Boredom was not something the natural colored cheetah took lightly, and today was just as boring as any other. A sigh escaped her lips as he looked around the lands he called his home from his spot in the shade of a tree, the various wild creatures un-fazed by the appearance of a nonthreatening predator in their presence. They knew about him just as he had bothered to know about them, and in that knowledge he'd sworn to only hunt creatures that took offense against him or someone he'd cared about. That, of course, was something that happened too often when he was around, as the animals took to tormenting him on a daily basis for his lax lifestyle, even those of his own species that he'd cared to know at one point. Of course, nowadays, the only company he kept where smaller animals he'd helped when he'd left his so called friends for friendlier lands. He brought a paw to his cheek when something soft brushed his pad, curiosity allowing him the decision to pull the object from behind his ear. A small smile formed on his lips at the sight of the small brown feathers, his thoughts going back to the years ago when he'd helped someone that needed it.The little bird had been stuck on ground level from sustained injuries, and in a frenzy she panicked over building a nest so close to danger. Uhai, of course, in his kindness, offered to aid her in whatever way he could, taking sympathy in the plight of the weakened, frail little animal. And just like most prey animals, at first, she had chosen to ignore him and continue gathering twigs, bouncing along the ground in plain view in search of the perfect lengths. Unable to let her fend for herself, he had chosen to follow her at a decent distance, even going so far as to gather anything she'd dropped in her hurried searching. By the end of her strenuous gathers, Uhai had the greater amount, and the small bird had eased up on her aggression towards him. She worked away at her nest,trusting Uhai with the task of gathering small items that she described in detail, her perfectionism exactly what he needed to find what she'd wanted. Of course, the cheetah never complained, glad to be of help to someone that truly needed it.
By the end of the day, Uhai realized why the little bird had been in such a panic, as she laid three pearly white eggs in her nest, formed in the bottom of a hollowed out stump. Uhai had gladly done what he needed and had been ready to leave. But the little bird liked his company and,with her mate gone, asked him to stick around for a little longer. Obliging her wishes, he did as she asked, bringing her food when she needed it and giving his all to her for conversation. He'd grown to like that little bird, but life had decided differently how the two would go about their days. Before her eggs had even hatched, the little bird had grown healthy again, able to fly freely as high in the sky as she'd liked. Uhai couldn't help but feel a small pang at the thought of losing his friend, but she had greater priorities than a predator gone soft. As she flitted in her freedom, Uhai carefully took her nest from its' hollow and moved it as high into the branches of the nearest tree as he could, making sure his friend could see him and keep her trust with him. He planted himself at the base of the tree, wondering how leopards could manage to climb them when it had been a struggle for him to even hold the nest carefully. But the little bird was grateful to him, and offered him a few feathers to say she would always want for his company.
It was at this point that Uhai's smile had started to waver,the feathers in his paw quickly being shoved back behind his ear. He didn't like recalling what came next for his friend, but knew that he was going to start thinking of it anyway, that incident he kept picturing as something he could've changed had he stayed a little longer.
He'd gone back to visit a few days later,the boredom of his usual daily life getting him to want more of those chatty days spent with his friend. Instead, what he'd found was a massacre of his former friend and her eggs, the light of day never able to reach the chicks before they'd been eaten by some other creature. It almost brought the cheetah to tears, seeing what had become of that companion he'd admired so much and desperately sought out. He looked around for some kind of sign that something had survived, dried blood smears weighing heavy doubts in his mind until, finally, he'd given up and broken down, curling into a ball on the ground in his show of mourning for his former friend.
A cold chill rode the cheetahs' spine and he cut his recollection short, taking a moment to glance around the world he lived in as the sun started to set on the horizon. In the far off distance, he could make out the shape of what seemed to be someone, or something, in distress, their movements calling his attention like a moth to light. A warm, sympathetic smile crossed the male's face as he headed for the trouble just a little away from where the sky had started to fade from orange to dark purple and blue, ready to offer a lending paw as he always did. If he could, he would help anyone, no matter how things turned out in the end. If he didn't, what kind of pushover, weak and defenceless animal loving cheetah would he be?
Exactly.
And that's how it would be until the day he passed on.
[[Word Count: 1000 ]]
