It wasn’t often that a leopard found herself watching a hare without the slightest intentions of eating him, but that’s how Zusa found herself now. She had the oddest habit of finding others in peculiar situations, but Zusa figured this had to top the list. She could think of no other time that she’d ever in the entirety of her life found a hare sitting in the lowermost branches of a tree, but here she was, indeed, watching a small cream and brown hare pace hither and yon along the broad surface of the branch.
How had he gotten up there in the first place? Zusa couldn’t begin to comprehend. Hares couldn’t fly, nor were they apt at climbing trees. She didn’t want to break her brain trying to figure this situation out, so Zusa decided she would just approach the hare and ask him how he’d found himself in a tree.
Galen had been having the worst day in his entire life. It’d started out pleasant enough; rising with the early morning sun, he’d made his way to nibble a bit of breakfast. After that Galen really hadn’t had a solid plan for the rest of his day. It’d seemed like any other day, really; wake up, eat, wander, eat, nap, eat, wander, eat, sleep. Rinse and repeat. It was all Galen really wanted out of life.
What Galen did not want out of life was to be a midday snack for a young, hungry leopard male that had caught Galen at a bad time. It was hard to sleep and stay alert simultaneously, so Galen was hardly at blame for being captured. Not only had he been captured but he’d been taken up into a tree and left there after playing dead the entire time the leopard had been carrying him back to the tree. After securing Galen in the lowest branch of the tree, the leopard had left, probably off to find another unsuspecting hare to use as a snack.
Galen was now stuck in a tree awaiting the return of the leopard that placed him there. “Isn’t life just grand,” he muttered to himself, catching sight of a new, different leopard that eyed him from the ground. “Oh, and it’s just my lucky day, too,” he grunted.
“Why are you in a tree,” Zusa called up to the hare who had taken to muttering to himself under his breath. “How did you get up there? How will you get down?” She had more questions, but she decided to take a breather in order to allow the hare some time to answer.
Utterly disgruntled, Galen eyed the leopardess. “I grew wings and decided to land up here in this tree, on this particular branch,” he called back, utterly sarcastic. Zusa frowned, clearly not appreciating such a tone. “I see,” she returned, “then you must be happy where you are currently. I would offer you a way down, but since you can fly and the like, I suppose I’ll just leave you be.” That being said, Zusa made a show of turning around and deliberately walking away from Galen.
“No, wait!” He called to her, frantic. “I was just trying to be funny. Please, how can you get me down from here?” Galen wasn’t entirely sure he should trust another leopard with his well-being when it was because of another he’d found himself in this precarious situation, but upsetting circumstances called for dire requests, and he found himself in need of assistance even if it meant accepting help from another leopard.
Zusa approached the hare once more. “I can climb the tree and bring you down in my mouth,” she offered, rising up on her hind feet to rest her forepaws on the bark of the tree. “That’s the only idea I have, you’re more than welcome to offer suggestions of your own.” She didn’t want to hurt the hare; they were stringy and too much work for such a small meal. Besides, she was full from breakfast.
Galen couldn’t help but look apprehensive at her offer. “In your mouth,” he whined, clearly unhappy with the prospect. No matter how he looked at the situation he was at the mercy of one leopard or another; he’d rather take his chances, truth be told.
“I can’t see how else you would safely find your way to the ground,” Zusa commented. “It isn’t like you have a good grasp with your fingers, nor is my fur long enough for you to hold on to. And believe me, I’ve never enjoyed the taste of hare, I assure you. You are completely safe.” Frowning, she tried to think of a way to put him at ease. “I am Zusa, by the way.” Introductions were a good ice-breaker.
“I am Galen,” the hare muttered, weighing his options. There weren’t many. Either accept Zusa’s help, wait to be eaten by the other leopard, or jump and pray he didn’t kill himself.
“Now we are friends,” Zusa continued, “And I assure you, Galen, I would never eat a friend.” She hoped that put him at ease. All she really wanted to do was help the poor creature, but he seemed so untrusting. She supposed he couldn’t be blamed.
Remaining silent for a long while, Galen nodded, “Alright, alright.” He cautiously moved away from the apex of the branch and tree trunk, giving Zusa room to maneuver. Having done so, he patiently waited for the leopardess to make her move. Zusa moved into a crouch, springing up into action. Her sharp claws dug into the soft bark of the tree, seeking purchase so that she might pull herself upwards. It didn’t take long for her to seat herself next to the skittish hare, offering him a smile so as to sooth any doubts he might have about her intentions. “Now, I promise not to close down too rough on you, Galen. Let’s get you out of this tree.”
Begrudgingly Galen allowed her to pick him up in her teeth. She was surprisingly gentle, Galen had to admit, and for that he was thankful. It didn’t take long for him to find himself safely on the ground once more, although a bit damper than he was before. “Thank you,” he muttered, fighting the urge to furiously groom himself.
“You’re welcome,” Zusa chirped back cheerfully. “I’ll let you be to collect yourself, but it was a pleasure to meet you.”
“I suppose it was nice to meet you as well,” the hare grunted as he watched her warily. He resisted the urge to maniacally groom himself until he’d taken his leave, hiding under a bush far, far away from the cursed tree.