A Wise Choice
You have definitely entered into the weird part of the territories.
Before you, sprawled out in a dry clearing, lie two big cats of sorts. So colorful and tangled, you could never guess their species.
Wandering closer, you notice they are hybrids. A queen tigon and a king leopon? That would be the logical guess.
But this land is illogical, and as you catch their scent in the air, you notice it.
Definitely a mix up. Reverse of your suspicions. A tiger striped leopon and a leopard spotted tigon lie before you, mixed up in a flirting mess of limbs and playful twitching tails.
Noticing your ever creeping presence however, they both jump up immediately, startled (and embarrassed.)
The male, obviously more cautious, jumps between you and his peculiar mate.
“What made you think crossing clan borders was wise?” He growls, hair raising on his back.
More from fear than anything else, you can tell by his posture. Heh.
“Don’t be so harsh on him Tazama, you know She never keeps up with marking the borders.” The leoponess giggles at him, rubbing her head into his shoulder.
Her words were true and Tazama knew he could not blame you.
“If you come here for a fight, She will not give one. If you come here to trade, we don’t have much. And when She does give us items to sell, Her prices are.... questionable.” Tazama sighs, exasperated.
“She means well! She just doesn’t keep up with much, so her prices are a little.. wonky! That’s all!” The leoponess chimes in suddenly.
And looking to change the subject, she lurches toward you.
“I am Kicha.” She blurted out, rubbing her face against yours.
Woah! Fairly close. And who was She? Who were they talking about? This Her of Outrageous Prices.
“We don’t find many lions wandering out this way. It’s pretty chaotic!” She touches her nose to yours, obviously excited at the new contact.
Tazama chomps his teeth down onto her tail, producing a slight yelp from the striped female as he pulls her back, away from you, as she had been getting closer and closer (and then causing you to step back) inch by inch.
If this land is so uninhabitable, so strange, why stay? You wonder.
“Well! We are pretty abnormal too!” Kicha points out, stifling a little laugh with her paw.
“And no one else would welcome us.” Tazama interjects, adding some negativity to their situation.
Kicha nods excitedly in agreement, slowly turning solemn as his words sunk in.
“Well... welcome!” She tries to force a smile, and leads you away from the now stale situation with a tail under your chin, and takes you over to their wares.
There was obviously a rising tension in this pride, and you start to wonder if it was a wise choice to come here.Kicha sure thinks so!
Their current stock certainly is.... peculiar.
