Kubwa'Jazi: [x]
Rei
Rei had been walking for hours. He was exhausted and moody, finding that with each new step he took, his mind grew blanker. The sun had disappeared behind the distant mountains not too long ago but already he could see all traces of light disappearing from the landscape and the low dark clouds threatened to bring down a flood soon. He needed to find some cover so he’d been heading in the direction of a small cluster of trees in the distance. He wasn’t looking for company – actually, contrary to his personality, he very much wanted to be left alone right now.
Jazi
In contrast, Kubwa‘Jazi was feeling rather content. A warm night, one good meal, a tall tree to rest in and keep the leftovers… what more could a young leopard ask for? From his high perch, he watched as the lion moved closer to his location without really worrying about the orange feline. He felt safe on the branch. Lions rarely climbed trees, after all, and it was unlikely one of them would show any sort of interest in doing so.
As far as Jazi was concerned, they didn’t really need to. A male lion was usually strong enough to always keep his four paws on firm ground. The leopard yawned quietly, thoroughly unmotivated to take any further action.
Rei
The orange lion sighed as he reached the base of the tree. It was tall but some of the lower branches were easier to climb than it had appeared at first and the dense foliage would provide good cover that would guarantee a safe and uneventful night… at least that’s what Rei believed as he proceeded to climb it.
Lately all he’d seen were troublesome – though cute, he admitted – cubs and red-eyed females that reminded him of Mzuza. It was impossible to forget the time he’d spent in the Pridelands and move on when the smallest thing could trigger a memory he was trying to suppress. Hopefully, a dreamless night could ease the growing tension he felt inside.
Jazi
The young leopard was about to say something to the lion below when he realized the orange shape was actually climbing up to meet him. He could always climb higher and out of reach but the lion didn’t seem aggressive... actually, the leopard wasn’t even sure he had been noticed yet. Still, Jazi was still startled by the sudden approach.
“Hey… what are you…” he started slowly, fur standing on end instinctively when the distance between the two felines suddenly diminished. His muscles tensed, his claws pierced the bark and his heart beat increased as he appraised the potential threat.
Rei
The voice surprised Rei, of course, who suddenly realized he was not really alone. It was deep and masculine which caused the orange lion to become instantly alert, finally noticing the scent of leopard around him.
Startled, the lion growled loudly as he looked up for the other cat, whirling around clumsily on the lowest tree branch, one of his back paws quickly sliding off from under his body. Before he could fall, Rei pushed up and regained his balance,
Jazi
Though perfectly calm at first, the lion’s reaction was instantly mirrored in the young leopard who suddenly realized he was nearly face-to-face with a much larger feline. With a nasty hiss, Kubwa’Jazi dropped gracefully to a lower branch and, leaning down, swiped at the air between the two large cats. He growled, trying to make himself look bigger and menacing, intent on driving the lion out of the tree he had claimed for the night. A part of him did wonder if the orange lion was really a threat or if they were both just startled and over-reacting but Rei was far too big for the leopard to dismiss. On the ground, a grown lion could easily kill Jazi if he so desired and the young leopard didn’t really want to take any chances.
Rei
When the leopard reacted in what could be considered a less than friendly way (his mind instantly registered the leopard as a menace), Rei clumsily attempted to take one step back, momentarily forgetting his current location. The result was none other than a rather undignified fall with a lot of scratching and struggling involved and it ended with a loud thud as the orange lion hit the ground.
Rei moaned, lost in a dazed state for a few moments and only by remembering the potential danger did he manage to sit back up. His head, however, was still lowered and he was clearly trying to regain his bearings.
Jazi
After the initial feeling of accomplishment, brief as it was, the young leopard couldn’t help to feel a little sorry for the lion - now that he was the only one in the safety of the tall tree. Silently, Jazi dropped to the lowest branch and eyed the orange shape below inquisitively.
After one long silence, the young leopard finally spoke up.
“Hey… are you alright?” he waited for the lion to reply but no answer came, Jazi slowly proceeded to climb down from the tree. He stayed glued to the trunk, ready to bolt at the smallest hint of aggression from the larger feline.
Rei
Rei looked up when something landed close to him, slowly realizing the great threat was nothing more than a young leopard who wasn’t even fully-grown. A misunderstanding, then. Or rather, thinking back on what had happened, it was clear it was more of an overreaction mostly on his part… at first.
“I’m fine. Not the first time I’ve fallen, I’m afraid.” Rei made a small attempt at humor to lighten up the air between them even though the leopard looked surprisingly calm. “Sorry for startling you. I though the tree was unoccupied. Windy day, I guess.”
Jazi
“Ah, good. It was quite a fall.” The leopard stated sounding concerned – he had never fallen off a tree but he could guess the damage one could sustain from such an accident.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” he moved just a little closer, reassured by the openness and serenity of the large orange lion. “I have some gazelle leftovers up there. They’re not very fresh but there’s meat on them. I don’t mind if you want to rest in the tree. There’s plenty of space.”
Rei
“Ah… no, thank you.” Rei said quickly, standing up and stretching his muscles tentatively. It was rather embarrassing to have a smaller, younger feline drive him out of a tree and then show enough concern to actually offer his food and his tree to the lion who had nearly tried to bite his head off just a few moments before. Standing down here so close, the kid was a bit too trusting, wasn’t he?
“Really I’m fine. I’m not really hungry.” He shook the dust off his body and smiled a little before setting off to find a new place to spend the night. “Sorry for the trouble. Good night.”
Jazi
“Alright then.” Jazi said quietly as he watched the lion with keen eyes almost as if trying to find a poorly concealed injury. When he failed to detect anything that would make him insist on keeping the lion around, the young leopard nodded and silently watched as the orange feline departed.
Not long after and even before Rei was out of sight, Kubwa’Jazi returned to his tree and settled himself on one of the higher branches. He had a good story to tell his family the next day.
- FIN -
