The Jaded Leopard

Prolouge

It was a typical market day in the small village off the Verkhoyansk mountain range in Russia. Despite it being early in the morning, the stalls were already bustling with people selling a wide range of wares, from potatoes to expensive jewelry. Buyers admired the wares at each stall, and occasionally haggle with a seller, bargaining for a lower price before finally agreeing on a price that suited both buyer and seller; they'd shake hands, the buyer would pay the seller, then take the item in their shopping bag and walk along to the next stall. Chickens squawked angrily in cages, goats bleated in makeshift pens, and vibrant colors burst out from every corner as market day began.

A middle-aged woman hurried through the bustling crowd, a small girl trailing after her, clutching the woman's hand. "Hurry, Irina, we need to go to the grocer to buy the best vegetables before the only ones left are the bruised and ugly ones." The woman said softly, pulling on her daughter's hand. Irina made a face at the thought of bruised eggplant for dinner. She soon slowed, however, to admire some Russian nesting dolls. The seller of the dolls, noticing the girl's interest, rubbed his hands slightly. Here he could make a sale. "Just 600 rubles! A great price, you'll see, compared to those of other stalls." He looked disdainfully at another man selling nesting dolls a few stalls down, then looked back up at the woman.

"Not today, sorry. We need to go to the grocer's. Keep up, Irina!" Kora tugged on her daughter's hand again, and Irina followed obediently, weaving her fragile little body between the thick crowd, which seemed to have grown.

Kora soon found the grocer's, and, as she haggled over the price of a head of lettuce, Irina let her attention wander to the stall next door, covering her face shyly with some of her dark hair as she observed the jewelry the elderly woman sold.

The seller was a dumpy old woman, her skin darkened by the sun and her hair as gray as the fur of an old goat. Her sharp brown eyes soon picked out the child watching timidly from the next stall, and motioned her closer. "Come, child, I won't bite." She rasped.

Irina edged closer to hear the woman better.

The woman smiled. She adored children, and often lowered her prices so that a young mother could buy her little girl a bracelet. "Well, why is such a beautiful little girl hiding behind all that hair?"

Irina hurriedly tucked her hair behind her ears, though a few strands escaped and fell in front of her eyes again. Kora had always taught her to respect her elders and obey them.

The elderly woman smiled softly. "There, that's better! What's your name?"

"Irina. I'm turning eleven soon." Irina said proudly, clasping her hands behind her back and swaying slightly.

"Eleven? Why, how grand! I do believe a fine young girl like you does deserve some jewelry for her eleventh birthday."

Kora at that moment glanced over as she bagged her purchases, and a smile spread across her lips, seeing Irina speaking shyly with the old woman. All the woman in the village knew the old lady. Not one woman in the village had not bought one of her wares, or had been at the receiving end of the lady's kindness. She was well respected in the village, and it made Kora proud to see her daughter overcoming her fear of strangers to speak to the old woman.

Irina smiled shyly again and glanced around the table. One bracelet caught her eye. It was a beautifully made silver bracelet in the form of a snow leopard creating a circular band. It was obviously made with great care, and the band was so thin and delicate Irina feared it may break, yet with a gentle strength that somehow, she knew that even a boulder could not break it. The leopard's eyes glittered with two tiny sapphires.

The old woman, whose name was Gema, noticed Irina admiring the leopard bracelet. "Ahh." She murmured softly, picking up the bracelet. "This is a special one. I just picked it up from a jewelry trader from up north. I was lucky to get it." She glanced up at Irina, who was still eyeing the bracelet, dark eyes shining softly. "There is great legend surrounding this bracelet, the legend of the Jaded Leopard. Aye, the bracelet is not made of jade," The old woman continued, seeing Irina's look of confusion, "But it is said that when angered, the eyes of the jaded leopard will turn from a bright sapphire to a powerful jade color."

Irina stepped closer, interested. This was a story she had not heard.

Gema pulled up a stool. "I suppose you shall want to hear this tale- but it is quite long, I must warn you."

"I don't care." Irina said, eyes glowing at the prospect of a story. She sat down on the stool. Kora, too, stepped closer, and, Gema, noticing the surreptitious movement, winked, as if telling the mother not to worry. "You go along on your shopping, Kora, I will take care of her."

Kora smiled and nodded her gratitude. "Be good, Irina." She said, planting a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "I'll be back soon." And thus Kora soon disappeared, weaving into the crowd, off to finish her errands.

"Now," Gema said, turning to Irina again, " The tale of the Jaded Leopard goes back to a time many years ago before the leopards became so rare, hunted and killed off by men...."