A Darker Leopard

Chapter two: Crimson liquid

Mumma let us explore outside today. I sat in the sun and pounced on leaves. I enjoyed every moment. All was quiet untill a group of baboons raced over.

Hostile baboons would kill a cub if they saw one. The rules were that you stay with Mumma and if you can't, find a hiding place and stay perfectly still. We followed Mumma further up the rockside with my brother lagging behind. Mumma leaped onto a platform on which we could hide in the vegetation. My brother and I scrambled up to sit beside her. We were a cub short. Filled with dread, I look towards my sister who struggled to claw her way up to us. A baboon caught sight of her and sprinted toward her.

She was doomed for sure as there was no place to hide. I looked onward as the baboons drew closer. No matter how much I hated her, I simply couldn't see her be ripped apart.

Forget the rules!

I took a flying leap off the edge to her rescue. Mumma called me back only for the command to fall on deaf ears. My focus was on the baboons and my sister. Time was running out. The baboons were coming closer as I guided my sister up. I bet you she 'slipped' and kicked me in the face on purpose. I lost my footing. My ever growing hatred for her got a significant boost when she destroyed the only foothold in hope that I couldn't follow her to safety.

I landed painfully on my side. There was no other way up to the others. I felt the baboons breathing on my neck as one took a swipe at me.

I ran. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, even so, I was done for. It wasn't uncommon to loose a cub to baboons.

My keen eyes rested on a small opening in the ground. I slid inside with relative ease. My siblings definitely couldn'tve done that! I thought, if anything, my size was going to be the death of me.

A baboon reached in to grab a hold of me and I clawed at the hand. How long would I have to do this? I hid there untill the baboons lost interest and moved on. I was about to crawl out when I heared an aggressive hiss.

I was quick to spring out of the way, but the snake was fast. Its fangs sank deep into my hind leg. Of course I bit the snake back, crushing it in my jaw untill it went limp. I pried its mouth open revealing my blood stained fur with the red liquid dripping from my leg.

When I eventually did return to my family, Mumma was angry at me for breaking the rules but thankful all the same for saving my sister's life.

My sister now knows that I am harder to kill than she had first anticipated.

Author's note: for those of you wondering, I would just like to explain that I have no schedule for the publish of new chapters.