"Not yet? Look at yourself, mountain cat. You're bleeding out," the leopard growled.
"The leopard's eyes glimmered with vicious delight, counting every wound as a victory."
Cougar's breath came ragged, his chest heaving under the weight of pain.
Still, he refused to fall.
The other animals kept watching, hesitating in tense silence.
"Not... yet..." He spat a spray of blood between his teeth, eyes blazing with stubborn fire.
The world swam for a moment, then locked again onto the leopard's smug face.
"Tch. Just to see you disrespect me as a predator," the leopard spat on the ground.
"Now it's time to take you down, you pathetic excuse for a cat!"
"I have to keep moving….. if i am a mountain cat as you say.
then.... you're just a cat.. " A low growl rumbled in Cougar's throat, more instinct than strength.
"Nonsense !" The leopard lunged at full speed.
"Now let's—" The leopard's voice cut off as his charge ended in a blur and a crack , bark splintered where his body struck.
Thud!
"W–what was that?!" The leopard lifted himself and looked around.
"You!" Cougar's eyes narrowed, instincts sharpening to a predator's edge.
A tiny monkey stepped out, trembling, a half-eaten banana clutched to his chest.
"I... I just can't take it anymore! Seeing injustice!" the small monkey cried.
"Abu, no!" the father monkey shouted, rushing toward him.
The leopard turned, frowning.
"So it was you?" The leopard's voice dropped low, dangerous. "You threw that skin at me?"
"You leopards…" the small monkey hissed, his tiny fingers clenching the banana until it slipped from his grasp.
"Always taking what you want…"
"How many lives will you take before you're satisfied?!"
"Abu, stop!" the father monkey said, too afraid to step toward his son.
The fruit hit the dirt with a soft thud , a sound far too small for such courage.
His voice trembled, but his eyes didn't waver.
"You…" Cougar rasped, his whole body shaking with the effort to stand.
I can't move anymore, he thought, feeling his strength drain with every second.
"So, you've chosen death then?" the leopard sneered.
"So, let me end you!" the leopard snarled as he lunged.
"Dad!" the small monkey whimpered, trembling but rooted to the spot.
Dust exploded beneath the leopard's paws as he launched, a blur of teeth and claws.
Time narrowed to the snap of his shoulders , everything else fell away.
"Abu!" the father monkey cried, charging forward.
Damn it! Move, you useless legs! Cougar pulled at his legs, but they refused to move.
It's all my fault!
"STOP!!!" Cougar roared, his voice cracking with desperation.
The small monkey covered his head.
Thud!
A rock struck the leopard's head, slamming into his eye.
"Who… did… THIS?!" the leopard roared, his blurred vision swimming with rage.
The small monkey rushed to his dad, crying.
"It's me!" a beaver barked, clutching rocks in both hands.
The leopard turned, his breath trembling with fury.
Cougar swallowed hard.
"DO YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME?!" the leopard bellowed.
Thud!
"Yes, we dare!" two squirrels cried, pelting him with shards of nut shell.
"Who do you think you're talking to?!" the leopard's voice tore through the air like thunder.
"Leave this land, leopard , you were never welcome." A red deer stepped forward.
Even the leopard hesitated; the power in the deer's calm presence broke through his fury.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, my friends," the deer said, smiling at the squirrels.
"I see you're wounded, mountain lion," he murmured, his voice carrying quiet respect.
"No, no… I'm just—" Cougar murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.
The red deer smiled, then turned with a frown toward the leopard.
"I don't wish to harm you, leopard , only to see peace restored. Leave, now."
"Do not order me!" the leopard snarled.
From above, a lone bird cried, "Leave the forest!" and within seconds, the canopy came alive with voices.
"Leave the forest! Leave the forest! Leave the forest! Leave the forest!"
Even Cougar joined the chant, smiling as he shouted, "Leave the forest!"
I can't... my pride won't let me! Namir... I won't betray you... I'll—!!
A roar erupted from the leopard, raw and trembling with fury.
His claws dug into the ground, torn between rage and desperation.
The animals froze, unsure whether to run or stand their ground.
"Such willpower this leopard has," the red deer murmured ; even he felt the roar shake through him.
The echo of the leopard's roar rippled through the trees, shaking loose leaves from trembling branches.
Thud!
His eyes turned pale, empty of fight, before his body sank to the ground; the roar faded into a hollow thud as his body hit the earth.
The forest fell silent for a moment.
Then, slowly, relief turned to joy.
A great cheer rose from the animals.
"Dad!" the small monkey sobbed, burying his face in his father's chest.
"It's okay, Abu , you saved us!" the father said, holding his son close.
"You're nothing like me," the father added with a proud gleam in his eye.
From the shadows, the Frog of Wisdom smiled faintly, his eyes reflecting calm understanding.
"So, the forest's conflict has come to an end, huh?" he said.
"Eh… what are you talking about?" the other frog asked.
The red deer kept staring at the leopard's collapsed body, his expression serious.
"It's not time to celebrate yet," he said, his tone cutting through the animals' murmurs.
"Not before we banish this animal!"
"And we thank the mountain lion for his br—"
"Mountain lion?" The deer's eyes scanned the clearing.
Cougar had vanished.