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Today was her lucky day. It had to be. How else would there have been a tiny pack of antelope with a few old members just waiting for her at the watering hole? It was destiny, Baridi thought with a chuckle as she dragged the dead antelope back to the tree where she had left Gunju with his injured paw. Thankfully this antelope was pretty old and was fairly small, otherwise she would have had trouble bringing it back. Despite its size, she knew there would be more than enough food to split between the two of them, and probably enough to hold Gunju over for a day or two. She could hoist it up into the tree for him so he didn't have to worry about scavengers.

A few minutes later and she found herself at the base of the tree. She let go of the antelope's neck and it flopped to the ground between herself and Gunju. "I must have done something right for the gods to basically give this to us," she said with a laugh as she licked her muzzle clear of any blood. Or most of the blood. There was some she couldn't quite reach, but grooming after the meal would take care of that.

"And as long as we don't gorge ourselves on it, you should be fine for a few more days with what remains. By then your paw should be healed up enough to at least catch a few small prey. Give it a week or two and you'll be right as rain."

Baridi laughed softly as Gunju commented on his luck. "Indeed. Who knows what shape you might be in by the time that foot is healed up if you couldn't hunt for a week. This should help, though," she added as she pawed at the dead animal at her feet. She honestly was very proud of herself for being able to deliver to her momentary friend like this. It was the first herd she had seen in a while. Then again, this place was rather plentiful as far as water and vegetation went. Perfect for prey animals.

She looked up just in time for Gunju to clean up her face a bit for her. She laughed quietly and glanced away, slightly embarrassed and slightly flattered for his help. "Thank you," she said, lifting a paw to help rub the blood out of her fur. "I expect there will be a lot more of that later. But please, help yourself," she said, moving her paw towards the kill. "I wouldn't want to keep you waiting to eat if you're hungry."

Baridi laughed softly at the thought of a skeleton hunting. A skeleton with fur, even. She doubted he would starve, but it would certainly feel like it to go for so long without a nice meal. Thankfully that wouldn't be the case.

"Right, a good idea. Then we'll just have to drag ourselves up there along with it," she joked as she let him take the first few bites. He needed it more than her, after all. It was important to have lots of food and water and rest when injured so the body could heal as quickly and properly as it could.

"Oh no, there was no trouble at all. No sight of any lions," she said with a nod. "I kept an eye out for them, but all that seemed to be around was lots of prey. They all looked pretty calm, so I figured if there was a group of rouges roaming around they'd be a bit jittery."

She moved forward after that to take a few bites of the carcass, licking her muzzle as she pulled back to keep herself somewhat clean.

Baridi bent down to eat a bit more, making sure to leave more than enough room for Gunju since this was, after all, his meal. She'd be able to hunt again tomorrow if she needed to, but he'd be stranded in this tree for a few days more. It would be horribly rude of her to eat more than her fair share.

She laughed softly as she sat up, shaking her head slightly. "Oh no, no one is waiting for me. I'm not really going anywhere. Just walking to see where it takes me. I'm not really one for prides...I'd rather be free to roam and meet new and interesting individuals...like yourself," she added with a nod of her head in the other leopard's direction before she started to clean up her face and paws.

"And I wouldn't call it 'stuck with you'," she added as she paused in her grooming. "You're good company and so far we've had no problems keeping a conversation going. The past few felines I've run into have been horrible as far as conversation starters...or keepers."

Not that that was their fault, of course. Some were born to talk - like her - and some were born to listen. Thankfully Gunju seemed to be another 'born to talk' type. She felt a bit awkward sometimes when her partner for the day would just sit and not contribute to the conversation at all.

Satisfied with the state her fur was in, Baridi ceased cleaning her face and paws. She'd probably get a bit bloody again as she dragged the carcass up into the tree, but that would be easily dealt with. She wanted to remain presentable in the presence of her companion for the sake of keeping clean, but also because she was starting to get the feeling that his flirty words might have a more serious connotation. There was no harm in making subtle advances, of course, but with the constant comments she was beginning to wonder if he wanted a bit more out of her than a simple meal.

"Oh yes, some strangers can be simply horrible," she agreed, lowering her eyes for just a moment before glancing up somewhat shyly. "And then there's the ones that make you glad you decide to be a nomad."

She had never spent the night with a male before, but she was certainly old enough to do so. And Gunju had been so kind, and she did feel badly about his paw...he was quite charming and fairly attractive as well, so where would the harm be? It would make his day, possibly his week as well. Hopefully she was reading his suggestive comments correctly.

The look in Gunju's eyes and the tone in his voice let Baridi know he was interested in a bit more than a meal and a friendly chat. Had he been rude or ungrateful she certainly would have turned him down and gone on her merry way, but he had been very kind and obviously thankful for her efforts.

"Oh, yes, let me do that," she said as she stood and took a firm hold on what remained of the kill. She backed up to the tree and sunk her claws into the soft bark, climbing up a few limbs so it was far enough off the ground so that a hungry lion or persistent hyena wouldn't be able to get it. She secured it where the branch and the trunk met before leaping down, landing softly beside the other green leopard.

"I think that will do," she said, cleaning her muzzle with a paw quickly. "I do hope you'll be able to climb up the extra limbs."

Baridi tilted her head as she waited for Gunju to finish his thought, her tail flicking with curiosity. Once his voice carried up to the branch she was on, she knew her suspicions were correct. She was quiet for a while as she weighed her options now that she knew he really was propositioning her. He really was a sweetheart, what with warning her of the dangerous lions that were roaming around. And he was quite handsome...

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," she murmured quietly, green eyes lowered in mild embarrassment. No male had ever spoken like this to her before, after all, so it was both exciting and nerve-wracking. She hopped down from the limb she was on, landing lightly on her feet beside the other leopard. Her eyes still cast down, she lifted her head just a bit to risk a peak at Gunju.

"Are you sure it's something you're up to doing? I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself further." Of course, knowing her, if he did end up hurting himself more she'd stick around a few days to help him out, especially if she did this 'favor' for him.

Baridi had to laugh at the innuendo. Of course she hadn't meant having it hurt like that, but the comment had gotten her flustered a bit. She glanced away shyly, wondering if she should really go through with this. It was tempting, she had to admit. Really, what could the downside possibly be? There would be a chance of cubs...but...well, it was worth the risk.

"I'm sure your pride will remain perfectly in tact," she said as she got up and moved to bump her head against Gunju's uninjured leg, a little smile on her face. "All right...I suppose I can humor you for the evening."

FIN