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Sonu lay on the grass, exhaustion having brought his body down. For what seemed the longest time he had been digging the dirt out from beside one of the rock’s framing the entrance to his den. A lot of digging in fact. Also a lot of pushing on said rock. Finally he had managed to shift it over enough to allow entrance to the leopardess who was not going to leave, not with Sonu having all her golden gems within his home. As much work as it had been to shift the rock it seemed the lesser of two evils. Either he let her stay with him, and the gems, or she would likely fight to get them back, and Sonu liked that idea a lot less than the idea of her hanging around.

“Done!” He spat out, rolling on to his side, which heaved heavily as lay there. He was so tired now, and a good nap seemed such a nice idea. However as much as he wanted to sleep he also did not want to leave the leopardess unchecked in his home, so he fought off sleep as he kept his purple eyes locked on her.

Sonu watched her closely from his spot on the ground as she entered his cave and moved one of his rocks from where he had placed it. “Yes, a shame.” He replied, pushing himself back up to his feet. Further in went the leopardess until she curled up on top of the gems. So she was going to sleep on them. That made it harder to sneak them away later. He could find another stash to add them to, one located elsewhere, but it would be harder to do with her lying atop them for sure.

Now though his mind fell elsewhere, to water. All that work had certainly made the dark cheetah thirsty, but to get something to drink would mean leaving her behind. His favored watering hole may not have been too far a trek, but it was far longer than he wanted to leave this female in his den. He could return and find all his things missing, along with her, and that was a risk he was currently unwilling to take. “You must be thirsty.” He finally spoke, trying to sound nonchalant. “It must have been a far trek from wherever you came from. I know water nearby. Possibly a meal there too.” He indicated the direction with a turn of his head.

“Agreed then.” Sonu nodded. At least this way he could keep this leopardess close so she couldn’t take his things. Maybe if he was lucky he could lose her at some point, leave her out in the savannah away from his home and sneak back. However their current destination was far too close for such a plan to work, unless Mok’velli had the worst sense of direction imaginable, and he doubted himself so lucky.

“Come then.” He spoke, waiting for the leopardess to exit his den before he started to walk. Sonu did not mind walking ahead of her, in fact a bit of distance between the two was probably a smart idea. Who knew if she might suddenly lash out, trying to remove him so she could have all of his things. This way if she tried anything he could most likely outrun her. “Water isn’t far, food should be close too. It’s a quiet place, prey likes to drink there because of this.”

The prospect of expanding his collection was certainly a tempting one, but who were they to steal from? Sonu glanced around, in case this sudden desire to steal had sprung from the fact there was someone nearby, but he couldn’t see anyone, at least not anyone in the immediate area. He knew there were likely others around, he had even seen a few himself, however there was certainly no guarantee they had anything worth taking.

But that also didn’t mean that they didn’t have anything. The black cheetah slowed his pace, glancing back at Mok’velli. “50/50, you say?” If they had something then getting half was better than his current deal, which was not having any the possible shinies. “Deal. We split what we find. But we have to find first.” The current thought swept across his mind. New shinies to add to his collection, perhaps even really good ones too. “Not going to be so easy to find though, not many others living around here. Travelers perhaps, if we are lucky. Do see those.”

The black cheetah fell silent, mulling over his own thoughts. “Could split up, check those living close. Check travelers if we see them.” /His interests in the idea had taken his thoughts away from the possibility of Mok’velli sneaking back to take his things. It just seemed a logical plan. If they split up and both found shinies, then that meant more shinies for both of them. More shinies for him. Sonu liked that idea very much.

Sonu paused. More? In their group, did she mean? His tail flicked unhappily at the thought. More thieves around meant his own treasures were at a higher risk of being taken, but it also meant that perhaps they could haul in more treasure than just the two of them, and maybe even bigger and better things. But the idea of stealing from a pride sounded risky whether it was just the two of them or not. Travelers were one thing, they moved around a lot, would likely move on after giving up a search, but prides were usually stationary groups, being so would allow them more time to search for a possible thief. “Risky.” He said, gaze shifting from their surrounding to Mok’velli. “Possible gain, could be great, but still quite risky.”

They would have to be careful, very much so, and the risk only felt worth it if it was a sure thing, or near enough to it. “Fine. No action yet, just look. We should make sure there is something worth taking before be make a move, otherwise we get caught for nothing, not worth it.”

Sonu was mildly taken aback by the idea of stealing cubs, but couldn't completely argue with the idea. Little ones would be more easy to teach and control than an adult, and likely wouldn't have as many complaints, though the idea of eating them was not one he found at all appealing. "Yes, cubs would do well. Smaller, harder to see. If found out less likely that harm would befall them." It was a good idea, one he would think further upon.

The compliment did not go unnoticed, though he chose to simply smile in response. "Good, yes. Search, be stealthy. If either find anything we shall share information. Meet back when the sun falls below the ground." With that he was off, the idea of future treasures filling his mind.