"W… who are you?" Cougar's paws shuffled against the dirt as he stepped back, the leopard's smirk stretching wider.
"What do you want from me?!" Cougar barked, but the leopard kept walking toward him.
"I… I'm warning you!"
"Warning me?" the leopard said.
"The leopard's smirk grew like a wound across his face."
Cougar's tail flicked once. Cougar's breath hitched; pride and panic tangled in his chest.
"I saw you… hanging out… with a bear?" The leopard's tongue slid over his fangs, slow and deliberate.
"I said, stay back!" Cougar growled, though his voice cracked at the edge.
Who is this leopard? What is he thinking about? is he... Cougar thought.
Cougar's claws flexed against the dirt, unsure whether to run or roar.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about! And who are you to just come here and talk to me like this?" Cougar said, his voice cracking between fear and defiance.
So he came…for him... they started moving, Cougar thought.
They were too quick he swallowed.
The leopard didn't answer right away, his eyes narrowing with quiet amusement.
"Are you fooling me, mountain lion?" the leopard said.
"You're the son of the mountain, and you're pretending you don't know?"
"The leopard's eyes narrowed, a lazy smile coiling at the corner of his mouth."
"It's just my bad… my bad for not telling the bear about attacking him."
Cougar steadied his stance, eyes locked on the leopard.
"Oh? What are you thinking about, mountain lion? Attacking me?"
"Y… yes , I'll fight you! And I'll topple your leader!" Cougar barked.
"You won't get away." Cougar's breath came slow and steady; the storm inside him barely held back.
"Ha? Do you think stopping me could prevent your friend's death?" the leopard said.
"Friend…" Cougar whispered.
Cougar's jaw clenched; a small, brittle sound escaped him , more hope than certainty.
"Meanwhile, you're with me… tens of leopards are looking for him."
"They will take his head," the leopard said.
"And make it our leader's supper," he laughed, the sound wild and cold.
"The ground chilled his paws, pulling him back to reality."
Cougar lunged at the leopard, fury bursting from his throat. "Enough already!"
Thud!
Blood trickled down his ear before he even realized he'd been hit.
"Too slow, mountain cat!" the leopard sneered.
"Do you really think you can match my speed?"
Cougar wiped the blood from his ear, his glare burning hotter than the pain.
The wind howled between them, carrying dust and tension alike.
The nearby animals watched in silence, eyes wide and unblinking.
Even the Frog of Wisdom watched, his ancient face creased in quiet disapproval.
His throat swelled once, but no sound came.
"Ahhh, who dares disturb my nap?" a nearby frog grumbled, dragging himself from the mud.
The Frog of Wisdom stayed silent, his gaze lost in the rippling water.
"They are settling something that should've stayed buried," he murmured. They're coming after you, huh… good bear, he thought.
This leopard is fast… too fast. And I've never truly fought before, Cougar breathed.
No , I have to fix my mistake before it's too late. I should go… before anyone else can!
"Here I am again!" the mountain lion roared, lunging forward.
"Come on, mountain cat! Don't disappoint me!" the leopard sneered, claws flashing.
"I'm getting bored already!" the leopard laughed as he lunged back, his claws slashing toward Cougar.
Yes , I'll beat this leopard… and find my friends!
I… I mean the ones who aren't my friends yet, he muttered, half to himself.
Cougar smiled as he rushed forward.
"What are you smiling for, huh?! What confidence you have, little cat!"
The brief smile snapped into a snarl as he closed the distance.
"Naive , you're marching to your death!"
Thud!
Both leopards' claws slammed into the mountain lion's shoulders.
He's too… how can I explain it… not just fast , he reads me before I move.
So that's how leopards fight…
Two monkeys watched from a tree.
"Hey… Dad, why isn't the mountain lion retreating even though he's dying?" the small monkey asked, peeling a banana.
"You observe too well, son — just like your dad," the father monkey said.
The father monkey kept staring at the scene unfolding.
Even for me… it's the first time I've seen a fight like this, he thought.
"I don't know exactly why he keeps fighting, but I'm sure he's protecting something he believes in," the monkey added, brushing his beard.
Pain exploded across his back, but his legs didn't falter.
Cougar staggered backward, breathing heavily.
The leopard's eyebrows furrowed once as Cougar steadied his stance.
"Not yet!"