Tailtiu followed the young leopard closely. He was one of the priest. Such an interesting rank, Tailtiu thought as she matched his pace. She always thought the pride lacked good looking leopards. However Zamiec was a lovely example of how the pride could have more good looking leopards.
The first time she had seen him was when she was practicing her dancing. She enjoyed dancing more then anything else in the world, well other then admiring leopards. It was the only reason she had become an entertainer. Unlike the other entertainers, she couldn't get clients to fall for her by using her charm. If they didn't enjoy her company why should she change who she was to make them happy?
That said, she did have clients who requested her company. Not as many as the other entertainers, but she still had some use.
She kept her eyes on the pale leopard. He had never visited the entertainers den. It was a shame. She was curious what his type was. She never kept it a secret that she fancied leopards over cheetahs. If she had fancied a cheetah, things would have been easier for her. There were a lot of single male cheetahs in the pride. Her mother had introduced her to many in hopes of combining the family into already existing families in Nera.
However Tailtiu made it clear to her mother that she had no intention of marrying someone that she didn't love. And the fact was that she would never love a cheetah. Leopards were her thing.
But sadly most leopards in the pride were either taken or not interested. It was becoming a real thorn in her side. Outside the pride there were plenty of lovely leopards, a lot of whom enjoyed her company. Here though, she could hardly say something before getting told to go away. She let out a sigh as she continued to follow Zamiec.
So far she hadn't really had a chance to talk to him. Only say hello a couple times but never had she had a real conversation with him. There were times like today where she would happily follow him in hopes he would notice her. But so far they had little to no connection.
It wasn't like he didn't notice her follow him, Zamiec though as he glanced in the corner of his eye to see Tailtiu. He just didn't want to make her feel awkward about it. What she was doing was strange behavior for any member of the pride, let alone a young entertainer. She was bound to make pride members talk with this act. It would be made worse if he talked to her and asked her to stop.
In this pride rumors were like fire. They spread quickly without worrying what they hurt. Zamiec did not want any rumors about him spreading through the pride.
And yet, this was going to far. She had followed him from the shrine to his den so many times. He could hardly believe it. She was like clock work. There had to be something more important for her to do.
He knew a little bit about her. A single cheetah, with a two sisters, one being a hybrid. Her mother was constantly out of the pride as an informant. Sometimes she takes her daughters with her.
That was all the information about her he knew. He didn't want to know anymore. They had briefly talked, just greeting each other, nothing more. And yet here he was, feeling her stalk him.
He wasn't worried about his personal well being. The pride had trained him how to fight. He could defend himself in most situations. Plus he was sure if she had ill intent she would have done something by now.
He slowed down his pace and looked around. No one was around. He stopped and turned around. Tailtiu was a few feet around him. She quickly ducked behind a rock when he turned around. “Tailtiu, why are you following me?” He said.
She had a moment of panic. In stint took hold and she hid behind a rock. When he talked to her, she felt her heart race. His voice was so gentle. “Tailtiu isn't here.” She said, hoping he would turn around and continue his walk. She knew it wouldn't work, but she could always hope. After a moment of silence, she peeked around the rock, only to see him staring at her. Her ears folded back and she could feel herself get embarrassed.
“Oh. Hello Zamiec. How are you today?” She said with a small smile.
“Tailtiu. Why are you following me?” He repeated. He was going to put an end to this. It was annoying and unwanted.
She looked away from his gaze. “I wasn't following you... I was heading toward the stream.” She explained. Why was he questioning her? Couldn't he just go on his way and she could make her escape? “Sorry if I distracted you. I do that sometimes.”
He was almost speechless. Was she actually denying the fact that she was following him? He couldn't understand what she was thinking. “If you're going to the stream it is the completely other direction.” He said calmly.
“Is it? I've been going the wrong way this whole time. Thanks for directing me toward the correct way.” She let out a yawn and stepped closer to him. Gentle she rested her head on his shoulder. “It's really to late for me to find the stream now though and my den is so far. I would hate to travel there alone.”
If she could just spend time with him, she knew that he would realize how amazing she was. He would fall head over hills in love with her. His days would be spent thinking of her as he did his priestly duties. And then he would return to their den and tell her about his day. He would never be jealous of the cheetahs she entertained, because he would trust her, like he should.
They would be the perfect couple. All other couples in the pride would be envious.
She snapped back when she felt his body move.
“I will walk you to your den, but then I am going straight to mine and you will not follow me.” He was getting a headache from this conversation. It was like talking to a cub. A cub that refused to listen. Zamiec never allowed himself to have attention drawn to himself. With Tailtiu around, he felt that others might notice him. “Come on lets go.”
He didn't want anymore of his time wasted.
“Zamiec. I don't want you to tire yourself out like that. We could just go to your den-” She said hopefully.
Before she could continue he cut her off. “Then you would have to walk to your den alone. And you said you wouldn't do that.”
She shook her head. “I... I could spend the night at your den? I would sleep at the complete other end of the den. I wouldn't be anywhere near you. You wouldn't even know I was there. And in the morning I would leave before you woke up. It would be like I wasn't even there.” She looked at him with her most innocent expression. If he did agree, she knew she could get him to like her.
Zamiec let out a sigh. “Do you know how quickly rumors will spread if I let you stay in my den? I cannot afford that attention. It might be normal for your rank to have others whisper about you. But it's something I do not want to happen to me.”
Tailtiu felt her fur stand on end. She wasn't one who got mad. There wasn't anything that could draw that emotion from her. However this was the closest she had ever come to being angry. “I enjoy being an entertainer. Others may talk bad about me behind my back, but I am glad I chose this rank. If the other members want to whisper and string their little tales, why should I bother caring? I know the truth. And those I care about would believe me before they believe anyone else.”
It annoyed her that he cared about what others thought. The thought that being around her would ruin his reputation made her sick. “I think I'll be fine walking alone. Sorry I bothered you. I'll be sure to remember where the stream is next time.”
With that, Tailtiu went on her way.
For a moment Zamiec just stood there, wondering what he should do. Letting out another sigh, he headed back to his den. This was a situation he could deal with later.
WC: 1,459
