass outside. He groaned out a sigh and slammed a paw on the ground, feeling like a rock had been lifted from his back. He turned around to face the jungle.

"Thanks, Kuta!" he said, grinning. And that was all.

Durion ran off into the grasslands.



Kutakia simply nodded to his comment about the jungle, concentrating instead on going in the right direction. He really had to fix the short attention span of his. It was smaller than a goldfish's...no, smaller than a trees! Oh, he really did wish he could climb a tree right now. It was so much cooler up there...

He was pulled from his daydreaming yet again, this time by Durion leaping past him, bounding out into the grassland ahead of them - they'd come to the exit from the jungle. Kutakia blinked in surprise, watching the lion race away, only pausing to shout a thanks and then he was off again. Kuta smiled - hey, he'd helped someone! He'd been happy! His mission of one happy person per day was now completed!

"That's alright! Byeeeee~!" he called out, hoping the lion could hear him. One last look was given, before he too turned back to the jungle, disappearing back into it's depths.