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It was a rough day, so far. Crouching low in the tall, thin grass, paws pressing firmly, but silently, against the dry, grainy dirt terrain, Heiko trained his light rose colored orbs on his prey, not daring to move a muscle as the head of the gazelle lifted, sniffing the air, ears twitching about. This would be his prey to stalk of the day. The thought irritated him, causing his tail to twitch only the slightest bit. The gazelle twitched. Heiko stilled his movements. His fur was warm against his body as the sun bared down on him though, he wasn't bothered in the least bit. This was normal weather and if the need to feed hadn't occurred, he would have chosen a nice, flat rock to laze about on, bathing in the heat.

The gazelle, seeming to think it was safe, lowered it's head to resume grazing on the grass. The male jaguar took his time, eyes watching closely for body signs. He took a cautious step forward. He was not yet in pouncing distance. His first attempt of hunting of the day was clearly his fault. He had been too impatient to wait, too much in a hurry to sink his teeth into the black and white flesh of the zebra. The other two times, however, the wind had changed directions, coincidentally give his prey a nose full of his scent. It took all he could to not growl at the reminder of that as he pressed the thoughts to the back of his mind, taking a few steps forward.

He was now close enough to jump. Crouching down low, his muscles bunches up and tensed, he was just about to spring forward when, suddenly, two more gazelle galloped out from behind a cropping of rocks, alarming his current target into motion. Heiko, quite aware that his food was getting away once again, let out a snarl and pounced, just missing the gazelle. Unwilling to give up, he set after it, legs thundering against the ground. His neck stretched forward as he gained more ground, shortening the distance between him and the galloping antelope. He almost had it. He pressed harder against the ground, pouncing, claws fully unsheathed and with full intent to sink them within the flanks of the hoofed animal. His mouth fell open in preparation to bite down on anything he could get a hold of. Heiko felt his claws just barely graze the warm backside before dirt and dust was kicked up into his face, a hoof catching him in the jaw.

Slightly stunned, the jaguar was forced to stop his pursuit and, after working his mouth several times, let out an angry growl as he realized that once again, his prey had gotten away. Muttering under his breath, he glowered his eyes in the direction of the gazelle, who had gained too much ground to even consider continuing the hunt, before. Heiko let out a sigh then, shaking his white and pink furred body, before trotting back to the rock cropping. He would take a small break. His irritation was obviously getting to him and, if he didn't calm down, it would be a day before he would catch anything. Lopping back to the rocks, he hopped up to a spot with just a bit of shading before stretching out upon the rough surface. He would relax until the sun reached high in the sky, he promised himself.

Heiko rolled over on his back, staring up at the clouds unwavering, and was just about to doze when the noise reached his ears. His nose twitched. Something was close by... Really close. Scowling, he rolled over onto his side before sniffing lightly in the air, ears fluttering to catch more sounds. Smelling the faint odor of a leopard, he gathered his feet underneath him, crouching low. Inching across the hot stone, the male feline peered over the edge, light rose orbs zeroing in on the other feline.

He was, at first, very impressed by the fur wrap around his neck, though a logical part of him critiqued that it was much to hot for that accessory. His eyes then took in the rest of the leopard, marveling over the markings before frowning and looking at the wrap again. He really did like it.

Deciding it was high time to make an introduction and to inquire why the male had trekked over to this specific crop of rock, he hopped down onto a lower rock before landing on the hard, cracked ground. Heiko's eyes regarded the other with suspicion and it was quite clear by the way he kept his back well guarded that he didn't trust the others intentions. In the Rogue Lands, that could certainly lead to wounds or worse. After observing for another moment, he finally inclined his head in greeting, eyes trained on the other steadily.

"Is there something you want?" He blurted out and immediately bit his tongue on how rude his tone was. He didn't want to come off as mean. He was cautious, yes, but he had manners. And yet, at the present moment, it seem to have deserted him. He decided to make amends for what he said by showing some hospitality. "Erm... nice fur wrap." He commented lamely, ears going down at his sudden awkwardness and decided to hurrily add, "Isn't it a bit too hot, though?"

What a strange leopard... Heiko stared at him blankly for a while, disbelief etching across his features when the darker male stated it wasn't hot. "Uh-huh..." He really couldn't stop the skeptic look that crossed his face; he was sweating in his own fur and he was expected to believe the other wasn't sweating under two?

Flexing his claws, he frowned at the aches. Today had been too long and the distances too far. His ears perked up at a bit of noise and he swung his head in the general direction, ears folding as he spotted more gazelle galloping off. Damn beast... Heiko's ears perked back up as the leopard spoke spoke again and he swung his attention back to his sudden company. "Mmm, I wouldn't know. I don't usually carry things on me." He gave the pelt an appraising look once more.

He was about to look else where once more, hoping to spot some prey, when the darker feline commented on the gazelle, startling Heiko. Abashed, he sputtered for a moment, tripping over words to try and explain it. "Yes, well the noise- It had been a long- Damn sensitive hearing- Gah. Yeah. But it got a way." Heiko shook his head in frustration before suddenly grinning, flashing off his pearly whites. "You wouldn't happen to know where a waterhole would be? I'm new to this particular part. I usually stay near where I had called home and well... Change of scenario." Heiko stopped rambling, frowning. Was it necessary for him to blurt out an explaination?

Goodness, the heat was getting to him, it seemed. "I'm Heiko, by the way." He paused, waiting for a name to go with the darker stranger.

Well, he’s a happy one. Heiko noted sarcastically, noticing the frown. He kept up his smile, however forced that it was. He be damned if he was going to piss of his, currently, only source of direction. When the other spoke, his ear flickered just a bit. Eager to boot. It was becoming increasingly hard to continue smiling.

“You suppose?” He asked lightly, albeit just a bit tightly. The sun was making him parch and water was becoming an increasingly important factor. Because of which, his fuse was becoming continually short. He was half tempted to ditch the reluctant, pelt brandishing feline and try his luck at searching for it himself.

When the male gave his name, without complaint or being vague, the grin became sincere. Ah, finally, they were getting somewhere. “Well, Raaze, would you be so kind as to show me the way?” he asked, walking forward as though to give a little prod; hopefully, he trotted in the right direction.

“So, bad day or are you usually rather, well, socially awkward?” Heiko mused, attempting to keep his voice with a bit of jest, though he was genuinely curious. “Not that I have a problem with it, of course; I mean, who am I to whine about a guy who’s helping me out?” the pink leopard hurried to add, realizing that maybe, just maybe, the other could take socially awkward the wrong way.