White, strong paws gripped the grassy terrain, and a hint of inconspicuous green dots made the larger leopard's presence known through the tall thickets of grass.A careful claw slid through the dirt, and the long, black tail warily followed. A tree, standing tall and out of place amongst the others, was approached by the black leopard, and a moment of silence came between the two. Sharp eyes looked up into the canopy; the treetop twisted with many branches thick and stable, but all that remained was more silence that lingered in the air. He deemed there was nothing up there, and his judgments were never inaccurate; at least, after long years of experience, his senses had defined themselves well.
So it wasn't going to be a mistake when the black leopard ascended the tree, looking for a place to gain solace and quiet. When he climbed onto the higher branches, the large leaves of the tree blanketed what sounds could have been coming from the weather and wind. It was also darker within, as the inner tree's sanctuary of a room was being blocked from getting light, also courtesy of the canopy.
A soft sigh escaped the dark male's mouth. All was going to be well; the homely tree implied it.
Like always, the wind never gives up on its journey, and despite the tree's thick barrier against it, where there is a will, there is a way. Following the wind, a smoky leopard walked slowly through the grasses, unlike the hardened paws that had only previously stepped the same patch. The duller colored leopard's movement was much less intent, but more airy, as if the wind itself was moving his body along the path.Perhaps it was so.
Or perhaps it was chance that the gray leopard came to sit on the roots of the tree that had a very recent occupant. His tail waved calmly, and a white masked, black eyed face stared into the tree's inner branches, just like the leopard before. The scent wasn't strong, perhaps blown away by the small wind's interference, but it wasn't nonexistent either. So, with full knowledge that the tree held a resident, the gray leopard dared to utter a sound, and then more.
"Someone's up there, huuuuuh?" came as a greeting, the stretch of his words done on purpose - he did enjoy the simple sounds one could make through unusual modifications in speech.
"Come out or I'll blow your tree down...?!" Though that statement, for him, was even unusual.
And as soon as the large leopard had made his home in the comfortable space of the tree, his ears flicked upwards, sensing something approaching. Wondering if this sudden intrusion could require a groan or not, he decided it would be best to ignore the signs of a stranger. Perhaps the stranger would think nothing more of the tree he resided in, and wander elsewhere. If he made a sound, surely he'd attract more company. While he didn't object to meeting others, the leopard was used to being alone and independent, and did not know any other way. However, the few he met on his travels were pretty nice to be around, if only briefly. But he had meant to reflect in solitude.
Solitude was broken by the sudden speech that shot out straight through the branches, and a rather silly threat that tagged along with it. The black leopard blinked, confused at the feigned hostility. So he leaned over, peeking down through the thick branches towards the trunk of the tree he laid on, spotting a dull gray leopard staring up with black eyes surrounded by a white spectacle mask. He looked quite innocent, perhaps a little lonely. A snort came, and then eventual resignation to the situation.
"Why this tree, then?" he asked out of slight curiosity, turning back from his gaze towards the center balance of the tree.
A smile glazed itself on the dull leopard's face; he knew his call would work! Not that he had enough power to actually blow anything more than a blade of grass away, though he wished he did. His claws gingerly braced against the tree's trunk at first, and then he made a leap upwards, fast and swift. His light body aided him in trials of agility like this. Then a sudden thought occurred to him: What if the leopard above was mean? Well, he wouldn't have been invited up there if that had been the case. Or maybe he was being tricked...
The gray male chose to stay on a hefty, wide branch just below the area the darker leopard had already been settled on, and rested in a pointed direction towards his company. It was good to be with another, especially another male leopard like himself. If he was lucky, maybe this one would be fun!
"Ooh, it looked like the good kind of tree..." he answered, smiling to himself.
He looked up, looking for any signs of recognition from the other, but the black leopard had turned away from facing downwards. The smaller male didn't let that bother him, however, and went on to continue, "Good kinds of tree attract the good kind of company, huh?"
It was a question set out to see if he did indeed mistake upon the wrong company to keep at the moment, or if he would be tolerated in the place he was.
The question posed to the black and white male only served to confuse him further, but he brushed it off, choosing to meet the vague inquiry with his own muddled answer.
"I can see that both of us are different from each other, so one of us must be the good kind, and the other a different kind of company. I'll leave it to you to decide who is what, then?"
And he couldn't help but smile, amused by himself and the innocent leopard below him. He crouched down again, though without much effort or in a complete manner, and saw the hint of gray he was seeing before. And instead of looking outwards, which is what one would normally do, the lighter male had directed his face and vision towards the inner portion of the tree; he was staring straight at him.
"Hmm," he began, thinking he knew why that was the case, "You can come up here, you know. There's more than enough room..."
Black eyes alighted when the friendly enough invitation came, and the dull leopard jumped up to the high base of the tree's middle, smiling at the promised wide space. The branches and leaves were high enough to not get in the way or accidentally hit his head on, but low enough to hide view from any bother from below. Shade coated the area with a cooling relaxation, soothing the leopard's fur. And should he wish to peek outside, it was easy enough to do so, and look over a rather large expanse of the savanna.
"This really is a good kind of tree," he repeated, coming close to the black leopard yet not so much to feel his body heat, "And I think you are the good kind of company!"
Not even noticing that the statement would place him in the not-good kind of company position, he flopped over on his side and began a half sprawl, legs dangling off the branch grounding. It was a rather silly gesture, but the smaller male had gotten comfortable, and extremely appreciative for that - and the black leopard's invitation to join him. Company should always be as tolerant as him.
"Oh, and I'm Goshi," he said, wondering if the other even cared.
The black leopard yawned, not really caring about where the gray leopard was, as he wasn't much of a threat or bother at all. The stranger seemed stable enough, and at least he wasn't a fervent chatterbox or wild, maddened leopard to be driven crazy over in the case of a sudden attack or lash out. His eyelids lowered lazily, and he watched as the other leopard rolled over to get comfortable - that was what he should be doing, too, as his body had halfway tensed up when he first saw the approach. And as Goshi gave his name, his ears flickered in just distant interest, thinking he would never see him again apart from this one occurrence, and he opened his mouth to return the gesture.
"Jokaeusi."
His claws unsheathed and he began clawing the wood beneath him, thinking he wouldn't be able to completely nap here if he had company. At least, it was too sudden for either of them to rest for an extended time after having just introduced themselves to each other.
"Are you hungry," he suggested while turning his head slowly to a side where a gap in the tree leaves showed, "There was a group of antelope right that way, if you'd like."
"Jokaaaeeusi," Goshi briefly repeated to himself, liking the sound of the name; it made a nice movement in his tongue when he said it aloud, and he was sure he'd enjoy seeing the black leopard around another day in the future.
But he offered nothing else as he stretched along the bed of a tree, thinking that this was one of the best underneaths of a canopy he'd ever laid in. He yawned himself, catching the contagious effect, and rolled over more so that he was completely sprawling. His black eyes squinted at the leaves above him, looking for any recognizable connections or gaps that formed a shape of something. The silence seemed only too quick, for the antsy scratching came from Jokaeusi almost immediately, and then his question to go out hunting.
"Huh, maybe not now..." he said hesitantly, not even knowing whether he himself had been hungry or not.
It wasn't as if the herd was going to suddenly up and walk off now, wasn't it? And if they did, he was sure food would always be there. If not the same group, then another would come along to give chase. For now, the bark of the tree he settled against was too perfect to move away from, so he slowly shook his head, and smiled contentedly.
"Suddenly tired," he said in what was the middle of another yawn, and looked over to Jokaeusi.
"Weren't you going to rest too? What else would a leopard do up here!"
Jokaeusi nodded, not particularly hungry himself. So, if he wasn't going to tire himself out to elicit his rest, then he supposed if Goshi wasn't going to make any ruckus, it would be as if he were invisible. That was the way it was supposed to be from the beginning, wasn't it? So he turned back to his original head position, and laid it down on his arms. His tail flopped down, stopping movement and placated itself beside him. So while he wasn't used to company, Goshi didn't make a bad one. He then closed his eyes, relaxing his body.
"Didn't think I would have a visitor like yourself," he replied, beginning to settle into a snooze.
It wasn't the first time he shared a resting place with a stranger, but Goshi had happened to be one of the more easier to handle. Whether it was his soft nature contrasting against his own harsh background, or the seemingly lack of aggressive impulse, Jokaeusi did not know, but he did not care if when he awoke, he was alone again. Though he doubted that possibility, for had something stirred in the environment in his sleep, he would have caught it at once. Another leopard nearby him would of course wake up him as well, but he would leave that interaction for later.
Of course Goshi sought company. Life would be empty without someone to be around. He was glad, anyways, that his visit wasn't negatively minded by Jokaeusi, and smiled to himself in gratitude for whatever form of hospitality he was shown.
"Rely on me to visit when you least expect it, then," he countered with a nonchalant smile.
Goshi drifted in and out of scenes like clouds passing by on whim. He enjoyed other presence whenever he could find it, and despite not being the most socially graceful of leopards, he thought he was at least likable. Though Jokaeusi wasn't very open, he was at least open to the idea of letting Goshi join him, and that was enough to get him through the rest of the day.
