A cluster of towering acacia trees dotting the savanna landscape, their spreading branches providing shade and refuge for weary travelers and wildlife alike.
Life on their own was difficult, and the arrival of winter made it no better. They'd go days, sometimes even a week without substantial food, and the small critters Roxanne found here and there weren't enough anymore. She had to try for something bigger. But what?
It was as cold a day as any, and there were no herds to be found. The grass was dead, the sky was grey, and the trees were leafless. But she spotted a small group of hogs or boar around here, and she watched them now, Hiding among straggly bushes and around tree trunks. When she got close enough to one, she focused her gift of illusion to make herself appear as if she were just another hog. Just in that moment, it froze and noticed her, but made no further movement as she crept closer and closer. It's working... It's working! I just need to get close enough for a short sprint, and then I can try and topple it down.
But something happened. Some fluke in her magic. In an instant, it seemed to see her for what she truly is, and just like that, it made a mad dash. With a groan of frustration, Roxanne dashed for it, but leopards are hardly built for a drawn out chase, and the hog had much more energy than she did. She slowed to a stop, bright tail flicking in frustration as she watched the herd run away, another missed lunch. The girl sat down, regaining her breath.
Elcid moved with purpose as she parted the tall grasses of the savannah. Her steps were careless as she pressed forward through the swaying stalks. She, too, was on the hunt, but not for the same sort of food. She'd heard of an item that fell from great trees in the tall grasses of the savannah. The tree was described as impossibly large and unmistakable as it's grand, thick trunk outshined the brilliance of its thin canopy that tried to stretch far and wide. To Elcid, it just sounded like a really big tree. So, that's what she was looking for, with no real idea of its identity or location.
When she'd inquired about this tree and this item that fell from it, she learned that it was a sweet fruit, large with a hard exterior. She thought that, maybe, it was something that Zane or Dos might like. If she could find a few and bring them back to give out, she'd be happy. Plus, if she gathered a few of them, then that would give her a few husks to work with and attempt to soften and ready for enchanting. It was important to have backups, incase the first attempt failed.
There were hoof beats approaching, drawing Elcid out of her daydream and to the present. Grunting accompanied the hoof beats and Elcid stopped suddenly to crouch down low and wait for the hoof beats to pass. They came dangerously close to her, thundering past as the creature squealed, and then disappeared off into the opposite direction. It had carved a nice path right through the grasses. Elcid peeked around the edge to look and see what might have possibly startled the pig into it's sprint. She saw a predator and froze. It looked young, but so was she. If it was hunting, it might very likely come for her next if it realized that she was there. After all, she totally wasn't obvious at all with half her face peeking through the path that the boar had cut through the savannah.
For a moment, she stayed there, catching her breath and moping. Her tail curled and uncurled in frustration, the sound of the hogs' hoofbeats getting smaller and smaller. But hunger kept her on. I can't give up yet. She began to follow the trail they left behind, idling looking around as she walked back to the herd. It took a few paces before the young leopardess noticed the head of a wolf peeking from the tall grasses, and that's when she stopped to stare. Her mouth, once agape to take in more breaths, now closed with focus. A stranger in her path, and they already noticed her. The wolf was taller than her (but to be fair, a lot of things are taller than her), yet didn't seem to be the full size of a wolf. Meaning they're either young, or unusually short.
Normally, Roxanne would give them a wide berth, but she was so hungry that the idea of having another set of paws to boost her hunting success, even if the second set is a stranger, was enticing. She continued walking forward, making no attempt to hide herself, eyes clearly on the other. Assuming they didn't go away, she'd eventually stop a few yards away from them and say a simple, "Hi," even from that one word, the tone of her voice gave away her age. At only nine months old, the african leopard was skinnier and shorter than other leopards around her age, but she still kept her head high and tried to hide the apprehension on her face, tried to hide the hesitation in her voice, "Do you uh... wanna... hunt with me?"
Spotted! There was absolutely no doubt about it. If Elcid could have wished herself into vanishing, she would have in that very second. Instead, all she could bother to do was stay tucked into the grasses as low as she could. Her ears folded backwards, both in fear and strategy. Her head ducked lower to sink down level with her shoulders. Crunch, crunch the other's paw steps made as it came closer. Elcid closed her eyes, hoping it would walk past her and follow the creature that had squealed and carved the path through the grasses. Crunch crunch, crunch crunch. They suddenly stopped. Elcid's heart beat fast.
"Hi!" Her eyes snapped open and her gaze shifted to look at the leopard who stood a distance from her. Elcid's head slowly rose upwards. Maybe they weren't going to eat her after all. She was asked a question, and it was only now that Elcid realized that the other was a fair bit younger than she had originally thought. Slowly, she rose from her crouch, though her tail remained tucked. "Uh, sure?" she replied uncertainly. This was such an awkward encounter, and she wasn't sure how to handle it. She didn't even know she could talk to leopards, let alone one ask her to hunt with it. How did leopards even hunt? How did she even know it was a leopard?
As she stood from her crouch, she felt the fear slowly leaving her. Her instincts still alerted her, caution! caution! and she listened to them obediently. She wouldn't dare show her backside to this predator. "Were you hunting that thing that just ran by?" She continued to talk, trying to work past her vast misunderstanding of the stranger's original intentions, "I thought it was going to run me over."
