He was sleepy.

But he wouldn't fall asleep. He was allowed to.

Blinking his sleepy eyes, struggling to keep his heavy eyelids open, a wide yawn stretched the young cheetah's maw open, holding it that was for several moments before it snapped shut again, more dreary blinks following. He couldn't fall asleep - he had to stay awake, and be on guard. His family were all asleep - a family he loved dearly. But what if someone crept up on them all while they were sleeping!? Papa said he was a light sleeper, but was he really? They could be attacked by birds, or horrible lions who trod lightly! Shuddered at the mere thoughts, Hal decided a short walk was necessary to keep him away. Get his clood moving - that was just what he needed.

Carefully stepping over his siblings, gently nudging his sister's paw back into place to prevent him from tripping over it, Halali set off for a short walk from the den, making sure his path would always allowed him a clear view of where his family were currently sleeping. Exitting the den, he glanced to the sky, cocking his head at the height of the moon. It must be really late - but the moon was pretty. He saw the moon quite a lot - it was his friend, and practically always showed up when he managed to stay awake.

Sitting himself down a little way from the den, the cheetah's tail swayed against the ground, rising dust as he stared widely at the moon, studying it closely.

He yawned again.


Moonlight splashed the savanna grasses that stretched out as far as the eyes could see. Midori moved through the tall blades swiftly, tail curled, shoulders hunched and head low. Anyone who saw the cheetah would've guessed she was stalking prey. But they didn't know Midori. That was simply how she walked. She believed it to be stealthy.

She liked being stealthy.

Green eyes glistening in the darkness of the night, the cheetah sped up her pace, moving even more quickly through the dry grass. The pleasant sounds the blades made as she moved through them was a sort of lullaby to the female, and she began to get a bit sleepy.

Until she saw something in front of her.

Paws tripping, Midori lowered herself to the ground to hide. But then she couldn't see. So she stood up. Then she hunched down. Then she proceeded. Then she stopped. Narrowing her eyes to get a better look, Midori deduced that the tiny creature several feet in front of her was a small mammal of some kind. Like a good ninja, Midori remained stealthy and silent as she continued to approach the creature, all caution thrown to the wind. Surely something so small couldn't be bad. But perhaps she was being naive. Perhaps she should be wary of larger things that protect smaller things...

But she couldn't resist walking closer to such a small, cute, fluffy, chubby thing...


Halali's eyes flicked a little as he watched the moon, cocking his head to the left as he watched it, somewhat fascinated by just how big and round and shiny it was. It was the night of a full moon this evening, and he'd never seen it so whole before. Usually it was only part there - a crescent, Papa had called it. Hal decided he liked it much better when it was whole, though. It didn't seem right otherwise.

And then, suddenly, he felt wrong. Hairs on the back of his neck prickled, eyes widening as he got the feeling he was being watched. ...Maybe he shouldn't have left the den. He could've played games with himself to stop himself falling asleep, rather than walking off. Here he was defenseless - he had no way to protect himself. He was only small, against a big, horrible lion he stood no chance!

Whining softly, he suddenly turned around, freezing at the dark creature now in his sights. His back was arched, hair standing on end as he attempted a hiss - it didn't sound nearly as intimidating as he'd wanted, though. He noted briefly that it wasn't a lion - too slim, and the tail wasn't fluffy enough. It was a cheetah, and cheetahs were better than lions anyway, 'cause they usually didn't eat many other cheetahs.

But he still had to be careful.

Trying a hiss again, Halali eventually growled, although it sounded rather feeble as he barked in a frightened manner, "G-Go away!"


Midori was only about five feet away from the cub, one paw placed firmly in front of the other, body completely still where she stood. She tilted her head just slightly to her left, her green-masked face the only truly visible part of her; the rest, a black silhouette.

"Where to?" Midori asked in her usual emotionless tone, eyes fixed steadfastly on the young cheetah's frightened face. She knew that she, as a ninja, had a master to serve in all of her duties, but serving for so long had caused her to get used to answering to demanding statements.

Find the details, narrow in on the task, and complete it accordingly...That was all she could think about. And for a moment, she forgot whom she served and became quite fixed on the young juvenile. She bowed her head slightly, ears twitching into a fold in some gesture of respect.

"Go away to where?" she asked once more, adding more details to her question to perhaps receive a more specific answer.


All he could see was a silhouette - was that a trick his mind was playing? But there was that creepy green band, and he could see her eyes...or at least, he thought it was a her. It looked feminine. ...Maybe it was a lion, in disguise! Unable to stop the long, low whine from escaping he shuffled backwards, any attempts to look intimidating having been thrown out the window. He didn't answer at her first words - he was petrified, glued to the spot by his fear.

Where was Papa!? He wanted Papa!

"Just don't eat me!" was the eventual reply as she began to speak again, the youngster bursting into sobs. He was so scared!


Midori blinked, tail furling before she took a seat on the dirt. She paused in her rather simple thoughts to observe the young male, examining him as he cried. He was young; younger than an adult but older than a cub. He reminded her of someone she'd met in the past...A cub...? Hm. Maybe. Maybe not. Flitting that thought aside Midori bent her head like and owl, her face dead serious as it usually always was.

"Eat?" the female echoed, thoroughly confused as her head gesture suggested. She brought her posture back to normal and wrapped her tail around her feet. "I do not eat such creatures at yourself." she explained, brow quirked every-so-slightly in confusion. "I take pleasure in eating gazelles and...Insects." she finished, eyes wandering away as she thought of particularly plump katydids in the jungle.

Hm...The jungle. Wasn't she supposed...to be...Hm, no.


Halali shuddered softly, paws over his face so he couldn't see a thing. He heard the occasional shuffle of paws, but it could well have been him, shivering on the dirt. The occasional whine would escape the young male, but he stopped mid-whine when she spoke up, gingerly lifting a paw to peek out from underneath it with a sky-blue eye. He watched her for several moments, shudders subsiding as he finally lifted both paws, looking up at her innocently.

"R-Really?" He stammered, tail curled around his body, as if he were hugging himself tightly. He only wanted to protect his family - but he was such a scaredy-cat! He was pathetic! But Halali couldn't help but look up at Midori with wide, fearful eyes, awaiting the answer.


The young cheetah was a puzzling creature, Midori decided. He had the makings of a Great One, and perhaps he would become one over time, but he was very fragile now. Though there were brief moments Midori found herself forgetting who her real master was, and found herself listening to the young one's every word as though she were supposed to listen to his demands. She was very unsure as to why that was, but the minute she realized it was happening, she forgot about it again.

"Yes, really." Midori affirmed, shoulders back. "My word holds honor. I never lie. That is not the way of a ninja." she informed.


A...A ninja? Blinking again, the male slowly stood up, but not moving any closer to Midori, nor taking his eyes off of her. He watched her for several moments, not moving, before he finally frowned, cocking his head to the left curiously. Nin...ja. What...what was that? "What's...What's a ninja?" he asked, unable to stop himself, though his eyes narrowed a little, keeping an eye on her. He was suspicious - was she in a suit of some sort or were her colours just mostly black?

But it was rude to ask that, right?


Not many other creatures on the African plains knew what a ninja was. Midori had had to explain her status to many, many a creature in the past. But the good thing was, she usually forgot that she had ever had to explain anything to anyone, so when the time came to explain herself to yet another person, she didn't mind because it was more or less like explaining it for the first time. Besides, even if she did remember, she never tired of speaking of ninjas.

Ninjas were amazing...

"A ninja is shadow and stealth. A ninja is..." she breathed, eyes wandering to the sky. She was silent for a moment, mind mulling over all the thoughts that wished to be formed into words.

"A ninja is a ninja..." she said, in a strangely loving way, as if the term was dear to her. Her eyes flicked down to the small cheetah again, her expression much more soft than it previously was. Perhaps talking of something she loved had opened her up in some way. "You could become a ninja if you wished." she informed him.


Halali watched her expectantly, ears alert and tail flicking from side to side in a steady rhythm as he awaited her answer. Ninja was an odd word...and when she spoke, seemed to have an even weirder definition. Shadow? Stealth? Well, she certainly seemed to have that. She was basically black, which helped hiding in the shadows. And she'd managed to creep pretty close before he'd noticed. And Halali was pretty good at noticing things, what with his mild paranoia.

She was silent, and he wondered if she'd forgotten him.

But then she spoke again with something that didn't really make sense, and with a weird voice. Halali wrinkled his nose a little, no longer too wary of the female - she seemed more of a threat to herself than she did to him - as she informed him it was possible for him to become a ninja. Halali shook his head, trying to be as polite as possible as he flashed her a sweet smile, almost thanking her for the offer.

"Sounds too dangerous," he mumbled, before hastily adding, "Sounds really cool, though!"


Hm. A cheetah boy...Youth...Something like a cub...Smiling sweetly. It make Midori feel...Strange. A foreign emotion. Something in her wanted the cub. No...Wanted a cub of her own. Why? ...Motherhood...?

Violently shaking the thought away, Midori stood up, tail curling behind her. She listened intently to the male's words. Yes, he was too fragile now to become a ninja. But perhaps one day...One day he would. One day he would perhaps be braver, more stealthy...he already seemed to be one with the night. Yes, one day he could be a Great One. Maybe they would meet again?

Dangerous, yes. Really cool, y--...Cool? Ah. Sweet boy. He thought ninjas were cool. Smiling slightly, Midori backed up a bit as if to give herself more room. "Yes. I could demonstrate some techniques for you." she said, not realizing how badly she wished to show off (though she really didn't have any "ninja skills"). She pranced back a bit, rolled down into the grass, and disappeared in it. Then she stood up, awaiting approval. Then after a moment, she braced herself, muscles flexing. "That was stealth. Now, for speed."

And then she was off like a bolt of lightning, blades of ripped-up grass and dirt floating in her wake. She kept going and going and going and going...And then she was gone from sight. By the time her energy ran out, Midori was in the middle of a very unfamiliar place, and she found herself wondering, 'Where am I...?'