Kijani was a quiet cheetah. He was a prime example of his species, reclusive, skittish and with a tendency to chirp rather than to speak a hello. He kept to himself, even now that he was in a pride and often went out on his own. That was what he had decided to do, after all. As a Gacheru, he was allowed to leave the pride's territory whenever he pleased, which was often. Before coming to the Isoba, he was used to some background noise, whether it was the distant sound of hyenas cackling or a wild dog's howl. Simply hearing the breeze touch the grass wasn't enough and so he went out to enjoy the sights and sounds past the borders of his new pride.
There had been a lot of newcomers besides himself recently, he noticed. There were other leopards and cheetahs, which he found himself pleased by, even if he didn't associate with them. It wouldn't matter what he did, he told himself, he would always be too shy and they would always be too bold to approach. He would just have to go about his business on his own in the pride. Not that there was anything wrong with solitude, of course.
AgeofTwilight
