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 Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:33 am
 The day was slowly slipping away into evening, when the departure of light signaled the darkness in everything to make themselves known, appearing across the savanna grasses. A light breeze swept through the ground in a secretive whisper against the descending sun, towards a clearing that secluded itself between a patch of low trees and boulders. The light of the sun didn't make it far in, but that was suitable to the present inhabitant.
A black leopard suddenly awoke through the hidden, dark area, and stretched lazily in preparation for another night ahead of him. A low grumble from his stomach signaled its eagerness for sustenance, and its holder was all too happy to oblige. Slowly, the dark male made his way out of the trees, directing himself to the tallest nearby mound he could find that faced the rest of the land. If he was lucky, he could have woken up in time for a herd's late dinner grazing. He supposed he could wait a little for a bigger meal, though, so perhaps a stray hare could satisfy for the moment; whatever the closest solution to his hunger was, for the moment, was going to be the first thing the leopard saw oblivious to the plains.
And so he watched on, towards the distance, zoning in on anything that could have provided a decent light meal. He kept his silence, knowing that it was a crucial factor in these type of whimsical hunts.
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 6:28 am
 Night was on the approach and Spectre was all too aware that he would need to find a suitable place to stay for the evening and sleep, otherwise he'd eventually have to settle for an open, vulnerable area and put his own safety into jeopardy. As usual, he trekked in a slump, tail dragging and ears drooped, eyes unfocused and staring blankly at the ground. He only took a glance up to scan the area for shelter every so often and even in doing so did not notice the leopard standing on the mound.
Spectre caught sight of the small cluster of trees and immediately shifted his gaze back down to the ground, adjusting his pace towards them though he was still quite far away. He was hungry enough but the leopard was never one to prioritize hunger very highly, in fact he often forgot that he was hungry in the first place and would go longer without eating than one should.
The breeze caught on the strange leopard's bangs and was very refreshing, but still wasn't enough to give him reason to look up. As lethargic as he was, however, Spectre did catch a whiff of something that didn't quite belong, but was brushed off as nothing of particular interest.
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:39 pm
The same breeze traversed against the tall black leopard, back into the clearing he came from. He sniffed, the sudden rush making his nose itch, and swung his tail back and forth in thought. If the wind wasn't working to his aims, he wasn't going to find anything sometime soon if he didn't want to exert too much energy. He was about to venture further down the hill, in hopes that the wind would change direction soon, but an abrupt, distinct noise coming from behind him stopped the leopard in his tracks. He immediately faced the origin of the sound, legs and claws poised to pounce and strike. Slowly, the male began to walk towards the darkness-shrouded thicket he had just come from; perhaps something wandered in there after they registered that its inhabitant had left.
He hid next to a tree, keeping low to the ground and potentially out of sight to anything nearby. The sound of the tiniest leaves crunching and pebbles being moved around gave away the approaching stranger, and the leopard continued to wait until he knew whatever was coming was close enough to engage. Whatever was coming, it sure was taking its time; furrowed brows lined the black male's face as his anxious paws gripped the earth just a little more tightly. It also sounded like... something was dragging on the ground? This puzzled the leopard, and he could only guess that the intruder either had a limp, or he was imagining it.
The closer the walk of the opposition grew, the closer the black feline could feel the tension come in between them, whether the other was aware of it or not. And then, when he knew that the other was close enough, he made a leap from his spot at once with claws outstretched, towards the darkness onto the stranger; if his skills were as honed as they usually were, he would have pinpointed his mark accurately.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 3:00 am
Ever unsuspecting and inattentive, Spectre was flabbergasted to say the least as he went from leisurely walking to screeching like a banshee, the claws of some unknown beast lodged into his lower back. It was all he could do to eject his own claws from his paws and flail about in hopes of them coming in contact with his attacker- he was like a gazelle bucking for its dear life in vain.
The few moments he was in the grip of the monster seemed like dreadfully slow minutes, elongating the terror that grasped his poor little heart, but as soon as he wrenched free the entire ordeal had gone by in a flash.
First thing was first, the leopard bolted away, and when he was a safe distance from where he'd been attacked swung around eyes wide to behold his attacker. A crooked scowl crossed his face upon realizing that it was none other than another leopard.
"W-what are you, a cannibal or something?!"
Spectre tried his best to seem angry despite the fear that still had him in its clutches. Unfortunately for him, stuttering was not a sign of confidence or masculinity or anything of the like.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:52 am
The sudden burst of screech he expected - the larger-than-normal form of a prey he did not. The black leopard found himself grappling onto the rump of another black, though a little lighter, leopard male much like himself. He was stunned, which kept him on the stranger longer than he intended, and only when the thrashing came about did he swiftly bounce off to a good distance from the wild, aimless claws.
With a lowered tilt of the head, he inspected the strange leopard with mild curiosity. He felt a little guilt that he mistook him for something to eat, and, gauging the other's reaction, neither party was happy about the incident. It was particularly faintly amusing, he had to admit, watching the stranger's quick, flighty prey-like movements; no wonder his first instincts told him to down it!
As he waited for the stranger to regain his composure, the attacker sat down calmly, ever observing. His own blinking eyes met the widened ones that also held fright within, and he couldn't imagine being that horrified - and remaining in the condition, especially when he relinquished his grip. It wasn't like he was chewing on the stranger now... That would make another qualified to be that scared.
"No, I thought you were food until you showed your face," he replied simply, noting the very strange marks on the other's face indeed.
"Uh, I'm sorry," he added, looking innocently to the side; it wasn't that often that he had to, or even got a chance to apologize, being the lone nomad he was.
The black leopard then got off his haunches, padding very slowly to the stranger. He hoped he didn't look like a threat, but, assessing the strange leopard's attitude... Perhaps anything could scare off the poor thing.
"I didn't draw blood, right? If I did, I can fix that," he offered kindly, not knowing what more there was to say to someone he pounced on. Usually, the things he did that to lacked the life to do so!
"You know, you shouldn't act like a prey like just at first... It could confuse some."
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